Ask WoW Insider: Any point to starting to raid before Wrath?
by Mark Crump 
Jun 3rd 2008 at 11:00AM
Hi,
I'm wondering what people think about starting to raid (as in, starting Kara) now, with WotLK on the horizon. Is there any point?
Thanks.
Why, yes, Virginia Kedou, there is a point. Ok, while it's true that Wrath will have some sort of a gear reset similar to TBC's launch, there is an advantage to raiding now: learning how to raid. If you've never raided before, it's time to jump on the horse now, while most people have Karazhan on farm. You'll need to get used to taking orders from someone and cooperating with ten of your guild mates. It's best to learn from your inevitable mistakes while your friends are there to cover for you. It'll make raiding a lot easier in Wrath if you've got the skill set down.
You'll also likely be using a lot of your epics into the 70s. Quite a few people used their level 60 epics through the mid-60s, and in some cases up until Karazhan.
I also don't expect an end to Kara raiding and the like the day Wrath goes live. There's rumors floating around that badge loot might go away with Wrath, but if all the new raids are level 80, there's probably a month or two of, and this seems to weird to phrase it this way, old-school TBC raiding.
For those of you who are heavy raiders, what advice do you give Kedou?
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[edit: fixed typo in title. Remember, kids, proofreading is not just for breakfast!]
Filed under: Raiding, Ask WoW Insider
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Chamual Jun 3rd 2008 11:09AM
Of course you should start, why wouldn't you? Sure some of the loot will get replaced with WotLK but it's not about the loot. Raiding is fun and it's as good a way as any to spend your game time before now and the update.
You can always PvP but once the addon hits the current crop of raid instances will be basically dead and you won't get to see them again.
superfrank Jun 3rd 2008 12:09PM
Rremember that wotlk is 6 months away so you could progress quite far depending how often you raid. Especially with the badge gear giving you a crutch, getting through TK/SSC isn't that unlikely if you raid 2 or 3 nights a week.
Tristan Jun 3rd 2008 2:49PM
We all know that most people that play measure their epeen by what tier their in. So it is about the gear.
Cailleach Jun 3rd 2008 11:09AM
YES! RAID! Why? It's fun! Remember.. game? We wiped all over in ZA, then killed Netherspite and Prince, then wiped all over Nightbane last night. So what if I spent more than I made, and not one drop for me - I had a blast!
Bastiaan Jun 3rd 2008 12:22PM
I love the fact that Mark doesn't point this out, but yeah, I totally agree with Cailleach and all the other posters who say that raiding is fun. Especially with some people that you know; it's great to work together and finally see that boss go down to your valiant group efforts.
Yossarian Jun 3rd 2008 1:08PM
What he said. Raid cause it's *gasp....fun. If it's not fun for you, then go do something else.
Angry Joe Jun 3rd 2008 1:48PM
Is raiding fun? Yes. Do people raid for the fun? No. People raid for the loot, 99% of the time.
Epimer Jun 3rd 2008 11:10AM
*WOTLK
Killah Jun 3rd 2008 12:07PM
Lol, an epic fail from Wowinsider's side... :D
Mark Crump Jun 3rd 2008 12:23PM
Oops, typos for the win!
Knucker Jun 3rd 2008 12:31PM
Don't you know? They changed the name to "Wrath of Lich the King."
Callandra Jun 3rd 2008 11:14AM
Current T6/Badge/S3-4 will likely last until 77-80(T6 should be near new Naxx equivalent). Karazhan epics I imagine will be replaced around 75 or so.
Raiding undoubtedly makes you a better player, and starting now into a guild that has capable people, you can easily kill Vashj or Kael'thas before WOTLK lands on our shores. Finding the people to raid with, thats going to be the hardest part.
What am I going to do in the interim? Keep playing my druid in PvP, but finish leveling a rogue and a warlock as that time spent won't be just washed away when the level cap gets upped to 80.
Milktub Jun 3rd 2008 11:14AM
My guild is in a holding pattern right now, but I still raid for kicks. Heck, I went into Kara with a seriously unprepared PuG the other day (my HP was equal to that of three people combined) and wiped on Curator for an hour because I like raiding. Then the next day I blew through two heroics and a quick Mag PuG.
Your gear will be replaced. But if you're playing the game to have the best ever gear that will never be replaced, you'll need to wait until Blizzard announced that there would be no new content.
Nick S Jun 3rd 2008 4:26PM
we've been pugging everything lately... magtheridon, gruul, ssc, even hyjal/bt/sunwell trash mobs.
no, we're not killing vashj or anything, but it's fun! we meet new people, find a lot of great players who are looking for a new guild, learn fights that would otherwise be over our heads, and get gear that is WAY over our heads (we had the Wand of the Demonsoul go to a level 68 mage not long ago.... YEAH)
raid! it's all pointless anyway, so do what's fun!
Alan Jun 3rd 2008 11:14AM
Well, also, you shouldn't be raiding just because of the phat lewt. Yes, it's fun to run around IF in full T6, but that's just the side effect. I raid because I enjoy it. If you are just looking for neat gear, you're going to be miserable. Especially if you move to 25man content, where you're lucky if you get a drop every months or so. I think I killed Azgalor about 20 times before I got my T6 gloves. It wasn't the gear that made me happy, it was the raiding and the camaraderie, the challenge of a new boss, or of pushing the limits of my class and raid, that I enjoyed. If you just want to look pretty, buy some badge gear.
Knucker Jun 3rd 2008 12:35PM
I completely agree. You can always tell who the people are that want to quit early, because they just want to get the loot. I always stay until the raid leader calls it, or we run out of people to replace the guys that quit early.
superfrank Jun 4th 2008 6:19AM
make a rule that if you sign for the raid you stay til the end
Wulf Jun 3rd 2008 11:16AM
I'd say its worth it just for the experience. Karazhan has to be the most characterful raid instance ever created!
Khanmora Jun 3rd 2008 1:10PM
Exactly, if you need a reason, go do a search on the WoW forums about pre-BC raiding and how many people lament never having done it when it was actually popular to go. If for nothing else, you should go to at least see the places and experience the content.
Adahn Jun 3rd 2008 11:18AM
It's 6 months, man. That's a loooong time that you can spend having fun in new settings, seeing how bosses work, building friendships through raiding - seriously, go for it. My guild just became able to clear Kara, and we're having a blast.