PuGs - Don't be that Guy!

Since the launch of Patch 3.3 and the new LFG tool, instances (especially pre-TBC content) has seen a resurgence of interest. I was initially cautious about going back into the Pick up Group (PuG) environment. However I am delighted that despite being time-limited during the week I can do 2-3 instances a day. I am far from an uber player, but I make up for that by not being a liability. What follows is based on my experiences in low level instances (RFC to RFK) but should provide some guidance to all players that want to make their PuG experiences less stressful. At the very least it should help you avoid being ‘that’ guy in the PuG.

Be Prepared
Before you hit the LFG button it’s worth checking you are ready, on a most basic level it means having enough ammo if you are a hunter. On a recent Gnomeregan run my Hunter won a Bow which was an improvement over the gun he was using. Fortunately I always carry at least 1,000 ammo for my alternate weapon. What I didn’t realise until later was I actually only had 32 shots left for my gun! This was despite starting with over 1,600 rounds for my prime weapon. However this applies to all the classes, for example a Tank had to leave an instance to repair his armor And I’m guessing it wasn’t 100% when he joined!
I have a mental check-list that I go through before I hit the button;
• Repaired?
• At least 1 stack of drinks if I use mana
• Stack of bandages
• Stack of buff food
• Stack of mana/healing potions
• Elixirs
• Scrolls
• Consumable weapon buffs

This leads nicely to...

Bring your own Buffs
Healing and Mana potions are really cheap from the Auction House (AH) most of the time, there is no excuse not to have a few of these potions. Don’t be like the Mage who told everyone ‘why should I have mana potions?’, he was pretty indignant about it too.
Elixirs can be a bit more expensive, but it is worth finding a friendly Alchemist who will make you some if you provide the mats. Check out what elixirs are best for you at your current level and remember you can have a Guardian and Battle elixir active at the same time, they generally last for 30-60 minutes provided you don’t die.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Elixir
Certain food will increase your Stamina (Health) and Spirit (Mana regen) for 15 minutes so bring at least 4-6 of the best you can.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Well_Fed
There is also food that boosts your pet’s stats; it works on Warlock pets as well. However you need to be at least level 55 as far as I know.
Scrolls often stack with Elixirs and so it is worth considering bringing a couple, once again they are often quite cheap on the AH, but if not someone with inscription can make them for you.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Scroll

Sharpening Stones and Weightstones increase melee damage and are made by Blacksmiths.

Understand your Role
I use the standard User Interface (UI), however it does allow you to have different versions of the main bar. I have 3 versions usually, one of these is just for Instances. This is because rotations are different when you are in a group and it’s worth being able to mash keys as opposed to clicking on buttons. The main benefit is I can actually watch what is happening on my screen rather than focusing on my action bar. As a result I’ll notice that patrol (Pat) that has wandered along while everyone is focused on a fight, or I can see the healer has drawn aggro and can intervene before they die.
• Tank - you are not there to top the Damage Meters, you are there to take all the damage the mobs are doing and make sure they focus their attacks on you. As a result you have to be watching the other players portraits to see if they are getting aggro (especially the healer). Know all your getting aggro abilities and use them as often as possible, this allows the DPs in your group to use their most damaging spells/abilities. While DPS like to top the damage meter, you should be thinking total damage done minus damage done to others in my group. Check everyones mana before moving on to the next group of mobs, you’ll die less often that way.
• Healer – be intelligent with your heals, this means making efficient use of your mana not spamming your biggest heal from the first second of the fight. So adapt to the situation, it’s okay to not heal unless it’s needed. I’ve been healing on my Shaman so I won’t comment on the other healing classes. However I often stand around in fights doing very little, on the other hand on occasion I will be spamming heals like crazy. Learn to know at what point you should start healing, heal DPS when it is practical with special attention on Warlocks, they convert their health into mana.
• DPS – Damage meters are largely irrelevant until you start raiding, before that you main role is to do as much damage without pulling aggro as you can. Be aware of any aggro dumping spells you have and use them when you pull aggro. The main thing you have to do is ‘learn’ how much aggro your tank can hold and then DPS accordingly. As a result I change my rotation from group to group (I DPS on a Warlock, Hunter and Mage). That is the real challenge of DPS in instances. To be Honest you can probably get away with being carried in many groups without anyone worrying too much.
Don’t be ‘that’ guy;
• Like the Druid tank who didn’t have bear form and thought tanking involved standing behind a mob and hitting it with a slow 2 handed weapon. That is one way to get booted and ignored. Yes we booted a tank, they aren’t untouchable.
• Like the healer that was always out of mana half-way through every fight.
• Like the DPS that spams Go!Go!Go! And thinks that topping the damage meter = winning.

Use macros for quick party instructions
/p Patrol!
/p I have Aggro!
/p Out of Mana
/p Healer has Aggro!
Put them on an action bar and use when required, people will notice that you helped the group not wipe and that is always good!