Rebooting the Team

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We’ve had a lot of turnover recently since our first Mythic Sarkareth kill. This is the first week where we got to see the full force of our trials enter into our system and see what they can do against a battery of raid bosses. We did get a good look at all of them and finished the weekend at Zskarn. Lots of close wipes under 10% but for a significant number, it was progression (myself included since I wasn’t there for the kill). Truth be told, those were my expectations. With that big of a brain drain, I knew it was going to be a struggle and that there would be no way we would end up in front of Sarkareth or Echo in the span of a reset. Still, things look promising. Every boss from here on out is going to be new for me since I stepped aside for the sake of progression early on and knowing that I wasn’t the best healer for it then.

I’m beginning to regret that decision now knowing how hard of an uphill battle it’s going to be just to secure that reclear. I was pretty pissed at the number of players looking to move on right away. There were even some who cowardly left without so much as saying goodbye to everyone which left me both disappointed and furious. If you’re going to leave a raid team after being with them for multiple tiers, don’t just ghost everyone. It’s a complete bush league move.

There are other departures underway and thankfully they gave us notice ahead of time. I’ve got at least a few weeks to look for additional replacements but that clock is already ticking. I’m not too worried. I’ve helped assemble raid teams before in the past. This expansion was no different. I helped upgrade the roster from Shadowlands when we were satisfied with AotC and mid-mythic and converted the team to a CE-level raid group and I can do it again. What saddens me the most is all the players that planned to bail right away. I wish they all could’ve stayed a bit longer to help those of us on the sideline secure CE before checking out (y’know, like me). Some want to move up and push rankings right away, others can’t sustain the weekend schedule anymore. It sucks, I get it. There isn’t even a date announced for season 3 raids and people want to quit and leave? It sucks but all I can really do is move forward. Can’t fault them for wanting to move on and push their rankings higher up but I don’t quite see the rush to do so right now since it’s not like the next raid tier’s going to come out in a few weeks and they need to get situated fast. In any case, it’s their decision and I hope everyone lands where they want to be.

To compound matters further, the GM has announced that he’ll be scaling back his raid involvement. He’ll still be around to help and hopefully be a body, but organizationally will hand off a lot of his duties. That means things like attendance, loot council, recruiting, raid calling, and strategy design be off the plate. I can take care of and hustle on the recruiting side of things. We have a few players stepping in to handle raid calling and defensives. Attendance and groups are easy to put together. The biggest gap is strategy design and that is something that needs to be solidified for season 3. We can get by with our current polaybook for the reason of season 2.

This must be what Bill felt like when Brady left for Tampa and when his offensive coaches left for other positions. Lots of pieces to pick up and put together.

My list right now:

  • Augmentation Evoker
  • DPS Warrior
  • Ret Paladin
  • Resto Druid (or a Disc Priest)
  • Preservation Evoker
  • Holy Paladin
  • Mages

We still have the personnel to raid this week and extend on Zskarn. There’s a marginal benefit to doing a reclear and just isn’t worth the time. We have open spots so come check us out.

Mythic Sarkareth Down!

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It’s finished! Mythic Sarkareth has been defeated and we finish US 300th. We’re starting to enter our offseason now which means many of the trial players we’ve picked up will get some raid time in. It’s a great way to see if they’re a fit long term. Most of the earlier bosses should be easy enough to cut through since we’ve killed them multiple times, but we haven’t gotten any reclears on the later encounters and I’m worried about what the reclear (or reprog) would look like. We’ve also had a few of our veteran players move on from the raid team resulting in a big void that’ll need to be filled. I’m not sure if we’ll get back to Sarkareth in a week, but it might take us 2 or 3 to get back there again. Feel free to check us out and come join!

29 Raiding Personalities You’ll Find in the Raiding Community

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In any raid, you’ll encounter a wide variety of personalities. Some are amusing, some can be dangerous, and some can be irritating. But without them, you would have no raid. It’s up to you to identify them out in the wild, even if it’s in a pickup raid. These are colourful characters that dot the raiding landscape with their quirks and traits. Here are just some of the interesting personalities you’ll run into throughout your adventures.

