Dungeon and Raid System Q & A

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest on Patch 3.3, and you’ve read the updated notes in the latest build, then you probably know a whole lot about the new Dungeon and Raid system being implemented in the near future. But there are still plenty of questions to be answered. With so many of the functions of finding a group to run instances with now being automated, it may be unclear as to how it will handle certain oddball situations and contingencies.

I mean, We’ve all been there, right? We’ve all experienced a PuG that fails or falls apart for no good reason. How are such issues resolved? Well, a query concerning whether or not you could use the system to run random dungeons with a pre-made group led to an impromptu Q & A session with Blizzard Community Manager Zarhym. Read on to see if he answers any of your questions (those below are para-phrased) in the process:

Can you do the random daily with a pre-made group?
Yes, you can do the Daily Random Heroic with a premade group.

Can you run the random daily with a pre-made group of 4 and NOT have to PuG the 5th slot?
You need a full group of five people to start the Daily Random Heroic through the Dungeon System. If, however, a player leaves the group once everyone is inside the instance, the group can continue without filling the vacancy.

What kind of badge rewards can be earned by running random daily heroics?
The Daily Random Heroic will award two Emblems of Frost upon completion (can be done once a day). The Daily Random normal dungeon will award two Emblems of Triumph upon completion (can be done once a day). If players continue to select “Random” via the Dungeon System when running Heroic dungeons after the Daily Random Heroic dungeon has been completed, they will receive two additional Emblems of Triumph for each random Heroic dungeon completed.

What happens to a group that falls apart after being saved to a random heroic dungeon?
As it works on the test realms right now, it’s no different than if a group were to fall apart mid-run on the live realms today. If anyone leaves the group or gets kicked though, the leader will be asked if he or she wants to continue the instance. If the leader chooses to continue, the group will automatically be put back into the Dungeon System to find more members.

How do you know what the random daily heroic is? Is it the same for everybody?
It doesn’t work like a quest anymore, so the choice will be random for each group formed through the selection of this option.

Do you have to use cross-realm LFG to earn rewards or will you still get them if you fill up on people from your own server?
You can form a group of five players on your realm and then select the Daily Random Heroic dungeon through the Dungeon System tool. You will be rewarded just the same except for the fact that you will not get credit toward the pick-up group Achievement reward.

Does the system allow you to choose whether or not you prefer people on your own server before searching cross-realm?
If you’re looking for party members via the Dungeon System, it will always look for eligible characters queued within your Battlegroup. You will need to use the Looking For Group chat channel in a major city or form a group on your own terms if you want to keep the group confined to players on your own realm. This doesn’t make you ineligible for the Daily Random dungeon rewards though.

How is gear requirement determined?
The Dungeon System will make sure players are of the appropriate level, have the appropriate attunements for a dungeon (if applicable), and look at the average item level of each player. The system will put together a group according to the roles (tanking, healing, DPS) players have selected to fill and attempt to match characters as best as possible according to the items they have equipped.

Will the LFR (Looking For Raid) system be cross-realm?
No, the LFR system will be for your realm only in patch 3.3.

Will new members added to a group be warned/informed that said group has already made progress in a dungeon beforehand?
Yes.

Will a dungeon leader be given the option to continue a raid/dungeon without adding more members (should they lose some)?
Yes, the leader can choose not to have the Dungeon System fill vacancies.

On the PTR, there was a gold reward for the random heroic daily along with the Frost Emblems, is that still the case?
We’re still discussing this.

Is there going to be some information released about minimum gear item level requirements, and how to calculate them?
We’ll look into this.

When using the random dungeon feature, does the chosen instance stay fixed if you want to drop group and try for a different one?
The dungeon is determined once the group is filled. If the group does not like the instance that’s been selected, they can leave, get the Deserter debuff, and try again to get a different random dungeon once the 15-minute debuff dissipates.

Are rewards handed out individually? Say I’m joining a group that has already earned their Emblems of Frost for the day, will I get mine if I run with them after that?
As long as you select to do a random Heroic dungeon and it’s your first for the day, you will be given the daily reward for completing that dungeon.

Is it possible to run the same random dungeon twice or more in one day?
If the Random option is repeatedly selected, players can run the same Heroic dungeon more than once a day. If a specific dungeon is chosen through the Dungeon System, that specific dungeon cannot be chosen more than once a day.

You could technically be given, say, Heroic Culling of Stratholme repeatedly when choosing the Random option and be eligible to repeatedly run that Heroic dungeon in one day. You cannot, however, repeatedly choose Culling of Stratholme in the Dungeon System.

If you run Heroic Culling of Stratholme through the Random option, you cannot select that Heroic instance specifically again in the Dungeon System. If you choose to run Heroic Culling of Stratholme rather than pick the Random option, there is a chance you will be selected to run Heroic Culling of Stratholme again if you pick the Random option later that same day.

Can you exclude dungeons from the random option?
No, you cannot exclude a dungeon through the Random option.

Well, I hope that clears at least a few things up for people out there. You can peruse the thread yourself (I left out a few questions, mostly those with too much whining) and Blizzard’s also set up a page dedicated to the Dungeon system, which you may also care to check out.