Does anyone else, LOVE raiding but hate committing to a schedule?

[AlmightyGerkin]

As a working adult I never really could. Being on call for just about anything makes you unreliable for attendance (never mind family, kids and other things).

I managed to find a guild that was tolerant of that but that disbanded during the catastrophe of guild perks during Cataclysm! and that was basically that. I had fun but on balance running LFR once to see the rooms and poke at the boss fights is quite enough.

Makes me think of a scenario of something like this

"Well yes Susan we can certaintly try it...

God damn Steven taunt I have 5 stacks of the buff

"Alright Susan what were we talking about?"

[Dald]

Without some form of schedule, you'll probably never have the exact group of people on and ready to go at the same time. Without a schedule it ends up being a PUG. Not a bad thing, but if you want a stable group of people that you trust, then a schedule is necessary.

[Zyky]

I feel like on this point having mythic raiding be a lower size would help a lot of players get more interested, it would allow guilds to be more flexible with members without having to recruit a 30 person roster and sitting 10 people a week. I know in MoP my guild had 13 people on roster, for Heroic 10, 2 of them were players that couldn't commit to showing up every week and that was fine and the guild was still able to progress through the content very solidly. I just feel like 20 man doesn't work for that sort of tight knit community/family feeling that lets you have people that you like in guild that don't have the ability to show up every week.

[Ragedaug]

For me the schedule is inseparable from the enjoyment I receive from raiding.

Pug raiding is not enjoyable to me, while raiding with friends is the most enjoyment I get from the game and what keeps me subbed. So because I only want to raid with friends, having a raid schedule is a prerequisite to make this happen.

I look at it similarly to how I view activities like poker night or softball league, etc. It's scheduled so you and your friends have a set time to meet up and have a good time.

[Jervaise]

My subjective comment: I'm alright with a schedule. What I hate is having to extensively prepare for a raid. Mechanics, tactics, strategies are so complex nowadays (due to addons perhaps) there is little reward for being an able player.

It is the same with many games though, like I hate having to memorize 15 openers for starcraft to be successful. Back when the game was first released, one could pretty much improvise and get to diamond (diamond was top league back then).

I don't want a chess career, I just want a couple hours of gaming.

[mbit2]

My subjective comment: I'm alright with a schedule. What I hate is having to extensively prepare for a raid. Mechanics, tactics, strategies are so complex nowadays (due to addons perhaps) there is little reward for being an able player.

It is the same with many games though, like I hate having to memorize 15 openers for starcraft to be successful. Back when the game was first released, one could pretty much improvise and get to diamond (diamond was top league back then).

I don't want a chess career, I just want a couple hours of gaming.

You just have to choose between playing for fun and playing for rank. You can still play any game blind, the price is simply getting hardstuck at a lower rank since you are handicapping yourself choosing not to learn meta. Same applies to raiding. Its a bit harder to find nowdays but people who intentionally play blind still exist. The price is of course more wipes and less progress.

[PingPong]

I like raiding but just cant/wont committing to a schedule anymore,I like the idea to play whenever I want that why group finder was the best thing ever add for me just pop in and kill boss and pop out fast.

[shyguybman]

I feel like most people have the time to raid, but would rather not commit to the schedule.

[cuafpr]

My subjective comment: I'm alright with a schedule. What I hate is having to extensively prepare for a raid. Mechanics, tactics, strategies are so complex nowadays (due to addons perhaps) there is little reward for being an able player.

It is the same with many games though, like I hate having to memorize 15 openers for starcraft to be successful. Back when the game was first released, one could pretty much improvise and get to diamond (diamond was top league back then).

I don't want a chess career, I just want a couple hours of gaming.

This.. I'd almost love to see combat addons blocked and raids drop some of the mechanics .. it lost its fun for me. I may try it again in DF though.

[Echo of Soul]

Yup. I usually don't mind it but every once in a while there comes a day where I'd much rather relax on the couch than raid thursday night and maybe raid on friday or saturday instead. Every time I have to force myself to raid and go to bed fatigued and annoyed.
Those moments add up and eventually I just quit because it's starting to feel like a job. It's why I stopped raiding in WoW and started raiding in FFXIV instead since you can be much more flexible and have success with random people at all hours of the week. It gives you the freedom of going "Hmm, what do I WANT to do today?" when you login instead of "Okay, what do I HAVE to do today?".

