WhoIsThis
09-16-2011, 06:58 PM
Introduction
The dramatic increase in difficulty with Nuri's update has significantly altered how players seem to play. Note that these observations are of PUGs and may not be representative of your experiences. Rather, they are observations of how the majority of PUGs have adapted. Of course, you can expect better skills from people on the forums.
I would like to emphasize that it is possible with a competent and experienced team to complete any Nuri level without deaths. However, there is no denying that deaths will be more frequent overall.
Notice
Please do not complain about game mechanics nor about elixirs in this thread. This thread is intended to discuss whether or not my observations are factually accurate and the implications of them. Finally, this thread is to be used for discussing strategies on how to adapt to this increase in difficulty level.
This guide is currently under construction and will be expanded.
Class specific thoughts
You'll find that players are generally more scared of leading the party than ever before, regardless of their class.
Birds
1. Without an elixir, the "Physiologic" style of charging forward and burning pots with custom recurve or even a level 55 talon set (or sentinel) is now suicide. It seems to have disappeared entirely. Birds seldom lead parties now, even warbirds.
2. Even in PUGs, players that were once reluctant to burn a lot of potions appear to be willing to do so. Generally, a failure to do so means death. On a positive note, blaming mages for "not healing" seems to have declined. From my experiences on my main character, birds generally were the worst offenders on this one.
3. Int birds have almost entirely disappeared. I have only seen 1 int bird so far in Nuri. It seems that when push comes to shove, birds turn away from int. They were never that popular, but it is interesting to see.
Mages
1. The proportion of pure int to pally has gone in favor of pally as multiple int mages respec. Expected given the losses in survivability.
2. Staff with no elixir means frequent deaths, even if you stay to the rear.
Revision 21/09/2011:
With a good team, a pure int with a staff is viable and the death count is acceptably low (1 in every 5 to 10 runs). However this is heavily contingent on you running with a good team. You cannot lead the party, which was possible in Sewers with the enchanted, although being right behind the bear is viable. You will also do significantly more damage output. I recommend that you only do this though when there is a second mage present.
When facing bosses, be advised that if there are no players with elixirs, even if there are pure dex birds in full obedience unloading spells as fast as they can, you will probably pull aggro with the glyph charming staff set. In fact, you may find yourself pulling aggro with a glyph staff over pure dex birds with 2x elixirs. Bears seem to have a difficult time getting aggro from bosses when you have a staff. Perhaps staff for mobs and wand/bracer for bosses is optimal.
I consider the ability for a pure int mage to use a staff effectively in Nuri a way of separating decent mages from those that are truly outstanding.
3. Dex mages have also respeced in large numbers and there are many more dex/str pallies than before.
4. Few mages without an elixir are willing to lead, which is probably understandable, given how easy it is for an int or dex mage to die.
Bears
1. There are now fewer dex bears and more str bears ... a return to the traditional tank.
2. Many bears appear to be more timid about leading than before. I suspect that it is a fear of dying. The one hit procs are especially potent against strength builds that must close to melee to auto.
3. Bears that are willing to lead generally won't use the dex gear, unless they have an elixir. They shouldn't tank with dex gear in Nuri. If they do and you are a mage, be ready to revive them on short notice.
Party specific thoughts
There are 3 distinct types of parties (for the purposes of this discussion, elixir will be assumed to be a combo elixir):
1. Parties where nobody uses elixirs
2. Parties where 1-2 people use them
3. Parties where a majority of players use them
1. These runs are generally slow. They are forced to adopt a fairly conservative play-style because of how hard enemies hit. Deaths are not uncommon. Even with a bear, they tend to adopt "death train" style tactics where generally there is nobody in front. If somebody is in front, usually a strength based build, they are not as far as they would be in the sewers. It seems as if there are few people willing to lead a party in many PUGs. When fighting bosses, group wipes are not uncommon, particularly for Snake. Often in Symphony, people can get left behind. This is particularly troublesome in Nuri's madness, where int and dex based builds without an elixir can have difficulties reaching the boss alone. Some players I have spoken to (and I have spoken to what I consider some of the best players on PL on this matter) often skip the boss when there is a PUG. Players in these types of groups have become more fearful when fighting bosses of attracting aggro than before.
