World of Warcraft Grouping FAQ omegachaos ========================================================= == Contents =========================================================== 1. Intro 2. Version History 3. Basics of a Good Group 4. Finding a Group A. Quests B. Instances 5. Functioning Inside a Group A. Roles to Play a. Druid b. Hunter c. Priest d. Rogue e. Shaman f. Paladin g. Mage h. Warrior i. Warlock B. Players to Avoid 6. FAQ 7. Credits ========================================================= == 1. Intro ========================================================= == Hello and welcome to my FAQ! If you’re having trouble looking for a group or are always finding the worst people to group with, this is the FAQ for you! Now you’ll have the knowledge you’ll need to group with the right people in a PUG (Pick-up group). Read on to find out more about grouping. Note: This is more for instance grouping than quest grouping ========================================================= == Version History ========================================================= == Version 1.0 First version of the FAQ. I will add more versions if needed. Version 1.2 Updated many sections of the guide that needed updating. Also updated the Players to Avoid List and the FAQ. ========================================================= == 2. Basics of a Good Group ========================================================= == All basic groups need to consist of a tank, healer, DPS(damage per sec.) and CC (crowd control) classes. The Tank – This is the guy that will be taking the most damage in the group and keeping the mobs attacking him while the other classes pummel the unfortunate mob. The tank is usually a warrior, since they have aggro gaining abilities, but a couple of other classes can tank as well. Here are the classes that can be tanks: - Warriors - Protection Paladins - Feral Druids The Healer – This is the guy that is going to keep everyone in the group alive. The tank will be the one he will be healing the most, as the tank will be taking the damage from almost all the attacks. Most of the time the healer will be a priest if there is one in the group, but other classes can heal as well. Here are the classes that can heal: - Holy Priests - Holy Paladins - Restoration Shaman - Restoration Druids DPS classes – All classes are capable of being this role. Their goal is to take down the mob as fast as possible while the tank is busy taking all the damage. CC classes – These guys stun mobs for a certain period of time. In certain fights, it’s extremely important to stun certain mobs so they won’t heal the mobs you’re killing or just to lighten up DPS on your tank. The only problem is that some of these mobs are immune to certain stuns. Here the classes capable of CC and what mobs they’re CCs affect: - Warlock: Seduce: Humanoids Banish: Elementals/Demons - Mage: Polymorph: Humanoids/Beasts - Priest: Shackle Undead: Undead (duh) - Druid: Hibernate: Beasts - Rogue: Sap: Humanoids - Hunter: Freezing Trap: All Enemies ========================================================= == 3. Finding a Group ========================================================= == --------------------------------- A. Quests --------------------------------- So you’ve found a quest that is red or is labeled Group. What are you gonna do? Simple. Get a group. The people that you would want to group with are people that are also on the quest you’re doing. Some quests don’t require a full party to complete, but if you find that you and whoever is grouped with you are having troubles, feel free to find a full group. The one thing you should NOT do is to start a raid group. You won’t be able to collect quest items or register kills if you’re in a raid. -------------------------------- B. Instances -------------------------------- So you’re in the mood for an instance dungeon. But what’s this? There are elites! It looks like it’s time to find a group. For instances, you’re going to want to find a full group. There is no way you could do an instance with 2, 3, or 4 people (unless you’re a higher level than the instance, but why would you do that?). Finding a group shouldn’t be too hard as long as it’s around peak hours of play. Simply go into the Looking For Group function on your toolbar, choose which instance you want to go to, and wait for people to join. If you’re impatient, simply type in the Looking for Group channel “LFG ”, and hopefully someone will whisper you for a group. Your group needs to consist of the basic group members: the Tank, the Healer, and any DPS classes. Once you have your group, head over to the instance, or if you’re there already, find something to do while you wait for those slowpokes. Most instances are 5-man, but there are some that are 10- man, 20-man, and even 40-man (although now that Burning Crusade is out, it’s been reduced to 25-man)! For those instances, you’ll need to start a raid group. Every group of 5 in the raid must have a tank and a healer for each group of 5 to be most effective. Move people around in-between the groups to create an effective group. Note: 