Newbie instance guide Characters typically experience their first instance between the levels of 10 and 30 . This guide is written specifically to help newer players of any level prepare for their first instance experience , and to make it as enjoyable and trouble - free as possible . If you are a more experienced player wanting to learn how groups work together , make sure you check out the Instance grouping guide . About Instances . An " instance " is a dungeon that the game creates just for you and your party , so that you are not intruded upon by anyone else in your realm . This personal instance starts when you enter a blue instance portal , which is often already located inside a cave or dungeon . Almost all of the mob s in an instance are elite , and the drop s , loot , and quest reward s are better than those obtained through solo play , though they are somewhat more difficult and require teamwork to achieve . For some players , World of Warcraft is all about instances , whereas some players only do them when the mood strikes them , or when they have dungeon quests . Since doing an instance is not a requirement for leveling a character , some players go all the way to 70 without setting foot inside one . Still , if you want to try one out , it is suggested to try the low - level ones first , as that is when all party members are learning how to play their class ( in group settings , at least ) so you may feel more comfortable . Gameplay Differences . Just for your party . Instances are large , multi - room areas ( sometimes with scripted events ) that the game has generated only for the use of your party . You will never find another party already in the instance ahead of you , because walking through the portal creates a special run just for the party . Death is also handled differently . When you die in an instance and release as a ghost , you release to a graveyard out in the zone the instance is located in . You then run back to the instance portal as a ghost . You are brought back to life the moment you step back into that portal — " not to where your body was lying " . It is for this reason that you should not release until you are sure no one will resurrect you . Because of this , you should pay attention to the way to the instance portal as you go with the group , so if you do have to run back from the graveyard as a ghost you don ' t get lost . A note about running away : Your natural instinct when you cannot shake a mob is to run away ; however the mobs in an instance are designed differently than their outside counterparts : They never give up the chase until you are either dead , or have zoned out of the instance altogether . Counterintuitive as it may seem , your single best tactic is to run towards the tank . ( There ' s more on Tanks in the next section . ) This lets the tank pick up the loose mob , and off of you . Once you get to the tank , stay in one place to make it easier for the tank to target the mobs attacking you . Group roles . A balanced party typically consists of : Note : The skills used to tank and heal are counterintuitive to solo play . It ' s an entirely different experience to try to keep things attacking you ( and it ' s not as easy as it would seem ) , and it might seem dull or unimportant to stand in the back of the party to keep people alive . However , tanking and healing are the two most important tasks for a successful instance ; if either is missing , the group cannot succeed . Because the party limit is five players ( low instances will accept raids of ten , but in those cases you cannot complete quests ) , there is usually one tank , one healer and three DPS . However if any of the other three have the ability to switch roles , they should be prepared to tank or heal in a pinch should the need arise . If you are asked to tank , heal , or DPS . If you are asked to be the healer , stay back , far behind the tank — but close enough you can reach the tank with your healing spells . Use skills that heal over time to keep people topped off and save big heals for when health bars go very far down . The healer , more than anyone , realizes how important it is for the tank to attract attention — it means only having to worry about healing one person most of the time . Tell those in your party to try to keep in range and in sight so they can get your heals . Learn to use your defensive ( like Bear form for druids or for priests ) or threat - reducing abilities ( like Fade for priests ) for when a mob turns its attention from the tank toward you , since healing can generate a large amount of threat from mobs that are unhappy at seeing the health of their target ( the tank ) continue to stay up . If you are asked to be the tank use any skills you have that increase your armor and cause a high amount of " threat " ( usually listed in the tooltip ; also known as aggro or hate ) . You may have never used these abilities before because in solo play you don ' t have to worry about keeping mobs on yourself . Make sure to keep in range and sight of the healer . If you are asked to provide DPS try to wait a few seconds for the tank to build up threat . Learn any good defensive ( evasion , root s , shield s , or snare s ) or threat - reducing skills ( Cower in druid Cat form , Disengage for hunters , or Feint for rogues ) you might have for when a mob turns its attention from the tank toward you . If you use mostly ranged attacks , try to maximize your distance from your target . Rogues should use Feint to reduce threat or Vanish ( if they have it ) if their cooldown is up . Real Life issues . Before you go about finding an instance group , try to make sure to set aside about two hours of undisturbed time , which is typical for a normal party ( it may take shorter or longer depending on your particular situation ) . Few things frustrate other players more than someone agreeing to run an instance and then getting called offline for something they knew they had to do . If you do start an instance with a limited amount of time , tell the group right away . Also keep in mind that it can take a varying amount of time to gather a complete group in the first place , then get everyone to the instance portal . Most party members are understanding if you have to step away from the computer from time to time for real - life issues . If you do need to briefly step away to get a drink , use the restroom , change the baby , and so on , make sure you let the group know by typing " AFK " or " BRB " , so they don ' t go back into combat a person short . If you find yourself repeatedly getting called away during an instance to the detriment of the party ' s progress , offer to leave so the group can find a replacement . Finding a group . To find an instance group , you can : You may find that busy times of day are better for finding groups . For example , finding a group on a Saturday afternoon is fairly easy , but finding one at 5 : 30am on any given day might be very hard ( but not unheard of ) . General Guidelines . Most of these are laid out in the Instance grouping guide , but here ' s a quick version : Loot Rules . Ask about loot rules ahead of time . Every party is different , and it ' s up to the party leader to decide . You may have learned a bit about Bind on Equip and Bind on Pickup in solo play , but being in a party adds a whole new issue . Most parties allow for open roll ing on Bind on Equip items . Most loot from bosses is Bind on Pickup , though , and this tends to be the best loot . Do not roll on items from bosses you have no way to use for yourself . You cannot mail these items to your other characters , and you cannot equip them , so leave them for someone else who can use them . Rolling on equipment that you cannot use and have not been told to roll for is called being a ninja looter and it is a quick way to make a bad reputation for yourself and your guild .