Ask WoW Insider: Minimum raiding requirements

Are there other guilds who have a 3 night/week raid schedule (or less) who have enjoyed success in high-end raiding? We killed Mu'ru before the nerf and don't know of any other crew has gone so far with so little time. Our primary competition of the server was at equal progression with us pre-nerf and they're a 5 night/week crew.
We assume that 3 nights (4 hours per raid) is the minimum, but can endgame be done with less?
Lugbruz
Raiding up to Sunwell on 3 nights a week seems fairly exceptional to me, though I also have an issue with guilds who require raiding three nights a week and then claim they're "casual" -- if your guild is raiding for hours a day almost half the days of the week, you're not casual by my definition. But the question is: how much should you expect to raid per week to be successful?
This question assumes, of course, that you need to be raiding every week to get to the top, and you never know, maybe there's a guild out there that could topple Sunwell if only they just tried, without spending weeks working their way up. So there are obviously exceptions to every generalization. But assuming that you raid regularly, and assuming that you're having some success (getting up into BT and/or Sunwell), can your guild do it with just one actual raid night a week? Can you be a Sunwell guild without requiring your members to spend the weekend in front of a computer?
What say you, dear readers? Answer in the comments below, and as usual, if you have questions for Ask WoW Insider, send them along to ask at wowinsider dot com.
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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Raiding, Ask WoW Insider, Bosses






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Lukeyo Oct 27th 2008 6:08PM
nop
Nettles Oct 27th 2008 7:51PM
Well! My guild raids 3 days a week, 3 hours, strict cut off at the end because people have work, kids, etc.. to take care of.
We were working on Twins when the Echoes of Doom patch hit. After the patch, sure we're playing with KJ. But post patch progress is not at all comparable.
We started late on the raiding game, the guild reassembled in a few months after TBC started, and we're on a smaller RP server (Sisters of Elune).
It CAN be done on a shorter raiding schedule, but the officers have been great about starting raids on time and keeping people to minimum afks.
joh Oct 27th 2008 9:03PM
We've had BT on farm for well over a year and cleared KJ on only 3 nights a week of raiding 7pm to midnight.
Mind you raids generally didn't start until 8pm, but we NEVER went overtime. Very casual and a very small raid team as well. We progressed because we are pro gamers and not just moochers.
Kainah Oct 28th 2008 12:47AM
We downed Illidan pre patch with onl 2 nights a week from 7pm to midnight with s strict cutoff. It isnt impossible
johnthorpe Nov 10th 2008 5:12PM
Nettles...Exodus or Apples or someone else?
Scott Oct 27th 2008 6:08PM
I'm not in a guild because I can't commit to a schedule for playing as it seems almost every guild on my server requires availability or is entirely dormant.
Scott Oct 27th 2008 6:09PM
That is to say... I think scheduling raids is ok (more than 2/week is not casual) but requiring participation is too much.
SubSonix Oct 27th 2008 6:10PM
Knights of the Shadows raids 2 nights a week and we were all the way up to bloodboil before nerf. We are now working on Illadin after just one night of getting things going again after a small break.
3 nights would be nice but that isn't casual like they say in the article.
Caiginn Oct 27th 2008 8:12PM
Sub, you beat me to it. :)
Manatank Oct 27th 2008 6:10PM
My casual guild raids 6 days a week (20 hours per raid), but we aren't hardcore.
sephirah Oct 27th 2008 6:34PM
4 hours for sleeping and a day off?
Scrubs! But now every slacking guild can get welfare epix...
Manatank Oct 27th 2008 6:40PM
I know, right? Well in Wrath we are thinking about stepping things up a bit and raiding in shifts 24-7. With the shifts we can prevent any one person from being hardcore while making sure our guild tag is under the names of 25 people in a raid instance at all times.
sephirah Oct 27th 2008 6:43PM
Nabz!
My guild will be 24/7 in ALL 25 men raids at the same time!
Manatank Oct 27th 2008 6:45PM
We are hoping with a bit more effort and 10 more levels of abilities and gearing we can finally down Midnight. We're a little worried though because we heard a rumor from some of the hardcore people on our server that if you survive long enough, his rider Attunmen shows up and really cleans your clock. Maybe we can shackle him? I'm sure we will get this down eventually.
sephirah Oct 27th 2008 6:56PM
As the encounter is now, no way 10 level 80 can down Midnight AND Attumen at the same time.
Blizzard really need to nerf the encounter, or we all will spend money in repairs wipe after wipe and cannot afford to buy our first mount...
Nettles Oct 27th 2008 7:53PM
I'm assuming Manatank is joking.
Manatank Oct 27th 2008 8:20PM
I tried to make that obvious. I'm glad you caught on. I'd be frightened of anyone who didn't.
Eggie Oct 28th 2008 5:10AM
hehe, gotta love these remarks
sephirah Oct 28th 2008 8:41AM
"I tried to make that obvious. I'm glad you caught on. I'd be frightened of anyone who didn't."
We failed, bro!
Lea Oct 27th 2008 6:36PM
My bf's guild has just entered Sunwell on a 3 nightly raiding schedule, downing Illidan just patch 3.0.2.