[Nerdkartoffl]

There's always one..

"As a working adult" implying that people who do raid aren't either adult or working.. I know enough people who have kids, a job etc who still raid casually. Sure they won't be there every raid, and sometimes they have to dip out due to a work issue (Standby shifts are hell) or a home issue. But they still raid.
Saying "I can't because I am an adult with kids" is really just a pathetic attempt at "at least I have a life lol"

Why are you personally offended when someone is using such a phrase? Did it trigger you, because you dont have anything besides skill in WoW, that you trigger over something so minor?

Your whole post is "i imply what you meant" instead of asking what he really meant.
Do you have any capability of "reading what he meant" or are you just a "real smart person" who believes to know everything?

It could just be a phrase he uses....

[klaps_05]

WoWs problem is that the focus is entirely on raiding/pvp/m+ instead of on classes. Imo, they should have focused on letting everyone play multiple classes through the hardest content within 3-6 months of a patch rather than making ppl commit to 1 character and experience a singular endgame.

Shouldve made mythic raiding and highest keys much much lower difficulty and this way people can even play through the content on different specs.

[Elbob]

WoWs problem is that the focus is entirely on raiding/pvp/m+ instead of on classes. Imo, they should have focused on letting everyone play multiple classes through the hardest content within 3-6 months of a patch rather than making ppl commit to 1 character and experience a singular endgame.

Shouldve made mythic raiding and highest keys much much lower difficulty and this way people can even play through the content on different specs.

people can play through the content on multiple chars per patch, why does that have to be the hardest version though? Why punish the people that want to focus on being the best? If you want to level alts and slam normal/heroic and a few M+ on a bunch of chars per patch go for it. Some people are good enough to do it on mythic, if you aren't thats ok enjoy your journey where it fits you best.

[klaps_05]

people can play through the content on multiple chars per patch, why does that have to be the hardest version though? Why punish the people that want to focus on being the best? If you want to level alts and slam normal/heroic and a few M+ on a bunch of chars per patch go for it. Some people are good enough to do it on mythic, if you aren't thats ok enjoy your journey where it fits you best.

You cant really complete the content on multiple classes unless you are putting in significant amount of time and treating the game like a job. Imo, a spec you play should be maxed out within 2-3 months after patch start. Right now you can go the entire patch and still not have bis, let alone talking about stat prioritization and experimentation.

There are 38 specs in the game - you can make it for 1 spec to be maxed out in a month and you still wont be able to play more than 8-9 of them.

You can still be the best? Clear Mythic faster, push time on the highest keys or arena rating? I am talking about reaching the full potential of a spec, not just doing the casual content and thinking you are experiencing the spec.

If they want to promote longevity of a patch or the game, its a lot better to show people they can play multiple specs at the highest content without feeling gimped, rather than targeting 0.01% of people only.

[Elbob]

You cant really complete the content on multiple classes unless you are putting in significant amount of time and treating the game like a job. Imo, a spec you play should be maxed out within 2-3 months after patch start. Right now you can go the entire patch and still not have bis, let alone talking about stat prioritization and experimentation.

There are 38 specs in the game - you can make it for 1 spec to be maxed out in a month and you still wont be able to play more than 8-9 of them.

You can still be the best? Clear Mythic faster, push time on the highest keys or arena rating? I am talking about reaching the full potential of a spec, not just doing the casual content and thinking you are experiencing the spec.

If they want to promote longevity of a patch or the game, its a lot better to show people they can play multiple specs at the highest content without feeling gimped, rather than targeting 0.01% of people only.

we probably will not agree on this topic. You make numerous claims that are pretty big and need some evidence too. The bolded section in particular because to promotd longevity you need to make the content clearable faster? Gear is thrown at our characters faster then ever and the majority of the time classes don't change in how they play mid patch because of gear thresholds, with the exception of completing tier sets. Some thing blizzard is notably trying to make more accessible.

Things like pushing higher keys, rating or raid parses is something is never going to be "done" after a few set months because players are always finding better ways to clear the content as the patch goes on. This has nothing to do with how fast you get geared. Also calling heroic content casual shows how disconnected you are with where the average player sits in completed content.

