1. Downing Sapphiron twice and Kel’Thuzad once does not equate to being ready for Malygos, it just means you have a key.
2. Only nubbies who did not raid before Wrath (or the last pre-Wrath patch) expect to come into a new raid and one-shot every boss.
3. The fact that there is an achievement listed for completing an activity in an instance means that it is possible, not that it is probable.
4. Only 10 people can attend a 10-man raid; if your guild has more than 10 80s, someone has to sit out. It’s called Mathematics. Don’t be that guy who throws a tantrum and gquits the first time you are asked to sit.
5. Lots of folks fall in love with their alts; that does not mean that as soon as they hit 80 they are your new main and can take your raid spot if they don’t fill the same role and have the same level of gear as your existing raid member.
6. Your raid members are not mind readers. If you change a strategy or positioning, the time to tell them is before the pull, not after the wipe.
7. Time is money, friend. If your raid starts at 7:00, with invites at 6:30, at 7:00 you should be inside, with repaired gear + consumables + reagents, on Vent/Team Speak, and ready for the first pull, not standing in Dalaran asking the warlock to summon you.
8. The best time and place for discussing your team’s loot rules is on your guild forums, prior to the start of a new instance. The best time and place to do this if you are looking for a raid kick is on Vent, mid-raid, after losing a roll.
9. You are not the sole cause for your raid’s success. It’s a team effort. Be humble and be appreciative of others’ contributions, or be prepared to be left out. Save the self-lauding for your blog.
10. Your guildies and teammates are playing in order to have fun. Period. It is not their job. They are not being paid by you or anyone else. They do not owe your alt runthroughs of instances. They do not owe you a raid spot. They do not owe you enchanting mats for your shiny new weapon. If they volunteer up any of these things, be grateful, and return the kindness however you can. It’s not just all about you.
/applaud
I wrote a little guidea while ago about how to be agood raider. It was almost twice as long as this post and not nearly as concise or emphatic. 😀
These sorts of things feel like something that we shouldn’t have to say – but still end up having to. Why, I’ll never know.
Great post. This should be required reading for some people; seems this kind of common sense is all too rare among the WoW population.
From a GM’s perspective, you bring up excellent points. In my real life, I must meet new people constantly, be the leader and revisit the norms consistently, and cannot hold the expectation that people should “just know.” They don’t. But being newer to the World, one thing, call it obstacle or opportunity, is that many guilds simply want to play with their long-time comrades, and there isn’t a lot of room for new players, unless they are so extremely gifted and well-qualified. Anything less than perfection is put on the 11th man list. And that is perfectly reasonable: we all love to be with those we know, those who “get us.” Perhaps that is what it takes to find a really good fit. I wish guildmasters would consider those who haven’t been playing as long but who are intelligent, who do try, who are on time, polite, and don’t throw hissy fits. If that is all it took we’d all be able to enjoy end-game content. But also, (and I realize I may be shooting myself in the foot here), I understand loyalties to those who are part of the inner-circle. That is a wonderful feeling when you’re in it. I may not be part of that circle, as I was hoping, but perhaps that is not my gaming “destiny.” 🙂 The quick answer is to look for another guild, but that seems reactionary and not what I want. So, no grousing, no complaining: it is a team effort, and if the team has their groove or their rhythm perfected, well, then /shrug I guess. Go off and kill some critters so ‘ya at least get the armadillo pet. 🙂