Instance grouping guide Running instance s with a group of two to five players ( or even more in a Raid group ) is one of the three major ways to spend time in " World of Warcraft " ( the other two being solo play and PvP ) . The key to successful group PvE is working together as a team , the first and most important hurdle being good aggro management . A group with a bad mixture of classes but with good teamplay always outperforms a group with a perfect mix of classes but doesn ' t properly work together . Main Group Roles . The most important aspect of group play is that all group members know without doubt which of the three following roles they play , and put this primary function above everything else . Confusing these roles leads to disaster — a tank ( or healer ) who believes that they ' re damage dealer s are immediate causes for wipes . Similarly , the damage dealers must be clearly aware that they ' re not tanks , and thus avoid getting aggro by all means . Tank . , " Tank " The tank is the group member who should take all the damage . Tanks don ' t deal ( much ) damage themselves , their job is to gain and hold aggro on all mob s ( aka enemies ) , and make sure nobody else is hit . A tank ' s primary task is to ensure survival of the healer . The primary tank classes are the Warrior , Paladin , Druid , Death Knight , and Monk . Healer . Healer s do no damage at all — even if this means they have nearly nothing to do at all on some pulls . They save their mana to keep the tank and everybody else alive . Healers can die from their heals drawing aggro . When they have drawn more aggro than the tank , they have to stop healing everybody else except the tank . If the healer still dies , then the tank is either not geared enough to hold aggro or must do a better job at holding it . Priest s , Druid s , Paladin s and Shaman s are all capable healers - however Paladins do not specialise in healing . At the raid level , each has particular strengths and weaknesses . For example , holy paladins are exceptionally good at tank healing while druids are better at raid healing . In 5 - mans , any healer can do the job . Damage Dealer ( aka DPS ) . Every class has the ability , given appropriate talent points and gear , to deal significant damage . Without sufficient damage from the group , it is likely that the healer ' s mana will run out or progress through the location is too slow to be practical , whether for Respawn or other reasons . A good damage dealer knows how to kill mobs without drawing aggro , a bad damage dealer doesn ' t and dies . The central and most important rule for damage dealers is " dead = 0 DPS " . If a damage dealer dies , it ' s not the healer ' s fault , nor the tank ' s , but always the damage dealers own ( assuming a normal Threat Table ) . Watching a threat meter is critical — if a DPS gets too close to the tank , they should cease DPS and bandage . Secondary Roles . After the above three functions are well understood and practiced , proper understanding and handling the following functions further increases the party ' s efficiency : Other Roles . The following functions designations are either obsolete or used only very rarely : Group Combat in Detail . When clearing an instance , combats are usually followed by short times out of combat . Each combat can be broken down into a sequence of phases : It ' s very important that all group members strictly follow this sequence . Looting for example belongs to the " Aftermath " step , and should never be done during the combat . Another common error is to start dealing damage too soon . Preparation . The following really only applies to raids , and perhaps to the very hardest instances like Halls of Reflection . At any other level , a decently - geared tank can easily hold aggro on a whole pack without much need for crowd control . In this step , the tactic for the upcoming fight is discussed , and if the pull consists of more than one mob , a kill and CC order is determined and the mob are marked appropriately with the target markers ( ) . It ' s a good idea to mark all mobs in advance , including a few extra mobs which might come as add s , just to be prepared . The players must agree on a order in which the mobs are going to be killed . A widely used " standard " sequence is to kill the Skull ) first , followed by the cross ) . The moon , star , and the square are frequently used for a CC target , usually meaning a Mage ' s Polymorph , Rogue ' s Sap , or Hunter ' s Freezing Trap respectively . Generally , healer mobs are killed first followed by caster mobs and everything else last . The reasoning for this is that enemy healers prolong the fight and casters usually do high amounts of damage ( Some may be Warlock or Necromancer type mobs that summon minions ) , while both are usually relatively easy to kill . In some cases if a mob has disruptive abilities like wide range AoEs or fear , they may take higher than normal priority . If there are too many mobs to mark them all , or if the group just feels lazy , it is a good idea to designate a Main Assist ( MA ) . The MA should be damage dealer with no other responsibilities ( like CC ) . Party members should not pick their own targets , but rather always assist the MA . The Assist Main Tank / Main Assist macro / mod makes assisting very quick and easy . Another method is to mark just the mob which is due to be killed ( usually with Skull ) " on the fly " . Whenever the current target is dead , the group leader marks the next mob to killed , and the damage dealers just follow the Skull . It ' s also possible to use two marks ( skull and cross ) , and alternate between them - after skull is dead , nuke cross , and then skull again . Crowd Control and Kiting . CC can sometimes make the difference between success and failure , On the other hand are some cases where it ' s used out of habit , but is not really needed and just slows things down . Use CC sparingly , but don ' t hesitate to use it when really needed . The group leader needs to know the CC skills present in the party , and should reserve a few target markers for each ability . All party members must know that CC is going to be used , and be very careful not to accidentally break it . Players tasked with CC ' ing a mob must keep a watchful eye , and re - apply it if it breaks for any reason . Kiting is a special form of crowd control . In some situations , a group may lack the proper form of CC to master a certain pull . In these cases , it ' s possible to designate one group member as kiter , and thus get the mob neutralized . Fear when glyphed is an effective form of CC too . Unglyphed , feared mobs tend to bring add s into the fight . Therefore unglyphed Fear should not normally be used as CC measure , but instead only in special situations ( where adds are impossible ) , or as a last resort . Note that Fear is treated by mobs as an attack and will start a pull , unlike many other forms of CC , which are not treated as an attack . Take care to fear the mob you wish to CC after the pull is started . The Pull . Every group should have one designated puller . He should try to pull one mob cluster at a time without aggro ing more mobs than absolutely necessary , and pull clusters in a logical fashion . The most common mistakes novice players make when pulling are : The puller is virtually always the tank . On exceptionally difficult pulls , hunters and rogues can help with their Misdirection and Tricks of the Trade abilities . Aggro building . After the pull , it is imperative that the group does not immediately start blasting away with all available means . Give the tank enough time to build solid aggro on the mobs , so they will not be tempted to peel off the tank and attack you . A good tank should be able to generate enough threat right away to allow the DPS roles to blast away as soon as possible , but even in this situation it ' s still vital that the DPS players be aware of their threat level . Beyond protecting the party immediately , most tanks " need " to mix it up quickly in order to be able to build threat . Before the tank pulls sufficient aggro , feel free to sheep , sap , shackle , but stick to some plan . Learn to recognize the Sunder Armor debuff of Warrior s on the mob , the Mangle , Swipe and Maul motions of Druid s , the distinctive Judgement of Righteousness and Consecrate animations for Paladin s , and the Death and Decay and Pestilence animations for Death Knights . Priest s with Holy Nova can also use this early in the pull . It damages everything in range , with a little bonus healing , while causing no threat , but pay attention not to accidentally break CC . Similarly , Prayer of Mending and Earth Shield are very good on the tank , because they do not place threat on the healer , but rather on the tank . Warlock s and Hunters , should turn off auto - cast of and on Pet s and Voidwalker s , because these abilities can pull nearby mobs into fights unexpectedly . Additionally , this is especially important for Warrior tanks , as they generate a significant portion of their rage from being hit , and if the minion or pet is getting hit instead of the tank , some rage generation will be lost . In Dungeons and Raids , Hunters should favor pets with Ferocity or Cunning over Tenacity as these pets will deal more damage and produce less non - damage threat in a situation where pet survivability in an encounter is not an issue . The Battle . Battles in an instance should be precise and controlled . Novice players often behave the same way in an instance that they would when soloing . They separate and attempt to fight individual skirmishes . This defeats the entire point of grouping , and virtually guarantees a wipe . Instances are designed to be almost impossible for a single player , so your group must try to act as a single entity . The most common mistakes novice players make during battle are : In many