Pick-up Groups: The Survival Guide

[Triplexx]

All credits goes to Makkert of guildwars guru for this!!

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1. Introduction

“That PUG sucked big time!”
“We had such a noob in the team, he ruined everything of course”
“God, what the hell do you DO anyway?”

Here some random remarks that one can expect to find in Guild Wars from people playing in a Pick-up Group (PUG) in Player vs. Environment (PvE). When reading forum threads about PUGs, one thing always stands out: PUGs are crap. However, why are they crap then? Why are so many people having problems with it? Is everyone such a bad player that the mission is undoable with a PUG? I think the problem lies a little deeper for most parties.


2. The question

So PUGs are crap. Strangely enough I have yet to see the first thread that states: “My guild team is crap.” And I reckon not every guild is loaded with the most brilliant players Guild Wars has to offer. The key that makes a guild team feel a lot better then a PUG is that guild members are often considered as friends. They may not know each other in real life, but there is a bond between the players. Guild members usually have a mutual understanding; they know what to expect out of the other fellow guildies, from playing style to speech patterns. This last point is a luxury a PUG simply couldn’t have. Unfortunately sometimes one does not have the chances of getting a guild team for a mission; or one just wants to play and meet new people. Thus, here is the million-dollar question: how to avoid the bad PUGs?


3. PUG management - preparations

There are things a good PUG leader can do to make a PUG resemble more like a guild team. PUGs are made of people, and as such, there are certain human elements which must be taken into account. This will require some time in the party formation stage, but having to do that same mission over and over again surely takes more time in the end. This guide is no guarantee that you will complete your goal since uncontrollable things do happen. But it will improve your chances by avoiding the pitfalls.


3.1 The party leader

I know, not everyone likes leading. Yet the pick up phase of the PUG is essential, and it is the only chance you have of getting a decent group. As party leader, you have control of those important buttons: “Enter Mission” and “Kick Player.” You have the power to decide when the group is ready to enter the mission. Often a bad PUG will immediately enter a mission after it has reached the full capacity of players. Some players maybe are still trying to set their skill bar, and leaving before they are ready is a deathblow to the party. The “kick player” button is important to save the PUG from the worst kinds of players.

Do not confuse this with dictatorship. A party leader should be open to its party members and listening to them. However, it is also his/her duty to expel any party members that potentially could endanger completion of the goal. You can only do this in the forming phase of the PUG, since there is no ‘kick button’ after you have started the mission. Also, it is the party leader’s duty to make sure that everyone is committed to the party. For example, a nice commitment of two hour of time (or any other amount of time you think the mission(s) will take) from each player would certainly help the drop rate. For these reasons, I suggest setting yourself as party leader, and make your own group. If you don’t feel like leading, I suggest you first message your party leader. Ask him some questions to get a good feeling about him before you join the group. After all, the moment you join the group, there is a chance he will instantly join the mission and your chances on a successful group will be greatly diminished if the party leader didn't do his job well.


3.2 Basic team layout

So what kind of professions do you want in your team? There is no rule of thumb, as it depends on the mission/quest you want to do. First of all, you very rarely need 3 monks in your party for PvE missions. Really. It's often better to have 2 monks and one more offensive or support character.

There is a prevalent myth that the perfect team is composed of a trinity: elementalists, warriors and monks. Simply put, this is just wrong. The idea is basically formed in lower level missions, where teams of 4 players perform well with a couple of elementalists/warriors, and a monk. The monk heals, the elementalists deal the damage and the warrior protects the casters and deals consistent damage. In later missions with 6/8 players, this mindset is often extended with 2 monks, 2 warriors, 2 elementalists and something else. Sure, it's a robust core of straightforward professions. However the other 3 professions are often ignored by PuGs. This can be a big mistake. Let's see what they can offer to the party.


3.2.1 Ranger

One of the 'basics' seems to be 'warriors are needed to tank'. But the armor of a ranger is a lot more suited to tank elemental damage than a warrior's. And a ranger with Greater Conflagration simply makes a better tank than a warrior. 115 armor against all source of damage? That beats a warrior. Not to forget that a ranger has good defensive stances, and reliable self-healing.

The ranger is probably the best puller in the game. A longbow has a range of 85', the longest range in the game. Good pulling means you won't get the full horde of enemies and have an easier time defeating enemies. Patrols of enemies? A trapper will have a good time, since the AI of the patrol is predictable. Last but not least, the disruption a ranger can spam is not to be underestimated. So why don't you take 1 warrior and 1 ranger, where the ranger stands a bit more to the back to take any enemies that get past the warrior?


