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RAID BASICS
Intro
The explanations below are designed for both new and veteran players who want to grasp how raids typically function and the reasoning behind the encounters.
They are also formatted specifically for raid leaders to easily copy and announce. If you're leading a raid, remember the LESS IS MORE philosophy.
Most bosses in the game can be explained in just three sentences or less. If anyone has questions, direct them to one of the guild leaders so they can understand how we plan to tackle the xyz boss.
As a raid leader, avoid over-explaining each fight; it can take away from the enjoyment of the game and lead to raid fatigue.
You’re not required to memorize all mechanics, also much of it is likely already ingrained in your mind.
If you're uncertain about something, you should definitely check the helpful notes below.
As a side note, remember that the reason we play games is to have fun; raiding should never feel like a job, and I certainly won’t treat it that way.
If at any point you feel overwhelmed or that things are becoming too much, don’t hesitate to talk to an officer—we’re here to help. The goal is to enjoy ourselves, folks!
RAID MECHANICS FOR NOOBS
Below are some common raid habits that everyone should definitely pay attention to.
These are common gameplay situations or events that you’re expected to follow during raids.
A raid leader isn’t going to, nor should they be expected to, guide players on how to play the game every single time these situations arise.
If you don’t have a role...
No worries, just chill, vibe, and stand on the mark you’ve been assigned. Hit the targets you’re instructed to hit. If you need to do something, your name will be called out specifically, and the task will be clearly assigned. Don’t assume you need to take action just because you can or want to.
Another player is mind controlled...
Crowd control that player! Don’t tab target and dot them, don’t attack them, just CC and move on. This applies to all instances of MC in the game. If you don’t have a CC, don’t target the MC'd player.
The mob is casting...
Interrupt/Silence/Kick that cast! If you’ve been informed that the mob can cast something, it means you should have the energy/rage/mana ready to interrupt that cast at a moment’s notice. Sure, there are some casts you can’t kick, but always try to kick if you can. Specifically, healing or AoE nukes should be your top priority to stop, even over DPS. Cancel your current action to kick.
The mob is hurting squishy people...
Put a shield on and hit that taunt button! If you’re a taunt-capable class and see a mob attacking the healer, taunting it off will be way more effective than just focusing on your personal DPS.
You don’t know where to stand...
Stack on the ranged symbol or stack on the melee symbol. When we say stack, we mean stand directly on the symbol, not just nearby!
When we say "Stop DPS"...
We mean stop DPS! It doesn't mean "just ease up on the DPS a bit"; it means halt your casting and take your fingers off that keyboard! There's always a reason behind this call. And just to be clear, it still means no putting dots on the target.
As for the raid leader and their callouts...
The raid leader is usually in charge because they know the raid inside and out and are the ones making the callouts. We really don’t need three people repeating the same thing! Even if you feel a bit frustrated, just type it in chat or bring it up after the fact. Nothing is worse than hearing the same message four times at once, making it hard for those who really need to hear it. Also, remember that certain folks are assigned specific callouts; they know who they are. If you’re unsure, it’s probably not you.
Now, let’s talk about tab targeting—it’s just not great!...
Tab targeting might work in trash fights, but in boss fights, it can lead to wipes. You should never have to tab target during a boss fight; focus on the target you’ve been instructed to attack.
And finally, read before you ask!
This space is designed to answer all the common raiding questions you might have. Please check here first before asking in the raid about what we’re doing. It really helps keep the raid flowing smoothly, allowing the raid leader to keep things moving while you read the info in these channels as you head towards a boss or buff up.
MARKERS IN RAIDS
It's important to remember that raid leaders are, unfortunately, just human, which means they can make mistakes. Sometimes, they might accidentally jumble their words, so if you notice any confusion between what’s been said and what’s in the raid, don’t hesitate to speak up!
Auxiliary refers to a non-standard player role. This is often assigned to DPS warriors or druids to step in for specific pulls that need extra tanks.
Skull
This is the priority target and also the mark for the main tank.
Cross
This indicates the secondary target and is the mark for the second tank.
Square
This is the tertiary target and the mark for the third tank. It’s also used to indicate sheep/banish; this will be clearly stated if crowd control (CC) is necessary, and the person responsible for this will be named out loud.
Moon
In higher-level raids, like Naxx and AQ40, there’s often a need for more than three tanks, making Moon the fourth tank target. It also signifies sheep/banish, similar to Square, and will be explicitly called out with the assigned person named vocally.
Triangle
This is the hunter pull target and auxiliary tank mark. The designated puller is already assigned, so if you’re unsure who it is, it’s definitely not you!
Diamond
This mark indicates a tank or a positional location in the raid (for example, it will be on one of the tanks or the raid leader for standing positions).
Circle
This mark is used to signify a tank or positional location in the raid and is sometimes utilized on very large pulls as an auxiliary tank mark.
