Grinding Etiquette Guide

[Stigg]

So we all know that grinding is inevitable. No matter if it is the only thing you do, or if you do every quest in your log book, you will grind. During grinding sessions, we need to get the most XP/hr. So what do you do when you see somebody else in your favorite grinding spot? Well, here is my guide on grinding etiquette.

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Background: I am now going past the one year mark of playing this wonderful game. I started as a hunter, and slowly experimented with every class, creating both Horde and Alliance toons, until I had every class past 30. With dual 60's and a few past 50, I figured out how to maximize my xp/hr while grinding.

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1. Try to find a grinding spot that can deal with more than one person. There are many places where you can succesfully grind with three players, but two player grinding spots is the best place to be.

2. Assisting other players.
A) If you and another player are grinding in a place that has more than enough to accomodate you both, feel free to assist that player. If you see him waining on the brinks of death, help him out. By no means should you ever kill yourself in the process, but if you can easily rescue him, do so. Dying while grinding slows your xp/hr by atleast 30%. You never know when you will need it back.
B) If you are in a location where there are not enough mobs to accomodate two players, let him die. Do not provoke an attack, but let him die. While he is corpse running, you can clean up all his mobs and he might not want to wait around for them to rez.
C) If another player from an oppsoing faction comes along and attempts to kill him, assist him. Even if it is a single grinding spot. You do not want the added conscience of another player attacking you at any time.

3. Opposing faction's players.
If you are grinding and you see another player of an opposing faction come along. /wave at him. I don't care if you are 5 levels above him, do not attack him. Sure, you may kill him, but you never know when he will rez and attack you as you are at 10% health finsihing off a mob. This is especially imortant against rogues. With an appropriatly timed Cheap Shot ( an opening stun), the rogue can cause you to take the damage, of him and the mob for a few seconds without you being able to do a thing. Which means, if you are at 15% health, you are dead.

4. Resource nodes
You and another player are grinding in the same spot with a few resource nodes that keep popping up. You have the right to take them all. If that players yells at you, put him on the ignore list. There is no reason to put time into figuring out who gets what and when.

5. Grouping
A) Short of an AOE group, do not do this. Priest/mages go right ahead. Dual mages, have fun. Anything else is just dumb. If you are having trouble killing the mobs solo, go find yourself a new spot. If somebody approaches you asking for a group to grind, say, "I'm sorry, I need to get the most xp/hr and I will lose a lot if I group." It is true, you will lose a lot.
B) Players will sometimes come to your grind spot to quest. Usually these players are a few levels below you and are attempting to kill the mobs for either an item or a "Kill X number of Mobs" quest. If it is an item, don't group with them ever. That item may take 100 mobs before it drops. That is a TON of wasted xp. If it is a Kill X mobs quest, go ahead and help. That will get them out of your hair faster, and that extra 10 minutes or so may mean 10 extra minutes without another player coming along and taking your grindspot.

6. Tagging other player's mobs.
Don't do it. If you see a mage beginning to cast a fireball at a mob, leave it be. Don't rush to it, tag it and reap the benefits of a fireball and a fast kill. Not only is that cheap, but you will NOT be happy if that happens to you. Sometimes players do not see you or you do not see them, and this happens, but by no means make it a priority. You will lose xp/hr by waiting to see who they are targeting and getting to that mob.

Over-Populated Grinding spots
If you go to your favorite grinding spot and see more than 2 players there, just leave and go somewhere else. Log out if youhave to. Make sure you ask them how much longer they will be at said location, and put them on your buddy list. If they are only going to be there for another 10 or 15 minutes, hang around. Kill other mobs nearby and wait. If it will be more than an hour, put your hearthstone at the closest inn and go grind elsewhere. Usually players will grind for units of level, not units of time. So, even if it is prime time to be on, they may be done after another 15 minutes (aka 10% of a level).

Well there you have it, Grinding Etiquette. Feel free to add whatever you want!

[goat song]

I'm not sure why your personal code of ettiquette should serve as a guide....I know I (and many other people) certainly disagree with the bit about resource nodes. Few people who aren't ninjas consider nodes free-for-alls - taking a node when somebody else has killed all the mobs around it is pretty much stealing. And putting someone on your ignore list after they complain about it? Classic ninja.

[mesonm]

You make this much too complicated...

1. If you are in a fav spot and want people to leave, kill as much as you can as fast as you can and wait them out...If they are gonna die, LET THEM...Anyone else showing up is a nuisance, ignore them....

