Just ding'd 80 thinking it would be a swift ride from now on, but soon found yourself not sure where to start from to get into raiding scene?
This might be the guide just for YOU
Howdy, my name is Silent. I am in no way the BEST player or the BEST raider, but I think of myself as a good "pathfinder" and experienced player.
This guide will give you a general direction of how to get into raiding scene as a casual/hard core player.
It also might help you become a better raider if you are already in a raiding scene.
This will cover even the slightest little basic thing I myself was also confused about when I first started raiding in WoW.
Hope you find it useful, and let's get into it.
Reminders & List of Raids
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- You can only attend a raid ONCE a week. When you kill a boss or trigger an important event within the raid or instance, you will be given a specific raid ID for a week and will be "locked" into that raid ID. Let's for instance, say, I killed a boss in Naxxramas and was given an ID 1234567. You will be holding on to this ID until the server "reset-day" and you will not be able to attend any other raids except for this raid with specific ID, 1234567. Your friend killed a boss in Naxxramas too in different group and he has an ID 999999. Then, he cannot join your group nor can you join his.
- However, let's say, you do not have any ID for Naxxramas and your friend needs you in his group which already killed a boss. In this case, when you run inside Naxxramas, you will be prompted with a question asking "If you will accept this raid ID". If you say no, you will be teleported to the nearest graveyard. If you say yes, you will be locked into your friend's raid ID.
- 10 men and 25 men raids DO NOT share the same raid ID. Let's say, you killed a boss in Naxxramas 10 men and have no ID in Naxxramas 25 men and your friend needs you for his Naxxramas 25 men which already killed a boss. In this case, you will be able to join his raid after you accept his raid ID.
These are the "actual" raids meaning they take quite a lot of time with multiple bosses that require every individuals to understand the basic flaw of tactics and fight overall. Depending on the gearlevel of the raid group, the difficulty of raid will significantly differ. Number 1 is the easiest raid as the fresh new player, gearwise.
- Naxxramas [Naxx] - 15 Encounters
- Ulduar [Ulduar] - 14 Encounters
- Trial of the Crusader [TOC] / Trial of the Grand Crusader (Heroic Version of Trial of the Crusaders) [TOGC] - 5 Encounters
- Icecrown Citadel [ICC] - 12 Encounters
- Ruby Sanctum [RS] - 4 Encounters
These are the more casual raids than the ones above. The order is in no particular manner on this one.
- Obsidian Sanctum [OS] - 1 to 4 Encounters depending on how many mini-drakes your group will kill before Sartharion
- Vault of Archavon [VOA] - 4 Encounters
- Onyxia's Lair [Onyxia] - 1 Encounter
- Eye of Eternity [EoE] - 1 Encounter
Where they at?
http://i.imgur.com/7jNvABn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VTMojXj.jpg
How to locate Obsidian Sanctum
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http://i.imgur.com/tu5ZOkH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/phUCJtt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3icQTH2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/X4iKf8n.jpg
Read down in Lore section why Ruby Sanctum entrance has broken portal ring.
At the end, there will be some explanations about the raids / lores and etc.(Under Raid Descriptions)
Emblems / Currencies
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The emblems is a type of currency that is used to exchange for items or goods from friendly NPCs. There are mainly 2 Emblems to keep in mind for current state of Icecrown (3.3.5).
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=49426 is an emblem with the highest value in 3.3.5. It can be used to buy; ICC level gears / Relentless Gladiator sets / http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=49908.
It can be obtained from:
- 2x / bosses in Icecrown Citadel
- 1x / mini-boss in Ruby Sanctum
- 3x / Halion in Ruby Sanctum
- Quests in Frozen Halls [Only once] *
- Quests in Ruby Sanctum [Only once] **
- 5x / Weekly Quests ***
- 2x / daily Random Heroic Dungeons
- 2x / Toravon the Ice Warder in Vault of Archavon
It will take A LOT of time to obtain these to purchase items you need / want if you are on a fresh toon, so don't be worried.
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=47241 is what comes next. It can be used to buy : TOC or lower level gears / Furious Gladiator sets
It can be obtained from (some values are not listed as I wasn't sure);
- All bosses in any WotLK level raids (since 3.3) except for those that reward Frost emblems.
- All Heroic Dungeon bosses.
