Learn2raid: A beginner's guide, part 3
by Amanda Rivera 
Sep 25th 2007 at 9:18AM
Getting Ready to Raid
Step Three: Application
If I haven't scared you off yet, then you're obviously dedicated enough to be able to raid. The next step therefore is application. Applying to a guild is both exhilarating and frightening as hell. If you don't want to get booted out on your behind before you ever see your first loot drop, take my advice and do the following:
Write up an application beforehand: Taking a moment to write up an application without a guild attached to it will save you all kinds of time. Just about every guild application will have the same information on it: name/class/level/spec (with a link to your armory)/guild history and why you left/professions/why you are looking to raid/a paragraph about you and why a guild would be crazy not to accept you.
Put your best foot forward: Before you begin applying to a guild, make sure that you have your best gear equipped and that it is visible on your Armory page. Much like wearing that Sunday suit to an interview, this shows the guild that you are serious, and gives them a status on the amount of effort you have put into preparing to raid. Also, if the guild requires you to be a free agent before you apply, make sure that your Armory page also reflects that you are no longer in a guild. This might seem a little odd, but look at it this way. Raiding is a community, and despite being highly competitive, raiding guilds are also fairly respectful of one another. They don't want to poach players from other guilds. It makes them look like loot ninjas (toon ninjas?) Plus, if you are fishing around and applying to their guild while still in another one, chances are you are going to look like you aren't interested enough in becoming part of the group. Do yourself a favor and /gquit enough in advance that you avoid this headache before it happens.
Read everything: When you write out your actual application, make sure to read everything twice before you actually start filling out any forms. I say this because some guilds will ask that you post a new thread in the guild recruitment forums, and some will be sneakier and toss in an extra set of instructions to see if you are actually paying attention. Like, for instance, requiring you to get a sponsor from the guild beforehand, or sending your guild application in a private message to one of the officers. The application is your moment to shine, so make sure to copy and paste the application into a word processor and fill it out there. Use whatever info is applicable from your pre-made application and use spell check. I repeat use spell check. This does not mean check your list of spells. Save yourself a copy and note when you applied to the guild somewhere on the file, for future reference.
Keep tabs but be patient: Some guilds will want to pick your brain about how you play your class, so make sure you check back with the guild website often to see if there are any updates on your application. This does not mean, however, that you should hound them with daily messages demanding an update on the progress of your application. This is a sure fire way to piss off those who decide things, and chances are they will reject you on principle. If you haven't heard anything in a week, that might be the time to drop them a line or a message in game and ask them if they have made a decision. This will remind them that you are still interested but show you have respect for their process.
Don't apply to a bunch of guilds at once: One secret no one will tell you is that guild leadership is a small community, and they keep tabs on one another. The raiding guilds on your server are keenly interested in what is going on with their rivals, and will know who is applying to them and so forth. So make sure that you apply to one or two guilds first, and then if you are not accepted apply to another and so on. Having a bunch of applications open with guilds is a lot like having a bunch of credit cards open: it's reflects badly on you.
Let honesty be your policy: When it comes down to it, just telling it like it is will be your best bet. Any guild worth their DKP will appreciate you being upfront and honest with them. If you are only interested in tanking, but the guild is looking for healers and asks you to respec, be brave enough to tell them so. Perhaps you've built all your gear in one direction, and would be less effective with a new set of talents. Likewise if you are applying to more than one guild at the same time, make sure you mention this in your application. Hiding this fact can seriously harm your chances with either guild since they might take this as a sign that you would hide other things from them.
So, if all goes well, you apply to that uber guild you've been dying to join, and they have seen you as a worthy applicant and accepted you. In order to survive your trial period and transform yourself from a scrub to a core raider, there's plenty you will need to know. Look for our Learn2raid list of essential raiding terms when next we meet.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Raiding, Guides
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Charlie Sep 25th 2007 9:26AM
One secret no one will tell you is that guild leadership is a small community, and they keep tabs on one another."
This is very true.
Charlie Sep 25th 2007 9:31AM
(opps)
Its very true. I am an officer (and pretty much second in command) in my guild, and I am friends with many officers and guild leaders on our realm. Our "GM", communicates with alot of the other GMs on our realm on a daily basis. When you have been in a raiding guild on the same server sine launch, you begin to know people, and word gets around quick of who is applying who.
Nevets Sep 25th 2007 9:32AM
@1
yeah, very...i learned this about a month ago when someone from another our guild tried to get into antoher one. Thier GM contacted us and told us about it.
really good to know that there is a little network, helps keep the ninja's out, and the good people in.
Hobbes Sep 25th 2007 9:32AM
How has your personal experience been with applying and raiding? No need to list names, but I'm curious about the type of guild, the progression level, how often you raid, etc...
Liel Sep 25th 2007 9:43AM
I don't mind when leadership has a network but when some angry 18 year old blacklists you to other guilds that is extremely annoying.
I used to be an officer in a smaller guild and we were not doing much the GM was never really around so we left for different guilds.
He went emo when he came back and found out all his officers left and "warned" other guilds about us doing stuff that was not true, we got into other guilds but got turned away because I guess sometimes its better to reject someone even if its a lie just to be safe.
Barky Sep 25th 2007 10:56AM
These guilds are hardcore.
Orcs of the Red Blade is pale in comparison, A forum Application (IC) and a IC in game interview.
Spad Sep 25th 2007 10:26AM
Surely there neads to be a final part to the Learn2Raid series.... how to Raid?
