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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Do you actually enjoy PUGs?
by Josh Rose 
Jan 30th 2011 at 8:00AM
We have all heard a friend or a guild member share a PUG horror story. Most of us even have one or two of our own. Prior to Wrath of the Lich King, WoW was not very PUG-friendly. There was no random dungeon tool, trash was not the AoE-fest it was in Wrath, raids didn't have normal and heroic modes, there wasn't a lot of 10-player content -- the list goes on and on. However, unless you have had a truly sheltered existence in WoW, you have joined a PUG. Surprisingly enough, sometimes PUGs can even be fun and rewarding.
I have my fair share of PUG horror stories, but I have had a couple of great moments in PUGs. In BC, I joined a PUG Mag's Lair and ended up meeting members of a new raiding guild I got invited to after I saved the raid from wiping. I met numerous friends while tanking dungeons, both in the leveling process and heroics. I even started using the random dungeon tool again since 4.03 so I could get exalted with Gilneas prior to the Cata launch. With some of the AoE tanking nerfs and the tanking changes, I was actually enjoying tanking heroics wearing complete DPS gear. I even did a couple of successful PUG achievement runs to try and finish off a few remaining things, so I could focus entirely on new content. Most importantly, I was having fun while pugging.
Do you have good PUG stories? Do you actually like or even prefer to PUG? Or do you avoid PUGs like the plague?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 9)
russianmana Jan 30th 2011 8:45AM
tanking pugs is a fairly enjoyable experience if everyone knows their roll.
If I take the time to go on sites and learn the fights then so should you. Its not my job to explain the encounter to you fives times and then you still wipe us. Don't enter a dungeon with out a bit of research, its like 5mins on site like wowhead.
Learn you roll, fights and how to cc which equals a nice, smooth enjoyable pug experience.
MusedMoose Jan 30th 2011 8:45AM
I don't really think it's possible to say that PUGs in and of themselves are good or bad, as it depends entirely on the people in them. I've had great dungeon finder experiences, and I've had tremendously crappy ones. And you know what? The majority of them have been simple, quiet, "Get it done" runs where people speak little and just do their thing. And that's fine.
Now, I admit that almost all of my PUG experience has been in Wrath dungeons; I've only done one Cata dungeon via the DF and that was just so I could get the Winter Hat. *grin* But even that one didn't go badly - we wiped once, someone pointed out a boss mechanic that we'd screwed up on, then we regrouped and took down the rest of the place no problem.
I do think, though, that the greatest thing about the DF and PUGs in general is the fact that we all now get to run more dungeons than we would have before. I leveled up a bunch of alts through BC and pre-DF Wrath, and the only times I set foot in an instance was when a high-level friend was running me through, because it was too much of a bother to spend so long trying to find a group just to run a dungeon. Now, I can experience more of WoW, and I can learn to both tank and heal without too much trouble.
Rob Jan 30th 2011 8:46AM
I am beginning to hate PUGs, and since my wow life revolves around them, i don't really play much any more. The last heroic pug was two weeks ago. Just too painful to continue. Every heroic was a bitch fest. The last one i was in, i was randomly kicked as the tank.
Even leveling pugs are getting bad now. My warrior is going through early BC stuff and the number of idiots are amazing. From healers complaining about my low gear (BOA mail) to dps opening with AOE. Its mostly a 5 person solo grind now. We may actually be in the same room, but that's about all its got going for it. The cohesion of the group is shattered by trivial nature of the dungeon.
And then you get to heroics, and you have to actually work together, and all hell breaks loose. Complete fucktards, the lot of em. Mostly I'm just tired of shouldering 99% of the burden of getting through the dungeon, tanking when skull dies last, when the healer sits there and afks "oh sorry, you're dead". DPS pulling 3 groups at once. So much complaining and hating on the tank.
Anyway. There are other games. I'm investigating Rift. I am hoping the nice people go there. WoW used to be full of nice, skilled people. I don't know where they all went.
sullyXXX Jan 30th 2011 10:30AM
I stopped tanking for the reasons listed above. A pity, I really enjoy it when all goes well...
lcrandall_98 Jan 30th 2011 11:03AM
I am finding myself playing less and less due to the PuG situation and the fact that - at least in my guild - I'm seeing a 'guild within a guild' mentality crop up which I haven't seen since BC.
