How hard would it be for a returning player to join a solid progression guild in WoD?

[Ikik]

Simple question. I used to be a pretty hardcore raider back in Vanilla and then onto BC but during WotLK I had to stop because I had become too busy with school. After I graduated I did play on and off and did end up leveling 4 of my characters to 90 but I was never really as dedicated to raiding during MoP as I was in past expansions.

Anyways, I won't rabble on. And I'd like to say that I'm not using this thread to find a guild. I'm just curious... when WoD hits, would solid and active progression guilds appreciate/require MoP raiding experience for me to actually have a chance at joining? By the time the expansion hits I will be able to have the free time to dedicate 16-20+ hours of my time to raiding. I am familiar with the Sunday through Thursday raid schedules and understand what it takes to progress through new content so.. yea.

Just curious!

Thanks guys! Long time lurker, first time poster! MMO Champ ftw!

[Darsithis]

edit: Question in topic should be How hard* not How are... sorry about that.

Simple question. I used to be a pretty hardcore raider back in Vanilla and then onto BC but during WotLK I had to stop because I had become too busy with school. After I graduated I did play on and off and did end up leveling 4 of my characters to 90 but I was never really as dedicated to raiding during MoP as I was in past expansions.

Anyways, I won't rabble on. And I'd like to say that I'm not using this thread to find a guild. I'm just curious... when WoD hits, would solid and active progression guilds appreciate/require MoP raiding experience for me to actually have a chance at joining? By the time the expansion hits I will be able to have the free time to dedicate 16-20+ hours of my time to raiding. I am familiar with the Sunday through Thursday raid schedules and understand what it takes to progress through new content so.. yea.

Just curious!

Thanks guys! Long time lurker, first time poster! MMO Champ ftw!

Some guilds might. Many will check out how you can raid now, especially since the game is always changing.

[Kevra]

I'm in the saaaaame exact boat as you are. I was pretty semi-hardcore through vanilla and BC. Minus school. Add becoming a new mom.

[Ikik]

Some guilds might. Many will check out how you can raid now, especially since the game is always changing.

Very true! The sad part is that my item level is definitely not up to par at the moment so it's been kind of hard to push my way through the door. I'll keep trying tho!

I'm in the saaaaame exact boat as you are. I was pretty semi-hardcore through vanilla and BC. Minus school. Add becoming a new mom.

Hey! Good to know there are others like me! I wish you luck and I hope we both find homes for the long haul!

[Darsithis]

Very true! The sad part is that my item level is definitely not up to par at the moment so it's been kind of hard to push my way through the door. I'll keep trying tho!

Your gear will mean nothing as the release of WoD will result in a wipe, more or less, of all gear (especially since the squish is coming in 6.0). Your initial heroic dungeon gear will be your barrier to entry since you won't be from an established, pre-WoD raid team.

[Ikik]

I feel if I start looking for a home when I'm in lvl 100 blues that it would be too late tho!

I'll probably start applying to a bunch of guilds soon/closer to WoD release and just dedicate myself to them.

[Negative]

I'm just going to say that most guilds don't look at information from further back than a year TBH. You could get into a decent guild but you will have to work your way back up the ladder from almost nothing.

[Samurai]

If you want to get back in, gearing up now and showing potential guilds you still have skills will be all you can do.
No progression guilds will take untested players that haven't played for 5 years.

It is super quick to gear up now anyways, Timeless Isle -> LFR -> Flex
Then you should be good to get into somewhere

[Solidsteel]

Me and my buddies are in the same boat as you. We didn't raid any of MoP or the second half of Cata. We are forming up again for WoD. It shouldn't be hard at all to find a new guild for WoD as most serious guilds will either be looking for new members or trying to get some more people in the guild to promote competition between raiders. As long as you know your stuff it should be a very easy process.

EDIT: Also, not sure how hardcore you are looking for but, we'll probably be going 8-10 hours a week in WoD and are completely starting from scratch as far as the group goes. If you're interested shoot me a PM.

[Donkeywing]

You wont get in solid long term top guilds but if you write a good application there are plenty of new start ups, 10m->20m, 4-5day raiding guilds always looking for new ppl, you just really need to search for a few days to see whats best for you and where you'll be able to join

[Aphrel]

dont u have any firends still playing to vouch for you? Myslef i havent made an application since vanilla wow.. always some1 you know and ahve played with be4 that raids in some hardcore guild that could get u in.
and with real id its easier then ever to keep in touch.

