Flashpoints 101, or How to stay off the "Weird people" thread
Purpose
This last double XP weekend, while doing some lowbie FPs, I ran in to some players of the sort who sometimes end up on the Weird People you meet in Groupfinder thread (which I'm a big fan of, btw), so I thought I'd post this. While there are other guides like it, they are kind of buried and difficult to find, so I figured it's a good idea to periodically post some basic guidelines for new players venturing into flashpoints, and group play in general.
It's in all our best interests for new players to have a positive experience; many totally clueless players go on to become highly skilled and assets to guilds and PuGs alike, and those of us that love this game need new players to keep the community healthy and provide resources (i.e money) to the developers so they can continue expanding and improving the game.
Lastly, this isn't meant to be a comprehensive guide on how to tank, or dps, or heal - it's meant to point out the most common ways new players get themselves into trouble and that aren't necessarily apparent, especially if this is your first mmo. Stuff I wish I knew when I started.
So, here goes:
Before you start
Don't queue unless you know you can finish.
Most FPs take approximately a half hour, but sometimes more if there are long conversations, or if you run in to trouble. Don't queue unless you're pretty sure you have at least an hour to spare. Stuff happens, but don't leave your team high and dry if you can avoid it.
Queue for the role you actually intend to play, and no others.
Many classes in swtor are able to dps as well as tank or heal. It won't take you long to figure out that tanks and healers have shorter queue times than dps. But don't queue for these roles unless you are prepared to fill them. It's fine to queue for two roles if you're willing and able to switch - meaning you know how to play the alternate spec and have appropriate gear. If you do this, you might as well respec and put on gear for tank or heals before you queue, as 99% of the time you'll get a group in need of a tank or heals before a dps.
Have appropriate gear for the content
This isn't much of an issue while you're leveling, as you should be picking up gear upgrades along the way that should be sufficient, but once you get to endgame, you'll need a certain quality of gear to successfully contribute to a flashpoint or operation. Don't queue for content unless you have the minimum - the description of the mission in your log will have the minimum gear recommendation.
Let people know you're new.
You may be hesitant to do this, but I can't recommend it enough. People tend to be much more forgiving when they know someone's new. They'll also know that they'll need to explain boss fights to you. You needn't make a big deal out of it - just when you zone in, say "hey guys! This is my first time in here. Help appreciated." Will you sometimes get kicked when you do this? I suppose so, although tbh, I've never seen it in 3 years of running FPs. Not once. I'm sure it happens, but it will be the exception, not the rule. The usual response is some variation of "no worries"
Loot - Need vs. Greed
This is one of those things I really wish BW created an in-game tutorial for. I understand why they don't - technically, these aren't "rules" per se, but rather commonly accepted etiquette. Just as there's no law against going to a cocktail party and telling the hosts they're ugly, and their children are ugly, and their dog is ugly; you won't get arrested, but you won't be invited back, either. A lot of new players would be saved from nasty experiences if they knew what that commonly accepted etiquette was. I'm convinced 90% of "Ninjas" just don't know any better. Swtor was my first mmo, and I got yelled at over this in my first FP, so to hopefully spare some people that experience, here's how it works:
Players that select "Need" will always get higher priority than those that select "Greed." For example, if I select Need, and roll a 2, and you select Greed and roll a 99, I win the loot.
So the standard etiquette is to allow those players who can get the most use out of an item to take priority for it. In practice, this means:
Select Need only if the gear is appropriate for the toon you are playing at that moment, and is an upgrade. Easiest way to tell if it's appropriate is by the main stat it contains:
Aim is for trooper/bounty hunter
Cunning is for scoundrel/agent
Strength is for jedi knight/sith warrior
Willpower is for jedi consular/sith inquisitor
It's not OK to need on gear for a companion or for an alt. If you want to ask a group if you can, that's fine - but don't get upset if they say no.
Feel free to select greed on anything, although it is generally considered to be the right thing to pass on one-of-a-kind items you already have, like speeders. This is on your honor, as there's no way a group of strangers can tell, but it's the nice thing to do, even if you can vendor the speeder.
