PUG Guide

Kyo Yuy was kind enough to provide us with this guide to Pick Up Groups. Something we've probably all dealt with at one time or another if only to recoil in horror. Give it a read and let us know what you think of it here.

For myself, I've long had a fascination with the PUG. I'm probably lucky in that I'm someone with a lot of connections, I have a very crowded friends list and I very seldom want for a group or an invite for long. However, I also don't have a set guild I run and I aslo enjoy meeting new people or just relaxing at the Arena and whatnot so I'm sure I'll have to deal with a PUG or two along the way. Just what can be done to make such groups more effective and more enjoyable for all involved is an intersting puzzle. For myself, I think it all starts with education. The more people know abou the game, the more experience they have with it, the better players they'll be and that should mean you'll run into good players PUGing it up from time to time.

Of course, people have to be willing to learn and get better but, hey, if you're in a bad PUG that's what warping back to the lobby and the ignore list is for.

So, I think guides like this are a very important thing for people to read and understand. I might disagree with a few points here and there, but I can't disagree with the intent behind Kyo Yuy's guide and I hope to see it added and expanded to as time goes by. The fact is we all stink right now. If, luckily, we're still playing GW a year from now we'll look back at the skills and ideas we have now with amusement if not scorn. Once people can play this game day in and day out our understanding of it, our skill at it, will just grow and grow. So, read the guide, read others, and get a headstart on that learning process. After all, the best players aren't those who've been successful in the past. The best players are those who'll be able to adapt as the game grows and changes and we all get better at it.

Thank you for posting my guide, and I hope that it may help people in navigating through the difficult missions and quests that await in the ever-expanding world of Guild Wars.

Feedback is welcome, but please refrain from being too negative or derogatory.

I think you did great work. It surely will be helpful to players new to the game.

Pick Up Groups can be very frustrating at times - but also very rewarding when you find players that work well together. My best experiences and worst have been in PUG's.

Good Work!

I can't disagree with anything in that guide and there are plenty of nice tips.

Being a huge on-line gamer and also hating being in any sort of guild, I've had a lot of experience with pick-up groups. Playing with close friends is great, but that is not always possible due to schedules and such.

My tips would be:

1) If you are new to a game it is nice to be in a guild if you can stand it. Strangely, I look at PUGs as better for advanced players. This is because if you are very good you can make-up for weak players, and have the experience to give helpful tips, and also know what to expect in a PUG.

Beginners are going to suffer the most in PUGs and there are enough large guilds recruiting that you can get in one and have an easier time with it so long as you are honest about your limitations an skill level.

2) The points made about having a leader are ok, but having a Caller is what it really important (aka a puller). Again, pulling well in any of these games is an advanced ability, so all the more reason to avoid PUGs as a beginner if possible.

3) The best part of PUGs is that they are unpredictable. They tend to be either suprisingly fun or surprisingly frustrating. If you go into them with this attitude, then you'll not be disappointed or upset when they don't work out. It is like a bad hand or mana screw in MtG... just part of the game.

When it does work out, they can be a real blast. I've had many experiences where everyone was so good that we just "clicked" and I have to admit that that has been some of the most fun gaming I've ever experienced.

However, if you are the type that gets frustrated with lousy play and feels the need to demean people then PLEASE don't even think about attending any PUGs. That is what ruins them. Get into an elitist guild and talk about the "stupid n00bs" to your hearts content. Really, there is a right place for everyone and finding that place is 90% of what makes these games fun.

I liked the guide. It'll be helpful, especially to healers I think. Good job.

Yeah, great guide.

I'd only partly agree with that statement. Being in a guild can make or break a game. I personally would PUG more that try to get in a guild because a guild usually has all sorts of other problems. Dunno, I always thought it was better to be an experienced player coming into a guild than a noob. Helps you adapt to the dynamics of the guild better since you ahve something to offer.

BlackAce's comment is no match for mine!

Ignore I believe currently is also run on your Friends List. So if you have a 10 ignored people, that's 10 less friends you can put on your list.

Buff Ignored/Friends List please!

:P No seriously, cool article!

Since the PUG guide is mainly for beginners, and Rebirth is generally unavailable to starting players, I did not mention it. However, if/when I include an Advanced Partying skills section, I will most likely add that. Thank you for the suggestion, though - I will keep it in mind.

Thank You:
This was helpful.
Dancingbear

I would just like to say thank you for an infomative and usefull guide