What is it about PUGs..

Every PUG has hiccups during a mission or quest that could be avoided, but if we all played perfectly I doubt the game would be as much fun. Yes, people screw up but when you get the uptight players spamming "retard" or "idiot" afterwards it doesn't help matters, it more than likely just angers the guy and encourages him to keep doing it.

Messing up is frustrating, for sure, but it's only a game and everything can be re-done. I'd say 80% of the PUGs I've been a member of have been excellent, I'm generally more annoyed by the rude players rather than the Monks who charge into a mob or whatever.

Hmm...I'm torn on the target calling thing. If I'm playing my mesmer, and someone targets a melee character and I'm fleshed out for anti-casting, do you guys think it's wrong that I would instead try to keep a caster pinned down, even though it's not directly contributing to the target? It's a matter of doing my job vs. doing what the group wants. I really get into these conflicts pretty often. What do you guys think?

If you are targeting a Monk that is healing the called melee target, then you are directly contributing...

And even if you are just attacking a random caster, if you are not equipped to attack melee, then don't. Go where you are most useful, because if you don't attack that caster it could kill your group

I've made it a little rule of mine to always be the leader of my pugs. That way I can sorta used the "I'm the leader so listen up" tone with them. If they don't like it they can leave and find a group that can put up with them. Oh boy the morons I've ran into while playing guild wars. So many stories ... , still thou I've had some really really great groups. Guys who listen and the mission filies by.

QFE (Quoted For Emphasis ). I've had pretty good luck with PUGs when I take my time to read the chat channels and don't just accept the first invite that comes my way. It takes a little more time to get set up but the benefits are numerous... more efficiency, more fun, more friends on the list.

I just had an AWESOME experience with a PUG this morning... actually two PUGs.

Trying to do Galanth villainy quest. Which is damn, damn long. First PUG, we got our asses handed to us over and over, despite trying to cooperate. I had no idea that we would be facing hordes of poison and undead... and my monk's skills didn't help there.

We disbanded, I and one other formed up again in Lion's arch, clawed our way to the Springs, formed a new group there. Moved some skills around. This group rocked, 2 monks, 2 warirors, 1 necro, 1 mes.... we just chewed thru some really bad stuff. Til right toward the end, one mob surprised us as we were fighting another, we got hammered. But managed to always keep on monk up.

Long story short, completed the quest with only 3 intact... being cheered on by the dead guys (who were SO dead, standing in 3 mobs worth of 20th lvl bad guys).

Everyone was laughing and planning and trying different tactics. We had a great Res/Heal combo going on. I got pinned by 4 monsters, couldn't move, I just kept healing and healing and healing til help arrived, which in did, in the nick. I died several times druing the finale, as did everyone, but we managed to solider on, never a total party kill. It was fun.

It was awesome. Totally pick up. Here is where i hope y'all's mileage doesn't vary. Great group.

It's unreasonable to expect any PUG to succeed in a mission most of times. Remember there are members in a PUG that haven't played the mission yet. And I agree that it's fun even in failing the mission. It's just a game and making a mistake is human nature, part of learning as well. To me the worst experience comes not from mistakes, but from verbal abuses some ppl throw at others and those impatient quitters who left the team to fend for themselves. A team with all noobs is more fun than a team with some arrogant players telling others what they supposed to do and verbally insult them if they don't. As for leadership, only the leader of a group has the right to decide course, whether he/she is a noob or not, others can only make suggestions. I prefer being part of adventurous PUG over a discipline army unit. That's the charm and fun part of being in a PUG, playing with ppl you don't know, with outcome you can't predict.

I find that PUG's get much better towards the end game content. Why? Because only people who can work together and have skill actually make it there. It's quite funny as you progress through the game the amounts of people get filtered out especially around ascension where co-operation is tantamount to success. (This also has the nice side effect of training players who have reached the end game content to be good team players when they start new characters.)

Lions Arch every district is crowded... get to Ring of Fire, when I did it only a few people maybe 9 or 10 in district 1, got a team together had a great leader and did it first go. Was all about teamwork and cooperation and tactics work.

I think earlier in the game people's ego's are a little too inflated and they think they are almost invincible, which leads to conceited players who all think they are the best and the concept of cooperation to a mutual end escapes them. It will take a feast of humble proportions for them to actually function correctly in a team (like maybe getting flattened several times in certain missions).

Though of course there ARE players out there who just like to grief people, or are just plain immature which is quite disapointing.

From my experience, just don't make a full PUG. Get a few other players, then fill the rest out with henches.