2. With the increase in difficulty, parties with elixirs are the norm rather than the exception. Where 1-2 people have elixirs, it tends to be a "follow the leader" sort of thing. Even with an elixir, there are occasional deaths for the elixir users and for the followers. Depending on how skilled the leader is, these runs can either be no faster than the first category or noticeably faster. The elixir user's main cause of deaths is the one hit ko procs, although bosses can also kill. In some PUGs, I have found myself attracting the aggro of the boss, despite the one (or sometimes two) of the players having a combo elixir. This is very alarming, because people with the elixir should be attracting the aggro. Sometimes the followers will purchase a levelling elixir to make the most of the leader's fast kills, especially if they know that they are going to be going level after level with the group.
3. These are the fastest runs, not surprisingly. Deaths still sometimes happen and are almost always from the one hit procs, but they are usually quickly revived. Some hosts will boot non-elixir players. Group wipes tend to be uncommon. Challenges include keeping the same group of elixir users together for the following run (this is desirable in order to maintain a fast run speed and to get the highest xp to time ratio, along with boss drops to time ratio). Another challenge is to synchronize the elixirs, as different people will have elixirs expiring at different times and will need to make a run to their guild halls to get the 10-15% discounts. A final challenge is that people will be leaving or wanting a break at different times. Maintaining a group of 4-5 people who use combo elixirs can be a challenge, but quite rewarding during the duration of the elixir.
Implications(please keep refrain from complaining to STS in this thread; if you have any complaints, I recommend using the suggestions and feedback section)
1. It would appear that STS is aggressively encouraging the usage of elixirs. First, the drastic increase in difficulty level is probably comparable to the pre-nerf AO3 days where death counts went up significantly (so in this respect, the difficulty is not without precedent). The use of "Vinny" for free elixirs appears to be a reinforcement.
2. Teams without elixirs inevitable suffer from a drastic slowdown in efficiency and higher death count.
I would like to keep further speculation about STS' business motives off this thread.
Thoughts
1. Team coordination is now critical, particularly if the majority of players are not using elixirs.
2. Most Nuri runs now have at least 1 person who uses elixirs. Said player should always lead and hold aggro. Many PUG players don't do this.
3. You have to be much more conservative now with your playstyle.
4. Any player entering Nuri (with the possible exception of pure int mages on elixirs) would be well advised to have a large stock of potions.
5. Previously, we saw many players holding PUGs. I can see that the locked game to PUG ratio is going more and more in favor of the locked games. This is because players want to play with people that they know are reliable and competent. PUGs in a sense are a roll of the dice. The increase in locked games may also have been caused by the introduction of guilds.
Strategies for Adapting
To begin with, even with these strategies, you can expect your K/D ratio to decline unless you use elixirs a lot (even then, expect to die from one hit procs and bosses regularly). If you are "ratio-ing", Nuri is not the place to be.
Compared to before, joining a PUG is now a far more daunting idea, unless you are joining one where the majority of people are using elixirs. This means that changes are needed in tactics. You can disregard many of these suggestions if you have an elixir or are in a type 3 party. These tactics are meant for people who do not frequently use elixirs or are in parties without many people using elixirs to adapt:
1. To begin with, you can't assume that everybody in the PUG is well experienced in Nuri. Players who have just come from the Sewers for the first time will likely be shocked at the increase in damage that they sustain. Don't be surprised if there are players that die frequently. That means carrying a lot of potions, including some in case a teammate runs out. Potions are cheap, unlike in SL, so don't grouse about this one. If you're in the Hallows, you can afford to give a couple of dozen pots to someone. Very important: You cannot be conservative in your potion usage.
2. I highly recommend having at least 2 mages per party now, particularly the ones without elixir users (and even with elixirs, it is highly recommended). Revive is a skill that will be pressed more often ... trust me.
3. It's very important that group members now assume their intended roles. Leading the party should be restricted to bears and perhaps pallies or warbirds. Bears are strongly advised not to be pure dex and to have at least 140 str. Be sure to Hell Scream fairly early as bear. It is imperative that if you are a bear, you keep aggro off the "squishies". Pure int and dex mages can die in 2 hits from a mob's regular attacks.
4. If you are in front, do not go too far ahead of your group. In Sewers, you could hold off a couple of guys on you. In Nuri, that's likely to end in a one hit ko with something like "grave stoned" going over your head. If you are in the rear, follow up immediately with the leader. Do not run in front of the group if you are a dex or int based character; very high probability of death.
