As this expansion draws to a close, and the prospect of a new expansion, complete with new raiding/instance experiences looms, I'd just like to take the opportunity to remind guild members how we should behave in groups - both with guild-only groups and with others.
Our first rule in Dark Wolves is to "be nice" ... play nice and be aware of those around you. We are all adults, we should all be able to get along and, if something happens that you don't like, you should be able to deal with it in a grown up and responsible manner.
World of Warcraft is an MMO ... by its very nature it involves playing with other real people in real-time situations. People don't always agree with one another - there are multiple ways to play WoW and just because you may play it one way, that does not mean that everyone else's way is wrong.
Recently we have been running Flex with another guild. Their intention is multiple ... to provide current raiders with some raiding when we're unable to organise a group completely in-guild; to provide those who want to raid who haven't had the opportunity so far the chance to experience it (so they can see what would be expected of them in a normal raid environment); to gain extra gear for anyone who needs it; to provide a group event where people can get together at the same time and relax and have some fun.
Unfortunately I'm a little concerned that we are going to start being perceived in a poor light ... we seem to fairly consistently have the occasional "disconnect" part way through a raid, we're getting comments in chat that some feel are offensive and, to top it off, we're getting "ragequits". Dealing with your team-mates in such a manner is rude and unfair. It disrupts the group, reduces team morale and reflects badly both on yourself and your guild.
This is NOT who we are. We advertise, and we have been very proud, of the fact that we don't "do" drama. I could understand the occasional problem at the height of a progression run, after hours of wipes, when people are starting to get stressed ... but these are Flex runs, with another guild, where we are supposed to be showing the best of us (not necessarily stat-wise, but most definitely behaviour-wise) - where people are learning strategies, where there is a massive mix of those who know fights and are well geared and those who have never/rarely raided this expansion/at all.
I don't care what your output is .. if you can't play nice in a team, then you are dragging that team down. Current content CANNOT be completed by one individual or a small group ... it has to be completed by a team. If you cannot play nice in a team then it is all for naught.
Please be aware that I am not singling anyone out here .. we are all occasionally guilty of the odd lapse in judgement .. myself possibly most of all (highlighted possibly because I'm looked upon as the person who often has to sort these things out). I know that I am also often guilty of not being the highest in output, occasionally standing in fire, running the wrong way, not running at all or just basically forgetting where I am. I know that we all do this on occasion and, as long as we are honest with ourselves and with others, that is not a problem.
It IS a problem if you are not the raid leader and you start making pointed remarks in guild or raid chat, singling individuals out. If people have made an error, or have problems with their output, they are usually aware of it. If they are not, the raid leader will be aware of it and will, if necessary, deal with it. If the raid leader asks for input, then feel free to give constructive advice.
If you think you can lead a raid well and successfully, feel free to let us know and we will happily try to arrange for you to try leading a few ... after all, most of us don't particularly want that job :p
As far as specifics for Flex goes, and some of the complaints that were received yesterday about the tactics being "wrong" ...
- Samsara are the primary guild running the flex raid groups. We are using their voice servers, their members .. if they hadn't approached us regarding the possibility, we would not be flex raiding on a Friday.
- Samsara have killed more bosses than us both in Flex and Normal Siege of Orgrimmar, more often, with more success.
- Samsara have provided the tactics we use (with some input from ourselves occasionally) and we know they work because (a) Samsara have used them regularly, successfully, in their in-guild raids (b) we have used them successfully in our joint Flex raids and, often, in our Normal in-guild raids.
The way Flex works is "flexible" by it's very nature ... the more people who attend, the higher the boss's health and, in some cases, the more mechanics are involved. If someone who is a high output leaves, in theory that should make it more difficult as, although the health pool has gone down, the amount of raid-wide DPS/Output has also gone down, and by a higher proportion.
Last night we had three Dark Wolves guild members leave the raid group .. at least two of whom were "high output" who were bringing the average raid-wide output up to a higher level. After they left, of course the health pool of the boss reduced, but also the average output of the raid group reduced considerably as well. Despite this, the boss did die. I believe that this was simply down to the fact that at that point we were playing better as a team.
No doubt others will argue with that, but at the end of the day, raiding is a team game and requires the group to co-operate together as a team. If people are comfortable playing with the rest of the group, and not constantly second-guessing themselves or others, then they can concentrate on actually carrying out their role to the best of their abilities.
Finally, I would like to direct people to take this opportunity to re familiarise themselves with our raiding rules.
If anyone has any problem with any of the above, or has any questions, feel free to contact me direct or, if they're happy to be constructive and open, they can reply below.
