Training for Raids

I got to looking and realized nobody really talks about raids. They do them, but that’s about it. Let’s see if we can’t raise the education bar a little bit.

This post is going to point out something painfully obvious and almost never used. Raiding is not reserved to the top. Every instance from Sunken Temple and down can be run as a raid. In fact, in Azeroth only BRD, DM, Strat and Scholo are ineligible for raiding parties.

I’ll take a moment to point out that there are really only two differences between raiding Scarlet Monastery and 5-manning (partying) it. That’s quests – if you have a quest, raid won’t let you finish it. (Some exceptions exist, these are irrelevant at this time.) All that Phat Loot? yummm.

This fact brings two separate but critical issues into play. First… if you’re raising a character – you’re level 20, for example, running around with some other 20s – there is absolutely no reason other than numbers of bodies to avoid RFK. Yes, everything is going to be kind of tough – it’s meant for 24-29 and Charlga (for one) is a 34 elite — difficult for a 5-man of 29s. But if you’re in your low 20s and there are TEN of you, it’s doable. And you will develop incredible experience in preparation for the times you HAVE to raid. Kara in Outland, if nothing else.

The only way to learn how to raid is to raid. It’s almost like “just a bigger five-man”, but there are some tricks and frustrations and, well, you’ll get there (besides, I have more posts coming).

I said there were two critical issues. The other one is directed at the higher levels. Fools, many of us. We finally get to Kara, maybe some of us did a raid of UBRS or ZF  ZG or AQ, but there are a lot of first-time raiders and even what there are haven’t worked together.

Why jump into the deep end off the bat? (Hey, lower levels — that RFK run I mentioned? Don’t do it first – pay attention). Raids are possible with pugs (heavily overgeared, or wonderfully talented), but if you think a 5-man is bad, a PuG raid is epic-worthy. And I’m not talking Glorious, I’m talking epic disasters – the kind of thing that brings tears (of laughter or otherwise) for years to come, and not just to the participants. Leroy Jenkins wasn’t a PuG raider but you can get a hint… Anyway, the point is… If you’ve assembled your 10-man for Kara, take a run through ZG. Or UBRS, or AQ(20). If you’re those previously mentioned level low-20s, warm up by hitting SFK – or VC (Van Cleef, endboss of DeadMines – so you don’t wonder if DM is that or Dire Maul) or WC.

By hitting this lower level, you can discover oopses of organization and timing and it won’t lead to a wipe right off the bat. You can see if everyone understands loot rules. You can get some idea of whether your current communications plan is good or needs tweaked. Heck, you can even see how good your reference is (if you haven’t run it before).

For most of the players running a raid and running a 5-man is pretty much the same. But “pretty much” and “completely” are wildly different animals, and what was recoverable in one can be a wipe in the other. And letting your leaders learn to distinguish the difference – whether you plan to or not – can make all the difference between single-dropping and 4-tries “gotta quit” boss fights — be the boss the Crone or the Curator.

~ by Kirk on August 29, 2007.