So relatively new to the PVE endgame but have been using the Group Finder for Normal and Hard Mode flashpoints with very limited success. 80% of the time there is no chat, half of the group is experienced and the other half (like me) don't know all the FPs and are actually there for the first or maybe second time. As a result, the experienced ones charge off and leave the newbies trying to figure out where they went and how to catch them up. Some of the experienced guys then come back and help out but most just start with the angry comments/kick or rage quit.

 

Also, as newbies, we actually want to do the whole flashpoint and not the last boss. We also need the drops from all of the bosses and not the last one.

 

So I join a guild - maybe my bad luck but they seem focussed on ops where the min need is columi gear.

 

Seems to me I have a few choices left - keep using group finder and hope that I either learn the speed runs or that I eventually find some like minded users that want to do the whole thing so that I can gear up. Keep getting the BH comms from the weekly and in 13 weeks I'll be geared up. Join a guild that helps out in betweeners like me.

 

I can't believe I'm the only one in this situation so anyone on Harbinger in the same situation let me know and we can group up to do the whole of the FP and not speed runs.

 

Any advice, constructive comments gratefully received

I understand your frustration, your best bet is to let your teammates know you are new to the instance and may not know the shortcuts. Most reasonable people would be willing to lend you a hand. Also, trust me you do not particularly need to kill all those bosses. It is very easy to get Columi gear through SM Ops and those last bosses and many people I see in group finder are either greeding them or passing them now. Also do remember that the BH comms you get from doing HM FP's everyday (as well as some other content) will net you some very nice Black Hole gear which will completely trivialize any gear you can get. So fast killing those FP's in fact saves your time.

i will agree with you on this man in that the experienced players shouldn't just go off everyone should work as a team when in a flashpoint. unfortunately that's not how it happens most guilds though will help you out when you run the flashpoints and get you gear from the bosses that we know drops gear that you can use at least mine does. i can say this from being an experienced player and knowing the fights on every flashpoint that has a hard mode sometimes stuff that drops from some of the bosses just aren't worth anything and you'll be replacing it in about 3 hours. if you still need a home and are on the server jedi covenant hit me up in game (dracinic) or thorugh my guild (currently synergy @ canderous ordo may change soon but will be something along the lines of synergy)

I am on ebon hawk and i have just started doing flashpoints. Took me a bit to understand the setup for them but i got it. I did a group finder for directive 7 and black talon. I do another and dont even remember which one it was. I tell the group that i am new to this fp thinking they may kick me for that but i would be alright with it.

 

The group does not kick me and we jet off bypassing everything. I try to follow but i get the out of bounds warning and die. Now the group cant get me to res so i had to revive at the start. I don't know the way to get to them and i say that i dont know the way. I figure they didnt want to wait for me so as im about to disband and move along in my adventures... then one of the guys calls me a retard and says they should drop me. I disbanded and left but i suppose there are a lot of impatient players who dont pay attention to others. how am i retarded for not knowing the way in a zone i have never been to. i just assume he didn't see where i stated that i was new to the fp. It can be very discouraging for sure.

Best advice is to speak up right away and let the group know you're either unfamiliar with the instance, undergeared, or both.

 

Most folks will slow the run down a bit to get you through and as long as you're not wondering off or getting ahead of the tank, you should be fine. (Spacebaring through cut-scenes will help to make up the extra time for the rest of the group and they'll appreciate it)

 

Undergeared is a little different, but if you know the fights and how to play your toon you should be ok.

 

BUT - If you don't know the fights AND lack the gear to survive, you're probably better off running story modes and dailies to build up some experience and gear before getting into the harder content.

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback. I'll stick with it, chat up front in FP and also talk to the Guild to see if its time for a change. Anyone know of a good guild on Harbinger that has an active community and isn't too hardcore?

Yeah, that's sort of tough. Most of the geared people are there for speed runs to get their BH comms down.

 

HOWEVER, communication is key. If you start off the instance and mention you're new and that you'd like to do all the bosses (including the extra boss), most people are okay with that (I would be). When the rest of the people understand you're new, RIGHT FROM THE GET GO, they're usually more lenient and will explain stuff to you like boss mechanics, what to do, which mobs to target, and such.