2. If a RED guy shows up, watch him carefully, regardless of his other actions...He may turn on you at anytime.

[mesonm]

I'm not sure why your personal code of ettiquette should serve as a guide....I know I (and many other people) certainly disagree with the bit about resource nodes. Few people who aren't ninjas consider nodes free-for-alls - taking a node when somebody else has killed all the mobs around it is pretty much stealing. And putting someone on your ignore list after they complain about it? Classic ninja.

I challenge your characterization about "Few people who aren't ninja's..." unless you can prove you run a research company who has surveyed a statistically relevent sample size of the WOW population.

Stealing? Hardly...Nodes are for the taking....Take them...You don't even know if anyone else in the vicinity has the skill to take the node.

[Magikhat]

Maybe Im just a d*ck but no one has their name on any spawn so if I can, I take it over

[goat song]

I challenge your characterization about "Few people who aren't ninja's..." unless you can prove you run a research company who has surveyed a statistically relevent sample size of the WOW population.

Stealing? Hardly...Nodes are for the taking....Take them...You don't even know if anyone else in the vicinity has the skill to take the node.

Really.

If a node is swarming with mobs and I kill all of them while you sit back and watch, and then you sneak in and take the node? That's the very definition of ninja-ing. That's why I can say "few people who aren't ninjas".

You can say "nodes are free for the taking" all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you'd be a jackass for ninjaing someone's node after they'd worked for it. And it doesn't change the fact that advocating such behaviour completely negates your right to use the word "ettiquette" with any kind of authority.

[rgirty]

I have found there are VERY few players who are nice or have any thoughts for his fellow man at all.

If a griding spot has other people at it I go somewhere else.

I may not grind as fast, I may not get good drops, I may have to travel a little farther to get to it. But I won't want to punch my monitor after 30 minutes of having to deal with a crowded grinding area.

They key for me is to enjoy myself, it is a game after all and that is what I'm here to do.

[Idol]

If I'm grinding at a spot which only has enough mobs for one and a Red comes along and starts trying to grind too I WILL kill him.

1. Because it's my spot, if he got there first I would move on, and if I didn't I would expect him to do the same.

2. Because sometimes I end up having a good fight worth breaking the grind for.

However, if theres room enough for 2 I'll budge up and only do a half circle, normally people are intelligent enough to do the same. Hell, I'll even save them if they look like they're going to die.

[aromar]

I have found there are VERY few players who are nice or have any thoughts for his fellow man at all.


It's an unfortunate part of WoW life but sometimes you find the opposite.

When I grind the overpopulated Sorrow Hill in WPL, there's usually about 4-5 others in there and I haven't come across one person so far who hasn't helped out in any way. The pallys always remove poison as you walk past, mages always frost nova if you get in trouble, everyone always buffs eachother, if i charge (warrior) just as a caster has cast their first spell, I'll back off. It's all one big happy family.

Hmmmm as I write this, a mage has now twice made a detour straight for me with no less than 5 mobs in tow...while mounted....that's the first bad thing to happen lol Luckily they didn't aggro on me.

As for the resource issue, it's a bit stupid to just say "screw everyone, i want this node" or "i bet they don't even have the right skill level"...how about ASKING! If you haven't cleared out the area then ask if that player needs the node, you might be lucky enough to be in a situation where they were just after those mobs for a quest and don't care about the node. It doesn't just go for nodes either, I have been fighting 3 mobs right next to a chest and someone has just come up and opened it while I was still fighting right beside it. That's just rude.

If there's any doubt on who should get a node, /roll for it!

You should even be kind to the other faction (PvE server anyway). There have been quite a few times where the horde have helped take aggro from adds when I'm trying to kill an elite.

My last point is that you can even take your kindness a step further. If I get mana pot drops or drink drops or anything like that, I'll always give them straight to a caster in the area as I have no need for them (yes I know they can be auctioned).

[mesonm]

Really.

If a node is swarming with mobs and I kill all of them while you sit back and watch, and then you sneak in and take the node? That's the very definition of ninja-ing. That's why I can say "few people who aren't ninjas".

You can say "nodes are free for the taking" all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you'd be a jackass for ninjaing someone's node after they'd worked for it. And it doesn't change the fact that advocating such behaviour completely negates your right to use the word "ettiquette" with any kind of authority.

Yes, really...

So, now you add a detail...You say I'm sitting there watching you kill [all of] 'the swarming mobs'...and then I 'sneak' in and take the node....LOL

That you think I or anyone else would even be there watching while you kill all of those nasty things is a bit more humor that I thought I'd see here...