We have a serious lack of tanks in my guild and an overabundance of dps. So, we have little 'cliques' which only run with each other, literally the same four people running together rotating one guildie as they see fit until another of their friends logs on. So, the majority of the dps in our guild have to PuG if they want to see content. Unfortunately, those of us who PuG are seeing the same thing - *if* we're lucky, we might get the first boss in a heroic down, but generally speaking, we wind up with tanks who think they can still Wrath pull, healers who aren't used to focused healing and actually having to pay attention, and dps who have no concept of crowd control. The players who do have a handle on this zoomed through content the first month and are too busy raiding to be bothered with heroics, so we're stuck with players who think this is still Wrath-level content and don't read strategies.
I've given up PuGs and pretty much log on to pvp or chat with my friends, but my subscription expires in February, and I think I'll be taking a break until Rift comes out. I don't like the state of the WoW community right now - even in my own guild - and I think after six years of WoW, a month's break would do me good.
DarkWalker Jan 30th 2011 1:53PM
I left WoW altogether. Tanking PUGs was most of my playtime in WotLK, and I had fun doing them; since Cataclysm, I can't stand PUGs anymore.
I might get back if WoW implements some filters in the LFD to keep unprepared players from queuing for Heroics; at the very least, take into account gems and enchants that add to stats useful for the character's spec, count only half the iLvl of any piece of PvP gear, and reduce his iLvl for using the wrong armor type and for any stat that is useless for his spec.
Even if Blizzard implement that, I'll only return if I get bored of DCUO (unlikely due to the fact DCUO has something equivalent to heroic solo dungeons, and plenty of them, so I'm really enjoying it for the time being). And, if Blizzard does take too long to implement it, they will also be competing with GW2 and SWTOR for my preference.
MikeLive Jan 30th 2011 8:58AM
As a general rule, I don't PuG anymore - but then, since Cata I've been in an awesome guild so there's no need to! That said, myself and another guildmate were in a Baradin Hold PuG last night that, even though we wiped a couple times, I really enjoyed. But then, it's my theory that Argaloth was designed to be PuGgable.
Ganatola Jan 30th 2011 8:59AM
Eh, I've always been more of a corgi person. Never really liked pugs.
Seriously though, due to the fact that I have a hard-core case of alt-itis, I run tons more of lower level RDF than at max level. Usually I'm healing (I'm a somewhat competent priest, don't worry) so the entire thing goes off without a hitch. Anytime I'm just dpsing, though, I usually tell jokes the whole time and get everybody laughing. The best jokes are if you can make fun of yourself. Seven times out of ten they stick with me after, if only for keeping them entertained. This method of RDF filters out the party-poopers and gets fun loving (and usually skilled) players and we all have a great time. For a long time I challenged everybody to out dps me as the healer (I'm disc) on the last boss, that alone got some people to come back. During the 30-40s I usually did out dps them, but they've been pulling away from me ever since...but moral of the story, if you are running RDF, the best cure for drama is usually laughter.
Stoneblade Jan 30th 2011 9:04AM
Nope. Not at all. I spend my entire day at work getting yelled at, by random strangers, for crap that typically isn't even my fault, and having to do it with a smile. The last thing I want, when I come home and log onto a video game, is to have more of the same.
Sky Jan 30th 2011 3:25PM
This is why you go to university so you can get a real job
Stoneblade Jan 30th 2011 2:43PM
Been there, done that. Right now, the economy sucks and a job is a job.
Sky Jan 30th 2011 3:26PM
Oh well, guess it's different when you don't finish at the top of your class
Birk Jan 30th 2011 3:59PM
That's funny... In my experience, those guys that finished at the top of the class are lifetime students too afraid to touch the real world.
Even if you're the exception to the rule, you still came off as an unbearably pompous ass. I doubt you'll find much success with that attitude.
-Birk
Rugus Jan 30th 2011 9:11AM
LFD would be amazing if tanks (almost all of them) were nice players, instead of being selfish, rude and (very often) immature people. As a dps I don't care too much if I have to queue for 35 mins, I understand that some roles are less played (tanks, healers).
What ruins my experience is waiting 35 mins and popping in a group with a unbrained tank. And to be honest that happens very often. The end result is some sort of "let's silently run and hope the tank wont act as a little child". No one talks, even if tank manages to do bad pulls, does not hold aggro, whatever.
Yesterday I pugged a heroic with a tank who had greens and blues and -obviously- he wiped 3 times on 1st and 2nd trash in Stonecore. I asked why he did not queue for normals, the answer was "stupid question, my iLevel is ok for heroics, just shut up and dps".
Group wiped 2 more times at first boss (worm), then healer left the group in the middle of 3rd tentative and we disbanded.
