Pick Up Groups are the name given to parties that form without a previous agreed-upon roster or schedule, in order to take on content that can’t be handled solo at that level.

I’ve written a lot about them here in my blog, because over the years of playing, I’ve come to recognize the high value of them for any player who likes to experience the depth of the game in all of its aspects, and the social value that PUGging has given me when it comes to holding my own with new friends I make while playing the game.

Why PUG?

Lots of answers spring to mind, but some of the main ones for me, are this:

Why I PUG:

• I like the concentrated encounters that dungeon runs offer (versus questing) - less running around, more playing
  
• I like the quietness of a small guild of introverts for my general hangout - that chat window isn’t big enough to have real conversations going on very often
  
• My friends aren’t always available for what I want to do, or there aren’t enough of us
  
• I like my toons and love to practice all of their skills. Playing with different classes in a familiar encounter adds spice
  
• As I PUG, I meet other players who are solid in skill and attitude and we become friends, and I begin to meet their friends
  
• As my experience in PUGs grow, I’m invited to other parties with people I know play well more - and good players tend to gather together.
  
• As a writer, PUGs also inspire me in compiling educational information for those who, like me, have a competitive edge to do well in whatever they do, even if they don’t have raiding aspirations :)

Why I Want My Friends To PUG

• So that when you decide to join in on a dungeon run I advertise on chat in the Outland (or at level 70), you’re not making all of the cardinal sins that PUG-experienced players learned while PUGging in Azeroth. I don’t want to have to say “dude, you stink”.
  
• So you have a basic clue of what you need to do to handle heroics and I don’t have to ask you each time whether you’re heroics geared when you say you’d like to come along
  
• I want friends who will invite me into their dungeon group, without any type of reliance on me to help fill out the rest of the group.
  
• I want to share experiences with my friends, as it’s much more fun that way - as long as it’s not my friend who is committing cardinal dungeon party sins out of lack of experience (and thus looking like they’re way younger than they are)

Now, that having been said, let me say this as well:

My Hunter was my first one up, and she really didn’t do a LOT of PUGs. I did some, and killed a lot of people until I figured out how to control my pet and use it as a tank, and negotiate tight areas with difficulty getting Ranged to be able to sling arrows.

When I hit Outland the day of the expansion release, I didn’t PUG at ALL with that toon, just did quests until I hit 70. I still rarely PUG with her as my Mage came up and that’s where I got comfortable with PUGging and my role in it.

My second and subsequent toons have all PUGged a lot. In fact, my Healing Priest who just hit 69 in her second run of Shadow Labs, has been PUGging since level 38 almost exclusively for experience and leveling (52-58 I gave up, went Shadow and ground my way to Outland then went back holy and back into LFG). The toons lower than her are also on the same trek, with a few more traded run-throughs with friends added in there.

So, I understand getting familiar with the game, making a few friends and doing quests with another person or two, and only having larger parties on rare occasions to take down some group quest outside an instance… but once someone has any aspiration to get some gear from dungeons or experience the whole dungeon thing, I think PUGging is important and a respectful way to show your friends you want to do your part to be a solid contributor in the group.

So, maybe you don’t PUG with this main toon for a bit, maybe you PUG with a lowbie where others are just as inexperienced as you. The skills transfer to your higher level toon as many are basic dungeon etiquette and dungeon processes more than class skills.

And of course, if you’re on a 14.4k modem or simply don’t have the time to even consider dungeon instances, no need to PUG.

But please, when I ask if any DPS wants to join in on a run that’s forming in the Outland (Azeroth is way more forgiving and quite okay - it’s where everyone is still learning the ropes), don’t decide that now is the day you’re going to “try dungeons”. Jumping in to the deep end will be stressful for both of us ;)

Tags: how to find a pug, pick up group, pick up groups, pugging in azeroth, pugging in outland, pugging strategy, PUGs, warcraft pug, what is a pug, why pug

World of Warcraft is a great game - I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted here… even those who have been disillusioned and left for some reason can still likely say that the game is pretty great, but some of the game’s aspects or followers, perhaps, weren’t.

