WoW: How to be a good PUG mage

Tags : guide to mage, wow guide, mage guide, pug mage, wow mage, wow mages    

• Keep your threat below that of the tank.
• If you pull aggro, stop casting and run toward the tank.
• If your sheep breaks, recast it.
• Keep your mana up between fights as best you can.
• Buff everybody.
• Make strudel when you can.
• Only attack the tank's main target.

I know these are basic things, but you have to keep them actively in mind because there's absolutely zero guarantee that anyone else will.

2. Don't be a ninja.

Really. This random PUG thing is going to be an absolute breeding ground for douchebags, Don't be one of them. Roll greed or disenchant on anything you don't need, and need on anything you do. If somebody ninjas something, vote to kick them from the group. It's not hard to find replacements.

One of the worst offenders here seem to be the Frozen Orbs handed out at the conclusion of Heroics. They come right at the end of the instance, so it's incredibly easy to need them when everybody else greeds and then drop group, no muss, no fuss. It might be a good idea to quickly establish the ground rule at the outset of an instance that on Frozen Orbs, everybody rolls need, to prevent the end-of-instance ninja from even being a possibility.

I actually had a guy ninja one at the end of a ToC run last night and when confronted about it, he responded "I need it, I'm a tailor." True story. If only you could punch people in the face over the internet. Why isn't there an app for that, Apple? Huh?

3. Communicate.

Seriously, it seems like in at least every other instance I PUG, everybody is lurking-serial-killer silent. If you want the tank to mark targets, ask him to do so. Warn folks if they're about to aggro a patrolling mob group. Congratulate others on drops. Just because you don't know these people and will likely never see them again doesn't mean you can't have rudimentary verbal interaction with them.

Every once in awhile you'll land in that special group where everybody knows what they're doing, is familiar with the instance, and is on the same page. The run may go by smoothly without a word being spoken. These groups are the exception, not the rule. The vast majority of the time, a little communication will prove invaluable, even if it's just to point out that Uther's ghost is freaking chatty.

4. Don't assume folks know the fights. They don't.

When you reach a boss encounter, throw out a brief primer for the fight. Chances are there's at least one member of your party who has never done that encounter and could use the friendly advice. Maybe that party member is you. Don't be afraid to ask for tips. The momentary (and largely imagined) feeling of being the nub is much better than the very real shame of causing a wipe.

5. Let the tank set the pace...

...but don't be afraid to slow things down. If your tank is charging from group to group without leaving you any time to recharge your mana batteries, feel free to ask for a second. Just don't expect to get it. Mana conservation and efficiency is doubly important in these rush-jobs, so just do what you can to keep up. A second or two before a boss fight to drink up is important.

6. Be patient...

Don't kick that rogue just because he comes in wearing blues. He may just be trying to gear up an alt, but be a competent rogue beneath all that blue. Now, if he's undergeared and terrible... well do what you must. Just don't be the elitist prick who thinks everybody without epics is wasting your time. Give folks a chance. Random means taking the good with the godawful.

7. ...but know when to throw in the towel.

You know when things are going to be bad. The tank doesn't know how to tank. The healer can't keep anybody alive. The moonkin is directionally challenged. The warlock's doing 1k DPS. The paladin's name is "XcRSDrdGHghFGF" and he introduces himself by asking you to visit his goldselling website. You can usually tell fairly early on if you'd be better off waiting out the ten-minute debuff and trying again.

Now, I'm not advocating being the pantywaist who bolts at the first sign of trouble. Sometimes a wipe is just that: one wipe. Somebody screwed up, it won't happen again. Sometimes perceived incompetence is just absent-mindedness or simple bad luck. Give things a chance, but in the immortal words of the great Kenny Rogers, "know when to fold 'em."

8. Keep reagents stocked, and make tables whenever new people join the group.

These new cross-server PUGs don't allow for trading between party members, so as a mage, you are the first, last and only line of defense against folks showing up without anything to eat or drink. It'll happen, and it is our duty, in my opinion, to provide these hopeless losers with strudel. Don't be stingy with your magical pastries, guys.

 

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