Everything Ends

It’s been awhile since I’ve written. I’ve watched guilds struggle. I’ve watched guilds come and go. I’ve seen a huge decline of 25 man guilds as they dropped into 10 man raid groups, or just 10 man raid guilds, never completely making the transition back. One thing holds true – No Quarter Given has – to itself. We are still a 25 man raid core. We still have our same principles that this guild was built upon. We still go through the same effort to keep things just as drama free and as transparent as possible, while maintaining calmness – not always an easy thing when someone is ranting to you about a pixel or fails to realize, you’re just as human too.

Cataclysm has brought so many changes to World of Warcraft and it’s no where near being close to the end of many ripples Azeroth will feel. I’ve met so many great people through this game. I’ve sealed off some friendships, but I’d also like to point out – those friendships are only sealed as long you let them be. I took this last week to remove those barriers. People leave guilds for a variety of reasons- and they give a variety of reasons. This last week, well, I’m losing yet another dear friend to the “real life” raid boss. It happens.

The irony is this is that I’ve seen it many times. I’m not mad about. I, of all people, do understand. This is game. It’s a game I’m often told I take a bit too seriously – and it’s a game that I put allot of myself into by way of this guild, its day to day organization, and its structure. I would never want anyone to stay in this guild that is not happy, but more so, if real life takes you away from us- and I mean us, this guild, this extended family, it is just the way the dice roll. We pride ourselves on being adults. We will hate to see you go, but it doesn’t mean we lose all contact. There is real id, we have our guild Facebook, and there’s email. The best compliment even on the way out is that, while we all realize the commitment cannot be made anymore or the dedication to raiding, you enjoyed your time here. The atmosphere you described is what every officer in this guild works very hard to try to maintain as behind the scenes as possible.

I can think of many people that have passed through our “doors” to other guilds, or even just to leave game. Quite a few I still indeed call friends. They are still on my Facebook pages. I still chat with them when time permits. Nothing is forever. Enjoy your friendships while you can, and enjoy raiding with your friends. You never know when the “real life” raid boss may come for you.

But do I have to??

Guild ranking systems are many; in today's World of Warcraft, you have not only "progression kills" but you also have "achievements"- normal modes, and hard modes. With all this, it's no wonder that finding a ranking system is hard. There are many sites out there that claim to offer this service: WoWJutsu , WoWProgress, GuildOx, and a fairly new site: WoW Guild Progress. Each site approaches this ranking differently. WoWJutsu hasn't really been updated in months, more than likely years. It's pretty much obsolete. WoWProgress weights the ranking on how quickly you accomplished the kill, in comparison to other guilds on server and gives you a value. The longer you take to kill the boss, the lower the value. Guild Ox measures "progression" based on specific points/achievements; they also have a separate achievement tracking system.

Why does any of this matter? It matters when you start recruiting. It matters even more if you mainly recruit off server. As a guild that really marches to its own drum, where we constantly are defining ourselves, with our values/goals/missions – this is hard thing to digest at times. Content has popped quite quickly. With the release of new content, there are still "progression points" to be had in old content. The issue comes in that some of your raiders (and maybe even officers) really don't want to step back into the older content. As the person that does most of the recruiting, I know this is something that I do bring up in interviews, right along with achievements, hard modes, and lock outs.

It matters because some folks only see purples. There aren't any gear upgrades in Ulduar for any "progression point" we haven't done, but there are achievements. ToGC is slightly different, but only because trinkets are something Blizzard regularly fails at. There are still several BiS trinkets in ToGC. There isn't any justification to spends weeks working on old content, but there is justification to step back and complete these instances. Since we use Guild Ox as our ranking site of choice, there are several points that would move us up the ladder. The fight is simply "do I have to?" in typical a Steve Urkel voice from some raiders – others are more than happy to see the content. This will take some incentives, I'm sure- but to be able to recruit quality players, it's worth the investment.

Achievements Anyone?

This guild does not focus on 10 mans. It is usually an off night thing. The 10 mans are posted on a volunteer type basis. People sign up in the appropriate forum thread and the group takes off from there. As a result, our 10 man rankings and achievements are just, well pathetic. Lord Soth, the guild leader, decided we would make some effort to change that.