5. Should you be a person with an elixir, and there are only 1-2 people with one, it's your job to lead. Besides, you want as many kills as possible for the duration of that elixir. When you reach the bosses, hold the aggro. Don't worry about the potion expenses. Oh, and don't get separated from the group. You are not invincible and despite the critics of elixirs, elixirs do not make this "Forest Haven". In Forest Haven, you don't see mobs one hit killing a level cap player. If you are in a type 2 group and don't have an elixir, time to play "follow the leader". Don't run in front of them, even as a bear.
6. Do not get separated from the main group. In some levels, like Symphony, there are areas that can be skipped. If you see the rest of the group going on direction, follow them. Don't get cut off. You will likely die without an elixir and can often die even with a 4x. Even if you survive, you'll be behind the group, which weakens the effectiveness of the group overall. All too often I see this happening. If you die and the only mage is on an elixir, remember that asking them to go back and revive costs the mage real money. Don't be offended if they don't.
I never thought I would say this, but if you are a mage on an elixir, and there is a dead person far away from your group, don't bother going back and reviving. It is costing you real money. Most likely the player will just leave. Hopefully they have learned their lesson. Do not be too concerned on about the loss in firepower. Compared to an elixir user, the loss of 1 player is relatively insignificant. This will open up a slot for a new player, although seldom do new players come and reach the boss in time. Furthermore, it isn't just money that is at stake. If you are the only person or there are only 1-2 out of 5 people with an elixir, the simple act of turning back will expose your entire group to aggro, likely causing more deaths for your teammates that did do the right thing and follow you.
7. If you do not already do so as a mage, get in the habit of spamming heal.
8. Use debuffs frequently. You need to minimize the amount of damage your group takes and maximize the damage that the group does. Be sure to take advantage of combos. Unlike in the Sewers, where hot flash did not work, hot flash works on everything except bosses and minibosses.
9. If you are in a group with only one elixir user than that elixir user leaves, a serious adjustment in tactics is needed immediately. Remaking is another option well worth considering.
10. Generally, mini bosses don't drop things of worth, so in most cases, I advise skipping them. The best thing they drop are the "junk" pinks. The only exception may be when a new player needs to unlock a level. By the way, if the player needs to says that they unlock, unless you are reasonably certain that this is not their first character to brave Nuri, assume that they are a novice in the Hallows and plan accordingly.
11. Do not do round-ups in Nuri. I have seen a few players try this one. Unless you have 4-5 people with elixirs (even then it can be risky), you are asking for a group wipe.
I had a situation in the Sewers level, the Catacombs where people would do round-ups. The truth is, most PUGs have difficulties handling more than 5 or 6 fireball shooting flame creatures, let along 20+ slime creatures in a roundup where around a third to half will be fireball shooters. As I liked to say, you know you are in trouble when you see all 4 of your teammates dead and there are 5 guys shooting fireballs at you simultaneously.
Nuri in this regard is even more dangerous. Plus, even if you as a strength-based char or elixir user can survive, this does not mean that your teammates can nor can you assure them that you can keep all of the aggro off them. In any event, the way that the Nuri maps are laid out, roundups do not save time.
12. Finding good players and adding them to your friend's list is now more important than ever. I want to stress this one. With good teammates, you can play in locked games with people that you have past experience with and are reasonably certain are reliable. Plus, because you encountered each other at a given time, there's a good chance that they often will play at the times that you play!
As the percentage of locked games continues to increase, it means that players without a list of reliable friends could find themselves with other players that failed to impress others, so it is probably imperative to make friends. In other games, WoW for example, good players generally found themselves in guilds while players that were deemed not skilled enough to were usually left in PUGs. The introduction of guilds is likely to lead to a similar situation here in PL and has already done so in SL. Be sure to do runs with your guild members as well. Apart from strengthening guild bonds, often guild members are better than PUGs and would have to be competent enough to have satisfied the guild master to be admitted.
13. Reinforcing the above, ensure that you join a good guild with lots of experienced players or a group of people that you feel comfortable playing. It will make your runs much smoother.
14. Don't be too aggressive. Deal with mobs in their intended group sizes of 5-6 at a time. If you don't have elixirs, it will be tough enough. Biting off more than you can chew is a sure way to die. If you see a group member going ahead, don't join them. You need to deal with the current mob first. If person who is charging has no elixir, they will likely have to be revived. If they have an elixir, then there's a pretty good chance that they will prevail, especially with buffs. Worse case is when they decide to come back with the mob behind their tail. As mentioned in 11, rounding up is not a good idea. If that happens, be ready to retreat and reset the entire mob. Tell your eager comrade not to run ahead. If they persist, consider booting or asking the host to do so.
