08-25-2005, 07:00 PM
I wind up playing in pubbie (i.e. "pickup" or "PUG") groups quite a lot, mostly because I don't play the only level 60 character I have and because I don't like being an imposition on guildmates to play lower alts when they want to be playing their 60's. I also have the sick perversion of actually enjoying pubbie groups, even though they frustrate me to all hell (just ask any Lurker who has joined me in a mostly pubbie group, I get pretty irritable at all the bad play). Public groups do teach you how to be a better player by teaching you how to cover for players of lesser ability/knowledge along with being a constant demonstration of what to do when Things Go Wrong.⢠For example, it's from my pubbie group play as a Priest that I have a good idea for knowing when things get bad enough that I have to start deciding who lives (e.g. who gets my healing) and who dies (e.g. who does not). A less experienced Priest of Bad Situations would try to save everyone, fail, and lead the group to a wipe.
I've seen it from all sides, being in every role, from playing a healer in groups that didn't seem to realize that healing draws aggro, to playing a warrior in groups that have zero concept of letting the tank get aggro a bit before unloading. Combine that with horrific tactics and a complete inability to take advice from anyone, and you have the usual combination that makes up a pubbie group - a "bunch of soloists grouped together" more than a cleanly functioning unit.
It's not just at low levels - there are even high levels who haven't the slightest clue what to do in groups. At high levels, this usually isn't so much due to lack of knowledge on how to play their class rather than a total lack of understanding of how all the OTHER classes work.
After all this experience running pubbie groups, a lot of their actions can be explained once you get into their heads. Think like a "n00b" and you can predict their behaviors. Keep in mind though that the difference between a n00b and a newbie is that the n00b refuses to acknowledge or accept any advice. Everyone was/is a newbie at some facet of the game; it's your lack of willingness to accept and learn from mistakes that makes you a "n00b."
The following is my totally opinion-based summary on how other members of a pick-up group will think of you if you play a certain class, and what you can expect as a result.
Warrior: you are a meat-shield and a tough guy. You are there to do damage and to tank a mob, but not necessarily a group of them. As long as you attack something first, you'll have no trouble holding aggro on it because, well, you're a Warrior. And if not, you can get aggro off of someone else without difficulty. Thus, the moment you charge/attack something, I'll wail away on it and any other mobs that come with the pull as soon as I can. Since the Warrior can't tank EVERY mob without dying, it's best to pull an individual mob off the Warrior and kill it in order to help out. After all, if all the mobs die faster, we get through the instance faster, right?
Paladin: see Warrior. Oh, and heal me! And give me Blessing X now, why did you let it expire?
Rogue: you're there to do damage. Kill things and shut up. Sapping takes too long, it's easier to just kill things.
Druid: you can heal. So heal. Forms are useless you n00b! Everyone knows Druids are good healers but Priests are so much better, so we only have you along because we couldn't find a Priest. Bears can't tank. Cats are just sucky Rogues. If you don't heal, we're kicking you out of the group. We only take you along because we need healing. Blizzard should make this game better instead of requiring healers.
Hunter: put away your pet before it gets us all killed. I don't know what that thing you put on the ground is, so I'm ignoring it. n00b, the tank should pull, not you. Just shut up and shoot things.
Priest (obviously my favorite): shadow priests can't heal, you n00b!
*** You have been removed from the party
[General]LF1M holy priest for instance!
OR
Heal me!
Heal me!
Heal me!
Heal me!
OR
Just shut up and heal people, that's your job. What do you mean, healing draws aggro? Just stand back further from the mobs, stupid. I can attack whatever I want - the tank can't absorb damage from ALL those mobs. Or else we should all attack the same mob and leave the other ones alone, that way we can get through killing them faster. What do you mean, that won't work? Yes it will you n00b!
*** You have been removed from the party
[General] LF1M healer for instance!
OR
Can you make me some water?
BUT ALWAYS
We only take you along because we need healing. Blizzard should make this game better instead of requiring healers. Shut up and do your job and we'll pretend we like you.
Mage: sheeping's a waste of time, let's just kill stuff. It's too hard to pay attention to which mob is sheeped anyhow. And you take too long to get your mana back. Waiting for you all the time is just too annoying. What's the point of having you AoE when you die so fast? What do you mean you need healing while AoE'ing?
