Ranger Archive
Thread: My past Few Weeks Beggars powergamers and Master Rangers on Ahazi
yeah i joined a 'spin group' once for about 30 seconds ......shock my head and walked away....
The other week though I was invited to a group by a CL5 (I was CL80). So I just said "Hi" and allowed him to invite more people. Of course the expected did happen as every CL80 he invited immediately left the group when they found I was the only other high level player. Eventually we got 8 people together and even convinced a CL73 to stay...until he realised that he would be the tank and I wouldn't be providing much assitance (I had just picked up novice CH so I couldn't use my rifle). So we ended up with 6 CL5-30's and a CL80 using his CL12 pet against lairs of CL80 bols. I admit the first attempts didn't go too well but the main problem was that I had to teach the newbies some discipline. As soon as I got them to stick to a strategy we turned into quite an efficient hunting group.
It worked like this: I would throw a pdart, which would also act as the signal for everyone to attack. We had worked out the main damage dealer from the previous attempts so I told him how he would have to kite the creatures (fortunately there were no medics in the group - they hate it when I tell people to run away
). After we'd finished off the bols surrounding the lair I told them how to 'milk' it by showing the specific points at which the creatures will spawn (although they only listened to me after learning the hard way...).So yes, after some planning the group was a success. The problem with these 'high CL groups' is that they simply don't have the time to plan or use tactics. Most players just want to be in a big power machine that can blast its way through a lair in under five minutes. All concerned with the destination not the journey, as you put it. The minute drop in the rate of xp gain for letting a low CL into the group is obviously a big deal to them
The other week though I was invited to a group by a CL5 (I was CL80). So I just said "Hi" and allowed him to invite more people. Of course the expected did happen as every CL80 he invited immediately left the group when they found I was the only other high level player. Eventually we got 8 people together and even convinced a CL73 to stay...until he realised that he would be the tank and I wouldn't be providing much assitance (I had just picked up novice CH so I couldn't use my rifle). So we ended up with 6 CL5-30's and a CL80 using his CL12 pet against lairs of CL80 bols. I admit the first attempts didn't go too well but the main problem was that I had to teach the newbies some discipline. As soon as I got them to stick to a strategy we turned into quite an efficient hunting group.
100% agree. I've had my shares of those.
With my toons on several servers, I've observed that:
* CL10-40 are not much common in groups
* CL75+/CL80 groups
* jedi groups
I've joined a share of hunting groups, but the pace and is to high.
As Darianne I had the same. I joined groups with a low CL ones, got a few extra people who stayed at first.
But then after we got to the missions, those high CLs rused in, got us all nearly ending up dead so tried to explain tactics. THey agreed and we went on to next lair. I kicked them out and told the other CLs that those are not the right kind of people. They were worried somewhat, but I told them as MRanger/MCH I can take those lairs alone. So first attempt was a bit testing & trying, but then it all went smoothly. And the other peeps told me they learned a lot! Much more then from the grind they have had done before.
Unfortunately, I must add, people will get used to this. With the new system, grouping is enforced. Sure, there is solo content, but it won't get you far in a reasonable amount of time.
In fact, I'm also trying to work on a new toon, made Novice CH/BE and getting DNA xp as well as CH xp is as slow as hell. The time it will take me to master it, i might as well master all other combat elites first.
Unfortunately, I must add, people will get used to this. With the new system, grouping is enforced. Sure, there is solo content, but it won't get you far in a reasonable amount of time.
My experience on Ahazi mirrrors this account; I've experienced it both as a CL 80 (Tazz and Jeffn) and as an up and coming n00bie (Sio) and bias based on CL is definitely a problem. Then there is the pure asshattedness of the spin group, something that is definitely for what appallingly appears to be the majority of the Force Wielder types in game (they are utterly unworthy of being called Jedi).