Hollywood Ron Sep 25th 2007 10:42AM
Whenever I have a problem with someone ninjaing loot, I go straight to my GM with that guy's name and guild, and usually it gets taken care of.
Dcruize Sep 25th 2007 11:06AM
Nice article!
"...despite being highly competitive, raiding guilds are also fairly respectful of one another. They don't want to poach players from other guilds."
Not on our server :S
/tar [target=mouseover]
/w %t Hiya, I've noticed your guild isn't making much progress at the moment - do you fancy a change?
TotalBiscuit Sep 25th 2007 11:49AM
A good article. I must however disagree with the idea of creating a generic application to save you time. Many guilds have gotten wise to this. It's like applying for a job. If a job asked you to fill out an application form, would you simply send them a resume instead? No, you wouldn't. You need to jump through their hoops sometimes because that's the information they want from you. That being said it is possible to adapt your application accordingly and yes, spending a long time writing one is a GOOD idea.
I recently got into a guild about to kill Kael'Thas, with SSC and below on farmstatus. My gear is Karazhan level. They said they were impressed by the dedication that I showed through my well-written application. Perhaps if it had not been as well written, they'd have dismissed me due to my poor gear and lack of experience inside SSC/TK. Just bear that in mind, proper, mature guilds, value commitment, therefore they are impressed if you show commitment by writing a good app.
TB.
PyroAmos Sep 25th 2007 12:32PM
If your looking for an entry level raiding guild (starting/midway ssc/eye), its a good idea to log into the game, ask one of the members if any of the officers or the GM is on... at this level of guild development, they most likly have their guild setup nicely, and don't check their reqruitment forums... just talk to an officer, ask if they'd be interested in letting you join, and if he says yes, tell him your going to go fill out an app. if he says no, you can save yourself the time of filling it out. be careful how you talk to him though, don't come off as a mass-message spam looking for guild, be personal.
also when you do get in one, don't be disapointed when you don't goto raids. getting in, is generally the easy part, increasing your reputation in the guild to the point where your in top 10 in the invites to raid is the hard part, espeachally when you first join, because everyone already has their groups that they do their heroics with, farm with, generally hang out with. Its a good idea, when someone asks if someone can give them a hand, to be the first one to say 'invite me', it will go a long way to grinding guild rep, to where your one of the normal invites to raids, not a sub they only take when absolutly necissary. (and you thought exaulted all factions was the end of rep grinding, muahahaha)
Greta Sep 25th 2007 12:36PM
@10 I assumed she meant answer questions you will likely see on all applications so that if you are applying to multiple guilds, you can copy and paste the appropriate answer to the same question. I didn't think she meant just prepare a generic application and send that instead.
Dave Sep 25th 2007 12:39PM
I don't know how long you've been raiding, but the "no poaching" thing is a laughable idea at beast.
The "best" guilds always want the best person on lesser progressed guilds, especially if they're tanks or healers. ESPECIALLY healers.
If you're on a launch server, it's not an unthinkable thing to have been in a guild quite a while ago that since broke up (lets just assume it "reformed" for the expansion and many people went to different, more established guilds) and you've got people you know in 10 different guilds with different levels of progression. As soon as anyone in one of the more progressed guilds loses an established member for whatever reason, they're going to replace them somehow right?
Much like the real world job situation, the vast majority of guilds would prefer to replace people that leave, with people that can be vouched for by other people. Yes, applications are great and all, but most of the established guilds only have them for show. You'd RATHER poach people from guilds, hoenstly, since someone who you trust in your guild currently can actually verify that they're not stupid and have a good idea of what they're doing.
Here's the easiest way to get into a raiding guild in 3 easy steps:
1. Ask friend in another guild "hey, does your guild need a
2. Repeat until someone says "sure, you can come to our kara scrub raid for lazy people who are undergeared"
3. Raid.
pretty easy, and infinitely repeatable as you need to progress if you're not happy with the progress of your existing guild.
Ziraxx Sep 25th 2007 3:20PM
Do yourself a favor and /gquit enough in advance that you avoid this headache before it happens.
Don't know about other recruitment officers, but that's a big no-no for our guild (just starting SSC). To me an unguilded applicant says "I got kicked out of my last guild" or "I left my last guild in a sulk because things weren't going my way".
If your guild has just disbanded, fine. We can check on that quite easily (warcraftrealms.com character history). Otherwise I'll likely be asking your ex-GM or officers what happened.
It's unfortunate, but a lot of the guild members who've failed their trial with us have been the ones who were unguilded before they applied.
PyroAmos Sep 25th 2007 4:45PM
@13, so true... the top guilds, shave off the top players of the other guilds, its how raiding died on onyxia (one guild clearing ssc and on last boss of the eye, and next behind it, starting atempts on hydross... of corse then the advanced guild server transed, and the guild starting SSC, imploded, leaving a couple guilds atempting gruul as the most advanced guilds on the server (on an upnote, i hear the guilds who were doing atempts on gruul are now in SSC... only took a couple of months lol))... on bigger servers its not as bad, as theres a bigger player base, and more guilds, so its easier to get people into guilds that fit them, but on a low pop server, its pretty much the only way to advance at a reasonable pace, it just devestates every other guild on the server.
the guild leaders still keep tabs on eachother tho, and will warn eachother of bad players ect... even if someones poaching your members, you still want to stay on good terms with them.