Professionalism is one of the hallmarks of leadership, but five-man dungeons are too quick and intimate to lead effectively without any connection to your teammates. Once you've got the group together you must, for the time you're together, make friends. Many leaders act either too chummy or too distant in five-mans. If you're too friendly, you risk putting off shy or introverted players who might just want to hit the dungeon without taking you to dinner and a movie, and if you're too cool you'll lose the social butterflies who enjoy dungeons for the team-work and chance to meet people. As a leader, you must make a good impression on both of these, while showing each you are measured and calm. Hence, I call the proper attitude for five-man leadership "Friendly but Professional," which we'll shorted to FbP.
The first part of FbP is the friendly. Put simply: Be cool. Relax, take a deep breath and pretend you're at dinner with four people you don't know. Say it's a business dinner. Because you're all convened to achieve a goal, the others might be shy letting their guard down and making friends, and will look to the boss to break the ice. Start by welcoming everyone with an informal "thanks for coming," or some such. I like to begin by asking the group how they're doing, as just having to answer opens a dialogue, rather than just your monologue of "kill this, loot that."
Do whatever you can within reason to make players feel relaxed and important. As you run the dungeon, start up a conversation with each by asking questions. When did the priest get his hard-to-find staff, the hunter his rare pet? Encourage them to tell the stories. Whereabouts is the mage from, how does the paladin enjoy Ret? At least once per run, I try to engage every single member. Encourage teammates you know to open up a bit. Even in a group of five friends, everyone should get their moment in the spotlight.
Five-mans allow you to dispel some of that leader mystique (later.) Feel free to make wisecracks and riff off other players' jokes liberally, and let people observe your sense of humor. If you're not one for making the funnies, or even if you are, laugh at the others' jokes. If they're not funny, just type in a :-D or a :-P . Talk a little bit about your day, though if you complain, don't whine. By the end of a dungeon run, even an old pal should know he's seen a wee bit more of who his fearless leader really is.
Find something to like about all your teammates, until they give you a reason to dislike them. Note if one of them is funny or one does a really good job, or one just has a cool-looking avatar. If you like your fellows, you will pull for them to succeed, increasing positive energy in the group (yes, positive energy can travel over LAN wires.)
All this does not mean you should act like everyone's bestest friend, or like you share a dorm. Don't force someone to talk about themselves, and indeed don't ask questions that are too personal for a brand new acquaintance. Feel free to mention current events or make a joke, but avoid slipping the discussion into politics or religion. Especially, do not volunteer your own views on such things and if directly asked, calmly state "I believe X," without opening the floor to debate. "I am a Christian" and "I am a liberal," work way better than "I have accepted Jesus Christ/Barack Obama as my Lord and Savior."
Swearing is another way to take things out of the realm of "new friends" and into overfamiliarity and unprofessionalism. Never ever use hate-speech of any sort, as this doesn't just make you a bad leader, but a big jerk. If someone else does such a thing, immediately, politely, firmly ask them to stop.
Remember, these are people you have just met and must lead. As a basic ground rule, treat teammates the way you would treat people you've just met for sports in the park, or for a gaming tournament. You hope to make some new friends, but you don't want to come on too strong. Luckily, we have just the ingredient to temper your friendliness: tune in next time for the "Professional" half of FbP.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
COVERING YOUR OWN BASES or MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL!
How many times have you seen a group dissolve for lack of a tank or healer? How many times have you advertised for a tank or healer in a channel only to have dozens of (presumably illiterate) DPS ask to tag along. If only you had some control over whether your Elemental Shaman or Fury Warrior can go to a dungeon. Well, you do! If you want to put together a five-man fast, you will need one tank and one healer. You can eliminate half the work by playing either role yourself.
Now don't worry, I'm not here to tell leaders they can't play what they want. Not every paladin must heal, not every deathknight must tank, not every DPS must wear a "Zeus > Jesus" t-shirt, stab themselves in the eyes and throw themselves into a pool of Evangelical sharks. I am saying you must know how to make yourself an indispensable part of the group.
