Another Top World Of Warcraft Raiding Guild Closes Up Shop

After four expansions of triumph, Paragon steps out of World of Warcraft’s raiding scene…and possibly the game.

Another sad day for those who follow World of Warcraft raiding. After the dissolution of Method last year (and reformation into a reconstituted Method, and new guild Serenity), many were looking forward to a renewed race between Method, Serenity, and the Finnish guild Paragon. Unfortunately, new guilds will have to step it up in Legion, as Paragon is no more as of today.

According to a posting on their website, Paragon has struggled for awhile now to fill their roster with strong Finnish raiders. Though they considered going international, but as GM Seita put it:

"We have decided to stop raiding which obviously means we will not be a part of the world first race in Legion. In the end it came between going international, playing with suboptimal Finnish roster or quitting. For a while I was seriously considering going the international route, but in the end decided it was not worth the trouble for me. This question has been looming over our heads for a long time as it has always been a challenge to get a solid Finnish 20-25man roster together and this time there was no 10man option to bail us out."

Paragon dominated much of the Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm expansions, and completely swept Mists of Pandaria with 10-man World Firsts for every raid, including Throne of Thunder’s secret boss, Ra-Den. After a victory over Imperator Mar’gok to open Warlords of Draenor, they took second to Method on both tier bosses–Warlord Blackhand and Archimonde.

Here’s my personal favorite, vs. Imperator Mar’gok (skip to 14:18 for the extra Mythic phase!):

I’m sad to see Paragon go–they had some of the best kill videos, and their play was enjoyable to watch. Right now it doesn’t sound like they have any plans to reform, though we’re sure to see a few of their players end up in other WoW raiding guilds (and possibly in Overwatch, according to the post). Best of luck to Paragon, and best of luck to those guilds who rise to take their place in the international rankings.