World of Warcraft Raid and Party Etiquette
One of the most crucial leveling strategies in World of Warcraft is joining dungeon raids and instance runs. In addition to gaining experience, you also gain access to rare items that are not dropped by non-elite monsters or items that can only be found in dungeons or instances. But in addition to owning the strongest avatar in World of Warcraft, you must also have basic party etiquette.
It’s a given to show respect and be courteous when interacting with other WoW players, but let’s focus on what this means in a raid or in a group, be it a guild group or a PuG.
To be prepared:
We have all been in this situation. We finally got a handful (by handful I mean 5) players for a dungeon. We summon the members of the group to the instance, locate ourselves and start the improvements. Just before the first pull in a seemingly long run, someone says “Wait! I forgot [insert random reagent, potion, repair, etc]. Can you summon me back?”
Forgetting is part of life and no one remembers everything all the time. However, basic raid/party etiquette requires you to do your best to be prepared. In your haste to accept the summon or hop on the nearest flying mount, take a moment to check that you have everything you need.
The acronym “PARR” (as in even par) is very useful to check that you have made the basic preparations:
– Potions
– Appropriate equipment
– Reagents
– Repairs
Ninja throwing:
You have a fantastic build, and the instance has been great…so far. There was a deletion or some other circumstance that forced the group to pause. Someone gets impatient and… THEY ENTER! Suddenly there are mobs running towards you. The group is taken by surprise. Someone hasn’t been resurrected yet or maybe the healers and casters are out of mana or the tankers are low on health. Maybe someone is AFK. Whether your party ends up being wiped out or barely survives, the party needs more time to recover from the ninja pull.
We can all become impatient; however, it’s important to remember that throwing ninja will create more downtime than patiently waiting for your party to recover after the last batch of mobs. Basic raid and party etiquette requires us to wait for the designated marksman to initiate aggressive mobs, typically these would be tankers. The shooter also has to pay attention to the health and mana state of the party and make sure all members are present before shooting.
AFK [Away from Keyboard]:
Real life happens. No one should SHRINK a member who needs to leave AFK for legitimate reasons. However, there are some basic rules to follow when they are necessary, as well as basic steps to take to avoid unnecessary AFK.
If you have a legitimate reason to stay AFK during a party, please provide the necessary information to your group. You must AFK because [x reason] and it shouldn’t take more than [y amount of time]. If you have to be away for a period of time longer than 15 minutes, you can ask the group (before you leave) if they want to wait for you or not, or if they would like to find someone else to fill in for you. If they prefer to find someone to fill their space, leave the instance so they can bring in a new party member. If you must leave AFK during a raid, provide the information to a raid leader or attendant and await their instructions.
The following steps should help you minimize AFK time and maximize CHARACTER LEVELING time:
– Make sure you have enough time for a specific encounter.
– If you have responsibilities in real life, make sure you have completed them or you can put them aside until the execution is complete.
– Take a bite to eat and something to drink before you start
– If something else catches your eye (book, movie, girlfriend, etc.), decline the invitation or make sure to set it aside before starting the instance.
Loot and Consideration:
It sucks when you instantiate and walk away empty handed. Sometimes, however, that’s the way things are. This may come as a surprise, but you are not entitled to loot simply because you participated. There are other members you should consider. If the shadow priest can use that wand, the warlock is not the default winner.
The following loot rules apply to most groups (unless otherwise stated before the race):
– Pass on all Blues and BoPs (Binds on Pickup). Discuss who would like to roll the article. Random roll 1-100. The individual with the highest roll wins the item. If the individual with the highest roll decides to pass, the item passes to the next highest shooter.
– Blues are kept for (EndLoot)
– Roll Greed for all BoE (Binds on Equip) Greens
– An individual can only receive one blue race.
Loot rules may vary from server to server and group to group. Make sure all party members agree to a set of rules before starting the instance to minimize misunderstandings and “loot prostitution.”
Raid loot rules vary by instance and guild. Always familiarize yourself with your guild’s loot system before attending a raid.
These simple considerations will help any party or raid party run smoothly, maximizing your enjoyment of the game. Remember that sometimes your best efforts at group etiquette won’t make up for a bad group or rude players. It’s okay to leave a group that is rude or refuses to follow the leader’s instructions (or if the leader is an idiot who refuses to implement better suggestions). You should always try to do it in a respectful way.