WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2015 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.How encounter design plays into game balancehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/24/how-encounter-design-plays-into-game-balance/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/24/how-encounter-design-plays-into-game-balance/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/24/how-encounter-design-plays-into-game-balance/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Game balance is a very frequent topic when it comes to WoW. With every nerf or buff, there comes a vast explanation from the player base as to why it was and was not justified. Perhaps one of the most common lamentations regarding a nerf that we see is when Blizzard "nerfs PvE for the sake of PvP." While Blizzard does make PvP damage adjustments from time to time, there are far more damage changes that are made due to PvE concerns than there ever has been for PvP. It's an easy fallback to take up; blaming the aspect of the game which you don't actively take part in, yet it would be far more accurate for PvP players to complain about PvE.

There's another trap that's easy to fall into: that PvE balance is easy to do. To be fair, balancing against Patchwerk encounters isn't that difficult, although you'll still never get it perfect, but WoW has only had a single Patchwerk encounter, and that was Patchwerk. For all the damage juggling that Blizzard does, the largest factor in game balance is always going to be the encounters themselves. Each fight has unique mechanics which mingles with the way specs operate and it is that which determines how a spec fairs just as much as any damage balancing on Blizzard's part.

Continue reading How encounter design plays into game balance

WoW InsiderHow encounter design plays into game balance originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>guideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 ESTReady Check: The loss of itemization in Cataclysmhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/ready-check-the-loss-of-itemization-in-cataclysm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/ready-check-the-loss-of-itemization-in-cataclysm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/ready-check-the-loss-of-itemization-in-cataclysm/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Like it or not, there's one constant about raiding. No matter what your reason for raiding is, and no matter what joy you happen to get from it, there's only one thing that matters at the end of the day. Obviously, I'm talking about loot. Loot is the one thing that makes the raiding world go 'round. Sure, we raid for story, we raid for friends, we raid for challenges. All of that is well and good and makes for a nice, lovely, non-selfish story that we can tell the world. Who knows? It might even be true -- but there's no avoiding that loot is the result.

Maybe that's why raiding has popularity issues. Maybe it isn't the experience so much as it is the reward. I suppose we'll never know -- at least, not from this Ready Check. No, no, instead there's there one part of loot issues that I really want to get into, the problem that has been plaguing Blizzard for this entire expansion: the lack of loot.

Continue reading Ready Check: The loss of itemization in Cataclysm

WoW InsiderReady Check: The loss of itemization in Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingitemizationleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 17 Feb 2012 17:00:00 ESTReady Check: Tiered raid progression vs. raid accessibilityhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/10/ready-check-tiered-raid-progression-vs-raid-accessibility/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/10/ready-check-tiered-raid-progression-vs-raid-accessibility/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/10/ready-check-tiered-raid-progression-vs-raid-accessibility/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Let's do a little bit of polling in my head, shall we? How many of you raided during vanilla? Not all that many, I'm sure, and not purely because not that many folks from that time are still around but also because a horridly low number of people who were around back then did raid. But let's say you did raid. How many actually got to clear through the original Naxx? Now, that's a small number of hands; after all, even Blizzard said that less than 1% of the player base so much as downed a single boss in the that instance. Moving on to The Burning Crusade, how many raided there? More hands that previously, I'm sure. Now how many of you progressed past Karazhan? How many cleared through Black Temple? Sunwell?

Let's keep getting more current, though. How many say Naxx in Wrath? Now how many saw ICC? OK, how many say any T11 content? How many of those saw Dragon Soul? Interesting! The number of hands gets progressively smaller as the raids within vanilla WoW and The Burning Crusade progress, yet it stays relatively the same throughout Wrath and Cataclysm. That's because in Wrath, Blizzard drastically changed its view on raiding -- far beyond merely making it easier.

