Breakfast topic: Rescue me
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
May 8th 2007 at 8:00AM
Okay, I'll admit I saw this picture first and came up with this breakfast topic just so I could use it. In WoW, we often come across people in need. Maybe it's a lowbie being corpse-camped by a higher-level opponent, or a healer being beaten on by hard-hitting mobs, or even a member of the opposite faction who's pulled more than they can handle. And then you come riding by on your mount and have to make a choice -- stop and help, or watch them die?
As an inveterate softie and rescuer of small animals, I almost always help. In the past few days, I've tried to escort a level 20 night elf who was lost in Feralas for some reason (actually, he got scared of me and ran off a cliff and died), assisted a team of Alliance in beating down some Incendosaurs, and of course helped any members of the Horde who were under attack by the Allies. I also enjoy going into lowbie areas and aiding with elite quests that I know are a complete pain to find a group for, and there's a shammie on my server who gets his kicks from hanging around the Ring of Blood and helping groups there.
Why stop and help? Well, there's karma to worry about. What goes around comes around. If I'm nice to people, then they'll remember and will help me in the future (or at least not gank me.) Plus, I get that nice feeling of moral superiority that comes from being good. My help isn't unconditional, though -- if you yell at me, have previously been identified as a tool, or have a name like "Deeznuts", I'm going to let you die and probably spit on your grave. I've also noticed that people keep trying to come along and "save" me from the three or more mobs on me, which, as a prot pally, I can handle perfectly well.
Do you help people in trouble, or do you let them handle it themselves? What about the opposite faction? How far have you gone to help a comrade?
Filed under: Virtual selves, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sietepestes May 8th 2007 8:10AM
In Farstriders, yesterday I happened to help this dwarf named Rapsux, in the redridge area who was getting attacked by 3 gnolls from the zone. After the fight is over he called us over and said,"Hey want to know something? I don't really need your help, so don't come help me or attack MY mobs...", at which point I wished I had my 62 Shammy horde so I could materialize him there for a second, corpse kill the dworf for his "niceness". I always help people regardless, but idiots like this crap on my cereal.
rufwork May 8th 2007 8:13AM
Ever since I read a thread on the official forums about the growing lack of "drive-by" buffs, I've been pretty big on helping out. I try to buff like mad whenever I log in (the mana comes back quickly, yo), and while riding around, I almost always help out those who've tagged beyond their years -- just a couple of days ago, I helped a guy with Boglash in spite of having the quest myself. (He was in no condition to have me ask to group...)
So yeah, drive-by buffs, heals, and wrath-spams pretty much whenever someone is in need.
The only time someone didn't say thanks, strangely enough, is when I drew aggro from some ravegers that were on him, and instead of helping, he sat on the sidelines eating and drinking while I died. Punk.
Quick admission: I've all too often gone WAY out of my way to help out people who were on "Kill X of Y" missions when Y can be skinned, and the corpses around show that the quester isn't a skinner. Man, that's fun.
Twinny May 8th 2007 8:15AM
"stop and help, or watch them die"
or just gank them... :P
Its all mood driven, if i ever see a lowbie member of my faction being ganked ill be over there like a shot to reap swift and painful revenge, holy priest getting mauled? sure i'll help.
Chives May 8th 2007 8:23AM
I always try to help, but sometimes it's just way too much fun to one-shot an alliance lowbie. Usually I will help though. Especially if it's a fellow druid. However, I draw the line at stupid names. I once saw a horde hunter called "Ishootyou". For probably the only moment in my life, I wished that I was alliance, so I could have beaten the shit out of him.
Undying May 8th 2007 8:23PM
I love the picture! =)
Jeff May 8th 2007 8:55AM
I was in the Dead Mire of Zangarmarsh when a 63 Mage (Same faction) was there pulling about 4-5 giants. I check him and he was in trouble, so I jumped in with my 70 Pet which screech non stop. The pet got the aggro back of the 5 mobs, just when the mage was about to die lol. Then there was one more coming to him, but wasnt tagged ; I just put freezing trap while the mage was drinking/eating just before the frozen giant lol... How can I be more nice lol ?
Chris Anthony May 8th 2007 8:57AM
I do my best to help out when I can, but like those above, I won't help people with silly/stupid names unless they really are about to die - and sometimes not even then.
I'm still hugely amused by the trick of using Mind Control on a Horde player and then dropping PW:Fort on him/her - although it occasionally backfires, like the guy yesterday I tried to buff in STV, who resisted my Mind Control and then nuked the hell out of me for what he saw as an attack...
As for responses to help, my all-time favorite was when I dropped PW:Fort on a warrior in Elwynn Forest, only to have him complain on General for a full minute that I'd been able to "damage" him without dueling him first until someone managed to convince him of how PW:Fort works.
chaz May 8th 2007 9:06AM
Blizz could help us out by making buffs castable on mounts. I'd drive by buff everyone.