In our Off Night Fiascos thread, he posted an "achievement whore run". It peaked allot of interest. Our 10 mans have been filling up on the weekends since ICC released. His agenda this past Monday was to start small- OS3D, Malygos 6 Minute Kill, and we actually ended up completing Nax as well. We gathered a fair amount of achievements during the process, missing the Undying due to the bear tank being color blind (ok he's not really but he missed the giant swirl under his feet on KT).

All in all, we spent 4 hours running through old content. Personally, I gathered a few new achievements, and others gathered even more. It was fast. No one was complaining about a wipe here in old content as we all were a bit rusty. It makes me look forward to next week and to see what Soth has in store for his "achievement whores".

Sailing into uncharted waters

Ahoy to all my NQG mateys and anyone else who reads this blog!!! My name is Lineshot and I am a recent server transfer from Fenris. (I know , i know its the South Park server)

Anytime you answer a recruiting post from another guild off server , you always wonder if it will work out , if the picture they paint is accurate , and if you are just going to waste $50 potentially.

If you have these doubts like I did with this transfer then let me tell you , NQG is the real deal!!!

This is the guild I had wished to find upon first joining WoW. They have a wealth of information on the website and it is used and maintained daily. They are serious about raiding but not to the point of "OMGWTF did you die on the 1st try on the new boss and wipe the raid for GFTO L2P!!!!" serious. They have players with depth in many types of fields , ie theorycrafting , UI tweaking , and others, and they actually SHARE the knowledge and don't expect you to learn it by osmosis.

I know I am pumping up the guild I am in currently but I feel that I have found my WoW home and as with anything you do and work it , you take pride in it and want to show it off.

Even after joining a new guild you start the next uncharted voyage - going on your 1st raid with them!!!!!(Zoinks!!!!)

My first raid with NQG was to come in for Festergut (the kill referenced in Ony's last blog post). Having only done Festergut on 10's and as DPS , coming in to tank on 25's seemed like I was stepping into the shark tank with 20lbs of fresh meat strapped to my back.

Having done my homework the night before I had my DG/DS macro ready and I had gone over my duties in the fight:

1. Taunt boss at the proper time.


2. Pew Pew boss till the other tank taunted


3. Listen for the call on vent of AM (Aura Mastery) falling off and pop my DG/DS macro


4. HoS myself and dps the boss till time to tank again.

It took a couple of wipes but we downed him and got our loot. I felt relieved because I did not mess up and did my job. (Whew!!!)

We moved onto Rotface and the intensity just reached out and smacked me in nads!!! What do you mean I have to kite these ooze thingy's and not melee them??? Oh because they hit me for 20K plus on plate??? What do you mean the room floods in a random pattern and I have to try and avoid it???

Seriously who decided to make the offtank feel like an oppressed labour in a sweatshop?? (Ghostcrawler promised me a pony and I am still waiting for that too)

This is one fight where the offtank has his hands full. After a couple of days worth of attempts , we finally downed him on 25's . This fight truly tested everyone in the raid and at times I felt the pressure of the whole fight on my shoulders but ultimately it rested on all the raiders to do their jobs as well.

In closing let me say that I have charted my course to this new guild and server and arrived with expectations that have been met and exceeded.Now I look to help them stay the course of progression raiding and together chart our path in WoW.

Festergut - ICC 25

This guy took us a bit to figure out. He's a DPS/Gear check as well as an execution check. We struggled at the start to figure out the right compositions, the correct execution, and then, of course, to up our dps.

The first kill came with using 2 range groups and a central melee/healer group. We ran with only 5 healers- utilizing the Aura Mastery buff, with the DS/DG Combination that you can gain with a pally tank. The five minute enrage timer is a pain - but doable. It takes work, and everyone on the same page for popping hero and what not.

The week we went in without having a pally tank- instead, we had our normal (and awesome) warrior tank and a bear tank. Last week, we ran with 5 healers, and this week we ran with 6. But the difference is, the dps brought it. Execution was flawless, it was a very clean kill, and running the extra healer. It was a great night. It also goes to show you, understanding the mechanics and being comfortable with the fight is a solid course of action to increase raid DPS.

Our own attempts we learned it takes 3 ranged on 10 man, and 7 minimum on 25. This is to prevent the vile gas from hitting melee and what ranged are stacked in the melee. Gas spores on melee had to run between his feet slightly so that the tanks got inoculation.

