Guild Raid Standards

Empirical Raid Schedule:

Tuesday – 7:15-10:30pm server
Thursday – 7:15-10:30pm server
Monday – 7:15-10:30pm server

This schedule may change as we push into mythic only progression and will be determined based on input from officers and raiders together.

Our number one rule is fun. First and foremost this is a game and we want to enjoy ourselves. These new standards were devised to help push us toward CE but not at the cost of having fun together. If any of these standards impede that goal, they will be reevaluated.

I. Progression Eligibility

Progression Eligibility: Each week, in order to be eligible to be on the Progression Raid Roster, each raider must:

Prior to attending your first heroic or higher raid, you must complete the BiS items survey (see Section III).
Raiders will be expected to maintain a minimum ilvl sufficient for the content being progressed. In order to begin raiding in Amirdrassil, raiders will be expected to have a minimum item level of 441. Our first benchmark increase will be to item level 467 (beginning of heroic drops) by week 4 of raid (December 5th). We will not police that way that you get there, but we will check in and speak with anyone who seems at risk of missing the benchmark.
Raiders will be expected to complete a minimum of 4 M+ runs per week. During weeks 1-3, the requirement will be a minimum of M+9 keys. After week 3, the requirement will increase to M+18.
5k gold donation per week. This donation covers feasts, potion cauldrons, phial cauldrons, vantus runes (when used), and guild repairs for those raiding (please join us!).
Maintain Raid Etiquette (Covered in Section IV)
Gear level and M+ requirements for alts or new raiders will be the same as above.

II. Failure to Meet Eligibility

The first time a raider is unable to complete the requirements to be eligible for a given week’s progression, they will still be able to raid that week, but will not be permitted to roll on loot. The second time and beyond they will be benched for that week. The item level requirement will not be included in this exception and item level must be maintained.

III. Loot Rules

The following new rules have been instituted for loot.

You MUST complete the BiS items survey in order to have priority on weapons, off-hands, and trinkets that are up for roll. Survey: Link to Survey Here. If, at any time, you would like to update/change your priority loot choices, reach out to a member of leadership and we can discuss and make the change for you.
Sim your character using Droptimizer or Questionably Epic (https://www.raidbots.com/simbot/droptimizer or https://questionablyepic.com/live/UpgradeFinder) prior to each raid to determine items from raid that will be upgrades so that you know what you are rolling on each night and we can eliminate extraneous rolls, gear needing be traded to the next highest roller, etc.
In order to be eligible to roll on loot you must be Progression Eligible for that week.
When loot drops, all raiders will pass on all items. Tier, BiS List Items, and special gear will be distributed by leadership. All other loot will be distributed using rolls in RCLootCouncil and may be subject to evaluation by leadership.
In addition, this tier, the loot council will be expanded to five members. The consistent three members will be the raid officers: Revy, Beka, Musta, with the other two members selected weekly at random from the raid group. This is to improve transparency and understanding of loot distribution within the group.
Tier will be awarded with respect to catalysts and omnitokens. Raiders will be prioritized two tokens from raid. Raiders will be expected to complete their four-set using catalysts, vault, and/or omnitoken.
Standby Nights – Standby Nights are intended to ensure that folks not on the main progression roster for one or more weeks are able to obtain necessary gear to continue to compete and to be prepared to step into mythic at a moment’s notice. They will be planned and scheduled on an as needed basis.

IV. Raid Etiquette

The following standards of Raid Etiquette will be more strictly enforced in this tier. This is not intended to stop people from chit chatting or joking around, we are here to have fun, but to keep the raid moving and maximize the time we have.