10-man and 25-man instances are the maximum level instances and big raiding guilds are usually the ones that do these (although 10-mans can be PuGed with good people), as they are very difficult. ========================================================= == 4. Functioning Inside a Group ========================================================= == Well you’ve gotten inside the instance and are now facing your first mob. What do you do? Here are two basic steps needed to take to bring down this mob: Step 1. Pulling ><><><><><>< Usually there will be groups of mobs in an instance that can range from 2-4 mobs. With two mobs, you can have either a hunter or warrior pull. If a hunter pulls, the hunter should feign death to erase any aggro on him and allow the warrior to gain aggro on the mobs while the rest of the group concentrates attacks on one of the mobs. If the warrior pulls, simply allow him to build more aggro on them while the group concentrates on one of the mobs. With 3 mobs, you’ll want to have either a mage sheep pull or a rogue sap stun and have the hunter or warrior pull the remaining two. If the mob is hit while stunned, he’ll go to whoever is the highest on his aggro list. If he was sheeped, the mage can simply re-sheep the mob until the other two are dead. If he was sapped, then the tank is going to have an extra mob to tank, and it might cause a few problems for the tank trying to keep aggro. In the higher level instances, priests have a stun that only affects undead called Shackle Undead. This can be an alternative to sheeping because mages aren’t able to sheep undead and the same with rogues and their sap ability. With 4 mobs, you’ll need to have the tank on two mobs while one mob is stunned and the other is off-tanked by a class that has good armor and HP. Not too hard to do if the group knows what it’s doing and classes know their roles. Note: If there is only one mob to pull, have the warrior pull it to the group and pulverize it. Step 2. Fighting <><><><><><> In a lot of fights, you’ll most likely have three to four mobs. Usually one or two of the more powerful mobs are stunned while the group is concentrating attacks on a mob and the tank is keeping aggro on one or both of the mobs. Once the mobs are dead, obliterate the one that is stunned. There isn’t much to fighting mobs, just know which mob does the most damage, and which mobs have the least and most amount of HP. +++++++++++++++++ A. Roles to Play +++++++++++++++++ a. Druid These guys are a special type of class. They have the ability to become three different forms. In their regular form, they can be the main healer in a group. They can also put beasts to sleep whenever there are some in a group of mobs. In some cases, a druid can turn into a bear and become an off-tank for a warrior. When the druid changes into bear form, mana changes into rage and armor increases, making it possible to tank. The last form is cat form, which allows a druid to become like a rogue, replacing mana with energy. This is obviously the DPS form of the druid and is usually used if there isn’t a need for a tank or healer. They also have the ability to give a buff to all stats. A Druid can be any of these roles: - Tank - Healer - DPS - CC b. Hunter This class is sometimes the one considered to do the pulling. They also have great ranged DPS and an off- tanking pet to boot! The pet, as I said before is good for off-tanking an extra mob that a tank can’t tank at that moment. On occasion, a hunter will need to ‘kite’ something, or have the enemy chase after the hunter while their Aspect of the Cheetah is on, sometimes using Freezing Trap. Usually kiting is used if a hunter is soloing a mob or in the rare case it needs to be used on a mob so the group can take down any other mobs that would make it difficult fighting the boss. A Hunter can be any of these roles: - DPS - CC c. Priest This class is mainly used for healing and not for DPS (unless they’re in shadow form). If they need to DPS at all, they can use any of their holy attacks and DOTs (damage over time) on the mob, OR, they can shift into shadow form and do some major DPS on the poor mob. They can also be used to shackle anything Undead as a helpful stun. They also have a talent called Mind Control which the priest mind controls a mob. Other mobs see it as unfriendly to them and attack it. This talent is usually used if there is a dangerous mob that could cause a wipe needs to be killed before the actual fighting begins. Lastly, they have the ability to give a stamina buff. A Priest can be any of these roles: - Healer - DPS - CC d. Rogue This class is one of the best melee DPS classes in the game. These guys are helpful in taking down mobs quickly and efficiently. They can also stealth and sap mobs, taking one temporarily out of the fight. The only thing is that rogues can’t re-sap, like a mage can re-sheep or a priest can re-shackle, so remember to take down the other mobs quickly before the sap on a mob wears off. A Rogue can be any of these roles: - DPS - CC e. Shaman This class can be an excellent main healer