From our readers: Is my Ulduar-clearing guild holding me back?

I'd like to take a minute to address the concerns of one of our readers. Since my return to WoW Insider, I've been focusing on sanity, progression, and congruence.

Dear WoW Insider:

I need help, and I figure between me and that guy in the last Breakfast Topic, I'd have more than a good chance of you guys having suggestions to my current dilemma.

I'm fairly new to WoW, having started in December 2008, after a long stint on FFXI. I was glad I made the move, and I haven't looked back. I toyed with a few classes before settling on a blood elf rogue. I zoomed through classic, Burning Crusade and have now made Northrend my home.

I hit 80 a couple of months ago, and although many guilds have offered for me to join along the way, I always replied that my brother's guild was going to take me in as soon as I turned 80. I've been with them on a few heroics and even saw the inside of Sunwell as my first raid ever, although I must confess all that left me feeling a little bit bewildered as I didn't really know what was happening most of the time. I was constantly asking for help, asking where I should stand and what not. While most of the guild was really nice and understanding (and still are), I'm feeling a little bit out of my depth. Most of the guild members are very experienced, as you can imagine. Some of them are on their second or third alts clearing Naxxramas, and most of the guild are working on Ulduar progression.

I guess my question is whether I have perhaps joined a guild that's a bit too advanced for me. I keep wondering if my gear's up to scratch, or even if it is, what content I should be aiming to clear. I would love to do more heroics, see the inside of different dungeons, but I don't think the interests of most guild members are in line with mine. If you can help this poor newbie rogue out, I'd greatly appreciate it. Is my guild holding me back?

Cheers,
Wil

Hi Wil,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us. It sounds like you need a little bit of guidance. Without looking at your armory profile, I can't tell you where your gear is. I would like to point out, however, that gear is not the only factor in being a great endgame WoW player.

The first thing you should do is learn your class inside and out. This means spending some time outside of game to do your research. There are many great websites that can help you find the right spec, and teach you about rotation. Be sure to keep up with changes to your class and other mechanics. Bookmarks sites that you find useful and be sure to revisit them, but make sure the advice that you're getting is timely.

Consider the flexibility you will need as situations change, and what you and your class bring to an instance or a raid. You may even ask a more progressed Rogue to mentor you.

Learn what gear stats you should be looking for. For most DPSers in my guild I encourage hit rating above all other stats. Attack power is great, but unless you are hit capped, you will find yourself missing things very forcefully. Once you've determined the stats that you're looking for, make a list of the gear that you need. Start by picking up regular instance and heroic gear and then consider raiding.

Your DPS is an indicator of what content you should be running. If you're pulling around 1000 DPS you're probably best off in regular instances. While there is no absolute minimum requirement for DPS in heroics, 1500 is about what it takes to pull your weight. Many groups will accept 1800 for Naxx 10 and 2000 for Naxx 25. Gearing up through Naxx will prepare you for further raid progression. Learn to walk before you try to run.

Your brother's guild may be the right place for your brother, but not necessarily the right place for you. Ask yourself if you meet the guild's needs, and the guild meets yours. It doesn't sound like you're nearly ready for Ulduar. If they are not running heroics and older raid content, you may never be able to catch up. It's possible that you need to make a change. Consider goals, progression, activity times, composition, and general membership.

For love, for honor, for pony,
mandy