| WoW Rookie: Raid 101 |
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Tag:Tips, Guilds, Raiding, Guides, WoW Rookie  WoW Rookie is brought to our readers to help our newest players get acclimated to the game. Make sure you send a note to WoW Insider if you have suggestions for what new players need to know. It's been brought to my attention that there are rookies of all levels. Recent columns have covered very basic topics such as instance play, group etiquette, and account security. Once you get to level 70, you'll have several options including solo play, PvP, and instance raiding. Raiding is a major part of the game, but can be somewhat overwhelming at first.
Raid instances vary from ten, twenty, twenty-five, and forty players. These instances are similar to five-person dungeons but require considerably more coordination. Ever player must work in concert to bring down challenging bosses, and they are typically rewarded with excellent gear for their efforts. 10-Man Raids Upper Black Rock Spire Level 60 Karazhan Level 70 Zul'Aman Level 70 20-Man Raids Zul'Gurub Level 60 Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj Level 60 25-Man Raids Battle for Mount Hyjal Level 70 Gruul's Lair Level 70 Magtheridon's Lair Level 70 Serpentshrine Cavern Level 70 The Eye Level 70 Black Temple Level 70 Sunwell Platteau Level 70 40-Man Raids Molten Core Level 60 Onyxia's Lair Level 60 Blackwing Lair Level 60 Temple of Ahn'Qiraj Level 60 Naxxaramas Level 60 Twenty and forty-man raids were popular prior to the Burning Crusade, when the level cap was set to 60. Most of the endgame content you will likely experience will be ten or twenty-five man raids until Wrath of the Lich King is released. Some players still enjoy going back to older raids for nostalgia, experience, and loot. Coming prepared is important when doing instances, but it is doubly important when raiding. Players should at a minimum bring food, water, reagents, and bandages. Mages are often called upon to provide conjured provisions, but you should bring along your own just in case. Player should also bring along necessary potions, elixirs, and flasks. Alchemy is a handy skill to have when raiding. Elixirs are similar to potions with longer lasting effects. They are divided into battle and guardian elixirs. Guardian elixirs do not stack with other guardian elixirs and battle elixirs do not stack with other battle elixirs. Here are some great elixirs for the endgame raiding. Elixir Effect Elixir of Empowerment Decreases the magical resistances of your spell targets by 30 for 1 hour. Guardian Elixir. Elixir of Major Mageblood Regenerate 16 mana per 5 sec for 1 hour. Guardian Elixir. Bloodberry Elixir Increases all Stats by 15 for 2 hrs. This effect only works on the Sunwell Plateau. Elixir of Major Shadow Power Increases shadow spell damage by up to 55 for 1 hour. Elixir of Major Defense Increases armor by 550 for 1 hour. Guardian Elixir. Fel Strength Elixir Increases attack power by 90 and decreases stamina by 10 for 1 hour. Elixir of Ironskin Increases Resilience Rating by 30 for 1 hour. Guardian Elixir. Elixir of Major Agility Increases your Agility by 35 and your critical strike rating by 20 for 1 hour. Elixir of Draenic Wisdom Increases Intellect and Spirit by 30 for 1 hour. Guardian Elixir. Elixir of Major Firepower Increases fire spell damage by up to 55 for 1 hour. Elixir of Major Frost Power Increases frost spell damage by up to 55 for 1 hour. Elixir of Healing Power Increases the effects of healing spells that you cast by up to 50 for 1 hour. Elixir of Major Fortitude Increases maximum health by 250 and restores 10 health every 5 seconds for 1 hour. Guardian Elixir of Major Strength Increases your Strength by 35 for 1 hour. Adept's Elixir Increases spell damage and healing by up to 24 and spell critical strike rating by 24 or Onslaught Elixir Increases attack power by 60 for 1 hour. Flasks are like super elixirs that persist through death. Because Flasks work as both guardian and battle elixirs, only one can be active at any given time. Some of your Flask options include: Flask Effect Flask of Blinding Light Increases spell damage caused by Arcane, Holy and Nature spells by up to 80 for 2 hrs. Flask of Fortification Increases maximum health by 500 and defense rating by 10 for 2 hrs. Flask of