Rading 101
I have been meaning to do this for a long time. I just spent four hours creating this. It is a summation of my experience. I have noted that raiding etiquette among a lot of EQ players is a bit rusty as of late, guildies not excluded. I made this guide as a kick-off point for KB. In the near future many of us would like to begin doing a raid or two per week. It would be best if everyone were to read this, and enhance it with their own wisdom. Eventually, I would like to see a guide from each class explaining what they do on raids. I am not an officer or anything. I have seen some things done on pick-up raids recently that have concerned me. The people who made mistakes did not realize they were making them. I will explain why in this guide, as well as what we can do to make everyone who forms a raid welcome KB members with open arms. We may not raid very often, but when we do, I want the server to know that KB rides with honor and skill. Or, at least to keep out of site well enough that they never guess we are totally clueless, by breaking social norms.
Raiding is about uniting everyone to the same purpose. A raid force should be a single entity, not a collection of individuals doing their own thing. It takes work, skill, and exactness. By working together you become one body, no part less or more important than the rest. We all have our jobs to do, and fulfilling them allows the raid force to do things it never thought it could.
Raiding can be challenging. Have you ever sat for two hours waiting for a raid to begin, only to start the raid and have the raid wipe over and over again? Have you been on a raid where there was a strong-willed person in charge, and the raid went flawlessly? What was the difference between the two raids? Did the raid leader suck? Did the members of the raid suck? Was everyone under-geared, over-powered, messing around, not paying attention, ninja looting, or dueling during a raid? What have been your experiences with raiding? For many, raids are a disaster, and they loathe them. For others, me included, raiding is the life-blood of Everquest. Some folks live for it. What can make or break raiding for you and for our guild is adherence to a set of silent rules. The silent rules are the unwritten code developed by the players of Everquest, and sadly, not passed on to many younger players, or to those who have rarely raided. Many folks in Everquest have been around a long time. They assume that you know what you are doing, and feel as if they would be degrading you if they were to try to explain the reasons behind the Everquest culture.
There are many guilds and many have very different raiding policies. There is much that has been developed over the EQ generations. I am familiar with old school etiquette, and there may be some things which have evolved. Overall, I think that this guide will be more than enough to get us started. More importantly, it will be the guidelines that I use on raids. In my opinion, an honorable person will abide these rules in all aspects of Everquest. Some of this guide might be common knowledge to most. But, I think that to have a good raid, or to have a guild that can survive raiding, communication is of utmost importance. If everyone knows the rules, then nothing happens that is unexpected. More importantly, it preserves friendships, and allows everyone the fun, bonding environment they desire. This guide will lay down the rules, and explanations of the rules as I see them. This guide is meant to be the foundation. It is not the authority piece, but a beginning that is meant to be added to, and developed.
If you go on a Pick-Up raid, with a raid leader who is from a well known raiding guild, you may hear them shouting things like: Get out of the raid channel, Assist the main assist, stop breaking mezzes, do not loot until I tell you to, do not ‘hail’ the mob until I say so, stay with the raid, we are moving, or stop pulling agro. The list goes on and on. You probably thought that the person barking commands was just being an controlling jerk. The truth is, his experience has the capacity to be the salvation of the raid. He or she was most likely a person who was tested in the affliction of raiding. They know what kind of things lead to a raid wipe, or to a success. They are not there to waste their or your time. Would you go to war with a group of folks who were not combat trained, and who would not follow your commander’s dictates? I doubt it, and why? Because, it would get your platoon killed. Someone from my Religion was once asked what they would say to Jesus if they could speak with him for a few minutes. Their answer was that they would not say anything, they would listen. It doesn’t matter if you are Christian or not. The teaching is this. When you are in the presence of someone who knows more than you do in a certain area, don’t miss a good opportunity remain silent. Stop, listen, watch, and learn. Do not screw up a good chance to learn something by spouting off all the drivel you think you know. Try to understand why the raid leader is asking you to do something. Will they make mistakes? Oh yes, but they have taken the courage, and time to try to lead you to a victory. Do not make the mistake of thinking you do not have to listen to them, because you believe you know more than they do. You are not the one leading the raid. Leading a raid can be a huge amount of stress. Folks are depending on you to lead them, and to do it well. You owe them the respect to give it your best shot, and to follow their advice.
At first, it may be difficult to follow some of these rules. As you follow them, they will become inherent. The good thing is that your raids will get better. You will succeed, people will get gear. Mostly you will feel a sense of accomplishment where many people have come together for a common purpose and overcome a challenge. I think that the reason I love raiding is the overcoming. You will always get better gear later. That one-hand slash you just spend all your raiding points on will someday become obsolete. Your gear will rot, but what will you take with you? The memories. I hardly remember any loot I won in the Plane of Time, or in North ToV. What I do remember is my guild coming through, and doing something that was a complete challenge to them. Those memories persist in me, because the guild to which I belonged had well-organized raiding systems. It left us all open to overcome the challenges EQ put in front of us, instead of trying to wrestle with our guild to do what was being asked.
I have listed a set of 10 rules. They are in no particular order. I will probably add to, or subtract from the list as time goes on, and as we learn more, and get input from more guildies.
1. Do Not Speak in the Main Raid Channel
2. Assist the Main Assist
3. Do Not Explore
4. Pay Attention
5. Looting Rules
6. Control Your Agro
7. Follow Directions Immediately
8. Be Prompt to the Raid
9. Send Private /tells for your Buffs.
10. Read over Raid Strategies on the Different Encounters
