Raiding Policy
The level of success we have achieved as a guild has been nothing short of phenomenal. We have reached the point where all instances up to and including Molten Core are mastered easily and quickly. We have now moved on to the next level – Black Wing Lair. There is a HUGE difference when moving onto instances like Black Wing Lair! The level of challenge changes dramatically. This is not to say it is beyond us but in order to succeed we have to be at our best. BWL and beyond requires us to work as a TEAM, and be consistently at 100% effectiveness. It is crucial that all raid party members understand and carry out the following:
Raid Times . The most common times for raids are 20.00 - 0.00. With some daytime activity (normally afternoons 14.00 - 18.00) at weekends. Please check the site calender and the events schedule to book your place. Remember if you dont book a raid place there may not be one available for you later.
Be patient. It does take time and a fair amount of work to organise and get 20-40 people together. Complaining or blaming others about the time being taken does not help, if anything it only slows the process down further. Better to start a raid fully prepared but slightly later than to attempt when not quite ready. However players should try to be on time for raids as this does make the process a lot easier.
“There can be only One”. Respect your Raid Leader and the instructions given! As the name suggests the Raid Leader leads the raid. The position of Raid Leader (RL) is the most demanding role in ANY raid. Raids do not work by having 40 people all giving different opinions on how things should be done. Instead one person has the role of guiding the rest through the instance. What the RL says is what happens and the RL decision is always final. Being a Raid Leader is one of the most challenging roles in any MMORPG. If you would like to try being a RL then please apply for a RL position, we are looking for new RLs.
Listen to the Raid Leader. The Raid Leader is there for a reason. Following the instructions given will mean progress through the instance is made swiftly and effectively. If the RL has to give the same instructions repeatedly because party members are not paying attention then the raid will slow down dramatically. Listen to the instructions given, if you are not sure what to do please ask for clarification – then follow the instructions given. Raid success is all down to teamwork and organisation. This can only be achieved by everyone knowing his or her role and sticking to it.
Consistency & Focus . Throughout all the instances up to and including Molten Core, if mistakes are made at least 9 times out of 10 the party will not wipe as others will be able to help out. Fights with bosses last a couple of minutes so things like mana management are less important. From BWL onwards that changes – things become a lot harder. The margin for error changes dramatically - one bad pull and the whole raid wipes. Boss fights can last 10+ minutes. The luxury of rushing through the instance in a slightly haphazard manner is gone, we can’t just rush in, grab the loot and get out – we have to do it properly, each and every time.
As a side note if you treat all instances like this, including the easier ones (like Strath & Scholo), you will be a far better player when you do get to the more challenging ones. Instance success is about precision and teamwork not about how fast can we do it. By focussing 100% on your role you will contribute greatly towards the overall success of the raid, you will become a better player and ultimately you will achieve more personal satisfaction from the part you have played. This is not an easy thing to do – but where there is greater challenge there is greater reward.
Team Spirit . The most successful raids are team efforts where everyone works well together. If a player does something exceptionally well they should be congratulated for it. If a player does something bad then do not blame them, the RL will be giving them instructions as to how to avoid the same thing happening again. At this stage we need to conquer BWL before moving on further still, this can only be achieved by working together – we wont get everything right every time. But we should over the course of a period of time see steady improvement. Support your guild mates and we will all progress together.
Raid Discipline. Players who do not follow rules and instructions from the Raid Leader slow the progress of the raid and greatly increase the likelihood of being wiped. Players who continuously do this threaten the success of the raid and spoil the enjoyment of the other players. Players who do this will be given a warning in private by the Raid Leader, if 3 such warnings are received by any player, they will be removed from the raid immediately. The Raid Leader also has the power to remove any player at any point if their behaviour merits it. This is very unusual and normally only used as a last resort. The aim of every raid is to finish with the same people who started, with all having enjoyed the event.
Software and Addon requirements
Requirements . For successful highend raiding, there are some specific software that you are required to install and keep updated. You will not be able to attend raids without these installed and in use.