The dramatic increase in difficulty with Nuri's update has significantly altered how players seem to play. Note that these observations are of PUGs and may not be representative of your experiences. Rather, they are observations of how the majority of PUGs have adapted. Of course, you can expect better skills from people on the forums.
I would like to emphasize that it is possible with a competent and experienced team to complete any Nuri level without deaths. However, there is no denying that deaths will be more frequent overall.
Notice
Please do not complain about game mechanics nor about elixirs in this thread. This thread is intended to discuss whether or not my observations are factually accurate and the implications of them. Finally, this thread is to be used for discussing strategies on how to adapt to this increase in difficulty level.
This guide is currently under construction and will be expanded.
Class specific thoughts
You'll find that players are generally more scared of leading the party than ever before, regardless of their class.
Birds
1. Without an elixir, the "Physiologic" style of charging forward and burning pots with custom recurve or even a level 55 talon set (or sentinel) is now suicide. It seems to have disappeared entirely. Birds seldom lead parties now, even warbirds.
2. Even in PUGs, players that were once reluctant to burn a lot of potions appear to be willing to do so. Generally, a failure to do so means death. On a positive note, blaming mages for "not healing" seems to have declined. From my experiences on my main character, birds generally were the worst offenders on this one.
3. Int birds have almost entirely disappeared. I have only seen 1 int bird so far in Nuri. It seems that when push comes to shove, birds turn away from int. They were never that popular, but it is interesting to see.
Mages
1. The proportion of pure int to pally has gone in favor of pally as multiple int mages respec. Expected given the losses in survivability.
2. Staff with no elixir means frequent deaths, even if you stay to the rear.
Revision 21/09/2011:
With a good team, a pure int with a staff is viable and the death count is acceptably low (1 in every 5 to 10 runs). However this is heavily contingent on you running with a good team. You cannot lead the party, which was possible in Sewers with the enchanted, although being right behind the bear is viable. You will also do significantly more damage output. I recommend that you only do this though when there is a second mage present.
When facing bosses, be advised that if there are no players with elixirs, even if there are pure dex birds in full obedience unloading spells as fast as they can, you will probably pull aggro with the glyph charming staff set. In fact, you may find yourself pulling aggro with a glyph staff over pure dex birds with 2x elixirs. Bears seem to have a difficult time getting aggro from bosses when you have a staff. Perhaps staff for mobs and wand/bracer for bosses is optimal.
I consider the ability for a pure int mage to use a staff effectively in Nuri a way of separating decent mages from those that are truly outstanding.
3. Dex mages have also respeced in large numbers and there are many more dex/str pallies than before.
4. Few mages without an elixir are willing to lead, which is probably understandable, given how easy it is for an int or dex mage to die.
Bears
1. There are now fewer dex bears and more str bears ... a return to the traditional tank.
2. Many bears appear to be more timid about leading than before. I suspect that it is a fear of dying. The one hit procs are especially potent against strength builds that must close to melee to auto.
3. Bears that are willing to lead generally won't use the dex gear, unless they have an elixir. They shouldn't tank with dex gear in Nuri. If they do and you are a mage, be ready to revive them on short notice.
Party specific thoughts
There are 3 distinct types of parties (for the purposes of this discussion, elixir will be assumed to be a combo elixir):
1. Parties where nobody uses elixirs
2. Parties where 1-2 people use them
3. Parties where a majority of players use them
1. These runs are generally slow. They are forced to adopt a fairly conservative play-style because of how hard enemies hit. Deaths are not uncommon. Even with a bear, they tend to adopt "death train" style tactics where generally there is nobody in front. If somebody is in front, usually a strength based build, they are not as far as they would be in the sewers. It seems as if there are few people willing to lead a party in many PUGs. When fighting bosses, group wipes are not uncommon, particularly for Snake. Often in Symphony, people can get left behind. This is particularly troublesome in Nuri's madness, where int and dex based builds without an elixir can have difficulties reaching the boss alone. Some players I have spoken to (and I have spoken to what I consider some of the best players on PL on this matter) often skip the boss when there is a PUG. Players in these types of groups have become more fearful when fighting bosses of attracting aggro than before.
