Breakfast Topic: Best way out of a bad group
by Dan O'Halloran 
Sep 15th 2007 at 8:00AM
It starts out innocently enough. The tank loses aggro, the healer goes down, the rest of the group falls like dominos. It happens. Regroup, head back in, try again. But then it happens another time, then another time. What in Elune's name is going on?Is the tank undergeared? Is the healer running out of mana too soon? Does the mage have to open with his biggest nuke? It could be one thing or a lot of things. But one thing's for sure: this 90 minute run through an instance is starting to look like a 4 hour death fest with a repair bill kicker.
So, I ask you this, gentle readers. When faced with a non-functional group, how do you get out? Nicely? Bluntly? Oops, my kid kicked the power cord? What's the classiest exit line you've seen or used? The funniest?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Heartless_ Sep 15th 2007 8:19AM
Scream "HOLY F$*%, YOU NEWBS SUCK!", and promptly hearth mid-pull.
rao Sep 15th 2007 8:19AM
I always do PuGs for five mans since I started back at Launch, and if things go bad I just be honest and ask the group if they want to call it, most times people agree that its not working out and we try again later. Most times if things are going bad, its usually because of someone in the group, if thats the case the group leader normally needs to let that person go and replace them. I've done that several times, like for instance a hunter refused to help CC with a trap, and constantly went afk by auto-shooting. Which when your in Shadow Labs and your taking on the 5 elites groups, really is a pain. So I booted him, got a mage and we stormed the place.
Oh and First Post!!!
Phoenixdown Sep 15th 2007 8:20AM
I close WoW and go play Warcraft 3 for an hour, come back and I'm out of the group =)
Though I did say "Grandma is on fire, brb" and go afk for about 2 hours before.
rao Sep 15th 2007 8:20AM
Blast you Heartless! *Shake Fist*
You beat me by only seconds!
seamus Sep 15th 2007 8:37AM
As a healer, I've seen my share of bad pugs. I used to tough it out, since I knew that if I left the group would likely dissolve. This resulted in many nights of the scenario you cite above: 90 minute runs became 4 hour wipefests.
Now, I'm much more selfish. With a full time job and two kids I have to guard my playtime more carefully. I feel no guilt about leaving. I don't do it mid-pull (that's mean), but if we're not at the first boss in 30-45 minutes I simply say, "Guys, this isn't working out." and I hearth.
Redken Sep 15th 2007 8:39AM
I usually just use "sorry friend needs me to help them" if I really can't handle the group. Most of the time though I try to stick it out, if it's a learning experience for someone in the group at least.
Nulmorr Sep 15th 2007 8:46AM
Last night i had to bail on an RFK group because the tank refused to use anything but his healer mace to tank (along with a pally shield). His argument was that "the mace has bigger dpses".
I basically just said, , you're terrible, stick to solitaire, bye.
I would have sounded like an asshole but the rest of the group agreed with me completely.
shashvat Sep 15th 2007 8:49AM
I usually just say i have to raid or something like that.
Mystrana Sep 15th 2007 8:50AM
There's nothing I like better than when an undergeared tank starts telling me wipes are my fault because I'm not healing well enough... (Keep in mind I have +1664 healing, 10k mana and I'm not retarded), because then it gives me a great exit line - "Ok, so find a healer who can keep you alive then. I'm out."
Not classy, per se, but efficient. Of course, then they'll try and blacklist me for a bit while I look for a new group, but the majority of people know me and know that I can heal.
Mike Sep 18th 2007 10:38PM
I was in a group a while back in Ulda. The tank was horrible and was not able to hold agro like he should. The priest died 4 times, I (mage, fire spec) kept pulling all the mobs because I was hitting for more than the warrior could hold. I was even using small stuff like scorch. I was with a friend of mine that is a shammy and he told the grp that his kid broke his leg and he had to go take him to the hospital. I know for a fact he didn't because his kid plays and was on with another friend of mine in Scarlet Monestary. After he hearthed and signed out I called him up and told him that we all wiped about 1 min after he left. I rez'ed and stoned back. As for me. I just simply tell the grp it isn't working and get out. I tell them they can look for a replacement and I stone out.
recrudesce Sep 15th 2007 8:59AM
normally when i get invited to a pug, i first ask who's in the group and if they're known n00bs i dont join. if none of the people on my n00b-list are there, i join and after all the pleasentries, i let them know that it's 4 wipes and i'm leaving.
then we proceed to wipe 4 times on trash mobs, so i just run out of the instance, drop the group and leave.
if you're randomly picking people up for a group, at least make an attempt to play properly !
