Raiding is an aspect of World of Warcraft which is quite complex and taken by different people at different levels. I thought it would be reasonable to post on how to be a good raider.
Some people raid as if it were a sport; for world, region and realm firsts and to be recognized as the best at their chosen game. Others raid to increase the power of their characters; predominantly focused on gear and achievements. Others still raid for the sake of being with their friends and/or guildies and find fun in downing bosses and helping the people they enjoy playing with.
I would place ourselves in the latter category for this guild and this is something to keep in mind while reading this post. The level of fun I experience while raiding with the guild, be it progression, the weekly raid or even gearing others alts, surpasses that of any other aspect of the game. The focus of this post will therefore how to be a good raider to the people you raid with.
The two most important things to raiding are being prepared and being efficient.
Be Prepared
Being sufficiently prepared is a crucial factor in determining how enjoyable your raids are. If all members are prepared then the raid will go much more smoothly.
In raiding terms, being prepared includes:
•Researching your chosen class, spec and role and understanding the fundamentals of raiding as this class/spec/role
•Practicing your chosen role in heroics/pugs to know how to use and apply your knowledge
•Creating a UI which actually allows you to play to your best ability (read: Blizzard UI fails)
•Having required addons installed and updated (e.g. DBM, Skada or recount, pali power)
•Ensuring you have a computer and network connection that are sufficient (good latency, no lag)
•Setting up Vent so that you are clear when you speak and not overly loud or soft
•Planning your time ahead to ensure you will be able to play interrupted during the raid
•Allocating your talent points to maximise the impact you bring to your raid group
•Glyphing to match your talent spec and bringing stacks of glyphs you may need to change for different fights
•Obtaining the best possible pre-raid gear you can and PUGing easier raids where possible with the aim of upgrading this gear
•Gemming and enchanting your gear appropriately
•Bringing all reagents and consumables (scrolls, food, flasks) that you will need
•Researching potential gear upgrades to know what is worth rolling on and what is better off being passed to someone else
As a raider, no matter how big or small your guild is, you should always be prepared to bring your absolute best game during raids. This is especially important in progression raiding. Your fellow 9 (or 24) raid members would do better to not have to wait for you to do your last minute preparations during the raid; all of this should be taken care of beforehand.
There is quite an extensive list of things you can do to prepare for raiding; not all guilds (especially more casual guilds) will be strict on making you do everything. That being said, being as prepared as you possibly can will cause others to see you as someone they can rely on and as a good raider, and in terms of raiding with your guild, a better guildie also.
Be Efficient
Being prepared for the raid is only part of the challenge. There is also things to keep in mind during the raid itself.
In raiding terms, being efficient includes:
•Logging on at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the raid
•Not being involved in any activity that you can’t step away from straight away to raid at the raid start time (e.g. being in a heroic at raid time is not a good idea; fishing would be fine)
•Sticking to your assignment and following the boss strategy outlined before the fight
•At appropriate times, taking the initiative to make suggestions (e.g. new strategies)
in the middle of a fight is not that time(whisper the radi lead if you have a suggestion)
•Focusing on the raid (i.e. not half playing, half watching TV)
•Letting your raid leader do the majority of talking on Vent during the actual fights and only speaking when needed, voicing your opinion on something you dont like is not the time to do this and waste valuable time.
•When speaking, as much as possible being clear and concise, using short sentences
Being efficient makes the raid as a whole run more smoothly. It increases the likelihood of a new progression boss finally being downed and reduces the total time spent clearing trash and bosses already on farm. It also helps keep your raid leader sane.
Being someone who is patient, fair, respecting and considerate to the rest of the raid will get you a long way. So keep all this in mind when raiding it helps you when you raid with the guild or pug or whatever you do in this game.Remember unless you're the raid lead with the power to kick you are just another person that can and will be replaced if you are a BAD RAIDER!