2. With the increase in difficulty, parties with elixirs are the norm rather than the exception. Where 1-2 people have elixirs, it tends to be a "follow the leader" sort of thing. Even with an elixir, there are occasional deaths for the elixir users and for the followers. Depending on how skilled the leader is, these runs can either be no faster than the first category or noticeably faster. The elixir user's main cause of deaths is the one hit ko procs, although bosses can also kill. In some PUGs, I have found myself attracting the aggro of the boss, despite the one (or sometimes two) of the players having a combo elixir. This is very alarming, because people with the elixir should be attracting the aggro. Sometimes the followers will purchase a levelling elixir to make the most of the leader's fast kills, especially if they know that they are going to be going level after level with the group.
3. These are the fastest runs, not surprisingly. Deaths still sometimes happen and are almost always from the one hit procs, but they are usually quickly revived. Some hosts will boot non-elixir players. Group wipes tend to be uncommon. Challenges include keeping the same group of elixir users together for the following run (this is desirable in order to maintain a fast run speed and to get the highest xp to time ratio, along with boss drops to time ratio). Another challenge is to synchronize the elixirs, as different people will have elixirs expiring at different times and will need to make a run to their guild halls to get the 10-15% discounts. A final challenge is that people will be leaving or wanting a break at different times. Maintaining a group of 4-5 people who use combo elixirs can be a challenge, but quite rewarding during the duration of the elixir.
Implications(please keep refrain from complaining to STS in this thread; if you have any complaints, I recommend using the suggestions and feedback section)
1. It would appear that STS is aggressively encouraging the usage of elixirs. First, the drastic increase in difficulty level is probably comparable to the pre-nerf AO3 days where death counts went up significantly (so in this respect, the difficulty is not without precedent). The use of "Vinny" for free elixirs appears to be a reinforcement.
2. Teams without elixirs inevitable suffer from a drastic slowdown in efficiency and higher death count.
I would like to keep further speculation about STS' business motives off this thread.
Thoughts
1. Team coordination is now critical, particularly if the majority of players are not using elixirs.
2. Most Nuri runs now have at least 1 person who uses elixirs. Said player should always lead and hold aggro. Many PUG players don't do this.
3. You have to be much more conservative now with your playstyle.
4. Any player entering Nuri (with the possible exception of pure int mages on elixirs) would be well advised to have a large stock of potions.
5. Previously, we saw many players holding PUGs. I can see that the locked game to PUG ratio is going more and more in favor of the locked games. This is because players want to play with people that they know are reliable and competent. PUGs in a sense are a roll of the dice. The increase in locked games may also have been caused by the introduction of guilds.
Strategies for Adapting
To begin with, even with these strategies, you can expect your K/D ratio to decline unless you use elixirs a lot (even then, expect to die from one hit procs and bosses regularly). If you are "ratio-ing", Nuri is not the place to be.
Compared to before, joining a PUG is now a far more daunting idea, unless you are joining one where the majority of people are using elixirs. This means that changes are needed in tactics. You can disregard many of these suggestions if you have an elixir or are in a type 3 party. These tactics are meant for people who do not frequently use elixirs or are in parties without many people using elixirs to adapt:
1. To begin with, you can't assume that everybody in the PUG is well experienced in Nuri. Players who have just come from the Sewers for the first time will likely be shocked at the increase in damage that they sustain. Don't be surprised if there are players that die frequently. That means carrying a lot of potions, including some in case a teammate runs out. Potions are cheap, unlike in SL, so don't grouse about this one. If you're in the Hallows, you can afford to give a couple of dozen pots to someone. Very important: You cannot be conservative in your potion usage.
2. I highly recommend having at least 2 mages per party now, particularly the ones without elixir users (and even with elixirs, it is highly recommended). Revive is a skill that will be pressed more often ... trust me.
3. It's very important that group members now assume their intended roles. Leading the party should be restricted to bears and perhaps pallies or warbirds. Bears are strongly advised not to be pure dex and to have at least 140 str. Be sure to Hell Scream fairly early as bear. It is imperative that if you are a bear, you keep aggro off the "squishies". Pure int and dex mages can die in 2 hits from a mob's regular attacks.
4. If you are in front, do not go too far ahead of your group. In Sewers, you could hold off a couple of guys on you. In Nuri, that's likely to end in a one hit ko with something like "grave stoned" going over your head. If you are in the rear, follow up immediately with the leader. Do not run in front of the group if you are a dex or int based character; very high probability of death.