35 mins waiting in queue, 5 (6) wipes (15-20 mins time lost), disband, back to Stormwind.
Is that fun? Not really.
sullyXXX Jan 30th 2011 10:30AM
I tend to have the opposite problem. I queue as tank, I try my utmost, but people fail, or just slander me and question my intellect when things go slightly wrong. As someone above me said, I get yelled at at work all day, I don't want to play a game that simulates that.
N-train Jan 30th 2011 11:49AM
Honestly, (as a tank) I won't touch Stonecore with a thirty-foot pole, the third boss there is absolutely impossible with any kind of latency, considering there are two moves that require specific movements that will one-shot you if you don't get it right.
Not to play the old "tank standing up for himself by pointing out shitty dps" role, but there are plenty of tanks who don't get jaded by idiot dps and spoiled by instant queues. The only thing I can say to that is encourage your guild to set up 5 man times, or roll a tank.
In my small guild, given the difficulty, pug-riskiness, and huge time commitment of Cata heroics, we just set up 5-man times 3-4 times a week. I even invite non-guild raiders and friends. It allows dps to run with a tank or healer they know will be at least decent and willing to listen, plus it gives them a free queue along with guild rep/exp.
And while I know tanking is out of reach of most dps classes, I encourage you to try it. With no Defense rating in Cata, getting geared for tanking normals and eventually heroics is pretty easy, and knowing the dungeon fights ahead of time also helps. I taught one of our Pally dps to tank, he got a handful of gear, and I ran him through LC then HoO on normal, giving him tips and boss info through vent. A week of normals later, he's a confident and geared tank.
Hansbo Jan 30th 2011 11:50AM
As a healer, things have been completely opposite for me. I've probably just been lucky.
Just the other day, I was healing in Grim Batol, and during one of the trash pulls, I screwed up completely (these things happen). I apologized, and started running back. However, instead of berating me or being silent, the entire group started taking the blame instead - and telling me that it wasn't my fault.
I don't think I've ever been blamed for anything, whether it was my fault or not. I like PUGs.
Shoikler Jan 30th 2011 9:11AM
I don't mind pugging so much. Yes, I've had loads of bad ones (and haven't even started doing Cat Heroics yet), but even those are usually just a couple problem players ruining the experience for everyone else. The majority of puggers are nice enough and willing to work together to get the job done. They sometimes make mistakes, but that's part of being human (or orc or elf or...).
Quasimofo Jan 30th 2011 9:13AM
The day before Cataclysm's release I was on my DK tank and decided I would do one last AoE, pull half the instance into a pile slaughterfest to give Wrath its proper sendoff and queued into the dungeon finder. After a lengthy two second wait I entered my dungeon - Violet Hold, where mechanics make such things impossible. I was unhappy but figured hell with it, I could get through it faster than queuing again.
During the first trash pull the shammy healer sat down, then fell asleep, stressing how utterly unimportant he was to the run. Before the second trash pull I announced to the party, "Too easy, imma tank naked" and took off my chest, leg, and shoulder armor. Tanked the next two trash pulls still with a sleeping healer. Deciding this wasn't enough I took off my wrist, boots, and belt and tanked the rest of the instance with no armor visible on my naked cow (I have helm and cloak turned off). At one point the shaman remarked "This is intense, I had to throw a riptide on you that fight." I then realized that even with as much armor as I had removed, the stats on the armor I was still wearing probably totaled up to more than the fresh level 80 tanks that were supposed to be running that instance, Wrath had just inflated that much.
Everyone else involved was laughing about it too, and during the final Cynagosa fight everyone else stripped off their armor, fighting her in just rings, amulets, invisible cloaks and helms, and whatever weapons they had, still with no challenge. It wasn't the sendoff I was wanting but it was still a lot of fun streaking the Wrath-era dungeon finder as a farewell.
In cataclysm though I just hate PUGs because, as mentioned above, they just take too long to complete with people I don't know and often can barely tolerate. Add in the rampant ninjas, people who don't know what they're doing and won't listen, egocentric tanks who think they're God's gift to WoW and nine times out of ten it's just a thoroughly unpleasant experience.
Sean Jan 30th 2011 5:48PM
I would take the "rofl easy" of Wrath over the frustratingly hard dungeons of Cata any day. Like you said, it's not the encounters that are really all that hard, it's the low average intelligence of the people you end up getting stuck with through the dungeon finder. Guildies aren't always available, and just because they're your guildie doesn't mean they're any better than a random player.
I've honestly quit doing Heroics until the next patch. It's just not worth my time anymore.