User:Exothermic/WOTLK raids for noobs

Introduction
Hi, I'm Exo author, of this guide, and have played wow since its release, raiding ZG, MC, KZ and Now Naxx, VoA and ToS.

This guide is intended for those people who have never raided before, and who wish to start on some of the WOTLK content, implimented. The other guide focuses on TBC content and as raid have now been made significantly easier, more people now have the oppertunity.

Basically this means they want to do Naxx. (feel free to butcher and re-arange this page as you see fit)

If you are unsure about the terminology in this guide, or have no idea what a raid is, search the term in the box to the left of the screen.

Before you begin
The common misconception by many people, is that they can go straight from Dinging level 80, join a raid guild and get plunged straight into a fight like Malygos or Patchwerk and down them first time. There are 3 main rules that apply before raiding, or before thinking about raiding.

Ding 80 - simple and easily doable, just get to level 80, no guilds will take a look at you and no PUG's will leave you in a group, simply because its certain your gear isn't good enough.

Gear - the Gearing for raids arcticle is below, but its pretty self explanatory, you cannot raid wearing full 80 greens, or lvl 75 blues, there has to be a degree of gear present.

Specc - again speaks for itself, but particualrly in hybrid classes, you must specify your role, as either tank/healer/dps, do not try to form inter talent hybrids.

Gearing before the raid
Many people assume this, but just for clarity, Heroic's are Pre-raid's.

To get to raid standard, you must first improve your gear, now im not going to go into great detail about gearing for each class, because if you managed to reach 80 you know what sort of gear you need. the gear you got via questing and from rewards and drops till you leveled 80 will suffice for doing NORMAL instances.

Normal instances are your gateway to Heroics, Cos, Hol, Hos, UP and Ocl are all lvl 80 instances, that drop blues for all classes and speccs. Before you start heroics you want to be geared up from these instances. If you are a Grand master in any particualar trade, you can make your own level 80 gear, which is on par with gear from these instances.

getting to heroic standard, usually takes under a week from leveling 80, and if your guild regularly does heroics, you may get a spot with lower gear standards.

Heroic instances are your next step, and from these you are NOT going for particular loot, loot is a bonus, you are going for the emblems. Emblems are spent in Dalaran at your relevant vendors (alliance and horde have different vendors) and can be used to obtain trinkets, neck items, belts, offhand frills, PvP gear, Heirloom items, shields and Librams/idols etc. This sort of gear is hard to obtain in normal instances whereas armour pieces are not. once you have 3 of these items, usually an offhand, a neck and a trinket, you will have done enough heroics, to safely assume you are geared for raids.

Your next step is to get some enchants on your gear, for casters this is often spell power/interlect and for melee, strength and attack power. Unless you have an epic in the slot, dont waste money enchanting your wepon, as these are often the most expensive enchants, and the raid is likely to drain your money as repairs. (particuarly tanks)

Guilds and Raids
Because of the popularity of 10man raids like Kara, Blizz placed more into WOTLK. Now with the population of each realm growing, and Death Knights spawning out of the floor, raids are becoming more and more "doable".

Each realm has its elite guilds, those ones which cleared Naxx 3 days after the expansion came out, and those who spend abnormally long times raiding. Chances are you will never get into those guilds, they are the elite, established from the 1st day of WoW, with a group of closely knit players.

However guilds are a big part of raiding, as they generally have more commited players, and are more considerate when giving out loot. so it is an advantage to you as a raider, if you can get invited.

Joining a raid guild can happen in many ways:

Asked This is the least common way people get into raid guilds - you are asked ingame, after someone has inspected your gear. This happend to my tankadin recently, just stood in Orgimmar, and was asked if i wanted to join a raid guild as off tank. If you are in a "leveling guild" ie, a guild for any level characters 1-80, you will generally stay in that till you get a better offer. The biggest leveling guilds are known on most servers, so people know if you are raid active.

Apply this is the most common way that you will get invited. Nearly all guild have their own wep forum, and if you see a guild you want to join, you can apply online, they will oten ask for you class, specc, and character stats,(most guilds ask for the age of the person playing as well) and possibly armoury search you to confirm. Most guilds are looking for speciffic things, so u may be turned away not due to your gear, but because they have simply to many of that class. (i know for a fact that every single raid guild on my server has stopped accepting Death Knights, for reasons you can imagine)

In game whisper people are rarely recruited this way, as you dont know who you are inviting. but basically people will say something along the lines of "looking for people to join a raid guild" and when u wisper then back, they will probably invite you straight away. These guilds are often newly formed, and contain all the people you want to avoid, usually people who spam, ninja, or got kicked from another guild for stealing from the guild bank etc. these guilds often have low geared players and will not be able to clear Anub'rekan. (of course there are exeptions)

Tips: The majority of guilds on EU realms raid between 18.00-24.00 depending on the people. Only hardcore guilds raid later, sometimes from 15.00 till 3.00

Guilds Will ask you to get ventrillo, so you can communicate during raids, if they have a server you know the guild is serious about raiding.

