Who You Play With Really Matters.

Being we can do all seven of our daily dungeons right away instead of one per day I try to pound them out as quick as queue time will allow.  I do my main, my hunter, first.  I do my Shaman second being I do not mind healing randoms, even bad ones are sometimes a good test of skill.  I'll do my warrior only if I can get a guild group, although now that I seriously over gear normal heroics I will do normal heroics with as little as 2 other guild members.  Still won't try Zuls unless it is all guild.

After that, everything is gravy.  Might do some heroics on my others from my stable of characters, but for now those are the only three that matter.  If anything gets added to the mix it will be my priest, because one day priest healing might feel good like it used to and I want to keep up a little or my mage because sometimes mindless one button mashing fun can indeed be fun.

Grinding the heroics like I do now, one after another after another, I have come across a great deal of good groups honestly which I find surprising. I've also come across a lot of bad groups but they do not seem to be as bad as they used to.  For the most part.  Normal heroics are still a horror show.  Zuls seem to be slightly better.

My hunter gets the pleasure of being the first one I do, which means that he is usually getting all the better players in his group that just want to get stuff done like I do.  I've had some amazing groups where the tank was lowest DPS at 18K and I have had some barely doable groups where the tank was second behind me and the other 2 DPS where probably watching dora the explorer instead of playing the game.

One interesting fact I have noticed stays true in all groups is that what I do is directly effected by those around me.  I've said it before and I will say it again.  Good play inspires good play.  The better the people around you are the better you can do.

In the run where the tank was doing 18K DPS the three DPS where all over 20K.  Me at 23K, a mage at 22K and a rogue at 20K.  The run where the tank was second with 9K I was first with 14K and the other two DPS here 8K and 7K respectively.  14K?  Really?  I do that on the dummy, no buffs, foods, or elixirs.  Sad face.

The difference in DPS there is pretty insane if you ask me.  Over all 23K compared to over all 14K is a huge difference.  I am only using numbers from ZA runs as the frost thing from ZG really mess with numbers.  I finished a ZG with 29K over all but that was because of the frost more then anything else I think.

It makes me wonder what some players that you see doing well could do if they where placed with better people.  You know, the above average player who shines no matter what group they are in.  If you where to place that person in with all fantastic players they would probably be amazing.

On one boss fight this week with three goes at it I did 26K, 20K and 15K.  Same boss, same person, same class, same ability, same knowledge, same connection, same everything except group. Why such a huge difference?  Looking at the facts you will see that there is only one wild card, that being who you play with.

Some might say it was the buffs that made the difference.  I doubt that the variety of buffs would make that much of a difference even if it is theoretically possible.  Knowing the groups I was in for each of those numbers is something that leads me toward it being a group thing.

The 26K group I was with all people over 20K.  The 20K I was with people all around 14K.  The 15K one I was the only person over 10K.  Notice how my DPS goes up when the DPS of those around me goes up?

Who you play with really matters a lot.  Everyone knows it is better for the healer and the tank.  I doubt many knew how well it helps the DPS.

There is a fine line however and we will cross it one day soon I am sure.  Once DPS gets too high then it starts to work the other way around.  Mobs are living just long enough to be able to thrive off them.  Once they start dying in 3 seconds you will notice the numbers get a lot more erratic.  Many classes with a ramp up time really take a huge DPS hit when mobs don't live long enough to get anything going.

Either way, I've noticed it now more then ever before how much playing around better people can help you.

I must say, given the option, I would rather play with better people.  It is bad enough having to do the same 2 dungeons a dozen times each every week.  Even one bad group can really cause major burn out and massive stress.  Then again, I am not special case, I am sure given the option everyone would rather play with better players.

For that, just start to bang out your weeks worth of heroics as soon as possible.  Tuesday groups are usually a 95% chance of being a good group so far from what I noticed.  Wednesdays seem to be okay, 80% of the groups you will get will be good.  Thursdays are a 50/50 hit or miss and Fridays, just don't.  Don't.  Please don't if you value your sanity.  It seems like everyone that does not know how to play plays on Fridays.

You want to get better then arrange it to play with people that are better.  Play Tuesday.  Once you see what you are capable of it will really inspire you to be better even when not around those awesome players.  Just do not feel bad when you do bad.  Sometimes it might not actually be a case of you doing it, it might just be a case that your group sucks and they are rubbing off on you.