Raid Tools: The Complete Guide
Not a module list — an actual walkthrough of how I run a raid night with it, start to finish, from filling the group to handing out the last item.
Raid Tools started because I was running five different addons just to lead a raid properly, and wanted one window instead. The addons page has the module-by-module reference; this is how those modules actually fit together during a real raid night, in the order I use them.
1.Before the pull: filling the group
Raid Browser is the first thing I open. It auto-detects LFM posts across Trade, General, World and Yell and shows me instance, GS requirement, roles needed, reserved items and how long the post has been up in one list, instead of me hunting through chat manually. A post sitting for twenty minutes with no fills is telling me something a fresh one isn't, so I weigh that alongside the numbers. One click whispers the leader with my spec, GearScore and relevant achievement already filled in.
2.Right before the first pull: specs and buffs
Once the group's full, I click Demand in the MS Changes tab and the raid gets a message asking everyone to whisper their actual spec. Invalid specs get an automatic reply listing what's valid for that class, so I'm not correcting people manually mid-raid. Click Close once everyone's answered, then Share MS + Buffs pushes the finalized list to every Assist, Raid Leader and Master Looter in the group. Buff Order assignment for Greater Blessings pulls from actually-inspected specs, not self-reported ones — the Spec Database's Gather All Specs button inspects the whole raid in sequence and even tells Feral Bear apart from Feral Cat by real talent inspection.
3.During the raid: loot as it drops
This is where BiS Tracker and Roll Manager do the actual work. When something drops, an officer types /rw [Item Name] and the addon announces the BiS spec for it to the whole raid, rate-limited to one announcement per item every 15 seconds so multiple people running the addon don't spam the same call. Roll Manager then handles the roll itself, and it works passively even when I'm not the one managing loot — it reads rolls straight out of raid chat and flags an off-spec roll in red as an advisory. Master Looter assignment is one click for whoever's Raid Lead or Assist, with a loot tracker that whispers a designated collector on every BoP or BoE drop so nothing gets missed in the chaos of a boss just dying.
4.Keeping the raid itself running
Auto Reply handles the whispers I don't want to answer manually mid-pull — ?help, ?commands, ?bis <item> — and AutoInvite handles anyone whispering the keyword I've set up for late joins. The floating status bar shows a colored pill for every module (BT, SPAM, AR, ML, AI, MS, RB) so I can see at a glance what's actually running without opening the full window, and toggle any one of them off mid-raid with a single click if I need to.
5.Between raids
Profiles are the thing I actually rely on for running multiple characters — Config → Profiles lets me copy, export and import a full settings profile, so setting up a new alt to raid-lead with doesn't mean rebuilding everything from scratch. ElvUI users get automatic skinning with zero setup; if you'd rather keep the addon's own dark backdrop, disable Ace3 Skin for it specifically in ElvUI's config instead of for everything.
6.The mistake I made running this the first few times
I used to open the full window for every single thing — checking module status, toggling AutoInvite, glancing at Roll Manager — and it slowed me down mid-raid more than it should have. The status bar exists specifically so you don't have to do that. Once I actually started using the pills to toggle modules and just glancing at color instead of opening the window every time, running a raid with this got noticeably smoother. If you're new to it, resist the urge to keep the full window open the whole raid; the floating bar is enough for almost everything you'll need mid-pull.