As a beginner in m+, here's my advice for DPS trying to get in groups

Community General Discussion
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For what it’s worth anyway.

I’m not the most experienced player by any means - but thought I’d just give my 2 cents and share my experiences today.

TLDR: gotta start at the bottom and network/actively try to make Bnet friends with tanks and healers.

I just started m+ today as a healer. As in, I’ve never done mythic+ or even mythic dungeons before. Last season doesn’t count because I bought KSM last season.

This season I figure I’ll try to earn it legit.

Did a normal, couple of heroics to warm up on this alt, then did a m0. I knew how to heal already from leveling the toon as a healer in dungeons.

I was lucky to meet a good tank in that m0 and at the end of the run, I asked him if I could add him for m+ dungeons. He became my first dungeon friend. Today we did 5 m+ dungeons and plan to do more later. We timed all 5.

Having a good healer and tank in the group really makes a difference. We pugged the other 3 DPS and had 1 group with some real baddies, but still managed to time it barely. Felt pretty awesome.

As a beginner to mythic dungeons, it was also useful that this tank was helping me learn the fights and mechanics as we went along in Discord.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because the sad reality is that, as a DPS, you will have a much harder and slower time to get groups.

If you insist on being DPS, then if you want faster and better runs, then the first objective is to make friends with some good healers and tanks.

Based on my experience today, I suggest running some m0s on your DPS alt and actively add the people who are decent, especially tanks and healers. Queue with them for more dungeons. Profit.

Oh, and before today, I didn’t even consider myself a social player. In fact, I didn’t even talk to the tank in Discord (though I wanted to after a while but my mic wasn’t working, that’s another story). Just through text.

But I think, if you’re a good player, better players will be willing to mentor you/teach you and keep playing more dungeons with you. Yes, this includes tanks and healers. Since they are in short supply, you need to take the first step and add those people to your list of friends.

Have you DPS players tried these tips already? Let me know here. I have DPS alts of my own that I might want to take through M+.

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Nice to hear that Nemjo!

Hrm have only just come back but looks like you’ve got it all sorted for m+.

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Well I’m screwed, lol.

I’m not very good at socializing, and I feel like attempts to make friends with tanks or healers solely for this purpose comes off as shallow, like I only want to use them because they are tanks and healers.

I’ve always done my best to let friendships happen organically but the fact that I only have three people on my bnet list speaks to how well that’s worked too.

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Nah, if you’re good, then you’re good, regardless of role. People will want to play with you. Shallowness wouldn’t even come into the equation. Good DPS make things go so much easier for groups. As a healer I can say this: when DPS don’t interrupt stuff, it makes my job a lot harder. If you know how to interrupt and have basic situational awareness, I would love to do dungeons with you.

Besides, I found it’s really simple just to add someone to your friend list. It’s not a huge commitment or anything, like you’re going to be best buddies or something. No. But if that happens then great. If not, not a big deal.

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I’m also screwed there too. I’m just learning how to play a warlock, who hasn’t even gotten to Shadowlands yet, and all those raids and dungeons will be new to me. So I will definitely be making mistakes and will not seem like a very good player.

Honestly I’m not sure if I want to leave Chromie Time at this point, knowing what awaits me in SL.

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If it makes you feel better, we’re just using you for DPS :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

But seriously, having a friend’s list full of good players helps everyone involved.

Just keep learning, you’ll do fine!

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Run your own keys.

At a bare minimum expect a slow grind to the top. +2’s across, +5 across, +8, +10, +12,13/14, 15 across. Then profit.

Once you have KSM it is significantly easier to get into other people’s +15 keys. If you have even 1 14, less likely, more than 3 or 4 and it isn’t happening. Nothing against you personally, but there are a ton of other dps in the queue that have a higher ilvl and the timed key already. So why take the risk (and it is a risk because my key depletes as lead and no one else suffers any consequences)?

Don’t believe - go list a +15 MoTS in GF right now (even if you don’t have the key). Leave it up for 5 minutes and watch what happens. Then you will understand why you are seemingly getting passed over constantly.

