I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
The Litany Against Fear from Frank Herbert's Dune
In recent weeks my guild has run into a wall.
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| Shadowgarde needs healers |
Our Raid Leaders have given up on trying to get raids together after losing a few people. Our tanks have disappeared. One of our healers wanted to switch and start raiding with his warrior, and then quit the guild when he felt that that wasn't going to happen. Our Raid Leader is leaving for the summer.
Nine bosses out of twelve down and we give up. Speaking personally, it’s very frustrating to see my goal so close and then see progression ended simply because the weather has improved.
It has left me with a few options if I want to continue raiding before the next tier becomes a reality in Patch 4.2:
- Continue as is and hope that the raid group reforms.
- PUG or run with a different guild.
- Quit Shadowgarde and join another guild, hoping to get a roster spot. Not an encouraging prospect.
- Suck it up and lead my own raid group.
Simply waiting for the problem to solve itself is not an option because it simply won't happen and everybody involved knows it. If history has taught me anything with this guild it's that Raiding runs hot and cold, and after an intense hot patch to start the expansion we are moving into a lull.
Option two or three would be the easiest option in many ways. It's easy to run away from a problem and join another guild, but all I would be doing is moving from a group with known issues to one with unknown problems. And it would mean abandoning the effort that I have put into this guild. I have been there for over a year now, and I like the people in it very much. I have worked very hard to fit in to the guild and to become a respected member. Leaving Shadowgarde is something that I really don't want to be forced to consider, but if eventually it turns out that my goals are incompatible with the guild's then it may eventually be my only option. Frankly, it sickens me to even have to be thinking about it.
I admit, out of all these choices, leading my own group is by far the most intimidating. I have never led a raid before, nor have I ever really even considered it. Do I have the situational awareness to successfully manage a raid during a fight? Do I have the ability to get people dancing to the right tune without becoming a shrill, demanding dictator? Will anybody even listen to me? Hell, will I even be able to find enough people to fill a raid?
I have always been the guild cheerleader in many ways. I've always been the guy who offers up the "Good attempt, we'll get him" encouragements after a wipe and the one who cracks jokes and tries to keep the mood light when things are getting tense. But I rarely get into discussions regarding the strategy beyond talking about healing assignments. An actual leadership role is entirely foreign territory.
All that being said, I am jumping somewhat blindly into the unfamiliar waters of Raid Leading. I guess I'll learn if I can swim once I'm submerged into it.
Our first raid is scheduled for this coming Sunday, so I have a full week to prepare myself and assemble my team. I think we'll be okay for Tanks, even though our Bear off-tank is a little rusty and not geared as well as I would like to see. Our DPS will be fine as well, I think; with a mix of newer raiders and (hopefully) a couple of seasoned people who have been raiding with this group from the beginning.
The big concern I have is healers. Aside from me, I have no idea where the other healers are going to come from. I am likely going to have to do some heavy recruiting this week and see if I can snag a raid-ready healer or two.
And then there are the fights themselves. I've always studied the fights from a healers perspective, but now I'm going to have to explain them to everyone and give people assignments. Which mean I'm going to need a great deal more detailed knowledge about what's going on. And I'm going to need to learn how to communicate what is going on and what I need people to do clearly. "Avoid the giant purple puke" isn't going to cut it.
Luckily I have the help and support of my friend and co-leader, Medea, who is an experienced raid leader and our main tank. So I'm not doing this entirely alone.
I have to admit that I am exited and terrified at this new challenge. I honestly never thought that I would be doing this. Does anyone have any advice for a fledgling Raid Leader about to take the dive?
I haven't led a raid since BC, so take this with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I think the best way to get better at it is to just dive in. If you make mistakes, so be it - but it's not like you're brand new to your guild, so hopefully they'd be willing to put up with some green mistakes.
It all depends on the group you have. Plus, try to have fun!
Usually, my Wow-life and my RL are quite separate. - Well, OK, apart from my song lyric quotes. It is more than passing strange that after reading Feist, I moved on to the Dune series for the first time in a long time, and now here you are quoting Maud'dib :D
ReplyDeleteOh, and I agree with Corath, just jump in to the RL duties, there will be people who want to keep raiding who will cut you slack just because by you taking that decision, they don't have to. :)
Having been a Raid Leader since BC (with some time spent leading the first two teirs of Age of Conan) I feel I can offer some personal insights.
ReplyDelete1. Be confident in your leadership.
Just like in RL, people will rally around a strong, confident leader. If people sense you lack conviction, they will not follow your instructions.
2. Know your stuff, but be willing to admit fault
Read the strats / watch the movies and make sure you know and can strongly communicate at least 75% of the bosses main abilities.
Surprisingly, I have found that people will be less mindful if you forget and ability and own up to that fact than if you explain it badly because you are trying to get too much information through to the group.
3. Be positive
There is nothing worse than a raid leader who gets grumpy if you wipe a couple of times.
Being the Guild Chearleader you already have the skills to keep people positive and if you find yourself wiping, just keep that going.
4. Be willing (and able) to make deicsions on the fly
This one is not really a necessity, but it is definitely a bonus if you are able to think quickly on your feet.
The boss fights in WoW are very well scripted and there is very little that can surprise you once you know the strats (unlike AoC where bugs on farmed content could make easy fights very stressful but a lot more fun).
If your add tank or group healer dies, people will respect you all the more if you can change assignments on the fly and recover (or even almost recover) from a posiiton most poeple would call a wipe.
5. Don't make too many changes
Finally, if you find your strat is not working, feel free to tweak it but do not make more than one or two changes each raid night.
Changing too many things at once will only confuse your raiders (and often yourself) and lead to bigger mistakes.