or secondary healer and can drop totems with various buffs. Be wary, because sometimes mobs can destroy these totems. Although it may not seem like it, this class can also serve as an excellent off-tank to most mobs. It also has some great melee DPS and spell-casting damage. A Shaman can be any of these roles: - Healer - DPS f. Paladin This class, like the shaman, is also an excellent main healer or secondary healer, but doesn’t drop totems. They can make excellent main tanks if they are Protection specced. They also have great DPS and the ability to give a buff that increases armor to party members, along with various other buffs (especially the tank). A Paladin can be any of these roles: - Tank - Healer - DPS g. Mage This class is, pretty much, THE best ranged DPS class in the game. They cause excellent damage to the mob and also have the ability to polymorph (or sheep) a mob to temporarily put them out of the fight. They have an AOE (Area of effect) attack that is very useful in taking down a crowd of non-elite mobs. They can also reduce downtime by conjuring food and water. There is also a buff they give that buffs intellect. A Mage can be any of these roles: - DPS - CC h. Warrior This class is going to be your guaranteed tank (unless you have a druid in bear form or a very skilled paladin). These guys have talents that can gain aggro and keep it on them while the rest of the group destroys the mob. Although this is really the only tanking class in the game, it’s possible for other classes with a lot of armor to tank, but that class will most likely have a harder time keeping all the aggro. They are also capable of being a DPS class by dual wielding weapons. A Warrior can be any of these roles: - Tank - DPS i. Warlock This class is similar to a hunter since these guys have pets, but they are different because they have many talents that cause damage over time, which cause a lot of damage. Warlocks can use their pets much like different classes. They can use their voidwalker as an extra tank, an imp as an extra mage, or their succubus as a rogue. They also have a felhunter, which is kind of like a beast, but is good at disrupting casters. They also have the ability to banish demons and elementals and use their succubus to seduce humanoids. A Warlock can be any of these roles: - DPS - CC All these classes play a specific role and aren’t meant for other roles. A priest isn’t meant to tank and a warrior isn’t meant to heal. If you have trouble figuring that out, you are definitely not the person to group with, and should throw your computer out the window and get a worthwhile job. ++++++++++++++++++++ B. Players to Avoid ++++++++++++++++++++ It’s unavoidable, but you WILL group with people that have no idea what the word “teamwork” means. These people need to be kicked by all means, even if it’s accidental (or seems accidental). Even you may have experienced some of this (or are one of these people, get outta my FAQ. >:( ). Here are some examples on players you should avoid The Aggro-Master – This is the guy that will always be aggroing all the monsters around accidentally, usually because of carelessness. Someone like this will almost always be the reason the group wipes. The Whiner – This guy will be whining for all pieces of equipment, making up dumb excuses like “his guild needs it” or “his alt needs it badly.” If he does it with all the items, simply kick him from the group. Mr. Speedy – This person likes to finish instances fast and doesn’t know the meaning of health and mana regeneration. He is always constantly pulling mobs to the group and always complains whenever the group wipes to either the healer or tank for not gaining aggro or healing people. The Dragger – This guy basically pulls or “drags” monsters to the group either if he’s lagging behind or scouting ahead, most likely causing a wipe since the group may not be ready for the mobs or there are simply too many. If you find that you pulled quite a few mobs and you are far from the group, simply die and ask the healer to rez you after you have died. The Disenchanter – This guy insists on disenchanting everything the bosses drop in an instance and says he will give it back at the end of the instance, which he doesn’t and proceeds to hearth out as quickly as possible and “forget.” The Treasure Hunter – This guy is always looking around for anything they can get in the instance. If there is a treasure chest, they run to get it. If there is a quest object, they run to get it. If there is something that they can activate, well, you know what they do. All of these things he does can result in a wipe because of mobs. The Complainer – This guy likes to complain that everyone in the group is doing everything wrong (when in fact everyone is doing everything right) and tells people how to play their class or how to do things in the instance the “right” way. The Pretender - This guy is your friend. Well it looks like it. He pretends to be your friend and he "borrows" some of your items (like potions, bandages, etc.). Even if you ask him to pay you back you’ll probably