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A true ode to the more casual
World of Warcraft player, the Raid Finder, which allows players to seek
out raids with other random players, was ushered in on the wings of
Patch 4.3. Similar to the Dungeon Finder, the WoW Raid Finder allows
players to queue up for random raid groups. Now if you are like me, the
thought of anything similar to the Dungeon Finder and the string of
failed groups it typically produces, can cause your blood to run a few
degrees colder, however, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Now that I’ve had a
chance to use the WoW Raid Finder a few times, one thing is very clear,
using the tool to find a raid is a fairly easy task if you
don’t mind the wait, its what you and the rest of the players
in your group do after the raid is created that is important. Below you
will find several tips and tricks to make you part of the solution,
opposed to part of the problem, in creating a successful random raid
environment:

WoW Raid Finder Tips and Tricks

style="font-weight: bold;">Patience
is a Virtue

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width="125">Every
time you lose your patience, a White Kitten dies.

If it does nothing else, the
WoW Raid Finder will test your patience. From the sometimes long wait
to put together a raid, then waiting again if players leave, and the
sometimes slow progression due to learning you may find yourself
(especially if you’re a seasoned raider) getting a bit antsy.
Sure it would feel good to totally unleash as these things happen,
letting it all hang out while yelling or typing things that would make
even a sailor blush, but after your rant is over, what have you really
accomplished?

The answer to that question is
nothing except perhaps a one way ticket out of the raid and your very
own avoid this player post on the realm forums. Yelling, screaming, or
other douchebaggery will not, despite how good it may make you feel,
solve anything. Nor will seeking out a new group, as it will likely
produce the same results. So instead sit back, relax, and enjoy the
ride, even if it is a rather slow one. If you find yourself getting
tense along the way, take some deep breaths, go grab a snack and
remember, everyone is here to have a good time.
If you are going to have a meltdown because of excessive waiting, slow
progression, or general noobishness then the Raid Finder is probably
not the place for you.

style="font-weight: bold;">Mind
your Manners

While it may seem silly to
advise a bunch of presumably adult (or close to it) players to be
polite while interacting with others, trust me when I say it is very
necessary. While my few experiences using the WoW raid finder have been
pretty positive, there have been a few players that have left a bad
taste in my mouth. Remember, when dealing with other players it is
always best to be polite. Make your mother proud by saying please,
thank you, and if you can’t think of anything nice to say,
don’t say anything at all, or at the very least find a nicer
way to say it.

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width="200">

style="font-weight: bold;">Food
and Flasks Required

Yes, the bosses and trash mobs
in the WoW Raid Finder are nerfed and far
easier than their normal raid
counterparts, but that doesn’t mean you still
shouldn’t come fully prepared. Every bit of extra power you
can gain means you kill things that
much faster, and killing things
faster is definitely a good thing. Some WoW Raid Finder groups will
provide you with these essentials, but don’t bank it, and
keep your bags well stocked with the food and flasks appropriate to
your class and spec. Oh, and don’t forget to actually use
them.

style="font-weight: bold;">Follow
the Leader

One of the major problems I
personally experienced while using the WoW Raid Finder was that there
typically was no clear “leader” and even if a
leader was established, the other players tended to ignore that person
anyway and shout their own suggestions causing mass chaos. While most
of the bosses in the new raid instances are considered fairly easy,
when it comes right down to it, there still needs to be at least one
person in charge to make the major decisions. Twenty-five different
people shouting directions is never going to work out. Ever. This means
that if you aren’t chosen as the leader, sit back, and wait
for your instructions. After you have them, be sure to follow through.

Even if you think the
instructions you are given are bogus, give them a chance, you might be
surprised at the results. That is not to say that you should just
follow instructions blindly though. If you have a suggestion be sure to
share it with the leader via whispers to minimize confusion among the
other raid members. With one competent (and please note the word
competent here) raid leader firmly in place to make all the important
calls, the raid will have the best chance of progressing
along smoothly.

style="font-weight: bold;">Boss
Mods Please

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width="200">

Save yourself from Evil Spells by downloading boss mods.

I know some of you are as
anti-mod as it comes, however, when in a raid (no matter how trivial
you may think that raid is) boss mods of some sort are 100% necessary.
Having
a boss mod installed will help you and the rest of your WoW Raid Finder
group stay alive and ultimately give you a greater chance of defeating
bosses. Not that the bosses can’t be defeated without a boss
mod, because that is simply not true, however, why not make things as
easy as possible and take a few extra seconds before raid and download
one of these beneficial mods. Not sure which boss mod to get? At the
moment Deadly Boss Mods tends to be the go-to boss mod of choice, with
BigWigs coming in a close second, both of which can be found for
download on curse.com.

style="font-weight: bold;">Learn
Strategies

As I have mentioned numerous
times in this article, the bosses in the newest dungeons are generally
considered to be pushovers. However, despite this, it still
doesn’t hurt to have a general idea of what you are up
against before you get there. Read a strategy, watch a video, or have a
friend describe the boss fight to you, as long as when you walk into
that instance you feel confident that you have a general idea of what
is in store for you. Besides upping the chances of a boss kill, there
is another benefit to learning strategies with the WoW Raid Finder. All
players in the raid knowing the strategies instance will ensure less
down time for explanations, which means more potential boss kills and
more loot for everyone, not to mention less time spent twiddling your
thumbs.

style="font-weight: bold;">Cretins
are Ineludible

It is true that most of my WoW
Raid Finder experiences so far have been postive (knock on wood),
however, there is always that one guy in every group. You know the one
I’m talking about. The player who ignores the leader, screams
“GOGOGOGO” over vent when the healers are getting
mana, pulls before the tank, and who typically makes it his or her
primary mission to annoy every single person in the raid.
These players
are unavoidable and chances are you will meet more than a few of them
along the way. Don’t judge the WoW Raid Finder by these
players as they are by far the minority, instead kick them from your
group and continue merrily along your way without
giving a second
thought to these dregs of WoW society.

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width="75">

Ditching raids makes Mother Matterly and the rest of your raid sad
pandas.

style="font-weight: bold;">Don’t
Ditch

Let’s face
it…we all know shit happens. I have three children, several
pets, a full time job, and more real life responsibilities than I can
count. So from time to time, much to my deepest regret, I may have to
abandoned a raid. While it may seem appealing to just log off without
explanation, especially when you in a group with a bunch of people you
don’t know, I would advise against it. Instead choose to
follow my be polite rule above, and at the very least give the raid a
heads up that you are leaving. Even
if the raid can’t replace
you, it will make you look like a better person and player for letting
them know, instead of the alternative of just bailing on without a
word. Please note that some situations do not apply to this rule, such
as sudden zombie apocalypses where ditching is deemed a fully
acceptable course of action.

The fact of the matter is, for
the WoW raid finder to be totally successful, each and every player
using it needs to treat the raids they are a part with as much
seriousness as they would when attending a raid with friends or guild.
By following the tips and tricks above, you will be a part of the
solution to preventing those disastrous groups that all of us dread.
Have some WoW Raid Finder tips and tricks of your own? Be sure to share
them with us in the comment sections 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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