Zerging

[kanbeki]

What does it mean to you? and as a side question why are newer players/casual players so heavily opposed to what they consider zerging. I'm interested in hearing about what is and what is not considered zerging from different sides of the player base

[WruntJunior]

Zerging is simply quickly and efficiently moving through a quest (preferably in a group of 4-6 people who can split up to complete multiple objectives at once). It's all about utilizing teamwork, self-sufficiency, and game knowledge to complete content the best way possible for what you want (quick runs that maximize XP/Minute, or quick runs that maximize Chests/Minute).

[Vellrad]

I'm old fashioned, for me zerging always was, is, and always will be sending waves of cheap and weak forces which will die to overwhelmd and destroy your enemies just by their numbers.

[Vestriel]

Zerging is simply Getting Stuff Done as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is often harder than it looks.

Part of the reason zerging gets a bad reputation is all the players who try to zerg and fail utterly, usually by charging ahead of a party into a room of mobs they can't handle and getting killed.

The second big reason new/casual players dislike zergers is that when they zerg successfully, they leave nothing interesting for the rest of the party to do. It's not much fun to walk through an empty quest behind a zerger who already killed everything and solved all the puzzles etc. Most people prefer to play a game rather than have someone else play for them.

Zergers are seen as non-team players, which is partly true. The fastest way to complete a quest usually does not require teamwork, and even when teamwork is important they would rather not spend the time to teach a new player what they need to do to help out.

Personally I have no problem with zergers, it's just one way to play the game, neither good nor bad.
The important thing is to communicate and respect other people.
When you post an LFM, state clearly if you intend to zerg, if it is a learning run, or whatever.
When you join an LFM, read it first and try not to ruin other peoples' fun.

Zerging is a mindset that prioritizes speed and efficiency. That's it.

[AzB]

It's a slang word. It can mean whatever you want it to mean.

Bottom line is that people that play faster than you are zergers and people that play slower than you are sniffers. It makes no difference what speed you actually play at, it's all relative to your perception.

[Turtlsdown]

Zerging is when I try to crank out 6 or more Zerglings so as to rush the enemy players base at the very beginning of the round. Doesn't work as well against the Protoss as it does the hunaams!

[FestusHood]

The type of zerging that has a bad connotation is when it is only one or a few people in a group and they run through the dungeon without killing anything, triggering red alert, and leave newer players to deal with the wake.

[Juduss]

To my understanding, zerging can be most simply described as getting through from quest beginning to completion in the most efficient mannor possible. Drag mobs till they rebound or arrive at a predetermined kill zone. Really only effective when you know a quest well enough to: A) predetermine where said kill zones are, B) what specific gear you need (ie. having{knowing what} a sufficient # of invis clickies is) C) know the map so as to avoid taking any "long ways around" D)probably some stuff I'm not thinking of ATM.

I believe newer players don't like this for lots of reasons, such as they want to do something really weird like, *gasp* explore a new environment. So they join or put up an lfm, then some TR toaster enters the quest and finishes it in a flash, leaving the new people A) bewildered about what just happened & B) saddend that any further time spent in the quest yields no rewards (no ransack/onslaught/trap bonous), and disappointed that they didn't even get to see the boss, let alone play with it.

Yes, I said play.
While some people get the most enjoyment out of crushing content in as dominant a manor as possible, others like to poke around, explore and experience what they (may have) paid for.

Also an (I feel) often overlooked situation is that non-VIPs often have limited access to content, and may be more interested in maximizing xp/quest than xp/min. So they put up an lfm and someone joins & zergs it "doing them the favor of completing it fast" and leaves the poster annoyed at not getting the amount of xp they expected or needed from a run with complete opts/ ransack/ etc...

Obviously these are situations that could've worked out better with sufficient communication, but that's a whole 'nother thread

[DarkForte]

Complete in the way that gives the most XP/minute possible. This often involves one or more of the following:
- Skipping traps/optional encounters or having someone do them alone while the rest of the party runs towards the end of the quest
- Spending as little time as possible not running towards the end of the quest
- Gathering large numbers of critters to kill with few AOE attacks

[Sir_Noob]

What does it mean to you? and as a side question why are newer players/casual players so heavily opposed to what they consider zerging. I'm interested in hearing about what is and what is not considered zerging from different sides of the player base

I suspect that some of the newer players want to tactically and methodically take apart the dungeons in a manner that most closely relates to a Pen and Paper Experience.

