BrotherHood was never founded to be a pure raiding guild - therefore, your membership in BrotherHood does not imply that you are guaranteed a raiding spot. In fact, we have several members who either choose not to, or simply don't have the time to raid. For those that do choose to raid (or anyone thinking about raiding), understand that you are making a choice to participate in an event that requires that every single person contribute - whether that be tanking, healing or dps. There are no "AFK Eating Cookies" or "I'm Watching American Idol, Can't Click" spots in any 25 or 10-man raid.

The Basics

1. Sign up on RaidNinja. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but scheduling events for 30+ people on a weekly basis is work... a LOT of work (everyone say "Thank You, Puck!") Teams are sometimes built based on availability for the week - sign up early. If you can't be bothered to sign-up, don't expect an invite.
2. Be on time. Invites for raids typically begin at 8:30pm server time, be at the stone by 8:45pm. We expect to be in the zone and buffing when the clock strikes 9:00pm. We raid for three (3) hours. If you don't think you can devote a solid block of time to raiding, then raiding is not for you. Do your AFK-business before the raid, we're not pulling the car over so you can wee wee 15 minutes into the raid. We schedule breaks every hour (typically coinciding with your flask/elixirs... how convenient)
3. Come to the raid prepared.
   
   • Bring Ammo and Reagents. Bring enough to last you three hours and several attempts on any given boss.
   • Bring Food. And I don't mean the kind that'll give you a crappy level 70 well-fed buff. Invest in cooking, buy it off the AH, ask a guildie to make some for you... something that'll give you a level 80 well-fed buff. If you're lucky, someone in the raid will drop a Fish Feast... but don't count on it.
   • Bring Flasks/Elixirs. Flasks persist through death and last an hour. There is no excuse to not be flasked. You're going to need three (3) flasks per night that you choose to raid. Elixirs come in pairs, Battle and Guardian. Flask or elixirs, your choice. Note that "using neither" was not an option.
   • Bring Gold. You're going to be repairing. Accept it, love it.
   
   Don't have enough gold for all of that? That's why Blizzard invented dailies. Too busy working on achievements on your alt? Don't raid.
4. Know the fight. Ciderhelm over at TankSpot.com has put together an incredible collection of "How-To" videos, all of which are available for viewing on his YouTube channel. The Raid Leader may choose to highlight important parts of the fight but nothing substitutes for having seen the fight first-hand or watching a video. Didn't have time to watch a video before the raid? Well, assuming you're at the stone at 8:45pm, you've got 15 minutes to watch before the raid zones in.

Your Contribution to the Raid

Everyone needs to take a serious look at themselves and review some stats. In-game, Recount should give you a good idea of how you're performing. In addition, highly detailed raid stats are typically posted nightly for each raid on our guild World of Logs page. If you don't look, rest assured that the Raid Leaders are.

How can you be a better [insert random class here]? First off, ask yourself these two questions:

1. Do you know what being "hit-capped" means? Are you hit-capped?
2. What are my top 3 stat priorities (in order)?

If you can't answer both questions, you should delete your toon immediately. Cancel your WoW subscription and go buy a Wii. I hear tennis is fun. Or alternatively, you can do some serious research.

A good start is ElitistJerks, specifically their Class Mechanics forums. You'll find class-specific forums with all the information you'll need (i.e., specs, top PvE spell/shot rotations, etc...). Patch 3.1 introduced a lot of changes to a lot of classes - don't assume you've discovered the uber-spec by closing your eyes and randomly clicking on your talent tree.

Can't make heads or tails of the posts on ElitistJerks? Talk to a class mentor. Ask them about their spec. Why did they put a point here and not there? What experience can they share with you about raids or raiding in general?

Beating the Dead Horse... aka, PUG'ing Progression Raids

BrotherHood prohibits its members from joining Pick-Up Groups (PUGs) with their raiding mains which are deemed Progression Raids for the guild.

Any member caught PUG'ing a progression raid on their main will be subject to immediate disciplinary action, including but not limited to BHP penalties and/or expulsion from the guild. A list of current Progression Raids can be found on the BrotherHood forums at http://www.brotherhoodraids.net.

We put in the time and effort, as a guild, to raid new content. 24 other raiders make a commitment week-after-week to see that everyone has a chance to get some loot and share in an experience that is unique to MMORPGs. If you're just in it for yourself and want to get saved to a random PUG ID, BrotherHood is not the place for you.

Think you won't get caught? You will.