The Best Raid Leader - Progression-Minded Or A Buddy?
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[caption id="attachment_9406" align="alignright" width="300" caption="How about we find someone that is both?"]
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My 2009 World of Warcraft career can easily be summed up in two words, guild hopping. Since the Year of the Ox began I have been a raiding member of four guilds, and another while everyone was still leveling. To me, the act of switching that often is sacrilege, but fleeting guild experiences have become the norm. With Wrath of the Lich King's introduction of 10- and 25-man raids, an easier badge system, and now the Dungeon Finder, guilds have become neigh replaceable by PUGs. The changes have lead me to experience the gauntlet of raid leader types since the Alliance and the Horde decided to take the Lich King's threat head on. From the best-friend to the belittling asshole, I've dealt with them all in 2009. The main concern is that the best, and who is the most fun to play with tend to be two different answers.
Without question the most productive guild I have been a part of is my current one. We cleared ICC 25-man the second day, the guild drops ToGC like it's Naxxramas and TotC is done with alts. Everyone is geared out the wazoo - I was only accepted because two members vouched for me - with the best enchants, full epic gems and Rawr checking all being required. By required I don't mean you'll be sat. The GM and officers are no where near that lenient, opting to outright kick players who fall behind in the slightest. The guild demands perfection, something I actually prefer, but the raid leader I've largely dealt with is wearing on me. I've yet to screw up, but the constant stream of swears, belittling of other members and his power complex is getting to me. I am still having fun, but that is due to the competitive nature among the rogues and the progression itself, not from the guild atmosphere.
It's amazing to me that so many people will deal with these attitudes for the sake of progression and loot. Although I am being hypocritical at the moment, I know there will come a time in the near future where I snap and attempt to find another guild. Hopefully by then one of the guilds I was in that collapsed will return, because they made the game truly enjoyable.
The two guilds I am thinking of brought everyone together for the singular purpose of downing 10-man content. In the end, the limited progression was their downfall - players kept leaving because 25-man runs couldn't be fielded every week - but that's a story for another day. The officers and GMs made a concentrated effort to help everyone, to make everyone feel welcome and to teach each other about the game. They had no qualms with accepting an undergeared friend of a member and spending hours gearing them up for the next raid. Or going over how to use Rawr with everyone, or even encounters that everyone should have known. Because of the supportive, rather than deconstructive nature, of the guild, member retention was 100% for a core group of raiders. It was the few people constantly leaving for greener pastures, read gear, that lead to their ultimate downfall. Rather than member burnout, the guild's leadership was burned out from helping so many people, only to see them leave. The rest of us weren't members, but friends. Friends that stay in touch even though our toons are spread across the server now.
Obviously, the perfect scenario would be a blending of the two. A raid leader who can lay down the law and get everyone to perform at their peak, while still managing to forge a friendly and helpful community. The attributes aren't mutually exclusive, and yet they remain almost impossible to find.
Has anyone had better luck than I? How many guilds have you gone through this year?
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My 2009 World of Warcraft career can easily be summed up in two words, guild hopping. Since the Year of the Ox began I have been a raiding member of four guilds, and another while everyone was still leveling. To me, the act of switching that often is sacrilege, but fleeting guild experiences have become the norm. With Wrath of the Lich King's introduction of 10- and 25-man raids, an easier badge system, and now the Dungeon Finder, guilds have become neigh replaceable by PUGs. The changes have lead me to experience the gauntlet of raid leader types since the Alliance and the Horde decided to take the Lich King's threat head on. From the best-friend to the belittling asshole, I've dealt with them all in 2009. The main concern is that the best, and who is the most fun to play with tend to be two different answers.
Without question the most productive guild I have been a part of is my current one. We cleared ICC 25-man the second day, the guild drops ToGC like it's Naxxramas and TotC is done with alts. Everyone is geared out the wazoo - I was only accepted because two members vouched for me - with the best enchants, full epic gems and Rawr checking all being required. By required I don't mean you'll be sat. The GM and officers are no where near that lenient, opting to outright kick players who fall behind in the slightest. The guild demands perfection, something I actually prefer, but the raid leader I've largely dealt with is wearing on me. I've yet to screw up, but the constant stream of swears, belittling of other members and his power complex is getting to me. I am still having fun, but that is due to the competitive nature among the rogues and the progression itself, not from the guild atmosphere.
It's amazing to me that so many people will deal with these attitudes for the sake of progression and loot. Although I am being hypocritical at the moment, I know there will come a time in the near future where I snap and attempt to find another guild. Hopefully by then one of the guilds I was in that collapsed will return, because they made the game truly enjoyable.
The two guilds I am thinking of brought everyone together for the singular purpose of downing 10-man content. In the end, the limited progression was their downfall - players kept leaving because 25-man runs couldn't be fielded every week - but that's a story for another day. The officers and GMs made a concentrated effort to help everyone, to make everyone feel welcome and to teach each other about the game. They had no qualms with accepting an undergeared friend of a member and spending hours gearing them up for the next raid. Or going over how to use Rawr with everyone, or even encounters that everyone should have known. Because of the supportive, rather than deconstructive nature, of the guild, member retention was 100% for a core group of raiders. It was the few people constantly leaving for greener pastures, read gear, that lead to their ultimate downfall. Rather than member burnout, the guild's leadership was burned out from helping so many people, only to see them leave. The rest of us weren't members, but friends. Friends that stay in touch even though our toons are spread across the server now.
Obviously, the perfect scenario would be a blending of the two. A raid leader who can lay down the law and get everyone to perform at their peak, while still managing to forge a friendly and helpful community. The attributes aren't mutually exclusive, and yet they remain almost impossible to find.
Has anyone had better luck than I? How many guilds have you gone through this year?
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