Improving at raiding long hours

[Anahita]

So, I've been raiding in your typical 5 hour / week 5-6/8M type guild. I would really like to step up my performance in Aberrus, so I can consider moving to a more involved team and get CE the tier after.

The issue is that I really don't do well with longer raid hours yet, which are pretty much the norm for teams with better progression - browsing around on raider.io mainly gives guilds that raid 3-3.5 hours multiple times per week. My current guild has a 2h night and a 3h night, and while the first one is fine, I get drained and often end up playing very sloppily by the end of the 3h one.

Does anyone have suggestions with how to perform well with longer raid nights? (I'm playing ranged, aff lock specifically if that's relevant).

[ceall]

Breaks. It's easy as that.
We raid 7-11pm twice a week. We have a 15 minute break around 9pm and sometimes even some extra 5 minute breaks.

If you're looking to step up your game by changing guilds, then check them out for their breaks. There should always be a break of at least 10 minutes so you can relax a little by reading a little, catch fresh air, smoke a cigarette or go to the toilet without feeling rushed.

Also, raid climate is a factor. A salty raid lead (or one or more vocally salty members) can dampen your morale which is exhausting too.

[Nymrohd]

Imo any raid lasting more than 90 minutes needs at least one 10-15 min break simply so people can get up and walk. A raid that will go for over 3 hours will need a second break as well. When you group calls a break, don't just stay there to chat with friends; you can do that after the raid or before the raid just as well. That's your time to get up and move your body.

[Eazy]

I cannot imagine raiding(and wiping on the single boss) for >2,5h straight without any breaks.
I mean, I wouldn't have any problems with that personally, but that would've been really exhausting for the whole group making it even harder to kill that certain boss.

There are guilds that have CE which are raiding ~6-7h/week, like 7:30-11 and with the 10-15 min breaks, at least in EU, I am not playing on US.

That is, what wow is about nowadays. It is not about playing with friends, it is about "job opportunities".

I get you. But people have different priorities. For some having the best logs and highest bosses kill counts is most important, for others - just to have fun and play more casually. I personally think that right now for me it's a mix of these things. The best guilds are the ones which are sharing the same goals and are playing in almost the same pace.
Casuals will bring the progression down because they just want to spend some time with friends and have fun, while min-maxers will be frustrated and act like they're elite(in a video game, lmao).
In summary: play with people who are playing the game for the same(or almost the same) reasons.

[kisoce]

One suggestion would be to make sure you're taking regular breaks and staying hydrated throughout the raid night. It's also important to make sure you're getting enough rest before raid nights, so you have the energy to perform at your best. Another idea would be to work on your mental and physical endurance outside of raid nights through exercise and mindfulness practices. Additionally, you could talk to your current guild and see if there are any strategies they use to maintain focus and energy during longer raid nights. Good luck with your raiding goals!