With this new update (and Destiny 2) around the corner, its probably best to make sure you're prepared to face whatever cheeky challenges Bungie has decided to throw at us. So here are three small things that I like to do before any content release.
1) Get a decent rolled legendary for every weapon archetype:
-Its always good to have a legendary for each weapon slot to free up room for an exotic. Relying too much on one exotic can really hinder your playing and can damage the team's capability. So before the raids come up, run a few Crucible rounds, rank up in Vanguard, or simply go through all the faction vendors to find a nice legendary that'll do the job.

2) Make raid loadouts:
-Not all weapons work for all parts of the raid. Having a loadout with only short or long range weapons can end up getting you killed and cause a team wipe. And not all weapons are good for all parts of the raid. So, my recommendation is to take three or four minutes to compose a raid loadout for the characters you plan to run the raids on. See which weapons can be used on other encounters. Find ways to incorporate exotics that'll give you an edge. Even analyzing your armor/recovery/agility and intellect/discipline/strength balancing to make adjustments can really give you the upper hand.

3) Learn all the raid mechanics:
-Not everyone is from Year 1. Not every player knows how to do the bridge or the Templar, and some players have never done them. I myself forgot the gatekeeper completely. So take a moment to brush up on the old raids, and how they work; if you're new, watch a video. Some teams may not play with you if you don't know how to do a part, and it will take a while to teach you if you come in unprepared. Simply brushing over each part as a refresher, or learning it for the first time can severely decrease the time the raid will take. Also, learning the Aegis and the Sword mechanics can really help a team out. You may be forced to use the Aegis, and even having a little knowledge can save the team from a wipe.

This may all be white noise to you, but with the update coming up soon, I thought helping those who aren't sure about what to do with my experience would be nice. Anywho, thanks for reading, and good luck!

5867822 Sounds good to me.

By extension, anyone who needs help learning raids can come to me. My Xbox GT is XGN iZombie, or just msg me here, but I've run all the raids countless times, and am willing to impart knowledge.