Etiquette - is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group.
Thanks Wikipedia.
Why the hell did I post that?
Something happened a couple of weeks back, something that irks me. A raider of mine left, not just left the guild, left the server. Without mentioning anything to anyone, no word, no "hey, I'm gonna go play on xyz server with my friends." Not a peep.
Why is that bad?
Raiding, it's a group activity, and it takes up time. Time is always in short supply, the one downfall of being mortal and all that crap. So we don't have infinite time, thanks Sherlock. Well, when you are on a raid team, either nine other people, or twenty four other people, are depending on you to be there. You know, to slay dragons and crap like that, because we can't solo them right now. So you agree to spend your time with those other people who also agree to spend their time with you. Mutual benefit, everyone ethereally agreeing to do something, placing value on their time being spent in that manner together.
So he left without saying a word, big deal, find another random person out of the 12k that are playing on your server.
Not quite so easily done. On my server, the amount of people that can effectively do what we do is very limited. Imagine if you will, that Tom Brady, of massive NFL fame, decides that, six hours before game time, he decides to quit playing for the Patriots and hops a flight to play in some league in Venezuela. Sure, you can get a backup, you may have a few on your team that are okay, but they aren't a Tom Brady.
That's kind of the deal we got put into a couple weeks back. A key position player just ups and vanishes, without a single word. Finding another Tom Brady caliber tank on this server, tough to do. Thankfully, we found a couple new tanks that are fantastic, and do the job even better, in less gear, than our previous Tom Brady did.
So, what is my take on proper raiding etiquette? Mine will differ from some guilds, probably different than every casual team, because my team pushes tier content.
First, respect everyone's time by showing up on time. You aren't the only person giving up three hours, nine other people are. And I will value the nine people giving up their time more than the one giving up their time. You don't respect everyone's commitment, they aren't going to respect yours. You know, the same reason employers want you to show up to work on time. Nobody likes having their plans ruined by someone not showing up. You can't be here when everyone else is, just don't log in.
Second, know your role. Don't waste everyone's time by showing up and not having any clue what-so-ever about what is about to happen. My raid team works very well at learning fight mechanics before hand, with whatever information is out there to help, but then also applying that information as they get first hand practical knowledge. If you aren't able to do a bit of homework ahead of time, just don't log in.
Third, be ready. Yeah, I made that a short vague sentence. Gear, know how to have it reforged, enchanted, gemmed, etc. You should know, if you are going to get into raiding, and not LFR, but real normal/heroic raiding, what your class should be doing, how you should be choosing what stat is important, and how to maximize your character. You should want to be the best at your class, and not being the best at your class should irk you. Know your rotations, or priorities, if you are dps, so that we kill things. If yer a healer, or a tank, know what cooldowns need to be used and when. Everyone, understand positioning in every fight and why it matters. Those goofy achievements, the "Ready for Raiding" ones, they may seem stupid, but it's a core principle, like people who are in fantastic shape still do warmups before they do their real workout. If you can't be bothered to know the basics about yourself and your class and your role, do me a solid, don't log in.
Fourth, know what you want for gear. Wowhead has been around so long that it should be as common to wow players, especially raiders, as google is. There's also sites like askmrrobot that help you build a BiS (Best in Slot) list, and who drops what from where. If you aren't going into raids knowing that if this one item drops that you need because there isn't anything better in the game yet, stay logged out.
I'm going to elaborate a little on point number four. Loot can be the biggest thing that will split a raid team up. My raid team, ten man, does a BiS loot system. If an item drops, say an INT ring, lots of classes will be interested, but because of itemization (spirit, crit, haste, etc), not everyone is going to value it the same. Priority is given to those classes that want the item because there is flat out nothing better, hence, it is the best item in that slot. If multiple people are wanting the item for BiS, then they roll for it. It doesn't matter who's getting a bigger upgrade for it, the item is valued the same, because there isn't anything better. If an item isn't a BiS for anyone, or if all the people that do value it as BiS have it, and others can make effective use of it since it is an upgrade, then it goes to the person who will have the biggest ilvl jump or it's a roll-off if two or more will get the same ilvl boost from it. Tier for us works differently, everyone want's tier, so we round robin it with people that have earned the fewest rolling for tier drops each time. For our raid team, this has worked insanely well. Everyone can respect each other for their valuing items certain ways. And with websites like askmrrobot, where you can edit stat weights and fact check people, it's massively easy to keep everyone honest. Plus, we kill every boss every week, so nobody is feeling left out because we have a chance for everything to drop every single week. There is a massive amount of stress and drama that goes right out the window when you know that every single week you will get a chance at whatever loot you want.
Fifth, drama. If you bring retarded drama to my raid team, don't bother logging in. Legitimate concerns and issues are one thing, but if it's a "Sally said that Mark likes her better" kinda piece of crap, I'll Falcon Punch you over the internet. Thankfully, everyone on my team is mature and not an asshat, so I don't have to worry about that.
If you can keep those things in check, you are on a great start to having a blast killing some cool bosses and getting shiny loot. If you can't be bothered to be a decent human being, I hear Call of Duty is a great game.
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