The PuG
The PuG, it is often ugly and sometimes lovable. But it always poses a problem.
A group of people you don’t know, the downside is they might have no idea what they are doing, the upside is that they are great people looking to do what you are.
Being Nice
When you join a PuG you can always bail out before you zone in. Watch for the warning signs. If you have a bad feeling, get out before you start. Don’t waste everyone’s time, including yours. Of course, you can never tell for sure until you get started. So some general etiquette should be used.
After a couple of pulls everyone will start to get used to each other. Many PuGs start badly and end up winning spectacularly once everyone settles down. So don’t go running after one bad pull. However, if the group is wiping consistently then it’s time to leave unless you are having fun.
If the instance locks you then please decide before everyone is locked. This is usually when the first boss dies. Otherwise everyone including yourself is left in a difficult position.
Warning Signs
If you see some of these signs, you may want to move on.
- names - names like Roflgank and DeathMaster should make you run.
- bragging - If anyone talks about how great they are, this is a sure sign that they aren’t. And even if they are, do you want to hear about it for the next couple hours?
- leet speak - Dude, lolz, wtf summon? Are all signs to get out.
- not keyed - Some instances require a key or quest chain. If someone in the group didn’t know that ahead of time or forgot to buy theirs then be extremely careful. Some people are new and friendly, some are just lazy.
- loot - If someone starts talking about all the loot in the instance be worried.
- crowd control - A group full of fury warriors as much as I like them, is not a good idea.
After the Fact
- focus - focus damage. If they can’t then consider your hearthstone.
- marking - mark targets with raid icons. If no one knows what those are then leave.
- threat - Threat meters are not common yet. But if someone consistently rips threat or dumps it on healers then run.
- tanks first, healers always - If someone refuses to let your tanks get aggro or ignores when your healers get aggro. You might need another group.
- no mana - If pulls are before everyone is ready and no one can keep up then watch out. To be fair, some are used to expert groups that don’t need full mana or any preparation and just need to be told to slow up. The others have ADHD, and it might be time to go.
- running back - It’s more of a point of etiquette, but it really tells you if the people in your group care. If the group wipes, everyone should run back. Don’t assume the healer will ressurect everyone. They are frustrated enough healing you after everyone just died. If the healer specifically says they don’t mind, or if you ask them and they say yes, then go afk then enjoy your break.
Making Your Own
Eventually you may want to make your own PuG. Either to control your own fate or because no one else will. Here are some things to watch out for.
- armory - The most important thing you can do before creating you own PuG is to look before inviting them. This means going to the Armory or some other site and see firsthand. It’s impossible to know if a player is good or not beforehand, but you can at least make sure they have the gear needed to be there.
- welfare gear - Blizzard has made it much easier to get geared up for instances than it was in the past. Many people use honor and arena points to skip past the grind of gearing up in the past. This means that more and more players are entering these instances that may have little experience with them. So if you see someone in honor gear don’t assume they are inexperienced but take a second look at them.
Good luck PuGing!
Tags: tip
Author: aos