Raid Composition versus Raid Core

Ask any guild leader or raid leader how hard it can be to keep a twenty five man raid core full, to factor in enough leeway to allow real life to occur, yet keep the raid moving. It’s a daunting job. Currently progression content (ICC) is full of situations where max DPS has to be achieved, lots of fight mechanics (which Blizzard loves to reuse in new and twisted environments), and less healers gave to perform to higher levels. Having a limited number of raid slots on your raiding roster is the only way to accommodate such a goal, but it brings in other factors as well.

How many raid slots is enough? That’s really a hard question to answer, and dependent on each guild’s attendance policy. It also doesn’t factor in how fast a guild can usually fill the opening or if you have members that tend to have real life occur more often than others. For this guild, we put a cap on our raiding core of thirty five raid slots. This means we will not exceed that number of slots. At one point, we had a cap of thirty raid slots, but due to the number of couples we have in this guild and a few rotating schedules, the cap is set at thirty five core slots.

In any given twenty five man raid instance, you generally have no more than two to three tanks, six to seven healers, with the remaining slots a myriad of ranged and melee DPS. For ICC, this has usually been one Main Tank, two Off Tanks with DPS Dual Specs, six healers –with one having a DPS Off Spec, leaving sixteen raid slots for DPS Main Specs. With a ratio of 12% tanks, 24% healers, with the remaining 64% being raid DPS, it stands to reason the bench is going to be smaller for the healers and tanks. If you take the percentages and apply them to our thirty five core slots, you end up with a max of four tanks/off tanks, eight healers, and twenty-two DPS members leaving one slot open to float.

With these percentages, it stands to reason that DPS will sit more often than a healer or tank. But it also stands to reason, these things happen too. The only resolution we can offer is track attendance, and track the bench – in an attempt to keep rotation as fair as possible. Each guild has to handle their bench in a way their guild leadership sees fit. For us, we rotate. Occasionally volunteers happen, but composition has to come first – as it is detrimental to raid success, offering buffs and specific strengths needed for the fights ahead. Occasionally, poor performance that needs to be improved may cause rotation or the person to sit. The issue is brought up to the individual on a personal level, with officers present, and will either be addressed and corrected, or the person will move to a casual rank until improvement can be made.

Some guilds do not rotate. They will try a new person out, and make their core compete for raid slots. Some guilds aren’t organized at all. They just expect people to show up, and they often have a slow start time. It’s not the way this guild operates. No one is above the rules, but what you have to keep in mind, is that you cannot raid with twenty-two DPS slots filled, and all tanks/healers sitting – composition is always paramount, and it is why the EPGP system continues to grow with the guild and be amended to accomplish the right objectives.

Anal Tendencies – Toilet Paper Anyone?

All too often I hear this.. "you have anal tendencies" Yup, that's right. I do. I organize, I plan, I strategize, and I make sure the raid goes on and the guild survives another day, another patch, so on and so forth. To raid in 25 man content, it means you need 25 people – with the right balance of tanks/healers/ dps – this section split even more dependent upon the encounter, such as x number of melee and y number of ranged- online, at the same time, at the same place, and ready to go. Factor this with people on different continents, different countries, different time zones, and scheduling can really be a nightmare. Throw in the occasional wrench of "Sorry, it's 'Significant Other's' birthday" , "Timmy has a softball game" or "Mandatory overtime" and then you watch twenty something people meet for nothing- or PUG (attempt to even) the remaining slots to complete the raid- with the hopes that they are competent.

In my opinion, this is not what a guild should really be comprised of- at least, this guild is not based on that type of loose principal. This guild is about having scheduled runs, set raid days, and a roster that can allow life to happen. Respect- if you say you are going to be there, you are- this is a basic concept, and something not all guilds hold true to- this one does. Consistency –if you don't have the same core group, you aren't going to get anywhere- think to 3.2 content and Yogg, or any of the hard modes. Expectations –the most successful organizations have set expectations and requirements, and this guild is not any different. We have our core values, our expectations, and the rules are pretty much drawn out. The exceptions rarely exist – and everyone should know what is going on. Do mistakes happen? Absolutely, but this is an adult guild, and we can say, hey- this shouldn't have happened, and we'll try to ensure it doesn't again.