- All Frozen Halls bosses
- 5x / Weekly Quests
- 2x / Random Heroic Dungeons (After you are rewarded 2x Frost Emblems, you will be rewarded with Emblem of Triumph instead.)
* Quests in Frozen Halls
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This is a quest that leads into 3 dungeons in Frozen Halls located right next to Icecrown Citadel. These are "catch-up" dungeons designed to help new players get into Icecrown Citadel faster without needing to grind through Naxxramas - Ulduar - TOC. These will be the main dungeons where you will get your gears from.
To enter these dungeons, you will need to have quests in your quest log or have them completed. This chain quest starts from Dalaran.
For Horde :
http://i.imgur.com/PSDLsQo.jpg
For Alliance :
http://i.imgur.com/22kLeFP.jpg
They are usually in each faction side's bank, but if you cannot find them, they should be somewhere near your faction's side in Dalaran. They are sometimes in the bank also.
** Quests in Ruby Sanctum
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This quest rewards you with 5 EoF (value might be wrong) upon completion. For deeper lore and explanation, refer to another section below. TL;DR, Ruby Sanctum is being assaulted by Twilight Dragons and needs Heroes of Azeroth's help ASAP.
Quest starts at Rhonin in Dalaran. Link : http://www.wowhead.com/quest=26012/trouble-at-wyrmrest
*** Weekly Quests
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To help new players catch up to Icecrown Citadel level gears as soon as possible like Frozen Halls dungeons, Weekly Quests will reward you with 5 EoF and EoT upon completion. As the name suggests, these can be done only once in a week. Quests will vary every week, but someone else with "easier" weekly quest can share it to you if you do not have any active Weekly Quests.
http://i.imgur.com/cNygQU8.jpg
Location where to ACCEPT and TURN IN Weekly Quests.
Few Questions about Raiding
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Q : I want to raid but I feel like I might embarrass myself because of my low performance / lack of knowledge.
A : PLEASE don't be! Everyone has their first time on anything. I remember myself being kicked / removed from SO MANY RAIDS that I stopped counting at some point. But, never be intimidated because you got kicked. What is important is that you are gaining experience (or gears, if lucky enough) by experiencing all the different things. Over time, you will know which raid has a high chance of success and which type of raid leaders has a good leading skills.
Q : I want to heal, but I feel like I might wipe the raid because I have never healed before / don't know how to raid heal.
A : Regardless of raid size, there will be healer(s) assisting you. In 10 men, there will be 2 healers including you and in 25 men, 5 others including you. Usually if you are new in healing, 10 men will feel very challenging as you are given more responsibility (50-50 responsibility) compared to 25 men (20 per healer or 25 per healer if 4 heals.) For practice, there is no better place than an actual 25 men raid environment. Ice Watcher in VOA will teach you how to heal the raid AND the tank which is awesome for practice. Remember, don't be intimidated!
Q : I want to tank, but I don't know how to. :/
A : Take it easy and start from 5 men dungeons. Unlike healer, you have to start from a group with smaller scale because regardless of the raid size, there will be only 1 / 2 or 3 tanks with almost equal responsibilities on all of them. Go on to Warmane Class forum of your class, look for a tanking guide. Read through some tips and tricks and bind your spells correctly. Try practicing how to hold strong aggro on a single mob. If there's a DPS with extremely insane gearscore in your party, don't feel bad that you cannot hold aggro against him; it's not your fault! If you believe you are good with 5 men group, move on to 10 men and to 25 men. Again, don't be intimidated!
Q : MY DPS IS **** OMG.
A : Calm down and don't be worried. It is very normal that your DPS will be **** when you are completely fresh. Go on to Warmane Class forum of your class, look for a DPS guide. See if you have your talents, glyph-s, and rotations like the guide teaches you. BUT REMEMBER, these "guides" are NOT BIBLE; meaning, they are NOT 100% correct. Some might be out-dated or there will be a better way of playing that spec that no one knows yet (which is pretty unlikely considering this expansion is about 7 years old). Try to find a way of style that fits you yet is efficient at the same time.
Professions
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Professions are exactly what you want to MAXIMIZE your output. I won't go into all technical about professions as I am no expert in any of the professions either. I will
List of professions and benefits :
- Gathering Professions
- Herbalism : It will give you a spell that grants you certain amount of HP over-time. It scales with your maximum HP. (3 minute CD)
- Mining : +60 Stamina (Passive. value might be wrong. correction welcomed!)
