Any tips on joining a raiding guild?

[Vsml]

Hi,

Recently I've gotten back into PVE within the last 9 months, and have gotten myself around half Flex and Normal gear. I've taken time to apply for raiding guilds for WoD. And I'm just getting declined. I spoke to a GM through game on why he didn't accept my application as I really took time to apply for this certain guild. he said 'I took a look at your armoury and I wasn't impressed' Lol. I asked did you even take time to read the whole application and he said 'No sorry'.

I understand they want experience. But how does one ever get high end experience without ever being accepted into a Guild?

[Xjev]

you just need to convince them you perform well and planning to raid and stay with them long term and will show up most of raids. This can get you through for most guilds

[Goondicker]

A big issue you're going to run into right now is that the expansion is at its very end. You'll have a much easier time early in the cycle.

You'll pretty much need to have a legendary cloak to get on a team at this point. With the item upgrades and cross realm raiding, groups are looking for higher ilvl (outgearing the content, even).

I'd recommend getting into a few pugs from openraid or oqueue to begin. Once you hit 570+ you can start looking at some heroic raiding, but not a large % of serious heroic raiding guilds are looking for members right now (like I said at the beginning).

You should link your armory here so people can look your character over and give more specific advice. Good luck!

[gombudja]

Look for some less hardcore guilds to join until you get some loot and experience under your belt. Then you can apply for the kind of guilds that only look at your gear. To be honest I'm not sure why you'd want to join such a guild anyway, but that's probably the easiest way to do it.

[Vsml]

Maybe you're aiming too high. If you don't have any experience in heroic raiding you should join a guild that doesn't do applications and is more casual. Once you've become the best raider in that group, apply for a real guild.

You're right, I probably am aiming too high. Specially for HC raiders

[Deja Thoris]

First of all, lets address his response. If someone applies to us, I look at their armory relative to their experience. Remember, this is a person that professes they want to raid and without experience I have 2 things to go on.
1) A bit of a chat with them
2) Armory

The chat is crucial to me because I want people who are a good fit socially. People underestimate this and I still get lots of people being dicks in an interview but its ok because "they pwn!" Those people can fuck off. They just don't get that performance is only part of the equation.

I digress. The armory. Even if you're gear is only flex / normal it HAS to be fully gemmed, reforged and enchanted. I'm not dumb and I take experience into account. I don't just look at the ilevel and expect to see big numbers. I won't even think twice about a person whose gear isn't in tip top shape though. Don't fail on that.


We've had plenty of recruits that were 10-11/14HC when hey joined us and we've got them all the Garrosh HC kill. We've got people who haven't cleared normal before but they convinced us they had the right attitude and motivation. This convincing happens on voice comms. The written word is a poor medium for it.

[Jokerfiend]

you just need to convince them you perform well and planning to raid and stay with them long term and will show up most of raids. This can get you through for most guilds

Like a job, you can say it. I know you don't want to admit it. Well most of you don't, but that sounds exactly like a job.

[Malvesti]

If I were in your shoes, for SOO I wouldn't worry about much except maybe trying to get in on a Garrosh kill for the FOS. Instead I would try to position myself to join a heroic/mythic guild once WOD hits. There's going to be a gear reset and guilds will be recruiting.

To do that I would focus on things that don't require high ilvl right now that might impress guilds later, such as wave 30 endless, all CM golds, max rank Brawler's Guild. You could also prepare by learning everything you can about WOD to help you level up and gear up fast, so you're geared for raiding ASAP in WOD.

[Deathquoi]

Like a job, you can say it. I know you don't want to admit it. Well most of you don't, but that sounds exactly like a job.

No, it sounds like an environment where other people are relying on you to complete a goal. Not necessarily a job.

[oplawlz]

Like a job, you can say it. I know you don't want to admit it. Well most of you don't, but that sounds exactly like a job.

Or, in a more appropriate comparison, like any organized sport team ever. Raiding is a team sport, whether you're little league or going for the world cup. If your teammates can't count on you there is no point in having you on the team.

[Vsml]

If I were in your shoes, for SOO I wouldn't worry about much except maybe trying to get in on a Garrosh kill for the FOS. Instead I would try to position myself to join a heroic/mythic guild once WOD hits. There's going to be a gear reset and guilds will be recruiting.

To do that I would focus on things that don't require high ilvl right now that might impress guilds later, such as wave 30 endless, all CM golds, max rank Brawler's Guild. You could also prepare by learning everything you can about WOD to help you level up and gear up fast, so you're geared for raiding ASAP in WOD.

Thank you mate, that seems like a really good idea! Gearing up fast was on my mind for WoD straight away, so I had a better chance at joining raids or a guild

[flatpancake]

Right now I would say still work on SOO for the FOS as someone above stated. But dont wait until WoD being applying to guild about a month before when they are trying to fill out their rosters. Now with the next couple months work on your gear and achievements, in your applications make sure you have a good log to post and try and get them into vent and explain why you would be a good addition to their raiding guild.