This is an expanded follow-up from a previous post: 11 Raid Finder Personalities You’ll Never Escape

(Disclaimer: The below players could appear as any gender, age, or race. Guy doesn’t necessarily limit them to just being a man).

The Pet Guy

Never fails to just go on and on about their pets. Seems to AFK more often than normal to feed their cat or walk the dog. Known to miss or delay the ready check because of their pet. Basically owns the pet channel in Discord. Almost always a Hunter, but can be any other class.

“That” Guy

Everyone knows that guy. He has existed since Burning Crusade. The entire raid is praying for that guy to not get hit with some key mechanic because they’re 50/50 on successfully responding to it. Will they take Leap to an open spot or accidentally blink into a position with a giant pool in it? Who knows? But everyone prays that they will get targeted by whatever mechanic so That Guy won’t. No one wants to be “That” Guy.

The Min Maxer Guy

Usually quiet. Looks for ways to maximize their performance output. Tends to keep to themselves. Doesn’t really care about anyone unless it impacts them. Sometimes has the occasional good idea in raid that causes a big progression jump. Will directly message Priests for Power Infusion.

The Irrelevant Min Maxer Guy

Similar to the above, but also looks for ways to maximize real trivial things.

True story: Had a Warlock in a raid team ask which healer had the highest haste so they could stole them in order for them to get Mass Resurrection off the fastest on a wipe. The time gained is offset by the Distracted Guy who forgets to h it Accept Res because they’re attention is elsewhere.

The Early Deaths Guy

Puts out consistent, upper end damage but often gambles with being greedy causing them to take unnecessary, avoidable damage resulting in their death in a phase 1 costing a precious battle res at inopportune times. Often the bane of the raid leader’s existence. Has often been chewed out for dying too early. The rest of the raid just shakes their head when they die early again. Tends to get boss kills by watching it from the floor. Don’t be greedy.

The Military Guy

Sometimes active duty or former which might mean they’re not around for a patch or a raid tier. Can be helpful in keeping raid discipline and is often perceived as a great listener although chances are they stood up and went for a walk with their headset on the desk.

The Quiet Guy

Rarely says anything in raid. Keeps their head down and does the job. Can be timid. May not answer questions if directly asked but will respond with a multiparagrpah answer on Discord half a week later when the original question was, “Hey, can you buff Intellect?”. Can be the raid leader’s favourite.

The “My Loot Never Drops” Guy

Tends to complain a lot about their woes in the game and how much Blizzard hates them because their trinket or weapon never drops for them specifically. Maybe it’s just bad luck. Tends to be a healer on Rashok, a Ret Paladin on Echo, or literally any Evoker at some point this season on Sarkareth.

The Outspoken Guy

Usually not an officer or in leadership. Has no tact or self-awareness. Speaks the first thing that comes to mind without reviewing data or context. Not usually the type to start stuff but can often be found in the middle of disagreements. Tends to be frustrated with raid performance from people who should be better, but like, not your job, bro.

The Sexual Innuendo Guy

Needs to calm down and not derail the team with their sex jokes. Sure it’s funny the first time, but the dicks per second meter joke gets really old. Now it’s just sad. Maybe they just crave some attention, but seriously, that’s enough, Harold. It starts out as laughter but turns into exasperated sighs.

The “Focus Up” Guy

Usually speaks up after the 8th wipe in a row when the raid died early on to something dumb and can tell the raid is distracted by something silly. Most likely some remark that Sexual Innuendo Guy made. Personally, I suspect it’s more for their own benefit as a way to self-motivate or discipline themselves like a verbal splash of cold water to their face.

The Gambling Guy

Cross-realm gambling has been enabled. Type 1 to enter.

The Mom Guy

May as well be a walking pharmacist. Versatility flask? They got you. Ultimate Power Potions? Sure thing. Vantus Runes? Absolutely. Augment Runes? Here’s a stack. Looks out more for the well-being and preparedness of everyone in raid but may not be the best raider on the team. Secretly enjoys providing stuff to raiders because of job security.

The New Guy

Just joined the raid team. It’s their first day and they’re just eager to make a positive impression. Nervous as all hell but also super excited. Might be given a job like specific interrupts or soaks. Proceeds to screw up by accidentally pressing Heroism about 8 seconds in when they were supposed to wait until phase 2.

