Technically, a group becomes a raid when it’s converted to a raid group through the Raid tab in the Social window. This allowed for up to 40 people, divided into eight teams of five, to join your raid group. When you’re a member of a raid, you can’t complete most quests that aren’t specified Raid Quests.
Many of the concepts you’ve learned in groups prior to raiding are used in raid groups. Generally, a good group member can be a great raid member without much trouble.
Getting 40 people to work together is not easy task for anyone. If you’re going to be a raider, you always have to remember that there are 39 other people in the same group with you. Always be respectful, helpful, and attentive. The raid leader is in charge, listen to them and ask question when you need to.
TYPES OF RAIDS
PUG RAID
Pickup Group raids are formed using the LookingForGroup/World Chat channel or by a few different groups of people getting together. Most pickup raids go to Blackrock Spire (Upper), the first instance that requires a raid group (up to 10 people) in it. Sometimes, pickup raid may clear the 20-man instances, Zul’Gurub and Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, but slighter bigger raids can be rare because it quite challenging and requires good coordination and planning.
PLANNED RAID
The second type of raid, and the type I am going to focus on, is a well-organized 40-man raid. Most of the time, 40-man raids take place within a guild or in combination with allied guilds. The guild usually has enough members of all the proper classes to fill 40-man raid on at least 2-3 nights per week. These are scheduled, everyone gets together in a big raid group, and they dive into whatever instance is on the plate.
GETTING INTO RAID GROUPS
On each server there is usually at least one group of people that are not in the same guild but organize 40-man raids on a weekly basis. The best way to find groups like this is to check the Server Forums on the Official Server Webpage. There should be a thread that has a list of raiding groups and guilds with information on joining each of them for the mature servers.
But, for the majority of people, if you want to start raiding, you have to join a raiding guild (or, less commonly, turn your current guild into a raiding guild). Getting into a raiding guild can be challenging. The best advice is to find a guild that raids Molten Core and needs your class. You don’t want to go right for guilds clearing Ahn’Qiraj and Blackwing Lair; they’re probably full and, since they’re well-established, get to pick and choose the people they recruit carefully. You want a guild that is clearing 20-man instances and Molten Core. Check the Server Forums for information on guilds that are recruiting on your server.
[YES, OFFICER]
[You can talk to guilds directly about joining, but you have to do one very important thing: always speak with an officer. Guild officers are there for a reason. They’re usually able to help you much more then another member who might not be up to date on what their recruiting policies are.]
BEING A GOOD RAIDER
so, you got into a raiding group/guild and you’re ready for your first raid. Now what?
[PRE-RAID CHECKLIST]
- Stock all spell reagents; bring extras!
- Refresh your potion supply and get any special potions needed out of the bank (such as Fire Resistance, Nature Resistance, etc.).
- Bring any relevant resist gear.
- Repair everything, including items in your inventory that you aren’t wearing.
- Make sure you have all the special items you may need such as Aqual Quintessence, Gurubashi Mojo madness, or any special encounter-specific equipment you have.
Being a good raider really isn’t all that difficult. You have to focus on the task at hand and play your class well. Most of the time, anything specific that needs to be done (or needs to be avoided) will be communicated on the voice chat or in the Raid Channel. Always listen to the raid leaders and do what they tell you to do.
Watch the other members of your class and see what they do. There are probably some very experienced raiders around. If you’re totally clueless on what you need to do for a certain boss or pull, ask a fellow member of your class or one of the raid leaders. It’s better to make sure you’re doing the right thing instead of guessing and doing the wrong thing. There are some fights where a single person making a mistake can wipe the entire raid.
Pay attention, focusing on the job at hand, and doing you best to play your class well are the most important qualities of a good raider.
There is one last thing to say about being a good raid member: be willing to listen to criticism and learn from your mistakes or from other more experienced players. Nobody shows up for their first raid knowing everything there is to know about how to play their class in raid groups. Everyone has to relearn their role in 40-man raids. You should always be improving as you gain experience raiding.