Also with your lacking experience you may need to tone down your expectations a look for a more casual guild at first to get your feet wet in more organized raiding and then in the next tier look to move up into a more high end guild.

[Deleted]

Hi,

Recently I've gotten back into PVE within the last 9 months, and have gotten myself around half Flex and Normal gear. I've taken time to apply for raiding guilds for WoD. And I'm just getting declined. I spoke to a GM through game on why he didn't accept my application as I really took time to apply for this certain guild. he said 'I took a look at your armoury and I wasn't impressed' Lol. I asked did you even take time to read the whole application and he said 'No sorry'.

I understand they want experience. But how does one ever get high end experience without ever being accepted into a Guild?

It's generally a bad idea to apply to guilds near the end of an expansion.

How to apply:
1. Most important. Have a level of gear that is...impressive. No, not super high ilevel or something, just make sure you have the highest or, near highest, level of gear that you can obtain from what is technically solo content. Solo content would be LFR and pug flex raids (get Oqueue for flex pugs). No one is going to accept you if your gear is at beginning of flex pug level while that guild is farming normals.

2. Don't have a gangsta, leetspeak name or some name inspired by certain body parts. That generally indicates a kid or, worse, an immature adult, and will not be scoring you any pozitive points.

3. Speak a lot on your application. Elaborate on each point if you can, don't just answer with Yes and No. People want to see if you can understand and speak English properly (if in EU). Also do not use leetspeak, no one likes kids. Also an excessive amount of there instead of they're and 's when used as a plural will indicate someone who doesn't care much about writing in proper English, so if you don't give a crap about your writing, why would you make for a good player?

[Leifmeister]

I completely second the person who was speaking to social compatibility. Right now, at the end of a tier and expansion you should be trying to make friends with people in the top guilds on your server. Maybe find out who is the leader of whatever role you are interested in, talk to them in a respectful way, ask questions, show them that you are smart and eager to always improve. Use oQueue to try and do flex's and normals cross server to gain experience and gain that bit of gear or just so that that boss shows up dead on your armory profile.

Then when WoD drops, you want to get to the top level and start farming good gear as soon as possible, when guilds want to start raiding they always need people at the beginning of expansions. Old members quit, old members level slow or just aren't as dedicated after the end of expansion break, all of these factors come into play with recruitment when a new expansion drops. Use that to your advantage by showing dedication to the team and to being the best and doing your best!

TLR
Network with members of guild you want to join (yea i hate that term but that is what it is) and get to 100 fast and try to apply as a dedicated raider then.

[Deleted]

Hey,

As a RL of a raiding guild which is around world 200 (always clears the content on heroic while it's current) for the past 4 years, here are a few tips which might help you.

- If your applying on a website or having an informal chat ingame something which goes a long way is presentation. Proper grammar and clear communication is really helpful as it show's you as a mature person, regardless of what level of guild your going for.

- If you have gear which is a mix of normal and flex then even if a guild is on content which requires a 570+ ilvl you can always ask about jumping in on their alt runs, if your honest about your situation but you have previous experience and are willing to put the time in to catch up, this is a good opener into getting in the main team in future, also you can gear up more here in a more structured environment than pugs. Most guild's should be open to this as alt runs are often not full and they need to pug anyways.

- Make sure your gear is 100% optimized and your class knowledge is flawless, this actually counts more than ilvl in most situations. Try as well to get the best pieces you can in your current situation, if there is an upgrade you can get without needing to be in a decent guild, try each reset to get it.

- Show some enthusiasm and commitment, if you put across to the guild your applying to that your in for the long run, your loyal, you understand what they are going for and share that view (say it even if you don't but just need to get in a guild to gear up fast :P) they are more likely to give you a shot.

Just as a end bit, if your annoyed by the fact that, that guy said he looked at your armory and didn't bother reading anything else then that probably isn't the right sort of guild for you. Even as a 14/14 hc guild, if we get an application that is submitted by a guy in a 510 ilvl we will still read the whole thing to see what sort of guy he is, never know what someone can offer without getting all the facts, we have occasionally been very pleasantly surprised!

[aziras]

Like a job, you can say it. I know you don't want to admit it. Well most of you don't, but that sounds exactly like a job.

I don't get this whole distancing serious raiding guild attendance from a job thing... It is governed by almost all the same mechanics as a job. The only difference is that you do not get paid to do it (unless you are really, really, good).

If you apply for a graduate level job: take "software engineer" as an example, as that probably have some meaning to most people on a WoW forum. Then consider an entry-level job that you might be applying for. You have to:
1) Write an application that will make the hiring manager bother to actually read it. If they get 100 applications, chances are they can find at least 10 qualified by scanning the first 50 applications in the stack. Meaning that if you are in the bottom half of the stack your application is not even read by anyone other than the HR intern who is sending you the standard reply when they picked someone else. Fair? no, Reality? yes.
2) Have an application that actually matches what the hiring manager is looking for. A bad hiring manager will write a bad job post, making this task very difficult. But the result is the same. If they read your stuff and don't think you fit, you don't have a chance.
3) If you get as far as to be called for an interview, this is where you need to show that you actually have the skills you claim. Sometimes they will test you, other times they will just ask for examples. Depends a bit on the job and the experience already in the team within the field. If you fall through here, you are out.
4) Then if you make it this far, there is the practical things. Is your salary expectations in line with what they can offer? are there any terms in a contract that you cannot accept? etc.

