Of Confidence

One of the things all new raiding guilds have to tackle eventually is player confidence. So far we've run some of naxx and completed OS10 earlier today and, despite both being the easiest endgame raids available, we've had at least two guild members unsure of whether they were good enough to come with us.

Now, although our recruitment and in-game discussions have all been about learning as we go with no pressure on whether or not we succeed, we have members already who seem to be afraid of letting us down. This is a much bigger issue than you might think.

See, either camaraderie or reliability will be the glue that holds any group of raiders together; a lack of confidence is the solvent that makes it fall apart, leaving your raid in a gooey, flammable puddle on the ground. The problem with this is that even the most hardened player's confidence can be quite delicate. Avoiding situations that totally sink a raiders confidence, whether new raiders or veterans, should be paramount to any guild.

The two we've had so far:

• A fury warrior who was hesitant about tanking, and
• A death knight who didn't think (or wasn't sure) that they were good enough.

In the warrior's case, things took a bit of a left turn. Despite being hesitant, he decided to give it a go and was promptly two-shot by Patchwerk. While this is all part of the learning experience of becoming a tank (as any veteran tank will tell you), it was enough to convince the warrior to stick to dps from then on.

In the death knight's case, he whispered me earlier in the day wondering asking if he was good enough to sign up for OS10. I told him that he was, of course (mostly 232 geared), and that we would explain everything while we were there. The death knight excitedly signed up for their first raid, which went perfectly well shortly thereafter.

Can you see the point I'm trying to make?

Even though we're (hopefully) providing the same friendly, positive environment for both players and both tried something new, it had a different affect on the confidence of each.

The death knight is now excited about trying out new raids and has now signed up for the naxx progression runs we've scheduled, but our fury warrior might never try tanking again. Honestly, I think he'll give it another shot after we've gotten a core team together, but if he never does then that's fine too.

Confidence has a direct affect on performance, and not just on the meters either. Confidence can affect whether or not your raiders turn up at all, and in severe cases lead to a silent gquit.

The best way to deal with this is not to attack the problem head on - doing so will only lead to more confidence losses. For instance, you shouldn't say to one of your players "Hey, you tried tanking before and you sucked so listen to me and I'll make you better.".

That approach might work, but it might kill their confidence either immediately or if they wipe a raid after having dutifully studied under your own self-proclaimed divine tutelage. One way or the other they may end up resenting you for what went wrong, or for putting what they feel is too much on their shoulders and then hating themselves because they couldn't live up to what was expected of them.

It sounds terrible and I know it's "just a game", but these are some very realistic outcomes from these scenarios. So how should you deal with it?

Mostly, it depends on your guild's philosphy. For most guilds the best approach is to do nothing directly, continue to encourage your raiders to keep their confidence and enjoyment levels high and simply wait for them to begin to wonder themselves what/if they can do better.

When/if they eventually ask for some guidance, rather than straight out tell them what they should be doing, lead them to the resources that helped you learn what you know today.

For instance, a death knight asks me, a druid, what he can do to be better, I'd guide them to the wowhead.com class forums and show them to the helpful threads section.

Don't say "lol wowhead nub" (though if you're reading this then I don't think you're in much danger of that... but just in case).

Don't tell them that your keys should be bound like this, and you should be specced like this, now press 1-1-2-2-3-3-6-repeat.

A big part of confidence is the pride that comes from learning various aspects of your class yourself, and the improved performance that results once you put what you learned into action. The added bonus is that from that point, they then have the knowledge to help other raiders in much the same fashion.

Confidence is the foundation for all other raid skills and the desire to keep on coming back for more. Don't underestimate the impact it can have, and I guarantee* your raiders will stick around and be a major part of all successes to come.

-Ahz

*Guarantee subject to availability. Any similarities to a genuine guarantee, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Guarantee not valid in conjunction with any other offer, or in Texas for some reason.