EDITED for Patch 3.3 on 12/10/09
If you look at the Guild Roster, you will see that Cog Dis has a large number of players at level 80, but that below that only a few toons are in any single level bracket. Right now, for example, there are 25 toons at level 80, but only 6 between levels 40-50. On the bright side, this means that once you hit 80, you will have plenty of people to do instances with. On the other hand, it can be very difficult to get together enough lower-level toons from the guild to run, say, Gnomeregan or Zul'Farrak.
Doing instances together is one of the best things about WoW, and it would be a shame to miss out on all the fun during the months when you are leveling your first toon to 80. Occasionally players with level 80 toons will offer to "run you through" a dungeon that you need to do for quests. This can teach you something about instances in general, but it is quite a different experience than fighting your way through an instance with other toons who are at the appropriate level range. To do an instance with other toons near your level, chances are you are going to have to PUG it. To help out those of you who would like to do more instances before you hit 80, this guide (based on my own experiences) is for you.
And hey, don't forget that 80's run PUGs too! Not only is it a quick way to do an instance when you need it, it's also the easiest way to rack up those emblems.
What's a PUG?
A PUG is a "pick-up-group," or an informal group of players who don't already know each other, who are working together on a quest or an instance. PUGs can teach you A LOT about how to play your class and how to interact with others in the game. To be a good pugger, you should know a bit about PUG ettiquette and also a little something about the different roles you might be expected to play in a group.
Tips on Good Pugging
1. Tank, Dps or Heals? Know your role
5-man groups are typically made up of one tank, three dps, and one healer. Before you start pugging an instance you should know which of these roles you can fill. Here is what the different roles will be expected to do:
Tank (1 player)
- Take as much of the incoming damage as possible, and keep the baddies from attacking other players. This is called "maintaining threat" or "keeping up aggro." (See http://www.wowwiki.com/Threat for more on this.)
- Lead the group: decide where to go and when to start a "pull" of the next set of monsters; assign special tasks to the rest of the group as needed.
- It can be difficult to tank an instance that you have never seen before: for your first try at a dungeon, you might want to dps instead.
DPS (3 players)
- Cause as much damage as possible without pulling aggro off the tank.
- Follow the tank's lead. Unless the tank says otherwise, the DPS should ALWAYS wait for the tank to start attacking before they start.
- DPS may be assigned special roles during a pull, such as sheeping a target, misdirecting aggro, or interrupting.
- Usually DPS has the most margin for error of the three roles, so if you are just starting to learn how to do instances, this role can be a good choice.
Healer (1 player)
- Heal incoming damage. The healer's priorities are: 1. Keeping self alive; 2. Keeping the tank alive; 3. Keeping the dps alive (pets are a distant 4th). Healers should not concern themselves with dealing out any damage.
- Follow behind the tank just outside of melee range, and ALWAYS keep him/her within your line of sight.
- Healers should Wait until the tank has started attacking to begin healing to avoid pulling aggro.
- Healing has a moderate learning curve. Healers are usually in demand for pugs, so it can be easier to find a spot as a healer than as DPS.
2. Get your gear in order
- It's good manners to come into a group with enough potions, food, mana-drinks, reagents, arrows, etc. to last you through the instance.
- Your gear should be repaired before you get started.
- Make space in your bags for all the cool lootz you're going to get.
- As far as what to equip: People should not care too much about your gear stats in lower-level instances, but as you get higher, they might notice if you are wearing the wrong type of gear for your class (e.g., casters wearing armor with strength bonuses) or if you are seriously neglecting gemming/enchanting your gear. Make some effort to figure out what stats your class and spec should wear and try to gather the right gear before you begin doing instances. This will also help you make the right decisions when it comes to looting.
3. Pick an instance
A list of instances sorted by levels is here:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Instances_by_level
Note that 5-man instances vary in the amount of time required to complete them, varying from 20 minutes on the low end to several hours for a place like Gnomeregan. Try to be sure you have at least an hour free before starting a PUG run.
Since patch 3.3 (12/09), you can also choose to do a random dungeon. If you choose this option, you will be assigned to a dungeon based on your current level. This is a great way to get into an instance quickly, but you run the risk of being taken someplace where you don't really want to go. For your first PUG experiences, it's probably a good idea to pick a specific instance.
4. Looking for a Group
Where do you get a group from? Try asking...
- Your friends list and guild chat.
- SGA chat. This is the chat channel for the "Small Guild Alliance" that Cog Dis belongs to. See the guild information screen in-game for instructions on how to join the channel.
- For the true PUG experience, use the in-game "Looking for Dungeon" interface. To see this, press "i". The LFD interface will let you choose which roles you are willing to fill, and whether you want a specific dungeon or a random dungeon. The game will let you know when a full group is ready to go.
- If you're still looking after trying 1-3 above, put a message into the realm-wide Looking For Group chat channel (/4), or the local general channel where the instance is located (/1). Trade chat is usually the last resort. (Note that there is not much need to do this anymore after Patch 3.3, except perhaps for unusual lower-level dungeons.)
