I just wanted to compile some "best practices" when using LFG to find a group to successfully complete the raid. If you have a clan or group of guys that you complete the raid with every week, then this isn't for you. This is more for guys like myself that team up with randoms on LFG 99.9% of the time in hopes to get the raid done. If there is anything I missed, please feel free to comment below. I will try to put these in order of importance. 1. Gear/Light Level Make sure you have the gear to contribute. You don't need Outbreak Prime, Dark Drinker, or any special weapons to contribute and get the raid done. With that being said, at the very least bring a good primary(I have used all types with success), a sniper rifle, and gjallarhorn. You can get a good enough primary and sniper at the tower. If you haven't done the gjallarhorn quest, then get it done. It really isn't hard. Make sure you are at the recommended light level to contribute. If your light level is too low, you will do minimal to no damage to enemies and will most likely spend most of your time in the "Guardian Down" screen. Light level isn't everything and you don't have to be at max light level, but at least be the recommended light level for the raid you want to do. These are the most important things to do to have success in the raid, so if you don't have the proper gear and are below light level requirement, then take care of this first. I know it sucks, but running strikes will get you infuseable gear up to 385. The higher you can get your light level the better, but at the minimum you want to be around 370 for normal mode and 380 for hard mode. I kid you not, I once had a guy join my raid group to do hard mode kings fall will no clue on what to do and will nothing but blue gear. Don't be that guy and take a few hours to equip yourself to get the raid done. 2. Be Honest/Own up to your mistakes If you haven't done the raid before or are unclear on how to complete a certain part then speak up and be honest. Get instructions before starting. I can't tell you how many times I have wiped on a certain part of a raid because an objective doesn't get met or the same guy gets killed over and over and over again. Don't be that guy. Constant failure will usually end up in getting the offender getting kicked from the fireteam or will just cause people to start dropping out. Also If you mess up just admit it. I joined a group at Aksis stage 1 yesterday and right off the bat I screwed up. I just screwed up my jump and jumped off the map. I called myself out and we completed it the very next time and Aksis 2 on the first attempt. I have been in groups where people die and blame others for their deaths. Don't do that. If someone is causing you to die then just be civil about it. Usually once your fireteam starts being negative it quickly gets out of hand and leads to people dropping out. 3. No kids I have seen this many times in the description line of LFG and although I don't agree with it, I do understand it. I have raided with many good players that were young and I know that this doesn't apply to all "kids", but most are a pain to raid with. They just cannot shut up for more than 2 seconds. Constant talking, usually about nonsense, it can get very frustrating especially if the team keeps failing. If you are a "kid" and want to have success getting the raid done, then stop with the unnecessary talking. I was raiding with a group of kids this week and one of them kept talking about the best weapons to use in the raid and giving instructions on what we should be doing. It was ridiculous because he kept dying and he was giving these instructions while dead staring at his ghost. 4. Start Your Own Fireteam If want to experience the raid for the first time or expect to fail numerous times because of lack of experience then make your own post on LFG. Don't hesitate to mention your expectations in the description. There is no shame in being a newby and wanting to take your time learning the raid without being called out, but it is better to be in control of the situation and start your own fireteam, than to join somebody else's and prevent them from completing the raid because you need time to learn the mechanics. 5. Know What to Do This is another thing that you will often see in the description section of LFG posts. If you don't want to waste your time learning and getting a fireteam of newby's together, then do some research before starting the raid. Before attempting the raid I watched a few videos to help understand each boss fight. Sometimes this isn't enough and you will still need additional info, but you can at least come prepared with at least the concept of each fight. 6. Understand LFG Language When looking for a raid group on LFG there are certain key words you can look for in the description of the post that can clue you in on the type of team you are joining. This is important to know and can save you a lot of time. See the following list: "Chill group"/"Looking for Chill group" - In other words this group will mostly be compiled of newbs. They want you to be chill and to expect wipes. This type of group is good for learning parts of the raid, but don't expect to get it done in a reasonable amount of time. Most likely you won't get it done at all. Join this type of group to learn. I joined this type of group early on to learn the Aksis 1 and 2 fights. It was a good learning experience because I got to spend a few hours learning the mechanics of the fight, getting good with the cannons, rotations, etc. Now I avoid this type of group unless I want to help newbs. "Must be light level 400"/"Have challenge emblem"/"Will get kicked if..." - Avoid these groups like the plague. Not worth the stress. Usually filled with guys that are gods gift to raiding. Sometimes these posts are created by guys hoping to get carried themselves. "Must have Dark Drinker etc." - Usually guys with not much exp. that think you need these weapons to get the raid done. They help but they aren't required. Usually these types of guys will want to control your loadouts and class setups. Usually these guys think they are better than they really are. "Must be experienced" "Must be light level 390+" - These are usually groups that I try to join. Groups that are not expected to be carried and guys that can hold there own. 7. Get Raids Done ASAP - I find that I am less likely to find a good raid group the longer I wait after the weekly reset. I have had the most success finding good groups of LFG on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. After that and it is pretty much hit or miss. Most likely this is because the serious raiders are getting the raids done ASAP and the rest are waiting until they have time which is usually on the weekends. Try to get raids done as early after reset as possible. **This should have been one of the first tips on this list, but please have a mic. Nobody wants to guess if dancing or pointing means you are empowered left, right, or mid. I will update this post if I think of anything else. Hopefully this helps some of you have more success with finding quality groups on LFG and getting the raid done.