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Lesson
1: Getting Started When
a raid leader posts a raid, they will normally post a time and
place to assemble. It is of the utmost importance that you be
at this place at the time specified to start the raid. Many
raids depend on reaching a certain objective within a limited
time frame. For example, Lord Nagafen and Lady Vox are normally
killed within 3 hours of having popped on many servers. In order
to reach the objective of your raid before others do, you as
an individual must be on time to start the raid. In
order to do this, it is critical that you be aware of the time
and how long it will take you to get from wherever you are to
wherever the raid is supposed to start. A good guideline is
to start on your way towards the assembly place an hour before
the raid is supposed to start. This gives you time to bank,
buy supplies, be bound, and still be on time before the raid
begins. Remember that everyone else attending the raid will
be waiting on you if you are late. Once
everyone has arrived, the Raid Leader will assign groups. To
help the Raid Leader out, when you arrive, disband any group
you're in and turn on LFG. This allows the raid leader to do
a quick /who LFG to see who's not grouped yet. Sometimes groups
may be revised two or three times before the raid begins to
account for last minute additions to the raiding party. The
most important thing you can do during this time is staying
QUIET. The raid leader will communicate either through chat
channel, /say, /ooc, or /shout at this point, but any kind of
text messages on the screen can easily drown out what he is
saying. You should refrain from talking in say, from doing many
emotes, or from casting spells. Remember that not only are you
having to read this information, many others are too. The raid
leader will give you time to buff, etc. before you start fighting,
so do your teammates a favor and hold off on these actions until
it's time. Once
groups are formed, the raid leader will go over the objective
and rules of the raid. Most raid leaders have a certain style,
which you'll learn after you attend several of their raids.
Remember that the raid leader's word is final, and don't argue
with them. You're on the raid to do a job, and to have fun,
and that won't happen if you are "backseat driving". Lesson
2: Communication During
a raid, it may seem easy to ask a question of the raid leader.
However, you should never ever do this. The reason why is that
the raid leader is also being sent tells by every other member
of the raid, as well as people who didn't make the raid for
some reason, and other people in the zone. They're probably
also trying to think, fight, and plan on an ongoing basis, and
every /tell they receive is one more thing to sort through. To
solve this problem, raid leaders assign group leaders. You should
always funnel your questions through your group leader. Odds
are that they'll be able to answer it for you, and if not, they'll
send it on to the raid leader. You need to be patient when waiting
for answers. Sometimes it may take a minute or two for the raid
leader or group leader to get to your question. Raid
communication is always over /ooc or /shout. You need to keep
these channels clear during the raid, only use them to call
pulls and mezzes, report mana, or so on. You don't want to miss
the shout that says that the entire raid is moving, or the one
telling you the puller is coming with death on his heels. Likewise,
the raid leader relies on these channels to keep an idea of
what's happening - for example, which groups are low on mana.
Keeping these channels clear helps him make sure that he's got
all the information so that he can make the right decisions. Lesson
3: Chain of Command and Professionalism About
60% of Everquest is built for single-group play. This means
that you and 5 of your friends get together and go slay monsters
and gather treasure and fulfill quests. The
rest of Everquest requires slightly more than one group. When
you start getting more than 6 people together in one place,
making decisions and acting on those decisions becomes increasingly
more complex. Therefore it's very important to respect the chain
of command. The
raid leader is in charge. In a sense, during the raid, you are
there working for him or her. It is imperative that you do whatever
he or she tells you, without stopping to ask why. Remember that
the raid leader's primary responsibility is keeping you and
everyone else alive long enough to finish the raid. They are
doing everything in their power to insure not only the survival
of the raid, but to make sure that you get experience and loot
as well. In return for this, when they tell you to move, you
need to MOVE. Don't question, don't argue, don't ignore them,
just do what they say. If you don't, you may very well cause
your raid to be wiped out. The
