Do people never bother grouping together anymore?

I never take PuG's because if they start talking to me I get frusterated b/c 99% of the time I'm talking like crazy in Guild/Alliance chat. Also, I go afk a lot to do favor's for parents(against my will t('.'t) ), and ppl get angry sometimes, so I choose just to bypass the entire situation. I also prefer having the freedom of being able to tell my henchys what to do, for strategic reasons.

PUG is ok if u think HM is still too easy and u wanna some more random challenge to yer mission.

"Let's see.. monk with raise?"
"Will they spam for free drops in the middle of the fight ?"
"Will they attack the right mobs? "

IMO, i henched most of the game since Propheties, u can actually finish missions on the first try if u dont bother with those silly PUGs

Amen. Smashed that one, first try, with a random PuG. It was easy.
Indeed. But generally, I don't kick people for stupid toolbars. Sometimes, what looks stupid is actually quite effective for certain narrowly-defined situations. Heck, I even play Wammo on occassion... where it's called for. What I *do* kick people for is for not explaining why they've got Mending in their toolbar, or some other odd loadout. If they've got a good enough explanation, they stay. If they don't have a good explanation, and refuse to take advice on a better combo, *then* I'll give 'em the boot. Not for the dumb tool bar, but for being obtuse when offered help. Well, for that, or for immature and/or rude behavior.

The attitude you bring to your PuG has a LOT to say about how successful you're going to be. If you're polite and helpful, you'll do well. Many times, the players with the dumb toolbars simply have never had anyone take a couple minutes to teach them a better way. I find educating people, rather than abusing them, works like a champ, and makes for a largish group of people I can call upon at need when my guild is busy.

Players fumbling about the map = cute
Players insisting on bringing nature's renewal even though we have 2 dervishes, a necro, and a prot monk in our team = head->desk

imo :<

I'm one of those players who completely deck out my heroes. With the addition of the GWEN heroes, there are now duplicates of each primary class to choose from.

This allows me to set up for instance: Acolyte Sousuke as a Fire Nuker, Zed as an Air, Vekk as an Earth, etc etc, and completely rune/insignia their gear and equip them with the best possible weapon configuration, so I can simply choose which build I need.

Also, after the time that I have spent adjusting my skill sets for each type of build, my heroes play as closely as possible to the way that I want them to.

Also, since I have decided to focus on a single main character to play, using my heroes gives me a taste of "playing" those builds as well. I never enjoyed the role of healing and a well set up monk hero, customized to my taste, fills this need perfectly.

Yep I enjoy going alone. I like to go with one or 2 people and use heros. Eight people running around each trying to acomplish their individual goals is not my idea of fun. I do Pug sometimes but less and less often.

It's beyond redundant by now, but yes, I too find PUGs to be a waste of time. And it's mainly because everyone wants to be the prima donna. I don't give too much credence to the theory that those who PUG are bad players, but it has certainly been my experience that they are the worst behaved. I really don't see this improving, because the players who still, after two years, depend on random PUGs are those who haven't managed to find a good guild or make a single friend in-game.

Almost without exception, I use heroes/hunches exclusively for all missions/quests/dungeons whenever feasible (areas such as DoA, the Deep, and Urgoz exempted). This is because doing so affords several key advantages:

1) I’ll have a reasonably high probability of successfully completing it on the first try.
2) I’ll actually be able to get into a group, because as we’re all aware, rangers/paras/mesmers/ritualists are just plain useless…
3) I can generally complete it at my own pace, taking random breaks when I need to and giving me time to just stand there and gawk at all the fantastic scenery.
4) I can actually “get into the moment” of a quest or mission, ruminating on all the reasons why I’m about to kill/rescue/protect/spy on/deliver/speak with so and so. In short, I get to enjoy the experience.

This is much more difficult with PUGs, who more often than not, don’t share the same motivations for playing the game. Comments like “GO GO GO!!!” and “so how much longer? I gotta eat soon” really tend to spoil my mood. It’s too reminiscent of the people that used to obtain complete walkthroughs for text adventure games (yeah, I’m THAT old), blindly typing in the answers without even bothering to read the content. Uh, I mean why bother?

That said, I actually DO enjoy participating in PUGs, but only after I’ve completed a particular mission or quest. Success is no longer an important criteria, so I’m free to enjoy the PUG experience in all its glory. It’s so much easier to see the humor in bad decisions or behavior when you no longer have a vested interest in the outcome. It’s also enjoyable to have a conversation with real people (I’ve tried talking to my heroes, but the “No one hears you” comment really ruins it for me). And on rare occasions, you end meeting someone you like well enough to add to your friends list.

henchman/heroes > 95% of pugs in this game. Why the hell would i ever want to pug again unless making a pug with friends?

I play through the games with two of my friends. We're usually all in the same room playing, and I find it far more enjoyable than teaming up with random people. I still PUG sometimes, usually when we have no idea how to complete a mission, or for those later missions were Heroes just aren't good enough, such as the Gate of Madness.

Frankly, most players are just far too immature or really suck at the game. I don't pretend to be the best player ever, but some of the guys you meet out there really make you slap your forehead. Look at a mission like Thunderhead Keep for example, that can be completed very easily just with henchmen. But when you try to PUG it you have a whole team of people telling you to do it "their way" and you end up with people running all over the map like headless chickens, until you're all dead.