TL:DR
1. Be confident
2. Be informed
3. Be positive
4. Be proactive
5. Be consistant
Good luck :)
The above poster outlined it fairly well so I won't add too much. Just to say that as raid leader for my guild for years now the most common mistake that new raid leaders make is to focus on the task of leading and not spend enough time preparing outside of raids.
ReplyDeletePersonally I would say that 50% of being a good raidleader is preparing outside of raids checking other guilds logs, watching video's of the present progression target, reading forum posts, keeping up to date with other classes abilities and changes etc..
Done well raid leading is a lot of work but it is also very rewarding, killing a new boss thanks to your leadership is one of the best feelings in the game. Good luck with it.
To start, I have a couple of questions I would suggest asking yourself and a couple of things to consider:
ReplyDelete1) Is this new raid just something to fill the gap between now and the next "hot streak" within your guild when everyone comes back from their cold spell, or is it something you see yourself doing for the next several tiers?
2) What are your goals for the group? Clear all normal modes before each new tier comes out, delve into some of the heroic encounters each tier, clear all heroic encounters between each raid tier, or just avoid having raids canceled and just get as far as you are able to get progression wise while having as much fun as possible (make sure and to at least attempt defining what "fun" is for your group)
3) What are the standards going to be for your group? Performance standards, attendance standards, communication standards (as in how well they communicate with you and each other outside of raids), any standards regarding attitude toward either raiding itself or the team in general?
Once you get some of that sorted out in your own head, make sure that everyone in your group is on board with the same big picture.
The only actual piece of advice I have, other than having a solid set of goals and standards to help direct whatever decisions you end up making along the way, is to simply have patience. Establishing a new raid group is a lengthy process. If you are looking to build something that will survive long term then get it started on the right foot and don't be afraid to take the time to do it the right way. This is the group you will be spending ~6-12 hours a week with for the next year or two potentially.
I personally love leading raids, but it is absolutely an exercise in patience at times. Looking back, I am most happy with the periods that I opted to take the time to address various issues properly rather than applying the first band-aid solution that happened to present itself. A week without raiding in the short term is much better than spending several months dealing with the side effects of a hasty decision.
I'm sorry to hear about your situation but none of what you have said is really all that unique. Every guild goes through this. I think your main problem is that you want Shadowgarde to be a guild that it isn't.
ReplyDelete"Leaving Shadowgarde is something that I really don't want to be forced to consider, but if eventually it turns out that my goals are incompatible with the guild's then it may eventually be my only option. Frankly, it sickens me to even have to be thinking about it."
SG is a casual raiding guild and for the better part of it's existence, it always has been. If you want serious progression you need to join another guild that offers that. Keep in mind, that you make some serious tradeoffs when doing so.
If you value your friendships more than stay put and try to do the best you can. Just don't expect the guild to change into something it isn't just because you want it to.
"I admit, out of all these choices, leading my own group is by far the most intimidating"
You'll be fine. Confidence is key. Always explain the fight before you pull (even the supposedly easy ones, because there's always that guy who won't speak up when he doesn't know what's going on and will wipe you), and make sure you assign the more critical positions to players you know can do it.
The largest mistakes I see with raid leaders is letting someone else armchair raid lead. If they're doing it in public tell them to shut the fuck up. If they wanted to lead the raid they could have - they didn't. You did.
Have someone else distribute loot so you can keep the raid moving. A lot of time is wasted standing around the boss when the raid could be clearing trash.
Be decisive. Don't be wishy-washy. That doesn't mean not to listen to suggestions, but if someone is being a douchebag put them in their place or replace them.
"The big concern I have is healers. Aside from me, I have no idea where the other healers are going to come from. I am likely going to have to do some heavy recruiting this week and see if I can snag a raid-ready healer or two."
Try looking at Wowprogress.com for your server and look at similar guilds with a bit better progression. Ask the healers there if they want to go and explain the situation. You'd be surprised, but there are a lot of people who might go with you simply because there bored and would enjoy helping. It's good to build a network of people outside your guild that you can fill spots with.
"And then there are the fights themselves. I've always studied the fights from a healers perspective, but now I'm going to have to explain them to everyone and give people assignments. Which mean I'm going to need a great deal more detailed knowledge about what's going on. And I'm going to need to learn how to communicate what is going on and what I need people to do clearly. "Avoid the giant purple puke" isn't going to cut it."
Explain the fights as if you were explaining them to a six year old child. I know this sounds mean but when leading groups of people simplicity in directions is very key.
Explain each phase from the perspective of each role:
DPS:
You will do X. When boss does Y, do Z. Watch out for ability Q, and don't stand in R.
Heals:
Keep heals up on X. Watch out for Y. Don't stand in R. Tank will take extra damage during Y, keep him up.
Tanks: (hopefully they know what to do already - if they don't, explain it).
Then, before the pull, ask if anyone has ANY questions. Further explain that it's ok to ask, and that you would rather them ask now than have them not know what to do.
If people make mistakes, don't be afraid to call them out on it. Peer pressure works no matter how much we don't want it to.
Since Sern isn't here, I'll post his nugget of wisdom here,"Down time kills raids".
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't mean don't give breaks. One of my problems with Grib's leading is that he never gives the group a break unless they ask. Raids that take a scheduled hourly break are more user-friendly, imo. Rather, it means you can't spend more than a few minutes explaining anything. And, if you wipe, you have to either change something or not in a heartbeat, not allowing the momentum of the group to die.
I disagree with several of the posters her regarding leadership. Instead of suggesting you do something specific, I suggest you know your leadership style and stick to it. If you lead by council then do it well. If you lead with an iron fist that's cool too, but do it well.
One thing that is more specific for you, is that healers that lead can't tunnel in on health. Depending on your tanks, etc, you'll need to call out a lot more abilities than looking at a tank hp will tell.