Project Lore

So you've found a guild and you think you've got the chops to run with the big boys now. You know your class well, you're all geared up, and ready to go. Though you may very well find acceptance in a top-tier raiding guild at this point, there is still one more hurdle to cross: they have to like you. If it isn't evident by now, World of Warcraft is a social game and that covers everything from trade chat to the end-game experience. If you're not comfortable or friendly with the other 24 people running alongside you towards that next boss, you're not going to get anywhere. And if you're outright rude and abrasive, you'll find yourself tossed out the front door faster than Jazzy Jeff by Uncle Phil. My guild once had to let one of the best Warlocks on our server go not two weeks after he joined because he wouldn't shut up on Ventrilo and acted like a know-it-all. If you're the silent type, don't fret. A lot of them will probably still accept you as long as you communicate to them in one way or another that you understand what's going on. In fact, the players that are going to find themselves in trouble are the loudmouths. That doesn't mean you can't socialize or talk with your fellow guildmates, but do know what your limits are and when to zip those lips. Let me be clear that tolerance levels are going to be different for every guild, and the best way to figure that out is to simply look up their rules, which may be on their webpage or in their forums. Since you don't always know what people are going to be like before you join or become accepted, message boards are also a good way to get to know the "personality" of a guild beforehand. Who knows? You might decide that you don't really like them! Learn how to fit in and you could be the next Sarah Jessica Parker! Don't and, well, you're doomed to be Amy Linker. But, as an officer of a progression raiding guild, I've encountered my fair share of malcontents and I do believe that there are some fairly common ground rules that should be followed no matter who you apply for:

1. Be Social, Not Rude - I briefly touched on this already, but it's a good idea to get to know your fellow raiders in a friendly manner. If you're invited to join, talk them up in guild chat for awhile. Don't make cute jokes or sarcastic statements, and don't attempt to discuss topics that you don't know anything about. In general, make strides to get to know people, not insult them. Like any social group, people will eventually relax while they're around you, and once you've earned their trust, you'll be free to open up a little bit more. If you don't like making small talk, think of the conversation as an investment in your raid spot. There have been people who joined our guild in groups and some of them never once spoke up. You know what happened to them? We didn't invite them to raids because we had no idea who they were and, soon enough, they left or were kicked out of the guild.
2. Don't Talk Over Officers - I cannot stress this enough! In a raid situation, let the raid leaders do the talking! Different guilds may have different policies concerning guild or raid chat, but Ventrilo is a whole different beast. If you've used voice chat before, then you know how confusing it can be when too many people try to talk at once. It sounds like an echo chamber and it's impossible to figure out what anybody is saying. Deal with that in the middle of an encounter and you can chalk up yet another wipe. If communication is essential (and it is), then knowing when to keep your mouth shut is just as important as knowing when to open it. And, on occasion, you should do that too! Certain fights can be dependent on players calling out when they're under the effect of a certain condition (often spells or debuffs cast by the boss), but generally only do this when the officers ask for it before the fight begins.
3. Participate - Like knowing when to speak up in rule number one, participating can also raise your position in a guild. Being known as the kind of player who is willing to help fellow guildies can go a very long way. This doesn't mean you necessarily have to lend a hand at every given opportunity, but try your best to run instances with all your new friends and show up on time for raids, even if you're not guaranteed a spot to go. Merely being available is a good thing. Coupling availability with a well-geared character and knowing how to play can be a great thing! We've had numerous people come and go from our guild over the years. Some have been around nearly as long as the officers have and yet show no signs of increased activity or the desire to ascend in the ranks. Others have earned premiere raid spots mere weeks after joining. How do they do that? They act cordially, demonstrate that they know how to play, and participate as much as possible. The officers will notice those who are making an effort (and, subsequently, delivering during raids), rewarding them accordingly.
4. Deal With It - Develop a thick skin and do it quick. No matter how friendly your guildmates are, there will inevitably be some aspects of the experience that you find undesirable. Another member's personality bothering you? Unless it's obvious harassment, learn to tolerate it, especially if you're the only one with a problem. If you're not the only one with a problem, then it will soon become evident as even the officers tip-toe around conversations with said person. Chances are, their days with the guild will shortly be over. Not satisfied with the gear situation? Tough. There are several ways for a guild to determine how loot is distributed, and often you'll know what it is before you join. If you don't like it, then respectfully decline membership. Common systems amongst raiding guilds include DKP (an officer-administered point system that tends to reward participation) and loot council (which utilizes the wisdom of the officers to give drops to those who need it most -- easily corruptible when done wrong, but one of the best methods if done right). Both types are intended to eventually spread gear drops evenly amongst those who consistently show up to raids. And what about those asshole raid leaders yelling at people over Ventrilo? Well, the fact of the matter is that some people don't do what they're supposed to be doing, and that can quickly lead to frustration. A good leader will develop tolerance of their own, but everybody has their breaking point. Listen well? Know how to play? Then you're in good shape. Constantly messing up and potentially wiping the raid? Take the criticism on the chin and improve your performance for next time. Nothing is more frustrating that consistently bad performers who refuse to better themselves.

