Today I speak of raiding, specifically as it pertains to guild groups. Some of the points I make would apply to PUG groups too, I suppose and certain things might pertain to LFR. But it is really raiding, with the same team, that I consider.

Maybe you are someone who has been raiding for years. Maybe you are someone who is thinking about raiding. In either case, before the next expansion, ask yourself these questions.

1) You have to follow someone else's time schedule. Maybe it is Monday-Tuesday-Thursday from 8-11. Maybe it is some other schedule. But there is a schedule.

And you are expected to be there regularly.

Are you sure that is how you want your free time locked down?

Will your friends, family or work have issues with that?

2) You will have a new boss. He/She is called the raid leader. That might be the guild master. That might be the main tank. Or it could be someone else. Maybe they are kind, gentle and understanding. Or maybe they are an Onyxia screamer. (Moar Dots!) A lot of your happiness is going to be linked to this person.

Do you really want to have a new boss?

Do you really have any idea what this person is like?

3) Hours of preparation time. In the old days, maybe you would make some pots or food pre raid. That was about it. Today, you still have to do that but you also have to study. It is like preparing for an exam. You will probably have to print out fight descriptions. You will also, certainly, have to watch fight videos (Fatboss). And if you have not, you can be sure, the boss mentioned in number 2 above is going to turn into that Onyxia screamer.

Do you really want to study and work to have fun?

4) Add ons, Add ons, and more add ons. There will be the mandatory voice server, these days discord rules the roost. But different sites seem to come in and out of fashion over the years. And there will be the mandatory add ons required by your guild (DMB) and a variety of others depending on the whims of the raid leader. You will need to install them, understand them and of course use them. If you are a healer, how you heal and decurse are generally determined by your add ons. Before you know it, your interface is going to make the controls for a fighter jet look simple.

Do you really want to have to deal with all these add ons?

5) Get ready to be judged. If you fail a mechanic, tattle-tail add ons used by the raid leader and others will call you out. If your dps or healing is not "top 10%" and certainly if it is sub 50% you are going to be singled out. Maybe they will give you "remediation" of some sort. Maybe they will just take away your raid spot. And of course maybe they will call you names or mock you-all this information is public these days.

Do you really want to be judged by people you don't even really know?

6) And all of this time and effort, pain and suffering, studying and working and being judged is for loot. And with the exceptions of pets, titals and mounts all of that fine loot will be vendored, if not after the next tier comes out then after the next expansion.

Do you really want to do all of this for the reward you are given?

Unless you answer yes to all of these questions you might want to consider doing other things in game other than raiding.

TLDR: Time schedule, new boss, hours of preparation, add ons and constantly being judged and graded all for some loot you will soon vendor. Sounds like fun! Think before you decide to start raiding with a guild or regular group.