With the launch of Wrath of the Lich King, 10-man raiding has been brought to a full head. The game now includes a number of new options for smaller guilds, casual players, and those with less time than the large guilds to enjoy raiding content that they could not previously experience. The game has become more accessible to many players and the quality of play has been raised in the 10-man raid. It needed to be due to the completely new format and style of play that so many players are having trouble with.
What does a 10-man raiding group look like?
A 10-man raid group is going to fundamentally look slightly different from any other group out there. While the 10-man raids are considered to be easier than the 25-man raids, they do require a bit of flexibility from every member of the team. Bosses will have 1 million or more hit points. With two teams of players, if a healer goes down, you may have one backup available. The same is true for your tank, so it’s important that every single person on the team can play a minimum of two roles. With stats compounding for casters and tanks, this becomes much easier.
You should have two tanks for every 10-man group and at least one off-tank who can act as DPS, but can step in for tanking if necessary. Feral Druids, Blood Death Knights, and Retribution Paladins are all great for this off-tank role.
You will also need two healers for most groups. This provides one for each tank. However, this can make it hard to maintain the healing you will need to keep raid members alive against AoE bosses or ones with diseases or DoTs. Three healers is best, though you will need considerable DPS coming from the remaining 5 DPS members, especially against bosses with enrage timers that are shorter than most bosses.
The best way to balance this is to have two dedicated healers and an off-healer who can throw out the occasional heal for DPS raiders when they get hit. Druids, Paladins, and Shamans can all play this role if properly specd. Shadow Priests are also a good fit because the Priest gear is pretty close to the same since Spell Power covers healing and damage.
When you go into a 10-man raid, keep in mind that you will need to be flexible and versatile. Keep your eyes open. Build up a group of highly talented and multi-functional people. Bring the player, not the class. If you follow this advice, you will do well.
How many 10-man raids do you think you’ll need to run before you master this formula?
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