 

I don't care if someone is new to the instance as long as they tell me and as long as they can play their class. The only one that annoyed me was some person who was actually half-geared in Columi, never spoke up about being new, but was always falling behind because, I could tell, they weren't very good at playing the MMO. Perhaps they were very young, or disabled, but because the person didn't speak up and communicate it, I was just getting aggravated.

 

We don't know if you're new, or have a reason for not playing well. So if you speak up, I'm more than happy to help you through it. I want you to have a great experience too and I'm willing to sit through the conversations. However, please be courteous of me too and know that I can't read your mind. So if you are new, speak up. =)

Edited October 15, 2012 by Lostpenguins

I joined a Guild as well. I've done a few Heroics with them. My problem is that right now, it doesn't seem like there's never 3 other 50's on at the same time as I am. So lately, I've just put myself in the group finder for HM Black Talon, since I know how to handle it. I think what I'm going to do is start trying to queue up just for the regular Boarding Party while I'm doing dailies, so I can get the hang of it and then start queuing up for BT and BP. And then just work my way down the list. None of my alts are high enough to do BP and later.

i totally understand everyones frustrations of racing to the end to get the golden egg. after doing all of them on the republic faction for months i still don't mind to take my time and enjoy the run. i "make" enough time to be in the queue and do a normal run but this is just foreign to far too many people.

 

in my guild when we have someone that needs the gear we hit the other bosses. unless it is the persons first time usually we skip the first one as they don't drop anything. also we don't do the bonus ones either unless the person wants to see all of the content. we listen to the cut scenes and let the person enjoy his first time through. there are a few other guilds out there that do this but finding one is the problem. in a pug just forget it as everyone just wants the bh coms.

 

after the super server merges one of my 50s from the opposite faction rejoined my legacy. frankly him being on the empire side i kinda cringe at using the gf and going into the few unknown hms with him for the vary reasons already posted.

When i am on my tank, i usually ask if everyone is okay with a fast run; i dont have an issue if someone says no for whatever reason, or that they are new... and more or less ask it to make sure everyone is on the same page.

 

When i am on my healer, i usually tell the tank that if they can hold the agro i can heal through anything, which is more or less telling them they can throw cation to the wind... most of the time though tanks need cc because they can not gather the mobs up and keep agro on all of them....which leaves me to being a 2nd rate dps while i let my hots heal.

 

On my dps, i know i am a dime a dozen, and doesnt matter what i say, the group will be dictated by the tank and healer. I will go head and pull on occasions if the tank is rather slow and the healer is fine healing me (i usually send a tell first, to the healer). I feel like half of the time i am usually helping the tank and or healer with the mechanics of the flashpoint by the end of it, the other half i am on the verge of quitting or being kicked because the healer/tank think they know everything and are not open to criticism.

 

So overall my advice to you would be to state where and when you need an explanation, and as soon as possible, while remaining open to criticism, that sometimes may be a bit rough/brutally honest. Also if someone is just vegging through the flashpoint dont see it as any offense towards you, they are most likely doing something else while playing.

When I'm tanking, I put my mouse over people's portraits. If they all have over 20K HP I know it's going to be a fast run. If anyone looks less well geared and might be able to use the drops, I ask. Simple.

 

I actually quite like running newbies through flashpoints for the first time and explaining the bosses.

I am on ebon hawk and i have just started doing flashpoints. Took me a bit to understand the setup for them but i got it. I did a group finder for directive 7 and black talon. I do another and dont even remember which one it was. I tell the group that i am new to this fp thinking they may kick me for that but i would be alright with it.

 

The group does not kick me and we jet off bypassing everything. I try to follow but i get the out of bounds warning and die. Now the group cant get me to res so i had to revive at the start. I don't know the way to get to them and i say that i dont know the way. I figure they didnt want to wait for me so as im about to disband and move along in my adventures... then one of the guys calls me a retard and says they should drop me. I disbanded and left but i suppose there are a lot of impatient players who dont pay attention to others. how am i retarded for not knowing the way in a zone i have never been to. i just assume he didn't see where i stated that i was new to the fp. It can be very discouraging for sure.

