It's time to ask yourself --- Are you ready to raid?

As most of us are aware, we are in the hype of getting ready to raid. I will admit, I usually take a passive role in these matters, as I can't boast of having too much raid experience, but here are a few suggestions that I think may be helpful to all of us.

What to expect:
- Anywhere from 1 to 30 corpse runs
Even though there will probably be two or more people who can resurrect, releasing and running will save drinking time. Unless someone tells you that they can self-resurrect (shammy pop, soulstone, pally DI, etc ... ), assume that you will be running back to your corpse.

- People dying from trash mobs
It's not uncommon for a CC'd mob to get loose and start swiping away at raid members. Resurrect them, buff up and move on. Don't dally around yelling at the priest for not re-shackling, or at the warrior who thunderclapped too close to a trapped mob.

- A long planning stage before boss fights
Each fight will be explained, and you will be notified of any special things to watch out for. Sometimes (ie. Aran fight) one person oblivious to the situation can cause a wipe, so it's better for everyone to know what to expect before dashing in. If there's anything you didn't understand, speak up before we run in - other people might be wondering about the same thing. As this is our first time, there will probably be one or two trial runs, just to let everyone experience firsthand how the fight works.

- Be prepared to spend money
Repair fees, reagent fees, potions ... these are all unavoidable. Be prepared to repair your armor at least twice from all red. If you don't have enough funds, speak with an officer beforehand. Quite often, people WILL die right after they took the time to drink elixirs, be well fed and whatnot, but if everyone holds back an elixir, that could be 500-1000 damage gone from the entire raid. For trash mobs, regular buffs plus food is fine, but be ready to fully buff up once it's time to down the boss.

--> Gear
I would like to ask that DPSers have no more than two greens, and preferrably 2 or more epics. Although I understand that due to time constraints, you might not have the time to work on new gear, at least make an effort to look and see where your set pieces or upgrades can drop. If your character panel is looking very green at the moment, hop onto the auction house and try to find an upgrade, or figure out where to get something better. It doesn't seem like it will change much, but having the entire raid group check their gear can collectively raise our abilities.

--> Enchants
True, it's a shame to be wasting a wicked enchant on something you'll be throwing away soon, but that doesn't mean it can't be enchanted at all. If you can't justify putting +12 stam on a pair of green bracers, ask around. Maybe a guild enchanter has +7 or +9 stam materials on hand they wouldn't mind sharing. If you come across some odd mats you don't really need, toss them in the guild bank. Maybe a healer is one shard short of +81 healing enchant. If your equipment is looking a little bare, don't be afraid to speak up. Contact Dorchadas (Skill: 379) or Acidmilk/Tomoe (Skill: 363) with further questions. For general questions, there will probably be an enchanter on Trade Channel willing to help you find the enchants you need.

--> Edibles
As mentioned by Vocea, feel free to send any outland meats to "Kitchen". Kitchen is my alt for edibles, cooked and uncooked. When it comes close to time to raid, I will cook everything and it will be handed out ( provided we have enough to hand out ). Even if you come across a stray warp flesh, feel free to mail it. A little bit goes a long way.

--> Skillz
Whenever possible, get groups. Go heroics, go regular, pug, do whatever you must. Not only can you work on getting upgrades from heroic badges and dungeon drops, you learn to deal with high-stress situations, and a bad pug where you wish you could strangle one or more group members can -

a) help you appreciate the good groups,
b) teach you not to panic and
c) sometimes help you discover talents you didn't know you had.

Yes, I understand that most of us have our own playing style (especially if you're a 70) but we should all keep an open mind. Even if it sounds like a disastrous suggestion, at least afterwards you can tell them, "See? It didn't work. I'll do my thing." If your warrior insists they tank better in leather, let them try it and see for themselves. At least you were willing to try.

--> Know your stuff
If you have never been to Karazhan, browse thru http://www.wowwiki.com/Karazhan to get a rough idea of what happens. Read up on bosses and know the general strategy for it. Strategies often change depending on the group makeup, so don't be surprised if we do it a completely different way. If you didn't look it up beforehand, it's probably too late to do so when we actually get to the boss. You should be listening to the explainations, not watching the video of someone else killing the boss. Should you have any further questions, feel free to ask someone who might have fought that boss for some first-hand advice.

--> Be Prepared!!
Think of all the stuff you might bring to a heroic. Then double it. When the raid is listed to run from a fixed starting time to a fixed end time, be prepared to be locked in for the entire duration. There may be brief AFK breaks in between, but hearthing / summoning / run out real quick ... these things take up valuable time. Have more than enough of what you need. (Not everyone will need this full list, but if you have something laying around that you found while questing/grinding, it wouldn't hurt to benefit a guildie.)

