The Darkwind Way: Raiding by Squirrely
Posted by 2013-10-17 in UncategorizedThis is the first article in a series about Darkwind culture. Although the guild has grown and continues to evolve with each expansion as we bring in new members and take on new challenges, the heart of what Darkwind is all about has remained the same.
Some might say that a great raiding team is one which makes rapid progress with a focus on high DPS, healing output, and tanking skill. While those qualities are important for the ultimate success of any raid, they do not in themselves a great raiding team make. Conquering the mechanics means nothing if there is no team spirit, if you hate the people you’re playing with, or if drama prevails over fun. With the newly implemented Flex Raid gaining momentum, we have seen unprecedented enthusiasm and participation from both new and returning members. Something interesting to consider is how Darkwind approaches the raid environment, and why we are successful with progression without being a “hardcore” or “serious” raiding guild.
When Darkwind was founded, the goal was to create “a guild for everyone, from the young novice to the seasoned veteran”. As a result, we don’t recruit members based on their gear-score, their prior raiding experience, or their availability. Instead, we focus on bringing in good people, and we build our team around them. That is the reason Darkwind has enough pew pew, healing numbers, and tanking skill to progress and have fun doing it.
Our focus is on learning the fights, beating the mechanics, and walking away with smiles and (hopefully) shinies. We have no interest in raid-related drama, screaming at one another, or the petty pissing contests so prevalent (and often fatal) in raiding guilds. We have cultivated a team of guild officers and raid leaders who spend countless hours every week working for the betterment of Darkwind, and guild members who give what they can when they can. Sometimes that’s a batch of fine Pandaren cuisine, a handful of gems, or a belt buckle in the middle of raid. Sometimes it’s a word of advice or encouragement.
We don’t have an expectation that everyone is going to be perfect at their class. We don’t tear people down when they make a mistake, although we may offer kind advice where needed during and after the raid. That is what makes us strive to improve on an individual basis. We support and guide each other, and we always offer a hand to help guildmates learn, grow, and improve. We pride ourselves on our closeness and our ability to work together as a cohesive team. Many of us have become friends in the offline world by connecting through our website and our Facebook page.
The people who we raid with are more than numbers on a meter or names on a roster. We are a family, Darkwind is our home – and that is what makes us more than just a raiding guild.