The Strats Guy

Loves to contribute with fresh ideas on how to handle various bosses. Gets frustrated as to why you won’t listen to them. Their way is actually better than your raid’s way because they saw it done in a pug once. Should still hear them out as they might have a decent idea or two.

The Limit Testing Guy

Likes to push their damage to the mas by taking irresponsible risks or not doing key mechanics which impacts raid’s success. The worse variant of the min maxer. Could be related to Early Deaths Guy.

The Repair Guy

Always asks for a repair bot after it was dropped a few pulls ago and just didn’t happen to hear the raid leader say that the repair bot was down.

The Sports Guy

Every time they queue up their mic, you can hear the TV on in the background which happens to be crowd noise from a game or a commercial advertising legalized gambling (Draft Kings). Stays more in tune with live sports than their own raid. Runs the fantasy league in your guild. Takes raid nights off during playoffs.

The IT Guy

Knowledgeable about troubleshooting computer issues. Eager to help when it comes to building your next PC or suggesting upgrades. Emphasizes the importance of 200 FPS in WoW and never fails to casually slip it into conversation topics.

The “I didn’t know that” Guy

Always wondered how they got through life. They’re often given videos, or strat writeups, and maybe some added coaching and warnings about certain mechanics and abilities and they just didn’t know that after about 25 odd pulls.

The Backseat Raid Leader Guy

Might be related to The Strats Guy but the difference is that the Backseat Raid Leader Guy likes to call out timings, movements, abilities, and other things to the chagrin and annoyance of other people. Has the best interest of raid in mind but doesn’t necessarily have the authority. Either needs to be delegated authority and if so, explained what’s worth calling and what isn’t. This guy is a prime candidate of evolving into being the 21st Raider.

The Parse Guy

Does not shut up about their parse. Whines when there’s a strategy change that prevents them from maximizing their damage for their parse. This is the annoying cousin of The Min Maxer Guy. Makes risky plays like pulling additional trash to keep Anvil stacks up to the detriment of players not being ready. Be on the lookout though, someone this aggressive and vocal about their parse means they’re thinking about auditioning and trialling for a different raid team so they need to have a really good parse. Could come in tank, healer, or DPS varieties. Might be better off if they left, to be honest. Saves you and the rest of the team the trouble of having to hear about their parse because it’s really damn annoying.

The Invincible Guy

On average, tends to have an insanely high survivability rate. They have a good track record of living all the way to the end of the pull when a wipe is called. Flawless execution of mechanics but might be at the cost of some of their damage. Another favourite of raid leaders.

The Hungry Guy

Remember when voice activation was permitted then the voice channel was restricted to push to talk? Chances are it was due to the Hungry Guy. Always snacking on something and the mic picks it up. Does it always have to be something crunchy? Can’t really understand what they’re saying in raid because they’re chewing at the same time while asking for Power Infusion.

The AFK Trash Guy

Self self-explanatory, but AFK Trash Guy is clever and uses this time to restock on drinks or use the bathroom. If it’s progression, they’ll often brush up and try to refresh themselves on strategy and boss assignments.

The Alcoholic Guy

Loves a good beer or a whiskey. Could be cultured. Do not run keys with this guy after a few beers and expect to time it. Has this tendency to crack a can of beer open on the microphone for attention or something. We get it, you’re cool, but save the celebration for after the boss kill.

The Frustrated Guy

Often feels crushed by the lack of progression and constant disappointment in the raid. Has problems with their fellow raiders. Has issue with how the raid is run. Wishes leadership moved quicker addressing problems. Nothing ever seems to be good enough for them but they often keep it to themselves. Big flight risk but knows they can’t really go anywhere better because they like the people they play with even if they’re idiots. But they are their idiots.

The Oversharing Guy

Has established a rapport or connection with you and loves to share details of their life. Could be their relationship problems, life experiences, work place drama, medical conditions, or whatever. Could be the last one on Discord after a raid night or they might even jump in and ambush you if you’re alone in a channel to talk about their problems. Worse: They share their problems during raid on trash or prior to a pull but raid leader doesn’t have the heart to tell them to stop. Take a page from The Military Guy and walk away. You have enough problems in your life without anyone else’s business either, y’know?

