Questions for Jealous Sky New Recruits

With the new Legion expansion a few months away, World of Warcraft is starting to see a significant increase in returning players. Many like you are looking for a new guild to call home and are looking for a group of mature, family friendly, amicable people to raid with on a regular basis. Enter Jealous Sky. Due to the unbearably long absence of new content in WoW until the pre-release of Legion expansion, much of the guildies have left the game to play other games or focus on real life obligations. However, now that Legion is around the corner, the guild is ready to get back into raiding regularly.

Here with us today, we have Tidesroyale, GM of Jealous Sky, to tell us what they are looking for in potential recruits for the guild Jealous Sky.

Can you tell me a bit about Jealous Sky?

Sure. Jealous Sky started raiding ever since the end of the Wrath of the Lich King. Since then, we have raided every expansion to date. We have been on a few servers and even played on Horde side for a year before moving to our current server, Proudmoore. We have done Highmaul, Blackrock Foundry and the first half of Hellfire Citadel (current raid tier) before much of the guild took a hiatus. After taking a break, we are now ready to rebuild our guild and raid team.

What size guild are you aiming to be, and what raid difficulty would you like to be engaged in?

In my experience, small and medium-sized guilds have always been favorable. Despite the smallness factor, there's more room for camaraderie and really getting to know the people you raid with. Back in Cataclysm we had three 10-man raid teams and in Mists of Pandaria we had two 10-man raid teams raiding regularly at the same time. It was a lot of work managing multiple teams, but it was really a great experience seeing the uniqueness of each team. I think going forward, having at most two 10-man raid teams (and or one mythic) would be a favorable size.

As for raid difficulty, I foresee our guild definitely raiding heroic mode raids. At some point, I'd like for us to get into mythics, but in all honesty the 20-man limit can potentially bring a lot of stress or arguments and before we get to that point I'd like to at least get a solid raid team or two set up and make sure that all our raiders are at a point where we not only enjoy raids with each other but more importantly we enjoy each others' company.

What are your raid times, and how strict are you on attendance?

We raid Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 to 10:30 PM server time (Pacific Standard Time). As for attendance, if you are joining the guild as a committed raider, we would appreciate it if you were able to make most raids. If you have a real life obligation that doesn't allow you to make certain raid days/times, or if you must miss a raid for any reason, just let myself or an officer (Altocumulus rank and above) know.


What are you looking for in a recruit?


I'll start out by telling you what we're NOT looking for. That way, I can make it clear upfront what we don't want in our guild. We do not wish to take up arms with people who have an elitist mentality. What I mean are people who:

• insist there is only one way to down a raid boss
• nag fellow raiders and insist that they choose X talent
• rage after wipes in a raid
• try to control the raid

The reason why we don't harbor elitists in our guild is essentially because we want a guild of members that help one another and are willing to either teach raid strategies or skills to both new or returning players or learn these together as a team. Everyone was a newbie player in WoW before, and no one appreciates being treated like an idiot or being disrespected. We are looking for members that are able and willing to build each other up, encourage each other and help foster camaraderie in the guild rather than put others down. Elitists, in my experience, are generally selfish and like to flaunt their knowledge or shove their opinions down others' throats. They are impatient and unwilling to contribute to a raid team or guild in ways other than trying to outperform others in a raid, which to me, isn't much of a contribution.

Now I'll tell you about the qualities in a raider that we think set them apart from others and make them truly shine in a raiding guild:

• respect for others
• maturity
• amicable and sociable either in ventrilo or guild chat
• makes an effort to learn how to effectively play their class
• invests time in researching boss guides
• makes an effort to optimize their character (enchants, gems, flasks, pots, etc.)
• commitment to raid times (reserve raiders exempt) 
• patience

Could you tell us about your raiding philosophy?

We want to provide an environment where everyone feels welcome and we want the raiding experience to be an enjoyable one, not one in which you feel nervous and are prone to getting yelled at for making a mistake. We want to have fun whether we're downing a boss or dying alongside your comrades. Overall, we want the raiding experience to be a creative team-building experience and a rewarding, learning experience. 

There are two WoW terms I'd like to discuss that although are very embedded in WoW raiding guild vocabulary, are two words I would like to not apply to our guild, and it is for the meanings that the majority of WoW raiders derive from them:

1) casual ~ Most WoW raiders think this term refers to guilds who want to have more fun and not properly execute raid strategies just because they don't have absurd four-hour long raids that spans four days a week. I like to say that although we don't harbor elitists in our guild, we still do expect everyone on our raid team to always try their best, to constantly challenge themselves while at the same time keeping in line with an atmosphere in which the true reward is the joy of defeating a boss as a team, not the loot.

2) core ~ Yes, we are building a "core" team, but I do not agree with this word. Instead of recruiting for core slots, we recruit for committed slots. When someone sees the word "core slot," they think of a slot on an elite team that outperforms, outshines, and gets treated better than "casual" or reserve raiders in the guild. In our guild, just because your real life work and family obligations don't allow you to commit to our Friday and Saturday 7:30 to 10:30 PM server raid times, we don't think you should be treated any less. Everyone that makes a contribution to the guild (whether through daily questing, trade materials, feast, flask, etc. donations, dungeon runs, guild chat conversations, etc.) is valued in the guild. 

Jealous Sky. Could you tell us the meaning behind the guild name?

Absolutely. It's two words from an old Sting song, Fields of Gold. The name––like the song––is a very sad and intimate one.  Beauty through melancholy.  Most see the word "jealous" for its negative connotations.  The way it is used in the lyrics of Sting's song and in our guild name is much different.  There are many ways of interpreting Sting's song and by all means, the song isn't the only reason I chose the guild name but it sure was an inspiration.  The sun can be seen as jealous because he is the most prominent being in the sky and the manner in which he rules the skies is what makes the sky jealous and out of this jealousy we get a beautiful skyscape. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, jealous can be defined as:

Zealous or solicitous for the preservation or well-being of something possessed or esteemed; vigilant or careful in guarding

Please refer to this older post, Jealous Sky for more info. 

What time zone are you from?

Though I'm originally from San Diego, California, I have been living and teaching English in South Korea for two years now. I plan to go back home to the US at some point but for now, I will be here for at least one more year. Due to the significant time zone difference, the majority of you may only see me over the weekends during raid nights. The only time you'd be able to catch me online during the weekdays is if you stay up super late. If you have any questions and I am not available, feel free to send me snail mail in-game or ask any of the officers that are online: Karacticus.

Thanks for the chat. Are there any final thoughts you'd like to share with future guild recruits of Jealous Sky?

"Offer me your sword and spells, and I shall bring you victory.  Offer your companionship, and I shall give you loyalty.  Offer your service, and together we shall gain honour. We are Jealous Sky."