Raid Finder Q&A

Raid Finder Q&A

The new Raid Finder system is now live with patch 4.3.  While we’ve shared some details already, we wanted to provide you with this primer on what players can expect from the new system before taking on one of the most epic bosses Azeroth has ever seen.

Q.Who is Raid Finder for?
A.
Raid Finder is primarily intended for players who don’t already raid consistently. These are players who may not have had the opportunity to take part in raid content due to scheduling conflicts, playtime constraints, limited access to other raid-capable players, or a lack of experience with higher-end content. These players may want to experience World of Warcraft’s raid content and storyline without being able to commit to the additional time investment of a raiding guild. The Raid Finder is also a great way to quickly and easily gear up alternate characters without having to worry about raid lockouts.

Q. What size raid group will the Raid Finder support and why?
A. Raid Finder will match players up to form a 25-player raid. This allows for a more forgiving experience should errors be made by individual players. Raid Finder groups should be a fun way to experience raid content without feeling too punishing to inexperienced raiders.

Q.What is the Raid Finder difficulty level?
A.
Players who take part in Raid Finder groups can expect a similar difficulty level to the Baradin Hold Cataclysm raid.

Q. Are there any character or item level requirements to use the Raid Finder?
A. Yes. You will need to be level 85 with a minimum item level of 372.

Q.What type of loot and items can I expect to get?
A.
The items that can be earned are a lower item level than those found in Normal mode Raid Dungeons. Weapons will only be available from Deathwing himself.

Q. How does loot distribution work?
A.
All Raid Finder groups determine loot distribution using the “Need Before Greed” system. Unlike Dungeon Finder, players who are identified as rolling need on an item that fits their primary role will be given loot priority over those who play a different role. You can read more about item distribution and loot roll rules here. While Raid Finder raids aren’t locked, players are only eligible to win loot from a boss once per week.

Q. How do I use Raid Finder?
A.
You can access Raid Finder through the ‘Raid’ button in the menu at the bottom of the default user interface.

Q. How does Raid Finder populate the raid? Can I invite my friends?
A.
Raid Finder will populate the raid with other players who enter the Raid Finder system. Each Raid Finder raid will include two tanks, six healers, and seventeen damage dealers. As the raid is assembled, the Raid Finder will attempt to balance the group according to armor type, which should help ensure a healthy mix of melee and ranged DPS. There are no additional invite capabilities for the raid leader or other members of the raid, however, groups of players are able to queue together, either as a party or a raid, should they wish to raid together.

Q: Does Raid Finder support Real ID friends?
A:
With patch 4.3, you can invite Real ID friends to a party and then queue together for the Dragon Soul raid using Raid Finder. You can't, however form a raid with cross-realm Real ID friends before joining the Raid Finder queue. While not currently supported, this is something that we’re interested in implementing in a future update.

Q. What raids are available?
A.
The Dragon Soul raid dungeon will be available in the Raid Finder and has been split into two wings. Players will be able to access the first wing at the release of patch 4.3. Deathwing will become available approximately one week later.

Q. Why aren’t older raids available on Raid Finder?
A. Raid Finder is being used to help players access the most current content and tier gear available within the game.  Additional options for the system may be considered in the future.

Q. Can I earn any particular currency with Raid Finder?
A.
Players can earn up to 500 Valor points per week (250 per wing) while utilizing Raid Finder.

Q. How often can I enter the Raid Finder system?
A.
Each boss within the Dragon Soul raid can be killed once per week for a chance at loot. Since there are no raid locks, skipping a boss will not impede your ability to attempt that boss in a future raid.