raid leader will normally have a second, who will help out with
directions in combat and will take over if something happens
to the raid leader (like death). You should follow the second's
directions in the same way as you should follow the raid leader's
directions - as if your life depended on it. Finally,
your group leaders are responsible for coming up with whatever
tactics your group uses in combat. It's important that you listen
to them and follow their directions too, because if your group
is not working together, they aren't helping the raid at all. In
order to do a raid properly, you must at all times approach
it in a professional manner. Of course, the objective of the
raid is to have fun, but unless the raiding party is working
like a well-oiled machine you're not going to be having much
fun. Casual players CAN do raids, but they can NOT play casually
during them. Things you would normally do during single-group
play, like going afk for long periods, or talking on the phone
while playing, or even just looking away from your screen and
watching TV for a minute or two, are unacceptable. Worse, they
will get you killed. At all times you must be focused on the
raid, where you are, and what you're doing. Not to say that
you can't go afk during a raid, but you must wait until you
have the raid leader's permission to do so. If you object to
this, put yourself in his shoes. That raid leader is responsible
for keeping anywhere from 12 to 100 players alive, happy, and
working towards a goal of some sort. He can't do that if every
two minutes, one or two people just suddenly go afk. Being
in a raiding party is equivalent to being part of a military
unit. You must respect the chain of command, and you must devote
yourself entirely to the greater goals of the raid, rather than
your own personal goals. This may mean modifying your schedule
so you don't have to go afk so often, or letting the answering
machine pick up that phone call, or even just simply waiting
a few minutes for the raid to get to a safe spot before you
go to the bathroom. Professionalism is key. The raid leader
will take your needs into account, but you must also take the
needs of everyone else on the raid into account. Breaks will
be scheduled when possible. Remember
though, any Real Life emergency is more important than, EQ,
but if you just need a drink wait until it's safe. Lesson
4: Roles Every
raid is different, and demands a different approach in order
to succeed. However, there are some standard roles that are
used in the majority of raids. Main Assist The
main assist is usually (although not always) the highest-level
"tank" available. This person is responsible for picking
which monster dies next. All other raiders should be assisting
this person, thus the title "main assist". Main assists
are needed on some raids, but not all raids. Secondary Assist The
secondary assist is basically the backup main assist. This person
takes over when the main assist is down, or if there are two
mobs being fought simultaneously. Everyone should have an assist
key for the secondary assist as well as the main assist. Like
the main assist, secondaries are used on some raids, but not
all of them. Member of the secondary Assist's group should assist
them. This person is also commonly known as the tank mezzer. Puller The
puller is usually the highest-level monk or shadow knight on
the raid, but other classes may also fill this role. The puller
is responsible for pulling out rooms in the dungeon, splitting
the spawns, and bringing them back one or two at a time for
the raid party to destroy. Pulling is an art, and it is very
difficult to pull a high level dungeon properly. Pullers will
sometimes double as main assists, but not usually. Not every
raid will involve pulling, as many dungeons are built to discourage
it. Master Looter The
master looter is responsible for coordinating all dropped loot
on a raid or for their group if the raid is using group ML.
During a raid, this person will loot any and all rare drop items
and distribute those, either on the spot or at the end. This
person will also distribute no drop items. Looting is a big
part of any raid, and normally the master looter will not participate
in fights unless absolutely necessary, in order to keep up with
the corpses. On raids, the master looter should be the ONLY
person looting kills Lesson
5 Aggro Control So
how can you control aggro in fights? Here are some tips for
each class. All
Classes - USE ASSIST Warriors
- ONLY use taunt when you are the main assist. It's that simple.
If you find yourself getting hate when you're not the main assist,
then stop attacking and back off slowly until the mob has been
back on the main for a few seconds. Only the main assist should
break mezzes. Make a hotkey that says "/shout Taunting
%t". Hit this hotkey, and then taunt the mob 3 times. Have
another hotkey that says "/shout Breaking mez on %t".