The Optimistic Guy

Literally, nothing can go wrong! Every raid is a new night! Every wipe is a learning experience! It’s okay if they don’t get loot, because someone else did which means it’s a net upgrade for the whole team! Aren’t they just adorable? It’s crazy how positive and unwavering they can be in their spirit.

You might recognize a few of these in your raid groups. The personalities you find that play this game are incredibly diverse. Sure they’re annoying and diverse, but that’s what makes your journey in Warcraft that much richer.

Mythic Sarkareth Nerf: We Choked

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We were 2% away from greatness.

We spent two full nights on Mythic Sarkareth this past week and could not bring him down no matter how close we had gotten.

You can see from the below screenshot how painstakingly close we did get. What really sucks is the Sarkareth nerfs announced over the weekend that went into effect for this week’s reset. I wish we had at least one more week, yet I can’t help but accept that we ran out of time. I feel terrible about this because we exited Season 1 feeling awesome and we wanted to build upon that success here by going even faster on progression in this season. Getting this kill as a team isn’t going to feel as satisfying to me because it’s not as meaningful compared to securing it before the nerfs. One thing I will say is that we are just shy of 200 pulls which is just under where most guilds are at which is a testament to our raid preparation.

When we put together our raid roadmap at the start of the tier, we put down a rough outline of how much time each boss should take and where we would be on a week-to-week basis, including when heroic raids would cease being in the main raid schedule. I think we stopped doing heroic raids after week 3. We were on pace for a Sarkareth kill in week 2 or week 3 of August.

What happened that caused the momentum loss?

  • Loss of key players: We had a few players step away from the game during key moments of progression. We lost a player when we were close to killing Rashok, Zskarn, and Echo of Neltharion which added a bit of extra learning time as their replacements coming in had to get caught up. It also sucked that those players requested to leave on the same week received notice that left me no time scrambling to try to find 1 for 1 class replacements.
  • Summer vacation schedule: We lost two straight weeks of progression Sarkareth due to vacations and players being away. Can’t be helped. Vacations are often planned weeks if not months in advance. What I could have done better was try to recruit heavier and make sure we had solutions in place.
  • Recruiting slowed: I took my foot off the gas entering July. We had a strong roster at the end of June and I didn’t want to go crazy on recruiting. That was on me. I should have done a better job at least keeping the pipeline open and reaching out to promising players.

What could I have done better?

  • Keep scouting and recruiting: I didn’t frequent the recruiting discord or the forums as much. I just need to do a better job of maintaining that vigilance.
  • More authority and autonomy: Normally, the GM does all of the interviews. There are about three of us who handle messaging potential apps or responding to Discord messages and forum threads. However, since the GM was also away on vacation and other activities, interviews stalled until his return. We need someone else who can keep that line flowing and cover for them. I could do it but it’s been almost a decade since I handled app interviews.

What’s next?

I’m already thinking ahead to what the reclear is going to look like.

There are a lot of trials right now waiting to get some action in and proving their capabilities for season 3 which won’t hit around October or November. Objectively speaking, we’re going to do better this tier than we did last tier because we finished earlier. We killed Rasz with like 3 weeks left, I think. This time we’re going to be well ahead of the game. We’re going to need to look for a new tank, a new healer, and some additional DPS so my hands will be busy for some time. Check us out!

How to Recruit the Right Players at the Right Time

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Building an elite raid guild can either be super exciting or a massive headache? I want to dive into the world of guild recruitment and explore how different player types can fit into your team. It’s not just about recruiting the right player, it’s about recruiting the right player at the right time. You don’t want to pick up someone who is starting the gearing process when you’re halfway through Mythic. Conversely, it’s a bad fit to pick up someone who’s on the verge of clearing the whole instance when you’re also halfway through Mythic (they’re going to get impatient fast).

Let me highlight some of the player types I’ve come across and help you determine if they’re the right fit.