Ben Sep 15th 2007 8:59AM
This is SO much simpler than you're making it. Numlock (or whatever your autorun key is), Alt-F4. It looks EXACTLY like a disconnect.
Dave Sep 15th 2007 9:15AM
What's it say about our society where we have to find ways to lie nicely, rather than just tell the truth?
Here's a revolutionary way to leave a group, it works every time: "Sorry guys, I don't think this is going to work out, I'm going to find a different group".
And I leave.
I've got pretty decent criteria for bailing on a group and I don't feel bad about ditching a bad PUG, ever. If you wipe before the first boss unless someone did something accidentally, disconnected, or otherwise wiped the group uncontrollably, the run is over. If the group wipes twice on the first boss, unless that first boss is real tricky for some reason (and I'm at a loss to think of any in a 5-man) then the run's over.
I've never seen any logical reason to stick around in a bad group. If it's a guild run, maybe you have some sort of obligation to point out the mistakes and work towards a positive outcome, but even then I think you're more obligated to not lie to your guildmates and just admit that you're not going to do well on the run and there's no point in going on if this is how it's going to be.
Sometimes you can get people to act like they care when they were otherwise kinda apathetic towards not wasting your time (you know the guy who comes along because someone in his guild needs something from a run, but really doesn't care what happens to the other 3 people in the party right?) just by being honest and saying that it doesn't look like the group has the stuff to finish.
I just wish everyone was honest about things. OMG MY MOM JUST DIED LOLZ shows nothing but immaturity. I have a blacklist mod I fill with people's lame excuses for bailing on a group, and if the excuse was particularly lame I'm not going to group with them again. Whiners and liars are oddly habitual and they'll do it every chance they get or at the first sign of trouble, and that's an even bigger waste of time for me.
Jardinity Sep 15th 2007 1:03PM
really you need to look at the group. is there serious cc? is the Tank using taunt/sunder? do we have a suicidal hunter or mage who refuses to wait before blasting? A lot of times bad groups can be causes by inexperienced players who refuse to learn their class or have solo'd since laumch day and could careless about anyone else dying in the group. if the group is so bad that it costs me more then 5 gold in repairs prior to first boss then i ask people to consider calling it. after 5 wipes/90 min/ respawn then im done and i tell them that... I hate intentional dc'ing its rude and selfish
Hooper Sep 15th 2007 9:40AM
I was in a group for Scholo just yesterday that was horrible. 70 Lock who couldn't kill 58 elites, healer who couldn't heal, and another lock that kept sending his VW into more mobs.
But since BC its been so hard to get groups for the old level 60 instances that I had to grin and bear it.
Kabira-Fenris Sep 15th 2007 9:43AM
OMG BEEZ
(exit game)
Fletch Sep 15th 2007 9:58AM
The sad thing is that most bad groups I've been in were guild groups. I remember one particularly bad group with four guild members and myself (unguilded), where we wiped three times on the first two pulls in Steamvaults. I just dropped the group and walked out of the instance. Of course they sent me a number of tells about how I'm a jerk and how it was going to get better, but I didn't really believe that.
draeth Sep 15th 2007 10:09AM
One time way back i was running SM and my dog got outside and he like disappeared in the woods. So I, being honest with my group, told them I had to go find my dog and that I would be afk for a few minutes. They bombarded me with insults, calling me a liar, booted me from the group and told me they would never group with me again lol.
But if a group isnt working out due to the myriad of things that can happen, Im usually quite straight forward with everyone. Now if its a group full of A$$holes who tell me how to tank/heal/dps or blame me for stupid stuff, Ill leave mid pull
Steve Sep 15th 2007 10:14AM
I'll tend to stick with it and see what I can learn, as a tank if I'm not holding aggro I want to know why and see what I can do about it (if it's just my kit vs the instance then that's fair enough).
It's when someone (usually the hunter, sorry but it's true) starts mouthing off while their pet is off aggroing wildy and then moaning at my pulls that I'll leave but as said above, if it's not going to work you'll know by the first boss and the group will tend to all come to that conclusion without much childishness.
Normally we find the imbalance and when the hunter leaves someone gets their mate to join and we're back on a roll again. Abuse from the imbalance is quite rare, but when it happens then you know who not to pug with again. Simple really.
I'd always forgive an OMG BEEZ though... :-)
Venkman90 Sep 15th 2007 10:29AM
We have a guild on our server named after our best excuse
"brb pants are on fire"