WoW: How to run a survivable PuG

Forming an instance party via Pickup groups (PuG) in the World of Warcraft is like the proverbial box of chocolates – “You never know what you gonna get.”

On one hand, we will remember the cheerful moments shared and lasting friendships made from random party formations like these. On the other hand, there are times we’re teamed up with the sort of party-mates whose competence leaves us wondering post-wipe if their IQ resembles Forrest Gump’s (it’s 75).

For the sake of the guys who would really like to get their party’s act together, we make mention of an ongoing discussion over at the WoW official forums. It’s a thread that’s focused on handing out friendly advice for PuG, and has since been filled up by all sorts of suggestions. On one hand, we’ve seen simple, but downright life-saving hints:

• “Tell party to repair and buy reagants before zoning in. ‘My armor is red’ is not an excuse.” – Grandpapa
• “Clearly define targeting and kill order/progression. It can turn any rag tag band into a functional unit!” – Tseric
• ” Explain the boss fights quickly and efficiently so everyone knows what is going to happen if they haven’t been there before.” – Jilla

Of course, there were the humorous suggestions, obviously not meant to be taken seriously:

• “Don’t invite any warlock to your group who claims to be Tseric on the forums.” – Schyla
• “Construct your PuG of nothing but Warlocks. A full 40 Man Raid will suffice.” – Caliburnus
• “Little known secret: A warrior, a priest and three rogues can form Voltron. Try it.” – Rysticdeath

Just keep these suggestions in mind the next time you form your PuG – and don’t forget to make sure your tank knows that he/she is supposed to do. Good hunting.

Forming an instance party via Pickup groups (PuG) in the World of Warcraft is like the proverbial box of chocolates – “You never know what you gonna get.”

On one hand, we will remember the cheerful moments shared and lasting friendships made from random party formations like these. On the other hand, there are times we’re teamed up with the sort of party-mates whose competence leaves us wondering post-wipe if their IQ resembles Forrest Gump’s (it’s 75).

For the sake of the guys who would really like to get their party’s act together, we make mention of an ongoing discussion over at the WoW official forums. It’s a thread that’s focused on handing out friendly advice for PuG, and has since been filled up by all sorts of suggestions. On one hand, we’ve seen simple, but downright life-saving hints:

• “Tell party to repair and buy reagants before zoning in. ‘My armor is red’ is not an excuse.” – Grandpapa
• “Clearly define targeting and kill order/progression. It can turn any rag tag band into a functional unit!” – Tseric
• ” Explain the boss fights quickly and efficiently so everyone knows what is going to happen if they haven’t been there before.” – Jilla

Of course, there were the humorous suggestions, obviously not meant to be taken seriously:

• “Don’t invite any warlock to your group who claims to be Tseric on the forums.” – Schyla
• “Construct your PuG of nothing but Warlocks. A full 40 Man Raid will suffice.” – Caliburnus
• “Little known secret: A warrior, a priest and three rogues can form Voltron. Try it.” – Rysticdeath

Just keep these suggestions in mind the next time you form your PuG – and don’t forget to make sure your tank knows that he/she is supposed to do. Good hunting.