[Deleted]

Everyone's talking about guilds, but from a gameplay standpoint there's a lot to consider too. Raid bosses are far more complex than they were in Vanilla/TBC, with way more individual responsibility.

Probably best to jump into a 2/3 day guild until WoD to get adjusted, gives you good, relevant experience going into WoD too if you feel you want to transition into something a bit more progression focused.

[Dekkers]

This game doesn't require any skill anymore, shouldn't be hard to join a heroic raid guild. All you need is a pulse.

[Thelxi]

It should be relatively easy because many guilds will be looking to double their roster. If you are very serious about it though you probably want to start raiding a bit now so you have something more than a vanilla/tbc story to show good guilds when the time comes. Good guilds aren't really progressing anymore though, but there is a whole lot of recruitment going on now, at least on my server.

[alucardtnuoc]

Start with the basics.

Gem/enchant right,
Gear up as much as you can (flex/normal)
Pug when you can, using Oqueue can help.
Log your own fights, show people you understand mechanics and your class.

I've had people recruit me for heroic raiding just by being in a random scenario, Just do things right!

Also, try NOT to get friends to vouch for how good you are, it happened in my 14/14H guild recently, GM vouched for this warrior tank, was TERRIBLE, entire raid night... his total shield barrier usage was less then 10m (Previous warrior tank was getting 20m+ from one boss). Showing people you're good is better than having someone saying it.

[Zka]

Why it would be hard? Gear is reset. Abilities and talents always shuffle so much with each expansion that past experience with a class becomes way less relevant. Encounters are always new.
So basically that's it. I'm also planning a return after having stopped organized raiding mid Firelands.

[Vaelorian]

As a former GM and recruitment officer for 7 years of a heroic 25 man guild I can say this to you:

1. Apply now
Why should they take you now?
Well they won't lose anything if you are already in the guild. You can begin to feel at home in your new guild already. They can atleast socialise already with you. But don't expect a lot of socialisation either. When the guild is still raiding, they won't have time AT ALL to turn around and pay attention to you. That starts only from the moment WoD hits. Don't ask for a raidspot during this expansion. Just tell them that you'll do whatever it takes to be raidready once WoD hits within the allotted time the new guild asks of you. My guild usually asked for 1 week to 1.5 weeks to get raidready. Some guilds are far more lenient. (ask them what this time is)

2. Be sure to tell them that you are a Vanilla player
It doesn't matter if you are a Vanilla player. It doesn't show anything really. Vanilla players could just as well be new players. The game has changed so much. But you do already grasp the basics.

3. Be sure to tell them that you are willing to read and watch strategies (just like you did before?)

4. Be absolutely sure that you want to raid again
Nothing pissed me off more then having a recruit being full of energy at first, you gear them up in the new tier and POOF, gone they are.
Why?
Turns out they just wanted that feeling back they once had in Vanilla. And they couldn't get it. No shit sherlock, you won't ever get that feeling back.
Turns out they felt that raiding is too much work. They expected the game to not be so demanding. Dude have you played Vanilla?

5. Write a decent apply with proper words and do not use XD or >.< etc. Use words.
Do not hesitate to write a long apply. Think about what you want to say. Most people just write an apply in 5 min. I reject them in less time I can assure you. The ones that actually took effort in writing their apply, I take far more serious. I could even think: Hey this guy must have spend atleast a few hours on this. Maybe he'll have the same drive in raiding too?

6. If you just had a baby and want to apply to a heroic progression guild, do not bother!!!!
I cannot say this enough. Employers usually hate it when their female applicants are pregnant, guildmasters do not like it when applicants (male or female) just gotten a baby. You will not have time enough for raiding if you have a baby, period. Or you must be looking for a divorce. You can say all you want about: well my wife and me have it all worked out. Yeah I am sure that after one year of raiding the significant other still feels it was a good deal. And who ends up on the short end of the stick? Yes the guild you are in. Casual guilds? No problem.

7. Be prepared and committed in leveling asap and gearing asap when WoD hits
I cannot stress this enough. I once as recruitment officer took in 20 people before a new expansion came. I explained to them what was expected of them. Three of the twenty made it to be a proper applicant. The rest was still busy leveling after 1.5 weeks. Some (I checked on them) were still not maxlevel 1 month after the new expansion launched. You want proper gems (not the fucking cheap ones) in your newly acquired heroic 5 man blue gear and enchants. You need to have researched what the best talents are for whatever fight is coming. You have proper glyphs. And you know how to play properly instead of being a LFR schmuck.