3.2.2 Necromancer

Necromancers can be the monk's best friends. With Blood Ritual, Well of Power, and Blood is Power a necromancer can keep the energy of a monk always up, and give extra healing to the group. He can also debuff groups of enemy warriors with one spell. Afraid of a group of Ataxes in the Underworld? How about an Enfeebling Blood to lay Weakness on them? Add some Shadow of Fear and Faintheartedness in the mix, and your monk has more time to respond to heal party members.

Playing with a minion master means that some damage will be diverted to minions instead of party members, not to mention the extra damage output. And keep in mind that when your necro utilizes a corpse, the enemy AI necromancers can't use it anymore. Their primary attribute of Soul Reaping means that this caster will have plenty of energy to cast throughout the entire battle.


3.2.3 Mesmer

A domination mesmer can ruin the day of a caster any day of the week. If he stops the monk from healing, the battle should be over much quicker. If he stops the elementalists, your monk will have an easier time. Never forget that mesmers and necromancers are the only classes that can remove enchantments.


3.2.4 Risky but worth it

Granted, finding someone able to skillfully play a mesmer, necro or ranger is often harder than finding a player that can handle a warrior, elementalist or monk. These complex support characters are not as straightforward and as easy to play as tanks or nukers. That's why the next section, 'how to find party members', is very useful if you want to recruit from these professions.

However, if you do have a skilled support character, the mission will suddenly seem easy. You may even hear someone say "why don't they use their spell?" or "why don't they deal much damage this time?". In a few words, as a party leader you should consider all professions when you form your group.


3.3 Finding party members - Passively

So now comes the hard part: how to find the right party members? Be observant on every little bit of information you can get. Advertise and watch advertisements made by players.


3.3.1 Observe

Not only the message they type, but also the names a player chooses may say something about him. For instance 'Sir Pwnalot', 'Roxorz Skillz', 'Youret Arded' etc. are names I personally am inclined to pass on at first hand, because they express some kind of superiority feeling I’m not looking for in a party member. We all know the saying: “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’”. More importantly the name may also offend some of the other party members, and having team members bickering with each other is the last thing you want. It may very well be an excellent and friendly player, but in the search towards party members I first will try another player with another name before taking this player in consideration. Because getting good players takes time, if you think your chances will be better with another player, go for it. You can always go back to these players if your first picks aren't what you expected.

For the same reason some players avoid Warrior/Monks, which many deem as a newbie class. They think their chances are lower with a Warrior/Monk in their team. And granted, I have seen some awful Warrior/ Monks alright, but it’s the human behind the screen that’s a newbie player, not the Warrior/Monk. It just shows more on a warrior because he is in front of everyone. And the reason the warrior/monk “shines” out, is because some players think this class is invincible due to possible healing skills and warrior armor. As a result, they rush ahead of their party, aggro everything in their path and you know the rest. You may find this a valid reason to pass on this class at first. However, a good Warrior/Monk can turn the tide of a battle/mission single-handedly, just like any other class. The bad Warrior/Monk usually show themselves quickly. Be observant, but don’t make your decisions simply by eyeballing. Ask some questions; then make your decision about each player.


3.3.2 Watch the requests

Watch the 'looking for group' messages of players closely. Some players like to post 5x in a row ‘LFG FOR MISSION’. This scream for attention is one I suggest to avoid. His scream for attention shows impatience, which is something you don’t want in your group.
An uninspired 'e/mes lfg for mission' isn't the one that makes me pick this guy right away. However a message that is quite extensive has a good chance of getting an invite. If the message is full of information, he/she takes at least some minimal effort to find a group. If the message shows signs of a feeling of humor, you know the player is laidback. A bit of humor in a group usually is a good thing for the gaming experience of the group as a whole.


3.4 Finding party members - Actively

You can advertise for members you want for your party. To illustrate how this is done best, an example:

Help Wanted: Group needs a Mesmer to Shut-Down [Specific-Caster-Type]

Three replies. One response was: "I'll shut down those pesky [xxx] for you. I use inspiration to drain their energy, and then I interrupt them with domination skills". Hired. I confirmed that he had 2 hours to play, and I instructed him to go take a break for 10-15 min while I hire more.

Help Wanted: Group needs a Necromancer to Weaken and Steal Life

Four replies. Two of them happened to be death necromancers, which I didn't ask for. One of them was a ne/wa, but he told me he did "alot of dmg"; no thanks. I asked for weaken. Finally, I got a Ra/Ne that replied, and said: "I'm a ranger, but I use the curses line (10). I do enfeebling blood and barrage". Hired. I confirmed he had 2 hours to play, and instructed him to take a break for 6-11 minutes.

Again, asking people to commit their time is very important -- it is a promise. It reminds people that they are working with other humans and that they are wanted. It also tells the other party member that they are dependable.

If you can’t find the player you really want, rezone. This will keep your party together and place you, most likely, in a different district where you can try your luck for finding that type of player again. Do warn your team ahead that you are rezoning so they won’t be taken by surprise.


