MMO Gamers

     I haven’t played Vanguard for about four days now.  While the numerous bugs I’m experiencing is enough to annoy me, I’ve been enjoying the game enough to tolerate them.  Up until now.

     The last few PuGs I’ve been involved with have been terrible.  Previously the groups I’ve been in have been quite good.  I have a few trusty tanks on my friends list, as well as some dps guys that I can trust.  I’ve also made it onto other people’s lists and often get a /tell asking to join a group as soon as I log in.  But not all the time, and it’s been the PuGs that are breaking me.

     Lately I’m finding myself in groups where the tank can’t hold agro, or doesn’t pay enough attention to agro.  Tanks that are pulling four mobs then happily tanking one mob while the other three run riot.  Meanwhile the damage dealers are doing lots of damage and not managing their agro.  They’re busy trying to out-damage each other and watching their combat logs and pars and shouting “20k crit hit, woot”.  So they’re getting agro, and being light and medium armour wearers, they’re getting hit hard.

     Which leaves me to heal like crazy.  I have to use my instant to save the finger wiggler, then I have to use my big heal to save the rogue/bard.  Meanwhile everyone’s health is still going down so I throw out a group heal.  And then it happens, I get 3 or 4 mobs agro me.  The tank doesn’t seem interested in pulling them off me, I’m hoping my instant refreshes soon, I’m trying to heal myself but keep getting interrupted and before you know it, one dead cleric.

     This has been the scenario for the last few groups I’ve been in.  No doubt I’m partly to blame and should manage my agro better.  Currently in Thelaseen I’m getting about 7-8k XP per mob.  The death penalty is 200k XP lost.  Three deaths can really effect the levelling and takes a long time to grind it back.  And forget about doing it solo, I’ll only be getting 3-4k for mobs I can solo.

     So the last time it happened I just logged out in frustration.  I didn’t say bye to the group or make any excuse, I just had a private little tantrum and logged out, and I haven’t been back since.  For a game that is heavily focused on grouping, having such harsh death penalties really hurt if you’re dying not because of something you are doing or not doing, but because of other people’s actions.

     Needless to say I’ll be taking a little break from Vanguard for a while, maybe indefinitely.  After all, Age of Conan is only about seven weeks away.