Contents

Learn to Sim

If you are here, you have probably already started raiding or Mythic+ and want a better way to choose gear, talents, and trinkets. Simming helps you test those choices in a controlled environment before raid night.

A simulation is a large number of repeated combat runs generated from your character profile, your talents/gear, and a configured fight style. The result is not a promise of what will happen in a real pull; it is a model of your potential in a specific scenario.

That distinction matters: sims are excellent for comparing choices. They are not a replacement for mechanics, positioning, assignments, and execution.

Let’s start with the most important step: importing your character correctly.

1. Importing (the modern workflow)

1. RAIDBOTS (Recommended for most players)
1. WEBSITE

Go to https://www.raidbots.com.
For a quick baseline, start with Quick Sim.
Import your character using one of these methods:

(1) Armory import – fastest if your profile is up to date.
(2) Addon import (/simc) – best when you changed gear/talents recently and do not want to wait for armory updates.

For repeat use, create a Raidbots account and set your defaults there (fight length variance, iterations, region, preferred options). This saves time and makes comparisons more consistent.

2. DISCORD (Optional convenience)

Raidbots also supports Discord bot usage in servers where it is installed. The current bot uses slash commands, so type / in the channel and select the Raidbots commands shown by Discord.

This is convenient for quick checks and links, but the website remains easier for detailed setup, comparisons, and saved results.

2. SIMULATIONCRAFT ADDON (Recommended import method)
Install the SimulationCraft addon: https://www.curseforge.com/wow/addons/simulationcraft

In game, type /simc. Copy the generated profile string.

Paste that profile into Raidbots (Quick Sim, Top Gear, Gear Compare, or Droptimizer). This avoids armory delay and reflects your current gear, talents, enchants, and loadout immediately.

This is the default method we recommend for raiders because it is fast, accurate to your current character state, and easy to repeat before each raid night.
3. DESKTOP SIMULATIONCRAFT (Advanced / Optional)
SimulationCraft desktop builds are available at SimulationCraft nightly builds.

Desktop SimC is useful if you want deeper control, profile editing, or advanced testing beyond common Raidbots workflows.

For most players, however, Raidbots + /simc covers nearly everything needed for raiding decisions.

2. Configuring a fight (what to sim and why)

Once your character is imported, the important question is not just “what is my DPS?” but “what scenario am I trying to prepare for?”

Different encounters reward different talents, trinkets and stat distributions. A single-target Patchwerk result can be useful, but it may not reflect a real boss with movement, adds, or target swaps.

1. START SIMPLE (Quick Sim baseline)

Begin with a baseline sim (usually single-target, Patchwerk-style) so you have a stable reference point for later comparisons.

2. THEN MATCH THE CONTENT

Adjust your settings depending on what you are preparing for:

1. Raid progression boss

Use settings that resemble the encounter’s expected target count, fight length, and movement profile. If your raid leader assigns priority damage, sim for that purpose instead of pure padding.

2. Mythic+

Use dungeon-oriented profiles or multi-target scenarios. Check current class-community recommendations because the best profile can vary a lot by spec and key type.

3. Trinket / talent comparisons

Use the same fight settings across all tests. If you change the scenario at the same time, the comparison becomes less useful.

3. COMMON FIGHT STYLES (concepts)

The exact list and names can change over time, but these concepts are the important ones:

1. Patchwerk

Minimal movement, clean single-target baseline. Great for consistent comparisons.

2. Movement profiles

Useful when your spec loses value during movement or requires planning around windows.

3. Cleave / add scenarios

Useful for bosses with extra targets, priority swaps, or sustained AoE pressure.

4. Dungeon / slice profiles

Useful for Mythic+ style evaluations, but always verify with current class guidance.

4. BUFFS, DEBUFFS, AND REALISM

If you are trying to compare raid setups, configure buffs/debuffs appropriately. If you are testing your own practice target setup, be honest and configure only what you realistically have.

Do not overfit every sim. Precision is useful, but consistency in how you compare options is usually more important than making a “perfect” custom scenario for every pull.

3. Reading the results (and not misusing them)

1. BASICS

A sim result is a comparison tool. The most important question is often not “Is this number high?” but “Is Option A better than Option B for this exact scenario?”

Key points to remember:

• Sim numbers assume a modeled rotation and fight behavior, not your actual raid execution.
• A higher sim does not excuse failed mechanics, deaths, or missed assignments.
• Small gains may be irrelevant if they make your play less stable in real encounters.

Use sims to choose better tools for the job. Use logs (Part 3) to measure how you actually used them.

2. WHAT TO LOOK AT IN THE REPORT

When you open a detailed report (Raidbots full report / SimulationCraft output), pay attention to:

• Result difference between options (how big is the gain/loss?)
• Fight style, target count, and length (did you sim the correct scenario?)
• Damage breakdown and ability usage (useful for practice targets and self-review)
• Buff/DoT uptime expectations (helpful when comparing against logs later)

If a report shows very small differences between two choices, treat them as effectively equal unless one option is easier to play or better for your actual encounter needs.

3. THE MOST USEFUL RAIDBOTS TOOLS (PRACTICAL)

Modern simming is often more about comparisons than raw Quick Sim numbers. The tools raiders use most are:

• Quick Sim – baseline check for your current setup
• Top Gear – compare multiple items/talents/trinkets/loadouts together
• Gear Compare – direct comparisons between a few options
• Droptimizer – see which raid/dungeon drops are strongest for your current profile
• Smart Sim – quicker testing when you need usable answers fast
4. STAT WEIGHTS (USE WITH CAUTION)

Stat weights still exist, but they are often overused. Their value changes with your current gear, talents, trinkets, and the scenario you simmed.

Modern best practice: prefer direct item comparisons (Top Gear / Gear Compare) over relying on one static stat priority list.

If you do use stat weights, treat them as a snapshot for one configuration, not a universal truth for your character.

5. WHAT SIMS DO NOT TELL YOU

Sims usually do not capture the full cost of real raid decisions, such as:

• Holding damage for adds or shields
• Saving utility/defensives for assignments
• Downtime caused by movement, deaths, or mechanics
• The value of consistency over peak output

This is why the best raiders combine sims and logs: sims choose the setup, logs confirm whether that setup was executed well.

4. A simple simming workflow for raid night

If you are new to simming, do not overcomplicate it. A simple repeatable process is enough:

1. Update addons (especially SimulationCraft) and make sure your UI is stable.
2. Use /simc and paste into Raidbots.
3. Run a Quick Sim baseline.
4. Use Top Gear / Gear Compare for your actual choices (trinkets, crafted pieces, talents).
5. Save or bookmark important results for reference before raid.
6. After raid, compare your logs to the setup you chose (Part 3).

Midnight note: early expansion tuning and hotfixes can change the value of talents and trinkets quickly. Re-sim after major hotfixes, patch notes, and meaningful gear changes.