◊ Praetorian

Position filled -- keeping this here for reference.

We WERE recruiting one warlock to join us for Sunwell raiding.

About us

We have been around since WoW retail began in November 2004 (and before, in many cases), and the majority of our members -- our raiding members in particular -- have been with us for nearly three years at this point. This is likely because we actually enjoy playing together, but what do I know? We have a variety of interests and sorts of players within our guild, ranging from those whose primary focus is PvP and the Arena ladder, to those who are generally fairly casual, to those whose primary motivation is endgame raiding progression. This post is about that last group, and adding to it.

We raid up to five nights a week, four hours per night. Our raiders have spanned a geographical range from Australia to England, but Mal'Ganis is a CST server. Our raids begin at 8pm CST (9pm EST, 6pm PST) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Mondays, with a weekend slot as needed (Sat. afternoon or Sun. evening). We don't have nearly as demanding a raid schedule as most "top" guilds, and if you can't make 90% of the listed times, it's probably best not to bother. These days, we've been raiding maybe 3.5 hours a week, but that will change as Sunwell comes out.

If you are looking to raid seven days a week, six hours a day, you'll probably find a better fit elsewhere. I think most guilds raid more than they need to, and I prefer to emphasize quality over quantity of time spent. The average age in EJ is probably in the neighborhood of 23 or 24, with more people tending towards the working professional end of the spectrum than the student end. I work too many hours each week to waste time screwing around when it comes to progression, and a lot of people are in that same boat. As a raid leader, I will be respectful and responsible in my use of your time, because I don't assume that players have unlimited quantities of it.

About you

I am looking for exceptional players, who are mature, highly competitive, and analytical in their approach to the game, while at the same time remaining humble and patient. Primadonnas, drama-mongers, and selfish players need not apply. I am looking for players who learn quickly, do not make the same mistake twice, multitask well, are attentive to their surroundings, and are able to quickly grasp the bigger picture of a given encounter, rather than just their class-specific narrow role. If you could do Heigan all day without dying, never blew up the raid on Thaddius, and never died to Void Zones (that actually rendered properly), then that's a start. If you can finish all your Teron ghosts with 20 seconds to spare and help the next in line, and never die on Archimonde without someone else's Soul Charge being involved, even better.

While people who enjoy PvP, as do most of us, are more than welcome, PvE progression should be your priority when it comes down to it. (If you're a 2000+ arena player, that's a definite plus, however.) It should be what you build your character around, and the deciding factor in choices you make regarding gear and spec. Your history as a player should demonstrate experience and commitment to endgame raiding. Ideally, applicants will be players who made it fully or mostly through Naxxramas before the expansion, and have extensive post-TBC raiding experience to boot.

Right now, as you doubtless already know if you are reading this, we are in the final stages of farming tier 6 content and are waiting patiently for Sunwell. We are looking for people who can jump right in and contribute meaningfully and comfortably in tier 6 content. We are not looking for any "projects" -- we have enough of those already. You may be the best player WoW has ever seen, but if you're in Karazhan gear, by the time you're ready to contribute, we won't need your help anymore. So please, none of those apps at this point in time.

In other words, a successful applicant will be ready to step into Sunwell and compete with our existing members on DMs on day one. Anything short of that, and you are better off not bothering. Sorry.

You should enjoy the game as a whole, and plan to continue playing for some time to come. I'm not interested in a hired gun who logs on to raid, logs off after, and is never seen except for when we're raiding. Aside from putting time into farming consumables (I didn't mention this separately, but it's a given -- I'm not a fan of mindlessly chugging pots and brute-forcing things left and right, but sometimes they are needed or appropriate, and a raider without the appropriate consumables onhand is not a prepared raider), you should be interested in being a part of guild activities (instances, PvP, flying in circles in Shattrath) in general. You should also be a good social fit. If you're an active member of these forums, that's a good start.

You must be an intelligent human being, and you must be able to express yourself in a way that does not belie your intelligence. I don't care if you are God's gift to raiding -- if your ordinary communication consists of "culd u rez plz?? thx" stay far away, though if we're ever recruiting for the role of guild jester, your application may be filed away until such date.

I am aware that these standards are high, but I am quite content to remain patient for the perfect candidate.

Contrary to the application forms for seemingly every other raid guild on the planet, you do not need an exceptionally "thick skin" nor do you need to love dick jokes, racism, or have a propensity for masochism. Guild chat can be very much R-rated at times, but it's hardly a defining characteristic of the guild. If you're an exceptional player who has perhaps felt that some of the other endgame guilds weren't quite the social atmosphere you had in mind, we may be what you're looking for.

Class-specific notes

Warlock: Let's be honest. I have a warlock alt -- playing a destro warlock is the easiest role in the game. You apply your raid curse and then you spam 2 or 3 or whatever your shadowbolt bind is and gape at the large numbers on your screen. Exceptional raid DPS is a given. If you aren't familiar with the theorycraft and haven't min/max'd your character to make the most of your one-dimensional potential, we're probably not interested. I'm looking for someone who has an all-around skillset and a high degree of competence -- someone who dominates full-clear Hyjal DMs because they pay attention throughout and are focused instead of mindlessly spamming seed on whichever mob tab-targeting chooses for them, someone who never dies to environmental hazards, someone whose competence and reliability at picking up new tasks was sufficiently obvious that they were the no-brainer choice to tank Capernian or perhaps even Vek'lor back in the day. You get the idea, I think.

How to apply

Send me a PM on these forums, containing the following information:

1) Character name
2) Level
3) Class
4) Race
5) Current server (transfers are welcome, but let's talk first) (You MUST be on a PvP server to transfer to Mal'Ganis!)
6) Link to Armory profile, and explanation of anything that may not be readily apparent from your Armory profile (alternate sets of gear, currently PvP-specced, etc.)
7) List of any serious alts you have
8) What are your usual playing hours? Are there days/times when you are consistently unavailable?
9) Guild and/or Guild History, with explanation of why and how you left and joined your current or prior guilds.
10) Explain what you perceive your character's role in endgame content to be. Explain how your current gear and talent choices mesh with performing that role, and any ways in which you are still working on improving your character. Links to WWS parses to illustrate your points are welcome.
11) Discuss your prior endgame raiding experience and your goals for the remainder of The Burning Crusade. Are you BT/Hyjal attuned?
12) Why do you want to leave your current guild? Why do you want to join this guild?
13) Tell me a bit about yourself. How old are you? Where do you work or go to school? What is your gender? How long have you played WoW? What other MMOs have you played? Add anything else you feel is pertinent.
14) Please list any references (e.g., current/former guildmates) who could vouch for you. They won't be contacted unless your application is seriously considered and we have spoken further.
15) Out-of-game contact information (e-mail, GTalk/AIM/whatever info, etc.)
16) Applications will be posted on an internal forum for review and discussion by members. If you would like more confidential treatment of your application, specify this and explain why.

Put some effort into your application -- hopefully as much thought and effort as I put into writing this. If you have any questions or if anything above otherwise needs clarification, send me a PM. Once we have reviewed your application, we will be in touch.

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Please note, we will contact you to discuss your application further if we are interested, but don't expect to hear back right away regardless, until we have a good sampling of applications from which to make meaningful judgments and comparisons. Most applicants will never hear back from us.