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So I figure an apology is in order. I was gone, I’m back, I’m sorry. Yes I missed you, no it was me, not you. Here’s a tissue, feeling better? Wonderful, let’s talk WoW.

I’ve been having an absolute blast tanking on my Death Knight using the new LFG system. I usually step into the game, quickly repair my armor, and then queue up as a tank for the random daily dungeon. Groups are usually mixed. Sometimes the healing is there and the dps is missing, some runs my tanking skills aren’t up to par. Regardless of the group or its performance, I usually always walk away with a slew of badges for new gear.

Gearing at the current rate has been like playing WOW on speed. My abilities and survivability as a tank are directly proportional to the number of instances I run. I specifically attribute this to the number of instances run and not the number of badges I receive because each random dungeon is a fertile training ground with a new set of circumstances to troubleshoot. Group makeup, low heals, slow dps, bad pulls, agro issues; I’ve seen it all and learned appropriate responses to each. I feel that this has helped to make me a better tank at least as much as Badge Gear has.

That said, there seems to be one inherent flaw in the new LFG system that has yet to be addressed. What happens when the stars align and you find yourself in a capable and fun group? Sure you can continue to run instances together but you’re almost always better off pugging once again to get the 2 extra badges. It seems to be an extraordinary oversight by Blizzard to discourage pugged groups from staying together after only one run.

The counter argument is that Blizzard isn’t interested in keeping good groups together, they’re only interested in giving players easy access to groups generally. If you continue that line of reasoning, why not allow solid groups to stay together (if pugged from different realms). For one, it probably won’t affect the total number of ungrouped players because finding yourself in a quality group doesn’t happen often. Secondly, it keeps players spending more time in game, and less time away from the game, as players are more likely to run more instances with the assurance that they can complete the instances successfully. That translates to a more dedicated user base less likely to jump ship for another game.

Hopefully, Blizzard will remedy my very minor grievance and make the LFG tool perfect. Please share any experiences you’ve had with the LFG tool (both positive and negative) or any feedback that you think could improve the tool itself.