Raid Requirements

Note: Svenn started writing this post a few days ago, and spread it out over several days, so it may be slighty disjointed. Also, it is somewhat controversial so if you have suggestions as to how to approach this problem, please comment.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Svenn has been in on some conversations with some of the other "Raid Leadership" as to how to proceed in Ulduar. As it stands right now, FIST is stuck on Razorscale. With several full clears of Naxx under our belts, you would think that Razorscale would be a cinch, but Ulduar is not Naxx, and the Razorscale fight has some specific requirements that need to be met.

While epic gear, whether craftable or obtained through Heroics/badges, is nice to have in Naxx and will invariably make things easier, it is not necessarily a requirement for downing most bosses. However, the same is not true of Ulduar. While having all epics or best in slot items is also not a requirement in Uld, getting the combination of stats necessary to bring you to the required thresholds for certain encounters (be it: effective health and avoidance/defense, DPS above 2k, etc.) makes it all but impossible to raid there without at least a majority of your gear being epic.

Beyond the gear issue is the issue of raid composition. In Naxx it is entirely possible to carry an extra tank or healer; even if they act as "DPS" and the DPS produced is far below the magic 2k or even lower. Again Ulduar is unforgiving in its DPS requirements and any "lost DPS" from an extra tank or healer drives the DPS requirements for everyone else even higher.

FIST has always operated under a first come first served basis for raids. While this has made some Naxx runs more difficult than others (depending on who shows) it has always worked. (The same main players are usually present in one roll or another). The concept is fine for Naxx, but having already detailed the stricter requirements for Ulduar, it has blocked progression at Razorscale in Uld.

The idea proposed last night is that select individuals are sent invites for Ulduar progression nights. This idea moves FIST into some perilous waters as far as what the guild stands for. FIST is not a raiding guild (this should be obvious by now). Right now, FIST's raid group is accessible to all lvl 80s, regardless of gear/spec/stats; if you want to go and sign up - we will find away to fit you in (more seasoned raiders have sat out before to get new raiders into runs). With Ulduar progression runs that would no longer be the case.

My 2 cents: I think that this is a necessary move, with a few caveats. There is no more progression under the old system, at least until all potential 80s have been geared through Naxx, which will take months. Even then raid composition will be at the whims of whoever signs up first, not ideal. Lastly, some players who are geared still don't seem to be able to keep up (mostly in the DPS arena) and may need to sit some Ulduar runs while they work out their rotations/ specs.

Caveats: These "semi-exclusive" progression runs should take place no more than once a week. What we should seek to avoid is forming some sort of secret handshake club within the guild filled with, as Saiff so eloquently put it, "a bunch of elitist d-bags". The other caveat is that progression raid members make a commitment to the other raiders to continue to work just as hard to get them geared, improve their DPS/TPS/Healing, whatever, and in general not just forget that it is a guild and we are all on the same team.

I think solution is fair to everyone. It allows the progression minded raiders an outlet for progression, other than leaving to go to a more serious raiding guild or painful pugs. It allows casual raiders and raiders that have very little online time, access to raids at their respective character gear lvl/ schedule, without having to pug or find another guild.