Continue reading Ready Check: Tiered raid progression vs. raid accessibility

WoW InsiderReady Check: Tiered raid progression vs. raid accessibility originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 ESTWhy we need difficult raid encountershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/why-we-need-difficult-raid-encounters/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/why-we-need-difficult-raid-encounters/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/why-we-need-difficult-raid-encounters/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Welcome back again, raiders. Last session, we discussed those things that make a raid fun. Fun, as with many subjects, is a highly personal experience, and the simple matter is that not everyone finds even the concept of raiding itself very fun. This week, I want to continue with that discussion but in a different topic of course. Fun is merely a single part of raiding; another side of it is difficulty.

Difficulty comes in many shapes and sizes, not all of which are exclusive to one another. Further, difficulty often gets a rather tough rap in terms of how it influences a player's experience. Often, when we hear the word difficulty, we think of bosses that are just downright annoyingly hard. We envision these impossible encounters that act as roadblocks toward progression that end up only frustrating raiders. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Continue reading Why we need difficult raid encounters

WoW InsiderWhy we need difficult raid encounters originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 20 Jan 2012 18:00:00 ESTReady Check: What makes raiding fun?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/ready-check-what-makes-raiding-fun/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/ready-check-what-makes-raiding-fun/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/ready-check-what-makes-raiding-fun/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Ahh, it is a new year, and as is common during this time, we put aside a spot of our days in order to reflect upon the previous year. We do this to see where we went wrong, where we went right, what aspects we think we need to improve upon.

Video games, particularly MMOs, are not so different from people, and MMO players too must undergo this same reflection. In WoW especially, one thing stands out above all the rest: Raiding continues to be a failure.

Now, now, I am not apart of the camp which decries the dumbing down of content. In fact, I still laud the quality of WoW's raids that Blizzard is putting out, even if I think they are becoming a bit light on the size factor. I am instead speaking in terms of sheer numbers. Raiding has never been an aspect of WoW that a majority of the community participated in, despite its being where the largest amount of new content is seen throughout expansions. Even though raiding has grown more and more accessible over this past year, there are still more people who don't raid than do.

Continue reading Ready Check: What makes raiding fun?

WoW InsiderReady Check: What makes raiding fun? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Tyler CarawayFri, 06 Jan 2012 17:00:00 ESTWoW Insider's guide to Warlord Zon'ozzhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/09/wow-insiders-guide-to-warlord-zonozz/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/09/wow-insiders-guide-to-warlord-zonozz/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/09/wow-insiders-guide-to-warlord-zonozz/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Unlike the other encounters in Dragon Soul, Warlord Zon'ozz only requires a single tank. For cooldown purposes, it is possible to bring in a second tank; however, there isn't too much of a need to do so. Per usual, you will want to have around five to six healers. Switch your off tank for an additional healer if you feel that would help. Your DPS should be a solid mix of both ranged and melee; there does need to be a solid balance of both. Healers should be split among the DPS, with tank healers staying with the melee.

Abilities

Zon'ozz doesn't have all that many abilities, but he's still a hands-on encounter. Most of your time will be spent watching the Void of Unmaking and bouncing it back and forth. Healers will focus more on clearing away Disrupting Shadows. For once, tanks probably have the easiest time on this encounter, only really having to watch out for a single ability that occurs about once per phase or so.

Continue reading WoW Insider's guide to Warlord Zon'ozz

WoW InsiderWoW Insider's guide to Warlord Zon'ozz originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dragon-souldragon-soul-guidedragon-soul-raidfeaturedguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershippatch-4.3raid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswarlord-zonozzwarlord-zonozz-guideworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newswow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidszonozzzonozz-guideTyler CarawayFri, 09 Dec 2011 17:00:00 ESTWoW Insider's guide to Morchokhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/wow-insiders-guide-to-morchok/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/wow-insiders-guide-to-morchok/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/wow-insiders-guide-to-morchok/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Greetings raiders, and welcome to WoW Insider's raid boss strategy guides! With the release of 4.3 and the new Dragon Soul raid, we're finally onto the last bastion of evil in this expansion. Finally we are given the chance to face down Deathwing himself and end his destructive madness. Before we can reach this cataclysmic destroyer, though, we'll first have to break the siege upon Wyrmrest Temple and battle our way through the most powerful minions the Destroyer has in his arsenal.