- Skinning : +40 Crit Rating
- Crafting Professions
- Engineering
- Tanks : +45 Stamina (Head), +885 Armor (Hands), Nitro Boots
- DPS : +340 Haste for 12 seconds (1 minute CD) (Hands), Nitro Boots, Parachute (+23 Agility or +27 Spell Power)
- Healer : +340 Haste for 12 seconds (1 minute CD) (Hands), Nitro Boots, Parachute (+27 Spell Power), Free Mana Potion \' -'/- Tailoring
- DPS : +400 Attack Power / +295 Spell Power
- Healer : +400 Mana Chance / Cast, +295 Spell Power- Leatherworking
- Tanks : +102 Stamina (Bracer)
- DPS : +75 Spell Power / +130 Attack Power (Bracer)
- Healer : +76 Spell Power (Bracer)- Blacksmithing
- 2 extra Jewel sockets for Bracer and Hands- Alchemy
- Fake Flask :D (Flask of the North)
- Double the Flask duration (MONEYYYYYYYYYYYY) and roughly +30% on its effects.
- Mad Alchemist's Potion (Really underestimated way of retrieving mana. With Mixology in effect, it will give you 5k Mana; that's almost an innervate.- Enchanting
- Tanks : +60 Stamina (2x Rings)
- DPS : +46 Spell Power / +80 Attack Power (2x Rings)
- Healer : +46 Spell Power (2x Rings)- Jewelcrafting
- 3 Improved Dragon's Eye gems. Too lazy to calculate how much extra stats you gain but roughly around 30% extra.- Inscription
- Never tried. Don't know the benefits.
But honestly, the benefits from all the professions are ABOUT THE SAME in my personal opinion (excluding gathering professions), you gain around +80 AP, +60 Stamina, or +40 SP. If I have to recommend, I would say ENGINEERING and TAILORING.
Nitro boots is something that is just too good to be ignored in raiding scene. When you forgot to move away from certain mechanics, you can pop Nitro Boots and move quickly, saving your life. You can even pop it to kite the boss, saving you from death situation as a tank (with significant DPS loss...) A CONTROLLABLE +340 Haste / Minute is also something that is hard to ignore. Not only Engineering is the only profession that grants Haste, but also it can be controlled; meaning, you can pop it when you WANT. That's HUGE.
Tailoring is just my personal preferences as it doesn't cost so much materials with decent proc rate. I wouldn't go for MP5 enchant, however, unless you are a disc priest. I rather go for MP5 enchants on disc just to have a FLAT spell power for controlled Ratpure proc. I guess it is personal preferences.
Where to find a raid?
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Okay, now you are set and ready to go to raid! But... how?
The raids can usually be found in GLOBAL chat. If you are still not in global chat, you can simply type "/join global" to join and simply "/leave global" to leave whenever you want.
Usually the ones that are related to raid starts with the phrase LFM.
LFM stands for "Looking For Member". Usually it will state the type of raid, size, classes he/she is looking for and required achievements.
e.g.)
LFM ICC 10 HC 1 HEALER (holy paly) 6K + ONLY - LINK AOTC GUL'DAN OR NO INVITE.
*inside joke*
If you wish to join this raid, you would whisper the leader (the one that advertised) stating your gearscore, class, spec and achievement. Normally if you don't get invite or reply in less than a minute, it is a No. It is not a good idea to keep on spamming the person "INVITE? INVITE? INVITE?" because you will end up in his/her ignore list which is not good.
9 times out of 10, ICC/RS raids will ask you to link the achievement. Achievement for bosses/instances is the semi-definite proof that shows the raid leader/whomever that you are an experienced player for that encounter. But beware, since some players might have the achievement but have no idea how to play their classes or encounter overall.
For instance, this is the achievement you get upon defeat of Halion - Ruby Sanctum:
http://i.imgur.com/0c9mf7r.png
This is the "proof" that you have done this fight at least once which will increase the chance of you getting into the raid. Some raid leaders will just straight up not even respond if you don't link any achievements, which will be very tough for fresh players as there is no way to get the achievement if they are unable to go into the raid at all.
Something more serious - Guild
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After awhile of doing pugs (raiding from Global chat), you are so sick and tired of doing raids with random people who have 0 sense of how to play this game. You want to look for a group of other people to play this game as you do. Guild is what you need.
