Your Questions

Dear Crusader Manners,

I have two questions.

The first, perhaps is rhetorical, as I'm not sure there's an answer, but; How exactly does one keep an Oculus group together? I know that they put in the nifty loot bags with the extra badges, and that they nerfed the nose off the end boss, but I can't seem to keep a random instance group together either straight out of the gate, or following the first wipe due to someone not being able to use the green drake to heal as well as dps/find the timestop button on their bars/ fly a red dragon in a forward facing manner.

Second, Do you think that the vote to kick mechanic has instituted a sort of common manners mob justice? I've noticed PUGs for heroic quests being unusually full of kind and well mannered people lately, except for the one in an extremely long while, where someone will lose their mind and sense of common decency and start badmouthing the DPS about how he's topping the charts, when he's actually specced feral dps and can't seem to hold aggro, which is why you're finding out what the floor tastes like in places that you wouldn't normally voluntarily lick the flagstones.

Curious,
Dr Locktopus

Dear Dr. Locktopus

Crusader Manners spent a little time exploring your questions. It actually took me a while to get a random Oculus, and then I had to think about what made it work well and what had made it miserable in the past. Since Crusader Manners is also trying to learn how to tank (unholy if you were wondering), this made things pretty interesting.

As always, I have to remind you that there's very little that you can do to change the behavior of others. Instead, you have to behave wonderfully yourself, and hope that people will fall in with it. The first thing I did when I got to Oculus was to say, "Yay! I love this instance!" This is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but the group was convinced that I did not mean it sarcastically. Being enthusiastic should help some. The other thing that's important is to make sure that you know what you're doing in there, including what to do with all the different drakes, so that you can provide advice and help. Crusader Manners has a guild mate who she can simply auto-follow during the last fight, and she loves that guy.

Finally, one of the biggest stress-causing Oculus group break downs comes when someone insists on doing one of the color-shutout achievements. This is a big no-no for a random group. They require coordination and planning that can be better done with your guildmates in voice chat. So if someone insists on doing them, explain this, and respectfully decline.

As for your second question, I think that common manners mob justice can only apply when the mob has some idea of manners. Judging from trade chat, Crusader Manners is pretty sure we aren't there yet.

Yours Truly,
Crusader Manners

Have a question of your own? Email crusader_manners@incendiaeternus.net for answers.

General Guidelines for Understanding Death

Crusader Manners has noticed that when there is a death in the party, people are fond of assigning blame for that death. It is extremely rude to tell someone else they are at fault for your death when they are not, so keep the following helpful general rules of thumb in mind.

• If the tank dies, it is the healer's fault.
• If the healer dies, it is the tank's fault.
• If the DPS dies, it is their own fault.

Stay in range of the healer. Don't pull aggro off the tank, or before the tank is ready. And don't blame anyone else for your own mistakes.

Your Questions

Dear Crusader Manners,

I know that Azeroth is just a stage, and the "people" merely players. But I really dislike when those Alliance scum flaunt their banners about and cause grief for my brothers and sisters of the Horde. Surely there must be greater quests and areas to explore than a constant chattering at the feet of my friends, while flagged for combat. Is there anything I can do short of tearing their tails from their Draenei lice-infested hides?

Concerned,
Soon To Have an Aneurysm

Dearest Soon,

Unfortunately, your brothers and sisters in the Horde do not have clean hands. Crusader Manners herself has led attacks on Dolanaar, although she felt a little guilty about it at the time. In this situation, you really have only three choices. You can ignore them, which is classy but frustrating. You can ask someone infiltrating the alliance to have a word with them, although they are not likely to respond positively to this. The third choice is the most satisfying, and that is to get a LOT of older and more skilled friends to respond in an attack of the "shock and awe" variety. This is perhaps the most satisfying, and may lead you and your friends to have a delightful afternoon bringing honor to the Horde.

Sincerely,
Crusader Manners

Have a question of your own? Email crusader_manners@incendiaeternus.net for answers.

How to Behave in a Random Group

• Wait a minute. When you get started running the instance, people might need a few seconds. Many healers do not hang around all the time in their healing gear and spec. Some people have discovered that wearing junk gear is a good way not to end up in HoR and need to put on the good stuff. Everyone might like to eat. Quickly confirm everyone's readiness before beginning.
  
• Everyone defers to the tank. It doesn't matter who the party leader is. DPS and healers should wait until the tank is ready to pull. They should stand where the tank indicates. And if the tank says they don't want to do an achievement, then that achievement isn't happening. Further, DPS should make a point to target what the tank is focusing on. Your death is your own fault if you don't.
• The tank defers to the healer. This means that the tank needs to keep an eye on the healer's mana and the chat pane. It is the tank's responsibility to make sure they aren't pulling while the healer is low on mana.
• Be polite. "Please," and "thank you," are important! Put them before and after every request. A polite party member is less likely to be kicked when they make a mistake than a rude one.
• Don't demand or nag. If you need something, ask for it once. If you think that your request got missed, it's okay to ask a second time, but no more than that.
• Don't cuss in party chat. It may not be a big deal for you, or in your house, but not everybody playing appreciates your profound obscenity. Again, a polite member is less likely to get kicked than a rude one.
• Don't be selfish. Only need things you need for your main set, and agreed upon items for your off-set. Nobody cares about your off-off-set. Do not hit need on orbs - unless you are using them to make an item for your main set, you don't actually need them any more than anyone else does. If someone asks to need an item for their off-set, let them. "Might use sometimes" should still trump "going to sell that to a vendor." Also remember that an instance is not a competitive event, it is a cooperative one. You don't win unless everyone else does.
  
• Don't quit. Unless you've agreed as a party to give up, dropping group is really rude. It sends the message that you don't value the time of others very much. If you think you will need to quit, warn or explain first. Example: "My mom hates it when I put her off. I may have to go," or "If we wipe one more time, I will not be able to afford this repair bill. I can't do this anymore."
  
  

Welcome to Crusader Manners: A World of Warcraft Advice Column

Hello gentle crusaders and welcome to the first entry of Crusader Manners! The purpose of this blog is to inspire players to interact courteously with one another, making the game environment pleasant for everyone.

There is no requirement for manners in Azeroth, as anyone who has ever spent time in trade chat can tell you. And it certainly isn't my expectation that this blog will change the behavior of everyone. Nor do I think it appropriate (or polite) for us to directly correct the manners of other people, lacking an authoritative position (parent, teacher, etc...) from which to do so. Instead, we should address our own behavior, and humbly offer a positive example.