I admittedly don't post here often, but after this last run (and some time cooling off) I felt the need to do so. Forgive me if it seems like a rant, but I feel like it's also necessary.

I started a Gianthold Tor PUG recently, hoping to farm out some more White Dragon Scales, and maybe even loot something decent in the raid afterwards. Not to mention, I'd had a lot of luck with PUGs recently (that lovely Vale lowbie group from 14-16 knows what I'm talking about) and felt like it would be fun to meet some new people.

It takes a good fifteen minutes, but we get a good group going, 15s and 16s mostly. We have myself, a couple multiclassed fighters, a cleric, an arcane and a favored soul. Fairly balanced, right? We go into Gianthold Tor on hard, if only for the challenge and the fun that comes along with it. Everything goes fairly smoothly, and we kill the gatekeeper, get the experience...quite a good run so far, actually. I know that a couple of groupies are undergeared and not quite as familiar with the quest, but they're doing decently...staying alive, at least. And that's most of what I could ask for in a run like this.

So we go to do the white dragon, and as we start fighting it, I hear that telling *DING* of death. It's the level 16 cleric. Granted, I should have been wary when he said how proud he was of his Globe of Imperial Blood, and asked what he should replace his Goggles of the Eagle +3 with...but I figured, "heck, we're fine. The other divine's still standing, even though he's burning through sp a little quick, and we can clear this guy out." So we kill the dragon and giant at the same time, admittedly pretty narrowly, with only three or four of us standing at the end, but we did it. And it's a bit more challenging on hard...I'm forgiving imho, and there's no reason to get angry at something so minute. So we give him some gear recommendations (not sure how well he listened), res everyone, get our loot, and move on.

Blue dragon time. We kill all the trash on the way with a decent bit of ease, even zerging somewhat, and the 16 cleric dies again - somewhere at the back. One of us (maybe it was me) went and got him, res'd him, healed up, buffed, and we were spiffy, ready to kill the blue dragon and get some of the prized blue scales. As we go in, no mroe than 30 seconds go by and I hear the cleric *DING* again. The favored soul might not have heard him on mic, but he didn't res him - and honestly, I doubt it would have made any difference. We stay up for a while, I get the dragon down with the arcane to about a third or so, and our other fighter (honestly a beast, I'm guessing he was a TR since he was so well-geared) has the giant at about the same, when our favored soul *DING*s out too. The arcane dings behind me, I try to get the dragon down even a decent bit but go down when he's at 25%, and our other two fighters are dead right around this time too. Party wipe.

This is the first time I've party wiped in a group I've led in the Tor, so I'm in a bit of shock...in fact, I can't remember even mostly wiping against a dragon. But it's alright, I say to myself. First time for everything.

Okay, I say, no big deal - let's come in here and do it again. I repair in Meridia, zip over to the Twelve and back into Tor, we all eventually gather up again, buff there, and we're ready to take on the world (or in this case, the dragon and his giant pet). We head in, get the dragon and giant down, and get our loot. The cleric dies again, as does everyone but the favored soul, myself and the geared out fighter (still not mentioning names) but we res...and we're all good. Time for black.

This is where it gets ugly.

As we go in, we seem to be doing fine...dragon's down to about 20%, and giant at 15%...then the cleric dies. And the favored soul. And we all follow soon after, to my dismay. Another party wipe.

By now, I'm ticked off, but I don't want to kick this guy...he seems decent enough...if a little full of himself and his Destruction spell. That and he's not geared out at all, doesn't seem to know what he's doing - but teaching isn't a bad thing, not at all. He mentions his Gorgon Armor and how he's going to try the Gorgon Breath on the dragon this time, and I laugh it off. He can't be serious after all...right? We come back in, and we have a gameplan. The cleric sits back, far away, from the fight, dropping some DoTs on the dragon and heals on the group, as does the favored soul, for sanity's sake. Meanwhile, me, the arcane and the other fighter take the giant while the fighter does the dragon. He wanted him all to himself - and it wasn't a bad idea, honestly. Everything's going decently, we've got the giant down to 5%, but the fighter has the dragon still up around a third. I go over to help a bit, and we get him down to 5% or so as well. By now, the cleric's already died a couple minutes ago - I don't know how, but I'm guessing he DID try the Gorgon Breath and got himself vaporized with acid. The favored soul clearly thinks it's a waste of sp to raise him, so he doesn't do so. But suddenly, the favored soul pings out. We start hammering away. This is pretty much the end...I'm raging at myself. I swing at the giant, get him down to maybe 2%, and he catapults me across the room while I'm still at half health. I'm expecting I'll rubberband back down like I had been, but instead I land in deep acid and take about 120 off my health bar till I get back to dry land. The giant is aggro'd hard on me and starts lumbering towards me as I sprint back, and the fighter who was on the dragon *DING*s out too, right as the dragon's about dead. Either the arcane or the other fighter multiclass kills the dragon as I swing at the giant, but I'm killed as he drops to about 1%. It was barely even visible. It's up to the last guy, since the arcane just died in an acid trap or something, and the giant incaps him...and the dragon comes back to life.

I realize something, and ask the cleric if he has a heavy fortification item.

He responds that his Fort Save is 16.

I say thanks for the group, and it all falls apart as we release. Three of the people send me tells thanking me for the group and saying we should group up again, etc, I apologize (because honestly, this was the most embarassing moment I've had in DDO - just ugly) and logout.

Now that I've had some time to clear my head, I have a few things to say.

I used to be a noob. Like, a really bad noob. Level 6 in Deleras swinging my Icy-Bursted Greatsword of Pure Good as a wizard. I learned the magics of firewall later...but I reflect on those times, and remember my guildmates who educated me, saying what I should do. Lending me equipment. Being patient.

I tried to be patient with this guy, but now that I reflect on it...this guy got to level 16 not knowing hardly anything about what he was doing. He was a cleric with a wisdom around 22 or 24, I can't remember which. He looted Madstone Boots ON HIS FIRST REAVER'S run with the cleric and didn't pass them. He didn't because he automatically clicked, not knowing they were perfectly useless on his character, and that they were BtC. He wears Goggles of the Eagle +3 for God's sake - and no one has told him before we did that he was doing something wrong? So I've come here to say this, which is essentially a tl;dr in itself.


tl;dr - Noobs, ask questions. Ask for gear recommendations. Ask people if you're confused. Just ask! People have gear they don't need, gear they'd be glad to give to you if you just ask because we don't need it anymore.

Please noobs. Everyone was the same as you once upon a time, and they'll be sympathetic if you ask for help.

Please just ask.

/rant