 

I had a very similar experience the first time I ran Taral V HM via Group Finder. The group all went racing off, I didn't know any of the skips and couldn't keep up, I kept pulling stuff by accident, I got called names, people just stood there and watched me die and didn't help. I was the tank, by the way.

 

Don't worry. That's just one group. You will encounter many nice, helpful groups for every shower of idiots you come across.

Honestly, No.

Its a personal thing but I have yet to find a group member that says " hey can we clear the bonus?"

 

I really hate redoing content so i'm always keen to get everything done as quickly as possible then move onto another toon.

I had a very similar experience the first time I ran Taral V HM via Group Finder. The group all went racing off, I didn't know any of the skips and couldn't keep up, I kept pulling stuff by accident, I got called names, people just stood there and watched me die and didn't help. I was the tank, by the way.

 

Don't worry. That's just one group. You will encounter many nice, helpful groups for every shower of idiots you come across.

 

Same thing happened here. And to those saying just say you're new, well, I tried twice. I don't know about you but with my pc, I can't chat and make my character move:

1st time: so I tried as soon as i arrived telling about it but i realize the group is rushing and already way forward, so I tell them about it, most seem already furious that i'm 1. a noob, 2. that i'm not catching up. 3. that i want to see the story without spacing. Guess how it ends....

2nd time: i see them rushing before i have time to say anything, so trying not to get too behind this time i stop trying to chat and follow. Make some mistakes. Some do tell me about some things while others bash me, but before i have time to read it properly/answer/ ask questions or anything really (and since it's not my first language it's even harder for me to understand abbreviations and such), they are already rushing and move on, so i hesitate to leave realizing that it's a bad situation that makes everyone mad, me for being hassled and them to have a noob with them but it seemed almost done so I choose to keep going hoping it'd end soon. But guess what, i unintentionally attacked the wrong foe, and, it was it for me.

 

My advice would be indeed to find a nice guild who's focused on helping out each other and making the game fun for all. Before joining my guild, I swore never to do groupings anymore because it was just not worth the hassle. But now, i've done fp with my guildies and enjoyed it for the first time because when you can communicate and make sure everyone in the group has the same objectives, then you can start to enjoy it so much more.

So relatively new to the PVE endgame but have been using the Group Finder for Normal and Hard Mode flashpoints with very limited success. 80% of the time there is no chat, half of the group is experienced and the other half (like me) don't know all the FPs and are actually there for the first or maybe second time. As a result, the experienced ones charge off and leave the newbies trying to figure out where they went and how to catch them up. Some of the experienced guys then come back and help out but most just start with the angry comments/kick or rage quit.

 

Also, as newbies, we actually want to do the whole flashpoint and not the last boss. We also need the drops from all of the bosses and not the last one.

 

So I join a guild - maybe my bad luck but they seem focussed on ops where the min need is columi gear.

 

Seems to me I have a few choices left - keep using group finder and hope that I either learn the speed runs or that I eventually find some like minded users that want to do the whole thing so that I can gear up. Keep getting the BH comms from the weekly and in 13 weeks I'll be geared up. Join a guild that helps out in betweeners like me.

 

I can't believe I'm the only one in this situation so anyone on Harbinger in the same situation let me know and we can group up to do the whole of the FP and not speed runs.

 

Any advice, constructive comments gratefully received

 

There are a lot of people out there who will help you. And, there are a lot who are jerks. You just have to leave the group if they're being jerks, put them on ignore, and try again.

 

As for a guild, look me up. We have several newly minted 50s that need to start running HMs. I might be able to help you out, depending on your time zone and schedule, of course.

Personally I always ask at the beginning of the flashpoint if anyone has not run the flashpoint before or is new to the flashpoint.

 

I will always help people learn the mechanics and shortcuts of the flashpoints if people ask, the problem is when people just sit back try to run the flashpoint and then overextend aggro and cause wipes. This can be very expensive for geared players.

 

As always ask people, we have all been in the same position and most people will help new players learn.

 

If you ever need help, I am on Begeren Colony (look for N'abi)

Same thing happened here. And to those saying just say you're new, well, I tried twice. I don't know about you but with my pc, I can't chat and make my character move:

1st time: so I tried as soon as i arrived telling about it but i realize the group is rushing and already way forward, so I tell them about it, most seem already furious that i'm 1. a noob, 2. that i'm not catching up. 3. that i want to see the story without spacing. Guess how it ends....

