Flashpoint Etiquette

[Vugluskr]

Cut-scenes

 

• Skip in HM and do as you like in SM.

 

Speed runs

 

• Ask if you do not want to skip bosses or trash.

 

Loot

 

• Need on current spec upgrades and vanity stuff, greed/pass on everything else.

 

[Xixex]

Is there a standard set of etiquette rules for a Flashpoint? I was just kicked out by group vote, and the reason given was, "I don't even know where to begin." I was playing earnestly and thought I was contributing to the group, and so it was a complete shock. Granted, it was the first time I was playing that scenario, and I only have a couple other Flashpoints under my belt (I do know about hitting spacebar to skip cut scenes, and so it wasn't that). After waiting so long to get into a Flashpoint, getting kicked out spoiled my fun, and I'm sure my noobie play must have annoyed everyone else. Should I stay away from Flashpoints? Is there a Flashpoint for Dummies page or a beginners mode?

[Sykomyke]

@ OP.

 

This isn't trolling or flaming you...but you may create this; but as I'm sure you are aware a MINORITY of the players who play the game actually visit the forums. And even those who do visit the forums aren't required to follow this "guideline". (And yes, I'm taking a bit of a devil's advocate stance here).

 

But is there a reason to this poll/"guide" (I use that term loosely here as I feel this doesn't really seem like a guide, more like your personal opinion on how things should be done)? I don't really see any reason because, as stated, no-one has to follow it.

 

Again, to sum up: other discussions on the forums debate abilities, content, builds, requests, etc. They all revolve around discussing something that is actionable or debatable in some form. Yet, this doesn't really fufill any of those purposes; kinda feels like you created the thread for the sake of creating it. *MY* opinion, that's all.

 

Edit: Not to mention that most of the people I've ever had Need/Greed or Speed Run issues with are the same types of people who would probably never visit a forum in the first place.

 

Edit2: Also just noticed: Your signature is a quote of....yourself? Kinda pretentious don't ya think?

Edited May 30, 2013 by Sykomyke

[Khevar]

Is there a standard set of etiquette rules for a Flashpoint? I was just kicked out by group vote, and the reason given was, "I don't even know where to begin." I was playing earnestly and thought I was contributing to the group, and so it was a complete shock. Granted, it was the first time I was playing that scenario, and I only have a couple other Flashpoints under my belt (I do know about hitting spacebar to skip cut scenes, and so it wasn't that). After waiting so long to get into a Flashpoint, getting kicked out spoiled my fun, and I'm sure my noobie play must have annoyed everyone else. Should I stay away from Flashpoints? Is there a Flashpoint for Dummies page or a beginners mode?

At a guess, you ran into a particularly impatient crowd, especially considering they wouldn't even give you any specifics but instead gave some generic bull**** "reason" that is totally unhelpful.

 

Not sure exactly what happened, but I can give you some general tips for doing HM FPs, assuming that you play a dps character, as opposed to a healer or tank:

 

1. There are certain abilities that stun enemies for 60 seconds unless they take damage. This is called a Mez. If an enemy is mezzed, be sure not to attack it directly, or to do an area attack (e.g. Force Sweep) near that enemy or it will 'wake up' and join the battle.

 

2. Kill the weaker mobs first, as they go down quickly and will redice the overall damage the group is taking. If you see the healer getting attacked, kill the healer's attacker quickly.

 

3. Many groups of enemies can be skipped by going around them. Most players that have run flashpoints a lot have figured out paths to skip mobs they don't want to fight. If the group is trying to do a speed run and skip mobs, stay close to the group and "step where they step."

[NoFishing]

Is there a standard set of etiquette rules for a Flashpoint?

 

I'll just cover some basics, but let me start with a bit of forum etiquette. Resurrecting a 10-month old dead thread is called necroing, and frowned upon. You would be better off making a new thread in this case.

 

After waiting so long to get into a Flashpoint, getting kicked out spoiled my fun, and I'm sure my noobie play must have annoyed everyone else.

 

I'm assuming by this statement that you play as DPS, so let me give you some DPS things that we find really really irritating. I'm guessing you did more than one of these.