3.5 Screening of players

With some simple questions you can learn a lot.


3.5.1 Wrong questions

"You won't aggro like mad, will you?"
--> Ok as a remark to make ahead, but will not work as a question to get a good idea on the player.

"Have you done this mission before?"
"Are you experienced?"
These questions are so easy to answer (yes or no), it will not give you any response that will tell you something about what type of character he / she is playing.
The ‘experienced group looking for experienced members’ is a mistake I see often. Everyone thinks he is a good player for starters. Also what is experienced? The XP measurement? A farmer will rack up XP fast, but that doesn’t make him a good player. Rank? This means he played tombs often. He is most likely used to adapting skills to the circumstances, which is nice, but a good PvE player may have no interest in PvP. The only thing that XP and rank really means for PvE is that they played regularly and probably have a nice set of skills unlocked. That is all. And often these groups don’t even ask for XP and rank, but simply ask if someone is ‘experienced’.


3.5.2 Better questions

”Mission and bonus? Which goal do you have?”
"What elite skill are you packing and why did you choose it?"
"What build are you running?"
"How do you use your secondary?"
These are examples of questions that make them think just for a second what they are doing and what their job is. Taking example from a warrior/monk:
answer: "sword warrior"
--> ask a bit further. this is too general.
If he continues to list skills or say 'defensive tank', then at least he has given his own build some thought and you have a better clue what he or she will bring to the party.

This step may seem strange, but I had people leaving the party after one question. On the other hand some don't answer at all within 10 minutes. The ones that don't answer at all seem indifferent to the team or are one of those grievers that join a party and go endlessly away from keyboard hoping to get a free ride. Kick them. Bad hires do make themselves known early. For example a typical bad hire will try to say you MUST have 3 monks or he’ll leave. Let him go. The first question listed (Mission and bonus?) is very important. Make sure that all your party members have the same goal to prevent contradicting actions while playing. A typical skill cap run can get victim of this: after one player has obtained his goal, he will zone out if his loyalty to the group is minimal.
In case of playing Underworld and Fissure of Woe, don’t forget to ask if everyone is ascended because those areas are restricted to ascended players only.

Take your time asking just a few questions of each player. It also may take some time to find that second monk if you think you need it. Just tell your party it may take some time like it is shown in 3.3. Some may leave, if they do that is a good thing: patience wasn't their greatest attribute apparently.


3.6 Team fine-tuning

Before leaving, you should have shown the team members what kind of other players they are teamed up with and what everyone’s role is. The screening process works just fine for this if done in team chat. People don't mind working if they know that others are also working. They are willing to forgive mistakes if they see that everyone else is committed.

If you think it could benefit the party greatly, don't be shy to ask one of your party members to bring a specific skill if it is in the lines that he uses. Don't ask them to bring skills that aren't in their lines. Some examples could be Aegis for protect monk, Wells or blood ritual for necros, wards for earth eles. These types of skills bring something to the entire party and not just skill setter himself. This is also partly a mental game. Is he willing to sacrifice some potential for himself to benefit the party? If he/she is unwilling to do so, ask him why. He may have a very good reason for this.

Also check on the resurrection potential of your group. Having two real resurrects and a few resurrection signets is enough, not everyone is really needed to carry a signet. If you have more, great, but sacrificing a vital spell to get an extra signet is unwise I suspect. A mesmer or monk that can greatly enhance the ability of the group with that extra disrupt or heal can make up for that extra resurrection signet.

Finally there are some agreements to be made on who will be target caller, and who will be the one that decides when and which quests to take in Underworld / Fissure of Woe to prevent unnecessary discussion while playing.


4. PUG management – playing

One of the most simple things one should not forget as a party leader, is that if the group is doing well in the mission, a simple 'gj' ('good job') is in place between each fight, complementing each person. A little encouragement goes a long way.
To illustrate this:
The first time through, I complemented the other healer. Then I complemented the tank for "excellent clumping". Then, when we had casters, and the bars were not going down, I complimented the mesmer. By the time we were 20% into the mission, everyone had been complemented at least once.

Compliments do several things:
- You re-enforce what role you need them to play for the team build; if they get complemented for building an aggro circle for the Elementalist, they will continue to do this.
- When they are complimented, it makes them feel appreciated; and this reduces the chance of a disconnect. A small compliment can go a long way towards building loyalty.
- When one person is complimented, it brings to the attention of the rest of the team that they are playing with good people. It also reminds them that they are in a "team" rather than soloing with henchmen.


5. Final word

As a conclusion, you should not forget you are playing a game. Have some FUN when things are going right. Joke around if you feel like it in team chat. Having fun makes things better for all involved.