Been sneaking odd moments to solo with Lynn (she’s just shy of 26 now), and, esp. since hitting Striga, she’s been getting lots of invites for PUGs. And I usually go ahead and take them, as it’s often at hours that there’s not a lot of Alliance folks on.
THE GOOD
- It’s good eats. Lynn tends to play cautiously on her own, which makes overall XP/min relatively low. On a PUG, willingly or unwilingly, it’s usually faster-moving, and overall XP/min goes up (even with debt).
- Scrappers are usually in decent demand. And I’m often the solo scrapper on a team (and more often than not, the only melee character, which can be kinda dangerous but fun).
- Most PUGs are okay. Some seriously suck, but they are balanced by ones that are really cool. And it’s worth noting that PUGs are often only partially that way — a core of players who know each other and who want to flesh out a team.
- Being a manager at work, I prefer to let someone else make the decisions (assuming they make them competently). For that matter, I never organize a PUG myself. Too many decisions, and not getting paid for ’em.
- Things are always different. The line between “practiced comfortable playstyle” in an established team (or duo) and the boredom of “lather, rinse, repeat” is a fuzzy one, and subject to being crossed based on mood. Running with different players adds some variety.
- There’s always the chance of finding someone you’d like to adventure with again. Hasn’t happened to me yet (not helped by cycling through various alts), but you never can tell.
THE BAD
- No RP to speak of, of course.
- It’s a pain when you get brought in as the 2nd or 3rd player and the leader won’t go forward until a full team of 8 is recruited. (Yes, that lowers overall XP/min.) I like large teams, mind you — while it increases the chances of someone doing something horribly team-killing stupid, it also adds to the flexibility of the group.
- Some leaders can’t lead out of a paper bag, which often as not means that decisions of when to go, which passage to take, etc., get made by the least patient or most rash team player.
- Some players … are just stupid. Or inconsiderate. Or both. They’re the ones that everyone’s waiting for to go off and sell between mishes (every time), the ones who run in before buffs/debuffs/mezzes/planning takes place, etc. (every time), etc. A PUG is something like Russian Roulette in terms of getting these.
THE UGLY
- Team leaders who stand around excessively trying to find an Empathy Defender usually do so because they know they’re going to need one.
- I feel an odd commitment to a team, even if it’s strangers. Which makes pulling out of a disastrous one sometimes difficult … though a trip to the hospital is always a good excuse.
The good outweighs the other stuff, for the moment. I’d rather team up with Alliance folks, but depending on the “kindness of strangers” isn’t a bad approach right now.