Raid mechanics

[Phygnathus]

Ok, I've got 2 level 70 characters, but I'm a complete raid noob with a couple of questions that I can't seem to find answers to anywhere.  Our guild is starting to get enough people into the upper 60s that we often have more than 6 people on at once.  We're a small, close-knit guild and I hate leaving people out.  Last night we had 7 people on and formed a raid to experiment a bit.  I had always assumed that when in a raid you gained no xp, loot, aa, etc for killing heroic/solo content.  I was surprised when we went into Mistmoore Catacombs and we were getting xp.  So, my question is, what exactly are the raid mechanics when dealing with heroic content?  Does it depend on the number of people?  I've read that when your raid is too big for the content you get a little broken encounter icon, but we didn't get that.  Is there some formula that bases the content vs. number of actual people in the raid?  (e.g. would it have shown the broken icon if we had added an 8th or 9th person?)  Or do you get xp but not loot, etc?  (One of our guys logged before we hit any nameds and I didn't notice if we got any chest drops or not.) We didn't try any heroic instances but would the same rules apply there as well? In addition, we're getting enough people that we might be able to get 10-11 people together some nights to try some proper x2 raid zones.  Any recommendations on where to start?  So far I know of the following: * Guild raids out of EFP * x2 version of Ascent of the Awakened * x2 content in Temple of Scale * The Roost in Mystic Lake * The crab in the village of shin * Various x2 contested Any recommendations on what we should try first, or anything else I didn't list, keeping in mind that our class mix might not necessarily be ideal for raiding.  For instance all the T7 healers we have are druids...

[Freliant]

<p>If you are starting to raid, then go to the city x2 raids. Talk to the guy next to NPC that makes guilds and he will give you those quests. Not only will you get molds that will turn into legendary gear for winning, but you will also learn the proper mechanics or raiding. If you have trouble doing those zones, then some of the other zones you mentioned might be a bit over the top for begginer raiders.</p><p> As what what can and can't drop something for a raid: If it doesn't have a sign next to its name, it will give xp/AA and loot... if it has a little red sign next to its name, it will not give anything. fight any mob and yell for help, that icon that appears next to the mob is the icon that will appear next to the mob in question if you are in a raid with too many people for a certain mob.</p>

[Phygnathus]

Thanks for the info.  I kind of figured that the city raids would be the best place to start out. Is there any known formula to determine how many people it takes before an encounter gets that broken encounter icon? Is it based on the levels of the mobs vs. levels of the people in the group?  It'd be nice to have a rough idea so that if we have 7 or 8 people that all want to get together for something we can know ahead of time what areas might not give us anything.  Or is it all just trial and error?  Also does that icon appear only if everyone in the raid is in the zone?