How do you feel about cross realm raiding?

I’ll admit it — raiding isn’t really my forte anymore. The “break” I took after Mists of Pandaria never really resulted in a return to raiding. Most of that is simply due to a lack of time. When I took my break, I found other things to do in the spaces previously occupied with raiding. In the process, I discovered I actually like having a little free time to myself. I mean, I wasn’t raiding more than three nights a week in Mists, so it wasn’t exactly a ton of time. But having those three nights free for other stuff has been too nice to pass up.

However, raiding has changed since then. You can raid cross realm now, all the way up to Mythic Antorus with the latest hotfixes. If I really wanted to stick my toe back in, all I’d have to do is look in the group finder. No time commitment beyond an evening, just a sampling of raid experience. And yet…I don’t really find myself drawn to the idea. I’m not sure why. I think honestly it has to do with my raiding history. I’ve been raiding since all the way back in vanilla, starting with 39 other people in Molten Core, six nights a week. Yes, six.

Raiding wasn’t just about the time commitment back then — it was about the bond you built with all those other people. Yes, we were all in it for the boss kills and the loot, but there was a social connection involved, too. The raid guilds I was in — and I was in several over time — were like family. Really weird, diverse family from all over the world. Jumping from that to something like a random group just doesn’t feel…right. Not to me, anyway.

So maybe my raiding days are behind me now — but I’m kind of okay with that. I’m curious about you guys, though. Do you raid with a raiding guild, or through group finder? Or heck, do you just stick to LFR and call it a day?  Do you dedicate time to raiding, or is it something you do in your spare time? And are you planning on doing Mythic Antorus now that the option is available?