How do you get into a pro raiding guild?

[Kanye]

Post your application in the "News" section of the guilds forums. That's sure to grab their attention!

Also, give a shit about your application. Show you actually put some thought into your char, how you gear, how you gem, w/e. If you're mindlessly following "3.3 CAT DPS GUIDE", you're doing it wrong. One of the things that destroys any application for me is simply linking to EJ claiming to know your class off by heart.

[Incarnia]

* Absolute best way to get into a top end guild is getting to know some of the players in said guild, make sure to have a good reputation and obviously be a good player.
In fact never be a douche to other players even if they are complete idiots (because you simply just never know)...

* Have a goal and a plan on how to get there (this includes work your way up, you can't hop from a normal mode guild only to a "have everything on farm" ICC HM guild.. Unless you have good Vanilla and BC raiding experience, then it is possible), just sitting around hoping to get lucky enough aren't going to help you.

* Write an exceptional good application, neat, tidy and a personal one without throwing a damn text wall at the officers who will read it.

* Sending the application as a pm to an officer seems more professional (imo) and obviously ask the officer ingame beforehand if it's okay.

* Forget everything about GS - real players of this game despise it and utterly hate it because it doesn't say shit about the player.

* Be able to take brutal criticism without throwing a fit or go all depressed over it but see it for what it is a way to be able to become better.

* Your name is your trademark, always have that in mind in everything you do...
Use pots, flasks and raid consumables. Have the best gems and enchants, always. Have logs to prove what you go for, seek ways to become more effective with your dps rotations, positioning and other things which will boost your DPS and knowledge about how to move on different types of bosses without losing valuable time (never slack off with this).


The thing is.. DPSers who are in top end guilds all have one thing in common, they are extremely competitive.. They all want to be the best, they seek information and ways to get better and they love to outperform people in every possible way.
Even if they've run that same damn instance a hundred times already the competition is everything, doesn't matter if it's just "a pug" with crap people.

You need to hunger for progression, you need to want it and most of all you need to understand just how bloody boring and frustrating raiding can be sometimes when you wipe on that stupid boss for nights on end or when the guild have everything on farm and the content becomes "meaningless".
You need to still want to be a part of that and find motivation to perform your utter best no matter what, know how to not get burned out by raiding as well is important.
Otherwise you don't have what it takes to feel at home in a top end guild.

[bobofett1110]

Best advice - Apply to a guild that your ready to get into and fits your set level of expertise.

With only 7/12 ICC this puts you way behind the curve as experience goes and appling to a top 100 guild is just nonscence. Use wowprogress or the recruitment forums and find a place that fits where you are in your raiding evolution. Then you can work your way up to 11/12 HM or 12/12 HM.

Its just like sports, you cant go straight from little league to the pros.

[anaxie]

How you do so much damage?!?!!!!!!?!!!

[Kanye]

* Forget everything about GS - real players of this game despise it and utterly hate it because it doesn't say shit about the player.

The thing is.. DPSers who are in top end guilds all have one thing in common, they are extremely competitive.

Real players play competitive Gearscore.

[Geeza]

LIE ... LIE and LIE some more.

SERIOUSLY you have to lie a little. Most job interviews you gotta lie a little bit to get into and this is no different. Im not saying tell them you got the world first heroic lk kill or something. But exaggerate some of your real achievements.

Lie, but dont exagerate so badly its unbeleivable... xD

[Xcruiser]

None of what anyone has said is actually correct. Here is a few things to know about applying to a 'hardcore' raiding guild and about the guilds themselves.

1) We don't give a flying fuck about your gearscore or any other number/designation that is supposed to be related to how good your average itemlevel of gear is. If you even bring it up in an application most guilds will laugh at you and immediately dismiss you.

2) Don't be younger than 16 and dont be older than 35. There are some very VERY few exceptions to this but here is the reason. We don't want your mommy or daddy pulling the internet from your computer at midnight because you have to wake up early for school in the morning and we are in the middle of an attempt on a progression boss. If you have work related issues like having to wake up at 6am for work, you have to tough it up and get less sleep on raiding nights.

3) A well written application goes a very long way. I'm talking good grammar, good sentence structure, and actually answering all the questions that are on the application. Do not respond in one sentence answers but give some depth and length to your answers. High end guilds get so many applications its really easy to pick out shitty apps versus apps that could use a second look.

4) WoW is a numbers game. Simple as that. If you do not have the best possible gear gemmed with the best possible gems with the best possible professions and the best possible enchants you do not have a chance at getting into a very high end guild. If you are missing out on socket bonuses or a few spellpower here and there due to bad gemming, people will laugh at you and you will not be accepted. WoW is not hard. Being the 'top dps' in your raid usually means shit. Everyone else in your raid sucks. That is why you have only killed 7/12 normal mode with a 30% buff. This brings me to my next point.

5) Do not apply without logs. Don't apply with a recount of you hitting a test dummy for a few minutes. That doesn't mean shit. We need real logs from multiple raids and multiple bosses to see if you actually use your cooldowns correctly, use prepots, use flasks and all that. High end guilds look at top world parses. If you are not within top 200 world on bosses, then you are not looked at more thoroughly.

The problem with most people is that they go 12/12 easymode at 25% and suddenly think they are good enough for the best of the best and then find it shocking that they aren't accepted. Baby steps guys. You have to walk before you can run. Find a guild that has a few hardmodes down and try and join them. Make them a better guild, prove you are a better player than their main raiders. Once you get better gear you can move on and once you get some parses and have a lot of BIS gear then yeah, apply to a top tier guild.