So if your class can tank or heal, you should learn how, and collect gear for it. It is not mandatory you only ever play this role if you prefer to DPS, but you must at least be able to in a pinch, so that you never get Mulligan'ed into a failed group.
For your first few max level dungeons, play a tank or healer and gear for that role, trying to reach some basic stat thresholds (uncrittable, a certain spell power, etc.) You can still pick up DPS gear others pass on, just make sure if you ever need to heal or tank to save a group, you're experienced and geared enough to avoid embarrassment.
Do not be one of those people who lets off-spec upgrades be sharded, even after you've got your minimum gear. If given the choice between respec'ing and disbanding, always respec. Teammates will notice a leader dedicated to the team's success.
I know many of you prospective leaders play "pure" DPS classes who literally cannot heal or tank. Many hybrids have no interest in playing those roles. Well, I'm not here to tell you exactly what to play. In the long term, yes, it's more pragmatic to fill one of the more precious healer or tank spots in your group or raid. Yes, the leader who plays his own main tank never has to call off a raid for lack thereof. You might not always be able to fill every group, but you can make yourself indispensable in any group you do fill.
Indispensable DPS don't just win at deeps, but at utility. A warlock who melts the flesh from a boss's bones in 2.5 seconds is impressive, but the warlock who never misses a soulstone and whose succubus is a CC machine is appreciated. The rogue who saps efficiently and misdirects well is appreciated, as are the fury warrior who carries a shield and knows how to stance-dance in emergencies, or the shaman who can throw just the right totem. Learn the little tricks of your class, like scouting with Indivisibility. One of the best leaders I've ever known played a rogue, and not only did he always top the DPS charts, he was a fast, safe sapper, an able scout, and a surprisingly good evasion tank in emergencies. No one doubted his usefulness.
Good players cherish utility and team-mindedness. Of course you do not have to play a healer or tank if you don't want, but you must always play something useful. Show your teammates you're indispensable not just for your leadership skills, but because they wouldn't have an effective group without you.
Now don't worry, I'm not here to tell leaders they can't play what they want. Not every paladin must heal, not every deathknight must tank, not every DPS must wear a "Zeus > Jesus" t-shirt, stab themselves in the eyes and throw themselves into a pool of Evangelical sharks. I am saying you must know how to make yourself an indispensable part of the group.
So if your class can tank or heal, you should learn how, and collect gear for it. It is not mandatory you only ever play this role if you prefer to DPS, but you must at least be able to in a pinch, so that you never get Mulligan'ed into a failed group.
For your first few max level dungeons, play a tank or healer and gear for that role, trying to reach some basic stat thresholds (uncrittable, a certain spell power, etc.) You can still pick up DPS gear others pass on, just make sure if you ever need to heal or tank to save a group, you're experienced and geared enough to avoid embarrassment.
Do not be one of those people who lets off-spec upgrades be sharded, even after you've got your minimum gear. If given the choice between respec'ing and disbanding, always respec. Teammates will notice a leader dedicated to the team's success.
I know many of you prospective leaders play "pure" DPS classes who literally cannot heal or tank. Many hybrids have no interest in playing those roles. Well, I'm not here to tell you exactly what to play. In the long term, yes, it's more pragmatic to fill one of the more precious healer or tank spots in your group or raid. Yes, the leader who plays his own main tank never has to call off a raid for lack thereof. You might not always be able to fill every group, but you can make yourself indispensable in any group you do fill.
Indispensable DPS don't just win at deeps, but at utility. A warlock who melts the flesh from a boss's bones in 2.5 seconds is impressive, but the warlock who never misses a soulstone and whose succubus is a CC machine is appreciated. The rogue who saps efficiently and misdirects well is appreciated, as are the fury warrior who carries a shield and knows how to stance-dance in emergencies, or the shaman who can throw just the right totem. Learn the little tricks of your class, like scouting with Indivisibility. One of the best leaders I've ever known played a rogue, and not only did he always top the DPS charts, he was a fast, safe sapper, an able scout, and a surprisingly good evasion tank in emergencies. No one doubted his usefulness.
