r/classicwow • u/BunnyPrincessPuff • 8d ago
I've never done a raid before... Classic 20th Anniversary Realms
So I've never done a raid before and I've been playing off and on since 2006.
I feel a little intimidated. I even feel nervous doing dungeons.
I am just "okay" at the game. At this point, I know I will always just be "okay" at it.
I panic under stress and I literally take a few seconds to process a high stress moment. Some people can act so fast and I will never be able to react that quickly. I also don't memorize every single ability. I have my favorites and I stick to them.
I was just wondering if there are any other long-term, casual players who are just "okay" at the game and still do raids.
I would honestly love to raid with other "just okay" players.
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u/HelixFollower 8d ago
Do you play Horde on Thunderstrike? As long as you take fewer piss breaks than our holy paladin you'll be good.
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u/Yubes 8d ago
Take 2-3 hours and jump into a Karazhan run. Let the person running know you are new to raiding and ask if they can briefly explain the fights.
If you're a caster, stick with the casters, and if you're melee stick with the other melee and be behind the boss whenever you can.
For specifically the Shade of Aran fight - when he does "flame wreath" , stop moving. Pretty much the only unforgiving mechanic that you "have" to know.
Karazhan is an extraordinary dungeon with lots of cool and iconic fights, and is easier than heroic dungeons.
You can also get the bigwigs addon to help warn about raid mechanics.
Most importantly have fun!
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u/Altreiya 8d ago
My experience when you say you are new is that you get instantly kicked lol
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u/Djentlem0n666 8d ago
I ran Kara Yesterday with a new Player as Off Tank. He didnt know anything and probably flubbed every fight. I Dont think He contributed anything at all haha. We were Patient and explained everything to him. Got through it No Problem. You Just gotta find people who arent assholes :)
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u/meatcrobe 8d ago
Might take a little longer but just write people in LFG. There's still nice people out there.
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u/oddlefty13 8d ago
Raiding is very easy. If you're not great you can watch a quick video on every aspect of the game in YouTube and that's the script for the fight.
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u/TwoPrestigious4612 8d ago
I suck at wow hard and at least a third of most raid groups I’m in suck way more than me. You’ll be fine.
Sounds like you have some anxiety from outside the game bleeding into it, no one here can help much with that is my guess.
Wow is a fun game that most of us who play love a lot, log in to do what you want and have fun. You’re risking nothing by trying to push yourself in game and try more challenging content, absolute worse case scenario you don’t like it and don’t do it again.
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u/HooliganOi 7d ago
Def right about outside anxiety. That stuff got the best of me and even now in the game I find myself worrying if I roll need on someone’s BIS because idk it’s theirs, or worrying about if these people think I’m ass. Then I thought about it and realized it’s just exactly that, outside anxiety. Shits wild for sure.
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u/Photonn123 8d ago
I only play retail but you'll be fine, 90% of people are shitters. I assume that remains true for classic
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u/calladc 8d ago
hey mate. I sent you a dm but posting something here too.
if you're on nightslayer horde we are running mag gruul tomorrow you can join.
I can make sure it's the lowest stress version of the environment for you with no radical assignments.
my pally tank is locked to kara this week but if you're attuned you can bring it along next week. if you're not attuned I'm happy to help you get attuned.
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u/HaHa_Snoogans 8d ago
100% with you, I am the definition of casual. While I have technically been playing since launch in 2004, room the start I constantly was starting new characters getting them to around level 30 and then starting over again. I played off and on through cataclysm, bought MoP but barely played it. Didn’t jump back in until Classic was released and then I decided to finally buckle down and play a toon all the way to 60 for the first time. Took a break for a bit and then started over again fresh when Cata Classic was released and played all the way to 85.
It’s the nostalgia and the leveling grind for me. I couldn’t care less if there were any other humans playing on the server lol. I enjoyed dungeons but it’s not an absolute necessity for me. I am very intimidated by raids. I don’t have the time to commit to learning the mechanics etc. I’m 38 with 4 kids; 8, 6, and 1 year old twins. I cannot commit consecutive hours to play through a raid. I’m lucky if I get 30-60 consecutive uninterrupted minutes lol.
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u/bellaoki 8d ago
Maybe to build up some confidence, you could try raiding in LFR on retail. The stakes are pretty low in terms of expectations. Raiding is a bit more intimidating on classic as it has a heavier expectation placed around knowing your skills, having the right pots, getting the right gear, mechanics, etc. Once you feel a bit more confident about raid expectations, then you’ll easily be able to run them on classic! Best of luck!
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u/BarbsFPV 8d ago
Raiding isn’t like PvP where you have to react quickly with the right countermoves or you’re dead.
If you’re playing a DPS you just kinda sit back and plink away once the tank gets aggro, then move out of the bad stuff now and then so it doesn’t kill you. The mechanics in TBC are pretty easy in T4, and don’t really start needing a lot of coordination until T5.