Our raid roster has 35 slots. I have a co-founder of this guild MIA, not included in those slots, because the raid will move on. Composition will be met. I've met some outstanding, wonderful, and unique individuals. I seen all types of World of Warcraft players come and go, from the hardcore to the complete utter inexperienced want to be raider that bit off more than they expected. In the end, while I have enjoyed/loathed/debated so many types of personalities, it really doesn't matter. What does matter is the commitment to the unit- the guild- the raiding core- to fill those slots and ensure raids are happening as scheduled, efficiently, with competent people. This means I am always looking ahead, because real life happens- your roster and needs today, will most probably not be your needs tomorrow or even by this afternoon. Recruiting people, at least solid players that fit well with the expectations of the guild- it's living, breathing, atmosphere- can take time. Sometimes it doesn't. If you know you are losing people, with content popping on a bi-weekly basis, you know you have to replace them quickly. Time is not a luxury on progression- and the responsibility to stay on track and with the right composition is out of necessity for survival. It goes hand in hand with consistency, and begs the question why would you gear someone for the upcoming content, when you know they will not be there to help the guild through it?

It isn't personal. It's about ensuring a group of like minded individuals have the necessary tools to move forward. Shit can hit the fan- you can find yourself calling raids, because your roster no longer supports your raiding goals. That's when you are happy you have someone like me- who keeps the toilet paper handy, and the raid moving. Timing is not always my choice- you have to work with what you have, when you have it, forever looking ahead. In all of this, know that what I do is and has always been in the best interest (at least as I've seen it) for the guild. I have never tried to ruin the game for someone, or force responsibility on someone who did not want it. The positions have been always volunteered, but in anyone that has held one, be careful of what you ask for. It's much easier watching an organization run from the outside, then to be on the inside making it run smoothly- because things are rarely ever as smooth as it seems.

Wiping – Is it really a waste of time?

Progression.. it's a simple word really. It is measured in WoW terms by a variety of things- achievements, bosses killed, hard modes completed, gear level, reputation level, and the list can go on. It rarely happens over night. It takes effort, planning, and cohesiveness of the group to accomplish things. After all, one person isn't soloing Ulduar. It takes time and attempts to learn the mechanics of fights, and to figure out what strategy needs to be deployed for the group to be successful. Until the entire group understands the mechanics, how it works, what each person's role is and how to perform it to the best of his/her ability – it takes practice. Ever remember that old cliché phrase your mother used to say to you: "Practice makes perfect." Well, it holds true, even in WoW. Of course, it's easier to swallow the cost of learning if the guild bank is paying. At this point, it isn't about the "numbers" of WoW, be it TPS, DPS, or HPS – it is about the execution. Do they factor in? Absolutely- if dps is pulling aggro off the tank, we have to figure out the problem. If we are dying, and we do not know why, we have to figure out the problem. At this point, it's about staying alive (**theme music "staying alive staying alive"**). The numbers are what comes after everyone knows what to do, and we're getting to the point that the numbers are an issue is something else entirely. At that point, we have to work on how fast or how well we kill things.

Can progression be rough? Aside from bad leadership and loot, it's in the top three issues that KILL and CRUMBLE guilds. If you've been around this game long enough, you see blocks in the game. Usually they are put there as gear checks, or strategy/execution checks. Today's World of Warcraft has even created separate modes for "harder" instances – so if you choose to go that route, you can push your skill level. The point is, why settle? If it was easy, would you really want to do it? Isn't part of the satisfaction knowing that you are doing something or you've done something, others haven't? Wiping in Warcraft is a lot like going to the track for practice runs. You'll never win the race if you do not know how the car handles, especially in a pinch or on an unknown track. Just because you have spent a fair amount of time wiping on boss, it doesn't equal you are unable to do this. It means you have to learn what you are doing wrong and correct it. If you are lasting longer, getting to a different point, and learning – then it isn't a waste of time, but rather an conscious effort to succeed. This is really what progression is about.. guilds spent months stuck at different bosses throughout the game – for a variety of reasons. It goes with the territory.

Perspectives

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere
with what you can do."
- John Wooden

Raid composition used to be a top priority because each class brought something unique as a benefit to the raid. In today's WoW, most of that has changed. Multiple classes crossover on that benefit, and as such, it's one of those things where Blizzard has made it for guild to "bring the player, not the class". Today's raid composition is entirely a lot looser than raiding in Vanilla or BC World of Warcraft. It isn't just skill, it's also knowledge of game mechanics and each raider's own class.

