Every time a new raid comes out, i usually post something about the new raid and how i'm putting together the raid group.

ICC is coming out, and there are many factors in choosing who is going to go on the raids. Here is a list which may be incomplete, but hopefully not.

1. Come prepared. This has to do with many things:

A. Research the fights. I have been paying attention to this one. I lay out the strategy, but people that come into the raid with a familiarity are going to be favored highly over people that don't.

This even holds true on farmed content. It is very frustrating having to explain the same fights over and over when i could just take the same people and be done with the instance in a very quick manner. If you have come into t9 content (the 3rd tier of wotlk content) and joined our group without bothering to read or watch videos, that stays in the back of the minds of the people who bothered to do the research as we explain the fight and suffer through wipes on easy content.

B. Have your gear together. ICC is the 4th tier of wotlk content. Coming to a raid with anything less than the best enchants and gems is showing a lack of respect for your fellow guildies. It isn't a pug where things like that get overlooked. These are your brothers in arms, so treat their time and effort with respect.

C. Know your class. The raid leader should not have to explain your methods of interrupting, CC'ing, or your dps cycle. That is your responsibility. When we have to stop and explain to someone how to do something that is one of their base abilities, your chances of coming back weekly sink lower.

This has happened in TOC and it is unacceptable.

D. Be flexible. If we have 13 dps sign up and only 1 healer, the one with the dual spec will get in. They might not be able to dps, but with the way our mainspec loot works, they will still be able to roll on items.

A person willing to sacrifice personal dps for CC or interrupts will always be more valued than a person who just mindlessly dps's.

E. Flasks. If you don't have em, you are showing lack of respect for your guild mates.

2. Attitude is important.

A. Towards the end of a raid's life-cycle, when people get geared, you can power through things. When ICC comes, this is not the case for a while. I will be making groups that are balanced and with strong players. We will not be able to afford to carry players. Now if you get benched and start complaining, guess where you will be the next week. A better tactic would be to ask for an explanation and what actions to take to get in.

B. Attendance is part of attitude. If you take off after you get your gear and stop helping the rest of the guild-that's not playing into the family atmosphere we have been building for years.

C. If you get frustrated and complain about wipes, please don't sign up for progression content. Wipes will be in abundance.

D. Courtesy and kindness. BIA is a family guild with kids of raiders playing a lot. There are certain rules set up to maintain our family atmosphere. Disregarding these rules will keep you from raids.
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(will probably add more)

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Now we have a lot of model raiders, and i will be trying to rotate those players if we can't all get in each week. If you have to sit out one week and you know you are good, be patient. You can always ask me why i selected a certain group, and i usually have very good reasons for taking who i take. (Just not when i'm trying to lead said raid. Wait until after or the next day.)

I have specific numbers i'll be looking for in terms of HP, avoidance, DPS etc.. But if you have been competing in toc, you should be fine.

AFK Facebook.

I have gotten a few whispers regarding what gear level is needed.
Honestly i want to shy away from this but it is valid to some degree.

At this point, i would say that i'm looking for people in full 219 or higher with the exception of trinkets and relics. (being that some of the best trinkets and relics are lvl 200/213)

As i said, this is a base guide line, and for someone that has been playing, full 232 isn't that hard at this point.

In a few weeks though, there really won't be any need to not have full 232 as the new heroics drop 232 and triumph drop like candy from a sponge bob square pants pinata.

It's about time Deadsong, I see you finaly decided to bring down the hammer! Something tells me if I was still in BIA I wouldn't make the cut. It's good to see you guys getting serious in raiding, keep up the good work dead! In all honestly though 219 gear might be too low to start ICC raids, it's not my place but i would highly suggest a 232 ilevel on most tiems. 219 is attainable in TOC 5 man and the ICC 5 man non-heroics so it's not exactly a challenge to get. With 232 gear you at least have the comfort of knowing that yes they have run TOC 10 and know basics of raiding. Just a thought...

Does this mean I finally need to upgrade my Dragonspine Trophy and Shard of Contempt?

I've updated the home page to track our progress through ICC. The challenge is on to start filling in that bar with green dots!

The Ulduar line is still there too, taunting us to complete the last three bosses. All we need are three more weekend nights in every week and we'd have enough time to do everything!