On crafting materials and special items, like reputation tokens and mounts: it varies, tbh. To me, the easiest thing to do is to have everyone need on these. That way, you're ensured it's totally random. But when in doubt, ask! If you're too bashful to do that, wait and see what the other players do and follow suit.
Not following these "unspoken" rules is sure to get you kicked from the group and /ignored.
Combat do's and don'ts
Allow the tank to engage. Always. It's the tank's job to get the attention of all the enemies in a group and keep it. This is a lot more difficult if a dps hits them first. Always allow your tank to attack first. Even in tactical FPs where it's not necessary to have a tank at all, if you happen to get one, you might as well let him or her do their job.
Don't break CC. CC stands for crowd control, and refers to those abilities that freeze an enemy for a relatively long period (60 seconds, as it happens). This effect will break if that enemy has damage done to them, which defeats the purpose. If someone in your group CCs an enemy, don't attack them. Watch where and how you use AoEs (i.e. Area of Effect, those abilities that hit targets within a certain area). To be on the safe side, if someone has CC'd an enemy, don't use AoEs at all. I also suggest you turn off autotarget in your preferences so you don't hit anything accidentally.
Don't stand in stupid. Some of the fights have specific mechanics you need to adhere to in order to be successful, and a good group will describe these to you if you let them know it's your first time. But unless otherwise specified, circles that appear on the ground are bad. Don't step in them, and if you find yourself in one, get out.
Follow the DPS Kill order. In swtor the general rule of thumb is for dps to kill weaker enemies first, and move up to the stronger ones. There are a number of reasons for this, among them are to keep these pesky weak mobs off the healer, it makes the tank's job easier, and that while they have low hp, they often pack a punch damage-wise, either singularly or collectively, so you might as well get them out of the way quickly. It's also a good idea to kill any enemies that are healers first. This isn't always apparent until you start fighting, but if you see an enemy with something like "medic" or "repair" in their name, kill them first.
Be careful with Knockbacks Until you're familiar with the instance, I'd resist the urge to use your knockback, if you have one. Many times, tanks go to the trouble of rounding up a group of enemies so they can be AoEd, only to have someone use their knockback and spread them all out again. Knocking enemies off a ledge can be a useful and fun way to save some time, but if you're not careful, you can accidentally drop them into another group. So I'd suggest you lay off the knockbacks until you have a better idea of when and how to use them effectively.
Tanks - Guard a dps While there are specific instances when it makes sense to guard healers in Operations, there isn't a single fight in any FP in the current game where this is the best way to go. Here's why: In PvE, the main function of a guard is to reduce the threat (i.e what makes the AI decide to attack you instead of someone else) generated by the gaurdee. It does offer some damage protection, but it is minimal. The way threat works, damage contributes to a player's threat 4x as much per point as healing. If your dps are doing their job, they should always be generating more threat than the healer. Generally speaking, the healer will only get threat from enemies that no one has attacked at all - in which case, guard won't do any good anyway. Put a guard on the best geared dps. When in doubt, guard melee over ranged, as players also generate more threat in melee range. Some tanks prefer to leave guard off and see who, if anyone, actually pulls off them. That's fine, and not a bad idea. Just have your taunt ready.
Other stuff:
Heal on the run People who get out of joint when healers don't do this are silly, but still - all healers have an ability that can be used on the run and costs very little in the way of resources. You can save the group some time by using this on your teammates while you're moving to the next fight
To spacebar or not to spacebar. Those of us who have run these FPs a kagilion times would prefer to use the spacebar to skip through the cutscenes. You'll run into people who ask you to do this as well. Here's the thing, though - the story is one of the best aspects of this game, and you have every right to watch the cutscenes, especially if it's your first time. This is another reason to let people know you're new - I, for one, would rather watch the cutscene again than look at a still frame with "Waiting for other Group members" at the bottom. Nevertheless, you will run in to people who insist, sometimes rather rudely. If that's the case, it's up to you what to do - you can politely remind them that you're new, you can leave the group, or comply with their "request" - just don't be rude back. I put this in mostly as a reminder to the veterans out there that not everyone has run these a kagillion times, so be nice!
