Wow, what a series of tests that instance is!

Dungeon Tool Is No Way To Learn Wailing Caverns

Dancing Dranaei Tank

The logic behind the statement is that Wailing Caverns is a twisty, turny, confusing instance at the best of times, but if you're trying to learn the route, the Dungeon Tool is likely NOT going to be your friend.

This isn't to say that it will ALWAYS not be your friend, but by and large, when I get into a Wailing Caverns group, it's a partially complete run, and your first job will be to find your dungeon mates.

Without dying to wandering slimes.

Wailing Caverns Test #1 and 2: Find Your Teammates (Without Dying)

I got into a fresh Wailing Caverns the other day and while it's a long journey to the end, I personally think that's the best way to get into this particular dungeon, unless you know the route through the instance by heart (which I do, which is why I'm comfortable tanking it).

The party itself was well-built, with a solid heal/tank team and DPS who did their job without causing extra mayhem.

Team Wailing Caverns

The instance door, of course, was too far away for those panicky people to get to, so everyone died and everyone had to run back. (Note to dungeoneers: Fight to the death. Defend someone who can resurrect, to the point of dying yourself. Don't run, it's unlikely you'll make it anyway)

One damage dealer decided to take a Spirit Rez, and then eventually left the group, and the trials of finding a successful new party mate began, while our team continued through the instance, four-manning the content.

We then went through three DPS - and watched each of them die (to slimes, they confirmed) as they tried to get to us. Each of the three waited for a full minute for a resurrection that was never to come, and had to be told to release and run back.

"We're too far in to run back to get you, so run back and be careful not to aggro the slimes again" was what I told each of them. (yay for alt + arrow up, repeating your history of chats)

So they'd release, and try to run back, but being Alliance folk who didn't make a huge home of The Barrens in order to learn the route to Wailing Caverns, all three ended up leaving the party before they found the instance door.

Meanwhile, our team is continuing to progress further and further into the instance, making it more and more difficult for someone unfamiliar with the instance to find us.

Finally one of the DPS make their way to us successfully. We're nearly at the end by the time they do.

Wailing Caverns Test #3: How's My Jumping Skills?

Deep in Wailing Caverns, there are two different places where players need to jump over a gap in the floor in order to progress.

The first Jump Test is the biggest - jumping onto, and then off of, a boulder that connects two hallways.

We've all failed this Jump Test as newbies in Wailing Caverns. This gives us patience to wait for the others who are currently working to pass the Jump Test for the first time, but it also gives us special pleasure as we watch you jump.

And fail.

And Jump again.

And fail again.

It's a little sadistic, but once you can reliably pass the Jump Test, you'll probably get some kind of sick pleasure out of watching others learning the skill as well.

This recent run we had two members who were new to Wailing Caverns and hadn't practiced nor passed the Jump Test yet. They both fell down five times each and had to run back around the loop to try again before they made it across.

Thankfully, the second Jump Test is a lot friendlier in that while the fall down is completely brutal for getting back up, the distance one has to cover in order to "pass" the test is a lot shorter than the first one. Nobody failed the second Jump Test, thankfully.

Wailing Caverns: Good Practice Keeping Focussed

Final Boss In Wailing Caverns

Letting go of the thought that we should run back to escort a new player.

Letting go of the expectation of having a clear run through to the dungeon group if you join part way through.

Letting go of the thought that it takes 5 to progress through an instance well.

Letting go of the thought that all lowbie instances are fast and easy, and above all, letting go of the thought that dungeons have a linear path from start to finish.

What a great place!

Related posts:

1. Wailing Caverns: Don’t Worry, I Know The Way!!
2. Farming Wailing Caverns, Flailing Around in Blackrock Depths
3. To The LFG Tool: An Ode

This entry is more about the things that I lament about the new LFG tool.

Ready Check For Random Dungeon

Like It? Don't Like It?

Now, don't get confused. Overall, I L-O-V-E the new LFG tool. I think it's a wicked upgrade to an already useful tool.

But, there are some things that "just aren't the same" anymore, and I can't help but miss them just a little bit.

Gimme Back My Global LookingForGroup!

The first thing I noticed about the LFG Tool upgrade that I didn't like was the fact that the LookingForGroup channel was now restricted to the cities, and if you moved out of those restricted areas, one couldn't "lurk" in it any longer as a way to find out what PUG raids were going on.

I don't know about you, but I rarely hang out in the city, and when I do, I'm probably doing something very specific and have most of my channels turned off to reduce spam. And when I'm actually interested in getting into a PUG raid, I'm generally out and about, doing Fishing or Jewelcrafting Dailies which take me out of the city.

I used to put myself in the LFG tool under something like the zone of Icecrown so I didn't get ninja invites, but was still able to keep a finger on the pulse of what was going on RIGHT NOW that I could get into with various toons. Now I've completely left the LookingForGroup channel because it's useless and spammy to me.