Star
This mark indicates a tank or positional location in the raid and is also sometimes used on very large pulls as an auxiliary tank mark.
Please keep in mind that this is the standard practice in our guild, but during a raid, there may be times when it’s called to stack on a specific mark. Always follow the instructions given by the current raid leader!
GROUPING
This topic can often stir up some lively debates among various guilds or players. Since buffs in vanilla are shared across the party, the makeup of the group can significantly influence the potential performance of different players and classes. At Heads, we strive to function on a rotational system to prevent any single melee or caster group from becoming the 'chosen one.' This approach promotes fairness and helps to reduce the confirmation bias that can occur when those with all the buffs consistently deal the most damage.
Another guideline to keep in mind is to avoid stacking the same specs in a single group whenever possible. For instance, having 2 warriors in one group while leaving another physical damage group without any is definitely not ideal for the raid as a whole. Similarly, placing 2 shamans in the same party is rarely the best choice.
Specifically for shamans, they need to be aware of which air totem they should drop based on their group's composition. Enhancement shamans will typically be dropping Grace of Air for their group in about 90% of scenarios, while Resto or Elemental shamans often go for Windfury or Tranquil Air.
This serves as a general guideline for creating effective group compositions.
Tank squad
1 Shaman + 4 extras
Each tank will dish out their own unique buff (for instance, a paladin will grant themselves devotion while a warrior will shout out Battle Shout for themselves).
However, Tank Shamans can provide their own totem buffs but can still gain a little extra from another shaman in their party.
For those nail-bitingly tough battles, a warlock with an improved imp can join the tank crew to deliver a hefty health boost.
Physical damage crew
1 Warrior, 1 Enhancement shaman, 1 Marksman Hunter, 1 Feral druid, 1 Extra
This setup often yields the best average power boost for the raid. In this case, dropping the Agility totem is more beneficial than the WF from the shaman.
If you have 2H users, you might want to consider forming a separate group for them with a resto shaman dropping Windfury Totem. Be sure to stack 2H weapon characters together
For example: Having multiple ret paladins in this squad.
Spell damage squad
1 Shaman (not enhancement), 1 Balance druid, 1 Atiesh wielder (check who’s got one)
Tranquil air provides a significant increase to damage output capability if the caster group is threat limited. This often happens with warlocks and often is a better way of increasing the raids overall damage than putting a shaman in a melee group (depending on total raid comp)
Healing squad
Avoid defining a group unless there are Smite priests in the raid or Restoration Druids around.
Smite priests shine brightest when teamed up with a Holy Paladin sporting Sanctity Aura.
If you have several Smite priests, they can be grouped together. However, if a Resto Druid is in the mix, it’s usually more beneficial for the raid to boost another healer's output rather than granting the Priests Sanctity. This becomes especially crucial when healer numbers are low or overall healing is lacking.
Moreover, healers might need to be distributed throughout the raid based on the specific encounter (for instance, to provide resist auras from paladins or to spam Prayer of Healing from priests).
BUFFS
The below is a relatively exhaustive list of classes and what they can provide to their party. This is NOT the bible on how you have to organize groups. Something to note regarding the tank group. Tanking needs are often a higher priority however only so far as making sure they have enough buffs to survive and hold threat. Stacking a MT group is not the best usage of raid resources unless absolutely necessary if they are already easily ahead on threat or surviving fine.
Druid
Each form provides a unique buff;
Balance enhances spell crit.
Feral boosts physical crit.
Restoration amplifies healing power.
Hunter
Marksman grants an AP buff, while all specs can offer a Nature resist aspect.
Mage
Unfortunately, they can't provide any buffs to the party.
Paladin
Devotion Aura boosts armour.
Concentration aura helps with pushback resistance.
Sanctity Aura (if talented) increases holy damage.
Can provide resistance auras against shadow, fire, arcane spells.
Priest
Discipline can cast Enlighten on one party member to boost their output.
Shadow can heal their team through their own damage.
Rogue
Subtlety provides a physical critical strike buff (expected to be the only one).
They can also enhance the entire party's damage output by 15% on cooldown.
Shaman
All shamans can drop totems: Windfury | Grace of Air | Tranquil Air Strength of Earth | Stoneskin | Tremor Poison Cleansing | Disease Cleansing Resist totems. Enhancement has tanking and improved melee totems. Any of these can benefit their group, but only one of each type can be active at a time.
^ Shamans placement in a raid can often be contentious because of previous over-favouring of the impact of WF totem on warriors output.(Which stemmed from Classic servers and the World Buff meta) This has not been the case since Twow removed world buffs & made Tranquility stack with Blessing of Salvation. It is also doubly not the case since WF has now been nerfed.
Warlock
Can summon their Imp for a variety of buffs.
Warrior
Offers a (melee) AP boost.
INTRO
Raids for Noobs
Raid Markers
Managing Groups
Party Buffs
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