Once your character has hit level 70 and has done its fair share of instances and heroic instances, the natural order of progression is to do ‘Raids’. Raids simply, are instances with mobs inside of a higher difficulty level and thus require more people and a lot more preparation to complete them successfully. The rewards are far greater though, and the bosses will always drop epic quality loot and even rare patterns.
Raids are great fun for all players to participate in but can appear a little daunting for newer players. This guide should prepare new raiders for their first raid and enable them to experience new content in the game.
Preparing to raid
Before you can start raiding it is necessary to equip your character with the best armour and weapons available to them. Farm the required instances, favouring heroic ones for the best drops. Allakhazam has a great database of all items in the game meaning you can see which bosses drop the best loot for you.
You should also consider joining a raiding guild, while occasionally you may be able to join a random created raid group, being in a guild will allow you to raid more frequently. Most guilds use a dkp system where you ‘earn’ dkp by participating in a raid, which you can then use to ‘buy’ the items that drop. If you are not already in a guild then take a look at the guilds your friends or fellow party mates are in and consider applying.
Complete any attunements you need to enter the raid instances. Karazhan, the first level 70 raid instance requires The Masters Key to enter it. Wow wiki provides a simple guide to completing this quest chain.
Your first raid
Before your first raid ensure you have a stack of relevant buff food for your class. Also purchase or create flasks or elixirs that will boost your stats during the raid. Make sure your armour is fully repaired and you have enough soul shards/reagents/poisons to last the entire raid. Ensure you are logged on and at the arranged meeting point before the raid is scheduled to start.
Most guilds use voice chat programs such as ventrilo or teamspeak to communicate during the raid, even if you do not own a microphone it is still very important that you install the software and are logged on so you can hear your raid leaders instructions.
Many guilds prefer to use raid add-ons during raids. Check with your guild which add-ons are used and install and master them prior to the raid.
Ensure you understand your guilds looting rules fully before you raid. Most guilds will provide a guide to their particular loot rules on their website or forums. If in doubt, ask a fellow guild mate to clarify.
Check the internet and research the instance you are about to raid. There are many helpful guides created and YouTube often hosts videos of guilds showing their strategies on key bosses. Some bosses require high resistance to a particular school of magic and it is vital that you know this beforehand so you can equip the correct armour and have the necessary consumables with you.
During the raid
It is important that you remain focused during the raid, ensure that you are not going to be interrupted and turn off any distractions around you. At the start of the raid make sure you cast all your necessary buffs on all raid members and rebuff throughout the raid as and when required. Listen to your raid leaders instructions and follow them. Ensure you know what your targets are and don’t be afraid to double check if you are uncertain.
Make sure you can stay for the full length of the raid. Guilds usually post the end time of the raid on their website or forum, but you can always ask the raid leader what time the raid is scheduled to end
Keep yourself buffed by using the consumables you brought with you and help out fellow members if they run out of theirs.
Unless you are a tank do not pull a mob unless instructed and be aware of your aggro gain, using your threat reduction spells/trinkets as necessary.
If you are crowd controlling, be vigilant about your target, ensure your mob doesn’t get loose and start attacking raid members. Recast your spells unless instructed not to by the raid leader.
Try not to leave your computer during the raid. If it is necessary to go ‘afk’ then tell the raid that you are doing so and whisper the raid leader first to explain.
If you are fighting a new boss then explain this to the raid group and ask them for advice on any tactics. Make sure you fully understand the strategy the guild use before the encounter begins.
If loot drops that you need for your character ensure you follow your groups looting rules. If in doubt, then ask. If another character needs it more than you, consider passing to them to aid the entire guild.
Top tips for being a good raider
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Know your class
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Always turn up prepared
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Help other members
- Be patient (progress takes time)
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Research the instance
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Be polite to other raiders
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Be helpful (If you found a useful guide, share it!)
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Good luck raiding and have fun!