{ o } - Health Potions
{ o } - Mana Potions
{ o } - Guardian / Battle Elixirs
{ o } - Food Buffs
{ o } - Bullets / Arrows / Soul Shards
{ o } - Reagents <-- very important
{ o } - Heavy Netherweave Bandages
{ o } - Sufficent Food and Water ( as a backup )
{ o } - Repair Bots, Jumper Cables, etc

-> Food/Drinks
Although there might be a mage present to conjure free food, don't count on it. Bring as much water/food as you might need, and maybe an extra stack in case someone else runs out.

-> Bandaids
The reason for Bandages is that if the healer's mana start dropping, you could take a step back and bandaid yourself for a few seconds. DPS, Healers can do that. Tank's can't. In order to ease the load on the healers, the occasional bandaid by each person can save a lot of mana.

-> Potions
Yes, potions, elixirs and flasks can be expensive, but that's the price you pay for picking up gear from raids. I myself am a priest. I have found that if I drink one mana potion very early in the fight, I often have time for two, three more potions before the fight is over. As a habit, I now carry 25-60 potions with me, so I don't have to be shy or feel bad about being a mana guzzler. If you find that you run out of mana too quickly during the first fight, perhaps you should look into upping your potion dosage. If you can't afford to buy your own potions, let someone know beforehand if you can - a fellow raider might have one or two to spare, but don't count on it.

--> Attitude
Please keep in mind that every raid group needs time to get used to one another, plus we are also learning how to approach Karazhan. Do not be disappointed at wipes, repair bills, loot - things will go more smoothly after we get used to it and people are geared up. Stay positive. We KNOW it can be cleared. We KNOW it can be farmed. We just have to get into the rhythm. If anyone makes an obvious mistake, politely remind them, and also make a note for yourself to watch out for it. The most experienced raiders can have kerflop moments too. Don't be quick to put the blame on anyone. If you suspect you might have been the cause of the wipe, ask. Trying to slip by quietly will only increase the chances of it happening again.

--> All in all ...
If you're reading this 24 hours before the raid, and you're running around trying to get everything together, it's too late. Go with what you have, and don't ask for "Five more minutes! I found an enchanter!" Personal gear improvements, from quests, regular/heroic dungeons, rep/badge rewards, can be done during the week when there's no raiding. Starting the raid on time can mean and extra boss attempt or two. A last minute attempt at upgrades could lead to poor choices and wasted gold.

--> We're here to help ...
If you need help with anything, feel free to reply to this post, with a list of what you need. Nothing can be promised, but I'm sure most people are willing to lend a helping hand. Check your:

[ - ] Gear
(What heroics/dungeons you need to run, who does it drop off of)

[ - ] Enchants / Armor Kits / Scopes
(What armor piece(s) need enchanting)

[ - ] Reagents/Materials
(Hard-to-find materials that guildies should keep an eye open for)

If there is anything at all you are unclear on, do not hesitate to ask someone. Even if they can't answer your questions, they might know someone who can. I understand this post seems a little harsh and extreme, but it's better to be overstocked and plan for the worst, rather than be caught off guard.

I hope this will be of some help. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

Tomoe

Disclaimer : This post is subject to approval by Thaag and fellow guild members. These are suggested ways to help you become more prepared, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you can't raid if you don't have all of the above. As long as you bring a willingness to work with other raiders and are open to suggestions, then you are likely to be successful. Since we are just beginning to raid, our goal is to make progress. It would be nice to be able to walk out of Kara on our first night saying we cleared half of it, but we want to learn from pulls, and find out how to run smoother next time. As long as we are making better time and less wipes, we are succeeding.

Excellent post Tomoe! I actually have only one thing to add.

If you plan on raiding regularly, I have found a book that is wonderful as a resource. Head to your bookstore and find "World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion 2". I got this book as a Yule present, and let my roommate borrow it. He's raiding now, and he told me that the book was extremely helpful for the bosses he's facing now.

Not only does it give you strategy on raid bosses, it actually takes you through every BC dungeon in the game (the Dungeon Companion 1 does the same for every pre-BC dungeon except Naxx...the info is a bit outdated but it can still be a big help). It lists drops from bosses so you can plan what dungeon you need to hit for gear upgrades. The book costs $25 but hey, you pay more than that for 2 months of play. It's going to be worth it if you plan on raiding at all.

There are actual websites that compare your gear and tell you what to improve and what instance level you are at.

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