GS vs Vanilla

So I've been keeping a bit of an eye on the various posts around the blogosphere in recent weeks regarding gear score and achieve checks and such, and I just can't help but to throw my own 2 copper out there. Maybe I've missed some critical opinions out there somewhere, but it seems to me that nobody has specifically mentioned the pain in the ass that is associated with getting into most PUG raids on anybody other than a main. Maybe my server is being more harsh on requirements than others who have posted. Maybe I'm just being ignorant. The point is that I raid on my main with my guild. I don't PUG with him. I do have plenty of other 80s that I have worked through heroic fives and such, and that I would like to take into PUG raids. However, pretty much all raids that I've tried to get into while hanging around Dal have some darn steep requirements. Generally 5500+ for ToC 10 or 25 and 6000+ for any ICC. And of course they all want you to link your achieves showing you've been there. So...how am I going to have scores that require gear from those raids and achieves that require I've been through such and such wing if I can't get into a raid in the first place? Which leads me to the title of this post. I am reminded very much of my time back in Vanilla dealing with the daily /facepalm cycle of you can't raid without experience and you can't get the experience because nobody will let you raid. Which is why my buddy and I started our guild as explained in previous posts here. I had honestly buried the painful memories of those times fairly successfully, but dealing with gear score nazis has brought it all crashing back to the forefront. And I know some of you are thinking I should just start up my own PUG raid, but I'm just not that person. I'm good at knowing my role and following orders. I'm good at troubleshooting and recognizing problems. I'm horrible at leading. It's that simple. I know myself well enough to realize that having to be the leader in a PUG setting would immediately take all the joy of doing the raid right out of me. I'm also honestly amazed at the complete recalcitrance of others who are looking for more when you are just a wee bit short of their GS requirement even if you talk to them about how this is your umpteeth 80 and you're more than familiar with all of ToC and most of ICC and you'll do whatever you need to and they still just throw up a GS/achieve wall anyway. Their loss is about the only reasonable response I can have at this point I guess.

One interesting thing that all this frustration has resulted in is my creation of a couple of new toons on a different server just to get away and cool off sometimes. I started up a pally just cuz I've always loved (and hated) them and a rogue because it's the one class I've never really tried to get down. This little side project has also given me a throwback to Vanilla moment. I had completely forgotten how...difficult...it can be to be completely without resources to draw on. I mean, sweet Elune it's hard to power quest when you've only got your one starting backpack and barely enough funds to train each level. And don't get me started on not being able to pretty much immediately have all the mats I need on hand to jack a couple of professions right up. The crazy thing is that I've had quite a bit of fun just having to juggle space and struggle to get my blacksmithing to a level that makes it useful to my toon's level. Right now I'm getting pretty excited to take the rogue into Deadmines. I almost have everything lined up questwise and I honestly don't know how long it's been since the last time I went in there on a level appropriate toon. Refreshing! Anyway, can't think of much else to talk about for the moment...

Later daze~ Bero