The first of this is Morchok, a giant earth elemental that is assaulting the front gates, as it were, of the Temple itself. Although not challenging for the first encounter of the raid, this pile of rocks isn't going down without a fight. Are you prepared to break yourselves upon his body? (Oh, wait ... that's a different encounter, isn't it?)

Continue reading WoW Insider's guide to Morchok

WoW InsiderWoW Insider's guide to Morchok originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Dragon-soul-guideDragon-Soul-Morchokdragon-soul-raidfeaturedguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipMorchokMorchok-guidepatch-4.3raid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidsworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newswow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 02 Dec 2011 16:00:00 ESTThe return of raid stacking?http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/29/ready-check-the-return-of-raid-stacking/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/29/ready-check-the-return-of-raid-stacking/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/29/ready-check-the-return-of-raid-stacking/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Many people are currently all in a tizzy over the recently released ability lists and talent trees for all of the classes in the next expansion. I suppose I too am no different in this respect. Yet while all others are in their throes of joy (or desperately pleading for changes), I am struck with a thought, a concern if you will, that leaves me slightly worried for the future of raiding. At some point in time, a great wise man once said that we are doomed to repeat history and all that jazz often if we fail to remember it. Sometimes I feel that he is only half right.

Much like Know Your Lore, this week is something of a tinfoil-hat deal, meaning that it's all speculation on my part. I could be wrong -- in fact, this time around I beg to be incorrect -- but I am merely reporting what it is that I see trending. Take it all with a grain of salt.

Continue reading The return of raid stacking?

WoW InsiderThe return of raid stacking? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayTue, 29 Nov 2011 21:00:00 ESTReady Check: Cleaning up issues with Raid Finderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/ready-check-cleaning-up-issues-with-raid-finder/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/ready-check-cleaning-up-issues-with-raid-finder/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/ready-check-cleaning-up-issues-with-raid-finder/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Last week, we talked about a few of the issues that are currently speculated for Blizzard's new Raid Finder tool that is being released within the next patch. Specifically, that discussion was about raid size and raid leadership; however, these are not the only concerns that people have. The Raid Finder is a rather charged topic within the community, for a wide variety of reasons, all depending on whom you ask.

This week, we will be wrapping up the discussion as best can be done as I attempt to address the remaining issues that people have put forward. Before we begin, let me say that, until this all goes live, we cannot accurately judge the success or failure of the tool. The Dungeon Finder, similarly, had a significant amount of backlash and down talk before it was released, yet most people now wouldn't play without it -- just to put everything in perspective.

Continue reading Ready Check: Cleaning up issues with Raid Finder

WoW InsiderReady Check: Cleaning up issues with Raid Finder originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-finderraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraid-sizeraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 18 Nov 2011 18:00:00 ESTReady Check: The human element of the Raid Finderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/ready-check-the-human-element-of-the-raid-finder/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/ready-check-the-human-element-of-the-raid-finder/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/ready-check-the-human-element-of-the-raid-finder/#commentsFiled under:

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

These past few weeks have been quite the doozy here for Ready Check as we've discussed the future of raiding in Pandaria followed by the more current notion of raid accessibility, two seemingly different topics that are heavy intertwined. This week, we'll be brushing into another similar topic as we delve into the newest tool that Blizzard is releasing in order to increase raid accessibility across the board: the new Raid Finder.

Currently on the PTR, the Raid Finder has been running rather hit or miss with some of the playerbase at the moment. A few are avid PTR-goers, while others have only just now popped into the process. For either group, they certainly don't have a lack of being vocal on the forums. Despite what problems some players have been raising, I feel and have experienced that the Raid Finder tool will go over amazingly well. A lot of the complaints that we hear now are the exact same ones that were given for the Dungeon Finder when it was being released, and while not everything from 5-man content transitions to raids, both will have the same success.

