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So you have finally reached the top in WoW. You have read our leveling guide, and have been grinding quests and mobs until your eyes bleed, but you did it. You are now level 80! There is nothing left for you to do in WoW now, so just head on out and start Raiding with the big boys. Right? Oh, I feel so sorry for you… You have no idea that you have barely scratched the surface of the madness that is WoW.



You can’t just go out and start Raiding without having the proper gear. If you show up to a Raid and all you have is a bunch of green and blue quest items, well let’s just say that I don’t envy you the mental slap down that a waits. I’m not saying WoW players can be cruel fanatics about Raids… I am just saying that I have heard a tale or two about people joining Raids without any decent gear, being found on the bathroom floor in the fetal position, crying. I am going to try and help prevent that from happening to you.



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In order to Raid you need good gear, and in order to get good gear you need to Raid… Ya I know what you are thinking; how the hell does that work? What are you going to do? I’ll tell you what you are going to do! You are going to roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty in the everlasting quest for purple (epic) gear! We are going to grind, beg, borrow and steal to get enough gear to break through that threshold that takes us from completely sucking to mediocre (if you are really lucky, you might hit average one day, but lets not get ahead of ourselves)!


So the first thing you need to know is, what do you need to Raid, and how will you know when you are ready? There are sites out there that can help you with this, sites that can break down your gear and tell you what you should be capable of tackling. In general though, if you open up your character profile, you want your bonus damage or healing around 1400 to start ten man Raids. If you have crazy skills maybe you can go a little earlier, and if you are really new to your role, you might need to get yours a little higher, but 1400 is a good guideline.

Second thing you need to know is, what to keep an eye out for. This part is easy; you want level 80 purple items… Oh you want more specifics than that? Ok, keep your eyes open for increases to Spell Power, and +mana over 5 seconds. Also look for better stats in Spirit and Intellect.

Auction Houses


By far the fastest and easiest way to get enough gear to Raid is simply buying it at the auction house. Simply search under armor, and buy yourself a few epic pieces. This is also the most expensive way to go, and most people simply won’t have enough gold to get more than a piece or two. However it’s still a valuable tool, and one you should check out regularly. Occasionally you can find a real steal on the auction house. Sometimes someone needs gold fast, or might not realize what the item is worth. By all means don’t go out there and simply camp the auction house hoping to steal an item, but whenever you are in town, always swing by and check it out. I have gotten a couple of epics for about half their normal selling price this way. Just remember, be patient the deals will come.

Crafting


One of the best and most reliable ways to get epic gear is through crafting. Most Tailors and Blacksmiths will craft you really great items like Titansteel Guardian, or Moonshroud Robes for little to no money as long as you provide the materials. Many of which you can grind out, or buy pretty reasonably on the auction house. Enchanters can greatly improve your current gear with enhancements like Enchant Weapon - Titanguard, and Scroll of Enchant Bracer - Superior Spellpower. This is a cheap way to take your current epic items and really step them up a notch. The great thing about crafting is that you can know exactly what you are going to get and when. You don’t have to wait and hope for a mob to drop it, or hope that someone will post it on the auction house. Just gather the materials needed and get it made up for you.

Instances



This is the most common way of gearing up for the big 10 man and 25 man Raids. Look for groups running normal and heroic instances. You should be able to handle heroic instances like Utgarde Keep, and The Nexus. If you are a little worried about your ability you can look for groups running any of the instances on normal. The boss mobs will randomly drop epic loot, and you can always gather the Emblems to buy better gear with. Also make sure to grab a Tabard from one of the factions out there. When you run instances on heroic you gain reputation with that faction. You can eventually get your reputation high enough that you can buy epic gear from those factions. This is also the best way to start getting practice working in a group, and what your role will be in ten man and twenty five man Raids. These are easy groups, and are usually much more forgiving if someone is new and not sure what to do. Just make sure that you tell any group you are with if you are new to the instance, or recently reached level 80 so they know what to expect.

Consumables

Consumables are often overlooked when people are trying to get geared up for Raids. Don’t make this noob mistake; consumables can greatly help you out in a Raid. There are many items you can cook, or buy that will increase your stats or abilities. Things like a Fish Feast, or Flask of Pure Mojo can really help you when you start Raiding, and even later on during tough fights.

Summary

Once you knock out a few of these, you will be ready to start your ten man Raids. From there it just gets easier and easier as you get better gear. Just remember to tell your group whenever you haven’t done the Raid before, or if you are new to your role. WoW players can be very harsh if you don’t do your job during a Raid, but most will be understanding if they know up front what your limitations are.

Below I have included a chart of items that can get you ready for ten mans. This list is by no means complete, but a good starting guide of things to look for.

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colspan="4" rowspan="1">Easily Obtained Items style="background-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"> style="font-weight: bold;">Name style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 204);"> style="font-weight: bold;">How to Get It Titansteel Guardian Blacksmithing Moonshroud Robes Tailoring Enchant Weapon - Titanguard Enchanting Scroll of Enchant Bracer - Superior Spellpower Enchanting Spellweave Gloves Tailoring Brilliant Spellthread Tailoring Sandals of Crimson Fury The Wyrmrest Accord Flask of Pure Mojo Alchemy Fish Feast Cooking


Allow me to sum up where you are now, with words of wisdom from Southpark, “What do we do now? What do you mean, what do we do now… Now we play the game.”





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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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