A solution for people who don't want high-stress LFG!

Community General Discussion
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This post is not by Blizzard, it’s not real, and it’s only one players’ fantasy of what we could have. IT IS NOT COMPLETE and there are bugs in it, but it’s something that players can use as an alternative to LFG without changing current LFG. It was inspired by the heated discussion in the thread titled “Speed-Run GO-GO-GO Players. What’s The Point?” so thanks to those people - even the ones who disagree with me.

LFG? How About LFGG!

Introducing Guided Groups – A New Way to Learn and Lead in Dungeons

At World of Warcraft, we believe the best way to master a new role is through hands-on experience in a supportive, low-stress environment. That’s why we’re excited to announce Guided Groups (LFGG) – an opt-in alternative to standard LFG that focuses on learning, teamwork, and fun!

What Is LFGG?

Guided Dungeons let you experience the LFG system at a more measured pace—with an emphasis on coaching, asking questions, and mutual support. It is intended to fill the gap between “fresh Level 80” and heroics or LFR but tweaked to encourage people to try new roles and new specs.

New Role Options in the LFG Panel

Starting with the next content patch, the Guided Dungeons feature will appear in the LFG panel and offer an additional role selection:

  • Guide
    Experienced players who lead the group by marking targets, offering tactical advice, and providing overall party leadership. You don’t need to know every class inside out—just be confident in your role and ready to help others learn.

  • Apprentice
    Players looking to improve their class, role, or spec. Whether you’ve just shifted from Moonkin to Bear or are exploring a new spec, this role is for those eager to ask questions, learn, and grow.

  • Companion
    For those who prefer a more relaxed and social run compared to the current LFG queues. Enjoy the dungeon with a laid-back group that values camaraderie over speed.

The goal is to ensure every party has at least one Guide and one Apprentice, though mix-and-match with current queue participants is possible.

How Are Guided Dungeons Different?

  • Same Dungeon Experience:
    LFGG dungeons face the same trash and bosses as normal dungeons.

  • No Durability Loss on Death:
    Mistakes are part of the learning process—dying won’t set you back on gear.

  • Vote to Disband:
    Parties can initiate a vote to disband without any abandonment penalty. If 3 of 5 players vote to disband, the instance ends. Sometimes things just don’t work out.

  • Feedback System:
    At the end of each dungeon, a new window appears allowing you to select your Guide, Apprentices, and Companions and provide feedback:

    • “GG” (Good Group!) – Default if you dismiss the window.
    • “GG with Feedback” – Send a brief message (e.g., “Great damage, but try not to break CC on the casters.” or “Thanks for the AoE warnings!”).
    • “Feedback” – For more specific suggestions (e.g., “Please stop pulling mobs when you’re not the tank” or “Please don’t disappear for a snack for 10 minutes right at the start.”).
    • “Report” – For players aggressively abusing the spirit of LFGG (e.g., griefers, character chain-pulling mobs, characters behaving inappropriate to their role like druid queued as a healer but staying in cat form. Emergency off-healing or off-tanking is encouraged if the healer or tank needs help)

    Note: Feedback is optional, with “GG” as the default if dismissed. We’ll monitor trends to fine-tune queue priorities. Also, you can invite party members to become friends—feedback, along with friend requests, will be delivered via in-game mail within an hour.

  • Vote Kick Tracking:
    Vote kick statistics will be tracked internally (both as kick targets and initiators) and may be used to monitor abuse or limit access to LFGG.

  • No Premade Groups:
    To prevent reward abuse and to encourage new friendships, there will be no premade groups in the LFGG queues. All five players are randomly assigned.

  • Dungeon Availability:
    Only current expansion (The War Within) dungeons are available. Event dungeons and Timewalking dungeons are not part of this queue. One of the goals of this program is to prepare players for more difficult content so we feel it’s best to focus on the current expansion.

Gear, Rewards & Class Credit

  • Guided Dungeon gear (called “Apprentice Forged”) are 4 ilvl below current LFG rewards. This allows learning players to gear up while min/max enthusiasts continue to use the current LFG system.
  • A new currency, Class Credit, will be introduced for dungeon completions. Class Credit can be redeemed for ilvl upgrades for Apprentice Forged from in-game Headmasters:
    1. Headmaster Stonecarver – Mage’s District, Stormwind.
    2. Headmistress Quillheart – Valley of Spirits, Orgrimmar.
    3. Headmaster Chisel – Dornogal.

Unique Rewards & Achievements

Participating in LFGG unlocks unique achievements, titles, cosmetics, and more!

