So Public Quests are great. Yay PQs. Love ya. But I do wonder about the protocol, the proper ettiquette, if you will, for handling them.
Let me explain by way of example:
situation one: You are in a PQ in an established [closed] group. You are working on objectives, Tra la la. In stage two, while you are killing say, level 16 champion spiders (Silkens in the house!), someone else rolls up and starts mixing it up with the mobs. Does it matter what the new toons class is? What level he is?
situation two: You are wandering by a PQ area and see a group in stage 2 of say, Reaper's Circle, and notice that they're a bit behind on the timer. Also, a small group. You roll on in and start mixing it up. The group refuses to acknowledge your presence. No heals, no help, no invite. It's a closed group.
These are actually different things that happened to me (shocking)! In both cases here I was the individual coming late to the game, but I've been on the other side as well.
Obviously on the most basic level, PQs are open to all. If you can show up and do enough to rate a roll, you deserve one. That's what a PQ means. But that doesn't mean you're going to be super psyched by the redundant tank rolling up late in stage 2 (sorry about that) or that you the late-arriving tank, redundant or not, really deserve a shot at the roll.
"That's what contribution is for." Sure, sure. If you farm the whole thing, you have a better chance at top roll. But first, as I've noted earlier, contribution is screwy. And second, if I, the redundant tank, am left alone by a surly group, baited in to pulling mobs, or whatever, I WILL DIE AND GET NOTHING. (sry caps!)
But seriously. I don't really deserve good loot. I do it, though I know it's lame, and I always hope, if I haven't earned it, that I don't take someone else's hard-won loot.
Well I dont know about you but when I get a chance to roll loot and I place third and they give me something crappy like a pot or something... Im like why the heck did I even participate...
ReplyDeleteMaybe the wrong state of mind but usually if I havnt started in the PQ then I wont bother...
For me, a PQ is like a mini-dungeon run. If I get something (like the Carapace of Havok, woot) awesome, if not, it's still more fun than running around doing horrible messenger quests (I'm looking at you, WOW).
ReplyDeleteI have come upon PQs that folks have already started and then not gotten an invite or an acknowledgment of any kind. It feels kind strange, like you should go, but it's public man. I just stick to the end and if i get good loot out of it I figure it may be irritating to those kids but oh well....
ReplyDeleteOne of the big factors for me in my karmic evaluation (how much of a selfish jerk am I being by joining a closed group) is how strong the group is.
ReplyDeleteIf they are a complete group, moving through stages quickly, then I'm really not going to be contributing much. At that point its a game of do enough to earn a roll and hope for some mercy loot. Or maybe keep moving, let them work it out.
If the group is weak, or slow toward reaching objectives then I am contributing, I'm helping them whether they realize it or not. And at that point, if they've not invited me, not healed me or whatever, I really want to win the roll :)