Join me as I defend the single tool that I will probably never use in this game.

Continue reading Ready Check: The human element of the Raid Finder

WoW InsiderReady Check: The human element of the Raid Finder originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipLFRlooking-for-raidlooking-for-raid-toolraid-finderraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 11 Nov 2011 15:00:00 ESTReady Check: Looking at raid accessibilityhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/ready-check-looking-at-raid-accessibility/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/ready-check-looking-at-raid-accessibility/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/ready-check-looking-at-raid-accessibility/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Last week, we brushed upon the topic of what the next expansion might hold for raiding. Specifically, the talk centered around the concept that raiding cannot be Blizzard's sole focus any more. As much effort as has been put into raiding, not every player is capable of getting involved with it. The argument was that Blizzard needed to focus on other content for max-level players aside from raiding and questioned what impact that would have on raiding overall.

First, at little bit of information. The blog Player vs. Auction House went off the norm and provided a little bit of numbers gleamed from WowProgress about T11 raiding before 4.2. While there is some interesting data as it relates to last week's topic, that isn't the focus I want to bring up. An argument was put forth that Cataclysm raiding is less accessible today than it previously was. I feel this is a great topic to delve right into this week.

Continue reading Ready Check: Looking at raid accessibility

WoW InsiderReady Check: Looking at raid accessibility originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 04 Nov 2011 20:00:00 ESTReady Check: Looking into the future of raidinghttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/28/ready-check-looking-into-the-future-of-raiding/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/28/ready-check-looking-into-the-future-of-raiding/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/28/ready-check-looking-into-the-future-of-raiding/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

BlizzCon 2011 was a great source of new information for a lot of players. One of the things that Blizzard didn't really speak about, however, was the future of raiding in the next expansion and beyond. Since The Burning Crusade, Blizzard has made enormous strides in changing the face of endgame content. It started with the reduction from 40-man raiding to 25-man raiding along with the introduction of 10-man raiding. In Wrath, we saw an even larger change, with every raid having a 10-man option that allowed even greater access to the raiding scene than ever before. Now, 10-man and 25-man are, to Blizzard at least, considered to be on equal footing.

With each expansion has come a drastic change to the raiding scene, yet nothing was announced for the next game. This leaves us rather up in the air as to where Blizzard intends to take the raiding scene. WoW is becoming a game of accessibility, where the end goal is to make the largest amount of content available to the widest audience. In light of this, it is time that we don our tin foil hats in taking a look at what the future might hold for raiding players of WoW.

Continue reading Ready Check: Looking into the future of raiding

WoW InsiderReady Check: Looking into the future of raiding originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 28 Oct 2011 19:00:00 ESTReady Check: How legendaries destroy PVEhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/ready-check-how-legendaries-destroy-pve/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/ready-check-how-legendaries-destroy-pve/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/ready-check-how-legendaries-destroy-pve/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

By now, everyone is familiar with the bitter arguments that follow the release of any legendary weapon. There are always the petty squabbles over who should get it first, which class or spec gains the most benefit from it, even down so much as to who should be allowed to get the item at all. Beyond those things, there is always the riled-up PVP crowd. PVP doesn't offer itemization or choices to mirror or match legendary items by any means, and every legendary item has long been a must-have for any serious PVPer.

Basically, you have a legendary, you rock face without even questioning it; without one, well, you just better pray you end up matched on equal footing. Every legendary has done this, and each one has created a new controversy, yet no one ever gives any consideration to the opposing side of the game. Yes, legendaries come from PVE, and any raider can technically get one with dedication, but they have just as of an unbalancing impact on the raiding scene as they do the PVP-verse. This week, we'll be looking into those negative reactions.

