Raids are a big deal in World of Warcraft, bringing players together, offering top-tier rewards, and testing your skills to the limit. But for those who are new to the raiding scene, it can all seem daunting and confusing. So today, we're sharing a few tips to help you take your first steps into raids, avoid some common pitfalls, and maximize your chances of success. By the way, when getting raid-ready, you might also find WoW carry and boost services extremely handy: they'll hook you up with the right gear, help you level up quickly, and even provide a pro team to tackle the most challenging content with ease.
Tips for Newbie World of Warcraft Raiders
Start with LFR Runs
If you have little or no raiding experience, LFR mode is a great way to start. Being the lowest raid difficulty, it provides a very relaxed learning environment. LFR is almost identical to Normal mode, with occasional tweaks to mechanics, so it gives you a good idea of what to expect in a raid. The damage dealt by bosses and mobs is relatively low, allowing you to ease into the fight without getting wiped out right away, which is a perfect chance to dip your toes into raiding. Before transitioning from LFR to Normal raids, don't forget to check your Adventurer Guide and compare boss notes to ensure you don't miss any mechanics or abilities.
Gear Up
To queue up for LFR, you'll need to reach a certain gear level. It's designed to give you a more comfortable learning experience, without the risk of getting one-shotted by the first boss attack. Other raid difficulties also have their own ilvl requirements, but they're more implicit: they're not directly stated in the game, but it's assumed that you won't be joining Normal or higher raids with poor equipment as you simply won't survive.
So, you need to gear up before diving in. If it's the beginning of the expansion, the best way to get raid-ready is to grind Heroic dungeons (you can also step up to Mythic if you're comfortable with the difficulty). If you're joining late, gearing up will require doing some quests in the new raid zone that will most definitely be added with the patch. World Quests and Rare spawns will be of help too, and you can also check the Auction House for crafted gear — it's a good option if you're just a few points short of the needed ilvl.
Stock Up on Consumables
In LFR, these supplies probably won't be of much use to you. But on Normal difficulty and higher, they're absolutely vital, boosting your DPS, healing, health, and just overall survivability. Consumables can make a huge difference in a fight, and it's better to get used to using them as soon as possible.
Food buffs disappear when you die, so you'll need to have a decent stock on hand. Pay attention to the food that buffs the most valuable stat for your spec. Overall, we can recommend the Grand Banquet of the Kalu'ak and Lavish Suramar Feast that give good health restoration and other buffs for the whole group. Flasks and Phials provide effects that last around 30-60 minutes and continue to work even if your character dies, so you don't need to reapply them after a wipe. Scan the Auction House for the ones that buff the stat you're lacking or that benefit you most. It's also worth stocking up on Potions, which are usually chosen to match your raiding role, as well as Runes which offer great boosts for your stats.
Use Addons
Addons are a real life-saver, especially for a newbie raider. As a beginner, you can start with a couple of essential addons, and then move on to more advanced ones later. First and foremost, we recommend installing Deadly Boss Mods (DBM). This addon helps you understand raid mechanics by sending you alerts about upcoming casts and spells, along with instructions on how to deal with them. In the chaos of battle, it's an indispensable tool that can make or break the entire run.
Read Boss Guides
Studying boss guides is crucial for understanding raid encounters and being prepared for what's to come. Don't hesitate to read ability and mechanic overviews for each boss and notable mobs before starting your run. You can do this using the in-game Adventurer Guide or on external resources like WowHead, IcyVeins, and others.
Learn Your Class
Apart from studying your enemy, you also need to master your own class. Every class in the game has numerous crucial aspects, including spells, talents, gear, gems/enchants, etc. Take the time to study them all, read guides, and experiment with different builds. And most importantly, remember to play the class you enjoy. Trust us, no meta statistics or recommendations will improve your performance if you simply don't like the class. So, choose a spec that suits you and the role you're willing to play in the raid and master it — that's your key to success!
Keybind Your Abilities
For newcomers, transitioning from mouse clicks to keybinds can be challenging, but once you make the switch, you'll immediately notice a significant difference. Clicking abilities on the screen reduces reaction time and limits your movement a lot while triggering spells and casts by pressing keys is much faster and more convenient. Even better is to invest in an MMO mouse and bind your abilities to its buttons, but this may take some getting used to and may not suit every player. So, start with keybinds on the keyboard, and then you can explore other options later on.