Don't Force Me To Commit

Space Goat Death Pose

Having to commit to Heroics *or* Raids, and not being able to pick and choose like we used to be able to do, sucks too!

I used to list myself for the one specific Heroic I wanted to do (daily, generally), and then I'd list myself for a couple of Raids as well. Whatever I got an invite for, I went to.

But now I have to commit to what I want to do - raid or do Heroics - and I find that a wee bit restrictive.

Although I do admit, the Heroics pop so fast these days that it doesn't make much sense to list myself in anything else when I list for Heroics. But I still resent being forced to make a commitment right from the start, as it takes away some of my "I like random things" joy. I've basically stopped listing myself for raids at all as a result.

Let Me Vote To Kick More People

In my Lowbie Leveling PUGs I quickly found that there's a limit to the number of people that can be voted out of a group.

So, in the Wailing Caverns run I had on my lowbie Paladin Tank, the guy who went AFK to girlfriend aggro (to do the dishes, 10 min into our run - yah, marry that one and keep bowing down to her, you'll be REAL happy together) got voted out, and then his replacement was a huntard who rolled Need on everything despite agreeing to our requests to only Need on what he'd equip himself, so he got voted out, and then a third person joined who couldn't find his way to us (and we weren't in the twisty part yet at all) yet rolled Need on everything that dropped... and we couldn't vote him out.

Now, I understand that the Vote to Kick feature can be abused if I were to bring three of my friends and myself into a group, and keep kicking anyone who rolls on anything for that fifth person, but when we're all virtual strangers from different realms, I don't see the potential for abuse as much. After all, it only takes one dissenting vote for the kick to not go through, and the tool "knows" whether we were grouped together to start, or randomly tossed together.

Is this Vote To Kick thing limited by time, does anyone know? If we were in an uber-long run, would we be able to Vote Out more than two/three people?

Related posts:

1. To The LFG Tool: An Ode
2. How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel
3. How To “Lurk” On The LFG Channel

1. I can finally get into dungeon groups on leveling lowbies!
2. No longer do I have to be one of the people who get to the stone to summon (since 3/5 people in almost every party I was in didn't bother)
3. Getting into dungeons like Uldaman and Maraudon aren't hellish anymore!
4. Vote To Kick is brilliant!
5. Refilling spots after someone leaves is also brilliant!
6. No longer is it painful to be the "leader" of the group, especially when someone leaves. Not up to the leader to find a specific new person to fill the slot.
7. Yay for the Satchels of goodies!

I'm sure there's more about the LFG tool that I love, but right now, those were the top things that came to mind about it.

Heroic LFG vs Leveling LFG

LFG Tool, Random Dungeons

However, with my Lowbie LFG players, I'm getting more of a mix of roles - the dps/healer gets more Healer roles than DPS roles, but not by the huge margin as in Heroics. And the tank/healer lowbie I'm working on seems to be about 50/50 in terms of what role comes up for me when a dungeon pops.

It's kind of neat, putting myself into the tool and then getting the "roll the dice" surprise as to what role I'll be performing. Reminds me of the "cherry surprises" Mom used to make at Christmas time, where (to me anyway) the real surprise was whether it was a RED cherry or a GREEN one.

Always delightful :)

Your Random Dungeon Group Is Ready!

How To Get An Instant LFG Party: Solo

I'm sure this isn't a shocking surprise to anyone, but after partying with about 200 strangers over a variety of toons, I noticed this:

• If you're a DPS, it takes a few minutes (sometimes up to 20) for an instance to pop.

• If you're a Healer, it takes anywhere from 5 seconds to a few minutes.
• If you're a Tank, as soon as you put yourself into the tool, an instance pops.

Not at all shocking considering the vast majority of leveling players are DPS spec'd because leveling (though quests) with a Tank or Healer spec is significantly slower.

And of course, players can't dual spec until level 40, so even the wealthiest players can only switch gear around in order to handle different roles, whether they're inside a dungeon or questing out in the lands.

LFGing It With A Friend

I've used the LFG tool to complete parties in both the Heroic and Leveling ways, but because I'm so comfortable with dungeon PUGs now, I really only list myself as DPS if I've got another role selected as well - either Tank or Healer - so my experience may be different than yours, for sure.

After all, since I put myself in as either Tank or Healer too, I rarely have to wait very long for an instance to pop, and as a result, I purposely seek out DPS friends to join me when I list myself in the tool. This way, they can benefit from the fast-popping instance as well.

Plus of course, it's ALWAYS more fun to run a dungeon when you've got at least one friend in the party, isn't it? :)

I'm happy to hear from my DPS-only friends that the tool is pretty awesome for finding a tank and a healer for a 2- or 3-DPS party, too!