fights ( boss fights in particular ) , there is usually more to watch out for than simply tank and spank the mobs . Make sure you aren ' t making life harder in battle by standing in range of an AoE attack when you ' re a long ranged attacker , or standing in places that may get you attacked by patrols or other nearby mobs . On the same note , watch out for mobs that can fling you away , into the air . They ' ll run at you and you ' ll go flying – make sure this doesn ' t send you toward another group of mobs or maybe worse , off the edge of a cliff . When possible , fight these mobs with your back to a wall . Post Battle . First of all the group needs to stay together post - battle . One easy mistake is that the next mobs are pulled too early before the casters have regained enough Mana . The most common mistakes novice players make post - battle are : Remember : It ' s as much the Leader ' s job to check everyone is ready , as it is your own . You can help by making sure you communicate in plenty of time if you are ready or not ; equally the Main Tank should check to see if the group is ready for the next encounter . Dying and Wipe prevention . When a group member dies or is about to die , it often means the rest of the group will follow soon after . If it is the tank dying , the mobs will scatter and quickly kill the healer or damage dealer who is the next on their threat list . Party members should be willing to do almost anything in their power to prevent a full wipe , or speed up the party ' s recovery . You are dying ( Don ' t Panic ! ) . You ' ve only got a little health left . There ' s a monster beating on you or a spell flying at you and your cloth or leather garments aren ' t doing you any good . Do not run away ! Running away does nothing to help you . The mob s will follow you all the way to the instance entrance . When running , you can ' t block , dodge and parry and you will be dazed . You might even aggro more mobs , almost assuring a wipe . If you move at all , move within taunt range of the tank and then " stop " . Do let the rest of the party know that you have aggro . The healer and tank may not have noticed . The / helpme and / healme macros are tacky , but they are designed to get attention . The tank has ways to pull all mobs onto him , and the Healer will usually have a fast heal or some kind of shield to help you out . If death is inevitable , try to find a place clear of mobs to make resurrect ing you easier . Don ' t release on death . This helps the party find your body and lets you share any loot . The tank is dying ( Emergency Tanking ) . This scenario is quite a bit different from a damage dealer dying . It ' s worse than the healer dying if there is not another healer prepared to take over . When the tank dies , aggro will usually go to more fragile members of the party . The most able members to save the party are those who can both " get aggro immediately " , and survive high damage . This primarily means any Druid s , Paladin s , or Warrior s left in the party . They should use their Taunt abilities as fast as possible and start building threat . If no one is geared as an ordinary tank , any secondary tanks should try to tank an individual mob if they can get its attention . Hunter pets and Warlock minions can be used as tanks in a pinch if the rest of the group can restrain their burst DPS to allow the pet to keep aggro . Beast Mastery hunters have , a special pet - tanking aggro ability which can prove useful in such situations . Everyone is dying ( Wipe recovery ) . If a wipe is about to happen , the party should concentrate on keeping someone alive who can Resurrect . The leader should make the decision that a wipe is inevitable and announce this to the rest of the party . They should then use any abilities they have to put someone who can resurrect , and then themselves , out of combat . The Wipe recovery article has a large list of ways to do this . This also applies as early as the pull ; if the pull has gone bad , the healer and anyone else not yet in combat should run back to a safe place and watch the others die . Some abilities allow a party member to return during battle . Don ' t use self - resurrection abilities while the combat is still going on , unless you died in a very precarious position and there is still a good chance to survive . After the wipe . If the group wipes , this usually means that : Try to be patient with your group , understand that some of them might be even bigger noobs than you , and try to understand / explain how to improve . Role Assignment . If you ' re the group leader , it ' s your job to know what your group is capable of and to work with it . Especially in pick - up groups with strangers , be sure that " every " person ' s specialization is known . While it is tempting for a leader to choose roles for the whole group , remember that a player will play the role they " want " to play with the most aplomb . In groups below 