Good players cherish utility and team-mindedness. Of course you do not have to play a healer or tank if you don't want, but you must always play something useful. Show your teammates you're indispensable not just for your leadership skills, but because they wouldn't have an effective group without you.
Friday, November 27, 2009
A Little Vacay Time
Hey all! For those of you wondering where your Leadership Guru has been this week, not to worry! I've been visiting my sister down in the li'l ol' South, enjoying Thanksgiving. Sorry not to let everyone know beforehand!
Heck, I figure there's no reason not to get some leadership advice out of this post: When going on vacation, always give notice, or people might lose faith in your leadership/blog!
Look for my next post on Monday the 30th, and happy posthumous Giving of Fangs.
Heck, I figure there's no reason not to get some leadership advice out of this post: When going on vacation, always give notice, or people might lose faith in your leadership/blog!
Look for my next post on Monday the 30th, and happy posthumous Giving of Fangs.
Friday, November 20, 2009
WOW'S NEW LFG FEATURE or RETURN OF MAGMASKROTE
Reading my thoughts on group-building, you may have thought to yourself, "Self, knows not this jive turkey that WoW has a new Looking For Group feature that automatically fills your group, crossing dimensional barriers to bring in players from other servers? Does he not know it teleports you to your dungeon, lets you run the same heroic twice in one day, rewards you for grouping, gives you back-rubs and converts pee to drinking water like in Waterworld? Why does he think his advice on group-building applies?"
I think my advice applies, Self, because it results in stronger groups and teaches leaders valuable team-building and networking skills. Of course I think the LFG feature is wonderful and useful, and I do think it will make it easy to get groups. Chinese takeout makes it easy to get food, but you'll never learn to cook that way.
The skills we're working on here are indispensible: A leader must learn how to search for prospective followers. They must know how to make recruitment ads fun, how to break the ice with strangers and make such a good impression that skilled players will want to get to know the leader better. My path is absolutely harder, but adversity breeds betterment. If you want to be Daniel-San to my Mr. Miyagi, you have to wax on and wax off, not just take the car through a car-wash, since the goal isn't really a shiny car.
I am not soapboxing against the newfangled LFG system. On the contrary, I think it's a wonderful way to reward grouping, and help people just run dungeons. And of course I know that even the most dedicated leaderly trainee will run a bunch of times with four strangers in hopes of getting the adorable PUG pug. I simply think people who want to become excellent leaders need to build leadership skills the old-fashioned way.
The good news is, leaders CAN learn something using only the LFG system. It's a great way to be exposed to jerks! Since you're with me so far in the training, you've been through random battlegrounds. Imagine that, except now you have to give those guys orders. You can't just be that guy who's fierce in battle and attracts followers, you're the leader. You are throwing yourself in at the deep end and exposing yourself to a random assortment of players. Sometimes that clicking sound you hear will be a great group coming together. More often, it'll be a metallic click, right up against your temple... But it'll toughen you up, and fast.
(If you don't want the headache of leading four strangers, just don't sign up as leader. But prepare yourself: a competent leader randomly grouped with an inept one will quickly learn the joys of being shivved with a rusty butter-knife.)
LFG also helps you bigtime, in that it severely reduces the chance you'll have to call a run because you just can't find that last player, and since it's a toss of the dice what sort of person you get, you effectively have to practice both custom-building groups and dealing with random elements if you include a player from LFG -- not to mention the in-game rewards for using it.
Remember, great as the new system is, convenience is no substitute for expertise. Yes, it's very helpful to know how to lead random pickups (later,) but it's more helpful to learn how to recruit a team. If you need to, open up LFG and pick up your last guy or two. If you really want to learn to play with the hand you're dealt, and/or if you're desperate for that vanity pet reward, go in blind with four strangers.
I'd like you to meet those strangers now: Ümläûtør , Barrackhitler, Magmaskrote and Pu.
I think my advice applies, Self, because it results in stronger groups and teaches leaders valuable team-building and networking skills. Of course I think the LFG feature is wonderful and useful, and I do think it will make it easy to get groups. Chinese takeout makes it easy to get food, but you'll never learn to cook that way.
