Duty Finder Etiquette

[Zedine]

Hello everyone,

I am writing this post mainly due to the attitude I encounter in a daily basis in game as well as the attitude I constantly read about in the forums, I have seen some similar threads, and I figured we should try and give some tips, for old and new players, as well as remind people we are here to have fun.

Duty Finder is there to help us all, and if you are using Duty Finder more than likely you are playing alone or with a friend, not a full pre-made group. As such here is a list some things I believe players should be aware of. Without further ado,
Welcome to...

Duty Finder Etiquette.


You will encounter several first time players. Chances are there will be a mess up and someone will die. Prepare for this and don't let it upset you. We were all new once.

Don't expect people to skip cut scenes for your speed run. People want to enjoy the game. Just like you enjoy a speed run. If that bothers you, try pre-made groups instead. It is very sad to do storyline quest and have half the people yelling at someone to skip the cutscenes they worked so hard to get to.

Teaching new players, or old players who don't know the mechanics will help you and your team in the long run instead of yelling at them and or leaving duty finder. It takes less time to teach someone to avoid Repel than waiting 15 minutes for leaving a duty, also, you make new friends for which you can count on runs with later.

Regarding primal fights, chances are you will wipe. Even experienced groups wipe on primals, myself included, and when people leave after one wipe it doesn't help at all. No one learns from just one fight, and changing the group constantly doesn't help a group progress.

Gear doesn't make a player. If you see someone in AF1 or just not in Darklight, it doesn't mean they are a bad player and that they should be looked down on. Expect gear item level to be -10 or -20 of what drops in the duty you are currently enrolled in.

That being said, if you are having trouble with a Duty, gear upgrades do help. If you cannot complete your current duty, try and get the items that are closest in iLevel to what you are trying to accomplish.

Be friendly, remember there is a person on the other side, and we are all trying to have fun. We are trying to blow off some steam or relieve some stress or just make new friends.

Admit your own mistakes. It happens from time to time, whether its lag or just bad positioning. We are all human and we are all allowed to make mistakes. Blaming other people for your mistakes doesn't help the group.

Give constructive feedback, if others do make mistakes and you can tell what it is, then you can tell how to fix it. Let them know in a positive and constructive manner.

Even when you are being friendly sometimes you will encounter a mute player, chances are they either do not understand your language or they might be on a console without a keyboard, don't let this bother you. Try and use auto translate. Also for console players(mainly), try and make macros that type pre-made chats, like "thank you" or "follow me". You can use these on a separate cross bar for easy access.

Be honest to your group, if this is your first run on something, let people know. Most players will assist you in what you need to know. Also, lets be honest, if you say you know a fight when you really don't, people will be able to tell.

Don't expect people to watch videos of fights. Sure it can save you from a wipe or two, but for story driven content, I believe, it spoils the story. To ask your teammates to watch a video of the fight, is pretty much asking them to watch a spoiler. It doesn't make them a bad player if they don't know, the best players go in blindly and do content without guides, we are trying to make a better type of player after all. I do advice giving tips on what to avoid, like Repel or Rams voice.

While on the spoiler free topic, when giving tips to new players, wait till you encounter the boss. I think it was great when I found out who the final boss was in WP and who the bosses were in AK. Also if you give advice before hand explain it in a spoiler free way. As if trying to recommend a movie without spoiling it.

For experienced players on an alternate job, let people know you have done it, but it's the first time you are doing it as whatever job you currently are. The fight may be the same but your positioning and interactions are completely different and you pretty much are "new" to the fight.

Also if you have your own agenda for how the party should progress a Duty, let them know, and don't assume people know what you want instinctively. Not everyone does speed runs, and not everyone can.

Last but not least, remember we are all trying to complete the Duty. Even when every player is trying to do something different the main goal is to finish the mission. Remember that common goal, and work with your team to achieve it.

I hope this helps out a bit. I think these are some of the major issues in duty finder at the moment. These things are not an issue with the Duty Finder itself, but the community. We can't ask for fixes, we have to fix it ourselves.

If you think I missed something let me know, and I will add it to my Doc. Have a good day and good luck on your Duty Finder groups!

[AdvancedWind]

Edit post to bypass character limit.

[Zedine]

Thanks, new to forums here.