Apprentice Achievements

Achievement Requirement
The Journey Begins (Tank) 1 Guided Dungeon as Tank
The Journey Begins (Healer) 1 Guided Dungeon as Healer
The Journey Begins (Damage) 1 Guided Dungeon as Damage
Dungeon Disciple 1 Guided Dungeon in each role (Tank, Healer, Damage)
Apprentice No More (Tank) 10 Guided Dungeons as Tank
Apprentice No More (Healer) 10 Guided Dungeons as Healer
Apprentice No More (Damage) 10 Guided Dungeons as Damage
:trophy: Graduate (Meta-Achievement) Complete “Apprentice No More” for all three roles
Reward: Title “Graduate” & the unique owl pet “Quills”

Guide Achievements

Achievement Requirement
The Guiding Hand 5 Guided Dungeons as a Guide
Pathfinder 25 Guided Dungeons as a Guide
Master of the Path 50 Guided Dungeons as a Guide
Reward: Title “Mentor” & the unique Sage Owl Mount

Additional cosmetic rewards include the Professor’s Monocle (Headgear) and the Apprentice’s Stack of Books (Off-hand). More Class Credit rewards are coming soon!

In Summary

  • LFGG (Looking For Guided Group) introduces Guided Dungeons that provide a supportive, non-timed environment focused on learning and teamwork.
  • New role options—Guide, Apprentice, and Companion—ensure balanced groups geared toward helping you master your role.
  • Enhanced features include no durability loss, vote-to-disband, a detailed end-of-run feedback system, vote kick tracking, and matchmade groups.
  • Rewards:
    • Experience is 100% the level of standard LFG and gear drops are tuned slightly below standard LFG levels to discourage the “fastest advancement possible” mentality in the current LFG system while still providing rewards and upgrades.
    • Earn Class Credit to trade for ilvl upgrades, cosmetics, and other rewards from Headmasters.
    • Unlock unique achievements, titles (e.g., Graduate for Apprentices, Mentor for Guides), cosmetics, and exclusive rewards.

The standard LFG system remains unchanged. LFGG is an alternative for new, returning, or role-switching players who prefer a more relaxed, educational experience over the fast-paced, “bosses per hour” approach.

See you in the dungeons!

— The World of Warcraft Team

TL;DR:

  • LFGG introduces Guided Dungeons—a new way to learn and lead in dungeons.
  • Choose from Guide, Apprentice, or Companion roles.
  • Enjoy no durability loss, vote-to-disband, and an end-of-run feedback system.
  • Earn Class Credit currency for ilvl upgrades, unique achievements, and exclusive rewards.
  • Launching soon! Level up your alts or gather gear to try out new roles.
11 Likes
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This is immediately going to have the exact same people in queue as we have in timewalking, because there are unique rewards attached to it. Any unique rewards at all undermine the purpose of the system.

9 Likes
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Bruh‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

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Good point! That’s a bug that would need to be addressed. What do you suggest?

Also “undermining” is a bit strong. Those are put in to encourage experimentation with the new system with consequences for people who abuse it. The exact trigger and form of those consequences would be up to the developers. I am not experienced enough with that to even guess.

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No unique rewards, it’d be another queue option. I imagine that’d make it extremely less used, but it being the “slow-queue option” is really the only way that it doesn’t draw the exact same people using LFG now. Whether that’d be worth it over follower dungeons I couldn’t say.

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Sorry I edited my reply as you were replying to it. I tried follower dungeons as a healer, especially since Evoker healing is so very different from anything else. The result is horribly slow, with boss mechanics primarily targeting me (as designed for follower dungeons) and NPC DPS making the instances take forever. Follower dungeons are good for introduction and idle time wasting, but not for the group dynamics and responding to unpredictable players.

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All bs put aside.

There is nothing stopping you from doing this as an individual.

I think it is a great idea. However like most have said the reward system. But I think of a different take if this were implemented by blizzard.

You have community guides which are regular players who apply for community guide. These people go through a simple vetting process like no chat blocks etc for the past year or something like that.

I think the reward should go to them.

2 Likes
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I agree that community guides deserve rewards for their unique contributions but i disagree that there is nothing stopping individual players from creating a system like this. Automated cross-realm matchmaking of “people with a need” with “people who can fill the need” has become the exclusive privilege of people who run LFG as fast as possible. Players cannot implement that on their own. General Chat and guilds cannot select from the entire pool of players willing to work with new people like LFG can.

