Raid Finder Coming in Patch 4.3
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
We are working hard to introduce an exciting new feature to World of Warcraft in patch 4.3: the Raid Finder system. While it presents unprecedented technical hurdles and may change before it’s released, we wanted to provide you with an early look at what we hope to accomplish, and share some details that we’ve worked out, which will lend some insight as to how the new feature is planned to work.

So what is the Raid Finder? It will be a brand new grouping feature that superficially works much like the Dungeon Finder. Instead of five-player dungeons, the Raid Finder is designed to help players quickly and easily form a pick-up raid for a specially tuned version of the current tier of raid content: the Dragon Soul raid. It’s not intended to replace organized raiding though. You’ll still need friends and guild members to help you conquer the toughest raiding challenges that patch 4.3 has to offer.

As we currently plan to roll out the Raid Finder feature in patch 4.3, level-85 players will be able to use it to access a 25-player version of the Dragon Soul raid dungeon, which will culminate in a glorious battle against Deathwing himself. Dragon Soul will be split into three different difficulties. The Raid Finder provides access to a new tier of difficulty, which in this case has split the raid into two wings, each containing four boss encounters. Meanwhile, raiders will still need to join with friends and guildmates to face the more challenging normal and heroic versions of the raid, since the Raid Finder cannot be used to access those higher difficulty levels. Naturally, because they’re harder to defeat, the normal and heroic version of Dragon Soul will drop more powerful lootalong with prestigious rewards such as achievements, titles, and epic mounts. Rich rewards still await those who face the Raid Finder version, which we hope will introduce the thrills and epic experience of raiding to a broader audience than ever before.

You can access the Raid Finder through the ‘Raid’ button in the menu at the bottom of the default user interface. The Raid Finder should feel familiar to Dungeon Finder users. Just fire it up, select your class role, click the ‘Find Raid’ button, and get ready to face Deathwing’s jaw of doom.

FAQ

Q. Raids aren’t dungeons. Who will keep things organized?

A. A Raid Finder raid will require someone to queue as leader. The Raid Finder leader will have a very limited set of powers and cannot change loot type, nor do they have the ability to arbitrarily kick people from the raid. They do have the ability to mark targets and use /raid warning, and can promote other players to be leads as well. To be most successful, each Raid Finder group should have at least one leader who will explain the fights, assign raid markers, and make the tough calls, like who the main tank and off-tanks are.


Q. How will loot be distributed?

A. Automatic rolls and the Need Before Greed loot rules will apply in Raid Finder raids, just as they do in Dungeon Finder instances. Also, while Dungeon Finder raids aren’t locked, you are only eligible for loot from a boss once per week. This means that if you were present for the defeat of a boss, whether you receive loot or not, then you will automatically pass on loot that drops during later attempts on that boss during the same week.


Q. How will Raid Finder loot differ?

A. Loot acquired through the Raid Finder, including tier set pieces, will be of a lower item level than items acquired from normal or heroic mode versions of the Dragon Soul raid, and its appearance may differ. Also, there are certain items, as well as components for legendary weapons, which will not drop in Raid Finder raids. While individual bosses will not yield Valor Points as they would in other versions of the raid, you can still earn 250 Valor Points for beating the final boss in each wing of the instance.

Tier armor that drops in Raid Finder raids still provides set bonuses, and those bonuses are compatible with the higher item level versions of the armor available in the normal and heroic mode versions of the raid. None of these tier sets will be available for purchase from a vendor via Valor Points.


Q. Will there be an item level requirement to use the Raid Finder?

A. Yes, accessing raids via the Raid Finder will require that participating characters be level 85 and have attained a certain item level, to help ensure that they are prepared for the content they’ll be facing.


Q. Will the Raid Finder be cross-realm?

A. Yes, the Raid Finder will draw players from all realms. As with the Dungeon Finder, it will place some priority on grouping players from the same realm, though not at the cost of increased queue times.


Q. What kind of raid composition will the Raid Finder create?

A. 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.


Q. Why 25-player only?

A. A 25-player group is actually easier and faster to fill than a smaller group would be, and allows for greater flexibility in raid creation, all of which will help contribute to lower queue times. Also, 25-player raids are less subject to issues with composition or player connectivity.

The Raid Finder version of the Dragon Soul raid will be designed with pick-up raiding in mind. Normal and heroic difficulties will require the greater organization and teamwork found in guild raid groups.