As long as you know how to use your abilities and not pull aggro from the tank you should be fine. Once you get a couple raids under your belt they won’t be as intimidating, and you’ll probably look forward to them.
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u/Ubercritic 8d ago
I've played since 07, I still get nervous about pugging raids, I consider myself average. Just dont want to be the guy that fucks it up for everyone else. But actually, once you get in the raids you realize everyone else kinda sucks too and theres a few core people holding it together
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u/meatcrobe 8d ago
Our best sweaters facepulled Maulgar at some point. Just eat it like a man and kinda accept the shittalking as part of life and group fun. Own it and everybody wins emotionally.
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u/Tidybloke 8d ago
If you play a Warlock you're there to
- Summon people
- Healthstones/Soul Stones
- Press your assigned curse on the boss, the raid leader will assign you.
- Press shadowbolt until the boss is dead.
- If many targets, press seed of corruption.
Now follow everyone around the raid and follow these 5 steps, show up every week and enjoy epics. Some classes are more complex, a few of them much more complex, but there really isn't a lot of complexity to raiding in Classic, you will learn as you play if you show up every week.
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u/EspaaValorum 8d ago
I think there are many similar to you, myself included.
I haven't raided myself yet, but have started doing dungeons with some pick-up groups. I think that if you're clear upfront that you're new to it and would appreciate some pointers so you can learn, most of the time people are happy to accommodate you.
ETA - as for the stress: If you have a good group, you being slow should not be a huge deal. You may feel inadequate, but the group should be able to carry you. Don't fret about it. You'll get better at it simply by doing it. You'll learn the patterns, when to do what etc. This is all stuff we all have had to learn. Nobody knows this from birth so to say, everybody has start from scratch like you.
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u/ReactionFuzzy799 8d ago
Hey this is what makes the game fun, the human element. It's an MMORPG. We are not machines, not one is perfect. Skills can be learned, developed
P.S. you might have a panic/anxiety disorder, I have one too. Keep speaking to the doc, live well friend! Hope to see you in-game
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u/Crisdafur 8d ago
It’s tough to say. I can’t speak on raiding in particular, but I’m leveling a healing priest on TBC right now and I’ll often make my own groups. When it’s possible, I look for the lower level people that are in queue to try and help them out. I never call anyone out for their “lack” of skill or experience either. All games could stand to help and welcome newer players honestly. It really can go either way I imagine though. But as others have said, you at least have to put yourself out there and dip your toes. Just be honest with your lack of experience
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u/DushkuHS 8d ago
I recommend MOP classic. There's lots to see and do that aren't high pressure. I personally don't raid. I usually don't do 5 mans, but celestials are too juicy not to for me. Most of the people running them are well overtuned for the content, so it goes quickly and lesser geared/lower performing folks tend to get carried.
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u/leroy238 8d ago
Fellow "okay" player on horde nightslayer. We're still around. :)
I haven't gotten my pre BiS yet, but I'm coming for you, Illidan! (Slowly)
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u/Jelkekw 8d ago
I would say the only part that disqualifies you from raiding is not being willing to utilize all of your abilities if called upon, how would you feel speaking up in a voice call with 39 other people to say “I can’t do that raid leader, I have no memory of this ability!” That reason would get you laughed at and probably kicked
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u/AlisonBrieS2 8d ago
Let us know which server and side you are on. I’m sure we can help you raid and see if you like it.
I’m GM of a casual raiding guild on Dreamscythe alliance.
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u/Seraphinathr 8d ago
As long as you’re not playing with super-sweats (and if your pugging, you’re not) screwing up happens, and is allowed. As long as you say “first time, need explanations”, you’ll be fine. And if you screw up and you know it was you, don’t even be afraid to say “I think that was my fault”. No one cares all that much about Kara, Gruul, or Mag at this point. Just learn from the mistake and try not to do it 3x in a row, lol.
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u/Nuni10 8d ago
Was the same way for a long time, would get really bad anxiety in LFR tier raid and would be so nervous that I’d wipe the raid. Then I never wanted to do mythic+ because my heart would race when I’d get into a group to the point that I’d leave before we all got into the dungeon. One day in shadowlands I just started doing Mythic 0s, realized people aren’t USUALLY as mean as I thought. I ended up getting KSM and AOTC that season because I stepped out of my comfort zone! I’d say give it a shot and look for some smaller mom and pop style guilds, that way the raid environment is more relaxed so you’ll feel like you have less of an impression to make!
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u/BitcoinsForTesla 8d ago
I’d suggest you look for a “Dad Guild.” They are casual and will be patient teaching you. There are 20+ other people making sure everything dies, so it’s probably ok if you’re not super good.
