Just for fun I signed up for the World of Warcraft free 10-day trial and it worked; I’m having fun. I don’t know anyone else who plays, so I don’t have anyone to ask my newbie questions (and their forums don’t seem to cater to new people).
Anyway, I have an etiquette question. Often while I’m running around, I’ll come across a player corpse or see a player get killed by a monster. I’m a Paladin who just earned my Resurrection ability (L13). Would it be nice of me to resurrect people I randomly find lying around, or is it impolite to resurrect a stranger without being asked?
Incidentally, there is a LiveJournal community for WoW newbies, WoW Noobs. They often have some good questions asked and answered in there. Or, you can keep posting them here…I haven’t ever met a WoW player who was unwilling to talk about the game with other people. Besides…we have fun answering questions like this!
I’ve done this from time to time. Normally, if it’s just a random corpse, it’s entirely possible that the player logged out or isn’t paying attention, so the 10s cast will probably go completely wasted. However, when I actually see a player die (say, we’re working on a similar quest, or farming in the same area) I’ll sometimes feel like ressing him. It’s certainly not impolite unless you’re doing it deliberately to get him to res in the middle of a bunch of mobs.
As others mentioned, I’ll sometimes throw random buffs out on people with the hope that they’ll return the favor. For instance, I see a Paladin, if I give him Fort and/or DS, maybe he’ll give me Kings or Wisdom. If it’s a mage, maybe he’ll give me AI. If it’s a Druid, maybe he’ll give me Mark of the Wild and/or Thorns. Or, a similar situation, if someone randomly helps me kill a mob, I’ll often give them a buff or a heal as a thank you, as these tend to be non-buffing classes (like rogues and hunters) probably looking for a quick buff.
So, really, if you feel like ressing someone, by all means, go for it. If he takes offense at it, then he’s just a douchebag.
I’m a big fan of the “random act of kindness” buff. When I’m not in a low-mana state, I’ll frequently cast Arcane Intellect with my mage or Power Word: Fortitude with my priest on anyone who happens to be nearby. I’ve even encountered someone having a tough time in battle and thrown them a Power Word: Shield to give them a moment’s reprieve from the hurt. I don’t do rezzing a lot, but I do it from time to time. Nobody has ever taken offense.
As a side note, this is how to ask for stuff: When playing my mage, I get sick and tired of people randomly opening a trade window when I’m in the middle of something and asking me for food and water. Last week, I was in the middle of a heated multi-mob battle, and a paladin and a druid rode up. They buffed the bejeebers out of me, and one of them threw me a heal. After the mobs were dead, they asked if I’d sell them some water and food. I was happy to provide them with several stacks for free.
Since the rezzee appears on the same spot as the rezzer, and (Druids aside) rezzing is an out of combat action, then wherever you are safely standing to do the rez is probably OK.
Big fan of the random acts of kindness approach! And the system is pretty smart too – you cannot override a better buff with a worse one, and the player can always remove buffs they don’t want with a right-click, so where’s the harm?
And again, since the system prevents kill stealing (provided the other person has already damaged the mob) then assisting unasked shouldn’t offend either.
Seconded, thirded, whatever. An unexpected rez (particularly if it’s a long run back to ones body) is a pleasant and happy experience.
One thing you’ll notice is that people who are traveling on foot or hanging around in towns will often give free buffs. If you receive a free buff, the polite thing to do is return the buff (if your class allows). Nobody ever asks permission, and it’s one of the most common “nice” things to do. Make sure it’s an appropriate buff! Avoid giving out Thorns to whole parties, or Might to casters. (These make you look like an idiot, though the recipient can always turn them off.)
Sending a heal or two to someone who’s injured is pretty common. Many (though by no means all) players will heal someone in particular who is struggling or is running away and at risk of death (or, they will run in and take the mob).
Res’ing people is never rude, but is kind of a gray area; most people won’t offer a res due to the cost, unless they know the person.
Cost other than mana? There isn’t one for Paladins or Shamans (except when rezzing themselves). Druids… yeah… its on a cooldown (and requires a reagent?). Priest I’ve not played to that level though.