 

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Comments (317)

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a 25 man raid and you get a chance at raid loot once a week... this PvE gear may take awhile.
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Eumaadbruh
Aman'Thul
Eumaadbruh
4/27/2012
I have to wait until level 85 to raid? Come on, I can't join organized raids because there are ZERO raiding guilds on my realm.
Maybe I should try to start one. :rainbow:
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Shadlows
Drakkari
Shadlows
4/14/2012
its the best thing blizz add to the game.
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Kause
Nazjatar
Kause
4/12/2012
i personally l0ve raid finder, I hope you'll add all the raids available soon!
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Chârizard
Dawnbringer
Chârizard
4/11/2012
Its honestly not even that good i mean why cant we do older raids now that were able to transmog items....
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Salmahighyak
Moon Guard
Salmahighyak
3/27/2012
why is the raid finder available at level 60 but you can't use it til 85?
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Janibia
Exodar
Janibia
3/21/2012
im lvl 70 can i use the raid finder or do i have to be lvl 85??
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Eloyrian
Ghostlands
Eloyrian
3/21/2012
@Janibia: I don't want to be rude, but your comment is incredibly retarded, it's says in the FAQ that it is LEVEL 85 ONLY.
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Dyrienn
Sargeras
Dyrienn
3/22/2012
@Eloyrian: I think you were trolled =/
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Beri
Blackhand
Beri
4/2/2012
@Eloyrian: When you're leveling a new toon, the RF option is available. HOWEVER, there are no available raids to join. Not sure if that means they want to make it possible to que for lower level raids while leveling or what, but you don't ahve to call him retarded for that question...
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Tobble
Frostmourne
Tobble
3/21/2012
someone in my RF group rolled on an item and then left, how can I get the item?
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Dyrienn
Sargeras
Dyrienn
3/22/2012
@Tobble: As far as I know, raid finder only lets people roll on an item if it is something they specifically can use, so in short, you cannot get it back. I.e, if a mage rolled on a token and left, it is their right, although lame.
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Monstaah
Saurfang
Monstaah
3/18/2012
i personaly would like to offer Blizz a big round of applause for the raid finder, Great idea.. for those of you that don't like it, hey don't use it..

you do know that the order of ilvl gear dropped is raid finder (lowest),then normal and heroic right? it says so at the top of the page there.. if your good enough to be in a heroic raidin' guild quit whinning, sheesh.

if on the other hand your like me and played this game for a couple years and only made 2 or 3 friends then this is friggin awsome i reckon, i'll at least see the content, yeah they only have dragon soul available presently, so what? they no doubt will add more if they stick to what they said at blizzcon, which you all could watch on youtube if ya take the damn time..

now as i said in a couple years in this game i've only made a couple of friends, why is that ya might ask? cause i'm a LOSER? yeah i spose so, i sit at home just like you playin' WoW, i'm actually really friendly and supportive (again LOSER) the fact of the matter is i just don't like people like you lol... and guess what it's allowed..lol.. i can't stand all the !@#$en elitests carryin' on in this game when lookin' for a raid, must have blah blah gear score, or ilvl blah blah, must have completed end game 70 times and know it all twice, FFS were ya all born god? did you all create the damn game? or did ya start out as a lvl 1 on the free trial like this LOSER?

this raid finder is awsome personaly for LOSERS like me to enjoy the game so take your elitest self and do it on heroic, or if the game ain't no good any more quit whining and create your own Elite Uber just like it used to be but better cause it should have this game and piss off..lol

have a nice day =)
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Emeri
Azgalor
Emeri
4/3/2012
@Monstaah: Yessss. :)
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@Monstaah: Bingo
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Elvriyn
Aerie Peak
Elvriyn
3/17/2012
okay i have to rant some more, the item level requirement has worked like a dream in keeping the grays out oops i mean high level questers out of dungeons, and ultimately it was more successful in BC heroics, i mean it's only logical to assumke dungeon runners will level through dungeons, pvpers will level through pvp, and questers well i guess they level too? bottom line they should keep the item level standard as it is for the reason that in an attempt to bring back subs they are ironically just going to accellerate the losses as the rebalancing would get all screwed up because of some 5 year olds that doesn't like to work yet