The skills we're working on here are indispensible: A leader must learn how to search for prospective followers. They must know how to make recruitment ads fun, how to break the ice with strangers and make such a good impression that skilled players will want to get to know the leader better. My path is absolutely harder, but adversity breeds betterment. If you want to be Daniel-San to my Mr. Miyagi, you have to wax on and wax off, not just take the car through a car-wash, since the goal isn't really a shiny car.
I am not soapboxing against the newfangled LFG system. On the contrary, I think it's a wonderful way to reward grouping, and help people just run dungeons. And of course I know that even the most dedicated leaderly trainee will run a bunch of times with four strangers in hopes of getting the adorable PUG pug. I simply think people who want to become excellent leaders need to build leadership skills the old-fashioned way.
The good news is, leaders CAN learn something using only the LFG system. It's a great way to be exposed to jerks! Since you're with me so far in the training, you've been through random battlegrounds. Imagine that, except now you have to give those guys orders. You can't just be that guy who's fierce in battle and attracts followers, you're the leader. You are throwing yourself in at the deep end and exposing yourself to a random assortment of players. Sometimes that clicking sound you hear will be a great group coming together. More often, it'll be a metallic click, right up against your temple... But it'll toughen you up, and fast.
(If you don't want the headache of leading four strangers, just don't sign up as leader. But prepare yourself: a competent leader randomly grouped with an inept one will quickly learn the joys of being shivved with a rusty butter-knife.)
LFG also helps you bigtime, in that it severely reduces the chance you'll have to call a run because you just can't find that last player, and since it's a toss of the dice what sort of person you get, you effectively have to practice both custom-building groups and dealing with random elements if you include a player from LFG -- not to mention the in-game rewards for using it.
Remember, great as the new system is, convenience is no substitute for expertise. Yes, it's very helpful to know how to lead random pickups (later,) but it's more helpful to learn how to recruit a team. If you need to, open up LFG and pick up your last guy or two. If you really want to learn to play with the hand you're dealt, and/or if you're desperate for that vanity pet reward, go in blind with four strangers.
I'd like you to meet those strangers now: Ümläûtør , Barrackhitler, Magmaskrote and Pu.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
FIRST IN, LAST OUT or SOME OTHER BUTCH MILITARY SLOGAN
When leading a dungeon, you should be first in and, if possible, last out. If your game allows it, do your group-building while standing at the summoning hub for your dungeon. Not only does this speed summoning, it sends a message to anyone who /whos you: "This leader has his stuff together and is ready to go." DO NOT use group-building time to quest, hit the auction house or do anything else that requires most of your attention. Note that being first in doesn't mean the first person into the dungeon so much as the first person AT the dungeon. You should always be physically present for every summoning to make sure everyone's present and accounted for.
Once the dungeon is over, try to be last to leave. Don't spam-click the mage portal or hearth out the very second the last bit of loot is distributed. Wait patiently till you're the last person in the dungeon, then head out. Obviously, don't miss mage portals by letting the mage go first, and don't wait for someone to return from AFK, but you should be the last person to leave the instance if such a thing is reasonable.
If you use a VOIP like Ventrilo or Teamspeak, these rules can and do apply. Be on your channel before anyone else is, though you should set your message to something like "Away From Mic Until Group is Full." Likewise, try and make sure you're the last non-regular VOIP user (anyone but a guildie or friend of the guild) to leave the channel and generally make sure the group has dissolved before excusing yourself. This shows you're ahead of the curve and allows you to drop an eave or two on party dialogue. By the way, if you're serious about leading, YOU DO USE VOIP, full stop (later.)
As a leader, you must exude professionalism. Being first in and last out of a dungeon are ultimately minor details, but any West Point cadet will tell you, details make the officer. When it's just you and your best buds off on a dungeon for laffers, relax a bit. But when you're leading with a purpose, leading is your job. Yes, you should have fun, but you should exude professionalism and crispness, so the people following you feel secure. The smart players, the exact sorts of players you want to spend time with, will appreciate and respect your devotion and come back for more.
