Essential raid leading tips

Want to know the best ways to run an MMO guild? How to manage a group of gamers online?
Here’s a guest post from Pierre Goldbloom, the owner of Leading A Guild – a blog all about managing your own little online MMO organisation. Here’s his top three unmissable tips…

Raid leading is an especially relevant topic to World of Warcraft players, as nowadays most high-end dungeons can be done with a bunch of random players known as Pick-up Groups (PuGs).
Presently, every nutter with a superiority complex thinks he or she can lead a raid, but there are still some things these courageous pioneers need to bare in mind.
This article articulates those necessary elements for easy reading. You’re welcome to leave feedback in the comments section below.
1.    Keep Calm And Professional
No one wants a hot-headed arsehole screaming at them the second they put a toe out of line. There’s a reason this Ventrillo recording has risen to infamy and it’s mainly because everyone thinks the leader is an astounding idiot.
Acting erratically is ineffective when dealing with folks who are only there for “phat loot”. You’ll be perceived as a laughing stock and no one will pay attention to your orders – two outcomes you want to avoid at all costs.
Professionalism is especially important if you’re controlling a raid on behalf of an official conglomerate of guilds. One wrong, drama-inducing move will cause the foundations of any alliance to crumble.
Keep orders short and sweet. Above all, don’t become overtly emotionally attached to proceedings – no matter what happens.
2.    Do Your Research
Guessing the tactics on most big encounters simply won’t work. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, but doing so directly before a fight is a sign of weakness and poor character.
We can guarantee some little upstart in your raid will seize the opportunity to usurp your command. There’s a ton of resources out there handing out boss-killing strategies for free.
We recommend WoW Wiki since it usually has a compilation of different techniques to pick from. There’s bound to be a Wikia out there for whatever off-beat MMO you’re playing too.
Whichever database you decide to go with, make sure their methods work well and are easily explained. PuGs possess notoriously short attention spans, so typing out complicated procedures really isn’t going to work. Write down simple notes before battle if it helps – this saves you from Alt-Tabbing every few seconds so you can keep in full control at all times.
Furthermore, do your research on the people who could potentially join your PuG. Unfortunately it’s likely a lot of these volunteers are un-guilded for a negative reason. Don’t get caught up in some crappy drama and make sure you avoid inviting troublemakers (unless you’re really desperate).
Fooling yourself into thinking you can discipline strangers – when you need them as much as they need you – is silly. Keep momentum rolling on the right track and you’ll naturally avoid a lot of problems.
3.    Enjoy Yourself!
Trying to co-ordinate a load of strangers in the midst of an adrenaline-packed environment can either be very entertaining or severely stressful. Try to embrace the chaotic atmosphere and really utilise the raw energy all willing raiders possess.
There’s nothing more exciting than 10 or even 25 players uniting and killing baddies. (I remember when it was 40! – Dom)
Try to remember that feeling of satisfaction and work towards it at all times. If you don’t enjoy all the pressure that accompanies leadership, then either stand down or assign assistants to help out.
Finally…
PuGing is down to luck. Sometimes you’ll stumble upon a bunch of skill, well-geared and obedient players. Other times everyone will be tossers. Keep at it and don’t be disheartened!
Read more guild leading tips over at Leading A Guild. It’s updated twice a month and covers everything from getting started to tackling endgame content in MMOs.