Post created by: Symsyma
Etiquette
So you've decided to join a group to do some of the tougher content that Tamriel has to offer. You're off to a great start!
As you may already know there are 12 people in a trial, because of this you have to work in a slightly different manner to your usual four man group or solo missions. Good communication is required to complete a trial successfully and in a speedy manner.
Remember everyone has a part to play and at times the group leaders will need to call out specific mechanics or instructions. If you are talking over them this will cause problems and confusion.
Sometimes you can over-communicate and at other times you may under-communicate. There is a balance needed so as to not frustrate each other.
XBOX Party Chat
Although a microphone is not a requirement to join trials run by Elphish By Nature and Gold Dragon Holdings you must have the ability to hear the comms channel (either through a headset or speakers). Additionally you need to keep your in-game text channel open as we will occasionally give pertinent messages this way (this usually occurs during the initial stage of a trial or final stage when sharing equipment), a keyboard is also handy.
As a guild we generally prefer to use XBOX Party Chat as the primary means to communicate. This is for a number of reasons, game chat sounds tinny, game chat bugs out, switching to XBOX apps cuts out game chat, loading screens and game crashes disconnect you from being able to communicate.
Of course on occasion XBOX Party Chat has problems, or we need a separate group for chat... in this case we will communicate which game chat channel we need to use. Typical game channels we will use are: Area / Group / Elphish By Nature 1/2/3.
Bravado
On occasion there are certain attitudes that are difficult to deal during the trial. Generally people running ahead and initiating fights with half the group unaware is an issue and can cause wipes and frustration.
What happens when you do not join the channel? Saying "I've done it a million time, I know what I'm doing" is usually the death knell of a trial. We often come across these "superstars." There are 11 other people in the group. Some of them might be able to learn from your genius! Others will be giving instructions to the newer players such as "wait here until I have explained the mechanics of the next boss" - a comment which is usually followed by "oh, the guy not in the voice channel just started the fight already! Well, just do your best!"
Breaks
Occasionally we all need a break, whether for a drink, bio, or to respond to a real-world situation. Ideally these need to be conveyed to others is the team so we can react appropriately.
Please don't take a break as people are returning from a break this is very disruptive.
Over communication
Yelling, screaming, and generally providing too much detail about your lunch / love life and other items doesn't really fit well in a trial setting. Please be respectful of the others on the team by trying to keep the chat relevant to the game at hand.
"I've done this a million times" or "it's just normal" are not good excuses to distract the newer members on the team just learning the ropes.
Under communication
Silence is not always golden. If you don't understand what to do or why you died then please do ask. Preferably not during the fight - just wait until a pause between action to inquire if possible.
Death
Ok so you just died. First thing is that this happens. Second - don't worry - we can see this in the group list. What we don't really need to hear is everyone yelling I'm dead. Apart from anything else this is not helpful and is potentially confusing. Under most circumstances it is the Damage Dealers jobs to raise the dead. The job of the tank and the healer is to try and keep everyone else alive. Of course if the tank or healer die this is very important and needs to be communicated clearly by them E.g. Healer dead, Tank dead.
NOTE: There will be exceptions such as when doing Maw of Lorkhaj cats where the dead cat runner will need to communicate so someone can pick up their side to avoid a wipe.
NOTE: It also may not be immediately obvious where your body is, so this will also need to be communicated.
Noisy microphone
If your mic is sending unnecessary noise down the line please mute yourself. You can still listen in to directions, and you can unmute when you need to deliver a specific message.
Examples of noise:
- You're breathing heavy because you just came back from a smoke break.
- You're playing music in the background.
- Your sibling keeps interrupting you to ask what the weather is like in China today.
- Your headset has a grounding issue and is sending a hum down the line.
- Your TV is too loud, or your headset is misbehaving, and you are transmitting an echo of other players back at them.
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