Come prepared to your raid – 10 things to remember

1. Don’t be that guy who forgot to repair before the raid and needs to repair after the first wipe.

2. Have at 30-50g on your character in case it is a wipe fest. Raiding comes with a price.

3. Have flasks or elixers to maximize your stats. I use Flask of Fortification if I think there will be wipes. I use cheaper elixers for Kara.

4. Food. Figure out what gives you the best stat bonuses and bring a stack to the raid. I use spicy crawdad for the 30 stamina.

5. Sharpen (enhance) your weapon. I use adamantite sharpening stones. Casters have wizard oil or some such.

6. Bring an ample supply of potions. I go through a lot of Super Heal potions so I try to have 15 or so before the raid. Whenever I get nervous that a healer isn’t going keep me alive I’m clicking a potion. It is a rare boss fight that I don’t use 2. If you are a caster, bring about 20 super mana potions.

7. Be early. I log on 45 min before the raid. I get all my things ready (see 1-6 above) and then head to the raid instance. The raid leaders have enough to worry about without people showing up late or having to summon half the raid group.

8. If you don’t know the expected boss fight very well, read up on strategy and watch some videos before the raid. Repitition is a key to learning. Our raid leaders spend a lot of time explaining things but if I already have read some strategy and seen a video their explanations sink in a little more.

9. Be dependable. Sign up for the raid as early as you can if you are sure you will make it. The sooner the raid leader has an idea on who is signed up the better he can optimize the raid group with the right people. If you can’t make it to a raid that you have already signed up for, let your raid leader know as soon as you can.

10. Bring your best attitude. Contribute your best play AND your best emotion. Have fun and help others to have fun as well. Don’t criticize others for their mistakes. You can offer ways someone can do something better in a way that doesn’t belittle them or hurts their confidence. Don’t second guess the raid leader (although most don’t mind an idea every now and then).

That’s what I’ve learned over the last 8 weeks of raiding. I’d love to hear some other ideas for getting prepared for raids. Fire away!