So, either my current is guild is really far behind the 8 ball or I am severely confused by the game.
I have spent a little bit of time today trolling forums and sites for guilds and all I can find are heroic heroic guilds. All looking for heroic players. I am concerned by this as it means I am going to have a very hard time applying to anything.
We have not even cleared DS yet – this is not going to give me a fair chance when competing for spots. I also have very little experience in the way of heroic content – and although I am very capable of said content – I can’t prove that beyond the world of logs I can produce now that show me sucking balls most of the time because I am raid leading, so having to tell people when to scratch their noses.
I don’t want a hardcore guild where I feel that my dps being 2k lower will affect my chances of the next raid, but I don’t want to be in a guild with people who can’t seem to watch a counter and fact when needed. I am not saying I want a guild of experts, but a guild of people that can think and not need other people to be constantly telling them what is happening…do we really need someone calling out when hour of twilight is casting so you can push the damn button? Do we really need to call out to remind people to jump into the twilight onslaught because the game screaming it and DMS screaming it just isn’t enough?
I was hoping to slip into a guild doing 7/8 or 8/8 and working on heroics, but all i can find are 5/8 or fully cleared…is DS really that easy? or are the smaller guilds not recruiting publicly on forums etc. I am not in game all the time so I don’t get to watch the trade spam and even if I am in game I am generally not lounging around in a city doing nothing.
I have always been under the impression you don’t apply for guilds way above your level because it is just silly really, but given we are coming into the end of an xpac, do you think it is acceptable to now?
Azerothian Life 
Correct me if I’m wrong but you applied for a guild that was “above your level” before and were accepted no? It’s definitely something that people do all the time, I believe their success lays in the quality of their application and the expectations they have – i.e. there is no point applying if you expect the same raid spot security as you do now.
From my own observations I think there is no “best time” to apply for a new guild that has a better clearing history. I have seen many people decide to change guilds right about now – when the end of content is nearing and they are still frustrated at the lack of personal or current guild progress , i.e. right before an expansion pack. Often these players are needed in guilds as it is generally about this time that core raiders are tired of content that’s been on farm for them for a fair while and decide to take a break. It’s also when guild are keen to bolster numbers so they have a surplus to cull from once everyone is level capped again.
I would also say that you have to be prepared for some real uncertainty when changing guilds at this time. The last two expansion packs have shown me that this is typically the time when larger more progressive guilds start to slowly fracture and split In as people consider if they really want to be playing with the same people in the next expansion pack. This is when people start talking about “we need to replace… if I’m going to stay” or “this is the time we should start thinking about moving servers” or “I’m unhappy with current leadership”. As a new member of the guild it would (I assume) be difficult to cement yourself a secure position and feel safe from the inevitable upcoming split/merge/folding of a guild.
Bare in mind you play on one of the most poorly progressed oceanic servers. On AT Pitchblack the highest ranked 10m raiding guild sits at 1538 ranking world wide – on Frostmourne there are ELEVEN 10man raiding guilds with a higher ranking. (http://www.wowprogress.com/realms/rank/oc/rating.tier13_10) This tier was one of the fastest I’ve ever seen cleared. People on higher ranking servers were clearing normal content in pugs within a week – so yes (and I don’t say this to be rude) but statistics prove – DS is really that easy.
End of the day you need to decide what you are raiding for. It’s something we’ve all said before “I just want to progress with people that I also like to play with” – but it’s never that simple unfortunately, imo no one can have it all at least not all of the time:)
GL
So many good points raised here :p You know, when I applied for that guild, I was checking the forums almost hourly and I swear to god I never sweat so much in my entire life whilst posting responses…..
Changing guilds is a major decision only because I am completely in a comfort zone of people. Trying to find new friends and a new circle is just daunting when trying to impress people at the same time. But there is never a right time as you say!
I always used to prefer playing with friends, but I was always annoyed at having to carry people that just couldn’t do basic things. That is not to say that different skill levels are an issue, just I think after playing since vanilla – I want to progress in MoP rather than missing out on content for being with friends. Gosh, that sounds so selfish when said like that.
Thanks for the luck! I will keep trucking and see if anything tickles my fancy over the next week.
As you said, it’s the end of the expansion, so most guilds have already cleared everything or the latecomers are progressing through heroic now (like our guild), and that as you mention, the smaller guilds don’t recruit on the forums – all of our member applications have come from trade-advertising.
Perhaps you could try using the guild finder on a guildless alt, as some guilds do bother to update their progress on those info pages.
I’d definitely say it’s acceptalbe to join a guild you’d otherwise not join because you think they are “above your level”, clearing DS is becoming easier we speak and the larger guilds are often struggling to stay active; the fact you have experience as a raid leader is also a very big plus. Good luck indeed!
A lot of what I was thinking has already been said here. In response to the article: Yes, your guild is way behind the 8 ball. My guild got a late start on Dragon Soul (we began after Christmas because I wasn’t available to tank until then). We killed 2 bosses that night and cleared DS on March 8. Since then we’ve killed Morchok H three times and got Ultraxion H to 50%. We raid for two hours twice a week, and still managed this. Right now with the buffs we can clear DS Normal in about 2 hours, 15 minutes.
The last few guild-related posts have sounded pretty frustrating. I think the best time to apply to a new guild is when you need a new guild! 🙂
I can tell you this for sure – I would give you a tryout on our raid team in a heartbeat with your experience, and if you weren’t specifically looking for an Oceanic server guild I would encourage you to try us out.
I think you know what you have to do to really be satisfied with your raiding experience.
In the 2 hours we raid, we are lucky if we get through the first 4 bosses on our first night after reset, sometimes we scrape in Ultraxion.
I had contemplated raiding on a US time if I could find a guild that raided at appropriate times, especially given you can do LFR/LFD now it’s not like you have to be on populated servers anymore. (one of the more awesome game changers).
Everyone’s comments have made me realise, even more, that it is time for me to grow my own wow wings and head into more challenging content.
I do appreciate everything you guys have said!