[Aegys]

Good tips. Advanced players should form their own parties outside of DF if they want speed runs or a reduced likelihood of multiple wipes. Newer players/ Less advanced players should let people know they are new and open to learning the mechanics of an encounter. BOTH types should put their ego aside. Majority of Relic/Myth/Allagan players are nice and will help the community out. A minority of them are entitled, impatient, and downright rude and you will encounter them at some point, so just ignore them and leave when you do come across one (it will be really obvious).

[Zedine]

A minority of them are entitled, impatient, and downright rude and you will encounter them at some point, so just ignore them and leave when you do come across one (it will be really obvious).

Even when coming across people like this I think we can still be the better player and not leave a Duty we are all trying to complete.

[Lurkios]

Regarding cutscenes, I'd argue that "etiquette" would be going with the majority, given that you're free to watch them back at the Inn. If 5/8 people want to watch them, wait quietly, dance, run around spamming airquotes until they're done, whatever you like - but do it peacefully. If 5/8 people want to get on the dungeon, get on with it and watch the scenes later.

Regarding gear. Gear does make the player past CM/Prea/Ifrit. Sorry, but a GC/WP weapon has no place in a Titan HM, nor does class gear. By hitting commence you just wasted all the time the other 7 folks spent waiting to get in. "Maybe", and it's a big maybe, they'll be able to carry you through it - but you will not be contributing to that fight. It doesn't matter how good you are if the unavoidable damage is enough to kill you. You are, quite simply, undergeared - a liability, at best. The etiquette, in this situation, would be not to queue until you're actually capable of a fight.

[EmptyFibers]

Regarding gear. Gear does make the player past CM/Prea/Ifrit. Sorry, but a GC/WP weapon has no place in a Titan HM, nor does class gear. By hitting commence you just wasted all the time the other 7 folks spent waiting to get in. "Maybe", and it's a big maybe, they'll be able to carry you through it - but you will not be contributing to that fight. It doesn't matter how good you are if the unavoidable damage is enough to kill you. You are, quite simply, undergeared - a liability, at best. The etiquette, in this situation, would be not to queue until you're actually capable of a fight.

This is not a clear cut truth. As a WHM, I have to use the GC wand/WP wand, as I have nothing else I could use that is better. I cleared Ifrit HM & Garduda HM with a FC/few friends group with no issues. It is not that hard. It is just a matter of pattern memorization. So to say the above is maybe 50/50 based on player skill.

[Zakalwe]

Excellent suggestions. My one quibble is on avoiding guides/videos prior to runs. For most leveling dungeons this is fine, as experienced team mates can provide the few pointers needed.

But for hard mode primals (and I presume coil, though I'm not there yet), it is sadly necessary to go in the first time having been briefed up on the fight's mechanics. For hard end game content SE is (in my view overly) mechanics happy. Not learning what you can of them in advance will do you and your group a real disservice.

[Zedine]

Regarding cutscenes, I'd argue that "etiquette" would be going with the majority.

Although I would agree most times, when you begin a duty it states players are new, and the way the duty was designed was not for speed run farming but to progress in the story. The reward is there for players to help each other. Also while in a cutscene chat is hidden and players dont get to see the complaints until after they type or exit cutscene.

Regarding gear. Gear does make the player past CM/Prea/Ifrit. Sorry, but a GC/WP weapon has no place in a Titan HM

Again I agree to some point, hence why I said expect item levels to be 10 or 20 less than what drops. I personally beat Titan my first time with Ifrit sword. Titan drops ilvl 70, and ilvl 55+ can beat him.

What I am trying to say is if you are in duty finder, this is what you can expect and how you should react. There is always pre-made groups.

[Zedine]

Excellent suggestions. My one quibble is on avoiding guides/videos prior to runs. For most leveling dungeons this is fine, as experienced team mates can provide the few pointers needed.

But for hard mode primals (and I presume coil, though I'm not there yet), it is sadly necessary to go in the first time having been briefed up on the fight's mechanics. For hard end game content SE is (in my view overly) mechanics happy. Not learning what you can of them in advance will do you and your group a real disservice.

For coil I agree drastically, but it is not a Duty Finder dungeon. And again, people who encountered coil for the first time, didn't have a guide to beat it. So you shouldn't expect these things.

Mainly the guide/videos was to prevent spoilers, as hard mode fights we already know who we are fighting it's not that bad. There are guides that are spoiler free. I believe Eorzea source has some.