Last night I listed my level 70 holy priest in LFG and proceeded to start on a few dailies. In just a minute or so, I had a brief interaction with another player. Let’s call him George.
I received a group invitation out of nowhere.
Who is this guy? I clicked ignore.
George: nexus
[no punctuation, or any such frippery, just the single word]
I did not respond.
Another invite. Again, I ignore.
George: ?
Ordinarily I’d have just ignored the implied question. Why should i take the time to answer if he won’t take the time to actually ask? Feeling either merciful or pedantic, I decided to actually reply.
mkb: i’ll wait for someone who is in a little less of a hurry
mkb: thanks for the invite though.
George: heh
George: you choice [sic]
Why did I pass on the invitation? Am I snooty because healers are in short supply right now? Would you be surprised that I also ignore such invites on my affliction loc, even though DPS-ers are a dime-a-dozen? What the hell is my problem?
It’s about communication.
In my experience, if a group leader won’t take the time to whisper me with a single sentence (one which he can copy and paste so he does not even have to type it out for me) then I can expect the group to be a pain in my ass. A group leader who won’t take the time to communicate is one who won’t take time for basic consideration. After enough unpleasant experiences I learned to ignore any invitation I receive out of the blue.
The group leader who can’t manage to type “want to come to nexus?” a single time before pasting it into several whispers is the same sort who will chain-pull without checking mana bars, charge when s/he should be pulling mobs back to a safer spot, and fail to notice when my squishy caster gets aggro. As much as I love grouping, I’d rather fish in the Dalaran fountain than put up with a crappy group.
If you’ve read this far, you probably fall into one of two categories. Either you are thinking I am a prima-donna or you are wondering how you can avoid mistakes like those of our dear George. Readers in the second category, please read on to have your questions answered.
How do you attract and keep good group members? Again, it comes down to communication. Tell the group what you want, and we’ll try our best to give it to you. A few examples:
Before you start
Send people a short whisper before inviting them.
Eg, “want to dps for HoL?” better yet, “Want to DPS for Halls of Lightning?” Don’t invite the person unless you receive an affirmative response.
Make sure everyone knows their role.
When two people think they are tanking, or nobody realizes they are healer, madness ensues. You don’t need to make a speech, just say it: “I am tank.” “Silvio is healer.” For bonus points, tell us before we head over so the dual-spec folks can grab the right gear.
Are there loot rules you feel strongly about?
If it’s important enough to boot someone over, it’s important enough to say clearly before the run begins. Sure, warriors should know not to roll on spellpower cloth, but what about people rolling for offspec? Or greeding a BoP just to sell? Some people don’t care. If you do care, then tell us.
Before the first pull, ask whether everyone has run the instance before.
Even if you don’t want to take the time to give extra tips to the first-timers, perhaps someone else in your party will. Helping other players isn’t just the nice thing to do; it’s in your best interest as well. The better informed your party, the smoother your run.
During the run
Make sure we know where you will be pulling.
Most pulls will be fairly obvious and the group can just follow your lead. For tricky pulls or when you simply want to try something different. Give your group a heads-up.
Don’t neglect ready checks.
You don’t need to check before every pull, but checking at a few key points will boost your chance of success and keep your players happy: When the group first enters, before each boss fight, after each wipe. Whether you ready check more often than that is up to your personal playing style, but skipping checks altogether is poor leadership, plain and simple.
Watch mana/energy bars.
On my warrior and my DK, it’s nice to keep momentum. Jumping quickly into the next fight means I can use leftover rage or runic power before it fades. Energy and mana using classes are just the opposite. Our mojo is depleted over the course of a fight. If we are forced into the next fight before replenishing the consequences are sometimes dire. We don’t need to be at 100% before every little trash pull but if you see we are low or we ask for a pause, then pause. If we are drinking, don’t expect us to get up before our mana is full again. Yes, we know you’d like to keep going but once you enter a group, other people’s needs matter too.
Watch your party members.
Part of situational awareness is knowing where your players are, not just the mobs. Don’t rely on party members to tell you when they are behind; use your eyes. If you pull without a full group can you survive the fight? Will the others arrive in time to save you? If you are not sure of the answers to those questions, you might want to pay attention.
Most of good group communication– and good grouping –comes down to simple human decency. Unlike more traditional video games, MMOs are inherently social. The other members of your group aren’t NPCs and they aren’t hired help. They are other human beings, each with their own needs, preferences, etc. Each of them pays the same account fees you do. Keeping everyone happy and well-informed ultimately makes for a smoother run and more fun for everybody.
Thank you; please drive through.
