We've talked quite a few times here about how to play the game well and how to get into good groups and guilds. But (and this is inspired by personal experience, trust me), sometimes things don't go so well. Sometimes, your warrior leaves halfway through the instance, or it's clear that your priest isn't interested in doing her job when she lets the tank die and says "srry watchn grays anatmy." Sometimes, you just want out. So here's five ways to do just that, ranked in order from "nicest and most helpful" to "harshest and least likely to get you invited back again".

5. Be honest. Sometimes people just have bad days. One way to gracefully exit a group after a wipe is to just make it clear: "one more wipe, and we're going to call the group off." That might be just what the players need to get their acts together. Be honest, share your concerns, answer questions or clarify things if necessary, and then when the hunter pulls aggro off the tank again, thank them for the group and move on.

4. Find a replacement. This one actually runs neck and neck with #5, but it's still a little harsher because you're leaving instead of sticking around and helping. Still, finding a replacement is an easy and fairly pain-free way to get out of a group that just isn't working out. Throw a few tells in LFG until you've nabbed someone, tell the group you're tagging out, and exit stage left.

3. Just disconnect. It happens. People lose their connections. If you're ever stuck in a bad group, pull the plug on your network cord for a few minutes, then log back on and play an alt for a while. For extra believability, combine with #2: jump back on the character after you notice your group is out of the instance and apologize for the freak thunderstorm that just rolled through.

2. Lie. Am I the only one that's done this? Just throw a quick "sry gtg mom's makin dinner" in the party channel (never mind that I'm a long way from living with my mother and that she doesn't make me dinner anymore), and boom you're out of the group without any questions. Do it too many times (or to someone you've spoken normally with before), and people on the server might start getting suspicious, but every once in a while it works like a charm. "Whoops guild is calling me, later" does wonders, as well.

1. Tell them off. Strangely enough, the harshest way to ditch a group looks very much like the nicest way, but with a lot more yelling, maybe a little cursing, and even some angry tells afterwards. If you've had enough and finally decided that yes, this might be the worst PUG you've ever been in, feel free to scream at the warrior to L2P NOOB, and tell the healer that you can't make water because you're a warlock, then "leave group" with gleeful abandon. Ok, it might get you put on some ignore lists, and do it enough and you'll get a reputation on the server, but trust me, after an hour and half wiping in a terrible PUG, a little yelling will make you feel much better.

Tags: group, instances, pug, quitting

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tricks, How-tos, Instances