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This is a something from our guild forums that I thought people might find useful. We use it as a starting point for discussions with people about why they aren’t raiding or why their application was denied. Please feel free to use/modify it however you see fit.
This is a public service message a community (non-raiding) officer.
The purpose of this post is to be brutally honest. If you were referred to this page, there is a reason. The reason is not because someone doesn’t like you. It’s not because someone is making fun of you. Someone may have referred you here because of gear, play style or attitude (or some of each). Ultimately, you were referred here because someone wants you to be successful.
Gear issues
I expect that most people that are referred to this post are going to be referred because of gear. Gear is a tough issue. The best place to get gear is raids and high level/heroic instances. The best gear comes from the toughest raids/instances. But, if you aren’t well geared, you can’t be successful. You won’t be able to heal enough, do enough damage or take enough damage.
Any experienced player can take one look at your equipment and know how much work you’ve put into it. We know it’s hard; we know it takes money; we know it takes time. But if you aren’t willing to work for things you can get on your own, why would other people want to put in the time to make it easy for you? Here are some things you can work on improving.
1) Get out of the greens! Take the time to find out where good gear for your class/spec can be found and go get it. Kaliban’s List (http://www.wow-loot.com/) is a great resource for drops and quest loot. Don’t forget to consider crafted items. If you like (or can at least tolerate) PVP, the rewards can be a great way to improve your gear.
2) Enchant it up! Talk to an enchanter to get your
cloak (http://www.wowhead.com/?spells=11.333&filter=sl=16),
chest (http://www.wowhead.com/?spells=11.333&filter=sl=5),
bracers (http://www.wowhead.com/?spells=11.333&filter=sl=9),
gloves (http://www.wowhead.com/?spells=11.333&filter=sl=10),
boots (http://www.wowhead.com/?spells=11.333&filter=sl=8) and
weapons (http://www.wowhead.com/?spells=11.333&f … 1:22:13:17) enchanted. You don’t have to get the best enchants, but get something.
3) Gem it up! You don’t need rares but you should have gems in all slots. Uncommon gems are almost free. There’s no excuse for empty gem slots. If you aren’t sure what you want/need, many JC’s use the gem mod which makes it easy to look at what they can make.
4) Don’t forget the extras! You can get enchants for
head (http://www.wowhead.com/?items=15.-3&filter=sl=1),
shoulders (http://www.wowhead.com/?items=15.-3&filter=sl=3) and
legs (http://www.wowhead.com/?items=15.-3&filter=sl=7).
Play issues
We want you to play your class/spec to the best of your ability. If you have been referred here because of play issues, don’t bother taking offense. You may think what you want about the person that referred you here, but realize they did it because they want to see you improve. Perhaps you have problems with not paying attention, forgetting your role in the raid/group, overhealing/underhealing, pulling aggro, not holding aggro or some other aspect of playing your class. There are more problems than I could possibly cover so I hope you know why you were referred to this section. Here are some places to check to help improve any play issues you may have.
1) Read the guild forums. Our forums have stickies with valuable information about playing each class. If you don’t find what you are looking for, try the WoW forums (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/index.html?sid=1).
2) Ask around. There is someone in the guild (or at least on the server) who plays your particular class/spec well. Talk to them in-game to find out what they are doing different and how you might improve.
3) If you don’t find what you need, post in your class forum and ask for some resources. I would start with the guild forums, then move to the WoW forums if you need more.
If you have been sent here because of behavior, first of all, I’m glad you’re still reading. It is much easier to dismiss someone who says you need to work on your behavior and attitude than it is to do something about it. The first and most important thing that all of us can do, however, is to take a deep breath and remember that this is a game. It’s not that serious. We are all guilty of taking it a little too seriously sometimes. When your attitude needs work, here are some things to consider:
1) Don’t be selfish! Everyone likes loot. No one (at least in this guild) likes people who only care about loot. We like to have fun. We have a few rules about looting to make sure that people get a fair shot. When you see something shiny that you want, stop and think (objectively if possible) if you are the most deserving. If you’re not sure, ask if other people are ok with you rolling. Congratulate others when they roll higher (even if you think you deserve it a little more).
2) Help! Offer help to others when you can. Ask for help when you need it. Recognize that you won’t always get help. As I mentioned before, we are more likely to help people who are putting in the effort.
3) Fun vs serious. There is definitely a time and a place for each. In a group of friends, it can be extremely funny to pull the Inciter (and the entire room). In a raid (or pug group), intentionally causing a wipe can result in a boot from the raid (or worse). If you are in doubt about whether others would find something funny, it’s probably best to refrain.
4) Stop complaining! No one likes a whiner. If you’re unhappy about something, feel free to share, but offer some solutions. We all vent occasionally and it’s fine for you to do that too, just make sure to state that fact. If you are unhappy and you want something fixed, start some discussion about how to improve the situation. If you want to just vent about something, go for it, but perhaps prelude it with, “I need to vent…”
5) Behavior and attitude issues are often perception issues. Misunderstandings are common in an environment where you only see actions and text. You don’t have the benefit of body language and facial expressions. Often, the things you say or do are not taken the way you expect.
Other issues
1) Read the Ops manual (even though it’s wildly out of date right now).
2) Make sure you have all required mods.
3) Check the Ops forums every once in a while.
4) Be prepared. Have any consumables you might need, have all the right gear, get quests in advance and be repaired. Don’t make others wait on you.
5) Many people will be referred here because they wanted to raid and were told no for one reason or another. It’s not always about gear, ability or attitude. It may be because of class composition, because someone else is getting a chance to raid that night or something else. The bottom line is that the officers try very hard to make everyone happy and still keep the raids successful. If you are unhappy with one of these decisions, wait a little bit and try to think through why it happened. If you aren’t sure, ask the raid leader. Ask tough questions even though you may not really like the answers. Find out what you can do to get invited to the next raid.
Great job! Some feedback below, if you’re interested.
Under “Attitude Issues”, I’d personally acknowledge that you recognize the attitude issue could stem from perception. I’d want to emphasize the power of perception and inform the reader that though the attitude issue could be one of perception, it still has the potential to be just as damaging. Suggest ways for one to improve the way they are perceived as well, explaining (perhaps reminding) them of the differences in communication and interaction between real life and the internet (World of Warcraft, specifically).
“3) Fun vs serious. There is definitely a time and a place for each.”
I’d elaborate here by giving at least one example for appropriate and inappropriate. Though it may not seem like examples are needed, people reading this message for reasons related to their attitude could very likely be missing something that is so seemingly obvious to everyone else and may not be able identify with the above statement completely.
Lastly, I’d personally choose a word other than “attitude”. Perhaps behavior. Don’t underestimate the power of a single word and the affect it could have on someone.
All in all though – completely approve your message, and very much admire your approach.
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