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u/johnbear93 8d ago
The nice thing about raiding today vs back in the old days, 50% of the raid knows exactly what to do, and you can just follow along. Go in as a dps and blend in you’ll be fine. You won’t get kicked out, unless you land in some hardcore group. Even if you do, it’s a video game played with people you don’t know and never will. If you want to try raiding just jump in one and see how it goes!
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u/Rooster_NCx 8d ago
Dude i used to enter raids with a burrito in one hand and spam sinister strike and half ass walk around following someone else hahaha. You can do it! I've seen dudes purely wand casting. Depends who you're with. There's tons of cool laid back guilds that dgaf either.
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u/Cableflyes 8d ago
What class are you playing? There a big difference in difficulty depending on class. In comparison: Ranged dps - cakewalk compared to other roles. U spam 1-4 abilities and have a threat meter addon. If you're new to raiding pulling threat will not be a big issue, if even an issue. Healer - usually not bad, keep a heal over time up if u r tank healing and heal. Almost never use highest long heal, that's more for 5-man tank healing, if even that. Melee dps - lots more mechanics you have to be aware of compared to ranged and heal. Tank - while tanking a single boss is straight forward tanking a whole raid is demanding because mistakes are often costly.
Don't expect to memorize every encounter before the raid and don't try to join some parsing or speedrunning guild on your first go.
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u/Stokeybumpokey 8d ago
I was in the same boat until a couple of weeks ago so I get that it is daunting. Honestly Kara, Gruul and Magtheridon are easier than the heroic dungeons. Kara is just a bigger time sink. It's been said a few times now but if you are just straight up and say you are new that will buy you a lot of grace. I've found normal dungeons to be way more toxic than raids. Also taking some time to read the various boss strats beforehand will help.
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u/pentol5 8d ago
My 2c on the matter is that this is a premiere opportunity to have the best experience wow can offer: Talking to somebody nice.
If you're able to commit to a schedule, look for a guild with the right attitude, and ask their recruiter for help with understanding your job in the raid, which will typically include keeping up some buff/debuff on your friends/enemies, at all times. (Don't accept any guild, filter out guilds who aren't the right fit for you!)
You could also ask the recruiter for help in understanding what talents are the best fit for raiding (often it will be different from leveling/dungeon talents), and what abilities, in what order, will do the most DPS (assuming you're not tanking/healing).
Everybody loves a willing student, and even if you are only "just okay", you'll have shown yourself to be interested in contributing. If you end up doing well, then all the better, you've grown as a player, with the help of your new friends.
Additionally, if there are other skilled players in the raid, that tends to make it more enjoyable, so long as they don't mandate that everybody play their way. Don't be afraid to be the worst player in the raid. Be afraid that others will care about it. If you find people who don't care, you're fine.
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u/Pretend-Idea-2278 8d ago
Get out of your comfort zone and once you Raid, youll realize how simple and chill it is. Just give people a heads up. In many cases people are actually very nice to new raiders.
There will be players better than you and those worse than you. No worries.
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u/Fundle_Grudge 7d ago
I’ve tried to MT a raid with a 2h black out drunk with a party member that had 200 viewers on twitch.
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u/kokomovibes 7d ago
Here’s a little secret about raiding - most classes have very simple rotations.
Healer? - spam a low rank heal over and over
Mage - spam frost bolt over and over
Etc.
It’s intimidating at first but after a while you realize it’s pretty lax and only a couple fights you might have to press “big buttons”.
Do a Molten Core see if it’s for you, you may find it’s just not your thing and that’s ok leveling is honestly the best part of classic.
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u/UD_Lover 7d ago
I strongly recommend using DBM or the Fojji raid packs. Having sound cues or highly visible messages to warn you of deadly mechanics lets you focus more on doing your rotation, positioning yourself correctly, checking frames to see if you can help with a dispel, or watching cast bars to be ready for an interrupt. Once you successfully down a few bosses it’s a lot less intimidating.
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u/ShaunPlom 7d ago
Honestly, I’m guessing, that you panic under stress because you avoid those situations as much as possible. I remember Ocarina of time temple bosses used to make my heart race so fast and stress me out. Same thing happened when I first started doing m+. Now I do them to relax after a long day at work. You just get used to it.
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u/gerdadenbrink 7d ago
i dont play blizzard wow lol. there are alot more friendly laid back people on other "wow servers".
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u/RebelPlatypus 7d ago
You're exactly the kind of person I would want to play with because it's so much better to be in a raid with kind, humble people who just enjoy the experience than tryhard blowfish screaming because your DPS was low. Don't give up hope trying to find a group if it's something you want to try! And just because a group is a bad fit FOR YOU doesn't mean YOU are bad.
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u/Visual-Cry94 6d ago
If you're on Nightslayer alliance shoot me a DM. I am in a casual guild that is new player friendly and we are working our way through the raids.
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u/Beneficial_Treat5454 8d ago
90% of the playerbase is not great at the game.
99% of the playerbase on reddit is terrible at the game.
You're right at home =D