There are many guilds in Icecrown that will surely fit you in some sort of way. Guilds can be found from Global Chat or Warmane Forum (http://forum.warmane.com/forumdisplay.php?f=270).
Those in 1st page of forum are VERY serious end-game only raiding guilds, so they won't be suitable for fresh players. If you can't find any, you can always look for a guild by chatting in global or forum. You can simply introduce yourself saying you are a fresh player trying to get into raiding and there surely will be home for you. :)
Sick and Tired of Default UI - Addons
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At some point, you will know the limitation of just using default Blizzard UI while raiding. They are pretty inefficient as you will have to look from corner to corner to check your procs, debuffs on target and etc.
Here are some addons that might be helpful for you. Links updated! These links are managed by myself via Google Drive instead of just giving you random link that might not work later on. If any of them doesn't work, let me know.
Proc Tracking
- SurgeTrack : This is the simplest proc tracking addon that can easily be configured. Install and good to go! I would highly recommend for those who are fresh in addons.
- Cheese : This needs a slight knowledge in opening Lua file to edit some lines to configure to your taste, but is a CPU&Memory friendly addon that will show Cataclysm Visual proc alerter.
- TellMeWhen : Improved and more customizable SurgeTrack. Would recommend for those who have experienced SurgeTrack and ready to use something more and better.
- WeakAura for 3.3.5 : A better version of PowerAura. It was backported for 3.3.5 usage by a user. Link can be found in Warmane Forum somewhere. Absolute CPU-hog if you track many different auras at once. Recommend for those with good CPUs and basic understanding about coding. (if-else conditionals should be enough.)
Boss Mods
These addons help you doing the encounters!
- DBM : DeadlyBossMods. Most well-known mod. It does its job. CPU-hog.
- DXE : Deus Vox Encounters. My favorite. It wasn't working on old core and haven't tried it since then. Would love to give it a go and see how it is!
- Bigwigs : My 2nd favorite. Easily customizable. CPU-light (almost none). Alerts are less spammy than DBM which is good and bad at the same time.
DPS / HPS meter / Aggro meter
- Skada : Recommended. Shows Absorb+Healing done and compromises less CPU then Recount.
- Recount : Does the same job as Skada!
- Omen : Aggro meter for tanks / DPS.
Miscellaneous
- ElvUI : Complete replacement of default Blizz UI. Easily and HIGHLY customizable! Simplistic/Minimalistic. This is how my UI looks like with ElvUI.
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- LUI : Also a complete replacement of default Blizz UI. Less customizable and an ABSOLUTE CPU-hog. Beautiful design.
NOTE : LUI has different way of installing addons. You must replace the ENTIRE Interface folder. Simply comment out your current Interface folder by putting "back-up" at the end, and move the entire thing you extract from the link to WoW folder.
- MSBT : Replacement of default Blizz Scrolling UI. Medium CPU-hog, but this is the only good scrolling battletext out there.
- OmniCC - Shows Cooldown texts above the spell icon! It is compatible with almost all other addons that put any kind of icons on the screen. (TellMeWhen, for exmaple).
- PallyPower - Essential addon for Paladins. Helps you buff the raid faster and efficiently!
Note : Google Drive has pretty slow download, so it might take some time.
Raid Lores
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This will provide you a GLIMPSE into the raid only. This is by no means an absolute guide/tutorial to these raids.
Naxxramas
http://i.imgur.com/JVOIXDx.jpg
Location : Dragonblight
Encounters : 15
Recommened iLvl : 190(10), 200(25)
It is a very easy raid that doesn't have intense tactics on most of the encounters. It is made up of 4 quarters that can be cleared in different orders and when all 4 are cleared, the final 5th quarter with Sapphiron and Kel'Thuzad will open up. After 3.3 patch, players can access Sapphiron and Kel'Thuzad quarter without clearing the entire raid instance. There is no Heroic mode on Naxxramas.
Titles that can be gained from this instance : The Undying [10] / The Immortal [25] , Conqueror of Naxxramas [Realm First Naxxramas]
Ulduar
http://i.imgur.com/HNNr1ab.jpg
Location : The Storm Peak
Encounters : 14
Recommended iLvl : 200(10), 220(25)
2nd raid in WotLK. The concept of "Hard Mode" was introduced. In order to trigger "Hard Mode", players had to trigger a specific event every bosses. Some bosses didn't have Hard Mode, however. It was designed so that when the 4 primary bosses were defeated on Hard Mode, an extra bonus boss was unlocked named Algalon the Observer.