Running through the content turns it into an arcade video game which does not appeal to everyone.

Given time, experience, and getting to know the content inside out it is natural for people to pick up the pace and run faster.

I know I enjoy sniffing the flowers in all the content I have not run before.
I also enjoy trying to create an environment with the team inside that tries to run in a PnP style as well.

[silence383]

hmmm on the other side. Zerging may be a group that has no one peeing, cooking dinner, changing diapers, fighting with the spouse, on a beer run, etc... Oh wait that might just be considered a good party ...my bad lol

[Charononus]

Zerging to me now means completing the quest as fast as possible. However when I started playing I despised the "zergers" that joined pugs, that said most weren't true zergers/good zergers but simply bad players, I can't count how many players during that time period ran off to try to zerg and got dead instead from running away from the group on a class that couldn't self heal.

[Mastikator]

It is not standing around doing nothing.

[Enoach]

Zerging at its basic core is running a quest in such a way as to maximize XP/Min and on occasion Chests/Min (However loot is secondary and is usually only in the equation if it is a farming run)

Effective Zerging not only completes the quest quickly but assures all members reach the destination - Keep in mind based on the number of monsters in a quest and the ability to dispatch them quickly could also have the goal of certain amount of kills either really low or very high. This form also makes sure the group stays on task and adjusts its speed/kill zones to help keep the party moving forward quickly making sure choke points are not blocked to make it harder for the Tail of the group to keep up. Don't get me wrong, speed is still the order of the day, but if it makes the quest harder or leaves a person in a position where they can't keep up with the group adjustments will be made.

In-effective zerging makes it impossible for all party members to keep up, because the lead group has choked doorways/hallways etc. that make it impossible without fighting in a DA alert status 1/2 the dungeon. Generally the lead group will call out that the others need to keep up...

The other in-effective zerging is taking on more than you can handle. Keeping Zergings main goal in mind, you cannot complete a quest if your dead.

Why many are anti-zerg:
1. They want to adventure not race <- Commonly found when running new content or a new person to the content
2. They have experienced the In-effective Zerg and have not witnessed the effective one. And so scared memories of being left behind leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

[Bonulino]

The second big reason new/casual players dislike zergers is that when they zerg successfully, they leave nothing interesting for the rest of the party to do. It's not much fun to walk through an empty quest behind a zerger who already killed everything and solved all the puzzles etc. Most people prefer to play a game rather than have someone else play for them.

^^This.^^

[Magil]

I've always considered it a zerg to run a quest as quickly as possible, going straight to the end. Optional parts done only if they need to be, but not to go out of your way for it. (Unless of course, your group is efficient enough to send one person off after each optional, but meh.)

[Eth]

I was always a bit puzzled about the way zerging is used in DDO.
Seems like most view it as running something as quickly as possible, which is not what it seems to mean in other games though.

For example in urban dictionary it is described as follows for MMOs:

"Nowadays term zerg is used in mmo games to describe force consisted of large group of lower level players (often with only basic equipment) who use numbers rather then strategy to defeat the enemy, therefore requiring no skill. This tactics is commonly known as zerging."




...and I like protoss.

[DocBenway]

I was always a bit puzzled about the way zerging is used in DDO.
Seems like most view it as running something as quickly as possible, which is not what it seems to mean in other games though.

...and I like protoss.

Everywhere else it means throw overwhelming numbers of weak disposable forces at the enemy to kill or bury them in the bodies of your own peons before they have had time to prepare.

DDO is the oddball, or maybe the exception that proves the rule.
Or something.

[Ryiah]

Zerging is simply quickly and efficiently moving through a quest (preferably in a group of 4-6 people who can split up to complete multiple objectives at once). It's all about utilizing teamwork, self-sufficiency, and game knowledge to complete content the best way possible for what you want (quick runs that maximize XP/Minute, or quick runs that maximize Chests/Minute).

This would be my definition of it as well. Depending on party size I may or may not go for optionals, conquest, ransack, etc. I know with Kobold's New Ringleader I had a static group for a while where one person would rush their way towards the end while everyone else dealt with traps, breakables, etc. We actually had it down enough to where we could have ransack before the person rushing to the end had it completed.

[kanbeki]

Getting some good answers, I only pug a handful of times per life but in some groups I have been considered "zerging" just by not being near the group and killing things whereas I would consider zerging dragging everything to red alert and clearing the mobs out, In some groups I find that if I stand around and do nothing I get less complaints than if I contribute