World of Warcraft
Grouping FAQ
omegachaos
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Contents
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1. Intro
2. Version History
3. Basics of a Good Group
4. Finding a Group
A. Quests
B. Instances
5. Functioning Inside a Group
A. Roles to Play
a. Druid
b. Hunter
c. Priest
d. Rogue
e. Shaman
f. Paladin
g. Mage
h. Warrior
i. Warlock
B. Players to Avoid
6. FAQ
7. Credits
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1. Intro
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Hello and welcome to my FAQ! If you’re having trouble
looking for a group or are always finding the worst
people to group with, this is the FAQ for you! Now
you’ll have the knowledge you’ll need to group with the
right people in a PUG (Pick-up group). Read on to find
out more about grouping.
Note: This is more for instance grouping than quest
grouping
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Version History
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Version 1.0
First version of the FAQ. I will add more versions if
needed.
Version 1.2
Updated many sections of the guide that needed updating.
Also updated the Players to Avoid List and the FAQ.
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2. Basics of a Good Group
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All basic groups need to consist of a tank, healer,
DPS(damage per sec.) and CC (crowd control) classes.
The Tank – This is the guy that will be taking the most
damage in the group and keeping the mobs attacking him
while the other classes pummel the unfortunate mob. The
tank is usually a warrior, since they have aggro gaining
abilities, but a couple of other classes can tank as
well. Here are the classes that can be tanks:
- Warriors
- Protection Paladins
- Feral Druids
The Healer – This is the guy that is going to keep
everyone in the group alive. The tank will be the one he
will be healing the most, as the tank will be taking the
damage from almost all the attacks. Most of the time the
healer will be a priest if there is one in the group, but
other classes can heal as well. Here are the classes
that can heal:
- Holy Priests
- Holy Paladins
- Restoration Shaman
- Restoration Druids
DPS classes – All classes are capable of being this role.
Their goal is to take down the mob as fast as possible
while the tank is busy taking all the damage.
CC classes – These guys stun mobs for a certain period of
time. In certain fights, it’s extremely important to
stun certain mobs so they won’t heal the mobs you’re
killing or just to lighten up DPS on your tank. The only
problem is that some of these mobs are immune to certain
stuns. Here the classes capable of CC and what mobs
they’re CCs affect:
- Warlock: Seduce: Humanoids Banish:
Elementals/Demons
- Mage: Polymorph: Humanoids/Beasts
- Priest: Shackle Undead: Undead (duh)
- Druid: Hibernate: Beasts
- Rogue: Sap: Humanoids
- Hunter: Freezing Trap: All Enemies
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3. Finding a Group
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A. Quests
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So you’ve found a quest that is red or is labeled Group.
What are you gonna do? Simple. Get a group. The people
that you would want to group with are people that are
also on the quest you’re doing. Some quests don’t
require a full party to complete, but if you find that
you and whoever is grouped with you are having troubles,
feel free to find a full group.
The one thing you should NOT do is to start a raid group.
You won’t be able to collect quest items or register
kills if you’re in a raid.
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B. Instances
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So you’re in the mood for an instance dungeon. But
what’s this? There are elites! It looks like it’s time
to find a group.
For instances, you’re going to want to find a full group.
There is no way you could do an instance with 2, 3, or 4
people (unless you’re a higher level than the instance,
but why would you do that?).
Finding a group shouldn’t be too hard as long as it’s
around peak hours of play. Simply go into the Looking
For Group function on your toolbar, choose which instance
you want to go to, and wait for people to join. If
you’re impatient, simply type in the Looking for Group
channel “LFG <instance name>”, and hopefully someone will
whisper you for a group.
Your group needs to consist of the basic group members:
the Tank, the Healer, and any DPS classes. Once you have
your group, head over to the instance, or if you’re there
already, find something to do while you wait for those
slowpokes.
Most instances are 5-man, but there are some that are 10-
man, 20-man, and even 40-man (although now that Burning
Crusade is out, it’s been reduced to 25-man)! For those
instances, you’ll need to start a raid group. Every
group of 5 in the raid must have a tank and a healer for
each group of 5 to be most effective. Move people around
in-between the groups to create an effective group.
Note: 10-man and 25-man instances are the maximum level
instances and big raiding guilds are usually the ones
that do these (although 10-mans can be PuGed with good
people), as they are very difficult.