One of the reasons I play Guild Wars is because I CAN play it myself, or with a small group of friends. The whole "well play a single player game" argument doesn't really hold up, as no other RPG always you to do that, at least not as well.

Ill give you a great reason why alliance/guild/hero/hench are better than pugs. Monk raising minions, enough said.

OK, I'll be the oddball of the block. I play for the challenge, period. I've been in the game since beta, and once or twice through any GW campaign and its just another arcade shooter if you play it alone. I can't even pass it on to my grandkids (a couple of them have it anyway).

Unless I'm helping out one or more of my kids or grandkids, and filling in the blanks with heroes, I PUG all the way. My healing monk got her three protector titles a long time ago and I still run her through some of the harder missions in each campaign, just to help random groups out. Now that's the kind of challenge I like, and it's never the same game twice. I've gotten a hell of a lot of compliments and thanks, and the occasional ugliness, so what, I just disregard it.

Same with my other classes. It's harder to get into a group, and the success rate is not as high, but that's OK. When I get bored, I've got lots to do, including a shelfload of other games.

Why should people? I mean ive had a few good pugs but most of the time it's either rude bad players or people that disco or get disco'ed because they have bad internet. Waste of my time....

I love puging but if it's full of players like ive described above then like I said it's a waste of my time.

The spirit of GW is puging though I remember back in the beta and after joining a group and people were fun, non elitest and generally not rude...ahhh the good ol days.

Henchs and heroes everytime for me Sometimes I just feel like watching TV or making something to eat and to be honest pick up groups don't really appreciate that. Also with heroes I can set them up with the build I want, I'm not the best player around but I know what a good build and a bad build are + I can avoid criticism on my own build.

HEAR, HEAR!!!!!

When it comes right down to it if I am in some sadomasichistic mood...I will certainly grab a PUG...they are guaranteed to stress me out, piss me off, and totally ruin a GAME made for relaxation.

On the other hand it seems logical that those griping that they can't find any PUG's
a)want to only be leader. (how many different ppl have to be spamming LFG, geez...hook up ppl)
b)Can't handle doing it without a group to carry them.
c)Want to display their uberness!!! (BTW, I love the fact that the Charr rank emote, made me die laughing)
d)Have no GW friends, or piss poor guilds/alliances.

Oh and just a hint...DEMANDING that everyone ping their builds is a sure fire way to make sure no one teams up with you again...had someone do that to me the other day on my monk and was rather rude about it, so I dropped mending in my bar with a rez sig, nothing else, and pinged that. Needless to say I was called noob and booted. Hahahahahaha, finished the mission with my trusty Herohenchies, popped back into town and there they were still LF Monk for Masters.

Happy Hunting all and good luck on the PUG thing.

I don’t use pick up groups often because I’m new to the game. For some reason, not knowing what’s going to happen next in a mission is considered a mortal sin.

The overall attitude in most online games is “win or log off,”

Call me noob, newbie, or whatever. It is not the end of the world when you lose. Just try again.

On another note, I wonder if they can create a district for the purpose of PUG’s? They’ll be no henchmen around and your heroes will be disabled. It’s just a thought.

Also, I have to agree with Tempy. It really does feel good to finish a mission (after being called a noob) by yourself and then return to the town to laugh at those who were too elite to accept you.

When GW went live I played really late at night (morning) and with the unpopular Mesmer and Necro. Because of this, it was hard to find ppl outside of the friends that introduced me to the game. When groups were found however, they was obviously less effective than with hench alone (and hench were pretty terrible at the time).

Because the PvE was so straightforward, I put the blame on lack of coordination back then. After all, if weak A.I. with crappy builds could focus fire, kill something, and repeat, ftw, why couldn't a group of real, intelligent(?), random people with random builds, random playstyles, and random experience do the same thing, if not better?

And I still place the blame on lack of coordination today as well, with inexperience holding a light share. When ppl have defined roles and you call targets before anyone engages, I find pugs to be much more reliable, but more importantly, successful and entertaining without the massochistic factor, if that's even a word.

I tend to steer clear of pugs that are "Go Go Go Go GO" when you have told them you're setting up your skill bar.

I also went pugging for my guildies the other day we picked up a ele with 3 skills Flare, SS And...... Animate Bone Fiend it's rather silly pugs these days.

IDK... I think the problem is that heroes and henchmen train the average pug person bad habits...

They really do not pay attention to radar or chat,

They are often too quick to run off and lerroy a massive group and expect the others to do the same, when thats just nuts...

The concept of pulling has been lost to Heroway strategies...

And they are too used to havening all the NPCs focus on them and them alone, and not care about themselves. where as a full party group tends to be more balanced in that they can take care of themselves a little when in a pinch, and have a way to do some dmg themselves, and at least 1 way to help another themselves... Not being too Dependant on others is the key to a good PUG member.

Now with alliances and Guild parties you can focus up priorities again... because one would hope that those groups will know how to work together at least a little bit. and have some kind of voice chat software that makes parties 300% more fun to participate in. Teamspeak and Vent are prob the most common ones out there now, and just about any guild or alliance worth while has one to use for playing games...