Dougal - CUTIES ONLY - Kalecgos

If there is only one post you read in this entire thread, it is the one quoted above. Follow it to the letter.

[DocQuantum]

LIE ... LIE and LIE some more.

SERIOUSLY you have to lie a little. Most job interviews you gotta lie a little bit to get into and this is no different. Im not saying tell them you got the world first heroic lk kill or something. But exaggerate some of your real achievements.

I've never had to lie to get into a job or a guild. At one point in my life, I was a hiring manager... and one of the things we looked for was lies: if we found one, you were out - and, if we saw you applying at other companies, we'd often let them know how your morals went, just as a common courtesy.

To the OP: a lot depends on how your application reads, which depends on what their questions are. There are "good" ways to answer questions, and "bad" ways. Unfortunately, most educations don't include how to interview (written or verbal), which means a lot of folks are really bad at it through no fault of their own. See if the guild you're applying to still has posted apps from folks that got in and from folks that didn't - and see HOW the people that made it to a trial phase answered. Tailor your responses (while remaining truthful) to what the guild is looking for.

... and remember one golden rule: never volunteer information. Less almost always is more. If they ask a question, answer THAT question, don't go off on a tangent. (I've seen way too many people ruin interviews that were going smoothly by answering questions that weren't asked in such a way as to raise red flags.)

[Spectrez]

I'm guessing to get into a "pro" raiding guild... You need to be pro?

[Alcsaar]

Yea man I can't even find a guild that'll take my fury warrior or hunter that can do 12/12 icc 10 or 25. I'm having to pug every week.

[minonofzon]

I got into the top raiding guild on my server who was 11/12 hardmode 25 ICC even though my healing GS is only 4800 and my tanking is only 5000. Im not an exceptional healer or tank or anything but i was friends with a few of the higher ranked members and they liked my app so i got in.

[Deathcold]

The problem with most people is that they go 12/12 easymode at 25% and suddenly think they are good enough for the best of the best and then find it shocking that they aren't accepted. Baby steps guys. You have to walk before you can run. Find a guild that has a few hardmodes down and try and join them. Make them a better guild, prove you are a better player than their main raiders. Once you get better gear you can move on and once you get some parses and have a lot of BIS gear then yeah, apply to a top tier guild.

Dougal - CUTIES ONLY - Kalecgos

Ok... did you tought you could stick with this new guild and make it better instead of guild hopping?

[Herecius]

Ok... did you tought you could stick with this new guild and make it better instead of guild hopping?

The only way any one single player can push an entire guild to suddenly become top tier material - assuming that's what you're going for - is to essentially become an integral part of the guild's leadership and firmly steer in that direction. This is incredibly difficult and time consuming and often simply won't work, because it often involves culling raiders who just aren't getting better, but may have been with that guild for a very long time.

Don't look at it as guild hopping. Look at it as leveling up.

[Deleted]

Don't mention gearscore, really. Get the top enchants, gems and professions; saying it's close enough, frankly, isn't enough for top-tier guilds. Don't be too humble in terms of your skill. Guilds don't want unconfident people. You want to sell yourself to them, don't hesitate to tell them how good you are. Later, you can prove it once you are in. At the same time, don't be arrogant. No matter how bad your previous guildies were, don't blackmouth them. That is never a good quality. Rather say "they lack the same interest to the dephts of this amazing game I have, and that really reflects to their gameplay", than simply "they can't dps I'm alot better kekekekek".

Try to look smart. While you shouldn't judge people from their grammar, top guilds usually do. Give your best to the application, simply shortening "you" to "u" can make a difference (tip: it tells about the laziness and ultimately some people may think you are immature for doing so.).

Write more than the application requires. Even small things like "on the other hand, this and this talent could be good given the content we are going to face. Then again, playing with this and this talent improves my gameplay in certain situations. All in all, I'd be honored to keep talking about the dephts of my class with fellow hunters." Saying you constantly read elitist jerks and know what's best isn't enough, you have to know WHY something is the best. You have to be curious and actually try to figure things yourself out. Also try to tell them about your real-life too, tell them what kind of person you are.

Making a good application is a matter of skill, really. Anyone can make average, but you HAVE to make something that is better than others. Simple as that.

As a side note, I have always been accepted whenver I have applied. Even when I was ungeared / didn't have the latest achievements.(I usually don't write in English because I prefer uninternational guilds, so don't be surprised if you can spot couple of grammar mistakes here)

[Khanjin]

I have an epic purple shirt.
I get invites to every guild.
Because I have an epic purple shirt.
Yeeeeeeeeah.

This.

[zaruz]

Save a world of logs parse, screen some recounts of you topping meters (Your guilds so bad you must be top,right?) and include them.

DO NOT mention GS.

Mention your rotation/priority list in LARGE detail. Explain why you do x over Y. This is the best way to show you know your class inside and out.

Make sure you're gemmed/enchanted correct, if your over hit cap remove hit talents etc before applying.

Try and be fun, while also coming along serious. IE when they ask about DPS, link a meter of you winning, and add a remark along the lines of 'as we all know topping the meters is all that matters amirite ;P' (I always add a tounge-in-cheek smiley so they know its a joke)