Retro Game Walkthroughs for Everquest 2 (PC Games)
Submitted By: [STARS]Splinter
Splinter's Guide to Better Grouping
Grouping. Its the single biggest part of your EQ2 life. Chances are, you'll spend more time grouped or looking for one in EQ2 than you do soloing. So, with that in mind... I thought it'd be nice to put forward my Guide to Better Grouping, in the interest of promoting everything thats great about grouping with friends!
The makeup of a group.
Okay, let me say this now. There is no perfect combination of classes for a group. Theres no such thing as the best mixture; the perfect party can be any group of characters, so long as they work well together!
That said though, there are a few elements which are arguably more important than others. Firstly, lets face it, you're going to want a healer. A group without a healer is like a sword without a blade; pretty damn useless. having a tank is desireable, but any class can tank if need be; although mages perhaps aren't the best as they can't take a lot of punishment. The rest of your group can be whatever you like, a lot of it depends on what you're planning to hunt and what you aim to achieve in the group.
Ettique of group finding.
Theres nothing more annoying than people with no reaspect when finding a group. Please, don't just flood the out of character chat with a million 'lvl 16 crusader lfg' messages. That just annoys people. By the same token, don't just invite random people to a group without asking them first either, thats plain rude. Try and put a bit of character into it! Or at least a bit of information. Instead of 'lvl 14 mage lfg' why not try 'lvl 14 mage looking for gnoll-hunting buddies'? its much less formal, and far more individual and fun!
Grouping
So, you got a group. Well done! First hurdle overcome. But the next thing you really should do is set a few ground rules. Make sure everyone knows who is doing what- this is especially important when you have two warriors or two priests, as its easy to confuse roles. Decide who will be the primary tank/ puller, and what roles each healer will take. Also, its worth making a decision about looting right from the get-go as well. Personally, I'm a fan of the Need before Greed method of looting, when you're using the lotto system at least. If you can't use an item, don't bid for it! theres nothing worse than having that incredible piece of armour snatched away from you by a mage who can't even wear it and just wants it to sell.
Also, if you have to go, let the other members of the group know in good time if you can- or if theres a chance you might have to go, tell them that, too. Its pretty horrific to have your healer suddenly up and vanish in the middle of a fight.
Respecting your teammates
One of the key elements of grouping is to respect those you're allied with. Don't take them for granted, and don't hurl abuse at them. If your tank makes a really bad pull, don't just shout at him, tell him what he did wrong and try and sort it out next time. If he does it again, maybe then you can shout at him, but anyone can make mistakes. If your healer doesnt get a heal in and you die from it, don't blame them- maybe they're out of Power, or maybe their spell fizzled. Which brings me onto another thing...
Communication
Its vitally important that you tell your group what you are doing! Don't just assume they know. If you're targeting that Sabretooth Shaman, make sure your groups knows you are too. If you're running low on Power, tell your team-mates; don't wait until it all fizzles out before telling them; its too late then. if you're being attacked, ask the tank to taunt the enemy away from you, or if a character is about to be attacked or is being chased by soemthing, let them know! Likewise, if you've been away from your group and have attracted hate from an enemy, let them know before you blunder into them with the enemy in tow.
Respecting Other groups
This section goes for soloists as well. You have to respect other groups. if you're planning on camping an area for a quest where certain creatures spawn, at least say hello to anyone else in the area. Certainly don't try to usurp the space of another group, and if another group usurps an area where you are, tell them. You shouldn't have to be in competition with other groups; you're all after the same goal, after all, so why not at least be civil?
But theres more to respecting groups than just politeness. I'm talking about...
Trains.
Trains. Im sure you all know 'em. Bane of your life, and possibly the lives of the rest of your group, too. Now, the initial temptation when seeing a train of powerful critters speed towards you is to run. This was always the sensible option in EQ1, since death was so harsh. But think about it a moment before you do.
Firstly, take a look at the Train. is it really that bad? If its a mob of five green enemies, chances are that maybe you could kill them, if you actually tried. If not, then think about where you're running. Most enemies will only pursue you a certain distance before wandering back to their home, so if you've got the room, just sprint away.
The other temptation is just to zone and get out of there. But think about this for a second. When you zone, the enemies stop following you, and wander back to their starting point- straight into the path of any other characters or groups in their way.
What this usually results in is everyone but you dying a horrible death, whilst you make a sneaky escape. Not exactly fair, or, for that matter, very considerate. So, if you really are stuck by an encounter you can't beat... think about it before running, and take a bit of responsibility for your actions. Is it really fair to let erveryone else die and suffer experience debts because you can't face up to your mistake? no, it isn't. So accept the consequences. if I make a bad pull, and can't outrun them, I face up to it and let them kill me. At least then no-one else suffers too much, or at least has chance to get away before the enemies kill them too.
to conclude...
lets be honest, grouping is fun. its entertaining, challenging, and a great way to make new friends. But it can be even more entertaining and rewarding if you go about it in a mature way. Try to remember that your actions have consequernces for others; and groups are a great way of teaching you this. Enjoy yourself, but don't ruin others enjoyment of the game too.