Raiders will abide by our non-negotiable guild expectations at all times (strictly enforced at all times).
1. Be respectful of all members.
2. We do not allow discrimination of any kind on the basis of gender, gender identity, race, sexuality, or disability.
3. No harassment, bullying, or hate speech based on any of the above.
Raiders need to show up on time (Or let us know otherwise with as much warning as possible by either sending an officer a private message or using the #late channel in Discord).
Raiders designated as standby raider should be online at raid time, ready for the day’s content – if not needed at raid time, please try to remain reachable via Discord throughout the night in case of emergencies.
Come to raid prepared, having studied the fights, and with all necessary consumables beforehand (health potions, mana potions, runes, etc.). These items need to be acquired before invites go out.
No hearthing during raid time, except during break.
Once a wipe is called, we need to wipe as quickly as possible, then get rezzed and ready for the next pull. This means: no unannounced afks between pulls, waiting for rez if a release is called, etc. If you need a quick bio or something that’s totally fine, just give us a shout before you do.
Reduce between pull chatter/strategy discussion. If you have a quick comment/question, go for it, but we are going to work hard this tier to maximize pulls and reduce time between pulls. Once a raid decision is made, respect the decision and do your best to implement it. All raid changes will be evaluated over several pulls.
Please listen to officers and give them right of way in talking. Hold questions/concerns for after.
Respect and support all raiders – we strive for a raid environment free of toxicity.
Critter and/or Clam will be expected to drop a maximum of three mage tables over the course of a night. You can take 4 stacks at a time. Please do so.

V. Raid Communication and Strategy

Calls: Strategic raid calls are reserved for Rizzi/Revy or raid leaders. This means that no one else should be trying to make tactical decisions mid fight (Burn the Boss etc.) in order to eliminate confusion and potentially cost a kill. Healing specific calls may come from Beka.
Mid-fight communication from all raiders is still absolutely encouraged for important things.
Strategy: Raiders need to show up to new bosses prepared with fight knowledge, and be ready to execute the chosen strategy. While we can and should discuss tweaks to strategy between pulls, oftentimes our primary issue is sloppy execution, so we will often focus instead of perfecting execution.
Suggestions for wholesale strategy changes are welcomed, but should be brought up between raids.
Microphones are required for progression on many bosses. As such, you must have a microphone for progression and must be able to speak at need. Please reach out to an officer if you need an accommodation and we will work to find a solution.

VI. Addons

The following Addons are Required:

DBM/Bigwigs
RC Loot Council
Method Raid Tools
Weak Auras
SimC (for Raidbot/QE)
Raider IO and Astral Keys are recommended for the purpose of forming M+ groups, but are not required.

VII. Performance and Roster Decisions

Each week, the Raid Leadership team evaluates performance via logs to set the Progression Roster for the following week. The progression roster will be for all mythic bosses and may include later heroic bosses, as our group goal is to push for AotC as quickly as possible in our attempt to get to 8/9M. It is expected that the progression roster can and will change week to week as people step up and fight for spots. We have no plans to “lock” the roster at any point as Empirical is built on open and fair competition for spots. In addition, our commitment to ensuring every guildie who wants AotC is able to achieve it remains one of our core goals and will be accomplished as quickly as possible.
Evaluations are typically done from Tuesday Night Heroic logs, but we do accept pug logs as well if a raider wants to submit them.
The goal each week is to bring the absolute best 20 for mythic, and the roster is always chosen with fairness and free competition in mind. No one, not even officers, are exempt from being benched if they have been beaten by someone else that week. Sometimes a boss may require certain classes, which may affect roster decisions on some weeks.
At any time, a member of raid leadership will make themselves available to any raider who wants a more in depth explanation of what we looked at and how a decision was made regarding the roster that week. We encourage all questions of this nature as we don’t want any raider to feel wronged or slighted.
As we progress further into the tier, the officer team may need to reach out to individual raiders if they are struggling on certain mechanics to help them fix any issues. This will always be done privately and constructively. The goal is to help anyone struggling figure out a way to succeed, never to bash someone on their performance.

VIII. Alts and Main Swapping

Alts will be required to meet all eligibility requirements in order to participate in a standard night raid. Alts will have lowest priority on gear distribution and alts will only be allowed if the player’s main character is also maintaining eligibility. Raid buffs and raid success will be prioritized and alts will be required to switch back upon request.
If you are interested in main swapping, speak with a raid officer and we will consider mid-tier swaps on a case-by-case basis. Keep in mind that all other eligibility requirements must be met prior to a new main’s first raid.