2nd time: i see them rushing before i have time to say anything, so trying not to get too behind this time i stop trying to chat and follow. Make some mistakes. Some do tell me about some things while others bash me, but before i have time to read it properly/answer/ ask questions or anything really (and since it's not my first language it's even harder for me to understand abbreviations and such), they are already rushing and move on, so i hesitate to leave realizing that it's a bad situation that makes everyone mad, me for being hassled and them to have a noob with them but it seemed almost done so I choose to keep going hoping it'd end soon. But guess what, i unintentionally attacked the wrong foe, and, it was it for me.

 

My advice would be indeed to find a nice guild who's focused on helping out each other and making the game fun for all. Before joining my guild, I swore never to do groupings anymore because it was just not worth the hassle. But now, i've done fp with my guildies and enjoyed it for the first time because when you can communicate and make sure everyone in the group has the same objectives, then you can start to enjoy it so much more.

 

I was in a group where your first point happened.. One of the dps hadnt done it before (was FE HM). I was the tank, and the dps said 'I've never done this before, so I could use some help with tactics. If its ok with everyone, I'd like to see the cutscenes'. I said 'Sure, its fine by me '. The healer, instead of saying anything, used the vote-2-kick button, I hit decline and the other dps agreed to the vote. I asked them why they did it, and they didnt want to be teamed with a noob having to watch the cutscenes. I told them they were ******es, wished them good luck in getting a new tank, left the group, invited the dps to group with me and went with him for 2 hardmodes. :> Needless to say, the other dps and the healer got on my ignore list ^^

as long as the inexperienced player is not stupid, I'm happy to kill all the bosses, and explain tactics/or shortcuts.

What I did myself (running FPs the first time) that I read through the guides for each of them to understand what to expect, it helps a lot. Also, don't skip any of the normal mode FPs while you level, do them, do them again and again, and by the time you get to the hard modes you will know what to do and where to go.

Depends on healer too. I don't mind killing extra bosses (with few exceptions like skipable one on boarding party, and 3rd on BOI for example), some depends on healer (bonus on BT), but when I go, I go for fast run.

Want extra boss? Feel free to ask (not demand, 'would you mind killing extra bosses please?' and I bet you 85% will agree 10% will sa 'no, sorry, gotta hurry', and eventually 5% might kick or be rude to you - chance you gotta take)

Also, don't skip any of the normal mode FPs while you level, do them, do them again and again, and by the time you get to the hard modes you will know what to do and where to go.

 

This was definitely my issue, as I solo'd two characters to 50 without doing any Flashpoints. I've got two other lower-level alts and plan on just getting in the group finder and start running FP's to get Dailies. My other two lower-level alts are going down paths to be healers, so this would definitely be an opportunity for me to learn how to best be a healer (and not having everyone yell at you if they die....which hopefully they won't).

I was in a group where your first point happened.. One of the dps hadnt done it before (was FE HM). I was the tank, and the dps said 'I've never done this before, so I could use some help with tactics. If its ok with everyone, I'd like to see the cutscenes'. I said 'Sure, its fine by me '. The healer, instead of saying anything, used the vote-2-kick button, I hit decline and the other dps agreed to the vote. I asked them why they did it, and they didnt want to be teamed with a noob having to watch the cutscenes. I told them they were ******es, wished them good luck in getting a new tank, left the group, invited the dps to group with me and went with him for 2 hardmodes. :> Needless to say, the other dps and the healer got on my ignore list ^^

 

It only takes a few people to make the whole group looks bad, so thanks for sharing that and standing up for the person who got kicked out like that .

What I really dislike about this behavior is the unnecessary rudeness about it. I mean, I can totally get that people like to do flashpoints 20 times on fast runs, only for the end loot, skipping everything else; even if i do it only once for the story, and sometimes more if people need help doing it. To each their own way of playing. But if at the start someone would have just told me: "look, we would really want to do a fast run, and we have no time and patience to show you the tricks ..." I would have said: "sure, let's split now, I'll try another group". No need fur insults or kicking someone like that.

