In my opinion LFR has been both a blessing and a curse to this last WoW expansion. I have polarized and rather strong feelings on this one so lets jump right in.
GOOD
It allows everyone to get in and see the content.
It allows those people with time constraints or RL commitments to see something in one hour that may take 2-4 hours normally.
It allows people who are in a smaller guilds, casual guilds, or some other guild configuration that they are happy with, to raid in an otherwise non-raiding environment.
That is awesome. There have been many times in my WoW life that I was not in a position to be able to raid. There were many times I wish I had been able to see a raid while it was current content. That being said, I am a nice person. I will give people loot that need or deserve it over taking it myself. I think that the content is first and foremost there to enjoy, and secondly to advance my character. I believe in teaching others how to play.
I think I am in the minority.
BAD
It allows people to be assholes to a larger population. Some of which may not be aware they are being stepped on.
It allows people to yell at others instead of helping them.
It does not allow people to understand the correct mechanics of the specific raid they are in. It in no way preps someone to be a better raider or to understand the fundamentals of raiding.
It seems to me this content is designed for casual players, yet there is high expectation that those people NOT be casual. This, above all else, floors me.
DISCUSSION
I think it's fine that harder core folks use this as a tool to advance their gear. It makes sense, the content is there and it's easier/faster, and provides a solid jumping off point for moving into regular raid content.
They cannot, however, come in and expect that everyone has the same knowledge. I see people that expect that the non-raiding players be familiar with how to move and how to follow raid-type directions. It's as if the big kids have invaded the kiddie pool and are bullying the little kids out.
Understandably Blizzard cannot teach people how to play. The tutorials provided for general game-play are very helpful but cannot move your minds or your fingers for you. There will always be a group of people in LFR that just don't know what to do, or what to expect. I would believe that over time, as people get into the system more, they will learn the techniques and skills they would need for that level of raiding. I hope in the mean time they don't get scared or frustrated and never return.
Both the pros and cons of the LFR system is why I have avoided it for the most part. I have been through both parts of the DS LFR once, and the first just a couple of times. I find I have a high level of anxiety with it. I don't want to worry about people who don't know, or worry about giving people who don't know a fight bad information. I don't want to be yelled at by others if I forget to do something. In my opinion I have raided DS so little that both those scenarios are enough to keep me out of the Raid Finder.
Unfortunately there is just no way to solve this issue. The content is there and it's open to anyone that meets the criteria. There is no 'how to raid for beginners' tutorial unless you are someone who knows that there is information out there on the web. I hate to break it to you, but I don't think most people know that. There is also no 'how to be a decent human being while raiding with others' tutorial.
So buyer beware. If you go in, be prepared for the uninitiated as well as the total jerks.
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