If these conditions seem too harsh, remember that I'm trying to help you join a good progression raiding guild. Those without such strict policies are doomed to failure, and casual guilds, in general, are going to be more lenient with disruptive behavior. To some, everything I've communicated in these articles is going to seem like common sense, but my experience as an officer time and time again has proven to me that a lot of people out there playing the game still have no clue what is expected of them in a serious raiding environment. To everyone else, I hope I've equipped you with the tools and knowledge to find a future home. Look at it this way: we want you in our guild! From a recruiter's perspective, it's extremely hard to find good, quality raiders. Some have gear, but not skill. Others have skill, but a bad attitude. Yet more have the gear and the skills, but never actually attend raids when we need them to. Be the whole package, and we'd be happy to have you along for the ride. Of course, if you're still having a hard time or have any further questions, post them below and I'll be happy to provide you with some good advice in due time!

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So, have you found a guild to join yet? If that's the case, then you might be wondering how to make yourself a bit more attractive to the guild leader and/or recruitment officers. Of course, there are several ways to do this. I mentioned yesterday that applying for a guild is a lot like applying for a job. Well, gearing up would be the equivalent of building your resume. Before I give you some suggestions, though, let me point something out: in theory, player skill is infinitely more valuable than gear. You'd be hard-pressed to find a top-level guild that doesn't agree with that statement, so learning to play your class is the number one, most important thing you need to improve. There are plenty of sites you can go to in order to find out how to perform like the best, but two of the most popular are TankSpot (as the name implies, chiefly for tanking classes) and Elitist Jerks (for just about everybody else). Elitist Jerks, in particular, has even been praised by World of Warcraft's Lead Systems Designer Ghostcrawler for their approach to theorycrafting (hint: they create their ideal builds from what exists in the game, instead of whining about what they think their classes deserve). So click on over to their site, scroll down to the class forums, and find the one that applies to you. They also have a handy Guild Recruitment forum for you to browse if you haven't found a suitable one to apply to yet, and considering the types that usually hang around Elitist Jerks, I'm willing to bet that many of them are top-tier choices. Of course, all the theorycrafting in the world means jack if you don't have the experience. This may seem like a bit of a Catch-22 -- "how do I learn about raiding if I can't find a guild to raid with?" -- but the game has different tiers of content for a reason. Whether you're a tank, healer, or DPS, run as many 5-man dungeons as you can. Is someone asking for help with the Amphiteater of Anguish in Zul'Drak? Go lend a hand. Sure, most groups, even PuGs, steamroll through these parts of the game these days, but that doesn't mean you can't test yourself. Take the things you've learned online and apply them as best as you possibly can to these encounters. Something else you might consider engaging in, oddly enough, is PvP. I wouldn't rely too heavily on this option, since specific strategies and class specs are going to be different in a raid environment, but its a good way to prepare yourself for the more chaotic encounters in the game. Being able to keep on your toes and respond well in a crisis is key to defeating many bosses later in the game. In fact, Faction Champions in Trial of the Crusade is basically a mock PvP battle. Those of you out there who play DPS classes may also want to check their level of damage against target dummies that can be found in every major city, but for any class looking to place a value on their play skill, I'd recommend downloading the Recount add-on. I can't emphasize enough how important knowing your class is. If you think you're already good enough, I guarantee you that you're not. There's always room for improvement, and people are rarely aware of their own shortcomings. I've encountered far too many people who acted like they knew what they were doing, but couldn't raid their way out of a wet paper bag. They'd stand in the fires or void zones, their dps barely broke 2000, and they often weren't where they were supposed to be in any given battle. Repeated wipes will quickly show which players aren't pulling their weight. By "gearing up," we didn't mean to level Engineering! So keep that in mind. Good guilds won't recruit you based on your word. They're going to look for bonafide proof that you know what you're doing. How about that gear then? As much as I've rambled on about experience in the past few paragraphs, the suit you wear is still important. An insightful recruiter might still pick up someone who shows potential (and they should if they want to increase their potential pool of applicants), but don't think you're going to be a first-, or even second-, stringer if you haven't got the right equipment. There are certain bosses in the game that some of us like to call "gear checks." These often exhibit relatively simple, predictable mechanics that taxes players to their limit. Think "target dummies that actually hit back." Of course, the most notable of these is Patchwerk in Naxxramas. He's kind of old news now, but the massive amount of damage to tanks pushed both them and the healers to do their absolute best, while a strict enrage time required damage-dealers to take him out before he wiped the entire raid. "Gear checks" and other tough encounters ensure that you need a minimum level of gear to compete. And unless they've opened their hearts and plan on giving you a little charity, any guild you plan on applying to is not going to feel very good about carrying your under-geared ass through a dungeon. At that point, you're reaping all the rewards while they're stuck with the dead weight. As for obtaining the gear that you need, following is a list of viable options:

