What should I bring to a raid?

A raid is a major adventure for up to 12 players, where the enemies are numerous and much stronger than an ordinary quest. Raids require players to carefully assume the best roles, follow a leader, and pay close attention. The available types of treasure, on the upside, are also quite worthwhile.

Raids are a major part of end game content in DDO. Many veteran players spend most of their time doing raids as these quests generally drop some of the best loot and require the highest level of skill to complete. Sooner or later, most people will want to take part in these challenging quests. This article is aimed at new players that wonder if they are ready for a raid and how they should prepare taking part.

General

 * Flagging: Before you sign up for any raid, make sure you're actually flagged for it. For more, check out Help! Am I Raid Ready.


 * Communication: If you're doing a raid for the first time, say so. Most vets will take a new player with them if the new player is willing to learn. Don't hesitate to ask questions when unsure. Switch on Voice Chat. Coordination between players is mostly done via Voice Chat so you should be able to at least listen to it.


 * Gear: There is some gear that is essential for most raids. Check the list to see if you're missing something important.
 * Heavy Fortification: By the time you're raiding beyond level 10 you should not be completely vulnerable to critical hits. Try to get an item that offers heavy fortification. A popular choice is the Minos Legens which is available from the Orchard of the Macabre.
 * Hit Points: It is generally accepted that the best defense are hit points. Do you have enough hit points to survive more than one hit? If not, you might want to look for a +6 Constitution item. Many raid bosses have hundreds of thousands of hit points and can deal single-blow damage in the hundreds. If you are a melee character, get your hit points to at least 300 HP by level 16 if you expect to have a chance to survive a direct attack.
 * Remove Curse: Make sure you are able to remove your own curses. In some raids (such as Vision of Destruction) you might get cursed with a healing curse that prevents healing. You should be able to remove that curse by yourself, either via a potion, a wand or your own spells,
 * Appropriate weapon: Most raids do not require special weapons, but there are some notable exceptions. Read up on the raid and find out what's needed. For instance, if your character is melee-based you should definitely bring some Metalline of Pure Good weapons to the Shroud.
 * Scrolls: If you have the ability to use scrolls you should bring scrolls for important spells such as Heal, Raise Dead etc.. If you're playing a healer, expect to use scrolls for the end fight.
 * Underwater Action or Water Breathing items: New players can get the Ring of Waterbreathing as a reward from their very first quest, The Grotto. For more complex raids (and many more quests), underwater action items are needed for longer swims where both loot access and raid completion necessitate them.
 * Picking things up: In some raids there are quest items that will determine the raid's success or failure. As a rule of thumb, do not pick anything up if you don't know what the item does. Likewise, do not use any runes, levers, switches or altars if you don't know what they do.
 * Know your role: If it looks like a big fight is coming up and you're unsure of what to do - ask!
 * Know your limitations: If you don't know the raid, don't know the raid boss and don't know what will happen, it is usually a bad idea to start tanking the boss or running off by yourself. Ask when the next shrine is coming up, where you should go or if you should do something special.

The Chronoscope and Tempest's Spine
These two raids don't require flagging and are often the first raids for new players. These are good quests to learn how to participate in a group, as many veteran players have learned not only where to find the best loot, but also how to survive. Do pay especially close attention to leaders in the Chronoscope quest. This is a level 6 quest, so Clerics and other players may not have Raise Dead or similar spells on hand if you are killed, leaving you to run about as a ghost until--or if--a player can find a resurrection shrine for you.

The Shroud (Shroud, The Thirteenth Eclipse)

 * Weapons: The raid boss here has Damage Reduction that can be bypassed by a weapon with both Silver and Good properties. Most players use Metalline of Pure Good or Mineral II weapons to attack that boss. These are often referred to as "Pit Fiend Beaters" or "Harry Beaters". Many veteran players consider these weapons to be indispensable in this raid. You don't have to have them, but chances are that you'll be running the Shroud often (for Green Steel ingredients and crafting if not just for the experience) so you should start looking on the Auction House (AH) for affordable Harry Beaters.

Note: It is often more effective and cost efficient to use a non-standard weapon instead of your optimal weapon (e.g. sickle instead of rapier) as these will be much cheaper on the AH.

A Vision of Destruction (VoD)

 * Remove Curse: Make sure you have enough potions/wands to cover your own curses. Many healers will yell at you if you don't. Potions cost gold for healers as well.

Hound of Xoriat (Hound, HoX)

 * Bees of Xoriat: This breath attack from Xy'zzy, the raid boss, deals massive amount of damage over time. The only ways to get rid of those are either to die or to enter a Globe of Invulnerability. Don't go too close to the boss or have that spell prepared.
 * Picking things up: Dead mindflayers drop control stones that have to be used to charm the puppies. Usually there's someone that is appointed stone collector. If you're not that person, do not pick the stones up.
 * Weapons: As the puppies are crucial for the raid's success it's not wise to use vorpals around the puppies.