That's it. Hope it helps some new players have a fun time and avoid any nastiness.
This last double XP weekend, while doing some lowbie FPs, I ran in to some players of the sort who sometimes end up on the Weird People you meet in Groupfinder thread (which I'm a big fan of, btw), so I thought I'd post this. While there are other guides like it, they are kind of buried and difficult to find, so I figured it's a good idea to periodically post some basic guidelines for new players venturing into flashpoints, and group play in general.
It's in all our best interests for new players to have a positive experience; many totally clueless players go on to become highly skilled and assets to guilds and PuGs alike, and those of us that love this game need new players to keep the community healthy and provide resources (i.e money) to the developers so they can continue expanding and improving the game.
Lastly, this isn't meant to be a comprehensive guide on how to tank, or dps, or heal - it's meant to point out the most common ways new players get themselves into trouble and that aren't necessarily apparent, especially if this is your first mmo. Stuff I wish I knew when I started.
So, here goes:
Before you start
Don't queue unless you know you can finish.
Most FPs take approximately a half hour, but sometimes more if there are long conversations, or if you run in to trouble. Don't queue unless you're pretty sure you have at least an hour to spare. Stuff happens, but don't leave your team high and dry if you can avoid it.
Queue for the role you actually intend to play, and no others.
Many classes in swtor are able to dps as well as tank or heal. It won't take you long to figure out that tanks and healers have shorter queue times than dps. But don't queue for these roles unless you are prepared to fill them. It's fine to queue for two roles if you're willing and able to switch - meaning you know how to play the alternate spec and have appropriate gear. If you do this, you might as well respec and put on gear for tank or heals before you queue, as 99% of the time you'll get a group in need of a tank or heals before a dps.
Have appropriate gear for the content
This isn't much of an issue while you're leveling, as you should be picking up gear upgrades along the way that should be sufficient, but once you get to endgame, you'll need a certain quality of gear to successfully contribute to a flashpoint or operation. Don't queue for content unless you have the minimum - the description of the mission in your log will have the minimum gear recommendation.
Let people know you're new.
You may be hesitant to do this, but I can't recommend it enough. People tend to be much more forgiving when they know someone's new. They'll also know that they'll need to explain boss fights to you. You needn't make a big deal out of it - just when you zone in, say "hey guys! This is my first time in here. Help appreciated." Will you sometimes get kicked when you do this? I suppose so, although tbh, I've never seen it in 3 years of running FPs. Not once. I'm sure it happens, but it will be the exception, not the rule. The usual response is some variation of "no worries"
Loot - Need vs. Greed
This is one of those things I really wish BW created an in-game tutorial for. I understand why they don't - technically, these aren't "rules" per se, but rather commonly accepted etiquette. Just as there's no law against going to a cocktail party and telling the hosts they're ugly, and their children are ugly, and their dog is ugly; you won't get arrested, but you won't be invited back, either. A lot of new players would be saved from nasty experiences if they knew what that commonly accepted etiquette was. I'm convinced 90% of "Ninjas" just don't know any better. Swtor was my first mmo, and I got yelled at over this in my first FP, so to hopefully spare some people that experience, here's how it works:
Players that select "Need" will always get higher priority than those that select "Greed." For example, if I select Need, and roll a 2, and you select Greed and roll a 99, I win the loot.
So the standard etiquette is to allow those players who can get the most use out of an item to take priority for it. In practice, this means:
Select Need only if the gear is appropriate for the toon you are playing at that moment, and is an upgrade. Easiest way to tell if it's appropriate is by the main stat it contains:
Aim is for trooper/bounty hunter
Cunning is for scoundrel/agent
Strength is for jedi knight/sith warrior
Willpower is for jedi consular/sith inquisitor
It's not OK to need on gear for a companion or for an alt. If you want to ask a group if you can, that's fine - but don't get upset if they say no.
Feel free to select greed on anything, although it is generally considered to be the right thing to pass on one-of-a-kind items you already have, like speeders. This is on your honor, as there's no way a group of strangers can tell, but it's the nice thing to do, even if you can vendor the speeder.