I've only ever had one good full group that wasn't at least half guildmates. But I've had plenty of really good 3-player, 3-hench groups.

I seriously think many people just get lazy-stupid when there's a full group of people. Like they think everyone else can pick up the slack if they don't do their job.

I've had half and half with the PUG's, sometimes we had ONE player out of the entire full group of non henchies, except maybe one, that really didn't do much to help us, instead they made things more difficult.

We've had other PUG's with me and Corwin and one other friend of ours that had about four or five other players that worked well together and got things done until we finally figured we were done for the day.

When we did the Lornar's Run or tried, it was all players, Corwin, Myself and another guildmate and the rest were picked up in Beacons' that worked til we got a quarter of the way through the ... one area with the word Snake in it? Then half of us had to leave so it got stuck there.

Overall I avoid PUG's unless there aren't enough guildmates to run a mission, or when henchies just cannot do the job right.

I like bad groups. More minions for me

I think Pick-Up Groups (PUG's) are fascinating. Just the fact that 2-8 more-or-less randomly picked people have to work together, with different skill sets, is a fascinating challenge. I simply see it as a management problem, not very much unlike management issues you would have in your real-life job.

In Guild Wars, even if the PUG can not work together at all, I always try to figure out why that it so, and what could be done to improve on this. PUG's, with all their surprises, are a big part of the charm of online games, and, in my opnion, shouldn't be avoided at all.

I'm often forced to group with PUG's and I've had both good and bad experiences. If I knew more people online to team with I would, but mainly my guild mates are not online or we cannot form a complete team. Also, since my main character is a monk and I've finished off all the main missions i'm always being called on to help someone out. I'm trying to work on new characters but keep having to redo missions and quests for others, so it slows my progress with my other characters.

I guess I don't mind PUG's, but sometimes there is no cooperation or even rational tactics involved, which irkes me to no end. Henches are great for lower level quests and missions but once you reach 15+ it usually isn't so rosy.

I dont necessarily agree with a poster who said PUG's get better as you level. Try the pre-ascension trials, the River, Dunes and Elona? I've run into groups time and again who fail the mission because people don't know what their doing, rushing, over-aggroing, etc. I mean, I passed each one the first time with my monk and a good team. Now with my warrior it seems every team I'm on we fail because of the lack of direction and cooperation, everyone thinks he/she knows how to do it and ignores everybody else:-(

I agree.

I would say mesmers are somewhat exempt to the everyone on the same target rule. You may be doing a few different things on a few targets. Burden one, empathy another, and backfire another.

I would avoid a PUG for the simple reason that it takes forever to make one... :/

Yes people that do not listen and charge into battle annoy me greatly. We try to get people that have TeamSpeak Client and let them use our server as a guest. However, within these PUGs (New term to me as well) I have found some really fun/smart players that I have added to my friends list. I try to be kind and nice to other players I do not know. Before you know it you are playing again on other missions/quests.

I personally like to stop after a major battle and PLAN the next move, let people recharge and make a wise choice on which way to attact the next group. Watch the patrols...draw out the smaller groups. And with Teamspeak it is fun. You get to know people a little better and crack jokes,flirt,praise,etc. There is an old old joke about a Old Bull and a Young Bull sitting on a hill looking at the cows. The Young Bull says: "Let's run down and Do one". The Old Bull says: "Let's walk down and Do them All" (I cleaned it up some.) I am an Old Bull by the way.

here is my tip for forming a good PUG.

Firstly, state what group you want, what mission you are going to do, and hwo you are going to do it. example being:
"I'm looking for a group to do Thirsty River, slowly and carefully."

Secondly, discount people who dont reply properly, for example:
"I ned 2 du that one yeah yeah take me ace healing elementalist!!"

Thirdly, as team leader, talk to your whole team before starting the mission. Remove any who refuse to engage in pre-mission basics, such as target calling and objectives, and secondly remove any who want to do things other than what the overall group objective is.

I know these rules sound a bit uncompromising, but these rules will garner you a good group out of the people in the area. The best solution however is to build up a friends list of people as well as your guild, and then try to get people from there.

No it is a great idea. I always TRY to explain a few ground rules before starting. Some people just simply do not care. But you do meet the "good" ones in that mission win or lose that you carry with you later on. Actually, I have found that women play smarter over all. Maybe it is there are many more males(not all are MEN) that it seems like the males are out to prove something and make the other males look bad. The women/ladies want to plan it out and think it through. I have many nice women on my friends list.

Disclaimer: There are many great males that play too.

I dunno, I've usually had good luck with PUGs.