80 , there will frequently not be players specialized for tanking and healing ; in fact , there will rarely even be a single one of those . In groups formed through the Dungeon Finder , players are expected to perform the role they signed up for , but of course if a DPS is willing to heal or tank that ' s fine . Be warned that many players still dismiss legitimate roles for some classes . You may have to concern yourself with educating players about something as common as a Shadow Priest or a Paladin tank . Also keep in mind that player ingenuity and proper use of game mechanics can beget potential roles that are not considered " legitimate " , usually because of a lack of a talent tree devoted to it and / or lack of general mention or notice , but which can nonetheless be quite potent in the proper hands . In those cases , it ' s advisable to harbour an air of scepticism originally , but remain open - minded and allow the person a chance to both explain and , if he seems competent enough in his explanation , to perform ; that player may well surprise you and the rest of the group ! Dealing With Poor Group Dynamics . A serious problem that is often encountered with players within WoW in particular , is that although certain activities within the game ( raids , battlegrounds , etc . ) ideally benefit from a level of group discipline vaguely approaching that which is usually only otherwise seen within real - world military groups , the people playing the game will almost exclusively consist of civilians , who are thus entirely unaccustomed , in many cases , to working within a group in such a focused and controlled manner . This lack of familiarity with a desirable level of discipline , is in itself probably the single main cause of wipes and other failures , during instances or other group - oriented activities within the game . Most of this guide is geared toward pickup group s or guild s that haven ' t yet established much routine in grouping or raid ing . If you ' re in a group that already works , you probably don ' t need this guide . But what if you ' re in a group that doesn ' t work ? Groups fail if a member of the group ignores their role or compromises their performance in it . Many players misbehave in order to climb the damage meter . Some players are impatient or don ' t care about the group ' s procedures in pulling . Other group members may not understand the game well enough to use a shield or a certain spell . Changing this kind of behavior is the highest priority in fixing bad groups . If you are the group leader , make sure everyone knows their role , and encourage them in those roles . Correct poor players and be prepared to boot them for the sake of the group . A poor enough player will drag down the whole group worse than not having them ! As a communicator , consider saying as little as possible so the rest of the team will speak up for themselves . ( While the group is forming , be slow to relinquish the " group leader " icon , since you are giving up " direct " power to save the run ! ) If you aren ' t the group leader , leave the run if you see deep problems . It ' s best for everyone to leave as soon as you know that you aren ' t committed to the group . Ask the group who is going to tank as a litmus test ; any decent group will be concerned with this before entering the instance . Be prepared to aid a timid group leader by offering advice or suggesting a boot . Positive speech and action can bolster a failing group . Acknowledge your group members when they do well , but diligently correct them when they make mistakes . Give inexperienced players a chance to run the instance ; frequently , newer players are good learners . Don ' t yell at players after a wipe ; explain to them how the group may improve . Additional Tips . Fear . Be particularly careful using fear unglyphed in any Instance . Fear ( unglyphed ) and fear - type effects cause targets to run around randomly , alerting other mobs to your presence . More often than not , these additional unexpected mobs can turn a close call into a hopeless battle . As a general rule of thumb , simply don ' t use unglyphed fear in an instance . Cases in which unglyphed fear would be an acceptable thing to do are only when : That said , Fear can be a valuable CC tool in some instance situations . Warlocks in particular have tools to allow them to control their feared target ( s ) . However , this should only be done by experienced players who know how to handle feared targets and are willing to go to the effort , as Fear yo - yo tactics ( Fear - > Curse of Recklessness - > ( other curse ) - > Curse of Recklessness , etc . ) can take a great deal of attention , lowering DPS noticeably . [ EDIT : It is no longer reliable , as CoR was removed from the game in patch 3 . 1 . 0 ] In general , this form of CC should be treated as a valuable asset , but also as a last resort . The next step . Stepping it up to Raiding ? Raiding for newbies .