WoWGrrl's World

Guide to Building Groups
(originally posted on the Guild Relations forum, all hurrahs to Trixie of Lethon realm)

1) Why write up a guide?
I did this because I've noticed that a lot of people express interest in running 5mans/heroics on those days that we don't raid. I figured that since I put together groups 3+ nights a week I might share some of the tips/tricks. Since most of what goes on in WoW is group oriented what we can achieve is highly dependent on the groups that we build.

As I sat down to write this I stole prodigiously from a variety of sources. I'd like to acknowledge the direct (and indirect) contributions made by the following people and groups:
-http://wowwiki.com
-Evol of Akama server. I've lifted huge sections of one of his posts without permission. I've also taken some liberties to edit them here and there. I'll remove and rewrite if requested.
-The regulars of the Guild Relations forums

2) First the basics
First, I want to introduce a fundamental tr7th to life. This affects your in-game activities, it affects Fortune 500 companies, it affects countries of all sizes. In truth, this affects everything that everybody does. Seriously. Okay, ready?

There are only three things that matter. These things are the basis for what you can and cannot do. The extent to which somebody understands these constraints ties directly to how successful they can be. They are:
-Time: How much time you have available
-Resources: How many people (of the required gear and skill) are available
-Scope: What you want to accomplish within the game

Think of these constraints as points that form a triangle. The area of this triangle then becomes what you can do. Unfortunately, this is life and the system is closed. There are 24 hours in a day. There are only so many people and so much gold on the server. Blizzard defines the scope of the game by adding new instances, raids, battlegrounds, professions to level, etc. You define what parts of that scope is interesting and important to you.

What you can do (the triangle's area) and what you want (how far out you push the "scope" point) are connected to how much time you have and how many resources you bring to bear. The bigger the triangle the more freedom you have and the more you'll do quickly.

Secondly, to run you must first learn to walk. With that in mind, if you haven't read this article then go do it now. Even if you think you know everything there is to know you still might learn one thing. At the very least it might distract you from work.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Instance_Grouping_Guide

3) People (it's 90% of the game)
Back from reading that article? Good, now comes the boring part of the guide. This is the part that you skim over because you think it doesn't apply. Do so at your own risk. The points outlined here are the heart of what it takes to build good groups and achieve success in any MMO.

-Be available: Remember what I said above about Time, Resources and Scope? This is all about Time. If you aren't in-game then you won't be running 5mans. If you're in-game but are farming then you're not available to run 5mans. If you're in-game but scamming the AH then you're not available to run 5mans. If you're in-game but haven't grinded out to Revered rep with the appropriate factions then you're not available to run heroics. See a pattern here? Be available. Eventually people will come to realize that you're available and you'll get more invitations.

-Be a good person: Nobody groups with ninjas. Nobody groups with jerkfaces. At least not a second time. I'm not saying you should be a pushover and I'm not saying you should excuse poor playing. But think about positive ways to coach. Be aware that the way you say something is often more important that what you say. When you have a bad group direct your frustration to g-chat; don't get pissy in party chat. Discretion is the better part of valor.

Secondly, once people start to think of you as being available now's the time to keep up with being polite. It's okay to occasionally turn down a group invite. But, do it politely. Thank the person for asking. Offer to do it later. Explain why it is that you can't go (guild raid in 30 minutes, farming for consumables, just got out of a heroic and you're tired, etc). People are understanding if you provide context.

-Be flexible: Don't have one goal, have a list of them. The more goals you have the easier it will be to find a group. If all you want to do is farm the first boss in Black Morass then you've limited your Scope very narrowly. This means you've also narrowed your available Resources (other people who want to do the same thing). Now, instead of running an instance you're sitting in Shattrath playing the "LFM Game". To me, only one of those sounds like fun.

Also, use each class to it's full potential. Druids and paladins can tank and heal. Priests can DPS and heal. Hunters can be just as effective CC as mages. Warlocks are an AOE class too. When you limit your runs to only the ideal class balance you are limiting your Resource constraint and we're right back to sitting in Shattrath playing the "LFM Game".

-Be persistent: Groups just don't happen, they take work. As you start out nobody knows who you are. They don't know that you're a great tank that throws out 800 TPS or a healer who never lets a rogue die. In the early days it will take time to find groups. Logging in for 15 minutes, poking around in Shattrath, and then logging out is a great way to waste your time. It may take a week to pull together the right group of people for that heroic instance you desperately want. But the second time you look to get a group it will take less time. And the third time it will take even less. This holds itself universally true for all classes (not just tanks and healers). I know plenty of mages and rogues who get more offers to run than they can handle. They started off slow and small just like everybody else and kept at it.

-Be observant: Know where every guild in the server is progression wise. Pay attention to those players with whom your guild groups. Use the Armory to find tanking/healing hybrids. Information is the basis by which you can make informed decisions. If you're guilded you have lots of resources as each person in the guild has their little nugget of information. If you're not guilded or your guild is very small you still have the Server Forums, the Armory, the /who tool in-game, WarcraftRealms, Guild websites (not just your own), etc. I promise you that successful players are using these tools frequently.