Thephoenix May 8th 2007 2:34PM
my level 70 gnome lock on spinebreaker, thephoenix, has given away well over 1000g over the past few months, now i regret it everytime i go to level my professions, but i can't resist the feeling i get when i give some level 5 who just picked up the game 100g. i know that he is someone who will never forget me, and that makes me feel good. however, when it comes to farming, i dont help anyone with anything, because lets face it, 70s are jerks, lol.
Mel May 8th 2007 9:39AM
I love to help lowbie Horde with my high level Allie toon. Because it makes them confuuuuuuused :)
Honestly, the way some of them react I get the feeling that I am destroying world views... :P
Sylythn May 8th 2007 5:34PM
Most of the time I help, with a buff, a heal or pulling an add off someone (I've made darn sure they're not actually managing it first and that it's actually a mob that's causing them hassle in the current fight...and not tagged.)
I don't mind a buff or heal here and there, but for some reason it really pisses me off when someone comes in to help finish off my kill...I got it, I can handle it, go away!
Kats May 8th 2007 10:36AM
Yes. I do try to help. I have received help cross-faction as well. Awhile ago I was in Tanaris (about level 50 druid at the time) and a level 47 mage asked me to help kill pirates (I had already done the quest). I had some extra time so was helping. At some point he pulled way too many for us and a nearby Horde player came over and helped us out. He then followed us around for 10 minutes helping out.
As a druid if I see someone who is fighting and whose health gets low and they aren't a healing class I will often give them a quick heal.
The main drive by buffs that I get are arcane intellect or power word fortitude. I am almost bemused when I get a drive by buff from a low level druid (since I'm now level 60 so can buff myself better...). I occasionally buff someone but don't dismount to do it.
I have a priest who just got rez ability and I keep looking for resurrectable corpses.... I have a couple of times died and had a nearby shaman rez me.
Keystone May 8th 2007 10:33AM
I was Alt+Tabbed out of WoW looking up a quest when I heard some attacking, so I switched back to WoW to find an Orc Hunter killing the thing that was on me. He then /bow and ran off. I thought that was nice, considering most Hunters tend to be gank-o-holics!
spek May 8th 2007 9:54AM
I have a 70 lock in a pvp server i havent played him for a while because i went back to pve server, but i can remember some great moments about helping horde, once in shadowmoon/black temple a troll hunter was having problems doing his quest and it wasnt easy for me aswell we helped each other. In nagrand there was this troll hunter who had a portuguese name which i helped killing ogres but there was this guy who i couldnt help because the npc he wanted to kill was a quest guiver to alliance, so he decided to kill me, i didnt retaliate and let him kill me, later i just stand watching him die more than once and didn't help him. In terrokar i was farming tokens for scryers and i was 70 already a undead priest and a mage troll were questing around and i let them do their stuff and helped the way i could clean up the BE from their way after they finished they said goodbye and to show their apreciation with my attitude the priest MC'ed me and both buffed me, nicest hordes i ever seen /bow
Atie May 8th 2007 10:02AM
again...depends on mood. Normally I will help, as well as give drive-by buffs when I am on a toon that can give those.
Except for gnomes...never help 'em and will always gank 'em.
Bunkai May 8th 2007 10:05AM
It's a game... for entertainment purposes... helping someone in need can give as much or more satisfaction for my time spent in-game than just another couple of minutes killing the mindlessly zombified NPC mobs for the 1 millionth time.
Of course I help... and I play on a PvP server too.
I have had my share of getting gank'd by the Alliance person I just helped, but I usually let karma deal with them and just go about my business.
atr May 8th 2007 10:07AM
Dear helpful people,
Should you see an out-of-mana priest watching a shadowfiend hit a mob please do not be 'helpful' and nuke the mob out of existence, leaving the shadowfiend all on its own for the remainder of its short life.
Much love,
atr
Addie May 8th 2007 10:12AM
Normal RP server here... I help whenever it seems like help would be um, helpful. I hover over health bars and if it looks bad I'll toss a heal (or 6) if it's a hordie and add my lame resto-druid dps if it's an allie. We also get pretty good at communicating with built-in emotes and "body" language to cross-faction co-operate on elite bad guys. Oh yah, I hardly ever help peeps with stoopid names >.< on either side.
Nyx May 8th 2007 10:23AM
Yeah, people named "Igohunteronu" can deal with their own mobs, and I'll laugh on their corpses.
But other people I'll stop and shoot for. I saw a little Draenei in Tanaris being mobbed by Wastewanders, so I dismounted and shot a few to death for him. Nice to be able to help someone.
Kunisaki May 8th 2007 10:56AM
I don't help horde lowbies or show any compassion anymore. I gank them. I've had my run in with a few... and i've stopped and helped but since I ran into an orc hunter and a belf pally in ashenville with my lowbie friend... we had a stare down and in the end i accidently killed the pally because he was just so low. He made advances to my friend and i took it as aggression. Funny thing was their guild name was Please don't hit me. I thought it was cute so I spared the orc hunter. When my quest was done i was on my alt and ganked by the same horde my high lvl had spared. Justice was served. However, they too had an alt and it was the first time i've realized that a lock speced in demonology is not an easy kill for a beast speced hunter.
red=dead for me now. unless you are an irl friend.