They will ask your age! ask many of you older players will have found, realms are packed with younger children, who have bed times and playing restrictions, or just lack the ability to play to raid standard. If you are younger than 14 you will have to prove you are a mature and able player. (i'm 17 and people still ask me to prove it - you can show them gear, achivements, or let them run an instance with you so you can prove your ability - this hold particualry true for tanks and healers)

Always raid with guilds if you have the choice, as the loot is not given on a selfish basis, it is given to the person who will benefit the raid most by using it. - bear in mind that the tier 7 tokens are for multi classes, DPS will always be chosen last to have it!! as healers and tanks need the gear more.

Caster items are given to people with good raid knowledge, regardless of damage output. if your lowest dps can avoid the obstacles in a raid, and avoid death, then they are likely to be given the item. HEALERS will be given priority on gear with "spirit" some locks now use spirit thanks to the re-vamp of fel armour, but healers will always be chosen over you.

PUG's
Personally, and every experienced raider will agree. PUG's for raids just dont happen. There is too much messing bout explaining the tactics and checking everyones gear. People will also leave pugs more readily than guild raids, because they dont know any of the players, and there is no incentive to stay.

PUG's disband after 3 wipes - thats the general rule i've discovered, the first wipe is a trial, the 2nd is your first real go... most players who PUG are selfish and only after gear for themselves, so they will leave if they dont see it benefiting them.

(this article requires more information about PUG's and the things to avoid - the author is not very PUG experienced, if anyone care to add some more please do)

Groups and practice
you've got your guild and your gear, now your ready to raid, or are you?

if you have NEVER been in a raid before, not even UBRS (which was considered PUGable at lvl 60) then you need some experience.

Grab your team and run through Kara or ONY, so people can understand the team work required, and the tactics the bosses do. The MECHANICS of a raid are the most important! not the damage output. Experience is the key, so running TBC and Pre-TBC raids to build that raid knowledge is very useful if some of your guild have not raided before.

Group composition will usually depend on the classes online, but a common consensus between players and raid leaders is for 10man:

Main Tank - Prot Warr/ Prot Paladin (druids are cabable but they make better off tanks)

Off Tank - Any class that is Tanking specced and geared (should be different to your Main Tank)

Main Healer - Holy/disc Priest/ Resto Druid (Paladins and shammys are great healers but are often left out of a Main Heal position.

Off/Assistant Healer - Any Specced healing Class with ample spell power and mana.

3rd healer - Same as assistant.

Ranged DPS - Mage - arcane interlect, food table and CC

"" - Lock - Pet buffs, Blood pact or fel inteligence

"" - Hunter/ any ranged Hybrid class Boomkin, Ele shammy etc.

Melee DPS/ Main assist - this job usually falls to a rogue or Plate melee DPS

Melee DPS - Anything from rogues/DK's/Enhancement shammy's etc. (NOT Feral druids - leader of the pack can be obtained from a druid off tank - i have nothing aganst them dpsing, it just they seem to do less than their leather wearing equivalent rogues.

The widley considered "Best" group compisition, considering buffs and damage output, "From tanks to Healers" Warrior, Paladin, Mage, Lock, Rogue, Hunter, Death Knight, Resto Shaman, Resto Druid, Holy/disc Priest.

Starting Naxx
Naxx is now an entry level raid, and is split into 4 quarters, as this guide is for in-experienced players, the only quarter mentioned will be the "easiest" The Arachnid.

Begin by asking everyone to read the Wiki article on Anub'rekan, and make this a priority - then ask your tank and any raid member who isnt sure to visit www.tankspot.com and look for the video on Anub.

If you die on any of the trash in this quarter of naxx, you need to look at your tanks and healers, because there is obviously someone who isn't skilled enough or hasnt got enough stats. if that is the case, dont kick them from the guild or raid, simply tell them that they need to domore Heroics or normal instances before they can raid again. however if this applys to more than one player (dps dosent matter so much) especially healers and tanks, leave the instance, your team is undergeared if you are wiping on the trash, as they suck to be honest, most guilds just aoe them down.

(If any experienced raiders would like to add a few tips for the starter raiders please feel free - bearing in mind this is supposed to apply to WOTLK entry raids)