LFG Bonus Humanity
I know many people, including my self are praising the new Looking For Group (LFG) tool. Last night I got into a group with three of us sticking together for five random heroic dungeons. The three included the tank, healer, and myself as DPS of course. The grouping was competent and we plowed through the heroic dungeons without breaking a sweat.
The best thing that happened was a dispute over a Need roll in Forge of Souls. Yes, a dispute was the best thing that happened.
Due to dispute happening I got to see the best possible class from a group of players. Nighttime dropped off of the first boss after we defeated him. I already had another Nighttime in my bag, just in case another one-handed weapon dropped. Without me being able to get Morrowstrike or the Orca-Hunter’s Harpoon yet, dual wielding two of the new weapons would be my best option for an upgrade. I double-checked the Nighttime in my bag to make sure the weapon was not unique equipped, and I asked the group may I need it. The tank, healer and other DPS say yes. I choose need, but then another need roll shows up. The retribution paladin had rolled need on it. The emergency brake lever was pulled by the tank.
I explain that I have another Nighttime and that arming it with the current drop would be an upgrade for me. The tank added that Nighttime is a one-handed weapon that the paladin should not have rolled need on to begin with. She then told him to trade the axe to me right then and there. Then the healer repeated what the tank said. It boiled down to hand over the axe to Noche or get kicked.
The paladin handed over the axe. I equipped both Nighttime axes and we finished the dungeon. The whole thing could have gone south, but I am glad it did not. He had a decision to make; Risk being kicked and not completing his quest with a very nice PUG, and missing out on real upgrades for himself that the PUG would have gladly allowed him to need. I am glad he chose to hand over the axe and continue the run.
After the dungeon run I headed to the nearest mail box in Dalaran to contact the enchanter within the family. I ordered the +26 Agility enchants for both axes. I look good dual wielding axes.
WoW, Year in Review
Aoirselvar from Casual Huntering tagged me in his rendition of this post. So much like the interview it is I will answer the questions and tag some people at the end to continue.
What did you do in World of Warcraft that you’ve never done before?
I decided to concentrate on being a hunter. Before, my main character was my paladin tank. I played a lot with real life people I know and it was all fun. Then real life took them away from the game more so than myself. I did not like tanking for PUGs due to tank abuse, and I still wanted to enjoy the most content I could. Up stepped my hunter to the forefront.
I accomplished max leveling four characters. I don’t know if I will be able to do that again though within one expansion. There is so much to do just with one character. Plus the quest and rep grinds get old. It’s like a CD on repeat on the same song for hours on end.
What was your favorite new place that you visited?
I love Shalozar Basin. It’s Ungoro Crater 2.0. It’s a hunter’s paradise. It has everything I need. It has minerals to mine, gorillas to kill, good fishing spots, rare beast to tame/kill, the game’s number one hunter Hemit Nesingwary has set up camp in the basin, and the scenery is excellent.
What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I would have liked to have more regular player interaction. It’s hard living in an east coast time zone, but playing on a west coast time zone server. The new LFG is solving much of that issue now. So I look forward to 2010 being a lot easier to find groups for dungeon runs.
I would like for my guild to grow, but I suck at recruiting. I find it totally boring sitting any where spamming trade chat trying to recruit.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My biggest achievement is starting this blog and getting more into the WoW hunter community outside of the game. Making my hunter number one really opened up a social aspect of the game that I was not fully taking advantage of before.
What was your biggest failure?
My biggest failure was taking to long to change my game style and attitude towards the game after the real life people that I played with a lot started playing less. I spent way to long dressed to nines with no where to go due to them not playing as much as I do.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I really got excited about concentrating on and building up my hunter. It’s been amazing fun.
The new LFG system is awesome for me. It’s opening up opportunities to do dungeons that it would have taken me ages to get into, due to a lack of knowing people well enough to group with.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Waiting.
What was your favorite WoW blog or podcast?
This is a tough question. I read all of the blogs that I have linked to on my sidebar. I may not read them everyday, but I find them all to be good places of information. A few also have podcast that I listen to as well.
Tell us a valuable WoW lesson you learned in 2009.
The most valuable lesson I learned was that being very good at one class and enjoying it, is better than being okay at a bunch of classes, and not enjoying the game. For me, it’s better to be serious with one class, and to just understand the others.
To Close
To come to a close I am going to pass this torch on to a trio of hunters that I talk to via Twitter and blogging. Brigwyn, Lassirra, and Euripides; you’ve been tagged.
Some Rules for Pugging
- Don’t cry to the group if you lose a Need roll.
- It’s your responsibility to make sure you are geared and knowledgeable enough to attempt a dungeon.
- If you are not geared or knowledgeable enough, admit it. Honesty can go a long way. The worst that could happen is you get kicked. Just rejoin LFG at that point and relish in the fact that you don’t have to run with morons.
- Don’t use Misdirection on the healer.
- Always double check to see if the tank is the lead. It will help to avoid Misdirect mistakes.
- Do not use guild chat or any other chat besides talking to the PUG. Distractions lead to wipes and mistakes.
- If you did something wrong, admit it, or at least don’t deny it.
- Be quiet and listen.
- Not everyone wants a recap of your guild drama.
- Before you vote to kick someone, make sure your thinking is valid. Remember the next kick could be you.
- Remember that you represent your guild and server in LFG PUGs. Don’t give either one a bad rep.
- Say “Thank you” to the group after the run is complete.
- If you like the group, don’t be to quick to drop group. They may like you too, and want to do more dungeons together.
This list could be longer, but I’ll stop here and let the comments take over.
