Looking to dip your toes into WoW’s raid content but not sure where to start? Then we’ve got just the perfect guide for you! Read on to find out everything you need to know about how World of Warcraft raids work, why they matter, and what to keep in mind as a beginner to start off without feeling lost.
Table of contents
What are World of Warcraft Raids?
World of Warcraft raids are large-scale co-op activities where a big group of players (usually 10-40, depending on the raid) team up to take down powerful bosses inside massive instances.
Each raid comes with multiple difficulties, varying in boss health, damage, loot quality, and mechanics complexity:
Story Mode
This mode is great for those who are only interested in the story that comes with the raid. It offers only a simplified last boss encounter with no loot and can be easily soloed, as the there’ll be special NPCs to raid with.
Looking for Raid (LFR)
If you want to start real raiding but have little to no experience, then LFR is the mode for you to step into. It’s specifically designed to let you learn boss abilities, mechanics, and group play in a forgiving environment. A pre-made group is not required. You just queue through the Group Finder and get matched with other players automatically.
Normal
Normal is the first real step into organized raiding. Here, queueing in is not an option—you’ll need to join or form a raid group manually. The fights are more punishing than LFR, but still forgiving enough that less experienced players can manage. Some boss mechanics may change compared to LFR, and overall the loot is significantly better.
Heroic
Heroic is where things start to get serious. Bosses hit harder, group coordination is more important, and mistakes carry heavier consequences. This difficulty is aimed at players who are already comfortable with raiding, ready for a challenge, and want better rewards. Many guilds treat Heroics as their main progression content since it’s both relatively accessible and properly rewarding.
Mythic
This is the ultimate raiding challenge with more complex mechanics and some of the best rewards in the game. Mythic is designed for the most dedicated players with top-tier PvE skills, deep raid knowledge, and a well-coordinated group (typically a committed guild team).
Roles in a World of Warcraft Raids Group
Every raid is built around three key roles:
- Tanks, who hold the boss’s or mobs’ attention (aggro) and take the heaviest hits.
- Healers, who keep everyone alive by restoring health and removing debuffs.
- Damage Dealers (DPS), who focus on taking enemies down as quickly as possible.
Finding a Raid Group
If it’s your very first raid (or close to it), we’d definitely advise against starting your own group for obvious reasons. A much better way is to join a pre-made group through the in-game Group Finder or grab a WoW raid carry to play with professionals who’ll help you learn and get the loot without any stress.
The time it takes to actually get into a PUG (Pick-Up Group) depends on several factors: the time of day, your gear, and your role. Don’t get discouraged if finding a group takes a while. Practice more, increase your ilvl, and, most importantly, stay persistent. And if you’re after a more consistent raiding experience, it’s best to join a guild or find a community where people raid together on a regular basis.
Raid Rewards
Raids are one of the best sources of high-end gear in WoW. They also come with achievements, mounts, titles, and currencies like crests that you can use to upgrade your gear.
For example, the newest Patch 11.2 raid, Manaforge Omega, drops:
- LFR: 671-678 ilvl Veteran gear + 10-15 Weathered Crests
- Normal: 684-691 ilvl Champion gear + 10-15 Carved Crests
- Heroic: 697-704 ilvl Hero gear + 10-15 Runed Crests
- Mythic: 710-717 ilvl Myth gear + 10-15 Gilded Crests
For reference, most players usually sit at around 662 ilvl at the start of the patch. Season 3 gear track starts at 642 ilvl, so even if you do LFR runs, it’ll already be a massive upgrade.
How to Prepare for World of Warcraft Raids
Gearing Up
Before you step into any raid, you’ll need to make sure your character is properly geared.
Every raid difficulty comes with certain gear requirements. For LFR, a minimum ilvl requirement is officially set by the game, and you literally can’t queue for the raid unless you’ve reached this number. For Normal and above, the requirements aren’t hardcoded but are set by the players running the groups, and if your item level is too low, most groups simply won’t invite you.
How you gear up depends on when you’re actually planning to do the raid content. At the start of an expansion, you need to grind Heroic dungeons, then progress to Mythic and Mythic+, gradually increasing key levels. If you’re joining mid-expansion, it would be best to start with the questing zone introduced with the raid patch, as it usually provides good catch-up gear. After that, just run dungeons until your gear score is high enough for the raid you’re aiming at.
Performance Boosts
Going into a Normal or higher difficulty raid without consumables and other performance-boosting items is basically a waste of time, because you just won’t be able to keep up.
Consumables, food buffs, phials, and flasks give you temporary stat boosts and different combat buffs to make you last longer and be more effective in a raid. You can either craft them yourself (if your profession allows it) or buy them off the Auction House. Just make sure to focus on the stats you’re lacking or something that benefits your role the most. For example, Healers will need Mana regen and Intellect-based buffs, while Tanks will certainly take advantage of defensive boosts to Stamina or Armor.
Enchants permanently enhance your gear with stat increases or utility effects. When picking those, we highly recommend checking Wowhead to find out what’s optimal for your class and spec.
And finally, you can boost your raid performance with gems that provide permanent stat boosts while equipped and can be slotted into gear pieces with available sockets.
Addons
Addons aren’t strictly necessary, but some of them can really make your raiding life so much easier.
One of the most challenging parts of raiding is visibility: your screen will be filled with damage numbers, spell effects, and player animations all happening at once, and it’s very easy to get lost in that chaos. The Deadly Boss Mods (DBM) addon will help a ton by giving clear on-screen alerts for boss abilities and audio/visual cues that tell you how to react to the upcoming mechanics.
Mechanics
Speaking of mechanics, it’s absolutely crucial to study them before doing a World of Warcraft raids run. You don’t need to memorize every detail, but it’s important to at least get familiar with the basics. You can do it via the in-game Adventure Guide that gives a breakdown of each boss, their abilities, mechanics, and all the things to be aware of. External guides (like Wowhead or community resources) are great for a deeper dive-in, and if you’re a visual learner, you can always find a YouTube guide for every raid, difficulty, and boss.
