World of Warcraft : Beginner's Guide to Raiding

So, you want to be a raider? Well, be prepared to put in some time. Raiding is fun, it has to be, it is the end-game for World of Warcraft. However, it is an expensive hobby that will require hours of preparation before one is even ready to raid and a continuing expenditure of hours to prep and prepare once one is actually raiding.

Just like preparing for any competitive activity, you begin by training and equipping. Simply because you've gotten a character to level 80 does not mean that character is ready to raid. You've probably done non-heroic dungeons as you leveled up. If you haven't done so already, now it is time to take on heroic dungeon content. The optimum situation is to have a balanced group that enjoys doing dungeons together on a regular basis. If your group is new to heroics, start with the lower level dungeons. In order by rank of difficulty the dungeons are: Utgarde Keep and The Nexus, Azjol-Nerub, Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom, Drak'Tharon Keep, Violet Hold, Gundrak and Halls of Stone.