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4. Functioning Inside a Group
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Well you’ve gotten inside the instance and are now facing
your first mob. What do you do? Here are two basic
steps needed to take to bring down this mob:
Step 1. Pulling
><><><><><><
Usually there will be groups of mobs in an instance that
can range from 2-4 mobs.
With two mobs, you can have either a hunter or warrior
pull. If a hunter pulls, the hunter should feign death
to erase any aggro on him and allow the warrior to gain
aggro on the mobs while the rest of the group
concentrates attacks on one of the mobs. If the warrior
pulls, simply allow him to build more aggro on them while
the group concentrates on one of the mobs.
With 3 mobs, you’ll want to have either a mage sheep pull
or a rogue sap stun and have the hunter or warrior pull
the remaining two. If the mob is hit while stunned,
he’ll go to whoever is the highest on his aggro list. If
he was sheeped, the mage can simply re-sheep the mob
until the other two are dead. If he was sapped, then the
tank is going to have an extra mob to tank, and it might
cause a few problems for the tank trying to keep aggro.
In the higher level instances, priests have a stun that
only affects undead called Shackle Undead. This can be
an alternative to sheeping because mages aren’t able to
sheep undead and the same with rogues and their sap
ability.
With 4 mobs, you’ll need to have the tank on two mobs
while one mob is stunned and the other is off-tanked by a
class that has good armor and HP. Not too hard to do if
the group knows what it’s doing and classes know their
roles.
Note: If there is only one mob to pull, have the warrior
pull it to the group and pulverize it.
Step 2. Fighting
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In a lot of fights, you’ll most likely have three to four
mobs. Usually one or two of the more powerful mobs are
stunned while the group is concentrating attacks on a mob
and the tank is keeping aggro on one or both of the mobs.
Once the mobs are dead, obliterate the one that is
stunned. There isn’t much to fighting mobs, just know
which mob does the most damage, and which mobs have the
least and most amount of HP.
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A. Roles to Play
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a. Druid
These guys are a special type of class. They have the
ability to become three different forms. In their
regular form, they can be the main healer in a group.
They can also put beasts to sleep whenever there are some
in a group of mobs. In some cases, a druid can turn into
a bear and become an off-tank for a warrior.
When the druid changes into bear form, mana changes into
rage and armor increases, making it possible to tank.
The last form is cat form, which allows a druid to become
like a rogue, replacing mana with energy. This is
obviously the DPS form of the druid and is usually used
if there isn’t a need for a tank or healer. They also
have the ability to give a buff to all stats. A Druid
can be any of these roles:
- Tank
- Healer
- DPS
- CC
b. Hunter
This class is sometimes the one considered to do the
pulling. They also have great ranged DPS and an off-
tanking pet to boot! The pet, as I said before is good
for off-tanking an extra mob that a tank can’t tank at
that moment.
On occasion, a hunter will need to ‘kite’ something, or
have the enemy chase after the hunter while their Aspect
of the Cheetah is on, sometimes using Freezing Trap.
Usually kiting is used if a hunter is soloing a mob or in
the rare case it needs to be used on a mob so the group
can take down any other mobs that would make it difficult
fighting the boss. A Hunter can be any of these roles:
- DPS
- CC
c. Priest
This class is mainly used for healing and not for DPS
(unless they’re in shadow form). If they need to DPS at
all, they can use any of their holy attacks and DOTs
(damage over time) on the mob, OR, they can shift into
shadow form and do some major DPS on the poor mob. They
can also be used to shackle anything Undead as a helpful
stun. They also have a talent called Mind Control which
the priest mind controls a mob. Other mobs see it as
unfriendly to them and attack it. This talent is usually
used if there is a dangerous mob that could cause a wipe
needs to be killed before the actual fighting begins.
Lastly, they have the ability to give a stamina buff. A
Priest can be any of these roles:
- Healer
- DPS
- CC
d. Rogue
This class is one of the best melee DPS classes in the
game. These guys are helpful in taking down mobs quickly
and efficiently. They can also stealth and sap mobs,
taking one temporarily out of the fight. The only thing
is that rogues can’t re-sap, like a mage can re-sheep or
a priest can re-shackle, so remember to take down the
other mobs quickly before the sap on a mob wears off. A
Rogue can be any of these roles:
- DPS
- CC
e. Shaman
This class can be an excellent main healer or secondary
healer and can drop totems with various buffs. Be wary,
because sometimes mobs can destroy these totems.
