SATED Raiding: Invites and Expectations

There has been a recent influx of players into the guild as of late, so I'd like to take a minute or two to discuss how raid invites will be determined, and my expectations as GM.

I've always been envious of the hardcore progressive guilds that run 25's. They see the best fights, and their gear is constantly ahead of the curve--I think a lot of you are on the same page.
However, in order to get to this point, I, as GM, need to be as smart in my decisions in creating a 25 group composition as I have been with our 10.

For those of you unaware, SATED's Core 10-Players consistently perform; Ulduar to mimiron (including some hard modes), and TotC at Anub. They are geared, know their classes inside and out, and are constantly working on making themselves better. Moreover, these players, have geared themselves out of 10 man's and are ready to tackle 25's.

Progressive is a term with multiple meanings. If you look at the top 15-20 geared players in SATED, they have all worked their way from heroics, OS, all the way through Naxx-10 and 25, and into some of the hardest fights the game has seen. They have proven themselves, and paid their dues. And to that respect, it doesn't make much sense for me to try and create a 25 core group with players on different playing fields. In order to succeed, we need to even it out. As most of you saw last night, 22 players with a wide range of gear rating can roll over sarth, but in the new tier of bosses, the dps just didnt cut it.

So, with regard to raid invitations--invitations will be passed to the players that are within the gear level of the raid. This information can be found on wow-heroes, and tells me where a player is at in terms of gear. This does two things:
1. Tells me who has the stats necessary for the fights, and
2. Puts loot into the hands of someone who has worked their way to it.
Gearing for 25's has never been easier-- conquest badges can be used on ilvl 226 gear, which will take you into 25 status, and triumph badges will take you into ilvl 232, which will help make our 25's get off the ground. Heroics is a great place to start, but doesn't give the experience that we will need to successfully run 25 raids. What I would like to see, is a secondary 10 push their way through Uld, get gear, and learn the fights; that way, when we are ready to emerge as a 25, the group has a decent grasp on the core mechanics of the encounters: it's much more fun to down bosses, than it is to struggle.

This week I will schedule a secondary Uld team to get off the ground, and will support them with strategies, raid consumables, and vent support (if I'm not in-raid) to help motivate their success.
So check your calendars-- let's work on gearing ourselves, and preparing for 25 success!

And remember, if you're in need of something, seek out an officer or raider for guidance:
JC--Chris and Peach
Chants-- Hazl and Norwin
Leather--Froshok and Bokuwa
BS-- Richet and Rose