Furthermore, WoW should stop listening to every complaint everyone has and start asking themselves what's breaking the game? the nerfing? or the content. If WoW is going to survive guild wars 2 release in April they need to get their shiit in gear and fix the mechanics they like screwing with and leave the talent tree alone, don't fix things that aren't broken
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Colelolwut
Korialstrasz
Colelolwut
5/18/2012
@Elvriyn: oh man guild wars 2 release killed wow so bad, it also killed your gems and enchants
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Elvriyn
Aerie Peak
Elvriyn
3/17/2012
why is it called a raid finder if you only que for the endgame fight? Why not call it an event group finder duh, why does Wow always go halfway on everything great they add
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Daswarrior
Zul'jin
Daswarrior
3/13/2012
why no low level raid finder :(
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Vandrah
Thaurissan
Vandrah
3/9/2012
The raid finder is a joke. I suppose it is good for those that can't raid to see the content, but honestly Blizzard... the raid finder is set so low in difficulty without any explaination of the fights I made it through just fine got gear and was left feeling empty. The cata heroics were harder than the LFR. The WoTLK raids were much more interesting and challenaging with better quality cut scenes. I am glad Blizzard gave me a free 7 days promo to come back to WoW, but I will not be returning. Inside of 2 hours I completed all the new 5-man content and the LFR is a joke. Real raiding still requires endless grinding to get gear (not as much as before... VP gear is pretty much given away now ... booo... make ppl earn it!) Inside of 7 days I was able to up my toon from 359 gear to 378 with 1 397 and 2 384 pieces... might as well just hand me all the other gear I need upped to 384/397. One final thought, the fights in Dragon Soul are very uninspiring. After seeing them in LFR, I have no desire to try them at a harder difficultly level. Faster content release isn't what you need... quality content is what you need!
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Dyrienn
Sargeras
Dyrienn
3/22/2012
@Vandrah: You do realize Blizzard set up LFR specifically for those who are not able to see the 397+ gear/raids? It is meant to be a stepping stone for those looking to get into heroic 25 man's. WoTLK raids btw, were a joke and this is someone speaking who has played since beta. They were a walk in the park compared to vanilla raids (MC, BWL Naxx 1.0, Ony). Good luck in future games, you will not be missed in Wow, especially since you are ranting and spouting inaccurate information based on opinion.
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Revenos
Stormrage
Revenos
3/8/2012
Let me get this straight. Raid Finder is for players that have not had the time to do regular raids, right? So why do they have an item level threshold of 372? I do not think that is possible if you bring a character up with questing. My Hunter did nothing but quests to 85. And my ilvl is 317. And I did not toss better items in the trash. Any comments would be appreciated.
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Ricebubble
Caelestrasz
Ricebubble
3/12/2012
@Revenos: 5 mans dude. The new heroics are both easy as !@#$ and drop 278, the other heroics are harder but you're a ranged dps so dont worry about it grind for a few days and you'll have the gear to get into RF. And fyi players never have and never will go straight from questing to raiding thats ridiculous.
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Elvriyn
Aerie Peak
Elvriyn
3/17/2012
@Revenos: sure i'll respond, i think Blizz got it wrong again when ppl said they want a raid finder, pll really meant was to que for raids at every level to help with the headaches of having to spend a year recruiting ppl that actually raids and rather go to the portals that are mostly inside dungeons, raid finders need to like dungeon finders, enough said
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Galindruhek
Winterhoof
Galindruhek
2/29/2012
Voice of a miserable first experience in a Raid: It would be helpful for people who know the Raid to check and make sure everyone understands the mechanics of a fight during the down time before a fight...if you wait it can result in a wipe. Players watching videos before hand is NOT necessarily going to result in a clear understanding. Case in point: I dutifully watched videos before going into my first Raids yesterday, realizing the loathing every Raider has for people who are new to it. What I understood from the video about the Spine was that we were supposed to start by attacking a tentacle and that we were to kill 2 more after that. What the video did not make clear enough was that the next two tentacles were not to be attacked in rapid succession, but one at a time as we got through other mobs whose deaths would blow plates off of DW's back. So I dotted up three tentacles right off. I attacked each in turn taking them down. When the Raid leader posted in red to stop DPSing Corruption, I stopped using my Corruption DOT...*sigh*...the Raid wiped, I was cussed out by 20 something people and kicked from the group after being accused of wiping the Raid in a temper tantrum over loot. Thing is...I don't even look to see what loot I've won until AFTER an instance. My priority in an instance has always been to get through the fights, not to quibble about stuff. And years of pvp experience has resulted in my tendency to ignore the party-chat during a fight if it doesn't look within the first few like its going to be on-topic. I don't care to read about people's particular bigotries or to listen to doom-cheerleaders with their we-suck-you-people-are-idiots-we-are-going-to-lose mantras. Bottom line: the only way to become experienced is well through experiencing...and in a Raid-finder situation, you may not want to wait for the person to have the learning experience. It just might be a good idea to check and make sure everyone is on the same page to start.
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Viølence
Ysondre
Viølence
4/3/2012
@Galindruhek: pvp expierence doesn't mean pve expierence.... and you couldn't see the name of the mob you were killing?
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Baskenrobbin
Aerie Peak
Baskenrobbin
2/26/2012
i simply do not like the one a week raid loots because everybody needs so you have a minuscule chance of getting the loot and with or without receiving anything u still cannot attempt it again until the coming week, seems rather unfair
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Crocdildunde
Jubei'Thos
Crocdildunde
2/22/2012
this means mist of pandaria is coming
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Yushadowsar
Arygos
Yushadowsar
2/28/2012
@Crocdildunde: Though they haven't released date, Blockbuster online states December. Don't pray to much.
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Xtortionism
Bleeding Hollow
Xtortionism
3/15/2012
@Yushadowsar: I'm hoping for a new raid, or a 4.4, before that happens. Probably won't, but DS doesn't have the replay value ICC had. Which means I wont sit around raiding DS for 7 more months.
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Priestypeter
Galakrond
Priestypeter
2/22/2012
Really need to change the loots system. I have done the Battle for Wyrmwrest and Fall of Deathwing each like 5 times and downed all the bosses and still not gotten a single piece of loot. That's 5 weeks of waiting and trying to get gear. Please make it so I can requeue and at least get an item per week or something. I would like to raid but you made valor cap low, so I can't get into any regular dragon soul raids either because of my item level.
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Phrenchay
Undermine
Phrenchay
2/16/2012
I think that they should do lockouts for sure... They could definitely make it so the lockouts only last 2-3 days. Or they could allow for at least
Multiple runs per week and still be allowed loot rolls. I think that 3 times a week once per day would be something reasonable. I'd like to hear what everyone has to think about this idea.
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Icygore
Shadow Council
Icygore
2/14/2012
Can devs take a look at the use of PvP gear to meet raid / heroics iLevel requirements? The PvP gear - PvE gear availability seems to be a bit in disparity as there are a LOT of people using full PvP gear to meet iLevel entrance requirements and then not performing to the standards of PvE content. It might be that people aren't playing to their full potential, but it is also partially the gear that they are walking in with.