The Social Woes NewLFG Have Reduced

This upgrade of the LFG tool to be cross-battlegroup and intelligent enough to put together a proper party (you know, one with a designated tank and healer so it doesn't have to be decided after formation) has gone a long way to alleviate some Social Woes that have existed for quite a while in the game.

For example, a lot of behaviors that could be labeled "rude and lazy" aren't much of a concern anymore:

• You can continue to quest right until the teleport sequence is engaged, and nobody is inconvenienced (by having to make their way to the stone to summon your lazy ass).
• You can AFK in an instance without any word, or do stupid things like run ahead and get yourself swarmed and killed (and get kicked via Vote).
• You can leave parties right in the middle, even if you're a Tank or Healer, and the party rarely breaks up.
• Even people who roll "Need" on everything are only a pain for the first 10 minutes of them being there.

What Features Of The LFG Tool Do You Love?

I've probably missed some of the great features of the dungeon tool in my post, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Future post on the matter will cover the Laments I have about the new Dungeon Tool - because no matter how awesome it is, it'll never be perfect .

Stay tuned!

Related posts:

1. To The LFG Tool: Some Laments
2. Wailing Caverns via Dungeon Tool = Tests Galore!
3. Do You Feel Guilty Ditching An LFG PUG?

Now there's an LFG Tool that you have to list yourself in, in order to subscribe to the "LFG line". You could just "/join lfg" but you wouldn't be subscribed to the same one as the tool - you need to have yourself listed as looking for a group or looking for another member for your group, in order to subscribe to the Global channel.

Often, I don't really want to commit myself to doing anything in a group, but I want to hear what's going on in general - what dungeon parties are being formed, what classes are required, who's doing the call-outs, etc. Even more often, I'm not sure what toon of mine I want to hit a dungeon with - it often depends on what others on the realm are looking to do, especially in low population hours.

So, what do I do? I "lurk" in the LFG Channel, and I'll show you how to as well.

What Is Lurking?

In short, to lurk is to prowl around, hoping to be undetected. Watching. Listening. But not actively participating in the activities at hand.

In this case, that means not listing yourself as available for a specific dungeon but still listing yourself in the LFG tool so you can keep up with what might be available for you to join if it interests you.

How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel

Here's how you do it - you list yourself as available in a ZONE instead of a Dungeon or Quest, and if you choose a zone that is ill-frequented, it's quite unlikely anyone will ever do the proper search to find you there:

De-lurking To Join A Party

Sometimes I just subscribe to the LFG tool to hear what's going on but know that I don't have enough time to get into anything myself. Most times, however, I subscribe to the LFG tool and watch for something that one of my toons can do... and then when someone advertises on the LFG line for something I'm interested in, I whisper to them from whatever toon I'm on and offer to hop over to the other to join them. I've never been turned down, and find it's a reliable way to burn off rest bonus on my pre-Outland toons.

Related posts:

1. How To “Lurk” On The LFG Channel
2. How To Join A PUG
3. To The LFG Tool: Some Laments

Now there's an LFG Tool that you have to list yourself in, in order to subscribe to the "LFG line". You could just "/join lfg" but you wouldn't be subscribed to the same one as the tool - you need to have yourself listed as looking for a group or looking for another member for your group, in order to subscribe to the Global channel.

Often, I don't really want to commit myself to doing anything in a group, but I want to hear what's going on in general - what dungeon parties are being formed, what classes are required, who's doing the call-outs, etc. Even more often, I'm not sure what toon of mine I want to hit a dungeon with - it often depends on what others on the realm are looking to do, especially in low population hours.

So, what do I do? I "lurk" in the LFG Channel, and I'll show you how to as well.

What Is Lurking?

In short, to lurk is to prowl around, hoping to be undetected. Watching. Listening. But not actively participating in the activities at hand.

In this case, that means not listing yourself as available for a specific dungeon but still listing yourself in the LFG tool so you can keep up with what might be available for you to join if it interests you.

How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel

Here's how you do it - you list yourself as available in a ZONE instead of a Dungeon or Quest, and if you choose a zone that is ill-frequented, it's quite unlikely anyone will ever do the proper search to find you there:

De-lurking To Join A Party

Sometimes I just subscribe to the LFG tool to hear what's going on but know that I don't have enough time to get into anything myself. Most times, however, I subscribe to the LFG tool and watch for something that one of my toons can do... and then when someone advertises on the LFG line for something I'm interested in, I whisper to them from whatever toon I'm on and offer to hop over to the other to join them. I've never been turned down, and find it's a reliable way to burn off rest bonus on my pre-Outland toons.

Related posts:

1. How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel
2. How To Join A PUG
3. To The LFG Tool: Some Laments