Group Etiquette

This guide to grouping etiquette was put together by one of our old officers, Thragmol. Thragmol has moved on to other pursuits, but the advice is still valid.

--Stigg 19:39, 9 March 2009 (UTC)

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So one of the things I love about AIE is that it’s a tremendously diverse group of individuals from Casual to Hardcore and everything in between. And as such I’ve noticed that we have alot of new players in the guild that aren’t quite sure how to act in group in terms of what they should or shouldn’t be doing while teaming up, and how they should go about making a good first impression. So in order to alvoid some of the growing pains that come with becoming versed in WoW etiquette, I've made this list of guidelines to help out anyone new to grouping.

Before I begin let me make it clear these are simply guidelines for you to follow these are by no means rules, do not get angry about whether or not someone is following them. Which bring us to our first guideline:

• Do not get mad at others for not playing the way you want them to.

There are a variety of ways to play each class and it’s very likely that you’ll encounter a unique experiance each time you group with a specific class. So try to allow people breathing room to play their shadow priest or moonkin druid. Also another player might not be as experienced as you are and may cause you to wipe. Don’t get mad just try and help them along.

• Keep it casual.

This may be the first time you’ve interacted with this group of people, and as such it’s a good idea to not move too quickly and assume that whomever you group with is going to be your “best” friend. Most likely they’re forming their opinion about you at same time as you are forming your opinion about them. So say hello, ask questions, and just try and be friendly.

• If you have to leave make sure you let people know that you are and for how long.

There is nothing more frustrating then having to wait for a person while you’re in the middle of an instance when you don’t know when/if they’ll be back and for how long. But if you let your party know that you need to go to the bathroom, talk to your mom/family and you’ll be back in a few minutes (5-10). You’ll encounter a world of understanding. If it’s going to be longer than this let them know, and tell them that’s it’s ok with you if they fill your spot. You can’t expect people to wait “forever”.

• Loot is the last thing you want to worry about.

You’re here to have fun, not to squabble over who rolled greed on a BoP(bind on pickup) or if the Feral Druid took your Rogue item. The people you play with will have a variety of loot rules that they are acustomed too and there is no one way that people will feel about how loot should be run. If you want to avoid loot drama ask your group leader what the loot rules should be. People will generally listen to whatever the group leader sets up.

• Don’t leave once you have the one item you want.

This is just dirty pool. People will be understanding if you have to leave, but don’t bail on a group just because you won’t get anything out of the rest of the instance. Everyone went into the dungeon for one reason or another and you should try and make sure that they get what they want out of it too.

• Need only what you actually are going to use.

So that one 2 handed axe of your dreams just dropped and you want to roll need. Awesome! But hold on. First make sure you’re going to be gettting use out of it and also that the rest of the group knows that you’re going to roll need as well. This is also a good way to roll in general greed etc. As this way there will be very little confusion over items.

• Goodbye, farewell, until we meet again.

So you’re fairly certain that the instance is finished. Well time to hearth back to Orgrimmar right? Not quite, make sure that everyone is finished. Say something like: “So I guess we’re done here right?” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve mistakenly hearthed to soon. Don’t let it happen to you. If they are done. It’s time to make that final good impression. Let them know that you had fun grouping with them regardless of whether or not there was jerk in the group: “Awesome, thanks for the group guys! Let me know if you ever need anything.”

If you follow these rules you should be well on your way to making friends and lasting relationships in WoW.

Hope you found this list useful if you have anything to add or want to comment nows the time. And one last thing...

• Be respectful of other people in your group’s real lives.

World of Warcraft is first and foremost a game, and therefore it is meant to be enjoyed. It is not a chore, or the end all and be all of our lives. It is simply a distraction from our daily lives, an escape by proxy that let’s us into a world of fantasy. As such people in your group may have to leave during the Instance/Raid/Dungeon. How you react to this not only reflects yourself, but the guild. We cannot hold dominion over the people we have decided to play with. They have lives just as we do and that life take priority over our game. So when that person has a bedtime or a family birthday to go to, the best thing to do is tell them you understand and to have a good day or night.