And the hardest part: You can pass all of the above steps and still not get the job. Why? because someone else might be a better match than you.
The more prestigious company, the more arrogant and picky they can be. Because they simply have a bigger pool of people to pull from.

All this is very similar to a raid application for a hardcore guild. If they are publicly seeking applicants, they are most likely getting flooded in applications. And with little other parameters to pick from, why would they not pick the best players?
Armory is more or less an equivalent to a CV. They get to see your gear, your history and past achievements (pun intended). Nobody in their right mind would NOT use the armory to do quick filtering.

People get bummed all the time when they cannot land a job right after graduation. Most of the time it is because they do not put themselves in the hiring manager's position and level their expectations to what is realistic. There is a reason why most jobs ask for 2 years of relevant experience. It is because two years is about right for a smart person to learn the tricks of the trade. So by picking a candidate with 2 years relevant experience you can be relatively sure it is not a dud, and if the rest of the qualifications match, you are good.
Translate to WoW raiding guilds: Picking someone who already did the content will always be more safe than picking someone who hasn't. Both candidates can be carried bad players, but out of the two, the one who got carried through the top tier will at least not drain gear from others.

It can be hard for young people to accept the change from school/uni to working life. Because suddenly all these people are not there to give YOU the best options in life. But the trick is to rough it through, as once you get out on the other side, you have accepted that that is how life is. Once you have worked your way from a shit job up to a position you like, or even taken the next step of moving to a similar position in a new company (proving that all that hard work and experience paid off) you will become a different person and think differently about things.
You will also be able to identify these mechanics in MMOs and choose your battles wisely. Such as going for a more casual guild if you have no intention of actually playing the competitive raid-slot game in a competitive guild. That is where your attitude towards the game come in and the whole "it is not a job" thinking is relevant.
Personally I get plenty of petty positioning battles and brown nosing colleagues at work, so when I get home, I want to relax and chill. Thus I tailor my game objectives to be achievable without having to take part of those activities that I do not like.

[Illana]

What I look for in an applicant with not much gear or current experience:

1. Does he know how to gear his class. Correct reforging, gemming and enchanting. Any of these missing will raise alarm bells immediately.
2. Previous achievements that require some skill to obtain. Things like currently unobtainable feats of strength (a tribute to skill etc), endless proving grounds wave 30, or heroic bosses downed when they were current content. I feel a previous poster who mentioned challenge modes isn't really something I'm looking for since you can buy boosts for that.
3. Logs. Even if they are from LFR or flex, logs show you care about improving yourself and knowing exactly what to look for in your mistakes. Having logs of you doing extremely well relative to your gear level is a huge factor during recruitment.

[Roshar]

Hi,

Recently I've gotten back into PVE within the last 9 months, and have gotten myself around half Flex and Normal gear. I've taken time to apply for raiding guilds for WoD. And I'm just getting declined. I spoke to a GM through game on why he didn't accept my application as I really took time to apply for this certain guild. he said 'I took a look at your armoury and I wasn't impressed' Lol. I asked did you even take time to read the whole application and he said 'No sorry'.

I understand they want experience. But how does one ever get high end experience without ever being accepted into a Guild?

If that was the answer given for an application you made for Warlords, then you're better off not being in that guild anyway.

Since you're making an application for Warlords and not current raiding, the main and most important thing to do is to make a really solid application. Single word yes/no answers will generally not cut it, especially if you haven't been raiding currently. You need to make it clear through the application that you're interested in PvE and would be dedicated. Go into detail on why you haven't raided before and why you want to raid more in Warlords. If the guild's recruitment officer is smart, they'll realize when a good application is made, especially when it's for a new expansion, which is the biggest reset you can have. And if they decline you based on your current gear/progress even after you've made a solid application, then you're better off with another guild that has smarter officers.

[Nzete]

I'm the healing lead and recruiting officer in my guild. We don't immediately eliminate people based on current gear (which is fixable) but attitude and maturity and ability to speak reasonable English are all considerations. Social fit for the guild is really important and drama is a gkick offense.

If you have past feats of strength that indicate high skill and a reason that you were out of the game for a while that isn't likely to repeat, I'd encourage you to apply no matter the current gear. We have an in guild alt run and a second raid team. We also very traditionally get mount feats for people on the second raid team. High level challenge modes (although those can be carried), brawlers guild (if dps), proving grounds (although I'm going to ask the spec), hand of A'dal, Champion of the Naaru, properly dated attempts remaining in TOC, etc. all indicate that you play with skill.

We have several people in guild right now that are recruited for future but not current content.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

You join early in the tier when everybody lacks gear and experience. You're trying to get into a heroic raiding guild when there is only about 5 weeks left before 6.0 pre-patch, and you don't even have full normal gear.