Viridian

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Heyho o/

Since we had so few participants, we've decided to reopen the Screenshot Reenactment Challenge to give everyone some more time to still hand in their screenshots  Those of you that did already participate will receive a small prize for making it in time, but the final winners will be determined at the end. So there are still prizes to be won!  

The Challenge will stay open until October 31st, 2017 at 11.59 pm CET.

Cheers!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our final screenshot for Saturday, October 21st, 2017:

Pink Day in LA

This thread will automatically lock itself on Monday, October 23rd, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our seventh screenshot for Friday, October 20th, 2017 (you will need the Springer mount, but High Vault isn't required):

Hide & Seek in the Guild Hall

This thread will automatically lock itself on Sunday, October 22nd, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our sixth screenshot for Thursday, October 19th, 2017:

World Bosses

This thread will automatically lock itself on Saturday, October 21st, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our fifth screenshot for Wednesday, October 18th, 2017:

Heart of Thorns

This thread will automatically lock itself on Friday, October 20th, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our fourth screenshot for Tuesday, October 17th, 2017:

Halloween

This thread will automatically lock itself on Thursday, October 19th, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our third screenshot for Monday, October 16th, 2017:

Naked Triple Trouble

This thread will automatically lock itself on Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our second screenshot for Sunday, October 15th, 2017:

Belcher's Bluff

This thread will automatically lock itself on Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Hey everyone!

During the Community Week and Pink Day in LA celebrations we will post one screenshot every day! Once it is posted, you have roughly 48 hours time to find the location and recreate not only the screenshot, but also whatever the persons in it are doing! Each screenshot will have a theme corresponding to an event happening on that day. Best / most creative approximation wins! 

Here are the rules:

• The locations can be on any map, including Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps
• The locations are accessible by running, jumping or gliding (no leaps, Griffon mounts or other tricks required)
• Cheap tonics or bundle items that can be obtained through the trading post or from vendors in the world may be used
• Character race / class matching is not a requirement, a 100% match can score you points, but original solutions will also be rewarded!

And here is our first screenshot for Saturday, October 14th, 2017:

The Waddle

This thread will automatically lock itself on Monday, October 16th, 2017 at 11:59 pm CEST. Be sure to post your reenacted screenshots before that time!

Have fun!

Unfortunately yes  You can however register as a raider via our main page here and either try to find a group through our Discord, or join one of our scheduled raids  

Congratulations to this awesome Xera first kill ... she apparently just saw us and gave up  

From left to right: @Shadowfox, @Mirclus, @Miteg, @Karry, @DiRaven, @Viridian, @Gamerd, @Klevi, @Excelion, @Nasurelin 

'Cause we had a ton of time left, we went for Sabetha the Saboteur. She resisted slightly longer, but we got her in the end  With Last Cannon! 

Thanks everyone 

Heyho!

If I understood correctly you don't actually want to get into raiding, but just want to unlock the masteries? If so, we can organize this outside of our regular schedule, as the Siege the Stronghold encounter (Escort) should indeed not take too much time, even if you haven't tried it before. That is why we usually only schedule that encounter in combination with others. If you folks are interested, please send me a private message so we can try to find a day and time and see what professions we'd need. This way would probably be best, because otherwise we can't guarantee you'll end up in the same raid squad.  

Cheers!

Woohoo \o/ We managed to clear Cairn Challenge Mode! Congratulations to @Tawni, @Avalon, @Tossino, @Mirclus, @Onyx and @Klevi  

From left to right: @Karry, @Tawni, @Avalon, @Viridian, @Lacie, @Tossino, @Excelion, @Mirclus, @Onyx and @Klevi 

Because we had time left, we cleared the rest of the Bastion of the Penitent. Congratulations to @Tossino for her first Deimos kill  

From left to right: @Klevi, @Excelion, @Lacie, @Avalon, @Viridian, @Onyx, @Tawni, @Karry, @Mirclus and @Tossino.

