That’s the kind of shit that makes me want to FRAPS every pug I go on, in the hopes that I could show something like that for reals.

I would so totally be rolling if a healing druid popped bear to take the ramp instead of me. That’s amazing.

As I have only bear tanked pugs (no guild/friendlies) I’ve seen some real asses, there is a reason the queue is super short for tank/heals, who would want to deal with that?

Also _Love_ the above poster for this line:

“I’m going to start using the ‘you have earned the ‘Douchebag’ debuff’ line, adding ‘If it stacks to two, you may be removed from the instance’.”

More on topic (Moron topic?): I agree with this… I hate seeing ‘gogogo’ and have snarled at my own guildies for doing it, in a guild run. ESPECIALLY in a guild run. If we’re stopped there’s a reason. Our druid tank is not well and occasionally has to leave the keyboard precipitously. If we get jumped by something, one of the other tank type classes (even if not tanks, they have the armor for it, like a death knigget or one of our multitudes of other paladins) and I can keep them up.

I’m going to start using the ‘you have earned the ‘Douchebag’ debuff’ line, adding ‘If it stacks to two, you may be removed from the instance’. I’m a healer, so my queue times are less than a minute, for the rare times I’m even interested in doing randoms. My time online is limited, and I do not want to spend it listening to people be pen fifteens.

I was just feeling rather despondent at the state of society in general and people in this game, after spending time in a particular thread on the Druid class forums… this post made me happy again.

The first time it happens, I’ll taunt & faerie fire for snap threat.

The second time it happens, I just taunt.

The third time it happens, I don’t bother unless it goes after the healer. And I tell my wife (who is usually healing) not to heal them.

Now, exceptions like – a second pack of trash aggroed and the DPS was AE’ing and it got caught before I could Swipe – that’s a different story.

But if I charge in, swipe and maul and you decide you want to a) not assist me and b) not watch your threat, then you aggro, you tank it!

My guild’s warlock has learned that means he needs to pretty much stand on top of me for most trash, lol. And my guild rogue has his Evasion handy.

Honestly, tho, if I’m pulling 6k+ TPS and you’re pulling threat, it’s not my fault you don’t know how to assist, threat dump, or change targets.

I try to view the medium as irrelevant: whether I’m interacting in person, on the phone, via email, in a forum, or in a game, the other folks there deserve the same common courtesy. Some people, however, seem only capable of simulating politeness under the threat of being punched.

Greeting people when entering an instance, thanking them for providing food (even conjured), healthstones and buffs, occasionally complimenting a nice pull, heal or boss take down–all actions that can help set the tone for a group. It worked the other day in an Occulus total PUG. One of the DPS said he was sorry, but feeling sick and needed to afk to go throw up. I replied, “Ouch, sorry. Shouldn’t be a problem for a bit. We just need to chase that mage around the platforms” and got mumbled agreement from the other members. The DPS made it back for the Maly fight, where we wiped due to some poor coordination. Happily, no one was cursing or complaining as we ran back. I offered to trade the sick DPS a bronze for a green drake, and suggested “how about we flee counterclockwise when he shifts so that we’ll be able to stick together” (coordination without sounding like a tyrant). We were back up at the top, but the sick DPS wasn’t back. I waited a moment, then asked if he was okay. He was sorry again and said he’d had to run to the bathroom, and thanked us for not kicking him. I replied that I was willing to be sympathetic to someone who was sick and let me know, and that it was the people who afked without a word that drove me nuts. Got a “seriously” and some “werd”s to that comment. We then smacked around Maly. I thanked everyone for the run, got a lot of thanks in return, wished the sick guy well, and left.

Now what’s funny is that I’ve actually randomed enough to get the Perky Pug as DPS. I’m cheerful and patient when in my happy role, and I suspect that has a lot to do with the fact that by nature and practice I’m a DPSer and as a blood DK I’m pretty much indestructible in an heroic so there’s a lot of margin for error and underperformance. It’s so easy to be mediocre DPS, and simple minds do seems to be drawn to the apparently simple role. And DPS is so straightforward to quantify in game terms (just look at that number in recount!) that little attention gets paid to anything other than the number. I’m never ahead of the tank, but I am exactly a half step behind, hitting the skull or assisting off the tank if no skull is provided. If there’s a ranged mob that hasn’t been drawn into melee within a few seconds, it will be death gripped in and mashed before it can pester the healer. If my target mob is casting, it will be interrupted every time mind freeze is off cooldown. If I’m in a fire/void zone/etc, I will move out. If a damage spike is incoming, I will use AMS/IBF/VB, then death strike or rune tap to bring my health back up (it’s a rare raid encounter when I’m not my own biggest healer). And unless the PUG I’m in is quite exceptional, I’ll also be doing about as much damage as the other two DPS and tank combined.

Tanking, on the other hand, makes me hella cranky (if only that could be used for bear rage, lol!) and I only tank when guildies are the majority. I do, however, make a point of welcoming the odd folks out by name since I’ve read a number of “lone outsider among 4 guildies” horror stories and don’t want them to think they’ve landed in one of those groups.

I’m just glad there’re people who want and like to tank. I suppose it’s too much to hope that people who haven’t been socialized by real life will learn civilized behavior in game.

I had an H HoS the other day where a warrior from my server felt I was moving too slow and was initiating pulls – mind, this was after I had already told them all I wasn’t comfortable moving fast, that I wasn’t geared or experienced enough for it. I asked him several times to stop initiating pulls. After about the 5th time he’d done so (and after he’d grabbed the 4 mobs that randomly charge and do the electric shock deal), I’d finally had enough and bubbled and left.

I think part of the reason I’m getting burned out on WoW right now is because of all the asshattery, all the elitist jerks that forget that they’re not the only ones playing.
.-= Grimtorn´s last blog ..In Which Grim No Longer Plugs Addons =-.