Forced to choose
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 23rd 2008 at 7:00PM
I think everyone who's run an instance and a raid has been in this situation -- you wait all night for a Karazhan run, it fills, so you decide to go run a heroic or some other five man, and then a few minutes in, you get a whisper: "Someone left, and we need a healer! Are you still in?"Sigh. An embarrassment of riches. So now what do you do: ditch your newfound 5man group for the raid you originally wanted, or stick with the group you signed on with, passing up the original raid? Neither way is very smooth -- either you disappoint the folks you're with, and look like an elitist raider, or you tell the raiders that you're already in a group and run the risk that they won't ask you again. So awkward -- it's like choosing a social circle in high school all over again.
Usually, the best course of action I've found is to cover yourself before you leave either group -- jump into LFG or ping the guild for a replacement before you leave anybody behind. Short of finding someone to fill in for your fill in, the next best option is probably to explain yourself well and promise help next time -- hopefully the group you're with will understand that raiding is fun and/or the raiders will understand that you couldn't wait and keep you on the list for next time. Any other ideas for getting out of an instance pinch like this?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Virtual selves, Guilds, Odds and ends, Instances
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Lester Jul 23rd 2008 7:13PM
It's pretty simple imo. If you start something, finish it. You'll just have to catch the Raid another time. I mean after all, if you wanted to avoid the situation, don't jump into something new. Nothing is worse than having to wait around for player shuffling.
Clayton Jul 23rd 2008 7:16PM
run into a corner and weep until you automatically afk and log.
Clayton Jul 23rd 2008 7:18PM
run from your computer and weep silently in a corner until you go auto afk and log.
jay Jul 23rd 2008 7:23PM
Yeah man I feel ya, but that's only 1 sort of person, the other sort is the type of person who just comes right out and say "Gotta go raid" and hearths, no goodbye, no thanks for the run, no nothing.
Can't begin to think how many times I have come across this sort of rudeness, like was said before, don't go and start something else (especially another dungeon) if you know you are going to be raiding in say for example less than 2 hours, chances are, the group for the 5-man you are in could be pacing themselves and in the end only serves to make one look like a wanker.
Clevins Jul 23rd 2008 8:33PM
precisely. You started a run, finish it. I don't care if you need something from Kara etc. There's no reason the other 4 people should suffer because you want to bail.
The only exceptions I can see are 1) if you have another healer that's as good as you or better that can take your place or 2) you told the instance group that this was possible before you started.
Zerubabble Jul 24th 2008 11:02AM
I say you lie. "Oh no! My comp is crashing/I got called into work/my mom needs to use the computers." And hope they don't notice you're still logged in.
Krianna Jul 24th 2008 3:24AM
Exactly.
Why do I get the feeling this is the WoW version of "who would you save from drowning, your dog or a stranger"?
Naix Jul 24th 2008 10:29AM
I can't count the amount of times it has happened. We just started and the healer says "Guild needs me to raid, got to go sorry" and puts the blame on the guild. Now I just do the same thing because it is so common. I que up for the daily heroics and the Kara/ZA que. Usually the daily heroic picks me up first and we down the first boss then the tells start pouring in.
Sorry guys gotta go Guild raid needs me.
*Harth*
Manatank Jul 23rd 2008 7:21PM
No one looks like an "elitist raider" for dropping a group for a Kara run. They look like a tool.
jay Jul 23rd 2008 7:24PM
Lol same thing really:P
Manatank Jul 23rd 2008 7:27PM
I guess my point was that Kara is a nothing raid, so dropping anything for it is really inexcusable.
Chris Anthony Jul 23rd 2008 8:09PM
"I guess my point was that Kara is a nothing raid..."
See, now it's *you* who looks like a tool and an elitist raider.
Nick S Jul 23rd 2008 9:56PM
considering honor gear is now good enough to skip karazhan entirely, yeah, i'd say it's a nothing raid. you don't have to be an "elitist raider" to run kara... you just have to be 70.
Thundersmall Jul 23rd 2008 7:22PM
I agree with Lester.
You commit to a team even if they are unkown PUG's to complete a task.
And if your guild have a rule that require you to run when they call..Well dont go into LFG. Demand that your guild help you out every time you need to grind a instance or similar.
Adaroit Jul 23rd 2008 7:24PM
I've had that situation happen to me before. I'm a person who if I commit to doing something I will stick to it. Now there are stipulations. This was a pug, but it was a really good pug and it was an instance that I had been wanting to clear for quite some time. If the group had been doing horribly I would not have any qualms about ditching them.
akaboats Jul 23rd 2008 7:30PM
I've been burned so many times over the years with this kind of crap. I'm running my own instances multi-boxing now, thankfully I don't have to put up with this bs anymore. Have fun with your pugs.
ZekeGrimsblade Jul 23rd 2008 9:15PM
zomg!!! I wanna be able to do that!! Too bad I can't afford/control 5 accounts!!
arcady0 Jul 24th 2008 1:16AM
If I wanted to solo play, I'd go get Oblivion and play that.
Yeah, I do understand the frustration your speaking to. 2 of the last 3 PUGs I've been in had people leave in mid run to go raid. If you count grouped quests outside of instances, its happened to me 4 times in the last two days. In the world scenes, I had people quit and hearth or zone into BG in mid-pull. As a player who only plays tanks and healers, that means I end up eating the repair bill when those jerks jump into the PvP or raid and I'm left with all that aggro and no backup...
But I still enjoy a good PUG, and usually, they are the norm and not the exception.
nearlysober Jul 23rd 2008 7:30PM
Just tell your 5-man group "OMG! gotta go! my cat is on fire!" then hearth out.
If they spot you still online in kara just tell them it was a false alarm, turned out it was just the neighbors cat.
Keranna Jul 23rd 2008 7:35PM
I'm the OP of the wow_ladies post, and just to clarify things for anyone who may not click the link, it wasn't my guild running the raid, it was not Kara, it was Hyjal, and I had run with them before.
And yes, I did twinge a bit and wonder if they would invite me back but I was not going to bail on my group midway through the instance.