Grouping. Its the single biggest part of your EQ2 life. Chances are, you'll spend more time grouped or looking for one in EQ2 than you do soloing. So, with that in mind... I thought it'd be nice to put forward my Guide to Better Grouping, in the interest of promoting everything thats great about grouping with friends!
The makeup of a group.
Okay, let me say this now. There is no perfect combination of classes for a group. Theres no such thing as the best mixture; the perfect party can be any group of characters, so long as they work well together!
That said though, there are a few elements which are arguably more important than others. Firstly, lets face it, you're going to want a healer. A group without a healer is like a sword without a blade; pretty damn useless. having a tank is desireable, but any class can tank if need be; although mages perhaps aren't the best as they can't take a lot of punishment. The rest of your group can be whatever you like, a lot of it depends on what you're planning to hunt and what you aim to achieve in the group.
Ettique of group finding.
Theres nothing more annoying than people with no reaspect when finding a group. Please, don't just flood the out of character chat with a million 'lvl 16 crusader lfg' messages. That just annoys people. By the same token, don't just invite random people to a group without asking them first either, thats plain rude. Try and put a bit of character into it! Or at least a bit of information. Instead of 'lvl 14 mage lfg' why not try 'lvl 14 mage looking for gnoll-hunting buddies'? its much less formal, and far more individual and fun!
Grouping
So, you got a group. Well done! First hurdle overcome. But the next thing you really should do is set a few ground rules. Make sure everyone knows who is doing what- this is especially important when you have two warriors or two priests, as its easy to confuse roles. Decide who will be the primary tank/ puller, and what roles each healer will take. Also, its worth making a decision about looting right from the get-go as well. Personally, I'm a fan of the Need before Greed method of looting, when you're using the lotto system at least. If you can't use an item, don't bid for it! theres nothing worse than having that incredible piece of armour snatched away from you by a mage who can't even wear it and just wants it to sell.
Also, if you have to go, let the other members of the group know in good time if you can- or if theres a chance you might have to go, tell them that, too. Its pretty horrific to have your healer suddenly up and vanish in the middle of a fight.
Respecting your teammates
One of the key elements of grouping is to respect those you're allied with. Don't take them for granted, and don't hurl abuse at them. If your tank makes a really bad pull, don't just shout at him, tell him what he did wrong and try and sort it out next time. If he does it again, maybe then you can shout at him, but anyone can make mistakes. If your healer doesnt get a heal in and you die from it, don't blame them- maybe they're out of Power, or maybe their spell fizzled. Which brings me onto another thing...
Communication
Its vitally important that you tell your group what you are doing! Don't just assume they know. If you're targeting that Sabretooth Shaman, make sure your groups knows you are too. If you're running low on Power, tell your team-mates; don't wait until it all fizzles out before telling them; its too late then. if you're being attacked, ask the tank to taunt the enemy away from you, or if a character is about to be attacked or is being chased by soemthing, let them know! Likewise, if you've been away from your group and have attracted hate from an enemy, let them know before you blunder into them with the enemy in tow.
Respecting Other groups
This section goes for soloists as well. You have to respect other groups. if you're planning on camping an area for a quest where certain creatures spawn, at least say hello to anyone else in the area. Certainly don't try to usurp the space of another group, and if another group usurps an area where you are, tell them. You shouldn't have to be in competition with other groups; you're all after the same goal, after all, so why not at least be civil?
But theres more to respecting groups than just politeness. I'm talking about...
Trains.
Trains. Im sure you all know 'em. Bane of your life, and possibly the lives of the rest of your group, too. Now, the initial temptation when seeing a train of powerful critters speed towards you is to run. This was always the sensible option in EQ1, since death was so harsh. But think about it a moment before you do.
Firstly, take a look at the Train. is it really that bad? If its a mob of five green enemies, chances are that maybe you could kill them, if you actually tried. If not, then think about where you're running. Most enemies will only pursue you a certain distance before wandering back to their home, so if you've got the room, just sprint away.
The other temptation is just to zone and get out of there. But think about this for a second. When you zone, the enemies stop following you, and wander back to their starting point- straight into the path of any other characters or groups in their way.
What this usually results in is everyone but you dying a horrible death, whilst you make a sneaky escape. Not exactly fair, or, for that matter, very considerate. So, if you really are stuck by an encounter you can't beat... think about it before running, and take a bit of responsibility for your actions. Is it really fair to let erveryone else die and suffer experience debts because you can't face up to your mistake? no, it isn't. So accept the consequences. if I make a bad pull, and can't outrun them, I face up to it and let them kill me. At least then no-one else suffers too much, or at least has chance to get away before the enemies kill them too.
to conclude...
lets be honest, grouping is fun. its entertaining, challenging, and a great way to make new friends. But it can be even more entertaining and rewarding if you go about it in a mature way. Try to remember that your actions have consequernces for others; and groups are a great way of teaching you this. Enjoy yourself, but don't ruin others enjoyment of the game too.