• Run 5-Man Heroic Dungeons: If you've been building your experience through 5-man dungeon runs, then you've probably already picked up a few pieces of epic equipment just from defeating their end-bosses.
• PuG A Raid: This isn't my favorite option of all, but if you act smartly, it can be a viable resource. I'd warn against joining PuGs for the current tier of content (Ulduar or Trial of the Crusader), but Naxxramas should be fair game now. Both Sartharion and Malygos are fundamentally easy to kill, but the mechanics of their respective encounters are still too complex for some people to follow.
• Spend Your Emblems of Conquest: Well, thanks to the new badge system, gearing up is easier than ever. Each boss in a Heroic level dungeon or regular difficulty raid will cough up Emblems of Conquest. While they won't get you net you the latest tier of gear, you can still pick up a few pieces that are equivalent to what drops in Ulduar. So hop on over to your faction's badge vendor (they're both located in Dalaran).
• Craft Your Gear: Gather materials and make your own or have someone else make them for you. Some crafted purples are actually far better than the average dungeon drop and they're handy for filling in those empty spots when a potential recruiter looks up your Armory profile (speaking of which, always log out with your best PvE gear on when attempting to apply for a progression raiding guild).
• Pay For A Run: This may seem like cheating, but many top-tier guilds out there will allow you to pay for a spot in their raids. You're probably not going to get to run ToC this way, but you might be able to score a trip to Naxx or Ulduar. This might seem to conflict with my advice of PuGing above (since that's free, unless you put a price on time, and I do), but there are some advantages to paying -- you'll be running with an experienced group, which more or less guarantees success. The people running with you may already have better gear, reducing competition on drops. And, if you prove yourself to be a good, consistent performer, who knows? They might just invite you to join them permanently. Of course the limiter here is your own, personal gold reserve. If you're an industrious player who works the Auction House and spends a great deal of their game time doing dailies, it might not be a big deal, but for the rest, it can get quite expensive. The top Horde guild on my server (Anvilmar) lists a raid spot at 1k, which only buys you the run itself (and whatever else is given out to all players, like badges). If you want a piece of equipment or a tier token, you're going to have to shell out even more. But, hey, if you can afford it, they're happy to have you along. It funds their guild bank, while you get a quality service in return.
• Shop On The Auction House: Another option for the wealthy player. Just buy gear. Some bosses drop Bind-on-Equip items that guilds will then sell on the Auction House in order to help fund their own banks. Some of them are quite good and there's nothing shameful in purchasing them if you've got the money.
• Get Creative: If you've got a crazy idea for obtaining loot, make use of it. Propose an offer to a guild recruiter and see if they'll take you up on it. Maybe they're willing to help gear you up if you can, in turn, help them in one way or another. You scratch their back and they scratch yours. If they get kickbacks for bringing in quality new members, then it would be in their interest to make you improve. Don't be afraid to get a little dirty, as long as you aren't stealing gear from other people (progression guilds tend to frown or  black list known "ninjas").

If you need a guide to gear, LootRank is a good general resource. There are also some class- or spec-specific pages out there like ShadowPanther (Rogues) and ShadowPriest (speaks for itself). The class forums at Elitist Jerks often provide Best-In-Slot gear lists if you can sort through the rest of the information. The last piece of advice I have for you today is this: once you've got your gear, gem and enchant it. And do it is much as you can possibly afford. If you can buy epic, purple gems, do it. If you can buy the best enchants, get them. It will show a recruiter that you mean business and that you're willing to be one of the best if they allow you to join. If you don't have the money, earn some. At least load up on blue-level gems, and make it known that you're poor right now. Having under-gemmed and under-enchanted gear is one of the top reasons why people get turned away, so don't fall into that trap. All of these options can and do work for people who do not yet have access to the latest tier of content. If you want to get there, then yes, you're going to have to work your way up the gear ladder. It can take a few days or it can take a few months, but I hope I've proven to you that it's not impossible. And, as always, experience and knowing your class are key. On the next edition, I plan on addressing issues of guild etiquette and why no matter how hard you try to get into them, certain guilds might just not be for you.