Although it may not seem like it, this class can also
serve as an excellent off-tank to most mobs. It also has
some great melee DPS and spell-casting damage. A Shaman
can be any of these roles:
- Healer
- DPS
f. Paladin
This class, like the shaman, is also an excellent main
healer or secondary healer, but doesn’t drop totems.
They can make excellent main tanks if they are Protection
specced. They also have great DPS and the ability to
give a buff that increases armor to party members, along
with various other buffs (especially the tank). A
Paladin can be any of these roles:
- Tank
- Healer
- DPS
g. Mage
This class is, pretty much, THE best ranged DPS class in
the game. They cause excellent damage to the mob and
also have the ability to polymorph (or sheep) a mob to
temporarily put them out of the fight. They have an AOE
(Area of effect) attack that is very useful in taking
down a crowd of non-elite mobs. They can also reduce
downtime by conjuring food and water. There is also a
buff they give that buffs intellect. A Mage can be any
of these roles:
- DPS
- CC
h. Warrior
This class is going to be your guaranteed tank (unless
you have a druid in bear form or a very skilled paladin).
These guys have talents that can gain aggro and keep it
on them while the rest of the group destroys the mob.
Although this is really the only tanking class in the
game, it’s possible for other classes with a lot of armor
to tank, but that class will most likely have a harder
time keeping all the aggro. They are also capable of
being a DPS class by dual wielding weapons. A Warrior
can be any of these roles:
- Tank
- DPS
i. Warlock
This class is similar to a hunter since these guys have
pets, but they are different because they have many
talents that cause damage over time, which cause a lot of
damage. Warlocks can use their pets much like different
classes. They can use their voidwalker as an extra tank,
an imp as an extra mage, or their succubus as a rogue.
They also have a felhunter, which is kind of like a
beast, but is good at disrupting casters. They also have
the ability to banish demons and elementals and use their
succubus to seduce humanoids. A Warlock can be any of
these roles:
- DPS
- CC
All these classes play a specific role and aren’t meant
for other roles. A priest isn’t meant to tank and a
warrior isn’t meant to heal. If you have trouble
figuring that out, you are definitely not the person to
group with, and should throw your computer out the window
and get a worthwhile job.
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B. Players to Avoid
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It’s unavoidable, but you WILL group with people that
have no idea what the word “teamwork” means. These
people need to be kicked by all means, even if it’s
accidental (or seems accidental). Even you may have
experienced some of this (or are one of these people, get
outta my FAQ. >:( ). Here are some examples on players
you should avoid
The Aggro-Master – This is the guy that will always be
aggroing all the monsters around accidentally, usually
because of carelessness. Someone like this will almost
always be the reason the group wipes.
The Whiner – This guy will be whining for all pieces of
equipment, making up dumb excuses like “his guild needs
it” or “his alt needs it badly.” If he does it with all
the items, simply kick him from the group.
Mr. Speedy – This person likes to finish instances fast
and doesn’t know the meaning of health and mana
regeneration. He is always constantly pulling mobs to
the group and always complains whenever the group wipes
to either the healer or tank for not gaining aggro or
healing people.
The Dragger – This guy basically pulls or “drags”
monsters to the group either if he’s lagging behind or
scouting ahead, most likely causing a wipe since the
group may not be ready for the mobs or there are simply
too many. If you find that you pulled quite a few mobs
and you are far from the group, simply die and ask the
healer to rez you after you have died.
The Disenchanter – This guy insists on disenchanting
everything the bosses drop in an instance and says he
will give it back at the end of the instance, which he
doesn’t and proceeds to hearth out as quickly as possible
and “forget.”
The Treasure Hunter – This guy is always looking around
for anything they can get in the instance. If there is a
treasure chest, they run to get it. If there is a quest
object, they run to get it. If there is something that
they can activate, well, you know what they do. All of
these things he does can result in a wipe because of
mobs.
The Complainer – This guy likes to complain that everyone
in the group is doing everything wrong (when in fact
everyone is doing everything right) and tells people how
to play their class or how to do things in the instance
the “right” way.
The Pretender - This guy is your friend. Well it looks
like it. He pretends to be your friend and he "borrows"
some of your items (like potions, bandages, etc.). Even
if you ask him to pay you back you’ll probably find
yourself on his ignore list after he’s done grouping with
you. You’ll probably never here from that guy again and
you’ll find yourself empty handed.