find yourself on his ignore list after he’s done grouping with you. You’ll probably never here from that guy again and you’ll find yourself empty handed. The Deserter - This guy goes AFK for extended periods of time or bails entirely partway (sometimes after a wipe) through the instance, leaving a group underpowered and losing progress made for having to find someone else to fill the spot. A slightly-more tolerable version of this guy will hearth out for armor repairs, training, or something else and expect you to summon him back. The Profession Pursuer – This guy begs for anything that will help his profession level go up. If there are minerals, herbs or skin, he’ll beg the group to let him have it. Same goes for all the random greens that drop to disenchant. The Animal Tamer – Although rare, this is the hunter that goes into an instance to tame a certain kind of pet he/she wants. Sometimes they will be petless, or they may have a pet. If they are able to get that pet, they’ll probably hearth out, or they may be friendly and stay the whole time. The ones you want to avoid are obviously the petless ones who will hearth after they have what the want. Confused Druids- These are the type of druids who promise to play one role, then end up playing another. This happens more often in druids with the feral talent tree than the other class, since the tank and the melee DPS class are there. They promise to tank, then end up switching to cat form and losing aggro. The squishier a class is, the more they should avoid these kinds of people. The Ninja – This is the worst person you could ever group with. Whenever there is a really awesome loot drop (everyone is going “ZOMG PHAT LEWT !!!!11one), this guy instantly need rolls it, receives the loot, and hearths out. These people deserve no mercy whatsoever and should be put on your ignore list forevermore. These guys can be anyone. They can be very friendly and ninja, or be an ignorant person and ninja. Anyone can be a ninja, so look for some sort of sign. ========================================================= == 5. FAQ ========================================================= == Q. So, why do I need a group? A. Because many things are just impossible to do on you own. A group of people give you a better chance to do these things. Q. But, I’m not a social person! :( A. Don’t worry, usually there are people that will be in your group who will be friendly, and maybe you’ll warm up to them. Q. What if I don’t want to group? A. Then you’re gonna have a hard time playing the game. Q. I can’t find anyone that wants to group with me! A. Keep searching! You’ll eventually find someone who wants to do the same thing you’re doing. Q. Help! There’s someone in my group that’s on your Players to Avoid list! What do I do!? A. If they are reasonable people, reason with them about what they are doing. If it’s not possible, simply kick them from the group. Q. But he’s the group leader... A. Then trick him into making you leader, or good luck with your group. Q. My tank/healer/DPS/CC is doing a HORRIBLE job. How should I tell them to do better? A. Ask them politely to do a better job at what they’re doing. If they continue to do horrible, you may have no choice but to kick them from the group and find someone better. Q. My group is doing really bad in . Are the mobs just too hard? A. Either you forgot to include a tank, healer, DPS, or CC, or you are simply undergeared or lower leveled. ========================================================= == 6. Contact Info ========================================================= == My e-mail is omegachaos690@hotmail.com Only contact me if you want to: Give me constructive criticism (good ones if possible) Suggestions to add onto my FAQ Ask me a question not already answered on this FAQ Post this FAQ on your website Don’t contact me if you want to: Ask me personal information Threaten me with a virus Give me criticism that consists of “OMG UR FAQ SUXORS” Anything else that you know would probably tick me off I will most likely reply to the stuff that I want to be contacted from. If I’m contacted from the stuff I don’t want to be contacted from, you will be blocked. ========================================================= == 7. Credits ========================================================= == Tansa – For giving me a lot more info I needed on the Paladin class, and adding various other information to the other classes. Orco – For adding The Pretender to the Players to Avoid list. Jet Tepton – For adding The Dragger to the Players to Avoid list. Rexdestroyer – For giving me the info I needed for the paladin class. Anonymous – added The Deserter to the Players to Avoid list. Anonymous – added The Profession Pursuer and The Animal Tamer to the Players to Avoid list. Ben – added Confused Druids to the Players to Avoid list. WoWwiki – Thanks for the info for some of this FAQ! Gamefaqs – For hosting my FAQ and being such a cool website! This FAQ is copyrighted omegachaos 2008. THE END. No seriously get outta here. Go find a group on World of Warcraft or something. 14