It's coming close, closer every day, when Blizz will flip the switch and turn on Mythic rule sets in SoO. We, Equilibrium, have been getting ready for it in a big way. But we've got a lot of people that may be new, either to the guild, or heroic raiding, or maybe even both. And some of those people may not know what raiding culture is like. Maybe I can give some insight.
First off, this is a team sport. Sure, you have your individuals; tanks, healers, dps. You also have your raid leader, callers, assists, and other people giving out orders or calling mechanics out to the raid. And while each individual needs to be the best they can be, the group needs to be better than the sum of the individuals. At first glance, reading that sentence, you may be inclined to think that it's a really dumb statement. I can break it down for you.
Our competition, Midnight Reverence, has highly skilled players raiding over there. Arguably some of the best on Eldre'thalas, able to put up numbers better than almost everyone playing in our neck of the woods. However, the group, has been very far behind in progression. Now, I don't know all the particulars, but when one team beats another, and then gets a second team going and that second team beats them as well...there's something to notice there.
So what can make a team so good? Well, I see a lot of different things. The very first thing is leadership. And it starts at the guild leader position. To be very successful with a progression guild, you need to be able to lead people. Now that goes beyond just telling someone "do this or else". No, your guildies need to want to see the group succeed. That takes work, finding those types of people. Sure, everyone wants to be successful, but not everyone wants to share the glory, or put in more effort in return for less personal recognition. Finding those types of players can be daunting, nigh impossible feeling sometimes. However, a good leader finds those people, either directly or indirectly, and fosters relationships on many different levels.
But it also goes beyond the guild leader. In our case, I'm just the raid leader. I engineer fight strategies, take a look at comps, strats, mechanics, watch videos, read forums, look at logs, and come up with a play book. But then all those strategies need to be communicated to the group. That communication can make or break teams sometimes. If the group is just banging their heads into walls for weeks on end without any new kills, people will leave. That job falls on the raid leaders shoulders.
Officers have a part in this as well. The guild, and not just the raiding teams, should have a particular type of culture that makes everyone there feel like a part of something great. This is a social game, with all the "really cool stuff" taking a group of players to do. As such, the general environment that everyone shares should be one that everyone enjoys. If people aren't having fun, they won't stick around.
Beyond that though, there needs to be consistency. Sure, people are going to get upset over things, sometimes rightfully so, sometimes not. The great guilds will have some sort of system of consequences for dealing with those that want to ruin the fun for everyone else. And that isn't limited to just inside the guild itself. Really successful guilds will have a "presence" on their server, or even cross server. People will take notice, and when one or many from that guild lash out, or otherwise tarnish the guild's reputation, well, they better be dealt with.
This may seem like a lot of nonsense for someone just looking for a raiding team, but it's not. Each player in the raid team, even the guild in general, need to fully understand that they are part of something beyond themselves, that all of their actions, and even inactions, matter. Once your team realizes this, you'll start to see some really amazing things happen.
Sure, your dps need to have their rotations down, healers able to keep everyone vertical, tanks perfecting boss positioning and cd usage. But everyone needs to get along as well. Sometimes that's much easier said then done. It takes a lot of hard work, constant vigilance, and dedication to make happen. For some teams/guilds that are going to try to make the move from 10man to Mythic 20man, I hope they are ready. It's not going to be something that you just jump right into on day one of the next expansion. It's something that a lot of people have to get used to. Remember, not everyone agrees on everything all the time, so doubling your size is going to be a wild ride. Hope you've been working on some good shocks for your guild when it starts growing. It's going to be a real rough ride for most.
So when you are out there spamming for a team, or getting ready to suit up and slay bosses for the first time with a new group, keep those things in mind. Yeah, you should be good at the game, but you also need to be good at life.
A few tips, be coachable. That may sound real dumb, as if I'm acting like some highschool football coach that thinks he's still in the NFL. But it applies to things other than sports, or games. It applies to every part of your life. There will be people that can provide tips for being a better husband or wife, for being better at your job, how to study better, or take tests better. Be able to receive those criticisms and apply them to yourself.
Be agreeable. That doesn't mean to let people walk all over you. But at first glance, when someone asks something of you, and it just feels like it's an imposition upon yourself, sometimes there may be a reason for it that isn't perfectly clear, but there could be benefit for the group. Example, having your raid leader sub you out for a fight for someone else. They may want to try certain comps for a fight, and people need time to experiment and discover. They may end up scrapping that idea, or you could learn the idea and work with them on it, even though you may not be the one to execute it.
Be aware. Know what is going on around you. I'm not just talking about "don't stand in fire", although that is very important. But know when to communicate to others, and when to be quiet and listen. Understand all the information being presented to you and manage it intelligently. If your raid is dieing, and you are just a pure dps class, figure out why. Sometimes you might be the one with the answer. I can't tell you how many times someone in a different role will look at what is happening, and after a wipe, have what seems like a crazy idea at first, but when later implemented, gets us through something that was road blocking us before. That isn't to say that you should just throw any retarded thought into the mix. Instead, be able to make use of information and use it correctly to help others, and yourself.
At the very least, be friendly. Most people aren't going to enjoy playing these games with total assclowns. Even if you aren't the absolute best at something, as long as people enjoy spending their time with you, they'll want to do more things with you. You'll get to experience and enjoy far more of this game with that type of mentality, I guarantee it.
So, each of us needs to be very well rounded people, in general, in life, to succeed, and that includes success in WoW. That's what we look for, and when we find it, well, we do some pretty cool stuff. Come join us if you fit what we're looking for, we promise a great time!
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