-Make use of available tools: The LFG tool (default keybind is "I") may be a viable option depending on your server. If it is then it can help to have multiple dungeons queued at the same time (see above where having a list of goals is better than having just one goal). Your server might also have a player-created LFG channel (ask around to find out if one exists). There are also many player created tools that leverage the Armory. Want to find out who in a guild has their Heroic keys? Try this website: http://wow.tachyonsix.com/armory/

4) Game Mechanics (it's 10% of the game)
-Class Balance: Every 5man needs a tank, a healer, DPS and some form of crowd control. If you just had a /bonk moment then congratulations you're ready to learn why too many players don't understand what that means.

-Hybrids and you: Priests aren't the only healers in the game. Paladins, Druids, and Shamans can heal too so consider them when building a group. Consider them even if they aren't specced Holy/Restoration. Heck, consider shadow priests to heal. So long as the player has skill and some gear to back it up they can probably handle what's required of them. They may need time to recover mana after every fight but it's better to take 30 more minutes to clear an instance than it is to sit in Shattrath playing the "LF1M Holy Priest" game for 2 hours.

-Why Class Balance isn't always good: The Class Balance rules say bring one tank, one healer and some DPS. And make sure that the DPS has some Crowd Control abilities. Okay, that's great. But, if you can't find a mage or a hunter then what? A second tank makes great crowd control and yet people don't consider it very often. Class Balance is a guideline for getting something done. But inflexible use of classes and inflexible application of "The Class Balance Rules" is a great way to ensure you stay in Shattrath all night.

-Case Studies: To be expanded. Would love stories of weird groups that worked.

5) Building the Group
-Timing: Timing is everything. Sometimes a group falls into your lap. Other times you can't find a single person. It happens. Try asking when you see a lot of people in Shatt. Stay on vent and listen for when a run ends and try asking then.

-Plan around existing schedules: Use your guild forums and talk to people in-game. Plan to run something in advance. But, don't just put up a "let's run heroics this weekend" post in your guild forums. If you're going to do that then follow-up individually with every person who responds. Whisper them in-game the next time you're both online and confirm a date and time. Be the person who builds the group and reminds people of shared goals.

-Have a goal: Be specific. Just saying you want to do a run isn't enough. Be specific as to why you want to do the run. Don't say "need group for Arcatraz." Say "getting a group together for the last key fragment in the Karazhan quest. Anyone needing the Kara key fragment, rep, or just want to go PST."

-If you build it, they will come: Get your key classes signed on through whispers before broadcasting. If you've got a tank and a healer signed on already, it's usually pretty easy to get the rest.

-PUGing: Don't be afraid to use Pugs to fill in the gap. Try and get at least three out of the five to be people you know and trust. It's generally safe to PUG the last two. Try to avoid PUGing both a healer and a tank unless you or people you trust can vouch for them both.

-Perception is important: Limit the amount of time you ask. Don't keep asking over and over. People react poorly to constant requests for groups. Sometimes it's better to give up and ask again later.

-Whisper People: Obviously you'll be whispering any PUGs. But consider it also for guild members. Sometimes people are busy in game and just don't pay attention to g-chat.

-Know the game: Don't run into an instance blind. Be the person who knows what each mob and boss does. This is super easy today. Wowwiki.com, wowhead.com, wow-loot.com and many other strategy websites exist for the sole purpose of explaining how each instance works. Some of them even have pull-by-pull instance guides and outline the abilities of each trash and boss mob. Spending just 5 minutes perusing these websites before you log into the game can make you sound like a genius. It can make the difference between you leading a successful run and wiping.

-Be willing to lead: Nobody likes to mark mobs in an instance. But do it. Be the group leader and key bind the raid markers. Have them in a spot that makes it super easy to change markings as a fight progresses. I have four keybound to ctrl-q, ctrl-w, ctrl-e and ctrl-r. Explain the markings before you start the instance and then use 'em. It can be the difference between wiping and recovering from a bad pull. Also, remember that anybody can use /rw in a party. Important stuff goes there so use it wisely.

-Be positive: Breathe. Relax. It's not the end of the world if it doesn't happen right away. Keep trying, it'll synch eventually. Don't complain about not getting groups. It only reinforces to others that you don't get invited (it's bad PR don'tcha know?)

6) It's an MMO for a reason
-Trading Services: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" is a common English idiom for a reason. If you get invited to run an instance that isn't particularly interesting offer to do it in exchange for a run of your choice later.

-People we know (both the good and the bad): Every guild really should have a list of people they know. We all have individual friends lists. Having a shared list means having a larger list. That's equivalent to increasing the Resources available to you. Encourage your guild leadership to sponsor a post in the forums of the "good, the bad, and the ugly" players on your server.

Related posts:

1. Does Guild Building Include PUGs?
2. Strategies For Building Your Friends List
3. Finding A WoW Guild That Fits