Would developing a separate system for PvP iLevel be that difficult?
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Maxrebo
Arthas
Maxrebo
2/4/2012
wow so many people QQing over nothing. this is an OPTIONAL feature. if you dont like it. dont use it.
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Crocdildunde
Jubei'Thos
Crocdildunde
2/22/2012
@Maxrebo: i know... i never understood why people complain about stuff that is optional if they don't like it don't use it...........
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Crocdildunde
Jubei'Thos
Crocdildunde
2/22/2012
@Maxrebo: i couldn't even give jelously the reason why when i tried to figure it out because how can you be jelous of people who get worse gear then what you do and only get 1 or none items per week
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Ironshod
Darkspear
Ironshod
2/26/2012
@Crocdildunde: *Jealous
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Chaoscannon
Medivh
Chaoscannon
2/29/2012
@Crocdildunde: Just so you know, playing this game is optional.
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Jumbotron
Duskwood
Jumbotron
1/18/2012
Yet again Blizzard, WTF!!!111 - You take away all the old raids like twilight grove in Duskwood and then when people still in BC wanna raid you make it that you have to 85! Well done! :( - BTW (is the twilight grove a raid?)
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Kogger
Arathor
Kogger
1/29/2012
@Jumbotron: lmao! 'still in BC'?? dude its gone. it was fun times but its gone and its been gone for a couple of years now. get over it.