38 specs most of which get gear for 2 offspecs while playing their main spec. Things like weapons and trinkets need to be sought out differently on some of them, but with how much loot is thrown at our characters these specs can be geared in well itemized new ilvl gear each patch rather quickly.

And lastly the importance getting full bis in retail is something that needs to be let go a bit. The vault system is very good for the game(casual players in particular) but makes "bis" unlikely. Top parses while helped by gear are mostly determined by good play, external buffs, and strats that favor your ability to do dmg/healing. I had an average parse of ~99 across all 3 raid tiers this expac and don't think I farmed a single tier in "bis" gear. Heck for all but the last 2 weeks of CN I was the "wrong" covenant for parsing. If you aren't parsing well, you probably need to look at your play rather then the gear being tossed at you left and right by blizzard.

[mbit2]

WoWs problem is that the focus is entirely on raiding/pvp/m+ instead of on classes. Imo, they should have focused on letting everyone play multiple classes through the hardest content within 3-6 months of a patch rather than making ppl commit to 1 character and experience a singular endgame.

Shouldve made mythic raiding and highest keys much much lower difficulty and this way people can even play through the content on different specs.

realistically you already play pvp on multiple classes with same teammates. Kinda norm at higher rating to at least have 2 characters so you can park your title character and leave him untouched while having another you can continue playing. It might be either way a good idea to promote multi-classing in pve because it would close the gap pro-noob. You would likely have more people active longer in lower content using it as training wheels to learn their newest class which might be healthy for atmosphere as even the elite would get another taste of being a noob which might remind them to be nicer to other noobs in return.

[8bithamster]

Why are you personally offended when someone is using such a phrase? Did it trigger you, because you dont have anything besides skill in WoW, that you trigger over something so minor?

Your whole post is "i imply what you meant" instead of asking what he really meant.
Do you have any capability of "reading what he meant" or are you just a "real smart person" who believes to know everything?

It could just be a phrase he uses....

THe irony in this post is astounding. Nice try though, even after we have discussed that topic to death already in the posts after that.

- - - Updated - - -

realistically you already play pvp on multiple classes with same teammates. Kinda norm at higher rating to at least have 2 characters so you can park your title character and leave him untouched while having another you can continue playing. It might be either way a good idea to promote multi-classing in pve because it would close the gap pro-noob. You would likely have more people active longer in lower content using it as training wheels to learn their newest class which might be healthy for atmosphere as even the elite would get another taste of being a noob which might remind them to be nicer to other noobs in return.

TBF, most people I know that raid (Heroic/early mythic bosses) already multi class in PVE. They have a Healer/dps or Tank/dps or Ranged/Melee dps, and switch out depending on what's needed. Especially at the end of SL it was hardly an issue to keep 2 characters ready. I generally have:

1 of every tank at max and geared
1 healer
1 ranged dps
1 melee dps

and still raid super casually (AOTC is my max goal pretty much)

[mbit2]

TBF, most people I know that raid (Heroic/early mythic bosses) already multi class in PVE. They have a Healer/dps or Tank/dps or Ranged/Melee dps, and switch out depending on what's needed. Especially at the end of SL it was hardly an issue to keep 2 characters ready. I generally have:

1 of every tank at max and geared
1 healer
1 ranged dps
1 melee dps

and still raid super casually (AOTC is my max goal pretty much)

My mythic experience is mostly you just take classes that can change spec on demand rather than let them swap to alts since its easier and faster. Got same impression regarding most people playing 2-3 characters. That said i think you're at least top 1% with so many alts. 8 alts in total is a big number.

[8bithamster]

My mythic experience is mostly you just take classes that can change spec on demand rather than let them swap to alts since its easier and faster. Got same impression regarding most people playing 2-3 characters. That said i think you're at least top 1% with so many alts. 8 alts in total is a big number.

tbf, again during the end of SL it was absolutely piss-easy to keep them geared and ready. As I said, I only did heroic raiding. So at best I needed them at 290-295 gear.Most tanks in guilds that I know off have at least 1-2 alts they can switch between, to give other people a chance to tank/heal at times when raiding.

[epigramx]

nobody gives a shit about realm rank. They compare themselves to their previous progress

a stupid argument, because you win by killing the boss.

those delusions fall apart once you try to answer the question: "would people try for that for months if it was a single-player game?".