Servers Population and helpful guilds

[Zolav]

I can see the populations obviously but my real question is this. Many of you are more then likely younger players under 30 but as an older player (41) I came from a generation where the first mmo I played (EQ) and played for many years people were helpful and taught you the ropes. And I did to countless others as well.

Now before someone tells me to run back to my MMO I will just say no ty, its outdated and I love playing WoW. I wouldnt say I am entirely new to WoW but I am new enough to where I haven't really raided and I would love to start trying. I raided in EQ for many many years over 25 hrs a week so I know how that goes and I don't feel the LFR tool is where I want to learn the ins and outs of raiding. And its not even the same from game to game. Does anyone have any recommendations of where to start looking for a guild that would put a little effort into a new player in the raid scene ? Can xfer anywhere

I think I know how this thread will go but I have to ask

I learn quick and play with all key bindings and my gaming mouse. I dont click anything on the screen unless its basic functions, changing pets etc...

[Nemesis003]

I can see the populations obviously but my real question is this. Many of you are more then likely younger players under 30 but as an older player (41) I came from a generation where the first mmo I played (EQ) and played for many years people were helpful and taught you the ropes. And I did to countless others as well.

Now before someone tells me to run back to my MMO I will just say no ty, its outdated and I love playing WoW. I wouldnt say I am entirely new to WoW but I am new enough to where I haven't really raided and I would love to start trying. I raided in EQ for many many years over 25 hrs a week so I know how that goes and I don't feel the LFR tool is where I want to learn the ins and outs of raiding. And its not even the same from game to game. Does anyone have any recommendations of where to start looking for a guild that would put a little effort into a new player in the raid scene ? Can xfer anywhere

I think I know how this thread will go but I have to ask

I learn quick and play with all key bindings and my gaming mouse. I dont click anything on the screen unless its basic functions, changing pets etc...

you are right in LFR is a bad place for raiding. All it does is give the bad players a place to get free purples for simply showing up.


As far as a helpful guild that is easier said then done. It all depends on what style of raiding you want. But the best places to look would be Mal'Ganis for horde and Sargeras for Alliance as they are 2 of the biggest PvE US servers in terms of gap in top guys ond bottoms ones. Mal'Ganis has Exodus which ended up 10 in the world for PvE progression in 5.0 but they also just merged with the bulk of vodka after they broke up. Sargeras as Midwinter which was the top allaince guilds this tier. Both guilds have a large number of friendly players that are willing to talk to players and help them out. Other higher end guilds are not so kind, i wont name them but many top 20 guilds have a number of pricks in them.

All in all would check those servers they are both massively dominated but their faction respectivly so while they are on PvP servers there is almost 0 PvP unless in the cross realmed zones. Also on higher pop servers you are more apt to find "beginner" raiding guilds that can help you learn to raid.

[Zolav]

Thank you Nemesis

[Redpanda]

Check high pop servers and see what they look like. Start working on your gear and if you are apping to a guild its all in how you sell yourself. If you seem like youre worth it a guild will throw some gear at you for a lock out or 2 and if you dont perform then you will have to take a back seat. Look at vids and lurk these forums and you should get up to speed with how hunters are. Look up hunter pov vids in particular and you should be okay. GL fellow hunter bro

[Zolav]

Check high pop servers and see what they look like. Start working on your gear and if you are apping to a guild its all in how you sell yourself. If you seem like youre worth it a guild will throw some gear at you for a lock out or 2 and if you dont perform then you will have to take a back seat. Look at vids and lurk these forums and you should get up to speed with how hunters are. Look up hunter pov vids in particular and you should be okay. GL fellow hunter bro

Thank you

[eschatological]

Most of my guild is over 27 and working professionals. We have two lawyers, an accountant, and multiple corporate executives. We have married folks and parents on our team. We'd be a good fit, except that you're just starting raiding, and we're our realm's top raiding team, and the only spots we have open right now are for a warlock and a tank. And those aren't so easy to do when you're starting out (well, okay, affliction is easy to be OP at, but our departing lock is like top 50 caliber). These communities exist, and they exist on a more casual or beginner basis too. However, there's no set rule for where to find them. We're Alliance on a medium pop PvE server, that seems stereotypical enough. I suggest just being clear and posting on the recruitment forums or LF Guild forums.

Also, EQ is for youngins. I was playing MUDs on Prodigy and compuServe in 1992. Graphics are for kids. We had math and room descriptions and d100 rolls in our games.

[Zolav]

Most of my guild is over 27 and working professionals. We have two lawyers, an accountant, and multiple corporate executives. We have married folks and parents on our team. We'd be a good fit, except that you're just starting raiding, and we're our realm's top raiding team, and the only spots we have open right now are for a warlock and a tank. And those aren't so easy to do when you're starting out (well, okay, affliction is easy to be OP at, but our departing lock is like top 50 caliber). These communities exist, and they exist on a more casual or beginner basis too. However, there's no set rule for where to find them. We're Alliance on a medium pop PvE server, that seems stereotypical enough. I suggest just being clear and posting on the recruitment forums or LF Guild forums Also, EQ is for youngins. I was playing MUDs on Prodigy and compuServe in 1992. Graphics are for kids. We had math and room descriptions and d100 rolls in our games.

yes you are one generation ahead of me

ty for your response !