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I've never played World of Warcraft without being in a guild. When I first started playing way-back-when at the games launch, I joined a starter group with a few people from a forum I frequently post on. Since those rarely last long (and this one certainly wasn't breaking the trend), I eventually hopped servers and fell in line with my roommate's guild.  They were focused on end-game raid progression and we had some wonderful times fighting through Molten Core, Onyxia, and Blackwing Lair, but by the time Burning Crusade rolled around, the leadership started to crumble. Our guild leader got fed up with the drama and quit, while I had my own sort of "falling out" with my own roommate. Needless to say, I had to find a new home in more ways than one. In real life, I finally moved in with my girlfriend, but the lack of viable options in WoW meant that I was taking a hiatus from the game for a little while. Several months later, I decided that I wanted to get back on the wagon and found out that several of my female friends were actually playing together. One had hooked up with a group of players she had met through playing Final Fantasy XI previously, so I figured it wouldn't be a terrible idea to throw my chips in with them. I started leveling a Warlock and eventually pulled my level-capped Rogue (which is still my main character) over since I so dearly missed playing her. We were a small, close-knit guild, but we hungered for more. Several mergers, and a complete take-over later, and I find myself in a fairly dedicated progression raiding guild once again, with a fair group of people that I generally enjoy interacting with. So what's the moral of the story? That I've been exceedingly lucky in my choice of companionship so far. The reality of things, though, is that most people have trouble finding a guild, let alone one that they actually enjoy being a part of. Joining a guild can feel a lot like applying for a job, and much to the chagrin of most of you out there reading this, I have to admit that this is not an empty comparison. But don't fret! It's not quite that dire. Unless you're seeking a spot in one of the guilds at the absolute pinnacle of raiding in the game (almost every server has at least one or two), you're not going to have a whole lot of competition. In other words, while a lot of progression guilds can be picky, they're willing to take on just about anyone who makes themselves an attractive addition, and in a series of articles over the next few days, I plan to help you do just that. WoWProgress is a wonderful resource for scouting out the perfect guild! Where do we begin? Well, people are starting new guilds every day, making empty promises of "one day hoping to raid" and hawking their "sweet tabards" and "two bank slots" in an attempt to swell their numbers. If you're at all interested in becoming a progression raider, you need to avoid these guilds like the plague. So, the first thing you need to do is educate yourself. Figure out what the serious guilds on your server are. The easiest thing to do is ask around in general or trade chat, but the top groups often require you to apply at their websites for consideration. If they're openly recruiting, chances are that they'll have posted something on your realm's official forum. In general, that's a good place to look when figuring out who is prominent on your server. If they maintain an active presence, this also allows you to figure out whether or not your personality is going to conflict with theirs (this is something I'll get into in the future). But if you're looking for pure stats, sites like WoW Progress can help. Simply find your realm and it will give you a ranked list of guilds on it, based on level and speed of progression, as well as any special achievements they've earned. Some guilds even list the classes or specs they're actively looking for and provide a link to their individual websites. If you think you're already geared and experienced enough, I'd suggest aiming for the top. If you don't make it in, then they're likely to give you a few tips as to why you weren't up to snuff. At that point, it's up to you to follow their advice and try again at a later date, or start working your way down the list to find a guild that will accept you as you currently are. It should go without saying that most top-tier guilds have extremely high standards, but you'd be surprised at the kinds of people that end up applying. Something else to consider, and you should come across it at some point if you're doing your research, is whether or not you can make the raid schedule. In my guild, we have three core raiding nights a week, and each one generally lasts three hours. Now, due to the nature of our guild we don't technically enforce attendance (even though we do encourage it). However, what we require is often the bare minimum. Stone-cold serious proression guilds may raid four or five days a week and they may ask you to put in longer hours. Chances are good that they also make many of their raids mandatory, meaning that if you can't make it, or you don't have a reasonable excuse for missing a given night, you won't find yourself in the guild for very long. At the least, you'll be put on the second or third string, at the worst, they'll toss you right out the door. Keep in mind that a lot of guild officers take their job setting up and running raids seriously. They want you to be successful. They want you to get better gear and become a star player. If you can't show them the appropriate appreciation or respect, then they won't want you around. But I'm getting ahead of myself now and, looking at my word count, it's about time to wrap things up! Shopping around for guilds is one thing. Making yourself a top candidate for admission is another completely. In the next edition, I plan on covering basic gear requirements. Any questions or thoughts, readers?

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