The Project Player

Think of Project Players as the potential future of your guild. These are the players who aren’t necessarily in a rush and are all about long-term gains for the team. They’re ready to put in the work, learn the ropes, and become a force to be reckoned with. They might have hidden talents that, once unleashed, can totally transform your raid even though they’ve never set foot in a serious progression raid before. Spotting these gems takes a sharp eye and a knack for mentoring. They could be a player who is new to a specific class (even though they’ve raided at a high level before on another class). An example I’ve seen is someone who played a Mage for the longest time but no longer enjoyed the class and decided to switch to something more satisfying like a Ret Paladin. Range and melee often have slightly different areas of focus (like cleaves and frontals)! Another good example of this is a player who just started playing World of Warcraft and stepped foot into a Normal raid, but wants that dopamine hit of Heroic (or even Mythic).

The best time to pick up a player like this is when your raid is preparing for the next raid season. When activities are slow or your raid is working on reclears, and progression has stopped, they can be brought in on farm stuff. To provide context, for a CE guild, this would be a player who’s done some low-end Mythic raid content currently (like 2 or 3 bosses in) or has done some CE raiding before in previous expansions (instead of previous tiers) and is just coming back to the game after a break. For an entry Mythic guild or a mid-level Mythic guild, this would be a player who’s earned Ahead of the Curve or just shy of it. It’s certainly possible to pick up someone who’s completely fresh to the Mythic environment, and the team will learn fast if that player fits in (or conversely, if that player enjoys it).

The Win Now Player

These are junkies who thrive on progression now and progression fast. They have a wealth of experience and are all about achieving their raid goals immediately. Having these players on board can fast-track your guild’s progress, but it can also bring in some high-pressure situations. Gearing is not a problem because they’ve already acquired most of their gear from dungeons or raids. Maybe a small handful of upgrades are wanted but not necessarily required. They already have their trinkets and weapons but want to start finishing out the rest of the tier.

Look for these players when you’re deep into progression. You want someone who’s at or near your progression level. For example, since DJs is working on Sark, we need someone who can immediately step in right away. That means someone who has Sark experience, but not necessarily the kill. Maybe they’ve seen phase 2 a small number of times but have clean phase 1 pulls. That’s something the group can work with. If I’m in a guild that’s working on Rashok, I’d also want someone who’s done a few pulls on it, has defeated it, or has at least cleared Amalgamation and Experiments.

The Depth Player

These players are your rock, always dependable and keeping things steady. The depth player is a class you don’t necessarily need. Maybe your raid team has an abundance of melee and you don’t need another Rogue but their raid history is too strong to pass up. A player like this can easily fill in for someone else if they’re playing poorly or if you’re running into attendance problems (like the summer months). Someone like this has great experience in the current expansion but didn’t quite accomplish their raid goals and are looking for another opportunity somewhere.

An example type is a player who didn’t quite get CE in Vault of the Incarnates but got Broodkeeper down. Perhaps their guild collapsed or something came up and they had to stop raiding for a while. Their raiding knowledge and gameplay sense is recent enough because it’s still the current expansion, but for various reasons, they took a break and stopped raiding only to try to make a comeback. They’re okay taking a back seat on progression and are happy to get rotated in until they’re comfortable again. This is the player who’s still skilled at the game and isn’t as new or as unfamiliar as the Project Player, but they’re also not fluent in current content to help the team immediately.

Exploring Other Player Types

But wait, there’s more! Aside from Project, Win Now, and Depth Players, there are other hidden gems you don’t want to miss:

  • The Innovator: These players bring a fresh breeze of strategies and creative solutions to make your raid that much more efficient.
  • The Mentor: Need someone who’s all about sharing knowledge? They’re your mentors who function like a walking WoWHead because their class and raid knowledge is just unsurpassed.
  • The Officer: Former GMs or former officers. They’ve done what you’ve done before and they need a break from it. These are potential future raid leaders, but right now they just want to press buttons and kill bosses.

Each of these player types adds a different flavor to your guild’s dynamics, making your raid team even more stronger. They’re not exactly people who reveal themselves right away on the Recruiting forums or other communities, but as you get to know them, you might find interesting information about them as they contribute to your raid’s goals.

Talk to the rest of your raid leadership when looking to address roster needs. Figure out what your immediate goals are so you can start picking up players that can help out with that.