Raid (video games)

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In massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), a raid is a type of mission where groups of players team up to defeat either rival players in Player-versus-Player combat (PvP), waves of computer-controlled enemies (non-player characters or NPCs) in Player-versus-Environment (PvE) battles, or a powerful boss (superboss) in an arena. Raids typically take place in instance dungeons, which are separate server instances isolated from the rest of the game world.

A raid may be carefully planned and coordinated, but it can also arise spontaneously through word-of-mouth communication, both in and out of the game. Some developers use matchmaking to populate raids, particularly for easier or older content. Raids are typically designed for large groups of players, usually eight or more.^[1]

The term itself stems from the military definition of 'a sudden attack and/or seizure of some objective'.^[2]

Raiding originated in a class of text-based MUDs known as DikuMUD, which heavily influenced the 1999 MMORPG EverQuest and helped introduce the raiding concept to modern 3D MMORPGs.^[3]

The combat encounters comprising a raid usually require players to coordinate with one another while performing specific roles as members of a team. The roles of tank, healer, and damage dealer are known as the "Holy Trinity" of MMORPG group composition.^[4] Other common roles include buffing, crowd control, and pulling (selectively choosing targets with which to initiate combat).^[5]

Raids feature a variety of challenges for players to overcome. These may include strict time limits, dodging area-of-effect attacks (AoEs), solving raid mechanics using visual cues or buff and debuff markers, and managing mana and ability cooldowns, among others.

A raid leader or "shot caller" is often needed to direct the group efficiently due to the complexities of keeping many players working well together. Raiding is often done by associations of players called guilds or clans who maintain a consistent schedule and roster. Typically, there are two types of raiding guilds: casual guilds, who may spend up to three days per week trying to beat a raid; and hardcore guilds, who can spend four to seven days per week on a raid or a raid series.^[6]

Completing raids usually rewards players with a variety of valuable or exclusive in-game loot. These items are often unique gear pieces that grant higher stats or exceptional abilities, incentivizing players to participate. Commonly, there is not enough loot to reward every player individually, so players have invented various systems, such as Dragon kill points (DKP), to distribute loot fairly. Games like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV include built-in systems that distribute loot using a random 1-to-100 die roll. Final Fantasy XIV also rewards players with tokens, a certain number of which can be exchanged for raid gear—a system comparable to a "pity" mechanic.^[7]

Raids are often the subject of so-called "world-first" races, in which guilds, groups of players or even esports teams compete to be the first to complete a newly released raid.^[8][9] These races can take days to conclude and often amass thousands of viewers across various livestreaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.^[10][11] Blizzard, the developers of World of Warcraft, have been holding formal world-first tournaments since 2007. Viewership for the world-first race for Battle For Azeroth's first raid peaked at 263,000 viewers in June 2025.^[9]

An attempted raid in the game Final Fantasy XI against the Pandemonium Warden lasted 18 hours and reportedly resulted in players "passing out and getting physically ill."^[12]

The winners of the world-first race for Final Fantasy XIV's "The Omega Protocol" raid were found to have cheated during their attempt, prompting a response from the game's director, Naoki Yoshida. At least one team member used a mod to extend their camera distance beyond the intended limit, providing a competitive advantage.^[13][14]