The
Raid Finder is one of the newest additions debuting in World of
Warcraft Patch 4.3. Generating the most excitement before and after the
patch, besides the chance to finally face off against Deathwing of
course, the idea behind the Raid Finder is much like the Dungeon Finder
already found in game. Players in Patch 4.3 can queue up for a WoW raid
dungeon and be matched up with other random players to take on a tamer
version of the bosses in the instance. While the thought of this
gigantic PUG of doom is daunting, the actual experience is much, much
different.

If you have read some of my
more recent articles, you may already have an idea about how I feel
about Patch 4.3’s Raid Finder, but in case you
haven’t caught on yet, I love the WoW Raid Finder more than a
fat kid loves cake and trust me when I say I’m quite familiar
(thanks to my sit down job, too much tempting junk food, and my own
general laziness) with how much fat kids love cake. However, where does
my profound love of the WoW Raid Finder come from exactly? There are
two big reasons for my love of this new feature; convenience and the
fact that it directly encourages player participation in the game.

Patch 4.3 WoW Raid Finder
Convenience

style="padding: 10px; float: right; width: 250px; text-align: center;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/208404" target="_blank"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/208404/preview"
width="245">With
just a few easy clicks you could be taking on bosses inside Dragon
Soul.

The WoW Raid Finder is all
about player convenience, and it fills this role to almost perfection
and is why this new addition to Patch 4.3 works so well. If you are new
to the raiding scene, you won’t notice anything odd, however,
if you are a seasoned raider of any kind you will notice right away
that your experience inside the WoW Raid Finder is like no other type
of raid you’ve experienced before. In fact you may find
yourself wondering how this bizarre raid environment works at all.

With the WoW Raid Finder gone
are the days of lengthy strategy explanations, called raids, or even
careful role assignments. Over the course of the bosses you will see
inside Dragon Soul your raid group will change and rearrange itself
more than a few times and nobody even bats and eye. Queue times are
reasonable (I’ve never spent more than 15 minutes in a
queue), even if you are taking on one of the more
“common” roles and getting yourself into the queue
is remarkably simple. With only a few button clicks you are well on
your way to raiding. Plus, with almost infinite replacements at your
disposal, raiding never really stops for anything. Where real raids are
stringent, focused, and unforgiving the Raid Finder environment is the
exact opposite yet it manages to pull together and work somehow, and
despite my regular raid upbringing I have fallen totally and utterly in
love with it.

Patch 4.3 WoW Raid Finder
Participation

style="padding: 10px; float: right; width: 250px; text-align: center;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/208693" target="_blank"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/208693/preview"
width="245">Everyone
should be able to experience the end of the story, such as the epic
battle with the Lich King.

I know the more hardcore
players out there may burn me at the proverbial stake for this one, but
besides its convenience, I adore the Patch 4.3 WoW Raid Finder because
of its ability to allow players of all types, even the most casual, to
participate in the raiding scene. I used to be firmly in camp hardcore,
I find myself becoming progressively more causal, still wanting to play
the game, but unable to dedicate as much time to it as in the past.
While I am still lucky enough to be part of a rather successful raiding
guild, there are players who cannot say the same and have in the past
had almost no hope of ever seeing a raiding boss up close and personal.

The WoW Raid Finder changes all
of that. Thanks to the ease of the bosses found within, even my alts
(who’s gear is not so great once again thanks to my laziness)
can easily join the Raid Finder in Patch 4.3 and kill a couple of
bosses off with no problem whatsoever. Opening up the world of raiding
to players across the board. To add icing to the cake, the gear is good
enough here to entice players back for more.

Now I could easily be up in
arms about this, screaming welfare epics at the top of my lungs, and
/raging about the unfairness of casuals completing the same content as
my raiding guild, but I’m not. In fact I feel like more
players being able to experience the content is a good thing, because
isn’t that what the game is all about. Who am I to say
because a player can’t put X amount of hours into the game
that they shouldn’t have a chance at good gear or should
never set foot into the game’s end game content? Who am I to
deprive players of seeing for themselves how the expansion’s
story ends just to appease my own ego?

I cannot fathom not allowing
the opportunity for all players to experience the same joy I feel when
taking on a boss or watching that ending cinematic. I love the WoW Raid
Finder for finding a way in Patch 4.3 to give everyone the chance to
raid. If you are still a little hot around the collar because raiding
isn’t special anymore, just remember, your raid experience
will not change Raid Finder or no Raid Finder, nor will it be able to
take away the accomplishment you feel when you take down Deathwing for
the first time, and if nothing else at least you get better gear when
you do it the old fashioned way.

Patch 4.3 WoW Raid Finder
Concerns

Don’t get me wrong,
while I do love it, the Raid Finder
in Patch 4.3 is not all sunshine
and roses. There was that one time that a certain Shaman announced to
the raid “AFK…SHOWER” in the middle of a
boss fight, prompting us to wonder not only who exactly takes a shower
in the midst of a raid, but also how stinky one must actually be to
prompt you to do so (it should also be noted that this is the second
time this has happened during a raid). As well as coming across the
inevitable douche bag who makes you so angry you find yourself wanting
to punch small, adorable animals.

Not to mention my concerns with
how the Raid Finder will impact guild recruiting and how it will
influence new players thanks to the experience being so different from
a typical raid environment. However, bad experiences and concerns aside
I still feel the WoW Raid Finder is an excellent addition to our gaming
world and until it proves me wrong I stand firmly by the fact that I
<3 the WoW Raid Finder and I encourage casual and hardcore, new
and experienced players a like to get out there and try out the Raid
Finder. You may be surprised at what you find.

How do you feel about the WoW
Raid Finder in Patch 4.3? Have some stories of epic fail or success to
share? Feel free to do so in the comments section below!


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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