At any rate, despite holing myself up in a Guild of One recently, I want to say that Yes, I still think World of Warcraft is a pretty great game, and I have no real intention of being completely devoid of social contact in this Massively Multiplayer Online game.

But I can definitely say that what I looked forward to a month ago is different than what I look forward to today, and today I feel much happier about the future than I did a month ago.

Looking Towards The Future

I’ve always enjoyed the life of a Casual player, so getting into Raiding was an interestying foray, but not ultimately what I’ve wanted to do with my time.

Now that I have my free time back, I’m looking towards the future and making some plans.

I’m kind of, but not really, looking at setting some goals that I can have done by the time The Lich King expansion pack comes out, whenever that may be. I haven’t clearly defined my goals yet, however, nor do I keep up on the latest of when it’s coming out.

Heck, I’m still entertained plenty in the Azeroth areas and dungeons - getting the expansion pack isn’t a huge goal of its own, other than the fact that everyone will have it and I might as well get it too.

Some Goals For Before LK Releases

Priest
My first Toon Family goal is to get my 63 Priest to 70 through a combination of reputation-specific quests and healing in PUGs.

As a Jewelcrafter, I’ll be focusing on The Consortium reputation for this toon, and will probably dive into the Shattered Sun dailies once I hit 70 so I can get all of those recipes as well.

While I’m levelling through dungeons or questing for specific reputation gain, I plan to be making recordings with the intent of making various videos. I’d really love feedback on these things once I start posting them, to help me improve both in my healing and in my video-making.

Like my thoughts, I’m sure the topics will range far and wide, venturing even into the ridiculous.

Druid
I’ve got a level 30 Druid who has been level 30 for a number of months. I’d like to get her to at least 60, because I’m sure with the expansion pack there’ll be a large number of Death Knights looking to party their way through the Outland instances even when Northrend is up and going.

I’m looking forward to putting some real time and love into the Druid - it’ll be my first truly Hybrid toon of any level, and I intend to practice all of its aspects so I’m good at switching around between DPS, Healing and Tanking as the group requires.

And I’m sure a lot of PUGs will give me a lot of opportunity to hone and improve those skills… only to have “what works and what’s needed” change all around when the expansion comes out ;)

Shaman and Paladin

I have teen-level Shaman and Paladin characters that have been sitting for a bit while I got caught up in raiding - I’m thinking if I can get them both to 58 or so for the expansion and situate the Shaman as a healer and the Pally as a tank, these in combination with the Druid will give me awesome angles of others playing their DeathKnights when the expansion hits. (can you tell I don’t plan to roll one right away?)

Mage
I love my Mage but would rather advance up my plethora of other toons because with the gear level my Mage is at, raiding and heroics are the only “real” challenges, and I don’t want to get back into raiding. I ponder on PUGging Karazhan for the badges, hoping to find a group each week that can accomplish a fast run (ie: under 3 hours would be nifty), but know that would just lead to invites to other things on my Mage, who I largely don’t want to invest time in anymore.

I’ll probably mainly bring him out to run my lowbie Shaman and Pally through quests or dungeons once in a while, and to help out friends who I trade favors with.

Hunter
No real goals, aside from respec’ing to a solid pet-centric solo spec and using this toon to help my friends and lower toons (on the other WoW account) complete quests or obtain gear from Azeroth dungeons.

But For Now…

But for now, it’s time to head outside into the sunshine and take advantage of the warmth that is springtime.

Yet another wonderful thing I can do with my time, less committed!

Tags: burning crusade, casual gamer, druid, gruul's lair, healing in dungeons, holy priest, hunter, jewelcrafter, jewelcrafting, karazhan, lich king, mage, mage tank, magtheridon, paladin, playing goals, priest, protection paladin, pug raids, PUGs, pvp, resto shaman, rogue, shaman, shattered sun, tanking in dungeons, the consortium, world of warcraft, wow pvp