Thanks to everyone for a fun evening 

Congratulation for the first Vale Guardian and some first raid kills  

Thanks to @Gimliguy, @DiRaven, @Meowington5, @Rev, @Xell, @anxnox, @Táda, @Miteg and @Karry for the fun 

Hey Raiders o/

to complement the possibilities our Raid Schedule offers, we have created an alternative way of joining raids for those of you that are looking for a more steady raid opportunity. If you are interested, you can find all the information below 

Jump to: Advantages of Static Groups | Organization of Static Groups | Requirements for Joining | How to Sign Up

OC Static Raid Groups

Our scheduled raids are very focused on training specific encounters. They provide the opportunity to practice usually one encounter and have the goal to enable the participating raiders to eventually reliably clear that one encounter. But what happens afterwards? For raiders that are looking to frequently clear the encounters they have trained or that want some more advanced training, our schedule doesn’t have much to offer. While it is an option to try to find teammates through Discord or LFG, many players do not enjoy raiding with pick-up groups and sooner or later a lot of them wish to be a part of a more static group with familiar members. It isn’t easy to find like-minded raiders that can all regularly make it at the same time, but we believe that for many raiders being part of a static group provides a more satisfying, relaxed and ultimately more fun raid experience.

Our static groups are not necessarily intended to be permanent but rather provide the environment for more consistent training over the duration of an initially limited number of weeks. Although we would be very happy if the group afterwards decided to stay together, this depends very much on the wishes and preferences of each individual member and cannot be guaranteed. For groups that want to continue raiding together, we offer assistance in forming a permanent static group after the initial training. In any case, static groups do offer several advantages over scheduled raids.

Advantages of Static Groups

Static groups...

• ...offer a secure spot in a raid group.

  As a member of a static group, raiders never need to worry about being accepted into a scheduled raid or about finding a group for a specific encounter on LFG. They have a secure spot in the raid group.

• ...allow raiders to focus on the encounters they want to train, independently of the Raid Team’s schedule.

  There are a lot of different encounters and only limited spots on our raid schedule. When we schedule a raid, we assume that it will be useful for someone, but sometimes raiders have to wait for a long time to get the opportunity to train exactly the encounter they need. In a static group, the focus is on the group and its members, so we will train the encounters the group chooses or needs.

• ...provide an environment which facilitates training of special tasks.

  In many encounters there are special tasks that need to be taken care of, like tanking, kiting, or otherwise dealing with mechanics in special ways. Some of those can be learned fairly fast and we try to train them in our scheduled raids. However, others require considerably more practice time and those are then usually handled by members of the Raid Team. In static groups raiders have both the security of raiding with trusted and supportive teammates and the time required to tackle those special tasks.

• ...provide the possibility to discuss and develop tactics, that are different from the standard approach to encounters.

  In our scheduled raids our raid leaders choose the tactical approach to encounters that is most frequently used in pick-up groups and thus requires the least amount of teamwork. Static groups can experiment with different tactics and try to find their own way to clear encounters that takes the individual group member's preferences and their possibility to work together into consideration.

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Organization of Static Groups

Static groups will initially be organized much like scheduled raids with one raid leader and one raid assistant and will be established in one to three phases, depending on the wishes of the participants. To help with organization and communication, each group will be given its own private channel on the OC Raids Discord.

1. Training (8 weeks)

   The first phase should generally take eight weeks. There will be one raid per week, but members can still additionally join regular scheduled raids should they wish to. During this time a raid leader and an assistant will be part of the group. The goals for this phase are to make sure that...

   • …all key mechanics can be handled successfully by the members of the group.
   • ...all special tasks, like tanking or kiting, are handled by the members of the group.
   • ...the amount of commanding/mechanic calls the group needs is reduced as much as possible.
   • ...the Raid Team members hold positions that are easily replaceable.

   If after the scheduled period of time the group wishes to prolong this phase, the raid leader may decide to do so at their discretion. Latest at the end of this phase the group needs to decide whether they would like to continue raiding together or whether they want to leave. There is no obligation to go on, and the decision is up to each member individually.

2. Becoming self-sufficient (6 weeks)

   Should the group wish to carry on they will eventually need to become self-sufficient and independent of assistance from the Raid Team. To achieve this, the raid leader will leave and an additional player needs to be incorporated into the group. Unless the group already has a player in mind to replace the raid leader, we will provide assistance in finding someone. The raid assistant will remain in the group to help with the transition, but will at the same time take a less active and more observant role. The previous raid leader will still be available for advice, should it be needed. This second phase should generally take six weeks.

   Notes:

   • If the group already is fairly self-sufficient and feels confident to be able to go on without any assistance, this phase can be skipped.
   • It is the raid leader’s task to scout for a member of the group that will be able to lead the group and will be accepted by the group before leaving.
   • Should only a part of the group wish to continue, we will assist in finding replacements for the group members that are leaving. We can, however, not guarantee that this will be successful.