On crafting materials and special items, like reputation tokens and mounts: it varies, tbh. To me, the easiest thing to do is to have everyone need on these. That way, you're ensured it's totally random. But when in doubt, ask! If you're too bashful to do that, wait and see what the other players do and follow suit.
Not following these "unspoken" rules is sure to get you kicked from the group and /ignored.
Combat do's and don'ts
Allow the tank to engage. Always. It's the tank's job to get the attention of all the enemies in a group and keep it. This is a lot more difficult if a dps hits them first. Always allow your tank to attack first. Even in tactical FPs where it's not necessary to have a tank at all, if you happen to get one, you might as well let him or her do their job.
Don't break CC. CC stands for crowd control, and refers to those abilities that freeze an enemy for a relatively long period (60 seconds, as it happens). This effect will break if that enemy has damage done to them, which defeats the purpose. If someone in your group CCs an enemy, don't attack them. Watch where and how you use AoEs (i.e. Area of Effect, those abilities that hit targets within a certain area). To be on the safe side, if someone has CC'd an enemy, don't use AoEs at all. I also suggest you turn off autotarget in your preferences so you don't hit anything accidentally.
Don't stand in stupid. Some of the fights have specific mechanics you need to adhere to in order to be successful, and a good group will describe these to you if you let them know it's your first time. But unless otherwise specified, circles that appear on the ground are bad. Don't step in them, and if you find yourself in one, get out.
Follow the DPS Kill order. In swtor the general rule of thumb is for dps to kill weaker enemies first, and move up to the stronger ones. There are a number of reasons for this, among them are to keep these pesky weak mobs off the healer, it makes the tank's job easier, and that while they have low hp, they often pack a punch damage-wise, either singularly or collectively, so you might as well get them out of the way quickly. It's also a good idea to kill any enemies that are healers first. This isn't always apparent until you start fighting, but if you see an enemy with something like "medic" or "repair" in their name, kill them first.
Be careful with Knockbacks Until you're familiar with the instance, I'd resist the urge to use your knockback, if you have one. Many times, tanks go to the trouble of rounding up a group of enemies so they can be AoEd, only to have someone use their knockback and spread them all out again. Knocking enemies off a ledge can be a useful and fun way to save some time, but if you're not careful, you can accidentally drop them into another group. So I'd suggest you lay off the knockbacks until you have a better idea of when and how to use them effectively.
Tanks - Guard a dps While there are specific instances when it makes sense to guard healers in Operations, there isn't a single fight in any FP in the current game where this is the best way to go. Here's why: In PvE, the main function of a guard is to reduce the threat (i.e what makes the AI decide to attack you instead of someone else) generated by the gaurdee. It does offer some damage protection, but it is minimal. The way threat works, damage contributes to a player's threat 4x as much per point as healing. If your dps are doing their job, they should always be generating more threat than the healer. Generally speaking, the healer will only get threat from enemies that no one has attacked at all - in which case, guard won't do any good anyway. Put a guard on the best geared dps. When in doubt, guard melee over ranged, as players also generate more threat in melee range. Some tanks prefer to leave guard off and see who, if anyone, actually pulls off them. That's fine, and not a bad idea. Just have your taunt ready.
Other stuff:
Heal on the run People who get out of joint when healers don't do this are silly, but still - all healers have an ability that can be used on the run and costs very little in the way of resources. You can save the group some time by using this on your teammates while you're moving to the next fight
To spacebar or not to spacebar. Those of us who have run these FPs a kagilion times would prefer to use the spacebar to skip through the cutscenes. You'll run into people who ask you to do this as well. Here's the thing, though - the story is one of the best aspects of this game, and you have every right to watch the cutscenes, especially if it's your first time. This is another reason to let people know you're new - I, for one, would rather watch the cutscene again than look at a still frame with "Waiting for other Group members" at the bottom. Nevertheless, you will run in to people who insist, sometimes rather rudely. If that's the case, it's up to you what to do - you can politely remind them that you're new, you can leave the group, or comply with their "request" - just don't be rude back. I put this in mostly as a reminder to the veterans out there that not everyone has run these a kagillion times, so be nice!
That's it. Hope it helps some new players have a fun time and avoid any nastiness.
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