Now that players have had a bit of time to get ready to raid in Mists of Pandaria they are queuing up like mad using the LFR tool.  For those that may not be familiar with the LFR system it is a “Looking For Raid” queue system much like the dungeon queue system.  The system became an instant success when it was released in the last expansion, Cataclysm, and returns for Mists of Pandaria raids.

Mists of Pandaria has brought many players that left the game previously back to it and has attracted many new players as well. As a result, many players just don't know what LFR is all about, so this guide walks you through all the basic need to know information about the Mists of Pandaria Looking For Raid tool.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/241674" alt="ilevel requirements"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 250px;">
The LFR queue restricts you by average ilevel, so be prepared.

Getting into Mists of Pandaria LFR Queue

The first thing to realize before you even try getting into the LFR queue is that there is an item level requirement to enter.  The item level requirement varies depending on the raid queue you are trying to enter.  The item levels will be discussed in the next section, for now just be aware that they are there.

Once you decide to get into the queue you can find it by clicking on the instance button. Then select the Raid Finder screen and select the raid that you want to enter. From there select the the role that you wish to fill and then sit and wait until you get put into a group.

What are the ilevel requirements for MOP LFR

The ilevel requirements for the 5 known raid queues in the LFR system are as follows:

• Mogu’shan Vaults – ilevel 460
• The Vault of Mysteries - ilevel 460
• The Dread Approach - ilevel 470
• Nightmare of Shek’zeer - ilevel 470
• Terrace of Endless Spring - ilevel 470

Taking the ilevel requirements into consideration, to get into the Mogu’shan Vaults, the easiest LFR instance, you require an average ilevel of 460 and since heroics only open up for you at ilevel 435 and drop ilevel 463 gear it means running a lot of heroics to gain entry.  There are some items that you can get to help out as well such as some crafted items that are ilevel 476 which can really boost you up a bit. There are also few valor point items that are ilevel 476 that should help and will be available to you after your second week of running heroics due to the 1000 valor per week cap.

How Hard is LFR?

Honestly, not hard at all, and that has been a source of comments both ways on the Official forums.  While some players find the bosses too easy, others comment that if they were any harder LFR groups would fall apart after a few wipes.

My opinion is that they seem about right, currently.  However, while they might be tuned ok for right now while everyone is barely geared to enter the raids, they will quickly become way to easy if they remain as they are.  The raids that myself and friends have jumped in have all easily defeated the bosses, with only a very few wipes between the several of us attempting them.

You can check our a bunch of posts about the LFR and it’s difficulty here: LFR difficulty – are you serious!??

Are the Boss Mechanics Interesting?

The boss mechanics for at least the three Mogu’shan Vault fights  are extremely fun and varied, at least in 10 player normal mode raids.  While the mechanics are the same in LFR as long as you can do the very basics, you can get the bosses down while ignoring most of the tactics.

For the first fight you can just avoid AOE and nuke all three Stone Guard down.  For the second boss Feng the Accursed as long as in phase 3 everyone groups up for the arcane velocity and whoever gets arcane resonance splits away from everyone else, it is pretty easy as well.  For the third boss, Gara’jal the Spiritbinder, as long as players jump into the spirit realm via the spirit totems and kill the spirits the fight is really simple. Obviously there is more to the fights than those simple comments, but honestly right now that is pretty much all you need to do to get the loot from them. 

Leaving the difficulty of the encounters aside, the mechanics are a lot of fun, especially the spirit realm mechanic in the Gara’jal fight.  Every 30 seconds a spirit totem will be summoned that allows players to enter the spirit realm.  Once a player is in the spirit realm they can see shadowy minions that will be attacking players in both the spirit realm and the physical realm.

Shadowy minions are spawned on a constant basis and need to be taken out otherwise the players in the physical realm will start taking more damage over time and eventually the healers will not be able to keep up.  In the spirit realm when players are healed they gain a buff to crit, haste, and mastery that stacks as they get healed more, healers instead gain mana as they are healed. Once you are in the spirit realm you may only remain there for 30 seconds.  The whole split fight idea has been done before, however this version works very smoothly and is a lot of fun.

How is the Loot in LFR?

There is some really good loot for everyone in the LFR system as you would expect, since it is the hardest content out there for players outside of raid guilds. The gear starts at ilevel 476 and there is some that is ilevel 483, when you compare this to the heroic dungeon gear that is 463 it is pretty solid. The only comparable gear you can get outside of a full regular raid is crafted ilevel 476 gear or ilevel 489 valor point items, both of which will be pretty costly in either gold of time.

Check out just a few of the great LFR items that drop of the very first boss, the Stone Guard.

How is Loot Awarded in LFR?

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/241672" alt="Loot Roll"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 250px;">
This is what it looks like when you do not win an item. Personally, I would like it to say "You Lost, but heres a sack of worthess gold", but I guess they want everyone to feel good about themselves.

The look system has changed a bit in the new LFR system.  Gone are the days of everyone seeing the loot and being offered a chance to roll on it.  So don’t be shocked if you don’t see your screen fill up with loot once you defeat a boss.  Even knowing this, I still was confused when the first boss went down and I saw a bag of gold pop up for me.  I was expecting items. 

The game now automatically rolls for everyone in the group and the winners get a piece of gear that is appropriate for them from the bosses loot table.  What this means is that no longer can a DPS warrior select need on a tank warriors gear or vise versa.  However, what I also means is that you can not gear up your off-spec through the LFR system unless you actually queue as that off-spec.  It will take some getting used to for sure.

Also changed for loot is the chance to get an extra loot roll.  Most of the dailies in Mists of Pandaria award small luck charms which can be traded in 90 at a time for 3 large luck charms, which award you with an extra roll on a single boss.  If you defeat a boss and have a large luck charm in your inventory a message will appear asking if you would like to use one for an extra loot roll.  This means that doing your daily quests can really help you out when gearing up since you can use those extra rolls to increase your odds to get an item.  Keep in mind though that since it takes a lot of dailies to earn those rolls, that you should check out the bosses loot tables and know if using it on a specific boss is a good idea or not, do not just use them blindly.

Should you Jump into the LFR Queue?

Simple answer, YES.

The LFR system is there to allow you access to some really great gear, and to be able to see some of the best content that Blizzard creates.  Raid content is the pinnacle of MMOG content for most players as it contains the hardest, most complex fights in the game, as well as contains the content that explains the end story of each expansion. 

While the LFR system will not give you access to the “best” gear in the game, or provide the hardest fights (since they are tuned down in difficulty for random groups), they are the best you will get outside of joining a raiding guild and spending some serious time raiding.  For players that do not have the time available to raid set nights and set times, this is the next best thing.

The LFR system is also a great way to introduce new players to raid content.  After all these days many players make it all the way to the level cap never having grouped at all.  By having an easy access way to raid, it both allows them in to see the content, and potentially lures them into becoming more hardcore and joining a raid group to experience more difficult content than they may have otherwise.

Your Thoughts on MOP LFR

What are your thoughts on the LFR tool in MOP, let us know in the comment section below.