One of the most frustrating things I've found in this game is the inability of people to think outside the box. It's an old cliché "think outside of the box" but I'm really at a loss of how else to describe it. I suppose it comes from my direct disregard for the word "NO" or "You can't" because, frankly, I rarely take those words to heart. There are many World of Warcraft sites on the internet, and from scouring them, you can find a wealth of information on your choice of subjects. Specifically of interest to most raiding guilds, boss strategies, with diagrams, and other people's experience abound. I know of guilds that prefer to do things "blind" and some that always will, as they are the first ones there, on the PTR, hammering out the new encounters, while the majority wait for the content to be released and tidbits of news/tips/tricks.

This guild may use strategy xyz, but guilds are not all cookies cut from the same cookie cutter. Each guild and raid core has members that are real people. These people have strengths and weaknesses. The key to any successful strategy is to utilize those strengths and compensate for those weaknesses. The idea is to be able to re-group when strategy xyz doesn't work, and adjust to the talents/skills of the people and players on hand. Gone are the days of Player A, can you step outside because we really need a <insert class here> for <insert ability here>. Is it different? Absolutely, but that's what makes this such an interesting game; There is no "one method" that works for all guilds~ it isn't about what you do not have, but what you can do with the composition and people you do have. The next time someone suggests something, keep an open mind, and just remember, just because YOU haven't done it that way, it does not mean that it is impossible.

Recruiting

If you are a raiding guild, recruitment is something that is inherently a part of the guild's life – much like breathing is to you and I. Obviously no guild ever starts out with a full raiding core, even if the guild was formed as the result of a split. Recruitment is a continuous process, and stabilization can also be a contributing factor to the success of a raid encounter. It's something that I have done in a couple of guilds and in some aspects, it never really gets easier. NQG keeps a roster of 35 raiders. We allow alts and casual members, but that roster is our raiding core. Our roster size makes sure we rarely have to a cancel a raid due to lack of raiders.

There are a few things that always weigh in if you are trying to fill a specific role or class on your roster. You always have to worry about overfilling the slot (roughly 3 is a magic number for most classes). You have to worry about how your existing members are going to take to the new member. This isn't even looking at performance, because some folks could bluster out great performance in raid, but could be struggling with a solid mesh with the guild's atmosphere. The recruit could also be struggling with adjustments, due to a variety of factors such the guild's current progression level and raiding style.

For NQG, we really strive to ensure a solid fit. Our application is a bit daunting, and it's continually under improvement and adjustment, based on our own applicants' history and experience. We ask everything from the basic questions such as raid experience, a possible sample WoWWebStats or other meter form, to a simple question of if the person has cold weather flying. All of our raid applicants are asked and required to fill out an application. We try to keep our expectations posted and updated, as well as our website. Upon completion, the application is posted in a members' only forum for review by the guild. This was actually a revised process- at one time the applications were kept in an officer only forum. We've actually found by opening it to all guild members, we get better input. Diversity can be a great thing, and the varying input can assist with the right questions to ask. The last thing we want is to bring in someone and that person not be happy, which is even more true as this guild mainly consists of transfers. The quality of the application speaks volumes. It can tell you just how interested the potential member is. Often, it can give insight to how well they may fit in. Lack of raid experience is not an automatic "no", and the person's progression experience is just weighted. It's something that has to be done with a guild that pushes forward on progression. Also, some people may not understand what it takes to learn a fight, wiping, etc – and this has to be covered as well other expectations. Previous raid experience (and a few in-depth questions) can assist in finding out if the person has ever had this type of experience.

If the application looks sound, we then send an email asking to take our application process to the next step. Once a time has been arranged, we will conduct a vent interview. If there are questions over the application, or spec/gear choices, we'll usually ask them at that time. This vent interview may just contain a guild officer, or it may contain a few folks from the guild. We usually find out if the applicant understands the loot system, and what kind of expectations the interviewee has of the guild. It's imperative that we cover our expectations and the expectations of the person applying. If all goes well, an invite will be extended and a hard transfer date setup. Forum access is usually granted at this time. If we have some concerns, we note them as the application is moved to a private area. We have a two initiate period to see how an applicant is going to adjust/mesh.