Next time I'll let you in on my thoughts about WoW's new LFG feature, and what it means for leadership and for my admittedly meticulous group-building techniques.
Once the dungeon is over, try to be last to leave. Don't spam-click the mage portal or hearth out the very second the last bit of loot is distributed. Wait patiently till you're the last person in the dungeon, then head out. Obviously, don't miss mage portals by letting the mage go first, and don't wait for someone to return from AFK, but you should be the last person to leave the instance if such a thing is reasonable.
If you use a VOIP like Ventrilo or Teamspeak, these rules can and do apply. Be on your channel before anyone else is, though you should set your message to something like "Away From Mic Until Group is Full." Likewise, try and make sure you're the last non-regular VOIP user (anyone but a guildie or friend of the guild) to leave the channel and generally make sure the group has dissolved before excusing yourself. This shows you're ahead of the curve and allows you to drop an eave or two on party dialogue. By the way, if you're serious about leading, YOU DO USE VOIP, full stop (later.)
As a leader, you must exude professionalism. Being first in and last out of a dungeon are ultimately minor details, but any West Point cadet will tell you, details make the officer. When it's just you and your best buds off on a dungeon for laffers, relax a bit. But when you're leading with a purpose, leading is your job. Yes, you should have fun, but you should exude professionalism and crispness, so the people following you feel secure. The smart players, the exact sorts of players you want to spend time with, will appreciate and respect your devotion and come back for more.
Next time I'll let you in on my thoughts about WoW's new LFG feature, and what it means for leadership and for my admittedly meticulous group-building techniques.
Monday, November 16, 2009
TIPS FOR DUNGEON TEAM-BUILDING or MAKING THE FIVE-MAN-BAND
Don't you hate it when the bell rings in the middle of a really good lecture? The teacher promises he'll pick right up where he left off, but begins the next lesson with some lengthy preamble and unnecessary recap? Well, stuff that noise! We're picking up exactly where we left off, with my rules and tips for putting a good group together fast.
The most basic way to fill a group is to spam LFG and/or general chat. Do not actually spam. Drop your offer about once per two minutes, once per minute if chat is moving really fast. Use all relevant channels.
Of course, if you want to zone into the dungeon before the cows come home, this cannot be all you do. Immediately ask any friends who are online to ask their friends to go, and then start "headhunting," or sending out targeted whispers. Run a player search, either for a specific class or a reputable guild. If the guild has some or all of the classes you'd like, send those fellows a tell. In the class search, pick people with names you like, or again, people in reputable guilds.
Some headhunting parameters: Do not ask anyone who's already in a dungeon, obviously. Do not bother with vulgar or ToS-baiting names, as such people are usually the jerks on whom you'll end up being tough. People with clever joke names are alright, but "Teabags" or "Gokugolas" are probably not the DPS for you.
Write a clever pitch! Group invites tend to become white noise. Even whispered invites tend to be ignored, especially by tanks or healers. You need to get the prospective teammate's attention with something friendly and inviting. Let of your personality show here, so if someone responds, you know you can vibe. Don't write more than sentence, just a clear hook with how many you need, for which dungeon.
Copy and paste this pitch. Don't worry if it's a "form letter." People will notice a catchy form letter before they will just another "LF 2 DPS." Even for the whispers you send to victims... er... subjects of your headhunt, copy-pasting is much more efficient than hand-typing every last invite. Make sure not to refer to anyone by name, of course. A form-letter with the wrong person's name is rude.
When headhunting, always fill the tank and/or healer spots first, as DPS is everywhere and in much lower individual demand, while tanks and healers might be reluctant to join groups without the other role filled. DPSers will respond to your LFG posts before anyone else. With tanks and healers, try for dedicated specs or at least, decent gear. With DPS, favor ranged over melee, and never go all-melee (I will discuss why later.)