[Djuntas]

Always better to start raiding inn new exspansion. With a decent track record off past raiding history shoulden't be to hard.

Joining a guild now is hard imo. Gear levels are to high if you been away.

[Sansnom]

Anyways, I won't rabble on. And I'd like to say that I'm not using this thread to find a guild. I'm just curious... when WoD hits, would solid and active progression guilds appreciate/require MoP raiding experience for me to actually have a chance at joining? By the time the expansion hits I will be able to have the free time to dedicate 16-20+ hours of my time to raiding. I am familiar with the Sunday through Thursday raid schedules and understand what it takes to progress through new content so.. yea.

In my opinion, it really depends on the guild. Heroic raiding is changing from 10/25 to 20 only. So for 25m guilds, it would mean losing some raiders, for 10m it would mean dropping Mythic altogether or actively recruit.

25m have taken a hit this expansion. Some raiding switched from 25m to 10m. Paragon for example did this.

Past raiding experience does help since it has evidence that a raider has the necessary skill and commitment than some random raider and wants to be a progression. Since you are talking about WoD, then gear means very little. Everyone would be on a level playing field. It should be a matter to going through the process. Applying via the website, answer their question. Conduct an interview. Given a trial spot.

If you perform as expected, which you should, and there a fit with the guild, which has nothing to do with past experience, then it should not be a problem.

[Deleted]

As a former GM and recruitment officer for 7 years of a heroic 25 man guild I can say this to you:

1. Apply now
Why should they take you now?
Well they won't lose anything if you are already in the guild. You can begin to feel at home in your new guild already. They can atleast socialise already with you. But don't expect a lot of socialisation either. When the guild is still raiding, they won't have time AT ALL to turn around and pay attention to you. That starts only from the moment WoD hits. Don't ask for a raidspot during this expansion. Just tell them that you'll do whatever it takes to be raidready once WoD hits within the allotted time the new guild asks of you. My guild usually asked for 1 week to 1.5 weeks to get raidready. Some guilds are far more lenient. (ask them what this time is)

2. Be sure to tell them that you are a Vanilla player
It doesn't matter if you are a Vanilla player. It doesn't show anything really. Vanilla players could just as well be new players. The game has changed so much. But you do already grasp the basics.

3. Be sure to tell them that you are willing to read and watch strategies (just like you did before?)

4. Be absolutely sure that you want to raid again
Nothing pissed me off more then having a recruit being full of energy at first, you gear them up in the new tier and POOF, gone they are.
Why?
Turns out they just wanted that feeling back they once had in Vanilla. And they couldn't get it. No shit sherlock, you won't ever get that feeling back.
Turns out they felt that raiding is too much work. They expected the game to not be so demanding. Dude have you played Vanilla?

5. Write a decent apply with proper words and do not use XD or >.< etc. Use words.
Do not hesitate to write a long apply. Think about what you want to say. Most people just write an apply in 5 min. I reject them in less time I can assure you. The ones that actually took effort in writing their apply, I take far more serious. I could even think: Hey this guy must have spend atleast a few hours on this. Maybe he'll have the same drive in raiding too?

6. If you just had a baby and want to apply to a heroic progression guild, do not bother!!!!
I cannot say this enough. Employers usually hate it when their female applicants are pregnant, guildmasters do not like it when applicants (male or female) just gotten a baby. You will not have time enough for raiding if you have a baby, period. Or you must be looking for a divorce. You can say all you want about: well my wife and me have it all worked out. Yeah I am sure that after one year of raiding the significant other still feels it was a good deal. And who ends up on the short end of the stick? Yes the guild you are in. Casual guilds? No problem.

7. Be prepared and committed in leveling asap and gearing asap when WoD hits
I cannot stress this enough. I once as recruitment officer took in 20 people before a new expansion came. I explained to them what was expected of them. Three of the twenty made it to be a proper applicant. The rest was still busy leveling after 1.5 weeks. Some (I checked on them) were still not maxlevel 1 month after the new expansion launched. You want proper gems (not the fucking cheap ones) in your newly acquired heroic 5 man blue gear and enchants. You need to have researched what the best talents are for whatever fight is coming. You have proper glyphs. And you know how to play properly instead of being a LFR schmuck.

Oh look it's you again, the most boring person on the internet - i wish you would stop with this line "As a former GM and recruitment officer for 7 years of a heroic 25 man guild"

SNORE.

Infracted