Edited October 17, 2012 by lanawinst

I figured I'd add my two cents to this thread:

 

I have 2 healers and a dps which I run HM's from GF on. I'm pretty much full BH on two of those characters so the only reason I'm doing the HM is for the BH comms. That being said, at the start I greet everyone and make sure everyone is ok with a speed run, if not that's great too because I love helping the newbies out (we were all newbies at one point in time and someone had to show us the way). I also don't mind watching the cut-scenes either, I just want to know before hand (so I can watch them too, might as well). Really the only thing that gets under my skin is when people don't know the fight and either refuse to take suggestions or "neglect" to ask for strat on a boss.

 

Moral of the story is, if you're new or unfamiliar with a FP you should say so at the beginning so people like me don't turbo off assuming you know the paths and the strats. Some people are going to be rude (other words fit better, but I'll keep it clean) and boot you for not knowing, but odds are you don't want to run with them anyway; because they are rude.

 

As I mentioned above, I have 2 healers and 1 dps, one of the healers is an imp (the other are pub). I was queued for the Foundry (which is an imp only FP). Upon receiving a group, I announced that I did not know the FP and would need help on strats and received an "OK" and a boot from the group. That's fine, clearly two of those people were jerks, because when I requeued and got a new group I said the same thing and they walked me through the whole thing explaining as we went (except someone forgot to tell me Revan has a knock back...oops).

 

Keep trying on HM's and do SM OPs, they are awesome for gearing. Also OP if your guild isn't interested in helping you gear up, sounds like it might be time to switch to a more friendly guild (just my opinion though).

My main is a healer and I often partner with a tank friend of mine to run daily HMs. We've gotten a wide variety of DPS, matched with us in the groupfinder: well-geared or in greens, experienced or inexperienced, disruptive or productive.

 

I assure you that the most important of these distinctions is whether they are disruptive or productive, by which I mean the DPS in question is capable of following strategy to work as a team to complete the flashpoint.

 

I much prefer an inexperienced new 50 in greens over an experienced well-geared ******e who disregards strategy, fails to drop threat if he's pulling regularly, fails to avoid avoidable damage (such as targeted AOEs), acts like a jerk, and generally is not a productive member of the group, no matter how much damage per second he's managing. I am happy to help the new 50 learn fights and gear up. However, I can't fix stupid.

 

I also can't read minds. If asked politely, I am usually happy to do bonus bosses, and my tank friend is willing to slow down enough to let you catch your breath if it's needed. (I say usually because sometimes we desire to do a quick HM before dinner or such, and thus no time to linger, but we're happy to explain that if you ask.) Seriously, though. You have to ask at the beginning or we're going to assume that you have run it a billion times and just want your coms as fast as possible.

I feel the OP's pain. My main is a bounty hunter shieldtech who has two columi armor set pieces (with BH mods), rakata bracers/belt (from my armortech ability), and several lvl 24+ mods from the cash i earned running dailies... I have over 20k health and good tanking stats BUT I have not run the FPs nearly as much as a lot of other guys I group with. In fact, there are several FPs I havent done at all yet (including all the LI + level FPs).

 

Luckily I'm a tank and if some punk dps doesnt like it, they can go que for another 20+ mins while I instant replace them (hahahahaha). While I wont hold my pug grp back and insist we kill all the trash mobs / boss, I prefer to take a little more time than speed running through it. If there are any peps on the Jedi Covevant who are interested in making FP runs around 8pm - 1am CST let me know. I'm part of a super small guild of adult players who are really laid back and easy going. You dont have to join the guild or anything (unless you want to!), but if you're a little newer and want to take things slower consider hitting me up in game And, if you're a healer, we will literally instant que

Never had a problem with any FP run when somone mentions from the get go that they are new to a FP. Just make sure to let them know, most are reasonable. Alot of the time people will show you the time saving skip points. Sadly for most players, the FP are just a quick hassle to get the daily 5 BH comms and are no longer fun due to insane amounts of repetitiveness. If you are a tank or a healer, it would be wisest to run each FP as a dps first just to learn the encounters before respeccing and running them as a heal or tank.