Teamspeak2
This software is used for voice commands and communication. This software is primarily for listening to intructions, explainations and commands, so you do not need a mike. Download the software here and follow the instructions on that site. If you have problems, ask a guild mate. See member forums for server information.
URL:
http://www.goteamspeak.net/∞
CT_RaidAssist
This addon is used for text communication, alarms, and encounter information during raids. Download the addon here and follow the instructions on that site. If you have problems, ask a guild mate.
URL:
http://www.ctmod.net/∞
oRA2
This addon is a good CT_RaidAssist alternative. If you are planning on using oRA2 instead of CT, make sure you get BigWigs aswell for full functionality. If you intend to heal or wish to keep an eye on the raid's overall status a raid frame addon is also needed. sRaidFrames is a good option.
URL:
http://www.wowace.com/wiki/ORA2/∞
BigWigs
This addon is a good CT_RABossMods alternative.
URL:
http://www.wowace.com/wiki/BigWigs∞
sRaidFrames
This addon provides frames displaying HP and Mana values for the raid, as well as highlighting members in need of decurse, posion clensing and disease curing.
URL:
http://www.wowace.com/forums/index.php/topic,1758.0.html∞
Do's and Don'ts
10 Do’s for raiding
1. Do arrive with gear fully repaired
2. Do have potions and backups already bought
3. Do know your Raid leader
4. Do listen to your Raid Leader
5. Do focus on your role
6. Do keep quiet and pay attention when the Raid Leader is giving instructions
7. Do use an Assist Macro
8. Do focus on your role
9. Do listen to your Raid leader
10. Do enjoy the challenge – its what we are there for.
(Yes, that’s right 2 of them are repeated – that’s just how important they are!)
10 Don’ts for Raiding
1. Don’t be late
2. Don’t complain if we start a little late due to others
3. Don’t complain about other players or blame them for mistakes
4. Don’t argue with Raid Leader
5. Don’t argue about loot
6. Don’t do your own thing, remember your role
7. Don’t leave mid-raid unless you absolutely have to, even then find a substitute if possible
8. Don’t panic if things start to go wrong, remember your role
9. Don’t have your character constantly jumping for no reason – this is tremendously irritating to others.
10. Don’t be angry if we wipe – so what? What have we learned from it and how do we avoid doing it again?
Glossary
Knowing these terms is vital to understanding what to do in a raid environment.
MT (Main Tank) – The person responsible for holding the attention of the most dangerous active mob in the combat. This role is not about doing lots of damage – it is about taking lots of damage and having sufficient defensive qualities to stand up to it. The aim here is to occupy the mob while the rest of the party target the rest of the mobs before joining to kill the biggest threat. Typically this is a warrior’s role.
MA (Main Assist) – This person chooses which mob is next to be killed. All other attacking players (except the MT) focus on the target of the MA, this is the most efficient way of killing mobs. When the first target has been killed the MA will select the next target and all attacking players then focus on that target and so on until all targets have been killed. Typically this is a rogue’s role. To enable players to identify the MA’s target a macro must be used – this is crucial to raid success.
Sample macro: /assist
*
Where
* is the name of player who has been assigned the role of MA.
When this macro is specifically keyed, one keystroke tells you exactly what the next target will be.
OT (Off tank) – The person who will hold the attention of a second mob should two dangerous mobs need to be held at bay while the rest of the party concentrate on wiping out the other threats. Like MT this is typically a warriors role, but can be substituted if no warriors are available by either a druid (bear form) of a paladin.
CC (Crowd Control) – A method of removing a mob from the battle for a short period of time to enable faster killing of the remaining ones. Typical forms are ‘Sap’ (rogue skill – stuns an opponent), ‘polymorph’ (mage skill – turns an opponent into a sheep (also known as sheeping)) and ‘Shackle’ (priest skill – locks an opponent in a cage). These all work until the mob which has been CC’d takes damage at which point the CC is broken and the mob becomes fully active again. Accidentally hitting a CC’d mob should be avoided at all costs. Special care is needed with
AoE? spells near CC’d mobs and should generally be avoided.