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TLDR: Queue with a tank and your queues will be faster

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Well as I said, I was new to mythic dungeons today, learning the mechanics for the first time, but having someone explain things to me in Discord made a huge difference in timing those keys. Low keys granted, but that’s where you gotta start. I had done the dungeons before on normal, and of course you should do that first and not go into mythic dungeons completely blind.

All you gotta know is your rotation, cooldowns, and do as much damage as you can. That’s more important. If you can do that well, and explain to a good tank or healer that you’re new to the dungeons, then they might be willing to take you under their wing and explain the mechanics to you.

Alternatively, you can just learn the dungeon mechanics beforehand through videos.

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I just feel like that’s unacceptable in today’s community. Learning cannot be tolerated. Making a mistake must be punished harshly, and the person who makes them deserves every single insult, kick and depleted key they get, because how dare they not be perfect right off the bat and waste their time?

I’m honestly scared to try at this point.

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And your runs will be easier. The tank is the leader and they are expected (and usually) know the dungeon and its mechanics well enough to help newcomers. My tank even knew what to dispel/purge in TOP (those bone shields) which I wouldn’t have thought about doing otherwise.

I know I got kind of lucky, but this stuff is surely in guides. I just tried m+ as a spur of the moment thing today, as I’ve had anxiety about doing it for a LONG time. But I loved healing dungeons while leveling, so thought I’d finally dip my feet in the water that is mythic dungeons.

So far I’m glad I did.

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Generally, people are worse in GD than in game.

Best thing you can do is join a guild though. Find folks who play the way you do and this game is way more fun.

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That’s also something I plan on doing. That combined with taking the initiative should help DPS players get into groups easier.

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I would love that. I’d gladly start at the lower keys (I’d actually feel more comfortable doing that rather than the +15s people were pushing me into in BfA), but yup I’d also love to have someone with me to help me along. Partially just to have someone stick up for me if someone yells at me in a dungeon.

Easier said than done, especially on my low-pop RP server, but I have been trying.

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People can definitely be toxic when they’re annoyed or frustrated. The best way to prevent it is, to be honest at the start of dungeons, say that you’re new/don’t know what to expect.

The reason people can be so toxic in m+ is that there are a lot of lose conditions.

-rating
-key downgrading
-less loot if untimed

But at least you can help lower toxicity by letting people know that you’re new/still learning.

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I actually tried that before, in Legion when I was un-retiring my DK and wanted to learn how to tank. I wish that was a guaranteed way to filter out the toxic and the impatient, to post the group as learning or chill, but I learned firsthand that it isn’t.

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Tanks usually have the most responsibility and need the most knowledge of the dungeon and its mechanics. If you lack those things and go into things blind as a tank, other people who also don’t know what to do and can’t help you will blame you first.

Anyway, I’m sorry to hear that you had those experiences. If tanking really is your thing, you’ve gotta learn the routes, dungeon mechanics, affixes, etc. But I’d definitely recommend starting as a DPS first (or a healer like me).

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Of course, but it seems kind of wrong that a person isn’t allowed to do that in the actual dungeons these days.

But that said I’m definitely not going to be tanking in the foreseeable future. I like my warlock. I like the flavor and theme of the class, Affliction is powerful and fun, and I love the transmog I came up with for him. At this point he’s level 49 and exp locked, and I’m just kind of having fun chilling, warm and safe in his Chromie Time bubble. I’m just looking for a reason and the courage to come out of that but it seems like a cold, harsh, unforgiving world in Shadowlands.

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Quite the revelation.

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You can if you’re on voice and playing with friends. They can walk you through things. But otherwise, if you’re a tank, going into mythic+ blind is going to be rough. Tanks should learn the m0s first since there isn’t as much pressure in those. Same mechanics as m+ too besides the affixes.

Anyway. If your warlock was horde, I’d run some dungeons with you. I think you’ll find that it’s not as scary as you thought once you start doing it.