Always make sure to chat a bit with every prospective group member. Just a few lines back and forth to get a feel for the person. A polite how-are-you, a follow-up to the other person's joke, answers to any questions. Get a feel for your prospective teammate before you waste an hour of your life on a jerk. This also makes the person feel like you're interested in them as an individual or some hippie nonsense.
Finally, don't be desperate. No matter how much you want to run an instance, don't let a guy named Magmaskrote tank in Fury gear. Don't run with someone who acts entitled or responds to your attempt to get to know him with "hurry up, I don't have all day." Someone who joins the group and starts throwing his weight around, spewing hate-speech or making others miserable can have a slice of "thanks but no thanks" before being removed. Leadership and group-building are ultimately more valuable than any one player, and mature group-mates should understand this. Even if, when all your options are exhausted, you cannot find anyone to fill a needed role and must disband the group, just tell your teammates you'd rather not run at all then subject them to an unpleasant person. So many miserable, disastrous PUGs could be avoided if leaders never settled for obnoxious players just to get into the dungeon.
If you are proactive, friendly, and steadfast in looking out for your allies' good time, they will wait as long as you need, because they recognize the value of a good leader. Some might leave out of necessity, and will be willing to team up another time. Those who storm off, or get mad at you for getting rid of an obvious jerk, will spare you the agony of their company in the dungeon to come.
The most basic way to fill a group is to spam LFG and/or general chat. Do not actually spam. Drop your offer about once per two minutes, once per minute if chat is moving really fast. Use all relevant channels.
Of course, if you want to zone into the dungeon before the cows come home, this cannot be all you do. Immediately ask any friends who are online to ask their friends to go, and then start "headhunting," or sending out targeted whispers. Run a player search, either for a specific class or a reputable guild. If the guild has some or all of the classes you'd like, send those fellows a tell. In the class search, pick people with names you like, or again, people in reputable guilds.
Some headhunting parameters: Do not ask anyone who's already in a dungeon, obviously. Do not bother with vulgar or ToS-baiting names, as such people are usually the jerks on whom you'll end up being tough. People with clever joke names are alright, but "Teabags" or "Gokugolas" are probably not the DPS for you.
Write a clever pitch! Group invites tend to become white noise. Even whispered invites tend to be ignored, especially by tanks or healers. You need to get the prospective teammate's attention with something friendly and inviting. Let of your personality show here, so if someone responds, you know you can vibe. Don't write more than sentence, just a clear hook with how many you need, for which dungeon.
Copy and paste this pitch. Don't worry if it's a "form letter." People will notice a catchy form letter before they will just another "LF 2 DPS." Even for the whispers you send to victims... er... subjects of your headhunt, copy-pasting is much more efficient than hand-typing every last invite. Make sure not to refer to anyone by name, of course. A form-letter with the wrong person's name is rude.
When headhunting, always fill the tank and/or healer spots first, as DPS is everywhere and in much lower individual demand, while tanks and healers might be reluctant to join groups without the other role filled. DPSers will respond to your LFG posts before anyone else. With tanks and healers, try for dedicated specs or at least, decent gear. With DPS, favor ranged over melee, and never go all-melee (I will discuss why later.)
Always make sure to chat a bit with every prospective group member. Just a few lines back and forth to get a feel for the person. A polite how-are-you, a follow-up to the other person's joke, answers to any questions. Get a feel for your prospective teammate before you waste an hour of your life on a jerk. This also makes the person feel like you're interested in them as an individual or some hippie nonsense.
Finally, don't be desperate. No matter how much you want to run an instance, don't let a guy named Magmaskrote tank in Fury gear. Don't run with someone who acts entitled or responds to your attempt to get to know him with "hurry up, I don't have all day." Someone who joins the group and starts throwing his weight around, spewing hate-speech or making others miserable can have a slice of "thanks but no thanks" before being removed. Leadership and group-building are ultimately more valuable than any one player, and mature group-mates should understand this. Even if, when all your options are exhausted, you cannot find anyone to fill a needed role and must disband the group, just tell your teammates you'd rather not run at all then subject them to an unpleasant person. So many miserable, disastrous PUGs could be avoided if leaders never settled for obnoxious players just to get into the dungeon.