The Deserter - This guy goes AFK for extended periods of
time or bails entirely partway (sometimes after a wipe)
through the instance, leaving a group underpowered and
losing progress made for having to find someone else to
fill the spot. A slightly-more tolerable version of this
guy will hearth out for armor repairs, training, or
something else and expect you to summon him back.
The Profession Pursuer – This guy begs for anything that
will help his profession level go up. If there are
minerals, herbs or skin, he’ll beg the group to let him
have it. Same goes for all the random greens that drop
to disenchant.
The Animal Tamer – Although rare, this is the hunter that
goes into an instance to tame a certain kind of pet
he/she wants. Sometimes they will be petless, or they
may have a pet. If they are able to get that pet,
they’ll probably hearth out, or they may be friendly and
stay the whole time. The ones you want to avoid are
obviously the petless ones who will hearth after they
have what the want.
Confused Druids- These are the type of druids who promise
to play one role, then end up playing another. This
happens more often in druids with the feral talent tree
than the other class, since the tank and the melee DPS
class are there. They promise to tank, then end up
switching to cat form and losing aggro. The squishier a
class is, the more they should avoid these kinds of
people.
The Ninja – This is the worst person you could ever group
with. Whenever there is a really awesome loot drop
(everyone is going “ZOMG PHAT LEWT !!!!11one), this guy
instantly need rolls it, receives the loot, and hearths
out. These people deserve no mercy whatsoever and should
be put on your ignore list forevermore. These guys can
be anyone. They can be very friendly and ninja, or be an
ignorant person and ninja. Anyone can be a ninja, so
look for some sort of sign.
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5. FAQ
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Q. So, why do I need a group?
A. Because many things are just impossible to do on you
own. A group of people give you a better chance to do
these things.
Q. But, I’m not a social person! :(
A. Don’t worry, usually there are people that will be in
your group who will be friendly, and maybe you’ll warm up
to them.
Q. What if I don’t want to group?
A. Then you’re gonna have a hard time playing the game.
Q. I can’t find anyone that wants to group with me!
A. Keep searching! You’ll eventually find someone who
wants to do the same thing you’re doing.
Q. Help! There’s someone in my group that’s on your
Players to Avoid list! What do I do!?
A. If they are reasonable people, reason with them about
what they are doing. If it’s not possible, simply kick
them from the group.
Q. But he’s the group leader...
A. Then trick him into making you leader, or good luck
with your group.
Q. My tank/healer/DPS/CC is doing a HORRIBLE job. How
should I tell them to do better?
A. Ask them politely to do a better job at what they’re
doing. If they continue to do horrible, you may have no
choice but to kick them from the group and find someone
better.
Q. My group is doing really bad in <instance>. Are the
mobs just too hard?
A. Either you forgot to include a tank, healer, DPS, or
CC, or you are simply undergeared or lower leveled.
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6. Contact Info
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My e-mail is
[email protected]
Only contact me if you want to:
Give me constructive criticism (good ones if possible)
Suggestions to add onto my FAQ
Ask me a question not already answered on this FAQ
Post this FAQ on your website
Don’t contact me if you want to:
Ask me personal information
Threaten me with a virus
Give me criticism that consists of “OMG UR FAQ SUXORS”
Anything else that you know would probably tick me off
I will most likely reply to the stuff that I want to be
contacted from. If I’m contacted from the stuff I don’t
want to be contacted from, you will be blocked.
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7. Credits
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Tansa – For giving me a lot more info I needed on the
Paladin class, and adding various other information to
the other classes.
Orco – For adding The Pretender to the Players to Avoid
list.
Jet Tepton – For adding The Dragger to the Players to
Avoid list.
Rexdestroyer – For giving me the info I needed for the
paladin class.
Anonymous – added The Deserter to the Players to Avoid
list.
Anonymous – added The Profession Pursuer and The Animal
Tamer to the Players to Avoid list.
Ben – added Confused Druids to the Players to Avoid list.
WoWwiki – Thanks for the info for some of this FAQ!
Gamefaqs – For hosting my FAQ and being such a cool
website!
This FAQ is copyrighted omegachaos 2008.
THE END. No seriously get outta here. Go find a group on
World of Warcraft or something.
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