Continue reading Ready Check: How legendaries destroy PVE

WoW InsiderReady Check: How legendaries destroy PVE originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dragonwrathdragonwrath-tarecgosas-restfeaturedguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawaySun, 23 Oct 2011 17:00:00 ESTReady Check: What to do when there's no raiding lefthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/14/ready-check-what-to-do-when-theres-no-raiding-left/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/14/ready-check-what-to-do-when-theres-no-raiding-left/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/14/ready-check-what-to-do-when-theres-no-raiding-left/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

As we all sit by our computers, patiently awaiting for some news about the oncoming patch wherein we get to finally kill that blazing dragon that has been a bane upon all my alts for the entire expansion, it can be difficult sometimes to find things to do. Sure, there's still a raid that not everyone has completed on heroic difficulty -- in fact, most people haven't -- yet what statistics we have access to shows that not every raid group has any interest in heroic raids. Some raid groups just want to clear out normal and be done with it. With only seven bosses to tackle, clearing our Firelands certainly isn't an all-week affair.

What to do then when the current raiding content is cleared? The number of bosses in Firelands isn't really a major concern; even with nearly double that in the first raiding tier of this expansions, several raiding groups would clear out everything available well before weekly resets. Keeping your raiders engaged in content while not overwhelming them is just as much the job of the raid leader as it is Blizzard's. There is a lot of content out in the world of Azeroth -- years worth, in fact. It's up to you to exploit it all.

Continue reading Ready Check: What to do when there's no raiding left

WoW InsiderReady Check: What to do when there's no raiding left originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 14 Oct 2011 19:00:00 ESTReady Check: Handling raid dramahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/ready-check-handling-raid-drama/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/ready-check-handling-raid-drama/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/ready-check-handling-raid-drama/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

Greetings, raiders. As we await more information to come down the pipeline, it's time to sit back and reflect upon some of the more mundane issues that face raiders in the coming months. These past few weeks, we've been discussing various methods of loot distribution and how they work (or sometimes don't). There are times where these systems can fail so badly that they cause loot drama within the raid. Other times, it isn't as melodramatic as loot. Raids are nothing more than groups and people, and in groups, not everyone will always get along perfectly.

Raid drama is, at times, an unfortunate side-effect of being within a raid. While we all hope for the perfect raiding team that is without any issues at all, sometimes the worst comes to pass and conflict arises. These are the times that test the leadership skills of a group organizer. This week, we'll go about discussing how to properly handle raider fallout.

Continue reading Ready Check: Handling raid drama

WoW InsiderReady Check: Handling raid drama originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:00 ESTReady Check: Looking into roll-based loot systemshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/ready-check-looking-into-roll-based-loot-systems/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/ready-check-looking-into-roll-based-loot-systems/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/ready-check-looking-into-roll-based-loot-systems/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

Greetings once again, raiders. While the rest of the writers are off in their lofty towers of 4.3 land, I am stuck here in the trenches of reality. Fret not, we'll soon be climbing out of this foxhole that we've found ourself in, but the time is not quite right. I promise you though, when next we hit 4.3 content with our feet running, it is going to be an epic adventure that you won't want to miss. In the meantime, it's back to the discussion on loot systems. Gear, after all, doesn't distribute itself.

Last week, we talked about various DKP systems and the advantages or disadvantages that they hold. While DKP is a fairly common system that you'll probably see in most guilds, it isn't the only popular choice. This week, we'll be taking a look into roll-based loot systems and how they too can be an effective method for distributing purples.

Continue reading Ready Check: Looking into roll-based loot systems

WoW InsiderReady Check: Looking into roll-based loot systems originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 30 Sep 2011 17:30:00 ESTReady Check: Looking into DKP loot systemshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/23/ready-check-looking-into-dkp-loot-systems/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/23/ready-check-looking-into-dkp-loot-systems/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/23/ready-check-looking-into-dkp-loot-systems/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

Welcome back, raiders. In our last edition, we talked about the importance of having a solid loot system as a part of a solid raiding team. Loot is the end result of playing this game, no matter which sector it is that you choose to focus on. Having a great distribution system for all the shiny trinkets that your raid stumbles across insider the corpses of giant beasts helps to ensure that everything runs smoothly. As was mentioned last week, each loot system is judged based on how equally it distributes loot as well as how well it rewards player participation.

