WoW Guide Part VI
Dungeons and Raids
Now that you're leveling and killing monsters and exploring the world, what about dungeons? Dungeons are a great way to gain experience as well as upgrading your gear and weapons, but they do require that you work with other players. I think the lowest level you must be to enter your first dungeon is level 10, but I recommend waiting until at least level 15.
Normal dungeons require 5 players to complete; one tank, one healer, and three dps. Some 5 man dungeons also have heroic modes for higher level players. The monsters are much harder in heroic mode dungeons and they also drop better loot.
A dungeon or instance will be phased for each specific group that enters it. What that means is that each group gets their own version of the instance. So if two different groups are running the same instance at the same time, they will never see each other because they will each be in a separate version of the same dungeon.
You can form your own group to do a dungeon with or you can use the Dungeon Finder. You can pick the dungeon you want to do from the list or let the game select one randomly for you based on your level. Check which role you're playing (tank, healer, dps or dungeon guide) and then the game will randomly select four other people to join your group. (A dungeon guide is someone whos done a specific instance enough times that they can guide other people through it).
If you queue as a tank or a healer then your dungeon will usually be ready very quickly since everyone needs tanks and healers. However, queuing as dps will usually mean you'll be waiting for a while. I've had dungeon queues last over an hour before. Once all roles have been assembled, you will get a popup letting you know the dungeon is ready.
Around level 60 you can start doing raids. Raids are larger and harder than normal dungeons and require a lot more players to completely. A raid can require anywhere from 10 to 25 players.
It is possible to go through the entire game to the level cap and never do an instance at all. Most lower level instances can be a lot of fun, but in my experience higher end stuff and raids can be a pain in the ass because at that point no one seems to care about just having fun anymore. Its all about the epic loot, and some people can be real jerks about it.
Gaining loot in a dungeon or a raid is based on whats called a roll. When an item of good quality drops from a mob in a dungeon, you will get a little popup window with four options on it.
Need - Dice
Greed - Coin
Disenchant - The other... greyed out thing in the image.
Pass - The red X
General loot rules are Need over Greed, meaning people who roll Need will win out over Greed rolls. If you actually NEED the item (for an upgrade or something) then its okay to hit Need. However, hitting Need on everything will get you labeled as a ninja and no one will want to group with you. Its considered very bad form to roll Need on something you have no use for because it prevents players that could use it from getting it.
When you roll on an item a random number between 1-100 will be generated and the person who rolls the highest will win the item. If you don't actually need something but want it to sell, you can hit Greed. Disenchant will turn the item into magical dust or shards, and Pass will completely pass on the item.
It is also possible for the raid or party leader to set the loot rules themselves and not let anyone get anything until they distribute it to them later. In WoW it is very much frowned upon to steal or ninja loot from other people in an instance. A good example of this would be a boss dropping a staff specifically designed for healers, and the tank stealing it away from the actual healer. This is bad. You never ever want to do this.
Death in WoW is not permanent and you will not lose any of your money or loot if you die, so don't worry. The only bad part about dying is that it gets old after a while.
If you happen to die in WoW you will get a little popup asking if you want to release your spirit, select yes and your ghost (or wisp in the case of night elves) will automatically be transported to the nearest graveyard. Here you will find the Spirit Healer.
If you don't want to deal with rez sickness, then you'll have to run all the way back to where your corpse is. Once you're in range of your body, you will be given the option to rez without getting sick.
Please note that "nearest graveyard" doesn't always mean near. If you are in the middle of nowhere and the only graveyard is a 15 minute run away, thats where your ghost will be sent. Running back to your corpse is appropriately called corpse running. If someone says they're corpse running, it means they've died and are running back to their body.
If you die too many times your gear will start taking damage and become useless unless its repaired. You can visit an armor vendor npc and pay to have your gear repaired.
PartVII