5. Should you be a person with an elixir, and there are only 1-2 people with one, it's your job to lead. Besides, you want as many kills as possible for the duration of that elixir. When you reach the bosses, hold the aggro. Don't worry about the potion expenses. Oh, and don't get separated from the group. You are not invincible and despite the critics of elixirs, elixirs do not make this "Forest Haven". In Forest Haven, you don't see mobs one hit killing a level cap player. If you are in a type 2 group and don't have an elixir, time to play "follow the leader". Don't run in front of them, even as a bear.
6. Do not get separated from the main group. In some levels, like Symphony, there are areas that can be skipped. If you see the rest of the group going on direction, follow them. Don't get cut off. You will likely die without an elixir and can often die even with a 4x. Even if you survive, you'll be behind the group, which weakens the effectiveness of the group overall. All too often I see this happening. If you die and the only mage is on an elixir, remember that asking them to go back and revive costs the mage real money. Don't be offended if they don't.
I never thought I would say this, but if you are a mage on an elixir, and there is a dead person far away from your group, don't bother going back and reviving. It is costing you real money. Most likely the player will just leave. Hopefully they have learned their lesson. Do not be too concerned on about the loss in firepower. Compared to an elixir user, the loss of 1 player is relatively insignificant. This will open up a slot for a new player, although seldom do new players come and reach the boss in time. Furthermore, it isn't just money that is at stake. If you are the only person or there are only 1-2 out of 5 people with an elixir, the simple act of turning back will expose your entire group to aggro, likely causing more deaths for your teammates that did do the right thing and follow you.
7. If you do not already do so as a mage, get in the habit of spamming heal.
8. Use debuffs frequently. You need to minimize the amount of damage your group takes and maximize the damage that the group does. Be sure to take advantage of combos. Unlike in the Sewers, where hot flash did not work, hot flash works on everything except bosses and minibosses.
9. If you are in a group with only one elixir user than that elixir user leaves, a serious adjustment in tactics is needed immediately. Remaking is another option well worth considering.
10. Generally, mini bosses don't drop things of worth, so in most cases, I advise skipping them. The best thing they drop are the "junk" pinks. The only exception may be when a new player needs to unlock a level. By the way, if the player needs to says that they unlock, unless you are reasonably certain that this is not their first character to brave Nuri, assume that they are a novice in the Hallows and plan accordingly.
11. Do not do round-ups in Nuri. I have seen a few players try this one. Unless you have 4-5 people with elixirs (even then it can be risky), you are asking for a group wipe.
I had a situation in the Sewers level, the Catacombs where people would do round-ups. The truth is, most PUGs have difficulties handling more than 5 or 6 fireball shooting flame creatures, let along 20+ slime creatures in a roundup where around a third to half will be fireball shooters. As I liked to say, you know you are in trouble when you see all 4 of your teammates dead and there are 5 guys shooting fireballs at you simultaneously.
Nuri in this regard is even more dangerous. Plus, even if you as a strength-based char or elixir user can survive, this does not mean that your teammates can nor can you assure them that you can keep all of the aggro off them. In any event, the way that the Nuri maps are laid out, roundups do not save time.
12. Finding good players and adding them to your friend's list is now more important than ever. I want to stress this one. With good teammates, you can play in locked games with people that you have past experience with and are reasonably certain are reliable. Plus, because you encountered each other at a given time, there's a good chance that they often will play at the times that you play!
As the percentage of locked games continues to increase, it means that players without a list of reliable friends could find themselves with other players that failed to impress others, so it is probably imperative to make friends. In other games, WoW for example, good players generally found themselves in guilds while players that were deemed not skilled enough to were usually left in PUGs. The introduction of guilds is likely to lead to a similar situation here in PL and has already done so in SL. Be sure to do runs with your guild members as well. Apart from strengthening guild bonds, often guild members are better than PUGs and would have to be competent enough to have satisfied the guild master to be admitted.
13. Reinforcing the above, ensure that you join a good guild with lots of experienced players or a group of people that you feel comfortable playing. It will make your runs much smoother.
14. Don't be too aggressive. Deal with mobs in their intended group sizes of 5-6 at a time. If you don't have elixirs, it will be tough enough. Biting off more than you can chew is a sure way to die. If you see a group member going ahead, don't join them. You need to deal with the current mob first. If person who is charging has no elixir, they will likely have to be revived. If they have an elixir, then there's a pretty good chance that they will prevail, especially with buffs. Worse case is when they decide to come back with the mob behind their tail. As mentioned in 11, rounding up is not a good idea. If that happens, be ready to retreat and reset the entire mob. Tell your eager comrade not to run ahead. If they persist, consider booting or asking the host to do so.