Quick Lore
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Quick Lore : After Titans defeated Old Gods, they realized that the death of Old Gods would result in the death of Azeroth itself. Titans decided to imprison Old Gods and build some creatures (vrykuls, mecha gnomes, earthen) to guard the prisons. The prison for Yogg'Saron was Ulduar and 4 guardians were Freya, Hodir, Mimiron and Thorim. However, Yogg'Saron cursed all these creatures with something called "Curse of Flesh" which turned their bodies made out of metals and rocks into human-like flesh. This is the origin of all races in Azeroth (Vrykul -> Human, Mecha Gnomes -> Gnomes, Earthen -> Dwarves OR Troggs (Corrupted version is troggs)). Anyways, Yogg'Saron managed to corrupt all 4 guardians and smash everything he wants to smash. That's why Heroes of Azeorth comes in to play.
Upon defeat of all guardians in Hard Mode, players are notified that Algalon the Observer who is a representative of Titans has come to Ulduar to measure the seriousness of corruption in Azeroth. Of course, in his eyes, all these humans, dwarves, and gnomes running around is nothing but corruption because, ultimately it is the result from Curse of Flesh by Yogg'Saron. Players are given 1 hour to stop Algalon or he will send Code Alpha, which means planetary reorigination of Azeroth. In Halls of Lightening, players were notified that "planetary reorigination" means taking everything into particle level, turning them into basic elements; fire, earth, wind and water.
When defeated, Algalon says he is amazed by the courage of heroes of Azeroth and proceeds to hand over Code Delta (all good) to PLAYERS to bring it to the highest place in Azeroth (Dalaran). Why didn't he do it himself? I don't know.
Titles that can be gained from this instance : Conqueror of Ulduar, Starcaller, The Astral Walker, Death's Demise [Realm First Yogg'Saron +0g], Celestial Defender [Realm First Algalon]
Trial of the Crusader
http://i.imgur.com/yKB5jpc.jpg
Location : North East of Icecrown
Encounters : 5
Recommended iLvl : 220(10), 240(25)
3rd raid of WotLK. Release of TOC meant immediate demise of Ulduar as it was MUCH faster with MUCH better loots. First introduction of Heroic Mode that required better iLvl / DPS / HPS / Gamesense. Probably most common raids in global with almost no requirements necessary. (Around 5k gs and you are good to go!)
Quick Lore
Spoiler:Show
You are being tested by Tirion Foldring if you and your friends are worthy enough to battle The Lich King in Icecrown Citadel.
spoiler : Arthas comes in surprise.
Titles that can be gained from this instance : The Argent Defender, Grand Crusader [Realm First TOGC 50 Attempts]
Icecrown Citadel
http://i.imgur.com/bjPAfBF.jpg
Location : Icecrown
Encounters : 12
Recommended iLvl : 240(10), 250(25)
4th and last MAIN raid of WotLK. One of the most remembered raids of all time. First introduction of dynamic raiding. (Able to change between normal and heroic inside the instance) The end of father-killing-depraved-edgy-manchild.
w..WAT R U DOIN MI SON?
SUCCEDING YOU, DADI.
No lores needed.
Titles that can be gained from this instance : the Kingslayer, Bane of the Fallen King, The Light of Dawn
Ruby Sanctum
Location : Icecrown
Encounters : 4
Recommened iLvl : 250(10), 260(25)
Final raid of WotLK that announces the imminent arrival of Deathwing in Cataclysm. There really is nothing special about this raid besides Halion having 1 billion HP on 25 Heroic Mode which is insane.
Quick Lores
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Destruction of Obisidan Sanctum raised anger of Black dragons. They united with Twilight dragons (created artificially via black magic in Grim Batol) and invaded Red dragons' sanctum; Ruby Sanctum. That's why the "ring" is broken on the screenshot.
Halion is the "leader" who is probably still the biggest twilight dragon in WotLK. He uses both Shadow and Fire magic reminding players that he is a twilight dragon.
If you find any information terribly wrong or off, let me know in the comments down below. Will fix asap.
If you have any questions, comment down below also. Anyone would be more than happy to assist you.
Updates
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March 21.2017
- Written
- Added Download links for all listed addons.
- Added note regarding LUI installation
- Added PallyPower to list of addons.