Where do these folks come from? Many guilds struggle with recruitment. As a guild is like any organization, it is continually evolving- people are leaving, due to a variety of reasons, and people are joining. There are many areas to look for potential guild members. Most guilds will look to recruit from their server. This method has some positives, as you can run heroics/instances with the potential guild member and evaluate skill level. Some guilds spam the recruitment channel and/or the trade channel. Other guilds may just post on the server forums. If you are seeking to fill a specific role, you need to ensure you use a variety of methods.

NQG typically does NOT recruit on server. With that said, we will post on the Guild Recruitment – Alliance World of Warcraft forums. We also use a variety of sites, such as WoWMatcher.com, lookingforguild.net, recruitgamers.com, and forums such as MMOChampion.com. We post ads and search for potential folks, and we respond to folks. We try to follow up on occasion with contact in game, because we aren't just filling a role, we're looking for an exceptional person to join our roster. In the end, a solid fit is what we are after, and seeking emotionally sound and drama free individuals can sometimes be a challenge but with persistence and hard work, it can be done.

Patch 3.2

Patch 3.2 hit this last week and with it, of course, came tons of bugs. The bright side is that if one wants to a raider now, there is no reason not to be able to get your toon suitably geared for content. It may take a week or two, but if you do daily heroics, you should be able to knock down quite a few badges and items this way. Lots of people (geared and under-geared, as well as skilled and unskilled) are all chain running heroics these days.

In addition to the emblem changes, you also have the opportunity to get the triumphs by doing the daily. New Crusader quests are available, and some have changed considerably. New pets have been introduced, and the Northrend Orphan's week went live as well. Mount changes for your alts so that at level 20, you can ride from Redridge to Darkshire insteading of walking- and they've made it affordable as well.

Most exciting is the new 5 man instance- that drops Nax ilevel gear- and the new raid instance. Although the raid instance is being released in Sunwell style- one boss a week, first impressions are everything. The Northrend Beasts encounter wasn't as bad or hard.. albeit, challenging as I had hoped, but hey, that's what Heroic is for.

Raid Fallout

Well, it's about time I got back to updating our blog. We've been working overtime on tightening up our raid. While this last week brought major changes to the guild as whole, we've proven we can survive the many curve balls that Blizz and just the lifecycle of a guild bring us. This week we lost a few offtanks.. well in honesty, 1 offtank, and two dual spec/two role offtanks and a single dps- but this is the way things work sometimes. The focus of this guild hasn't changed from the day of inception- simply put, we are here to raid, and to have a great time doing it; we are adults (18+ for the most part) and we're here to be damn good at what we do, and make the most of the time we have to do it. The stress of a guild focused on this type of progression, involving multi faceted focus isn't for everyone. For that we lost our OT, and one dps- because to them, the enjoyment of the game was gone- and that is something no one in this guild wants. I call it fall out- simply because when you get to points like Yogg or a hard mode- it can cause frustration. The point is to learn from your mistakes. Some people have issues with repeated wipes. All in all, no one guild ever walked or cleared all new content without at least some wiping and learning the fight. And even with learning it, it doesn't mean that the tactics may not change.

This last week has made me reflect on just the type of members this guild holds as its heart and core. The drive/ambition/motivation to continue forward and not "go quietly into the night," albeit kind of frustrating, it's very easy to overcome. As I think of each of members, and where this guild started last year, we've come a long way. Based on guild feedback, I've adjusted our application to allow us to more easily screen applicants- as there is no sense in wasting anyone's time or money. The quality of applications varies – but we quickly replaced the folks we lost. Our current openings are down to just a couple of DPS but we aren't hurting by any means. Sunday night we had an amazing turnout- and 36 people online around raid start time.

What astounds me the most about this last week is that while I was shocked, and some folks did the mature thing- posted their goodbye- one cowardly transfer in the middle of the night- was that our core wished them well and happiness in their endeavors. The only concern ever raised was the reasoning behind leaving- if this guild isn't for you, that's fine- but be honest about it, because I promise you, we'll honestly tell you if things are not working out. This has been something that has really made me go back over our policies as well as ensuring that the players which join this guild are here for the same purpose – casual members aside, the raiders that are here- have the same goals and determinations. There is no one person that cannot be replaced, but in the end, the guild core makes this guild what it is. I look forward the next weeks as new bosses die by our efforts. All these departures were just dust in the wind.