As a CL 80 I've never left a group because there were low level players in it; in fact, I welcome them, because I enjoy teaching them how do do these things right. I emphasize that EVERYONE needs to get hits in on each mob; that people need to intelligently attack the lair, both to milk the mobs and to insure everyone gets in a hit, and finally how to take them on so there is no need for medics to go into the panic mode when people start getting incapped when someone makes a mistake, like hit the AOE attack key. An efficient grinding group is not a mess of chaos, it'ssystemically executed plan of attack that allows every member to get XP and avoid being overly damaged, and if medics are in the group, let them get some heals in for their XP.
On the way up, I've had to deal with idiots who assumed that my toon's level meant I was a n00b when I pointed out politely that you only needed to hit the lair ONCE to get the second wave to come out. The idiot continued to call me a n00b, and I told him look, I've been playing this game since beta 3, I know what I'm talking about here, and he persisted, so I tossed the trump card down, one that is nearly guaranteed to silence such types: "this toon is the alt of a joystick boy". THAT finally got some attention, and sad to say, finally garnered some respect, when it shouldn't be necessary.
I have to salute the OP because I think this game can be really tough on new players. New players don't know where to go to grind, and when they do find a place like the MO, few people will let them group with them.
What people don't realize is that this game needs a constant stream of new players to keep it healthy. If new players become frustrated, they are going to quit and play a different game.
Any player who makes an effort to help out new players should be lauded as they are truly trying to make the community a better place.
Having just come back after a year off I've been soloing everything...it's a much slower process than back in the old days.
Made it up to CL20 doing that,becauseI can't get into any groups. It's always people looking for high level characters to group with.
I actually did something I never did in the old days and that was to buy a combat droid. Just to have the extra firepower ifI get rushed by multiple critters.
Pre CU I was a Master Swordsman/Master Ranger. Get buffed and you could kill practically anything solo...was actually looking forward to grouping for co-op play. Guess I'll need to wait a little longer for that.
What I have found is that it generally depends on the sorta people you have in your guild.
My old guild fell apart because we had some powergamers who were not intereasted in any simple hunts etc so with the new guild (Tranquility on Europe-Chimaera, based on Coro) the powergamers have not joined and it's purely players.
We have semi-regular hunts from our home town and the cl's vary from 1 to 80 and we are tactical when we fight. It makes for alot more fun, we chat in one of my camps every few hunts and just relax and enjoy the game.
And yes, I joined a spin group once as I needed 50k scouting xp for master ranger (mistakenly surrendered it post-cu) and have never been back since.
I think we are privileged as rangers in that it's so under-powered (thankfully in some ways) that the only people who choose it are roleplayers not power gamers. We therefore take our time to appreciate the game for what it is, with all it's flaws, and just enjoy the hunts.
I mean, I am going for a combo of Master Ranger/BE/CH knowing i'm not going to master BE or CH but I don't care ... where else would you see someone take a prof knowing they cant afford to master it but doing it for the fun aspect?
All IMHO of course 
Beggars get /addignore so fast their little tiny pointed heads spin. I recall running faction delivery missions to be able to pay for training. With the new system and the cash they get, they have no reason to beg. I ran missions for under 1k at the start of the game, operative word - ran. Make them work.
Powergamers come in two categories, good and stupid. Good are the ones who load a group with 6 higher levels and 2 noobs to help the noobs. I support this. I do it now and then. Powergroups are boring all the time.
Stupid is the clown who whines when I pull aggro 9 out of 10 times. "Hey numbnutz, I am a Ranger and aggro happens to us, and I am putting in 800 damage shots. Pull yer head outta yer butt and do some damage and quit whining. Oh yeah, bite me, I am gone.../disband" Yes that happened, yes 4 of the group left the 3 bozos and 1 noob (all guidies) to deal with an aggro of 20 pickets. We saw 3 die and laughed and pointed - the doc had disbanded.
And while "rangers" are gaining in popularity, "Rangers" are rare.
JB
I appreciate groups that accept a few lower levels in the group. However, as I realized the other day, one of my characters is a power gamer. The groups I do with Ambasder are always aoe now. For these kinds of groups no more than 1 or 2 low level can be managed into the group. Also, what most people don't realize is 70% of jedi aren't even cut out for it, these post cu sabers make them about as strong as a level 30.
