A Matter of Timing

The pros and cons of raid locks out- dare to mention this word on a guild forum and watch opinions fly! Lock outs…this was something folks did not have to contemplate when running a guild in Burning Crusade. It's a tool for guilds short on time to be able to implement; it can give a casual guild more face time on the boss. It's a tough decision to make as far as any guild management goes- but in a progression based guild, sometimes it is necessary.

The Cons of Lock Outs

There go the easy emblems, the fast pace, and the loot (even though you may be disenchanting most of it). Currently, clearing two wings in a night is very doable, and I imagine as some of the raiders get more experienced, three wings will be a solid possibility. Most of the speed has to do with efficiency and familiarity; it also never fails that most resets signups abound.

The Pros of Lock Outs

The issue comes to looking ahead- some folks need time to get a boss down. Composition can be a real pain in the ass – especially if you end up with a few folks out on vacation/real life at the same time. Not only does a lock out give you time to focus on a specific boss, it can also afford you time to go back and achieve some things in prior content that you haven't done. In some ways, it gives more time.

The argument of upgrades are available is pretty valid – but it's completely random if it drops or not. I think the decision is never made lightly, but I also believe that it brings up a solid question of why do YOU raid? It's a simple question – do you raid just for purples? Do you raid because you are a boss kill junkie? Do you like to see new content?

Yes, wiping can be horrible. It can demoralize a guild quickly- but the big picture – "are you making progress?"- has to be assessed as the encounter continues. Killing the boss the first time, or succeeding, after putting forth effort to learn, adjust, compensate, and achievement – well, much like Vin Diesel's XXX, " I live for this shit".

For me, it isn't about the epics, or the loot, but the experience. Knowing that I was a part of a larger picture and together we accomplished something- this is why I raid. Sure, badges are nice, loot is phat, and gear scores (if you look at trade) are requirements for the simplest things- but it's the thrill of the kill for me. So, in my own opinion, if it means a lock out to accomplish it – so be it.

Raid Lockouts - Extend your game!

This was a hot topic before 3.2 hit, but the advantages are really nice. It’s something we’ve avoided due to having new members that needed gear. After going through the first bit of Ulduar this week, we disenchanted entirely too much loot. With that said, it’s time to figure out how to use this feature.

The first thing that you have to do is hit O and pull up your guild/friends/raid tabs. Notice on the top right the "RAID INFO" button. Click here. As you can see from this point, all of your active raid instances that you've been saved in are listed. Notice the button on the bottom- EXTEND RAID LOCK.

Here's a better view of it- it will show you the instance, version, and when the lock expires.

You can then select the appropriate instance, and click Extend Raid Lock. This is not something anyone can do but YOU. Before you start panicking, you are probably wondering a bit more how this works-well keep in mind, if you change your mind you can remove the lock and if you forget to extend the lockout, you are able to do so after the reset.

Once you have extended the lock- notice the green "Extended" text, and the button changes to Remove Raid Lock Extension. Basically, this is going to allow alot more control over what you want to work on and when- once you've accomplished what you were after, you'll have to wait for the current raid week to be over for the reset, but for guilds struggling with attendance, or composition, this tool can come in handy.