Here's my thoughts on the matter...

1. Several were BiS prior to recruitment of people who needed gear from Naxx.

This can be a big problem--I was BiS when my previous guild started recruiting people in greens and who had recently hit 80 in order to push ourselves through 25 man content (Naxx was all there was at the time). As a healer, it was a minor annoyance, but as a player, I was a lot more frustrated that my guild management didn't say "Heroics first, then Naxx" or even say "10-man Naxx first." Instead they were hard-headed and pushed into the 25-man runs--we couldn't down several of the bosses--the DPS wasn't strong enough, heck, we hadn't even evaluated people's play styles to see if they were even ready to raid.

Make sure the BiS people are agreeable to assist under geared people. If they are fixated on their next epic, then they will probably not be interested in building a raid team from the ground up. Make sure they realize the amount of time needed to achieve a solid team--it's a lot of heroics, a lot of patience, and usually a lot of gear recommendations. I never had an issue healing a heroic--I have 1 of everything, so I'm interested in learning, and teaching, to assist guildies in being the best they can be (which is what you hope for in a raid guild). If people aren't willing to set aside their wants/desires for shiny epics, you will be facing a long road.

2. Can't field raids 3 nights a week.

I raided 4 nights a week in BC, for progression content. In all honesty, I probably raided 5-6 nights week--we farmed Kara for badges, ran ZA for minor upgrades and the timer loot, and then did progression Mon-Thurs. I was blessed with a raid team who wanted to down bosses, and who were willing to strive to achieve the best performance. I've noticed raid expectations (both of raiders willing to take the wipes, and RLs willing to teach the fights) in Wrath are a bit off the wall. It's not asking too much to have people watch videos of the fights, but expecting a PUG (or even a new raid) to go off without a hitch is asking for too much. People now classify bosses on "farm" status after one downing--With 4 Vashj kills in BC, I still didn't consider it on farm--people in Wrath are too quick to jump the gun and rate/rank everyone based on gear and not skill.

Make sure your guildies understand what is expected of them each raid night. Make sure they understand they are supposed to come supplied/repaired/energized. Offer a bonus if you down a boss within a specific number of attempts. Make it FUN!

If people still seem to be disinterested, poll your raiding population--find out if other nights are better, let them (privately) vent to guild management about their issues with making the raids. Don't single people out with their feedback--the best thing that guild management can do is act on what they are told.

3. "...There is little guild cohesion and people view the original members of the guild as an exclusive clique..."

Does the main foundation of the guild always "hang out" together? Do they sit in an access controlled channel in vent? Why are people having that perception?

I always had an open door policy--the only time I sat in my private channel was if I was working (I WFH, but regularly sat in WoW and in vent)--people could drop in and chat with me--just because I managed the finances, the people, and every other aspect of the guild, didn't mean I wasn't on good terms with about 98% of the members. Make sure the original members are spending time with other members, helping other members out. It sucks if someone in your guild wants to do the Heroic daily and the original members only run it together every day. Make sure it doesn't appear that you are playing favorites. Especially if it can help out another guild member.

Some people will always be whiny and demanding--if you can determine that you are doing practically everything possible to make someone happy and they still complain, then it might be time for the "group dynamic and you not matching" discussion--it's not a fun discussion, but you never know, your guild might thank you for it!

4. "....There are also some key problem members or just bad players..."

RED ALERT! A raiding guild doesn't need the drama or the people who don't want to learn how to play their class. I run the "one warning" rule. You'll be asked once, and only once, to drop the drama. If you can't abide by that, I'll give you the option to leave on your own. If you won't, I will forcefully remove you. I had one member go absolutely NUTS in a guild meeting in vent. Our RL chose to remove that player from the raid that evening to reduce the tension, and the officers and I spoke after the raid and determined it would be best for all if we asked him to leave. I spoke with him the next morning and explained that we had a personality conflict with him in the guild and that we were giving him the chance to leave on his own, no explanation required. He chose to jump onto his main and start blasting guild management in /gchat. I had already organized a list of his alts, and I removed his main from the guild and another officer removed all the alts. Aside from the shock of seeing the guild's first /gkick in progress, the guild members who were online were very appreciative that guild management decided to remove the player. Many of them were in the guild meeting the night before and were in shock as to what he did. All feedback we received was supportive of our decision. If you started to clean house, I bet you'd be surprised at how happy it would make your members.

Bad players are another saga. I would recommend trying to team them up with a mentor--another person in the guild who can help them. Determine if they are willing to be helped. If they don't want help, then have the RL inform them that if they don't get better, they will be benched. A person who has a strong desire to raid will step up to the plate and try their best. Someone who just wants to be carried won't do crap. Use that to decide whether or not they need to stay or go.


FWIW, my guild was a top 20 server guild in TBC before we broke apart. It can happen to any guild--just make sure that you aren't poisoning yourself with management flaws and members who are walking all over you.

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