Breakfast Topic: Effective Communication
by Matthew Rossi 
Jan 8th 2010 at 8:00AM
One example is the pulls directly after Krick and Ick in Pit of Saron: even in raiding gear, these pulls can be fairly difficult if steps aren't taken to ensure that the caster mobs are controlled properly from the start and the diseases aren't allowed to run rampant. The Flamebearers in particular with their Tactical Blink and Hellfire abilities can wreak havoc. It's not that these pulls are super difficult, especially not if you make use of abilities like Hex or Polymorph (on the Deathbringers), Shackle, Repentance and so on to ensure that a couple of the mobs are taken out of the equation for a few seconds. I've had these pulls go extremely poorly in groups that were extremely chatty, mind, if what they're chatting about isn't really exchanging any meaningful information.
In our new age of grouping with complete strangers, do you find yourself just hoping your group knows what it is doing? Do you take a leadership role, or have one foisted upon you, and if so how do you go about making sure everyone knows what they should?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Instances
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
one of many Jan 8th 2010 8:11AM
i feel more comfortable taking leadership in a group with my lvl50 druid since i know all the instances, but with my dk even though he has great gear and i know northrend instances, i dont feel as secure taking a leadership role with him.
Gimp Jan 8th 2010 8:12AM
Usually in my pug groups the party chat is *tumbleweed*.
It's not until something goes wrong people start to chat, but usually we run throught the thing and part with a 'thx' or 'gg' never to meet again.
atheismo Jan 8th 2010 8:15AM
i usually hope that the group understands. they usually don't.
they are just mindless Sheep-P.S. you need to tell them what to do next.
what them follow the tank like a herd. it's kinda funny.
Ozzard Jan 8th 2010 8:15AM
If I'm party leader, I'll lead "strategy": where we go next and what we pull. Which bosses. This mostly works.
If I'm not party leader, but am tanking, I'll try to lead "tactics": what the kill order is on bosses, what needs CC etc. This almost never works in PUGs due to the "LEEEROY!!!!111!!!eleven!!!" approach to trash pulls.
Summer Jan 8th 2010 8:25AM
Communication? Ruin battlegroup usually takes the completely silent approach, with the occasional exchange of hello's at the beginning.
BigAlien Jan 8th 2010 8:26AM
Although I've had some runs where actual communication or target marking takes place, the vast majority have been more along the lines of tank charges in, everyone crosses their fingers and hopes the dps are aiming for the right target.
Can get away with it in the lower level heroics but it's caused more than a few wipes in PoS and HoR
Turande Jan 8th 2010 8:29AM
This expansion is out for more then a year now and I can safely assume all party members know instance by now. My experience with running pugs confirms this. I had only one occasion where one person didn't know tactics, but he said it upfront so it was never an issue to gief brief instructions per boss.
As a tank it's also easy for me to set the pace in which we run the instance.
Most "trouble" I still have is with Oculus. Often I notice not all people still don't fully understand how the drakes work. However with the nerfs it's hardly a problem anymore.
Almost all pugs go without any problems or drama. Just a "Hey guys" at start and a "thanks guys" at the end.
That's the biggest changed I noticed since the new LFG. Communication is almost non-existent anymore for random dungeons. To be honest, I experience less drama this way.
Whiplashmtb Jan 8th 2010 8:55AM
I suppose I'm the exception not the rule, but I just started playing WoW again from my old BC Days. I really enjoy the new dungeon finder tool, but I'm also that guy that keeps asking "Okay, what do we do here" or announces beforehand that I don't know what I'm doing.
Don't assume that because you know all the encounters that everyone in your group does, or you'll end up with some guy DPS'ing during mirrored soul. It doesn't take long to ask when you get in an instance "Has everyone done this" and roll from there.
kozom Jan 8th 2010 8:31AM
*TYPICAL PUG*
me: Hi!
*silence*
*I buff group with gift of the wild*
me: Would the paladin mind buffing me?
*silence*
me: okay, is everyone familiar here? stay OUT OF THE GREEN AND RUN FROM NOVA.
