We dropped Marrowgar, Deathwhisper, and Gunship on Wednesday! Grats to everyone who came, you did and awesome job. Thanks to Fiya for switching up to heals, and Cipp for steping in at the last minute. Thanks to everyone for putting up with me.
To be a member of this rank means you are a trusted member of Dragon Factory and willing to become a true team player in raiding and all that it entails. (To be described in a forthcoming raid etiquette guide) You are willing to declare this character as your “main” character; the one that you want to raid with to get all the phat lewts from end game raiding. Also your character you expect to play the most. (People with mains in other guilds, especially raiding guilds, will not be considered for this rank) Whether you are eager to get neck deep into the front-line progression into Ulduar, or more interested in casual Naxx raiding you can still be considered for a Proto-Drake rank.
How we plan on using this new rank.
The Proto-Drake rank is primarily an organizational tool for those of us putting raids together. It allows those of us slotting raids to easily see who the “mains” are and what level of raiding everybody is at and therefore more easily make decisions on priority in who should get slotted for a run. Our goal is to get as many of us who wish a chance to be Ulduar ready and beyond, right up to smacking Arthas in his ugly face. In order to do that we need to make sure the people we are taking with us are skilled enough at working as a team, listening to and following directions, and have the gear to back up that skill. The very first fight alone in Ulduar is based heavily on armor rating. Travelling into Naxxramas without your frost resist gear can make the Saph fight a nightmare for your healers (or you, if you plan on being a healer!). So gear checks must be taken into consideration. We will also be doing out best to keep tabs on how you’re doing skill and ability wise.
Benefit of Becoming a Proto-Drake.
So, what’s in it for you to take on this rank? First of all; this isn’t a social hierarchy. There is no social difference in the guild between Drake and Proto-Drake. The Proto-Drake rank is merely for those characters that wish to be focused on for raiding. Our concern with Proto-Drakes is to take them as far into end game raiding as we can, so Proto-Drakes will be given a priority in slotting for raids. Proto-Drakes will also be given priority on main-spec loot rolls. Proto-Drakes will also have deposit and limited withdrawl access to a special Proto Drake tab in the guild bank. This tab is to store materials that are beneficial to raiding (flasks, elixirs, potions, belt buckles, blue leg armor kits, high level enchant scrolls). The contents of this tab are for ALL raiders and to ONLY be used for Dragon Factory raids and are intended to only be used on Proto-Drake ranks members. Do not be greedy. Take only what you need. If you are unsure, talk to Beiame. (Do not take a full stack of flasks, for example. Only take as many as you would need for one run) Upkeep for this tab is going to be difficult, a –great- way to give back to the guild would be to donate some items to keep the tab stocked, especially with the most heavily used items (cooked food, flasks, potions and armor enhancements will be the most popular!)
Becoming a Proto-Drake.
1. The first step in becoming a Proto-Drake is to first consider carefully if you wish to venture into that crazy world of end-game raiding and agree to our etiquette guide. If you decide you do wish to experience it, next you need to settle on who should be your main character. This should be a level 80 class that you –love- to play, feel confident in playing, and are GOOD at. This should also be a class that you love enough to put in the hard yards and do the research to learn how to be GREAT at.
2. The second step in becoming a Proto-Drake is to announce your intentions to join the rank to an officer. Currently our active raiding officers are Beiame, Nodor, Sabbath and Velxun but any will do. This will open up an on-going discussion with us officers covering where we’d like to see you gear/DPS/ability-wise. (Be aware that as a Proto-Drake this discussion will be continuing throughout your raiding career with us. We try and provide feedback as often as possible including both excellent performances and discussing areas we think might need some more improvement. The ability to listen and learn from constructive criticism is a plus!)
3. The third step in becoming a Proto-Drake is to start gearing yourself up! Don’t expect to just waltz into Naxxramas with your leveling greens. As soon as you hit 80 you should start running heroics; usually just asking in guild chat when there’s plenty of other 80s on is enough to get a run going. Heroic dungeons are an important step towards raiding for many reasons. Not only because of the higher quality loot dropped but also because of the badges you will be collecting as well as the experience in handling a harder then normal dungeon. Heroics are a good insight into the sometimes complicated fight systems that you’ll see in 10 and 25 man content. Do your research through the internets. Find out which heroics drop loot you need. Also be sure to check and see if any crafters (tailors, leatherworkers, blacksmiths, etc.) can make you any gear and start farming those materials up. Don’t forget that you will need to have a full Frost Resist set crafted, gemmed and enchanted, this is not optional! Proof that you have been doing heroics and preparing yourself for 10 man content is a mandatory effort to achieving the Proto-Drake rank. An officer may well ask to see your Northrend Dungeon Hero achievement listing to see that you’re checking off Heroic instances as completed. At the –very- least you’ll be earning badges towards gear purchases.
4. The forth and last stage in becoming a Proto-Drake is to have an officer sign off on you. You’ve manage to score or make yourself some truly awesome gear upgrades. You’ve done your research into specs and ability rotations and have practiced your little heart out and feel truly comfortable in filling your chosen role as team mate in a ten man. Now’s the time to give an officer the heads up and to schedule a heroic with them. During this run the officer will specifically be keeping an eye on your performance. Afterwards, if your performance has been deemed suitable by the officer(s), CONGRATULATIONS! You will be promoted as the latest Proto-Drake!
FYI due to the increasing number of spam accounts being created I have changed board registration to require approval before an account can be created. Hopefully this won't cause to many problems.
There's an exploit out there that's targeting your game passwords. Switch to Firefox, Chrome, or Opera in the meantime. For extra protection (I high recommend) get a blizzard authenticator.
Total Members: 146
Forgot to post that earlier.
