Progress for Progress’ Sake
Last night, ten of us got together and hammered on Ulduar for a few hours. We laughed, we talked, we made fun of each other, we got rowdy, and we didn’t down a single boss.
It was one of the best raids I’ve ever been in.
Progression is a hard word to define because every guild, every player, is going to have a different definition. Is progression downing a new boss each time you go into a raid instance? Is progression based on how quickly you can clear the raid? Is progression based on how much loot everyone has?
I think it’s a little bit of all of the above with a dash of learning involved. Last night, I feel like we progressed. Even though we didn’t down a boss, we learned a lot. We tried new things each time. We learned what worked and what didn’t. We moved people around, switched tanks, switched up healing assignments, died and did it all over again.
And we had fun.
That right there is key. Yes, vent got quiet when we pulled the boss, but the second we wiped, it got rowdy again as we all ran back, repaired, buffed up and got ready to do it again.
From my observations of late, I’m seeing people around me who have forgotten how to have fun with raiding. To me, raiding isn’t solely about being the best, tackling the hardest instance night after night and pushing so hard your eyes bleed. There’s a time and a place for that. I’m all about hopping into a group that is going to push through an especially difficult piece of content, but I’m also just as happy to go run a much easier raid.
Why? Because it’s all fun to me. This is a game. The fate of the world does not hang in the balance and small countries will not explode if you don’t down Auriaya tonight.
No matter what your guild is – casual to hardcore – there are people at all levels. People that are ready to blow Ulduar 25 out of the water and people that still need to run Naxx 10. There are seasoned raiders mixed with new raiders. For you seasoned raiders, never forget you were once a new raider as well and how great it was when you got advice from a seasoned raider (or were yelled at). For the new raiders, step up and be vocal with your class leader about what your raiding goals are and where you think you sit gear-wise and skill-wise. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and take every piece of criticism you get seriously, graciously and with a little bit of salt.
But above all, have fun with it. Remember why you’re a part of this guild and the friendships you have with these people.
Progression is the sum of all parts. What part do you play?
Alright, quit goofing off and get to work.
But seriously, this topic has been rattling around in my head lately, and this is what’s coming out at the moment. Progression depends entirely on the goal you’ve set. If, at the end of the night or week you are closer to your goal than you were at the start, you’ve progressed. Simple as that. However, it requires you to set a definite goal going in, and getting everyone involved to sign off on it and commit to it.
Setting goals can be tricky. But there’s plenty of literature out there on how to tackle that process effectively. Just make sure it’s something you can measure and you’re gtg.