Let me start by saying that I completely understand what you are trying to say. I make it a point to master each raid when they are released so I have the opportunity to experience figuring out all the mechanics(debating/theory crafting about the best way to win). Considering your attitude on the situation I applaud your decision to stay out of raid groups. due to the design nature of almost every raid, there are many sections where a player who doesn't know what he/she's doing will not only waste time, but will literally kill everyone else. Everyone in your group shouldn't have to die because you have to much pride to listen. Being informed on a certain mechanic doesn't mean someone is playing the raid for you, it means you have the knowledge PLUS your shooting skills to contribute to the group. I get guys in my group every now and then with this attitude, they don't last long. But again, at least you're not wasting other people's time.

It's not pride. It's just no blasted fun if I don't get to figure anything out for myself.

Believe me, and I say this because I know it, there are many different ways to approach each situation in any raid. I could tell you right down to the micro detail, how to run every situation with every class. If you did step-by-step what I told you to do, you would never die, even if you were low level. However, as a raid leader, I do not micromanage each player. I only give broad stroke directions concerning what needs to happen between players, not what a player does individually. Just curious, have you ever done a raid?

I think you're failing to see where Sols is coming from. The raid can be tricky. Sure, you might be able to head in and figure things out, but it's impossible to complete without a team. And for many, simply trying to "figure out" what needs to be done can be a severe detriment to their participating in the first place. Some folks are just busy. Having that experience on a team can help to calmly and rationally explain "you need to stand here" or "you need to shoot this", which might not necessarily be the easiest thing to figure out.

If your Xbox one. You can hook up with me. I'll let you experience it. Gives me one hell of a chuckle. Then when you need to ask for help. You need to deposit a cookie!

Thanx but I'm not on XBox. I'm a lone wolf anyway.

I mean, that's a crummy way of looking at it, but I understand where you're coming from. Doing a blind raid is SO MUCH FUN, and I'm licking my lips at the next opportunity to do so. But really, with this raid everyone has to do their part, at certain points in the raid losing one person can mean the entire group has to wipe and start the encounter over. Typically, I go over the mechanics of the fight and teach the strategies most commonly used in LFG groups and then say "go." If the group I have is on the weaker side I might point out exactly where enemies spawn and when. (some people really just need their hand held, no matter how many different ways or people explain it.) If I have a stronger group, I explain the key parts and then start it off. There's mechanics to learn, you can spend hours and hours learning it yourself or, you can have more experienced people give you the summary and you can master it in a low social pressure environment. This is an opportunity to give people the latter.

Look: I understand why people who have been thru the Raid umpteen million times already don't want to twiddle their thumbs while they wait on newbies to figure it out. I'm not blaming anyone for that. And for the people who want to be guided, that's a swell offer. It's just that to me it's like reading the Cliff Notes instead of reading the book. Or reading a movie review that gives away the whole plot rather than see the movie. It just doesn't seem like much of an experience to me.