Also, there needs to be incentive and reward for participation as well as consequences and discouragement for people who abuse this system. People repeatedly kicked from LFG face cooldowns and eventually lockouts from LFG and possibly other penalties, so people who do not follow the spirit of LFGG will face the same. Since every group is random, people cannot trust they can just gogogo through an LFGG dungeon without losing access to that feature. Different rules, different expectations, and different rewards.

Finally, Blizzard adding it to the game does something a group of people or guild cannot do: tell the world that we’re encouraging peer-training behavior and providing tools for it. How would one guild (is it 1000 player cap still) on one server do that on a scale even close to Blizzard? How would forum posts even have anything near that reach without being banned for spamming the forums? A tool like this needs participation and that only comes with knowledge and ease of access.

The big part is the first part, though. Automated cross-realm matchmaking exists because there is a need, and that need is only being filled for people with one play style. That play style is hostile toward other play styles, so an alternative would be welcomed. I am sure people who run the "as fast as possible"play style would be happy that inexperienced tanks and healers don’t automatically end up in the same queue.

I would hope.

1 Like
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Yes!!! I should be able to beat a +6 using this strategy. > : )

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If you do, that would be unexpected and unintended. This is the bridge between “learning the part in a team” and “regular LFG and heroics.” Once a player has experience and confidence here, they can move on to the standard higher difficulty levels if they choose to.

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I like the idea, people who want to do a normal ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM dungeon can just queue like they usually do.

I do have a problem with the “No Durability Loss on Death” part, this might cause regular players to want to use the LFGG system just for that reason, I think repairs should be exactly the same for LFGG.

edit: Also - any votekick should have to be approved by the group’s Guide, or even initiated by the Guide.

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Did you have chatgpt write this

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Naw that wont be exploited to hell and back.

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I would have saved a lot of time. The markdown formatting alone was annoying.

First thank you for the kind words. I think you have a good point with the durability but it’s a small price to pay for removing the guilt and fear that comes with a wipe. If this was for LFR absolutely remove this perk, but LFG (especially non-heroic) it’s a small price to pay. I admit I could be wrong.

There is some wisdom in that, but I don’t want players to think their voices are less important than the Guide’s especially since there are unique rewards for being a Guide. I don’t want people to abuse queuing as a guide and just kicking people who don’t keep them happy. Hmm. I’m not experienced enough at how vote-kicks change a player’s interaction, but it would be something the developers would have to consider carefully.

It has some danger and developers have to weigh it carefully. It has to be less rewarding in ilvl gear or take a lot longer to get to the same ilvl as regular LFG (hence the option to upgrade to LFG ilvl with Class Credits) and the rewards other than gear have to be cosmetic or otherwise not offer gameplay advantages. The goal would be to make it unattractive to people to grind. There will be SOME who want to grind it for achievements or a rare cosmetic, but each account only get that once and there’s no incentive to come back and exploit it more. And every run they do has the risk of getting them kicked if they try to exploit it because they’re always with a new set of randos.

This is good feedback and good criticism. I spent way too long thinking and writing and re-writing that my brain turned to mush so I am glad to see others bring up ideas for how it needs improvement. Now we need to get it “just right” enough to talk Blizz into adding it.

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Me doing a +6 or did you mean to respond to OP?

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Ok i apologize. I hate that ai is making me like this but i get extremely suspicious of people who use a lot of bolding and hyphens. Ai uses it far more than humans ime. Ill read your post.

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i can forsee 10 silent runs of me going fast and then never using this ever again just for the mount. and i dont see this used very much

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Ok so after reading i gotta say i actually enjoy the concept a lot.

I think the biggest issue is the reward structure. Which i understand to be a very complicated issue to solve.

Personally i would be interested in mentoring. I actually really enjoy teaching people who are willing to learn. I answer any question someone has in /p or even trade sometimes. I still remember what it was like to be new to wow.

The difficult issue is that, my time is extremely limited when it comes to wow. All of our time is really. Wow players in general do not do anything unless we are rewarded. Because the whole point of the game is to earn rewards.

BUT if you introduce rewards to this system you will get a lot of players who are not engaging in the spirit of the mode simply to earn the rewards. Wow is full of completionists who will struggle not having these things.

I do not currently have a good solution to this. I think limiting it to titles is probably the best thing. Since ppl seem to not really care about titles.

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This sounds like normal LFG but every group will take an insufferably long amount of time to complete

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Well in theory you would not sign up unless you were willing to endure that experience.

1 Like