 

1. Breaking CCs (crowd control) effects. That funny blue shield or purple cog is a CC marker (there are other marks, but those are most commonly what I see and use). Even if nothing is marked, avoid opening with AoE attacks just in case the healer or other DPS are about to CC something.

 

2. Pulling before the tank. The tank starts all combat in a group. If you are DPS, you wait until combat begins before you hit anything. If a party member enters stealth and is running ahead, do not follow them...they are probably going to CC something.

 

3. Pulling needless trash, repeatedly. Accidental pulls happen to everyone, we all do it occasionally. But if that stealth person has run ahead and mezzed something, and everyone else is just running by a group, run through the same path.

 

4. Needing on gear that is not for your class or spec. Your companions do not need gear from a HM FP. Neither do your alts. Related: not knowing how to gear your class, and showing up in the wrong gear. Example is if you have shield/absorb/defense, or have are stacking willpower on a bounty hunter or commando. Although such things are usually mentioned at the start.

 

5. Using knockbacks. See that nice cluster of mobs hitting the tank, probably wstanding in the nice green circle of someone's AoE? Nobody wants you to go up and knock everything away, so don't do it. Just forget you have a knockback. The ONLY exception is if the tank/other dps/healer have moved something close to an edge, with the clear intention of knocking it off, but have missed somehow. Then you may go up and finish the job.

 

6. Killing things in the wrong order. Don't just start hitting the one gold in the pack that you first targeted. My standard order for trash mobs is weakest to strongest, left to right, except that healing mobs come first. On boss fights with multilple bosses (mando raiders), if you do not know what order to kill in, ask. And it is (almost) never wrong to focus on the same target as the other DPS.

[Eternalnight]

Is there a standard set of etiquette rules for a Flashpoint? I was just kicked out by group vote, and the reason given was, "I don't even know where to begin."

 

Probably a combination of multiple reasons.

 

I'm not going repeat stuff listed by others, but going to add some more.

 

- Using a tanking stance (Soresu Form, Dark Charge, Ion gas cylinder, Ion cell, Combat technique) when you are not the tank of the group. These abilities increase your threat which makes enemies more likely to attack you, which is not your job if you are not the tank and using those abilities makes it harder for the actual tank to do his job. Not to mention you will do bad dps. Same goes for using other tanking abilities like taunts that force the enemy attack you.

Of course not using them when you are the tank is bad too.

 

- Wearing gear that is not for your class. Player wearing other classes gear is not only going to perform extremely badly, but also there is a reason to fear that he might need roll and take even more gear that is useless to his class preventing those that actually need the items from getting them.

[AlixMV]

Granted, it was the first time I was playing that scenario, and I only have a couple other Flashpoints under my belt (I do know about hitting spacebar to skip cut scenes, and so it wasn't that). After waiting so long to get into a Flashpoint, getting kicked out spoiled my fun, and I'm sure my noobie play must have annoyed everyone else. Should I stay away from Flashpoints? Is there a Flashpoint for Dummies page or a beginners mode?

 

What the previous commenters said are good starts, but I'd also add the following advice (since you didn't mention if you did this):

 

Be upfront about your noob status. When you zone in, shoot off a quick, "Hey, guys, I'm not that experienced with Flashpoints but wanting to learn. If there's something special I need to do, please let me know?" Same deal if you /do/ become more experienced with Flashpoints but perhaps random into one you're /not/ as familiar with/haven't run before.

 

That will save both you and your group a lot of grief and aggravation. A lot of people are willing to cut players more slack if they know going into the situation that someone's relatively inexperienced with the content. But if you /don't/ say anything, the assumption is you're experienced, so when you don't behave the way they expect (as if you were familiar with the FP), it's far more annoying.

 

If they are jerkfaces who don't want to spend time coaching along a new player, they can vote kick you then instead of halfway through the FP. Sucks, but at least you haven't wasted your time with nothing to show for it. :/

 

But if they do coach you: be ready to do what they ask. Finding patient people to teach you is a god send.

Edited May 31, 2013 by AlixMV