And, (assuming someone cares) somehow I should know if they are even after the node and are capable of taking ? I suppose you also don't skin things lying on the ground...After all, someone other than you killed it....

You make this game much more complicated than it needs to be...If you are concerned about a node, move on...If not, take the darn thing.....Even acting this way, you will only RARELY ever get in this scenerio you feel so concerned about....

[Summoned]

I can understand that your way may lead to more exp/hour and more cash, but the point of etiquette is to be considerate of other people, chances are, if you're polite to them, they'll be more inclined to be polite to you.

The skinning analogy doesn't really click for me. The situation in question sounds more like: you see someone fighting a skinnable mob, and right after they loot it you start skinning. Note that it wasn't your kill and that there was no consideration for the other person (who may in fact be a skinner, too).

[MellanCholera]

you will only RARELY ever get in this scenerio you feel so concerned about....

um.. no it happens all the time. and the detail wasn't added he mentioned fighting for a node before if you scroll up.

in fact when i leave a node or chest that someone is fighting right next to, they even whisper how amazed they am that I did not take it from them when they were fighting for it.

and the other example of people running up and skinning? Yes even that happens.

I do what rgirty says. When i see other people, I just leave. If I don't, I'm going to get aggro dumped on me, or have nodes and skins ninjad from me, or hunters tag every single mob right before i fight. To put up with that takes more time and gets you less XP than just leaving for someplace else. And i'm on a supposedly mature RP server.

I think this game shows people how they act when no one is looking. Some of us play the same as we are in real life. Others become sociopaths without empathy. Of course, the people that act that way don't even get it, just look at some of the replys here :rolleyes:

[Orcish Veteran]

It's not just nodes of ore or skins either, i've had fish pools ninja'd from me while i was clearing out nearby mob(s).

What REALLY ticks me off though is when i'm fishing a pool or floating wreckage and somebody drops their line in right alongside mine...come on people...if you see somebody there fishing it already, move on to the next one...or just leave it.

The sad truth of the matter is, on Khaz Modan, the Horde are 1000x more mature than the Alliance...i've never had a Hordie ninja a fish pool or take one of my skins, it's always other Alliance.

[Wintrow]

In regards to skinning, I wait to see if they skin it after the kill. If they don't, it's either because they can't skin it or because they don't care (bag space issue?). Only THEN I swoop by and quickly skin it.

[Longpot]

It's the same as everything, sometimes you meet considerate people sometimes you meet a**holes / ninjas.

Best ninja I heard of was on another site where they name and shame ninjas with screenshots etc. - This guild had just spent a long time taking down one of the world dragons, and right after it'd died and they'd looted, this rogue skinner decloaks, skins the dragon, recloaks and runs - Bad I know, but I can't help LMAO :grin:

[rabidstoat]

This is also for XP grinding, it seems. If you're rep minding, and the mobs you kill can give you rep (Timbermaw, AD, whatever), then grouping is the fastest way to grind out rep. Everyone will get full credit for the mobs you kill, and you'll definitely kill more than if you just solo it.

[Renata]

Problem is, a lot of the time as a Horde person, when I go to a rep grinding area, the people I'm competing with are Alliance. So no grouping there.

I have to agree that the whole "nodes are for the taking no matter what the person went through to clear to them" is just rationalization. It really annoys me when I get to a mine, and I am literally standing on top of it when I get aggro from something nearby, I'm fighting the mob and some [expletive deleted], usually an Alliance, literally mines it out from under my feet. When I see someone else in that situation, I leave them to it. Expecting the same courtesy from others just makes me disappointed because it so rarely happens.

Certain rep camps, like the Timbermaw camps, are just so overcamped 24/7 that you have to kind of elbow your way in and compete with the fray. It's a function of making some of these rep camps too small for the demand, such that you have 4-5 players at least competing over the same limited number of spawn. Leaving and waiting for them to be unoccupied simply isn't an option most of the time. Yes, there are times when they are less camped -- being self employed and setting my own hours such that I can play in the early mornings helps a lot -- but there are almost no times I have found certain areas completely free for the taking. When I do, I take as much advantage of them as possible, but it almost never lasts.

...Ren

[goat song]

Even acting this way, you will only RARELY ever get in this scenerio you feel so concerned about....

Yeah, sure. That's why a whole bunch of other people in this thread have similar concerns about ninjas. As has been said, all you're doing is rationalizing really shoddy behaviour.