This week, we'll be taking a look at one of the more common loot systems that you come across in WoW and how they all rank. Remember, loot distribution is always something that should be taken seriously, but more than that, there is no one right answer. Which system works for one raid group might not pan out for another. The ultimate goal is to avoid any and all loot problems in a raid; provided that a system avoids that, then the rest doesn't matter.

Continue reading Ready Check: Looking into DKP loot systems

WoW InsiderReady Check: Looking into DKP loot systems originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dkpdkp-systemfeaturedguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershiploot-systemsraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 23 Sep 2011 17:00:00 ESTReady Check: How to handle raid loot systemshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/ready-check-how-to-handle-raid-loot-systems/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/ready-check-how-to-handle-raid-loot-systems/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/ready-check-how-to-handle-raid-loot-systems/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

There is one simple truth that we must all face: Loot is the most important factor of WoW. We all play for different reasons -- some for friends, others for the thrill of downing new content, and some to be the best. With all of these things, the end result is the same. Run dungeons, you get gear. Deal in PVP, you get gear. Raid? You end up with gear. Gear is unavoidable. It is always the end result of any activity that you perform. Every game has its end, to a story, to a plot -- and WoW's end is gear.

Unlike single-player games wherein loot control is not an issue, WoW deals with multiple people and limited gear. There's only so much stuff to go around, with far more people wanting to get it. To facilitate who gets what, players have relied upon constructed systems of loot distribution. While the way in which loot is handled will vary from guild to guild, there are several standardized systems that are fairly popular. This week, we'll be taking a look at why loot systems are important and the things that you can do in order to minimize loot-related issues within your raid.

Continue reading Ready Check: How to handle raid loot systems

WoW InsiderReady Check: How to handle raid loot systems originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 16 Sep 2011 18:00:00 ESTReady Check: Dealing with a dead tankhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/09/ready-check-dealing-with-a-dead-tank/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/09/ready-check-dealing-with-a-dead-tank/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/09/ready-check-dealing-with-a-dead-tank/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

At last we come to the end of this little miniseries that we've had going. First, we talked about how to deal with a poor DPS within a raid group; then we talked about dealing with a poor healer. Now it is time that we bring the discussion to tanks. Often, raid leaders find themselves being far more lax with tanks than they would be with other players. Tanks are a rare commodity; finding a good one is perhaps harder than it is to find a DPSer or even a healer, yet a fantastic tank is the cornerstone of any solid raiding group. Tanks take a brunt of the responsibility in many encounters, so it can be difficult to admonish them at times.

That being said, it is just as important to keep the tanks up to snuff as it is any other raider. Given their limited representation within a raid, a poor tank has a far larger effect on a raid than any other role. If your tank just can't pull it off, everything else quickly falls apart; they don't really have anyone else who might pick up their missing slack the way that other roles could. It is important that your tanks know their stuff and get the job done.

Continue reading Ready Check: Dealing with a dead tank

WoW InsiderReady Check: Dealing with a dead tank originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 09 Sep 2011 15:00:00 ESTReady Check: Dealing with a weak healerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/02/how-to-deal-with-weak-healers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/02/how-to-deal-with-weak-healers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/02/how-to-deal-with-weak-healers/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop.

Welcome back, raiders. Last week, we talked about how to handle a low DPS player within a raid. The article focused more on the way that players attempt to deflect attention from any issues that they might be having; while that's useful information, there are other sides as well. This week, we will be focusing on healers. Much as with DPS, there are no weak roles within a raid. Everyone has to perform up to par in order to succeed; furthermore, just like DPSers, healers can get equally defensive when approached about a problem.

Join me as we explore many of the ways in which a healer can attempt to deflect proper blame against them and ways in which you can help them improve. Remember, a raid leader's strongest tool is information.

Continue reading Ready Check: Dealing with a weak healer

WoW InsiderReady Check: Dealing with a weak healer originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadinghealhealershealingleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST