Raids are unlike any other PVE content in World of Warcraft. They take intense preparation, dedication, and execution to make happen, and each of the 10 or 25 people in a raid need to be prepared and ready to perform their role and listen to their raid leader's direction. They are still possible to do casually, but get too casual and you are a problem for the raid to overcome, rather than an asset. To explain – you’re in a group with 9-24 other people, all giving their time and effort, therefore you owe it to them to give them the same. You need to prepare yourself through gear, consumables, and experience if you plan to raid.

1.You should have a basic understanding of how to play your class before you sign up for a raid. You need to know what your possible functions are in a group and be comfortable performing them, and this includes adapting to patched/expansion changes and incorporating new abilities into your role. If you have questions about what your class does in raids or how you’re performing, feel free to ask any of the officers - before the raid begins. We’re all glad to provide assistance and pointers. Having good players benefits us all. So, please keep in mind that if we tell you you’re not ready for something yet, it’s not a personal attack, and we are here to help you get better. To this end, you should consider doing the following things:

• Run 5 mans, heroics, and a 10man, even in a PUG. These are great places to learn about group dynamics and how to function in a group setting. You should be able to multi task. Being able to crowd control and do damage at the same time or interrupt spells and do damage at the same time is very important for raid encounters. PVP can provide a training ground for situational awareness and reaction speed. Use the tools within the game to develop your own.
• Understand your talent trees. Everyone doesn't have to be a cookie cutter spec, but you do need a spec that makes sense and allows you to perform the role you signed up for. Talents are left up to player selection, but for the raiding environment some are pretty much mandatory, being the most useful for the setting -- just like some talents are more useful in PVP or leveling settings. For raiding, you are expected to have and know which talents will benefit you and your spec the most.
• Invest in learning about mods. Some will be required for raiding, others might prove to be benefit to you. You should have an understanding of how to use these in conjunction with your class *before* being told by a raid to get them. Ignoring mods is the same as ignoring a spell, and having an incomplete toolbox leaves you lacking, and thus a set-back to those around you. Only a few mods are required, but for good reason.

2. You should have the proper equipment for the raid that you are signing up for. This can mean different things in different situations.

• You should have a good set of standard rare or epic items from 5 mans, heroics, and reputation rewards.
• Do you need resist gear? If you aren't sure, read the strategy or ask an officer. Normally if needed it will be noted in the posted strat.
• Hybrids- if you will be doing multiple roles in a raid, you need to have gear for all of them. If you have healing spells you are expected to have a set of healing gear. DPS warriors and druids should have tanking sets, etc. The same goes for your dual-spec -- be knowledgeable about your other spec and have it talented before the raid.
• Remember, taking the time to run instances to gear up is an essential part of becoming a raider. If you don't have time to run 5 mans to get gear, then you don't have time to raid. A lack of stamina or sufficient DPS only puts pressure on others to compensate for your weaknesses.
• Do you hit the required minimums for your role? DPS, do you have the +hit needed to bypass misses? If you’re unsure of the ‘base’ you should have for particular stats, ask an officer immediately. Being woefully understated isn’t an excuse, it’s a liability, and only leads to mistakes. 
• Come with all of the reagents you will need. Health and mana potions. Bandages. Flasks.
• Be fully repaired. With the advent of mammoths, repair bots and some instances having its own repairer, there is no excuse to start a raid without being fully repaired.

3. Read the forums. The forums are where the strategies and important announcements are posted. It is your responsibility to know what is going on with your raid group. At the very least, you should check the forums the day of the raid before logging on to the game. You receive constant reminders from multiple people during the raid, before and after as well. There really is no excuse for missing a post, especially a strategy post. It is your duty to read and review such material before the raid it is posted for – no exceptions. In fact, failure to review strat posts will be cause to be benched from raids, and repeated failure to read strats can result in being excused from raiding.

Further, there is a scheduling thread for a reason. Use it. Advance, and even last minute, notifications will only help the officers to properly schedule the raid to ensure there's a proper roster for the night. Of course, the better the notice the better!

Once you've actually reached the point where you are ready to begin raiding, there are a few things you need to know. Raiding takes a good amount of time and preparation before the raid even begins, and you need to put in the time necessary to ensure you are prepared. Preparation takes several forms.

1. Read the strategies for the raid you are attending. These can be found in the raiding and strategy section of the forum. Not knowing how a fight works before showing up causes wipes – and endless amounts of frustration. Precious time that could be spent on learning the boss fight that gets wasted on reviewing material that should already be known only infuriates those with you, and all for no good cause. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Do not expect us to go over strategy for every fight every week for the people that couldn't be bothered to read up on it - that slows the raids down, hurts morale, and is generally counterproductive on fights that we've already conquered. If it is determined that you have not read the strategy, or are performing as though you have not read it, you may be subject to being kicked from the raid, and/or not invited to future raids until you have demonstrated that you have a knowledge of the fights necessary to execute your role in said fights. If, after reading the strategy, you have questions, feel free to ask your raid leader or an officer for help.

• Further note here. If at any time you have particular questions about your assignments, or even suggestions, you need to speak to your designated role leads. Be aware, your role leader may also whisper you if they have something specific they wish to review with you. Be cooperative, patient and willing to fix the problem.

2. You should have the proper reagents for any spells that you will need to cast. You will need the reagents for your buffs, or if planning to do things like swap glyphs mid-raid, have vanish dust. If you need specific numbers, poke an experienced member of your class. In short, think of even the small things.

3. Your gear should be fully repaired. If you show up at the instance unrepaired, expect a warning. If you habitually do this, expect to not be invited. Repairing is easy and not repairing will eventually cost the raid time and/or money to get your gear repaired. I recommend the "auto repair" mod, which fully repairs you on talking to a vendor that can repair you.

• In WotLK there have been added ways in which to ‘repair on the fly’. New repairbots, the traveling mount with a reagent/repair/drink vendor… all of those things are something to be used mid-raid in case of multiple wipes and thus a need to repair. It is not acceptable to rely on this at the start of a raid to cover for failing to repair pre-raid. The bots and mount should only be used when a raid officer calls for it.

4. You will need to download the proper mods. You are required to have some sort of boss timer (Deadlybossmods, BigWigs, Deus Vox Encounters, etc).

• Other mods are helpful per role/class. If you are unaware of what these may be, ask someone. Do not ask during a raid – do so beforehand.
• Any mod you install, MAKE SURE TO PROPERLY GET FAMILIAR WITH IT PRIOR TO THE RAID. This cannot be stressed enough. Don’t show up to a raid with a new untested mod, as that only leads to frustration and possible complications.

5. You should bring all the consumables you will need. All raiders should have health and/or mana potions, food that provides a stat buff, and a stack of the highest profiency bandages. Additional consumables like flasks are required.

• All raiders are expected to have maxed first aid.
• For Reprise only: Flasks are REQUIRED for progression nights, and should still be used for raids though it is somewhat acceptable to allow them to slide for farm content. Be aware if you are underperforming you will be made to use full consumables even for farm content.

Now that you've gotten ready for your first raid, here are the things you need to know about the actual raid.

1. Respect your fellow raid members. Game mechanics aside, the real reason we're all here is to have fun and hang out with each other. It's easy to get frustrated, but take a step back before you make that comment that you know will hurt someone else's feelings. Above all else, remember that there's a person sitting behind that character. Reprise has removed raiders for not following this guideline, and is not going to change that practice.

2. Bring a positive attitude. This is #1 far and away the most important thing you can do on raids. Mistakes will happen, and there will be problems, but we will work hard to eliminate such problems and the run raids smoothly. We need for people to cut others slack and to allow for things to not run perfectly. We will be wiping a lot, especially on new encounters. You need the ability to keep a cool head and not let a night of disappointing wipes degenerate into arguments and bickering. Bring a positive and optimistic attitude to the table and you're a long way into being an asset for the raid. This is NOT to say that you should not voice concerns or problems, but simply to please know the proper time and means to voice them.

• Ideally, you want to improve each time you do something. Each go you should be giving your best, but as you see/learn things on an attempt you can give a little better the next, and so on. Repeated mistakes are pretty unforgiveable – if you’re doing something wrong, know you can fix it. Correcting those issues will benefit your own morale greatly.

3.Pay attention. This seems like a no brainer, but in large raids, it's easy to think that you can slack off and let others carry your weight. WotLK, in the early stages, has been a bane in that it’s become somewhat easy with the current content to just toss a tank or two at something, heal the crap out of it and sort it all out. While later stages of the previous expansion brought a greater need for focus, the promises for Cataclysm and changed game mechanics will mean a tighter application of attention during raids.
     It’s hard at times to remain focused because it’s possible to just power through most content, such as even for farm content. However, just slacking through a raid gives the impression you don’t care, and if 24 other people are there caring for you, you should give the same effort. Most raid times are 2 to 3 hours at max, so it’s not that difficult to pay attention for that long, especially when there are breaks and such worked in. If other chat channels are too distracting, such as general or personal channels, then perhaps consider turning them off while you are raiding. If you’re not paying attention, you’re impacting the function of the entire raid. Failing to heed the raid leader's instruction may result in a raid kick and/or not being invited to future raids until you have demonstrated that you can follow and execute instructions. Both 10 and 25-man raids are entirely dependent on everyone executing their job well. We will not invite people who cannot listen to the raid leader's instruction and execute accordingly.

4. Own up to mistakes when you make them. We all make mistakes, and you won't be punished or kicked for an innocent mistake, but if you ignore them and/or continue to repeat them, you may find yourself kicked from a raid quickly. Owning up to and apologizing for a mistake and striving to not make it again goes a very, very long way. Excuses only help to mask problems, and silence is to accept them – neither should be tolerated if you want better of yourself. Knowing what you can do better is also owning up to where you have stumbled. Lying about them will not be tolerated, and before thinking about doing so, be aware that with things such as World of Logs displays everything done/not done.

5. Be open to criticism and input. We all have things we could do better, be they basic class things or specific fight mechanics. From time to time, the raid leader or other members of your class may give you input, we might use posted World of Logs to help people troubleshoot their performance problems. Please remember that these are not personal attacks but simply our way of helping people be the best raiders they can be. Raiding should be approached as an experience in getting better at playing your class so that when we do beat a really hard boss, we can be proud of that accomplishment.

6. Don’t go AFK for long periods of time. Short AFKs are acceptable, and we understand that sometimes emergencies come up. However, if you are taking constant or extended AFKs, then you should probably not be in the raid on that particular night. Multiple AFKs, especially from multiple people, can kill a raid’s momentum. The idea is to maximize the time we have, not stall it needlessly. Again, random/emergency AFKs are understandable. If you are going to experience something of a lengthy AFK for some reason, communication with your raid leader is not only helpful but expected.

7. Be aware of what’s going on around you. A large number of wipes happen because someone wasn’t paying attention and pulled additional mobs, or blew half the raid up, or just went into autopilot mode and didn't step up to meet a challenging situation. Mistakes happen, and you won’t be booted for messing up once, but consistent mistakes will lead to being raid kicked and/or not being invited back. Sometimes situational awareness is the hardest thing to learn, but it is also the most attractive asset a good raider can have. If you’re not keen on your surroundings, research about a fight to know what to look out for is a smart move. Be prepared to react to what you should, so that when it comes time to, you’re already in motion to act.

8. Don't be a loot whore. A loot whore is someone who rolls on everything they can and attempts to gather anything they can with little regard for those around them. Unlike 5-man runs, it may take several runs for you to get even one piece of loot. This is the norm for raiding, and with so many people to split loot among, is a problem that isn't easily solved. However, you will find that if you are considerate of others in regards to loot, they will be considerate to you. Talk among your class, find who has really been saving for that one drop. Rather than taking everything you can, learn to prioritize for the things you want and to pass on other things to other people. A generous attitude that indicates you are there to help others as much as yourself will gain you much favor. Likewise, loot whoring may result in restricted attendance to raids. There is more to raiding than loot, and being selfish about it is a good way to get on the not-raiding list. There are a number of factors you might consider when considering a piece of loot:

• Have you gotten loot recently? This tends to apply more to /random runs than it does to point runs, but it can apply to point runs as well. If you've picked up loot recently, give other people a chance on loot. Pass on rolls, or elect to not spend. Rolling on or trying to spend on everything you can tends to be bad form, and doesn't do much to endear you to others. When one person is soaking up all the loot thanks to hot dice, or oddities in the point system, it can cause problems.
• How long has someone been after a specific piece of loot? Generally, the points system resolves this question, but there are exceptions. This isn't to say "people declare want on a piece of loot and other people should pass it to them", but rather, "consider the history". Passing an item to someone who has been specifically pursuing it for a very long time generates amazing amounts of good will.
• Does that benefit someone else's class or build more than mine? Sure, you might be able to use that [Awesome Item X], but Joe over there has a build specifically suited for it, so consider giving him first crack at it. For example, if you're a DPS warrior, pass shields, etc to the tanks first. If you're a tank, likewise pass the DPS pieces to DPS warriors first. Know your spec and your playstyle, and pursue gear that compliments it specifically. Hoarding anything and everything you can use just because you might use it sometime is bad form.
• Marginal benefits. Hand-in-hand with the class/build point, people get different benefits out of different things. Things such as set bonuses, someone else's unique job, or other such factors are things to consider. If someone will get more marginal benefit from an item than you, consider passing it to them.
• Alts. While not a hard-and-fast rule, it is generally considered polite for alt characters to give raiding mains priority on items. If you are making an alt your main, this doesn't apply, but it's kinda crappy to take a piece of loot for your alt that a raiding main who is there every week needs.
• Whining. Everyone has something they have been chasing for a while, and in some cases it can be extreme. That’s the ‘fun’ of the random number generator. What doesn’t help foster a healthy attitude is constant bitching about not getting the piece you have longed for, or bemoaning someone else for getting something you were after. Here’s a secret – its loot, it will drop. Frustration is understandable, bad attitudes about something uncontrollable is not.
• Congratulations! When someone wins a piece of loot, be sure to congratulate them. Sometimes you will be disappointed that you didn't win something, but now isn't the time to express that in raid chat. You'll find that letting yourself be happy when other people get loot will make the whole raiding experience more fun for everyone.

These rules apply only to those attending the Reprise raids. They apply to both the regular members and back-up.

1. Raiding Philosophy - Reprise is a progression-oriented raid group that seeks to continually challenge itself on high-end of raiding content. With the successes of the raid in Burning Crusade and then into Wrath of the Lich King, the expectations of taking on the toughest fights in the game is something that can be met, and will be. What we want is not necessarily to be first to kill a boss, but to push ourselves to attempt and defeat the most difficult content in the game. As such, we will always be moving on to new challenges ahead of accumulating items or farming content or chasing non-raid benefitual achievements. Reprise will chase meta achievements for the entirity of the roster and seek to push to take on heroic versions of fights as soon as they are available. There will be no settling to just farm content, but looking to move forward to push ourselves on the hardest the game has to offer. To be in Reprise, you should want to be better at your class and strive to find ways to do so.

2. Mumble – Mumble is required. It helps our coordination on particularly tough boss fights. The server information is:

• It's also expected that members of Reprise will attend the majority of scheduled raids. Missing a few raids every now and then is no big deal, but if you're constantly canceling, then this is probably too heavy a raiding schedule for you.

• Step One - The first warning is a benching for the next raiding night.
• Step Two - Second discussion will lead to being moved to a backup position.
• Step Three - Removal from the raid.

4.Raid times – Currently there are no other GoG-based 25man raids, and 10man content is run on virtually every night of the week by different set or pick-up groups. Once Cataclysm settles, there will likely be a more formalized schedule.

5.Attendance – If you are an expected member at a GoG-based raid, then you are expected to be there and an inability to do so should either be noted in a post in the raiding forum or notification given to the chosen raid lead ingame mail or in person. Basically, don't be a douche and be respectful of your fellow raiders.

6.Forums – If you’re a member of the raid you are expected to review the forums before the raids they pertain to. Use them. They're highly effective.

7. Dickishness -- We, as a community, have little tolerance for it. While we have our fun and poke fun at one another, there is a line to it and once crossed, it's not tolerated, on any level of raiding.

Reprise uses the EP/GP loot system. EP/GP is a "relational loot system". Unlike traditional DKP where you earn a made-up curency and use it to buy gear, EP/GP measures the difference between the effort you've put in (EP) and the gear you've received (GP).

Your EP goes up when you raid (timeliness and participation) and kill bosses. Your GP goes up when you get gear. If you divide EP by GP (hence the name), you get your loot priority, or PR. When loot drops we sort the raid members by PR and the interested member with the highest PR gets it. This makes their GP go up, which makes their PR go down.

If you want to read more about the EP/GP system, visit http://www.epgpweb.com/help/system

For raiding with Reprise, trialing or as a member, requires installing two mods:
#1 - EPGP
#2 - EPGPLootmaster

Just by raiding (or being available to raid if you're a backup). Backups get 100% of the time-based EP award. If you're on standby for two hours, you will get 800 EP. You do not get standby EP for boss kills, though you are still eligible for the on-time bonus if you let the raid leader know you're there.

Be ready on time = 2000
Raiding = 1000 per 15 min
Progression boss kill = 5000
Farm boss kill = 1000
Progression boss wipe = 1000 (up to 3000 per boss)

Raid leaders will decide when a boss is a progression boss but the basic guideline is that once a boss has been killed cleanly three times in a row it will be considered on farm.