Warlock: oh good, a Warlock's in the party. I can just wait here in Ironforge/Orgrimmar and then get a summon when you get to the instance - it's too much bother for me to travel out there. We only have you along because we can't find a real DPS class anyway. By the way, can you make me some water? And what's a soul shard?
Shaman: ...I dunno. Anyone?
And thus ends my guide to How Pubbies Think of You. Please expand on this. :)
-Bolty
I've seen it from all sides, being in every role, from playing a healer in groups that didn't seem to realize that healing draws aggro, to playing a warrior in groups that have zero concept of letting the tank get aggro a bit before unloading. Combine that with horrific tactics and a complete inability to take advice from anyone, and you have the usual combination that makes up a pubbie group - a "bunch of soloists grouped together" more than a cleanly functioning unit.
It's not just at low levels - there are even high levels who haven't the slightest clue what to do in groups. At high levels, this usually isn't so much due to lack of knowledge on how to play their class rather than a total lack of understanding of how all the OTHER classes work.
After all this experience running pubbie groups, a lot of their actions can be explained once you get into their heads. Think like a "n00b" and you can predict their behaviors. Keep in mind though that the difference between a n00b and a newbie is that the n00b refuses to acknowledge or accept any advice. Everyone was/is a newbie at some facet of the game; it's your lack of willingness to accept and learn from mistakes that makes you a "n00b."
The following is my totally opinion-based summary on how other members of a pick-up group will think of you if you play a certain class, and what you can expect as a result.
Warrior: you are a meat-shield and a tough guy. You are there to do damage and to tank a mob, but not necessarily a group of them. As long as you attack something first, you'll have no trouble holding aggro on it because, well, you're a Warrior. And if not, you can get aggro off of someone else without difficulty. Thus, the moment you charge/attack something, I'll wail away on it and any other mobs that come with the pull as soon as I can. Since the Warrior can't tank EVERY mob without dying, it's best to pull an individual mob off the Warrior and kill it in order to help out. After all, if all the mobs die faster, we get through the instance faster, right?
Paladin: see Warrior. Oh, and heal me! And give me Blessing X now, why did you let it expire?
Rogue: you're there to do damage. Kill things and shut up. Sapping takes too long, it's easier to just kill things.
Druid: you can heal. So heal. Forms are useless you n00b! Everyone knows Druids are good healers but Priests are so much better, so we only have you along because we couldn't find a Priest. Bears can't tank. Cats are just sucky Rogues. If you don't heal, we're kicking you out of the group. We only take you along because we need healing. Blizzard should make this game better instead of requiring healers.
Hunter: put away your pet before it gets us all killed. I don't know what that thing you put on the ground is, so I'm ignoring it. n00b, the tank should pull, not you. Just shut up and shoot things.
Priest (obviously my favorite): shadow priests can't heal, you n00b!
*** You have been removed from the party
[General]LF1M holy priest for instance!
OR
Heal me!
Heal me!
Heal me!
Heal me!
OR
Just shut up and heal people, that's your job. What do you mean, healing draws aggro? Just stand back further from the mobs, stupid. I can attack whatever I want - the tank can't absorb damage from ALL those mobs. Or else we should all attack the same mob and leave the other ones alone, that way we can get through killing them faster. What do you mean, that won't work? Yes it will you n00b!
*** You have been removed from the party
[General] LF1M healer for instance!
OR
Can you make me some water?
BUT ALWAYS
We only take you along because we need healing. Blizzard should make this game better instead of requiring healers. Shut up and do your job and we'll pretend we like you.
Mage: sheeping's a waste of time, let's just kill stuff. It's too hard to pay attention to which mob is sheeped anyhow. And you take too long to get your mana back. Waiting for you all the time is just too annoying. What's the point of having you AoE when you die so fast? What do you mean you need healing while AoE'ing?
Warlock: oh good, a Warlock's in the party. I can just wait here in Ironforge/Orgrimmar and then get a summon when you get to the instance - it's too much bother for me to travel out there. We only have you along because we can't find a real DPS class anyway. By the way, can you make me some water? And what's a soul shard?
Shaman: ...I dunno. Anyone?
And thus ends my guide to How Pubbies Think of You. Please expand on this. :)
-Bolty
Quote:Considering the mods here are generally liberals who seem to have a soft spot for fascism and white supremacy (despite them saying otherwise), me being perma-banned at some point is probably not out of the question.