FAQ: Guild Rank Position Descriptions

My intention in this posting is to describe the member ranks we use in the guild.

Currently, we use a two rank member system made up of "Raider" and "Reserve". The separation of these two ranks is to facilitate an environment in which the needs of the active raiding members are fulfilled, and so that others who are wanting to take part in our guild will have the opportunity to do so. There are benefits to either rank, as well as responsibilities that keep our raid environment efficient and successful.

Raiders
This rank is set up for those players who have earned a near guaranteed position in our raid formation. We usually do not have an issue ensuring that every Raider rank member is able to make it into the raid group, but we do keep a couple spare positions filled at this rank because of agreements we have made with long standing members who are qualified to miss a specified raid night of the week. In essence, the idea being that for the nights that one Raider rank member must be out, the second Raider rank member takes their place. It is a very time consuming organizational process to manage this, so we do not allow this very often but there are cases of it. In addition, Raider Rank members get access to materials that drop from raids for an extremely low cost from the guild bank, and are in many cases covered in full.

The responsibilities of Raider spec members are relatively high in accordance with their benefits. Raider rank members are held to a higher standard of raid performance and poor performance is not tolerated for periods of time. Raid attendance needs to be nearly pristine, with missed raids accounted for by lining up a replacement as well as informing your peers that you intend to miss a raid. Social interaction also plays a factor in placement of this rank.

Reserve
The reserve rank is not a position for the average player. This position is created to benefit the raider class members directly and leverage the power of the guild to give other players the opportunity to experience content. The opportunity for for loot being a reserve player is relative to the needs of the active progression raid group. Reserve players are treated socially the same as Raiders and are not classified as being subordinates to the Raider rank. Reserve members opinions are weighted the same as Raider opinions on nearly every facet of guild management and structure.

The main difference between Raider and Reserve rank are that Reserve rank members are only invited to raid events in which a Raider is not available or willingly passes his position to a reserve as allowed by the current Raider leader. Loot distribution is available to Reserve players using the loot system, but are only distributable to a Reserve player if no Raid Rank member invokes the loot system for the item. There are no off-spec distributions in the loot system, and as such there are no reserve benefits to retaining an item over a Raider rank member using the loot system. Override decisions can be made by the Loot Manager or Guild Master in order to reward a reserve member for their dedication regardless of loot distribution.

While being a reserve member is not as enticing as the Raider rank for many players, it is a good fit for some. Players who are not able to play a full time raiding schedule or are not quite ready to handle progression level content will have the opportunity to experience and take loot from instances that are usually out of the scope for these type of players even months after the instance has become farmed for the Raider rank. As I stated before, this rank is not for everyone but for some it is a very good fit that meets the desires of the player and the needs of the Raider ranks. In addition, when a Raider rank does open, the first considerations are always Reserve members who show interest in the rank that have the capability to handle the performance requirements of the raid.