Q. Will I get Call to Arms benefits when using the Raid Finder?

A. We don’t currently plan to apply Call to Arms benefits to the Raid Finder, though that may change in the future.


Q. Will I be locked to a raid I join through the Raid Finder?

A. Since the Raid Finder only offers access exclusively to a specially tuned version of the Dragon Soul raid instance, instance locks will not be enforced for that version. Instance locks will still be enforced for the normal and heroic versions of the raid.


Q. Can I queue with my friends in a party or raid?

A. Yes, you can queue for the Raid Finder individually, in a party, or in a raid. The Raid Finder can be a great tool to help fill those last few slots in a raid.


Q. I’m a dedicated raider with an organized group, what good is the Raid Finder to me?

A. Since instance locks aren’t in play, Raid Finder raids could provide a way for dedicated raiders to gear up alternate characters, fill gaps in their itemization, finish off elusive set bonuses, or just have some fun while preparing to face the normal or heroic version of the raid on the next reset.


Q. Why aren’t other raids available?

A. The Raid Finder is intended to help players experience the current tier of content.Also, many older raids don’t require a full complement of raiders, making the Raid Finder unnecessary. This is also the first rollout of the feature and we decided to start things simple, rather than potentially delay the feature’s introduction.

If the Raid Finder proves popular, more raid instances may be added to it in the future.


Q. Will Vote Kick still work in the Raid Finder?

A. Yes, though many of the same requirements and restrictions will be in place. For example, kicking too many times can result in a Vote Kick cooldown. Also, the thresholds are different, and several players will need to agree on kicking a candidate before the vote begins. Successful kick votes will require a significant number of Yes votes to pass.


Q. What happens if I leave a Raid Finder raid before it’s over?

A. Players who leave the Raid prematurely will receive a Deserter Debuff, though it will likely be of longer duration than the one applied to users of the Dungeon Finder. This debuff will only apply to the Raid Finder system.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Raid Finder Coming in Patch 4.3 started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 275 Comments
  1. Ruck's Avatar
    This is going to crash and burn imo. glad i have alts to watch the lulz of people standing in fire.
  1. CrunkJuice5's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by xskarma View Post
    Splendid, so this will be a very legitimate and fun way to earn you weekly cap, which ensures that lots of good raiders have incentive to use it too, which ensures more able people in the LFR, at least in the beginning. I foresee untold masses to queue for it when it comes out and try and get a headstart on their tier set.

    I know I will be
    assuming the people can even down the bosses that drop the tier gear,i mean.people cant even do heroics in the random dungeon finder without tanks in pvp gear who cant hold aggro worth anything.and the people who cant handle wipes and leave after 1 wipe

    in my opinion,take the fail that random dungeon finder is.and multiply it by 25 and thats what your gonna get with random raid finder
  1. Omedon's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Canca View Post
    My only concern is the raid of 10-20 guildies that join, need roll on everything and then trade the loot among themselves. Hopefully there will be something in place to help stop that.
    And every one of those individuals has the "same chance" that you do. Who cares which one of them ends up with the item? It's you vs "insert class spread" number of people (as it pertains to loot), whether they are together or not.

    EXPECT EVERYONE WITH A NEED OPTION TO USE IT.

    Seriously, with all due respect, one is painfully naive to expect anyone to pass/greed in there when they don't have to.
  1. mmocd68f939d2a's Avatar
    One piece a week? Wow, that's proved to be a MAJOR buzzkill. Sure, it might stop ninjas, but that's really lame for genuine raiders.
  1. balgus82's Avatar
    you can expect everyone to roll need for items they just think look cool because of transmogging as well.
  1. La's Avatar
    lockouts aren`t explained, could someone explain that? what if I join a raid and it fails and disbands, can I not re-queue up? obviously I won`t be able to re-do it since all raids have lockouts, but I don`t want to randomly queue without having to have a good premade tank/healers to carry people if i`m going to get a lockout after wiping after 1 boss is dead.
  1. xskarma's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by CrunkJuice5 View Post
    assuming the people can even down the bosses that drop the tier gear,i mean.people cant even do heroics in the random dungeon finder without tanks in pvp gear who cant hold aggro worth anything.and the people who cant handle wipes and leave after 1 wipe

