Gear and Raiding in Las Vegas... er... Northrend

I'm not suggesting what follows is the official guild stance... I think the topic is still undefined at this point. But, I'd like to get the discussion started so expectations are clear. Good, solid communication is not always easy, but is absolutely vital to keeping the drama meter from red-lining.

If you've been reading Shyste's blog, you know that one of the most difficult parts of raiding is figuring out who is part of the raid group. While we all know that skill is more important than gear, there are a couple of gear-related things that make a difference with respect to raiding:

1. Gear does make a difference to the success of the raid. Your DPS may be high enough, your skill and experience from other toons may be more than adequate... but if your gear means you have such a low health or mana pool -- for example -- that it weighs on the rest of the raid, you become a liability. Druids have to use Innervate on you too early in the raid. Healers have to spend more time concentrating heals on you, taking their focus (and mana) away from the rest of the raid. And if they don't, and you're taken out of the fight because you're dead or you're out of mana, you aren't participating and learning the nuances of the responsibilities of that toon's class with respect to raiding.
2. Gear tends to show if you've "paid your dues." Now, I know this topic can be controversial. But the fact remains that there are levels of experiences in WoW, and it's not fair to take the spot of someone that has done the things necessary to be properly geared for a particular level of play if you haven't done the same. It's not so much about making you pay your dues... it's about respecting those who have.

So... I think we should all be familiar with where our gear tends to suggest we should be raiding. Most of us are familiar with the wow-heroes site and its method of rating gear. Please check this site regularly and see what raids it suggests align most closely with your level of gear advancement. Use the guild query to see how you stack up with others in the guild. Set your expectations for inclusion in raids at those levels, and it will make raid participation selection a lot easier on everyone.

As always, I want to say that one of the founding principles of Sated is that we apply common sense and try to do what's right and fair. No set of guidelines is impervious to exceptions. It just helps the guild as a whole if we start from the same general baseline of expectations. As we apply these guidelines, we will learn and adapt... and keep Sated the best damn guild this side of the River Styx.