Raiding Philosophy
Order of the Raven was created on the fundamentals that a guild can progress, grow, and prosper in end-game raiding without it feeling like a full-time job. We have shorter raid times than most guilds (18 hour raid week) and we strive to make the most of that time. Anything and everything we do, we try to make as efficient as possible.
Order of the Raven is also a progression-based raiding guild. We are always seeking to push new content, and will take old content off the schedule in pursuit of fresh kills. We are always looking to take the next step. We are a team and we are only as strong as our weakest link, therefore we criticize each other and are always looking for ways to not only improve ourselves, but our guild mates as well.
Order of the Raven is not the guild for the everyday raider. If you can't handle open criticism or feel the need to constantly make excuses or whine, we are not the guild for you. We want our members to be quick learners, focused, and mature when it's go-time. We all have a sense of humor and know how to have fun, but we know when it's time to put on our game face.
Raid Times
We raid 5, sometimes 6 days a week. Sunday-Thursday we raid 7:00 CST to 10:00 CST and while pushing new content, we also have raids scheduled on Friday as well. It is very important that you are able to meet these raid times. When specifying your availability on our application, please be specific and honest. If you say "Any time you need me," that better be true! There is no point in stretching your availability as we will find out as soon as you begin your trial.
It's also important that you are active outside of raid times. We want people who play this game because they enjoy it, not a mercenary who logs on for epic lewts then logs off when we're done. Friday and Saturday are off-nights that can often be planned with fun activities, and we want our members to participate.
Requirements
- Internet Connection / Computer - You must have a reliable connection/computer. DC'ing every 30 minutes in the raid is going to lead to your application being terminated. Your computer should be able to function normally or at a reasonable framerate in a raid setting.
- Gear - You have the best gear you have means to obtain, and have put the effort in enchanting and gemming your gear with the optimal selections. We don't expect everyone to have full Tier whatever, but we do expect that you're wearing gear that is as close to our level as possible.
(Do not let your current gear hold you back from applying. It's very easy to tell if you've put in the effort to get the best gear you can get.)
- Attendance - Your goal is to make every raid. While it's not realistic to expect someone to actually make every raid (real life happens), we are looking for people who WANT to raid everyday. To give a hard number 75% attendance or greater is required.
- Skill - You have high situational awareness. You are always aware of your surroundings and seek to maximize efficiency and output (be it thread, DPS, or healing). Raiding requires split second decisions and excellent awareness. We want people who can adapt to adverse situations, make decisions on the fly, and can see the whole picture.
- Reliability - You're here every night, or just about. We need to be able to rely on you through tough nights and rough times. You shouldn't disappear when it's progression time and come back for farm content, nor should you be logging off early or late on a regular basis.
- Proactive - You come to raids prepared. This means you will come fully stocked with all (potentially) needed elixirs, flasks, potions, foods, reagents, and gear. This also means you are a self-starter and have read strategies and watched videos, ready to go every night for raids. Communicate with other players of your class role to coordinate and be accepting of criticism. We want people who are already good, but who are alawys striving to be greater.
- Personality - We have a strong guild atmosphere and you need to fit in with us. You should be respectable and respectful, as Order of the Raven is very well-recognized for its upstanding reputation. You should have a sense of humor, but also be mature. There's a time and a place for everything and you need to know those respectively.
Recruitment Process
First, please understand that our application process isn't a well-oiled machine. Applications are read, screened, re-read, reviewed, re-read again, and discussed before we decide to pursue or reject an app. If you send in an application and don't receive a reply for a week or two, well, it's something we try to avoid, but that's the nature of the beast. If you're looking for instant answers or an instant guildtag with an awesome tabard, I'm sure there's a guild recruiting in Trade Chat as we speak.
The Four-Step Application Process
- Step 1: Read about us! It's very important you read about the guild, about the recruitment process, and the application thoroughly. We will be able to tell if you haven't, so please don't waste your time or ours.
- Step 2: Pre-screening of your application, which you can fill out using the form below, or e-mail the form to our recruiting e-mail (OTRrecruits@gmail.com). This pre-screening is conducted by the Officers (listed below) and usually consists of a Q&A through e-mail.
- Step 3: If your application is approved, you will be formally contacted, sent a "welcome packet" containing everything you would ever need to know about the guild. You will also be invited into the guild as a "recruit." During a period of two to four weeks (sometimes longer, this is not set in stone), you will attend as many raids as possible in which your skills, knowledge, and personality will be assessed by Order of the Raven members. During this period of time, you are expected to be exclusively applying to Order of the Raven. That means you cannot be trying out or applying to other guilds at the same time. We'd have this happen in the past and it shines very, very negatively upon you if you are doing it.
- Step 4: Promotion to full Member - if, after two to four weeks of raiding and interacting with us, the Officers, and Members feel that you would make a solid addition to our ranks, you will be promoted to full Member in-guild and on the forums. You will have all rights, privileges, and responsibilities the rank of Member entails.
This process can take anywhere from 2 to 5-6 weeks, depending on a number of things, both internal and external. Feel free to ask an Officer at any time if you are unsure of your status.
Who to Contact?
If you need to get in contact with someone within the guild, these are the people who you can come to at any time with your questions or concerns. Please note that only the Guild Master and Officers have the ability to invite people to the guild, but all of the people listed below can help you with any questions you may have.
If you can't find any of these people online, feel free to contact any member of Order of the Raven and ask if any of the officers or recruitment champions are online on alts. Otherwise all of the members of Order of the Raven would be more than happy to help you.
Communication is a two way street. We cannot answer any questions that you don't ask. Don't be afraid to contact an officer if you have any concerns, comments or questions.
READ BEFORE YOU APPLY
Please note the following things before you apply:
- The officers and recruiters in Order of the Raven lead busy lives outside of the game, so there is a chance that your application may take more than the stated period to review, especially around holidays such as Christmas, New Years, and July 4th. That said, please be patient with us! We *will* get back to you.
- The first communication you'll have with OTR after your application is sent will be through e-mail - NOT in game. That said, please make sure to add OTRrecruits@gmail.com to your address books/white lists as well as to check your spam/trash box on a daily basis after you've sent in your app. We've had a number of issues with people who complain that we never got back to them when in fact we did but they didn't see that the e-mail went to their spam box or trash bin.
- Worth saying twice: communication is a two-way street. We cannot answer any questions that you don't ask. Don't be afraid to contact and officer or recruiter if you have any concerns, comments, or questions.
- Your application is private. We do not discuss applications or applicants with people outside of the guild unless we've been given permission to do so. We ask that you respect this process and don't discuss your application to OTR with your in-game friends or guildmates.
Again, to reiterate: please be patient, check your email daily, remember to check your spam box, add OTRrecruits@gmail.com to your address book, don't hesitate to ask questions, and keep your application status private! Now go ahead and fill out the application below!
