Raid Questions

[Emerica]

Hey everyone,
I wanted to reach out and ask around to find out what guilds are active for raiding and what they would be looking for in a bard so i can work on as much as i possibly can while leveling up before applying.
I currently have an almost level 50 bard, will not be boxing, and wanted to know these things;
What guilds raid 6am-3pm pst, I am on pretty much 5+ days a week?
What aa's are required?
What items are manditory before applying?
I know most people require MQ being done; is there anything else to do also?

I might think of some more questions and if so ill post but if anyone has any extra imput about this that would be awesome. My goal is hardcore playing and raiding and currently like i mentioned i am on almost every day minus tuesdays/weds potentially due to school and life.
Anyways if anyone has any helpful insights please please please give me a holler in game or here!
Thanks so much!

*Lumineve*

 

[robopirateninja]

It really depends on what level guild you are trying to join. Low-level guilds will only ask that you be level 65, while high end guilds will expect you to have all AAs completed and an expensive charm.

Some things to shoot for:

Finish MQ Aug
Finish Heartlands Faction aug
Deity Aug
As far as raiding on a bard, you absolutely need the Song Protection of the Four.
Depending on your free time you may want to begin stockpiling giant heads/dragon scales/orc teeth but don't turn any in until you know for sure which side you want to be aligned to.

I don't know a ton about bard AAs, but basically the more the better.

 

[vistachiri]

That really kind of depends on exactly what you're shooting for. Most guilds are going to be 65 required for raid guilds unless they're in extremely dire straits. So get there asap. Most guilds are also going to require some amount of aa's under your belt as well. If you can, boxing will improve your chances on getting accepted to guilds (boxing a character that isn't yours is usually looked upon fairly favorably by officers and guilds in general, for when they're short etc, good practice to get into). There have been a number of people I've known who have worked their way into guilds by playing a bot for raids, learning the raid game, and then getting their characters in for minor excursions elsewhere (maps, minor raids for quest pieces and such where loot dropping raidmobs are killed, usually with a fairly small force).

Mandatory items depends too. Most guilds will look favorably upon charms, though they aren't required generally unless you're shooting for top tier guilds. But they'll still probably want to see you making an active effort towards your character in that regard as well.

As for other things you can do, I would recommend once you hit 65 that you make progress towards acquiring gatenecks for various areas. Many people slack on this, but you should definitely look into acquiring both a newport and an athica neck (standard meeting places for many groups and guilds, the two most popular). You should also look into eventually acquiring a sadri malath gateneck. Your starfalls and thurgadins if you haven't made progress on them will bolster your gear a little bit. You should also start working heavily on your faction aug (MQ related).

Oh, and if you get the chance, you may want to indulge heavily in maps when you hit 65, acquire as many quest pieces as you can, as you'll get a nifty item later, and can upgrade it through the vah quest. You may also want to indulge in maps while you are in your 50's, as you can get a clicky targetable dwarf ring, that can come in handy occasionally (for when one is stuck in a tight spot, it can help you get out of it without mage or gm assistance).

You may be able to acquire minor rewards on the jayla quest as well, depending on how much effort you put into it, and whether you can cajole people into helping. I would hold off until 65 though.

Look into what deity you want. You're a bard, and thus have free chaotic points to your hearts content. I would suggest a deity along those lines. Figure it out BEFORE, you do the main quest. Not only will you get a bonus that will help you dramatically even now, but you'll prep for keeping that awesome bonus, without a hassle, later on.

The number one thing you should be doing though is grouping, xping, and networking. Make alot of friends, and it will help everything in the long run, including your chances on getting into a good guild. A goodly number of the more established people on the server have alts, and you probably have met some of them already without realizing it.

 

[Vartenaal]

what aisling said plus talking in /ooc about pie will always get you big rep points with cool people.

there are quite a few occasions where people auction free xp leech spots, this is usually the high end slackers who are farming or just messing around, so keep all your channels on at all times. this lets you learn more about the general mood and character of the populace as well as allowing you to get in on pick up raids which usually dont have requirements in gear/aas.

but ya, treasure maps are also your friend for scoring gear upgrades all the way up to tier 3 or 4 for the ones up to VD i believe.

welcome to ze evil vorld of SoD!

 

[Emerica]

Awesome thanks for that guys it helps out a bit. Ill be grinding all morning if i think of anything more ill be posting it.
Likewise if anyone thinks of something else raid/bard related please feel free to post it i could use all the help i can get to understand more so im not back tracking later on.
Thanks!

*Lumineve*

 

[BranFlakes]

As far as AAs go:
what you need depends on what tier the guild you are in hunts.
For starting out...

1. work on anything that increases your songs. (range and effect -- this is a given no matter what or with whom you hunt)
2. Work on defensive ones (melee and spell). When you do need to mez, these can help you survive.
3. Jayla's Insight. (if the guild doesn't know the mob well, this information can be priceless)
4. Resists. (I would suggest maxing MR and FR out first, then CR, PR and DR. As a non-tank, your main source of damage incoming will probably be from area effects.)

Your best bet is to finish off numbers 1 and 2. Then ask the guild what they are hitting and how well they know the mobs. This will let you know how quickly you need to get other abilities or when to skip one for another.

Don't forget to ignore folks every so often and just take fun stuff like crits/procs. It gets boring when you are just a cookie trying to fit in the cutter.