I am not a dedicated raider, but I love raiding. Since I can never commit to the raiding schedules that guilds require of their raiders, I am in a constant state of pugging. When I’m not actively in a pug, I am scanning the trade channel looking for one that will have all the qualities required to be successful- gear, experience, patience, and maybe a little bit of luck. When I find such a group, I’m ecstatic. But more often than not, I face group after group of impatient, inexperienced, and undergeared scrubs who simply want to be carried to the final boss so they can get their [EPIC LOOT] Those groups often end in a way that everyone who has ever pugged is familiar with- people getting frustrated and leaving. But every now and then, there is a group that fails so bad, the fail is almost a win, in and of itself, for being such a unique level of fail.
And it is with that thought that I decided to create this blog. Stories of pugs that have such a catastrophically brain numbing level of fail to them.
In the future, I plan to open wiap to submissions.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Competition for Gear
It seems a waste to me. Common sense states that the longer a group is actively not full and not raiding, the more likely it is that people will leave. But then again, common sense never was that common.
I finally uncovered the reason behind a raid leader holding up a group of people. One would think, maybe we need a super specific class for a certain buff or ability- a shammy's bloodlust, a mage's spellsteal, something along those lines. Something that would benefit the group as a whole and increase the likelihood of a successful group. Something like that is certainly an acceptable reason to turn down offers that don't fit the needs of the group.
Unfortunately, more and more often, encounters with the phenomenon of turning down ready and willing pugers has nothing to do with benefiting the group- the reason is *much* more selfish.
Raid leaders are refusing to invite people who will compete against them or their butt buddies for gear.
......
I'll say that again.
Raid leaders are refusing to invite people who will compete against them or their butt buddies for gear. Granted, it is nice to have evolved beyond raid leaders simply inventing an excuse to place everything shiny in their inventory and suddenly, inexplicably, developing an issue maintaining a connection. However, keeping a group waiting and waiting. and waiting. and waiting so that one person can have everything they want essentially reserved? It's not only wasting time of 9 or 24 other people, but it's also exceptionally greedy and entitled.
While it is beyond annoying being turned down for groups because I was deemed a threat to loot, I have been on the other end of the spectrum as well. I have been in a group that was held up for an incredibly long time while the raid leader looked for another tank. After a while of observing the raid leader spam for another tank and observing a paladin tank spamming for a group for the dungeon I'm in, I asked the raid leader why he wasn't grabbing the guy in trade. He told me that he wasn't sure if I would be "ok" with it. I'll have you know that I squared him away, we grabbed the other pally tank and blasted through the run, with me and the other pally rolling on gear and neither of us getting hurt feelings when we were out-rolled.
Regardless.
This practice that has come about is, in my opinion, no more than a combination of reserving items and ninjalogging. The raid leader has essentially reserved "their" items, but without telling anybody else in the recruiting pool or group that it is reserved. But because there is nobody else in the group to ninja it from, they're saved the inconvenience of having to log out of the game after their first piece of free loot that they get without having to roll against anyone else. A group with a raid leader who does this is simply put- carrying them, whether they can hold their own or not.A raid formed with the purpose of gearing up a single person is a group that is carrying said person. And, wether they say it or not, nobody actually likes to carry anyone else. Especially in a pug.
So. Raid leaders. Form your pug. Get the people you need and don't be such a sissy. If you just *have* to have a specific piece of shiny purple gear, don't block out the competition just reserve the item. You'll form the group faster and won't have to turn down so many people. Besides, a little competition is good for you. It makes actually winning the gear more wowgasmic.
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