Part II in a series of posts about how my guild was able to take casual raiding from Kara all the way into BT without selling our souls.

A lot of the initial issues with moving into kara stems from numbers. You really needed 2 tanks and 3 healers to get in, with little other group consideration aside from a priest for Moroes. However, we all know how hard it can be to find those people. Recruiting is always a pain, and loss will always happen. It's a situation you have to work through, and if there's anything I haven't found a good method for it's recruiting.

You will end up with multiple kara teams. It's necessary if you want to move into 25-man raids. While guilds may decide to stick to the new 10-man path in Wrath, there may be those of you that want to move up, and mutiple 10s are going to happen. There are a couple important pitfalls here.

First, you have to be consistent in how you handle loot. If you have MT priority, make sure it's defined and both groups are using it the same. If you use a sort of round robin system, make sure it's consistent across both groups. What you don't want is people going from one group to another and then complaining about how loot is being handled differently. Establish your rules and abide by them.

We use a round-robin loot system for 10-mans. They are a stepping stone to 25s for us, so we don't worry about DKP for them. Rules are very simple. Roll 100 for primary spec drops, you get one drop per run unless you are rolling unopposed or everyone already has gotten a drop. Offspec items are open rolled if no one needs for primary spec, same rules apply. This system is very good about spreading gear around and rewarding as many people as possible on a run. It's a great casual loot system. Many people will say you need a tank/healer priority, but I've never found that to be the case. However, I've also always been lucky in that our groups are very good about passing loot around. Generally making sure tank gear goes to tanks and healing gear goes to healers is enough to keep your group moving.

Second, don't let one group get way out in front of the other. Move your talent around so that you have some experienced people with some who aren't. If one group is clearing the instance in 4 hours and the other is struggling on the third boss, you know you have a problem. Some people may resent the move when they go from easy clears to wiping again, but it's important to try and maintain pace. You'll retain more raiders, and when it's time to make the jump to 25s, you'll be more prepared.

Third, don't leave people out. Stay on top of who wants to raid and who doesn't need loot. Swap people out mid run to get someone in for some experience and a couple drops. Most people won't have an issue sitting out for a boss that doesn't drop anything they need, and someone able to step into that spot will be thankful for the chance. Not only will this help build a tighter group, but it will expand the number of players you have with gear and experience.

Another big thing is not to dwell for too long in these instances. It isn't necessary to have 25 fully kara geared people to move on. Pick a night, grab 25, and try moving up. The content will be fresh, people will start to see what it's like to raid with 25 instead of 10, and you might be surprised by the results. Especially with Naxx 10 to Naxx 25, people should already understand the basics of the fight, and it shouldn't take a lot to make that jump. This also helps instill that great feeling of progression, which is something you'll need to keep up if you're going to retain your players.

You can't be scared of 25 man raids. I remember our first night on HKM and the wipes that ensued. The important thing I took away from that night was that people wanted to be in there wiping. No one suddenly gquit because we couldn't down him, no one complained about paying repairs. People wanted to be in that content, pushing forward. Keeping your guild moving is both the most challenging thing to do and the most rewarding.

Thanks for the feedback on the last post guys. As before, it's appreciated, and if you have any specific questions, ask away.