Still waiting on 3 sunders.

When i first read about the new LFG tool, i was filled with ambivalence. On one side, i'd no longer have to sit around a city all day, trying to con people into running a specific dungeon with me. On the other, i'd be thrown into groups with people i'd have no idea about, whos very skill wouldn't be shown, if at all, until deeper into the run. It was a double edged sword. My biggest concern however, was the behaviour that comes with anonymity on the internet. It's amazing just how quickly etiquette and common decency go out the window when you cant be held accountable for your actions.

With the ease of access to content across the board, this game as spawned a new generation of players. Players who, have never had to do things such as watch their threat, resort to unorthadox tactics, use crowd control, use any ounce of their brain in order to achieve anything in this game. I've noticed a startling trend between just how little people need to do in order to get by and just how nice people are willing to be to do it. It has never been easier in this game to aquire gear, to kill the big bads and to experience what's on offer. The only single target pulls you get, are bosses. Even then, 9 times out of ten they have adds or something to that effect. To win this game, all you need to do is mash your most effective AoE button as hard and fast as possible.

This to me highlights the problem. In expansions past, threat was a mini game. You had to manage your abilities whilst maintaning your position below the tank, or should you be the tank, above everyone else on threat. This itself promoted smarter game play. Constructive use of cooldowns, perhaps holding off on that big boom until you where sure you wouldn't get one twice as large right back at you. Effective use of threat reduction talents and abilities such as feint, feign death, soul shatter. Crowd control too was a very important method of getting from A to B without getting duly pounded. In many situations, it was nigh impossible to get by without judicial use of such abilities. Tempest keep springs to mind. *shudder*. It was also common place to wait for tanks to gain threat, with the eponymous "Wait for three sunders".

Herein lies the problem. As more and more of our tools and abilities fall by the way side. So too does the required level of input and thought. Gone are the days of carefuly chosing CC targets. Gone are the days of managing your cooldowns in order to keep track of your threat. So too, are the days where it was expected of you to atleast consider other people around you. gone. Too easy is it to critisize rather then to help. Too easy is to to "lol noob" then to offer advice. All people care about these days are their two frost badges. Within two heroics, i witnessed impatient DPS pulling whilst the tank was preparing. I've seen tanks refusing to do their job due to a healer not being geared enough. I've seen healers refuse to heal tanks who make a single mistake. All through out, i saw more expletives, "Omg"'s and rage quitting then duely nescescary.

Also, rather disgustingly, it's expected of a tank to have an inordinate amount of health upon first entering heroics. Which is always seemed rather paradoxical to me. In order to gain such a health pool, it is nescesary to do heroics. It seems these days though, in order to do heroics, it's first nescesary to have that health pool. How the majority of players fail to see the broken logic behind this i'll never know. As a reroll guild just hitting 80 we have a few tanks who're looking to start the gear grind via heroics. Too often have they been kicked, or left stranded as the group leaves, due to their relatively low health pool or, god help us, gear score. Sadly though, it doesn't stop there. Those people who don't leave straight away, go on to berate and belittle the tank. Why is that so much of an easier option then offering tips? Perhaps suggesting a new way to try things, or an easy way to get a much needed upgrade. It's easier, as it requires less thought.

Thoughtful people, being such a rareity these days. Are often met with awe and wonder. Such is the norm that it's expected of everyone to be an ass, that when someone is genuinely nice, you have to double take. I've therefor made it my personal mission to be that person (hard to believe for some), and to reward other likeminded people with the respect they deserve. Many of those around me who have taken the time to help are swiftly invited to my friends list.

If there was one thing i could ask the WoW population as a whole, it would be this. Please spare a thought for your fellow player. Don't fall into the trap of forgetting that behind their avatar, there is a real person. Real feelings, real emotions. A little consideration goes a long long way. Regardless of what we chose to do in WoW we all do it for one reason and one reason only. To have fun. We all need to do our part in ensuring those around us, not just ourselves, are achieving just that.