Be a good pugger and don't spam any of the chat channels. You can use standard abbreviations to look more like a PUG pro. Do say what roles you have covered and/or which ones you're looking to fill, and tell where you're willing to go. Typical posts look like this:
- Lvl 34 tank LFG for SM (this means you're a tank looking for a Scarlet Monastery group)
- LF healer and 2 DPS for Ramps or BF (this means you need a healer and a dps to do Hellfire Ramparts or Blood Furnace)
5. Forming up your group
There are now three ways to form up a PUG. You can: (a) invite specific players by using the /inv command ; (b) use the automated LFD [=Looking For Dungeon] interface, which you get to by pressing "i"; or (c) use a hybrid approach. Some hints for each:
(a) Invite specific players by using the /inv command
In a 5-man group only one person, the leader, can send out invites to join the group. The way to do this is to type: /inv Playername. The first person to send an invite is by default the leader. This person can grant leadership to someone else by targetting them, then right-clicking on their portrait, and then clicking on "Promote to Leader." If you're not the leader, you don't have to worry about inviting other people. Just sit tight and wait until the group is ready to head towards the instance. Your group may choose to summon people to the meeting stone outside the dungeon entrance, or may "teleport" in with the LFD interface.
(b) Use the automated LFD Interface by pressing "i"
The LFD interface will let you choose which roles you are willing to fill, and whether you want a specific dungeon or a random dungeon. The game will let you know when a full group is ready to go., and will teleport you inside the instance.
(c) Hybrid
It's also possible to get a partial party together by using the /inv command, and then fill the remaining spots by going into the LFD interface.
For more on the LFD system, see: http://www.wowwiki.com/Dungeon_Finder
6. Getting ready to go
After you get inside the instance, people will typically pause to buff each other. People may call out for specific buffs that they want from you: pay attention to this. Don't expect, or feel that you have to provide, any food/water/potions for other players. Offering what you can usually helps generate good feelings however. You can try to create a good group vibe by chit-chatting with the other players. Safe topics include asking people what they think about the latest patch, complimenting/asking people about their titles or gear, and so on.
7. Follow the tank and pay attention to the healer
Nine times out of ten, the tank is the group leader and gets to decide where to go and how fast to get there. Do follow the tank's lead. Don't pull aggro off the tank. Also, pay attention to your healer: if he/she is out of mana, you can end up with a dead tank, and then a swift wipe.
8. Looting
Basic loot rules for pugs are as follows:
- The leader should set the instance to Group Loot
- Most commonly, you will click GREED or DISENCHANT* on everything except things that are upgrades for the toon that you are currently playing, in its current spec. For upgrades, click NEED. If something is for an off-spec or you aren't sure, type in party chat: "Can I need this?" Never need stuff that you can't use. This will get you branded as a loot ninja .
*Regarding the Disenchant option: This only appears if there is someone in the party who has the ability to disenchant. Greed rolls and Disenchant rolls go up against eachother; Need trumps both. So, you would click on Disenchant if you would rather get dusts/shards than the actual item. Usually, dusts/shards are worth more on the Auction House than a soulbound item would be worth if you sold it to a vendor.
When there are herbs, mining nodes, skins, etc. to be had, ask the group if anyone else gathers what you're interested in. If there are two or more with the same gathering profession in your group, you can choose to take turns gathering or roll for the privilege.
9. Dying
When you die, generally you DO NOT RELEASE unless it's a wipe and everyone has died. This is because someone else can usually resurrect you much faster than you can run back into the instance.
10. PUGs gone bad
Every once in a while, you'll get into a really bad PUG. The tank can't tank, or the healer can't heal, or the DPS can't put out enough damage to down the boss. Or maybe there's a trash talker or a ninja looter in the party. You can start out by trying to fix the situation by asking gently what caused the last wipe (without assigning blame to particular players), re-stating loot rules, or asking a trash-talker to ease off on the rudeness. Voting to Kick a bad apple from the group should be a last resort, only to be used in extreme circumstances. But if all else fails...
How can you gracefully drop group?
DO say something like:
- Should we call it? Looks like we might not be able to pull this off right now.
- I'll go for one more attempt, but after that I'm going to have to call it.
- (The white lie): I'm getting husband/wife/mom (etc.) aggro here -- sorry but I'm going to have to log. (Use this with discretion and be sure to stay off that toon for a little while after!)
- (Best used when people are being rude/unreasonable): Sorry, have to log.
DON'T:
- Use party chat to insult people or accuse them of bad tanking/healing/dpsing etc. If you need to vent, whisper a friend or put it on guild chat.
- "Ninja Log" (drop group without saying anything at all). This is both confusing and insulting to the other players.
- Blame yourself excessively. If you think you're the one to blame for wiping the party, a quick and clean fess-up to your mistake is best.
11. PUGs gone good
Some PUGs are awesome: you meet new people who you really click with and it's good times all around. When you finish off the instance, be sure to thank everyone in the group for the great run. If there's someone you especially liked in the group from the Sisters of Elune server, feel free to whisper them separately. It's cool to say, "Hey, is it OK if I put you on my friends list? I'll be running instances around here for the next few days." Then you can start to build up a network of people who are around your own level for your next instance.
MORE ON PUGS
WoW Rookie: PUGging without the bad apples
(The comments at the end are especially interesting.)
Edited by Grenhilda 12/10/2009 11:27 PM (Most Recent)