Noobie raiding DPS checklist
Basic DPS Raiding Checklist
Welcome to the basic raiding checklist brought to you from Crusaders Coliseum. So many times the same questions are asked, literally time and time again. Some of them are class dependant and many of them are just about standard or changing game mechanics. Here we are going to cover the basics that you should understand to understand the basic goals of the DPS members of the raid group.
First of all we can show that each character must cover some main criteria to be able to function in a raid environment successfully.
So many times I have seen raids fail because people are ill prepared in a few simple key areas, while some of our readers might suggest that these tips and suggestions are common sense it still produces a good basic checklist for any starting raider.
So step by step here we go getting you all started on the road to successful raiding!
1. Get the correct add-ons and keep them updated.
Absolutely no excuse under the sun for not getting yourself a copy of Deadly Boss Mods installed (Big Wigs is an alternative and will do the job but DBM is my personal choice in the battle of these two).
Recount is also a must, you can check your DPS and healing on there as well as who is carrying who. It can show you detailed stats on what spells and abilities are giving you the best results and is an extremely useful tool, if your not running this already (or something similar) then your really not in a position to measure and then improve your performance.
Nobody loves an aggro whore, so don’t be one. So many pulls and raids are screwed up by over zealous DPS who cant wait for the tank to gain aggro properly before trying to show they have a massive one by being top of the meters, what they are actually showing is a lack of control and awareness of the games mechanics. Get this, don’t be one of the idiots.
2. Love thy hit rating!
Ok first question that every new raider (and even some experienced ones) ask should be about their Hit Cap. At level 80 you will be coming up against bosses that can potentially be level 83 base and elite. You will need to make sure that combined with any talents, equipment and raid buffs you can reach the magic number of 11% + hit. You can see what your percentage of +hit is at any time by opening the character portrait screen and hovering over the +Hit stat which will then give you a popup explaining what your increased percentage to hit is.
In a raid environment the MELEE DPS HIT CAP IS 8%, however there are other factors that can infulence this, for instance Dual Wielding for a DK increases this to 23.6%!!
The CASTER DPS HIT CAP IS 17%, that doesnt mean you need to get 17% on kit, gems or enchants, it means that you need 17% overall, including any bonuses gained from talents. Moonkin hit cap with 2/2 Balance of Power and Improved Faerie Fire is 263. Remember your raid composition will also affect how much +hit you need on your kit, if your running with a moonkin or shadow priest they will be providing 3% straight away so have a spare piece of kit or two with another stat on that you can swap in and out. I personally use a +hit neck that gets switched out for a +crit neck and a different cloak.
I have included a link to a search page within google that will bring up all the information you need on Hit Rating Cap for your class and talents, please use the link below to ensure you are aware what your hit cap is.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hit%20rating%20cap%20%2B%20world%20of%20warcraft&hl=en&tbo=1&tbs=rcnt:1
3. Expertise or not?
If your caster DPS then skip to point 4!. If your a melee dps and your now hit capped (you should be) then you should then start looking at expertise. It takes only 26 expertise to get capped so be careful about where you include this stat. As a melee dps you should always be attacking from behind, this is because it removes the chance that the enemy can parry your attack thus reducing your dps. In practice however this isnt always possible and at times when you have to move or the tactics dictate it your expertise will help to reduce the spikes cause in your dps by not being in the correct melee dps position.
4. Know your priority
Wrath of the Lich King introduced a different way of thinking which the Development Team are very keen to push across the board. Rather than a strict rotation like we used to see in TBC and Vanilla WoW we are now experiencing a much more dynamic priority based system. There are lots of articles out there on your specific class which will help you to understand your priorities and what your next move should be, try checking in our class guide section for further information.
5. Get Buffed!!
One of my pet hates and something that i am known to have a little nerd rage at every now and then are the idiots on server who cant manage to get themselves buffed up. I mean with all the dailies available and the endless supply of gold that you can make from just a few moments or the generous guildies that dont mind helping out there is no reason not to have A FLASK AND BUFF FOOD. I'm an alchemist and I have learnt that carrying an extra supply of flasks to a raid is almost a necessity to me, if it's a guild raid they go free, if it's a pug raid i charge standard AH price. So come on folks i've written number 5 with a touch of rage in it because it's so simple yet a fully buffed raid is much more effective !!
6. Read your strategy and watch videos.
Your DPS will increase a great deal once you have learnt the encounter, it's worth spending 10 or 15 minutes reading a boss encounter and watching a video, it seriously will make a great deal of difference if you know exactly where your going and what your doing giving you the extra 1-2 seconds to squeeze in more dps. Try our Raiding Guides section for information on boss strategies.
Last Updated on Monday, 14 June 2010 13:46 Written by Cybac Monday, 10 August 2009 11:03