    in my opinion,take the fail that random dungeon finder is.and multiply it by 25 and thats what your gonna get with random raid finder
    Meh, depends on tuning of the raid I suspect, though I have no doubt that Deathwing, even in LFR will be very, very hard
  1. guineapig's Avatar
    If the Raid Finder works as it is intended, I see this as a big step forward in improving the player base raiding skill level. I foresee PuGs doing a lot better after a month or so of people figuring things out in this setting.
  1. SDMF's Avatar
    My gut tells me this will crash and burn but who knows, I might be in for a surprise.
  1. Farora's Avatar
    Can you form a raid over real ID?
  1. Dannz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Anevers View Post
    Really curious to see if the 1 loot per boss per week will have any affect on people who roll need on offspec items.For example, Boss one drops a main spec item and an offspec item. Main Spec Item does not drop but the Offspec item does. You win the roll, and get the item. You queue up again later in the week and Boss 1 drops the Main Spec Item, you are unable to roll on it because you got the offspec item off that boss. Perhaps people will save their loot rolls for main specs, at least for a little while.
    "This means that if you were present for the defeat of a boss, whether you receive loot or not, then you will automatically pass on loot that drops during later attempts on that boss during the same week."

    kill the boss - the loot that dropped is what you can roll for, you cant kill it 50 times hoping for your loot to drop and passing. boss will drop items you can roll for once a week... so why bother "saving" your roll. expect a lot of retards rolling on items out of their spec... this feature will bring more QQ to the forums than the real ID fiasco did
  1. Mendoman's Avatar
    Im probably derping and can't read properly, but I see people stating only 1 loot per week, ive read over the article twice and I cant seem to find anything saying that, just that you only get a chance at loot from each boss once per week, not 1 loot per week, hands down.
    Can someone quote me the sentance stating theres only 1 loot per week in total? because I sure as hell cant find it.
    Thnx
  1. njdss4's Avatar
    The loot rules are amazingly stupid. If you don't get any loot off of a boss, you are still prevented from running it again and getting loot? What's the point of the Raid Finder then? So not only will the Raid Finder put you in groups that will fail just as often, if not more, than the Dungeon Tool does already, but now you'll lose rolls to ninjas and be prevented from getting loot on subsequent runs. This sounds like a giant disaster. I've never been happier that I don't play this game anymore. I thought the Raid Finder would be the thing to convince me to come back, but now it's actively pushing me farther away.
  1. Dannz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mendoman View Post
    Im probably derping and can't read properly, but I see people stating only 1 loot per week, ive read over the article twice and I cant seem to find anything saying that, just that you only get a chance at loot from each boss once per week, not 1 loot per week, hands down.
    Can someone quote me the sentance stating theres only 1 loot per week in total? because I sure as hell cant find it.
    Thnx
    "This means that if you were present for the defeat of a boss, whether you receive loot or not, then you will automatically pass on loot that drops during later attempts on that boss during the same week."
  1. Gurbz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by La View Post
    lockouts aren`t explained, could someone explain that? what if I join a raid and it fails and disbands, can I not re-queue up? obviously I won`t be able to re-do it since all raids have lockouts, but I don`t want to randomly queue without having to have a good premade tank/healers to carry people if i`m going to get a lockout after wiping after 1 boss is dead.
    There is no raid lockout for LFR raids. You would just auto-pass on loot from whatever bosses you killed already that week. So you could just keep re-queueing until you clear the place.
  1. mmocafd6fe3fae's Avatar
    I wonder if it will be possible to queue with a full group (I suppose it will, but who knows).
  1. mcmar's Avatar
    Seems like this should be nice for some people, but I feel like it could use some fine tuning assuming this is all final The loot rolls MUST be specified so that you can only roll need on things that are in your spec, and then if nobody needs something then a re-roll comes up for offspec, and if still nobody wants it then a DE/greed roll Also, Blizz should work on the in game voice chat so that people could turn it on at least to listen if someone has a mic Lastly, please fix the frickin in game item level to display your item level EQUIPPED and not average of your best items, because it's just silly
  1. mmoc57394ea895's Avatar
    seems kinda lame that this raid feature doesnt involve older raids because they seem to be the hardest ones to get into. so not a good feature unless there gonna put all old raids in cos ppl stil lfarm old instances for tier gear and legendary drops to raids you cant solo
  1. Ijoemomma's Avatar
    I can understand the loot rules decision. It would stop the people who down a boss don't get what they want and drop group to requeue. I'm really tired of that guy
  1. Mendoman's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Dannz View Post
    "This means that if you were present for the defeat of a boss, whether you receive loot or not, then you will automatically pass on loot that drops during later attempts on that boss during the same week."
    Thats not what im saying, people are saying that there is one loot IN TOTAL all week from the LFR. Not from the boss. Ill provide quotes or you can just look at the numerous people complaining about it.
    Im saying where is the thing saying ONE LOOT IN TOTAL per week. Not the One chance at loot per boss per week.

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