If you are proactive, friendly, and steadfast in looking out for your allies' good time, they will wait as long as you need, because they recognize the value of a good leader. Some might leave out of necessity, and will be willing to team up another time. Those who storm off, or get mad at you for getting rid of an obvious jerk, will spare you the agony of their company in the dungeon to come.
Friday, November 13, 2009
HOW TO BUILD A FIVE-MAN GROUP or ALPHA! FIND ME FIVE TEENAGERS WITH ATTITUDE!
Alright, killer. You've emerged from the battlegrounds bloodstained, instincts honed, hard-bitten by the rabid dogs of war and subject to various military cliches. Folks in your battlegroup sometimes recognize you and follow your lead, so now it's time to start leading on purpose (not to mention showing off our sexy posture and melodious tones.) Let's take the playing skills you've gathered and work in some practical group leadership mojo!
Dungeons are about as basic as group leadership gets without being blindingly simple. The joy is all the tricks you learn leading dungeons will carry over all the way into raids. A raid dungeon is a dungeon, after all. Think of this as opening your very first cafe. You must run it well before your green logo hangs on every street corner, inside every supermarket, and in the bathrooms of your other cafes.
Before you can lead a group, you need a group to lead, so today we'll discuss how to properly assemble the Avengers.
Of course, if you have a guild and Buddy List full of gung-ho dungeoneers, grab those and off you run! The only real advice I have for running with your friends is make sure to switch it up a bit. Don't just invite the same people every single time, unless specifically building a crack team for some tough objective (later.) Of course, try to hang with the people you like, but as a leader you should try to cultivate a whole list of people you like, so you're never without a friend in a moment of need. This avoids accusations of favoritism and helps you practice leading all sorts of individuals and group makeups.
My motto I made up just now is: the only person guaranteed to be on when you're on is you. Not only that, but if you want to lead, you need to network and to challenge yourself. Many leaders scoff at pickups. If friends are online, offer them a spot before some random stranger, but lots of terrible pickups can be avoided if you use these teambuilding techniques.
To fill a group quickly, you must be proactive, use every means available, and make "must-have" teammates your first priority.
As you may have noticed, I love me a good solid wall of text. While my previous posts have been Berlin-y in size, this one is both Great and Of China. So I'm splitting it up into two posts. As you stay tuned for the next installment, remember the key lessons to forming a group: You must be proactive, you must be enticing, and you must never settle for jerks just to fill your group.
Dungeons are about as basic as group leadership gets without being blindingly simple. The joy is all the tricks you learn leading dungeons will carry over all the way into raids. A raid dungeon is a dungeon, after all. Think of this as opening your very first cafe. You must run it well before your green logo hangs on every street corner, inside every supermarket, and in the bathrooms of your other cafes.
Before you can lead a group, you need a group to lead, so today we'll discuss how to properly assemble the Avengers.
Of course, if you have a guild and Buddy List full of gung-ho dungeoneers, grab those and off you run! The only real advice I have for running with your friends is make sure to switch it up a bit. Don't just invite the same people every single time, unless specifically building a crack team for some tough objective (later.) Of course, try to hang with the people you like, but as a leader you should try to cultivate a whole list of people you like, so you're never without a friend in a moment of need. This avoids accusations of favoritism and helps you practice leading all sorts of individuals and group makeups.
My motto I made up just now is: the only person guaranteed to be on when you're on is you. Not only that, but if you want to lead, you need to network and to challenge yourself. Many leaders scoff at pickups. If friends are online, offer them a spot before some random stranger, but lots of terrible pickups can be avoided if you use these teambuilding techniques.
To fill a group quickly, you must be proactive, use every means available, and make "must-have" teammates your first priority.
As you may have noticed, I love me a good solid wall of text. While my previous posts have been Berlin-y in size, this one is both Great and Of China. So I'm splitting it up into two posts. As you stay tuned for the next installment, remember the key lessons to forming a group: You must be proactive, you must be enticing, and you must never settle for jerks just to fill your group.
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