But what most people don't realize is that you don't need level 80s to run a decent group. I came into cu at nearly lvl 80 as it was, so I hadn't gotten to experience the low level grind. With Brigham now though (a lvl 22), I've been put on the other side of this. I see how hard it is to get into a group. There is hope though, if more people could try to do it...
It's much more effective if low levels group together. With Brigham I picked up SL and started making my own groups. In these groups I would accept anybody under a certain level. What level depends on who's in the MO at the time, but usually lvl 25-40 groups. These groups take a little longer to form, near lvl 80s are usaully the majority. That and most people don't believe me when I try to tell them what I'm doing. It always irks me a little when a lvl 20 joins my group and tells me "dood this group sucks, u need more 80s", then disbands. (they tend to usually be jedi alts, new players will actually listen to me)
These groups really work though. I know good xp, and when you get a group of guys all within 10 lvls of eachother, nothing less than an aoe group will be better. I love it too because everyone is actually helping, and it's a great learning experience for all the new players. It's great to hear what people say when they get rejected from my group for beingtoo high level too.
Anyways, I'm just rambling now. Maybe you could spread the word or something too. Or if you're low level yourself, try and start a group with people your level, it really works.
TireeG2 wrote:
I appreciate groups that accept a few lower levels in the group. However, as I realized the other day, one of my characters is a power gamer. The groups I do with Ambasder are always aoe now. For these kinds of groups no more than 1 or 2 low level can be managed into the group. Also, what most people don't realize is 70% of jedi aren't even cut out for it, these post cu sabers make them about as strong as a level 30.
But what most people don't realize is that you don't need level 80s to run a decent group. I came into cu at nearly lvl 80 as it was, so I hadn't gotten to experience the low level grind. With Brigham now though (a lvl 22), I've been put on the other side of this. I see how hard it is to get into a group. There is hope though, if more people could try to do it...
It's much more effective if low levels group together. With Brigham I picked up SL and started making my own groups. In these groups I would accept anybody under a certain level. What level depends on who's in the MO at the time, but usually lvl 25-40 groups. These groups take a little longer to form, near lvl 80s are usaully the majority. That and most people don't believe me when I try to tell them what I'm doing. It always irks me a little when a lvl 20 joins my group and tells me "dood this group sucks, u need more 80s", then disbands. (they tend to usually be jedi alts, new players will actually listen to me)
These groups really work though. I know good xp, and when you get a group of guys all within 10 lvls of eachother, nothing less than an aoe group will be better. I love it too because everyone is actually helping, and it's a great learning experience for all the new players. It's great to hear what people say when they get rejected from my group for beingtoo high level too.
Anyways, I'm just rambling now. Maybe you could spread the word or something too. Or if you're low level yourself, try and start a group with people your level, it really works.
I've organized lower level groups myself, and thoroughly enjoyed the reactions of higher level players when they're told they can't join. However it was also interesting when one of my lvl 25 "trainees" took offense when he asked if his friend could join, but was refused when I learned his friend was lvl 80. I tried to explain to him that by having his lvl 80 join, it would nullify the XP for all the lvl 55 missions we'd all taken, but he didn't seem to want to comprehend and left...
The one annoyance I do have is when someone groups with ya, only to quit less than an hour later for whatever reason. Of course this can't really be avoided as r/l does come first, but that understanding doesn't lessen the annoyance factor.
I had one lvl 15 join my group, saying at first, (thx I've been trying to get into a group all day), then saying "you need more lvl 80's! and left the group! Of course he came back later asking to get back in, however, sadly, I was disinclined to acquiesce to his request...
However now that I'm lvl 80 myself, I usually just accept the first eight requests for invitation, (though I try to get at least one healer).
I guess I've been kind of secluded however as I've never participated in an AOE group, and I'm really not sure I know what a spin group is...
Can someone share what the advantages (and strategies) of an AOE and spin group are? (More for curiosity sake than anything else...).