Use this, and then attack the mob. Doing this will save your
enchanter's life and your cleric's mana. Paladins
- See warriors above. Refrain from flashing or stunning the
mob unless you have to (example: The mob is healing/gating,
etc). Remember that mobs really hate being stunned and blinded
and WILL start hitting you, so be careful. Only root for crowd
control and to keep a mob from running or force aggro. When
you lay hands on someone, expect that mob to come after you
with a vengeance. Shadow
knights - See warriors above. Don't tap or dot at the beginning
of the fight! Wait until the mob has taken some melee damage
before you start firing these spells. Don't chain cast either,
always wait a few seconds between casts. If your pet is up,
make sure you have him on a leash, and that he is only attacking
what he is supposed to be attacking. If he's not where he's
supposed to be, kill him. Don't ask, don't think, don't use
/pet back off, kill him. The enchanter or the necromancer will
take care of any adds. Remember that harm touch doesn't start
fights - it finishes them. Never open a fight with a harm touch,
save it for when the mob is under 30 percent health. Rangers
- See warriors above. You DO NOT want to be getting hit. Yes,
you have pretty chain armor. Guess what, it won't do you much
good. Your job is to be beating the snot out of the mob while
it beats the snot out of one of those platemail-wearing fools.
Always let the main assist pound on the mob for a moment before
you jump in, to make sure he has its attention. If you find
yourself getting aggro during the fight, stop attacking and
back off or JOLT. We know you like to be in the thick of it,
but there are other, safer ways to damage the mob. In open areas,
back off and use your bow. You do have a bow, right? Rangers
do more damage with bows than any other class, so use the damn
thing. In close quarters, like in dungeons, use your spells.
Only cast when you are not in direct melee with the mob, because
it will decide it doesn't like you otherwise. Make sure you
are snaring mobs that try to run. Rogues
- Like rangers, you don't want to be getting hit. Try and stay
behind the mob so you can do the most damage, but keep in mind
that when you land that huge backstab the mob is probably going
to be quite upset with you. If necessary, stop fighting for
a moment and step back to let the tanks build up some hate. Monks
- You remember that feign key? It's not just for pulling. If
you find you have the aggro in a fight, feign. And stay feigned
for a moment while the tanks build up some hate. The mob should
never be hitting you, no matter how wonderful a twink you are
- leave that role to the folks with lots of HP and AC. Beastlords
- Pet control! Be ready to kill your pet if he gets out of hand.
You're in the same boat as the monk, only you don't get to feign,
so if you get aggro, stop fighting and back off while the tanks
regain it. Bards
- That shiny plate looking armor you get is just for show. Besides,
the mob hitting it might scratch the finish. If you find yourself
with aggro, stop fighting and back off. When in doubt, twist
songs rather than melee. Clerics
- Try not to open a fight with a complete heal. If your puller
or tank is in trouble early in the fight, hit them with a celestial
line heal and then follow up with a standard or complete heal.
Remember that chain heals will severely tick off the mob while
eating away at your mana, so try to be as efficient as possible
in healing. Druids
- Don't dot mobs unless the main tank is on them. Don't start
fights with nukes. Remember to snare mobs that try to run. Only
use roots for crowd control and not for actual combat (I don't
care how much damage they do). When healing, try not to chain
heal (I know it's hard). Shamans
- See druids above. You have some nasty dots; so know when NOT
to use them. Wizards
- Don't chain nuke. Never, ever, ever chain nuke. You will quickly
rise to the top of the hate list and be a very dead wizard.
Don't over nuke - conserve mana. A good idea is never to blow
more than 30% of your mana pool on one mob, unless it's a boss-type
mob. Don't use AE spells when your enchanter is mezzing, or
in close quarters where they could aggro something else. Magicians
- See wizards above. Also, pet control. Keep that pet leashed
at all times. If your pet won't listen, kill it. Don't back
it off, don't try to pull it back to you, just kill it. A lot
of raid leaders don't even allow pets on their raids, and the
reason that happens is bad pet control. Don't allow your pet
to justify their reasoning. Know the pathing of your zone, and
once you have that summon companion spell, never ever have your
pet follow you. It doesn't matter how cool your pet is, it is
expendable, and be ready to kill it at a moment's notice. Enchanters
- When in doubt, stun mobs before mezzing them. At the same
time, announce (loudly) that you are mezzing that mob so that
anyone on it can get off of it. See wizards above for advice
on nuking. Remember your primary duty in a fight is crowd control.