3. Autonomy

   If the group wishes to continue, the raid assistant will leave and the group will have to induct a new member again. They can make use of the Discord channel and still ask Raid Team members for advice, including inviting team members to a raid, for example to figure out if there is something that could be improved on, to troubleshoot problems, or to help train a new encounter. But essentially the group will be completely independent of the Raid Team.

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Requirements for Joining

1. Experience Level

   Static groups are generally not intended for absolute beginners, but for players that have already seen some, not necessarily all, encounters. When signing up to a static group, raiders will need to answer some questions in order to determine their experience level, which will hopefully allow us to gather a reasonably evenly matched group.

   Note: We trust all applicants to tell the truth in regard to their prior experience and will never ask for Legendary Insights or Kill Proof. However, should we later discover that this trust wasn’t deserved, we reserve the right to remove a person from a static group should this be in the group’s best interest and in accordance with the other group member’s wishes.

2. Mindset

   Static groups require slightly more of the individual members, especially a willingness to commit to the group. Particularly, participants need to be prepared to...

   • ...commit to being reliably available at a specific date and time over a longer period of time.

     Members in static groups are not easy to replace, especially not if they have been assigned a special task, like tanking. Having to take along a random replacement too often defeats the purpose of a static group. Raiders should be absolutely sure, that they can make it in essence each and every time -- missing out on a raid should be an extremely rare occurrence.

   • ...if necessary stick to one profession for a longer period of time.

     Some professions shouldn’t be switched around too much, as they require more time to be learned and it would hamper a group’s overall progress to have those change hands too often, especially while the group is still in training.

     Additionally, raiders should always keep in mind that every time they get bored of playing a specific profession and want to switch, someone else will also have to switch. That player might not be happy about it even if they do comply. If a raider knows they get easily bored of their role or profession, they should sign up as a damage dealer (DPS), as this role allows for most freedom of choice in regard to professions and builds.

   • ...if necessary gear up and learn to play additional professions, depending on the group’s needs.

     Some special tasks at specific encounters are easier taken care of, if the character handling them has specific gear. Similarly, some encounters require specific types of damage dealers in the group, like condition-based damage dealers at Vale Guardian, while same damage dealers wouldn’t be desired when attempting Keep Construct. In a scheduled raid, we would avoid taking raiders that are only able to play condition-based damage dealers to Keep Construct. However, in a static group, all positions need to be filled by always the same 10 members, and this makes it more likely that players will have to switch roles or characters for different encounters.

   • ...assist other members of the group in training special tasks.

     Special tasks are for example pushing the Construct Core at Keep Construct or kiting the Soul Feast (pink hands) at Deimos, but also taking up the role of the tank at encounters that require it. Some of these tasks take longer to learn and raiders need to be willing to support and stick with the teammates needing this additional time, even when they themselves don’t have that much to gain from the training anymore. It will pay off in the end to have group members that are good at performing these tasks.

   • ...be patient with less experienced players.

     Although we will try our best to find evenly matched players, there will always be more and less experienced group members. As some players often additionally raid outside of static groups while others don’t, this difference in experience might not entirely go away with time. More experienced players need to accept this and be patient with and supportive of less experienced group members. This especially includes giving less experienced players the opportunity to learn handling special mechanics, should they wish to.

   Special Note: Members of raid groups do not compete with each other, they form a team that should be working towards the common goal of beating an encounter. Trusting your teammates is especially important in static groups that might stay together for a long time. Members should both strive to be someone others can rely on and trust, as well as trusting others. This applies both to trusting each other not to dismiss difficulties someone admits to as well as trusting each other to fulfill the tasks that have been assigned to a group member without the necessity to exert control that wasn’t asked for.

Note: Applicants are not required to have participated in scheduled raids prior to signing up to static groups.

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How to Sign Up

We currently aren’t organizing a new static group, but we expect to do so soon. There will be a notification in this thread and on the OC Raids Discord, when we open signups for the next group. In the meantime, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact any member of the Raid Team directly.

Cheers o/

No experience is needed. We have different types of raids for different experience levels. If you haven't raided before, I recommend you to join an introduction raid as everything will be explained on those runs 

Yes, it's where the friend list is at the bottom right when you are in the game. When you hover over it you get an extra button labeled "Communities".

Diablo III really is an awesome game! I usually play it a lot whenever a new season starts  

I joined too <3