*all dps stay in green and die*
me: oopsie, its okay the tank and i two manned krick, no problem.
*utter silence*
me: oh, brb.
*tank slowly inches towards mob, then pulls it*
me: oh, good thing i just was coming back, eh ;D?
*silence*
*we finish*
tank: GJ. *leaves*
Oskjable Jan 8th 2010 8:48AM
Yeah a lot of people ignore /p completely, like not even giving it a little look.
When 3.3 first came out and most people needed all the triumph they could get I usually asked, often more than once; "More heroic after this one? :)", noone replies and after the last boss people just leave, some say "thx bb" but most don't, kinda sad.
Raze Jan 8th 2010 8:50AM
This.
9 out of 10 dungeons I greet everyone, and maybe only about five out of those do I ever get an answer.
What's more, paladins are apparently very adverse to buffing pets, since the vast majority will happily buff me and totally ignore my (usually tongue-in-cheek) request to buff the thing that contributes heavily to my DPS. I wasn't aware the class had mana issues.
It's this "here for my emblems and than I'll never see you again" attitude that I can't stand about these random dungeons.
Deadly. Off. Topic. Jan 8th 2010 9:58AM
If you're a hunter, doesn't your pet get buffed by whatever buff goes on the class closes to your pet's spec... or something like that? (Correct me if this has change or not, but I thought they shared buffs like that.)
Tirrimas Jan 8th 2010 11:39AM
No, it's a separate entity. The pet needs to be buffed independently.
To add to the other hunter's plea: Please, please, heal my pet once in a while. My Mend Pet can't handle high-level boss damage. I'll make sure he doesn't jump on you and lick your face in gratitude...
MightyMuffin Jan 8th 2010 1:29PM
@ Tirrimas
Actually, raid wide buffs affect my hunter pets, such as fort, gotw, etc. The pally buffs, which are based on class, get on my pet via any warriors in the group. However, for any of the buffs to be on the pet, the pet needs to be out. Not sure about warlock or DK or mage (never thought I'd have to talk about mage having pets out all the time) pets, but hunter pets can be buffed without having to be targeted.
Except when you don't have a warrior...then you look like a elitist who says, "Plz buff my pet for more dps."
Falgorn Jan 8th 2010 8:39AM
On my Tank I have a macro at the start of the instance which basically lays down the law:
Don't pull before me.
If you don't know tactics say so before an Encounter, if you fail because you clearly didn't understand mechanics I will kick you or leave myself.
No posting DPS results in party chat.
Say before you go AFK and indicate how long you will be.
If you DC you have 4 minutes to get back before you are kicked.
People generally gather at that point that competency is expected and clean runs are the norm as a result. On my DPS I simply take instruction as given and only chime in where I see things being done really wrong.
For the most part, my own Server is **heavily** populated with Eastern Europeans so I'm having an easier time communicating now than I did previously.
Glaras Jan 8th 2010 11:16AM
Actually, I wouldn't think, "Gee, I guess competency is expected, and clean runs must happen with this tank." I'd think, "Wow, this guy is an arrogant ass. Good thing I'll probably never run with him again." And then I'd proceed to do my job without being condescending about it.
I wonder how many times *you* thought what you did, and the rest of your group thought what *I* did? Foolish question, I know; you obviously don't care.
Anyway, I'm sure you're getting your emblems, just like I am.
talkingmike Jan 8th 2010 12:35PM
Geez.
Lighten up, Francis.
Fnord Jan 8th 2010 1:55PM
Do you hand out demerits, too? Or do you prefer frowny-face stamps?
Siorra Jan 8th 2010 8:47AM
A tad unrelated, but to that picture:
Low player texture resolutions make me cry.
lol red ranger Jan 9th 2010 6:40AM
Yeah I noticed that too.
Upon closer inspection I noticed the full tier 10 warrior in the background.
Is anyone else LOVING how Rossi's warrior is looking atm?
One thing's for sure, space goats sure know how to work plate armour. ^_^