Don't blow your mana pool on one mob, and remember there are
times when it may actually be better not to mez. Necromancers
- See the sections above for advice on nuking, casting,
etc. Remember pet control, just like magicians. Watch your dots
like druids and shamans. And follow the advice for wizards on
nuking. When fighting big mobs, NEVER use a spell that turns
them into a skeleton. This causes most of the tanks to stop
hitting the mob, which will cause problems. It doesn't matter
how good the spell is don't use it. The
key to aggro control is know when to use your abilities and
when not to. Remember that you are part of a team, and that
not every ability or spell is appropriate in every, or even
in most situations. If
you find the MoBs ping-ponging when you nuke. Try to get close
to the MOB before you nuke/slow/etc so if it does aggro you
it won’t ping-pong and the MT can regain aggro easily Raid
Procedures While
these may vary slightly among Battle masters/Raid Leaders this
is the general guideline that raid attendees are to follow. Organization Every
raid will have a raid leader. This person is responsible for
coordinating the raid as a whole. This includes coordinating
groups before and during the raid, assigning no drop loot during
the raid, and determining the course for the raid to take while
its in progress. The raid leader will assign you to a group
based on your class and level. Each
group will have a group leader, as designated by the raid leader.
These group leaders are responsible for communicating the status
of their groups to the raid leader, for making sure that the
entire group is accounted for and together during the raid,
and for master looting the group's kills during the raid unless
a raid or group ML is assigned. On
occasion, the raid leader may assign a puller or main assist.
The puller is responsible for bringing monsters for the raid
to kill. The main assist, used when fighting difficult monsters,
is responsible for targeting each monster, and choosing the
order of the kills. The raid leader may also assign various
spell masters to handle the casting of utility buffs (clarity,
haste, sow, etc) for the entire raiding party. In some cases,
the raid leader will designate a loot master who handles the
distribution of looted items for the raid in lieu of the raid
leader. Communication Communication
during raids is critical. During the raid, all combat communication
(this is mezzed, etc) will be done using the shout channel.
Noncombatant communication, including directions on where to
move, will be done using the ooc channel. Raid leaders will
use their judgment whether or not shout & ooc are appropriate
to use in the zones they are in. Preparation All
posted raids will have a meeting time and place. Individual
raiders are expected to be at the meeting place on time to begin
the raid, or they risk forfeiting their seat on the raid. A
good guideline is to begin moving to the meeting place at least
1 hour before the raid begins. Raiders are expected to have
bound themselves as close by as possible to the raid location,
and to have completed any necessary individual preparation (buying
gems, etc) beforehand. It is not the raid leader's or the raid's
responsibility to handle ports or binds for raiders, although
most raid leaders will make efforts to arrange these things
on your behalf if you ask in advance. Loot As
noted above, each group leader or ML is responsible for master
looting the kills for his group. Coin and common items (fine
steel, bronze, etc) will be divided by the group leader at the
end of the raid. Rare items, such as weapons, will be held by
the group leader and given to the raid leader or loot master
for distribution at the end of the raid. No Drop items should
be immediately reported to the raid leader or loot master via
tell, who will then distribute them accordingly. Resurrection During
raids, it is likely that individual raiders will die. This is
unfortunate, but it is part of the game and cannot be avoided.
As the raid leader cannot control who does or does not come
to the raid, individual raiders will not be guaranteed a resurrection
of any level if they die. The raid leader will arrange corpse
recoveries for people who die, and will always attempt to provide
resurrections when they are available, but this is by no means
guaranteed. Behavior At all times during the raid, raiders are expected to remain polite and courteous. They are expected to stay with their groups and to follow directions given by their group leaders and the raid leader. Communication to the raid leader should be filtered first through your group leader, to insure that the raid leader is not overwhelmed by tells. The raid leader will make every effort to insure that your group gets experience and loot, but repeated tells requesting better experience, better loot, or stronger kills can and will result in your dismissal from the raid. Please remember that your raid leader is doing the very stressful job of trying to keep multiple groups alive, moving, and happy, and be patient.
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