Hard Modes, Morale, and Raiding

There's a lot of talk at various blog sites and WoWInsider about Hard Modes, specifically in relation to Ulduar and the next patch changes with 3.2 and the new raid instances. Discussion has ranged from a variety of, you should even consider a HM until you have cleared Ulduar to people trying to achieve HM when they are far below the capability- and how devastating that can be for the raid roster. I know just within our guild there was some discussion- but I firmly feel we arrived at the best solution for us- simply put, we will attempt a HM, and give it 3 solid attempts- and based on those attempts, call it and do the boss normally, or try again. There is no reason to ever burn someone out wiping.

We've gradually been building our experience up on the towers. Perhaps we'll try 3 towers up on FL this time and see how the attempt goes- but it is nice to know up front what limitations we have in place already. As far as DPS race HMs, there is really no reason not to try for these every time- because they cost nothing. We can increasingly push ourselves harder/further. Since our focus is currently Yogg and Iron Council Medium Mode, we've been pushing through content quickly to have time to focus on these fights; it's paid off too, because we are mastering Yogg's phases, and IC would have been cleared if we would have had a second hunter Sunday night.

Recruiting has really paid off, and we've also very quickly filled our immediate needs, and hit "critical mass" as far as our roster is concerned. With our latest additions, I really feel it will definitely make our first HM- IC – Med, very possible, which will then unlock the way for us to begin working on other HMs. Guild Bank Repairs on Sunday also helped as we were working through Yogg, and we did a 180 on improving our number of attempts for the time we had available. On the whole, aside from some miscommunication on 10 man raiding (I swear bliz loves to put these things out there just to test guild mettle), our core is stronger than it has ever been, with a great group of core people. The choice is always that YOU choose who YOU raid with. I love my decision!

Being Prepared

Well, it's been a bit since I've posted here and I'm working on cleaning out old topics on our forums. I'm going to archive some of those topics on our guild blog. Here's a good one, amended to reflect current changes. Original Post Posted: 23 Feb 2009 09:48 am

Being prepared is not just about flasks.. or food, it is also a certain level that you must commit to, in a much similar fashion that one does when he/she has a job. You have a certain time that you have to be to work. You better show up properly attired, and you better keep gas in your vehicle, or money to buy gas to get to work or your job may be at risk.

The same is true in correlation for raiding. Of course, if you read through our policies, you find that we EXPECT to make the first pull at 6:30. The expectation is that you are online and ready to raid 15 minutes prior.

The policy also states that we expect you to be at the instance- admittedly this one has been hard as of late, due to the fact our schedule has been bouncing around on what we are raiding. That schedule is something else I'm updating. Composition and attendance provided, we will focusing on Ulduar

Bonus EP and Penalties are about to be changed. The full impacts of those changes have not been fully decided upon. Attendance has become flighty. We always seem to end or be close to a full raid by the end of the night. What we have to allocate is simple- a full group. The On Time Bonus is going to be re-defined.


In our current policy, we state to be prepared and ready. Let me clarify exactly what is meant by this. This guild raids 4 nights a week, for a total of 13 hours. This is less than a part time job, if you want to look at raiding in that perspective. You're in this guild because you want to be, because you want to raid, and to do so competently. That means you have agreed to our raiding terms:

• Be online 15 minutes prior to the raid start time

• Be available – this means don't say, hey, hold up- I'm doing OS 10 really quick or Vault, or finish up a BG. This is rude behavior to the other 24 people waiting on you. It isn't just your time if you have committed to be in the raid and available for it.

• Be fully repaired-
This one is common sense. If you go to a raid, you show up fully repaired- that's 100% durability. No one is here to babysit. This will be checked at the beginning of every raid- and if you aren't repaired, it will be noted.

• Bring your food buff/flask/elixirs/bandages/potions.
Do I expect you to pop it on a Nax run? Flasks- no, but this goes with raiding. You should have these items ready for any raid. Several guild members assist me with helping to supply the raid with fish feasts, but you should still keep a stack of food for buff in the event you die and the raid doesn't. Our raid nights are pretty much set- so you should always have flasks/food available at that time.

• You should - at a minimum - be in Dalaran, if you are unsure of where we are going, if not outside the raid instance. Do not expect a summons. If you are going to be late or close on time, get prepared, and log out by the instance.