Skins are free for the taking AFTER the person who killed the mob has moved on. Nodes are likewise. Of course if you can take it and you want it and the other guy isn't going to use it you should take it. But if someone else has made the effort and put in the risk for the resource, it's their right before yours. Wait to see what they do or ask them. Moving in and stealing it is, well, stealing.

[rabidstoat]

What about the etiquette of looting a resource node from someone who cleared it, but is of the opposing faction?

On a PvP server they could kill you over it, which seems fair enough. You can steal what's theirs. They can try to kill you over it.

On a PvE server, though, they can't really do anything. I guess they could /spit. Or try to chain mobs into you. Not much else to be done.

I tend to leave resources alone for either faction, but it would seem like on a PvP server that if you're Alliance, stealing that dreamfoil that the Horde just cleared around should be acceptable. If you can kill someone, surely you should be able to steal their stuff?

[rgirty]

I wish I played where all you nice people are, I stay away from all populated areas of grinding anymore. I typically have the following problems.

1. ganked by a rogue of the other faction when he is stealthed and i'm low on health/mana from fighting mobs.

2. someone of my own faction tagging mobs and basically not being nice

3. the spot simply being overcamped.

[snowieken]

Well, first of all I'm definately with goat song on this one when it comes to the same faction. It's just common courtesy to at least ASK if you can take the node/skin/fishing pool/whatever.

When it comes to another faction, I am also inclined to wait and see if the other player doesn't need the node. It actually annoys me that, on a PvE server, people find it normal to take nodes from the other faction. Personally I think that's a bit silly. Turn on your PvP and fight them, for crying out loud. Stealing nodes with the safety of your PvP flag turned off, that's just low according to me.

[goat song]

Well when it comes to the opposing faction I don't think "ettiquette" really applies. You are supposed to be at war and fighting over resources, and it's not like you can really communicate to decide what's fair even if you wanted to. I think ninja-ing a node in the classic "other guy clears everything and just barely survives while you stand by and watch" manner is akin to killing the NPC on an escort quest. Cruel, juvenile, but technically within the "morality" of the game :D

[snowieken]

Eww, another thing, killing the NPC on an escort quest...

Yeah, I realize it's part of the game, and if this were the official forums I would probably have been called a carebear a gazillion times by now, but that doesn't stop me from finding it lame, and indeed cruel and juvenile. The funny part is, I have more problems with it on PvE servers. If you want to "fight" the other faction that much, you should have joined a PvP server. Stealing a node or a chest, or killing an NPC on an escort quest, when the other party has almost no way of revenge, that's just cowardly.

But yes, as you said, it's part of the game. I do tend to help players from the other faction out, and more often than not I have been called a "traitor" and whatnot, while I am playing on a PvE server... For instance, my Horde character has escorted a number of little Night Elves through the Wetlands already. It takes a while for them to understand what I want to do, of course, but when they realize it they are always very grateful. I get a lot more satisfaction out of that than training mobs to them or messing with their escort quests.

If their PvP flag is on, that's another matter of course... If their level is a lot lower than mine, I generally don't attack, but I like to give them a good scare then. That's exactly my point: in PvP matters I do think the other faction is fair game, but when it doesn't come to PvP, it's lame and cowardly to mess with them in my opinion.

[MellanCholera]

On a PVE server, you shouldn't steal nodes from the other faction unless you flag. To do otherwise is cowardly. Killing quest servers and ganking on PvP servers might be acceptable, but pve servers have different rules. So... it's hard to really compare or give guidelines.

And technically, we're not at war. There is a truce, but .. that's a WHOLE nuther thread :) I don't grab nodes from the other faction for the same reason, they're people, and I probably know alts of theirs and don't know it (since on pve servers you can play both factions).

Oh and the trying to ninja skin the dragon? There was a hilarious moment last week, my guild and some friends wanted to kill some of the named dragons just for fun and practice. So just before they're going to attack, a hunter that was nearby tags it, hoping to stealt the kill. So our puller quickly cancelled his attack and told everyone to wait while the dragon quickly turned on the hunter and wasted him in seconds. For great karmic justice!

[bhroam]

Escort quests are bloody hard enough... killing the escorted NPC is just plain mean.

I had to do that darn treeant escort quest in the felwood several times because of some darn annoying horde who were just being bastards.

As for resource nodes, I always get them ninja'd from me. I'll be clearing mobs and someone'll come take the node... Now, on the flip side... I've done it myself when I wasn't being too observant. If I do that, I'll apoligise and hand over the ore I just mined (if it's my faction). If it's horde... then I just feel bad.