PuGs and other small dogs

Like most everyone, I don't like PuGs (Pick up Groups). They have some marginal value as training tools for the every pull ZOMGIGOTAGGROHEALZME! crisis healing situation.

But as a hunter, they provide an opportunity to see traps busted, assignments blown, and pets die. Don't tell me THAT ain't fun! But, as with healing with Dax, there are some redeeming lessons that are mostly associated with dying in the right place.

With that preamble, let me tell you about PuGing Sethekk Halls last night.
Around 8 pm I get a whisper from the warrior that Dax has been teaming up with asking me if I want to take Rysteranch to SH! Cool, be right there.

1/2 hour later....everyone is formed up. I should have known then that it wasn't going to go well, but I really wanted to get in there with my hunter, so I stuck around.

First pull. Rogue saps one, warrior shoots the other. Pewpewpew...mob dead, second mob dead. No prob. Next pull, wipe. I don't know what happened, but last thing I saw was two people running for the entrance while I lay in a pool of blood. While things did get better after that on the trash, we still had difficulties and wiped on the first boss.

We didn't make it through to the second boss due to time and repairs. My warrior friend then let us know that he was specced 60 points in fury. Doh! That's not a tanking spec...lol. Then he told us it was his first time in there. Doh! But he's the one marking....lol. The pally says, "This is my first time healing an instance." Doh! He's level 70 and this is his first time....lol. Of course, I'm thinking to myself, "It's my first time here also." So we were all a bunch of newbs!

I don't know why, but I really didn't mind all the wipes. Usually I hate dying, and when I play Dax, I really HATE wipes cause I feel responsible. But near the end, when people were making quitting noises, I tried to encourage everyone to stay the course by making light of the situation. Wiping really isn't that bad unless pats respawn or the instance resets. It just costs time in corpse runs and money in repairs. Bah, I can handle that if I'm learning an instance, completing quests, gaining rep, gaining XP, or getting PHAT LEWTZ!

So, of those 5, I got 4. I learned a bit about the instance, completed one quest, gained Lower City rep, AND got XP. I guess that counts as a win! WoooooooooT!