[Dole4011]

If you have any real life friends who play, I recommend teaming up with them.

If not, no biggie. Before you server xfer, I'd look around on your current server. You can look at wowprogress.com to see which guilds are decent and actively raiding. You can ask around for officers so you can talk to them, see what kind of guild they are, and if they're interested in taking on someone in your situation. You may esp be interested in the 18+ only guilds. I know my raid group is mostly 30s/late 20s, and it def fits me better. [I can't say for sure, and it may cramp your style, but I'd imagine PVE servers are more likely to have more patient, caring guilds per capita than PVP ones. Ofc, understand that if you get in a family-friendly guild that makes sure everyone gets a turn and does what they can to help new raiders, you may end up being dissatisfied with the lack of progression. If you're not heartless (you seem like a nice guy), you'll probably not want to "use" a guild like that as a stepping stone, so again, I'd try to get a good feel for the group you're potentially joining and make sure their goals dovetail with yours.]

Also, although nothing can replace a guild taking you under their wing, investing time in you, etc, you can do some stuff on your own to better prepare for raiding and to make you more worthy of consideration. Learn the strats for the raids, learn how to play your class/role the best, and gear up.

For strats, there are plenty of videos out there. Diff people have diff preferences (I personally can't stand the accents in Fatboss videos), but youtube has plenty of options. I'd also run LFR after watching videos on fights to see the fight up close and personal. Granted, some abilities will be missing and the margin of error is much higher, it's good for you to have an idea of what it's like, even if it's a neutered version.

For learning your class, you can read the stickies in your class forum here. You can also try wow's forums, elitist jerks, icy-veins.com, etc. Some resources are better than others (and that often varies from class-to-class and spec-to-spec), but most will at least have the basics right. Along with learning your rotation, you'll also want to get macros and add-ons that complement your role. And again, though LFR is a cess pool a lot of times, it's a great training ground to get practice in. If you're a dps, you'll def want to be in the top 10, possibly higher depending on how many geared people are in the group and what your gear is like.

Idk how geared you are, but you have multiple options (which will change a little bit with 5.2 hitting):
-PVP-No matter how unsavory you find it, 483 gear is 483. Since pvp stats don't take away from itemization, if you have the time, it's def worth it to get in enough arena games each week to cap conquest. You don't even have to be good. Just find a 2s partner and play until you get 10 wins. It may initially take a lot of losses to settle down to your appropriate bracket, but that's just the first week. Also, when upgrade vendors are in-game, you can upgrade that conquest gear too. [So, for me, in 5.0, early on before I got a lot of PVE drops, I was wearing 4-5 pieces of conquest gear. In 5.1, I had replaced it all except my cloak, and at that point upgrades were introduced so I upgraded my cloak to 491 until I got a PVE upgrade.] Also, if you're just starting out, honor from battlegrounds may be the best way to replace greens if you're having bad luck with drops for those slots.
-Dailies-You need to do at least enough to get 90 lesser charms a week for the extra loot rolls. Some have had bad luck and will say it's not worth it, but if you're serious about gearing up, you'll take every extra chance you can get [I've personally gotten multiple upgrades, incl Sha-touched weapon]. Also, if you're going to purchase a valor upgrade, you'll need the appropriate rep. [In 5.2, the most important dailies will be on the Isle of Thunder. You'll possibly also want to do the launch or 5.1 dailies to get 489/496 discounted valor gear to fill in weak slots.]
-LFR-The drop rate isn't high, but it's decent gear when it does drop. Also, note that it MSV/HoF/ToES LFRs will have a much higher drop rate in 5.2.
-Scenarios/Dungeons-If you have stuff that is less than 463, these are also an option. Scenarios have a decent chance at 463 blues.
-PuG normal if you can. Again, idk what your server is like or what your gear is like, but if it's feasible, killing Dogs on normal after almost 2 hours, though frustrating, gives you valuable experience and a shot at loot. It can show guilds looking at you that you raided in less-than-ideal circumstances to become a better player.
-Valor cap. If you are trying to gear up, you'll probably do this incidentally, but valor is a sure-fire (though slow) way to increase your ilvl in a strategic way.
-Crafted gear-476 epic chest/gloves are relatively cheap. If you have the gold, you may want to spring for the raid pattern crafted stuff, but that's considerably more expensive.

Also, for gear, pimp it out. Get all enchants, gems, proper reforges, etc. I wouldn't get expensive stuff on blues or stuff that will likely be replaced soon, but I would maximize my toon within reason.

Also, there is the in-game LFGuild tool, but idk how many guilds make use of that.

[Speedlance]

I was given a chance by the best guilds on the realm during the naxx40 era, hardest content i had done was some early BWL stuff. But since they really needed people I was in and I was a high prio member during TBC where we cleared all. This was done by asking in a whisper, if you don't take a chance you won't be given a chance. I'm sure this applies to less hardcore guilds with a different view on raiding but still aim to down bosses.