Mighty Restoration Increases mana regeneration by 25 mana per 5 seconds for 2 hrs. Flask of Pure Death Increases mana regeneration by 25 mana per 5 seconds for 2 hrs. Flask of Relentless Assault Increases attack power by 120 for 2 hrs Flaskataur's Celestial Brew Increases maximum health by 500 and defense rating by 10 for 2 hrs. Flaskataur's Flask of Flaskocity Increases mana regeneration by 25 mana per 5 seconds for 2 hrs. Flaskataur's Tears Increases mana regeneration by 25 mana per 5 seconds for 2 hrs. Flask of Chromatic Wonder Increases resistance to all schools of magic by 35 and all stats by 18 for 2 hrs. Shattrath Flask of Blinding Light Increases spell damage caused by Arcane, Holy and Nature spells by up to 80 for 2 hrs.* Shattrath Flask of Fortification Increases maximum health by 500 and defense rating by 10 for 2 hrs.* Shattrath Flask of Mighty Restoration Increases mana regeneration by 25 mana per 5 seconds for 2 hrs. * Shattrath Flask of Pure Death Increases spell damage caused by Shadow, Fire and Frost spells by up to 80 for 2 hrs.* Shattrath Flask of Relentless Assault Increases attack power by 120 for 2 hrs.* Shattrath Flask of Supreme Power Increases damage done by magical spells and effects by up to 70 for 2 hrs.* Unstable Flask of the Bandit Increases Agility by 20, attack power by 40, and Stamina by 30 for 2 hrs.** Unstable Flask of the Beast Increases Agility by 20, Strength by 20, and Stamina by 30 for 2 hrs.** Unstable Flask of the Elder Increases Intellect by 20, Stamina by 30, and grants 8 mana per 5 sec. for 2 hrs.** Unstable Flask of the Physician Increases Intellect by 20, Stamina by 30, and healing by up to 44 for 2 hrs.** Unstable Flask of the Soldier Increases critical strike rating by 20, Strength by 20, and Stamina by 30 for 2 hrs.** Unstable Flask of the Sorcerer Increases Intellect by 20, Stamina by 30, and spell damage and healing by up to 23 for 2 hrs.** * Only active in Tempest Keep, Serpentshrine Cavern, Caverns of Time: ** Only works in the Blade's Edge Mountains Plateaus and Gruul's Lair. Communication is the key to raiding. Raid leaders orchestrate the group. It is very important to know your specific role in the raid. Since all players must pull their weight in boss fights, if you have any questions, be sure to ask them before the encounter begins. It's definitely preferable to slow the raid a little by asking questions than to slow it a lot by causing the group to wipe. Most boss fights have tried and true strategies for successful completion. You may be asked to review a fight via web pages or videos by players who have mastered the encounters before. Do not expect to lead raids early on. You will most likely have to learn the fights and raid management by experiencing them first hand before you attempt to call the shots yourself. Don't expect to be invited to instance raids as soon as you reach level 70. You should make sure you have adequate gear and skill for the raid. As you continue through the raid progression, you must improve your gear before you move on. If you want to begin raiding, you should look for a guild with similar interests and goals. Many raiding guilds require applications and trial periods before joining or acquiring full membership. You may occasionally be asked to join a raid outside your guild. This can be a handy way to prove your worth when applying to a guild.  Know your raid's rules for loot distribution. Some raids allow anyone present who needs the gear that drops to roll for it. Dragon Kill Points (DKP)*** is another common method of spreading the wealth. When using this method, players accumulate DKP for each raid they are involved in. Players can trade their DKP for dibs on choice loot. Zero sum, spend all, spend enough, probabilistic, and effective are all methods of DKP scoring. If you're not sure how your raid uses DKP, it's ok to ask.Different loot distribution methods are used to ensure the fairest distribution of gear for players' efforts. Next week's column will give more information about your voice chat options. Most raids will not allow players that do not have their preferred method of communication. *** Although there are relatively few actual Dragon bosses in WoW, the conventional term, DKP, persists from previous MMORPGs.
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