• The Cost of Epix/Purplez – The cost of getting gear and raiding is time and gold. Why did I say time? Because it takes time to farm mats, ply your trade to make money, or doing dailies so that you have gold. Why did I say gold? Gold is needed to be able to enchant items (the guild bank offers some high prices items at ½ going AH rate), get the consumables you need if you aren't farming them, and have money to repair. This is a guild that consists of mature members, 99% adults, and with jobs/real lives/ significant others. We all have other obligations/duties. This aspect of the game also goes along as the cost of raiding. There is NO valid excuse not to have these items covered. Gold is easier to come by now than it has ever been. The AH is another avenue to make money. If you need pointers, please make a post.

The Winds of Change

What a week in review… from a stellar start to a vast amount of changes have blown a lot of debris from the guild. Unfortunately it's also put us back into recruitment but even more focused on keeping the founding principles of this guild at its core. The dust has settled and a lot of loyal people are remaining. If there is one thing about adversity, it's that it can pull people together.

Some major changes have been in process, with just 3 officers- and yes, we are still looking for a solid raid leader, it would be impossible to ensure we have someone available for invites online most 90-% of the time. We've since opened up our applications to be viewable by all guild members, and we've allowed swashbucklers the ability to invite. A solid guideline has been presented. Allowing members to read the applications gives everyone a feel for the people we are recruiting and what we are looking at. It's also allowing specific input on those classes.

Everyone has pulled together, and Thursday saw us running Ulduar 10 Man with alts tanking. Granted, their gear wasn't the best, but they damn sure played their classes as though it were their mains. We spent 3 hours in Ulduar that night- and we killed 3 bosses. Not too shabby =) Sunday we worked on Iron Council, still working with one alt tank and a new DK tank that we've added to the roster. After some very close attempts, we decided to give Kologarn a try- and he was a one-shot. Back to Iron Council went our little 10 man, and they came damn close to bringing him down. We should see that boss kill on the front page soon.

Our roster is filling back out rather rapidly. We've got a couple transferring in, and a rogue. We've already picked up a priest and DK tank. We're currently still on the hunt for a MT. We've also got a several interviews lined up for tonight. I think by the end of the week we will be back in 25 man content.

Due to recent departure, and the nasty little flames, it brings some discouragement, but out of the ashes rises a phoenix- brighter and more full of fire than ever. As a guildie related, a forest fire started naturally is part of the process, the brush and deadwood needs to be burnt out to let the forest grow rich and thrive. It was a very astute observation, and one who's sentiments I share whole heartedly. We're here, and we're going to be better than ever!

something old, Something new, somthing blue(ish)

So after a lil schism in the ranks we lost some members...oh well. But hey if this week proved anything its that we don't die...we just get better! 4(almost 5)bosses in 2 days? Not bad for guild thats currently using ALTs as tanks! I say good job to everyone! lets keep gettin them purples!

We are also recruiting for our 25mans now. So welcome everyone who's joined and to those who will be joining us!

Words of Wisdom:
"He who makes a beast out of himself Gets rid of the pain of being a man"

Welcome To the World(of warcraft)

So...where to begin. I guess i should start by saying now not only will Onyx be doing the blog but she hired Oryxlea and I to help out. So here I go with my first postNow onto the stuff ya’ll want to hear about! As many of you are aware, we have taken our first steps into Ulduar but we have gotten the server first achievement for Flame Leviathan! That’s right ladies and gents. No Quarter Given is server first for Heroic: Orbital Bombardment. Congratz to all who were there and all who were sitting on the sidelines cheering us on. Also in news, the Argent Tournament is in game. If you haven’t checked it out yet I strongly recommend it. It is located in the northeast corner of Icecrown (just look for the part of your map that isn't filled in). Many daily quests that are new, exciting and best of all...actually make you earn your way! So I urge you, young knights, to grab your lance tight in your hand and thrust forward into the dark depths of the unknown! Yeah it gives Silver Covenant faction/reputation gains.

In other more speculative news...the next Xpac. What will it be? When will it come? How will it change the game? Who will be the big bosses? Why the hell am I writing like this? Check the public forum and add your thoughts.


I leave you with my words of wisdom "Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when you're kneecapped by a lone shark."