Is pugging even possible anymore?

[Neosquid1]

I'm on Mal'Ganis (horde), and I'm a 564 frost DK. I would think that with that item level and the experience I have, I'd be able to pug into more raids, but I'm finding more and more each day that people are only taking those who already have the Garrosh achievement for SoO. I understand that having the achievement means that he or she was in a group that downed Garrosh, but honestly, it doesn't mean squat if the kill was a fluke or if the toon was carried. Meanwhile, there are those like me who've never gotten a Garrosh kill, but have been in several groups that have all wiped constantly, but I know the fight well and I know my role in the fight. I'm almost always one of the last people standing prior to complete wipe. I am more than sufficiently geared, and yet I cannot get into any pug group simply because I lack the achievement. I continue to try to get into groups, especially if only to kill Garrosh, and my success in doing so has been zero as of late. I'm wondering if at this point I'm just wasting time. I really want the Garrosh kill, but I'm really starting to believe it will not be possible. I'm not even looking for heroic, just normal! I'm not understanding this...

[Squirl]

Not many real pugs will be able to kill normal Garrosh, so your chances of getting into a Garrosh-killing pug are limited just by that. 564 is pretty damn high for never killing Garrosh though. You're probably just unlucky.

A couple guys in my guild run their alts with other guilds on our server that clear a few heroics and full normal. You could try something like that if any guilds on your server pug to fill each week. Just ask around and make yourself available during their raid times.

As far as getting into a pug without the achievement, you just need to find someone that trusts/knows you or you can always make your own group.

[Simmias]

just your server.
Frostmourne has regular pugs and gdkps going on for seige, usually the first three heriocs since they are so easy.

[MrExcelion]

For what it's worth Mal'Ganis is one of the top WoW servers. Several guilds here on my server (comparable in size to Malganis) sell normal Garrosh carries for the FoS and mount. Might be a good way to skip all that. Might be a GDKP or two also.

Next expansion I don't see this being an issue because everything but the hardest difficulty will be cross-realm. (and not as tightly tuned because of the flex system)

[Mormolyce]

The prevalence of this kind of thread on the forums just confirms that pugging is back haha. This is exactly how it's always been.

Are you using oQueue/openraid? If you really can't find a group that's able to down Garrosh and willing to take you, I recommend running your own pugs. It's a lot of work and you'll have to persist and make hard decisions, but it's the best way to progress a pug.

- - - Updated - - -

Next expansion I don't see this being an issue because everything but the hardest difficulty will be cross-realm. (and not as tightly tuned because of the flex system)

Isn't SoO cross-realm now? I thought they made that change when they polished up the raid browser.

[Deleted]

The community of this game tends to find one aspect and focus too hard on that, when deciding if a person can join a pug or not.

Remember GearScore? If you didn't have xyz amount, you couldn't join for zyx raid, even if it was way higher than actually required. To get rid of the GS, Blizz implemented average itemlevel, but instead people just started asking for an average that was way higher than the items dropping in the particular instance they were going to.

The Achievement requirement is even worse. It's the never-ending circle of life for people without a guild or enough capable friends: I cannot join a pug without the achievement. But I cannot get the achievement without a pug. It used to be really bad, where you could get the achievement on your main character in the super duper awesome guild, but your alts could never get it. Now there's shared achievements and that helps a bit. For some. Not all.

It would be totally awesome if more people accepted a few wipes now and then, but no. They want super smooth runs to the point where you have to ask yourself "Why are we even here? We almost outgear this place!". The worst part is that a lot of the people demanding that everyone has this itemlevel and that achievement, more often than not doesn't have either themselves. And they're usually the most fanatic about making mistakes and underperforming.

[Netherspark]

I haven't see a normal mode pug at all for Siege so far... but then again my server has really declined over the last year or so.

[Deleted]

Hello OP. You may want to try the addon Oqueue or even the website Openraid. There are mainly flex on there but you can find the occasional normal run and at your item level you'll be accepted incredibly quickly into them!

If your having trouble finding one why not make your own? Pretty such there'd be plenty to go with someone with such high item level.

[ACES]

I PuG normal SoO every week now and I usually get 10+/14 done each week and my ilvl is only 555. I'm on a high pop server so maybe that helps a bit but I think it should be possible.

[ablib]

If you don't have a guild that can do it, you pug for the kill.

If you're in a pug that doesn't require the achievement, it's usually destined to fail, and never gets to Garrosh, let alone down him.

If it's a group that requires the achievement, the success rate seems higher, but hard to get into without the achieve.

Unfortunately, the only options are to start your own group, or pony up the gold to buy that achievement.

[Belloc]

Hello OP. You may want to try the addon Oqueue or even the website Openraid. There are mainly flex on there but you can find the occasional normal run and at your item level you'll be accepted incredibly quickly into them!

If your having trouble finding one why not make your own? Pretty such there'd be plenty to go with someone with such high item level.

Openraid and Oqueue are pretty much worthless for finding normal SoO groups, since SoO cannot yet be cross-realmed. Any group you find advertising for a normal SoO on Openraid is also going to be advertising in trade chat.

[Deleted]

On my realm 14/14 pugs happen on a regular players. There are quite a few pugs that do 1-3 heroic bosses but they usually end up not killing Garrosh since they usually take too much time killing the heroic bosses unless they are alt runs. A few elite pugs clear 5-11 heroic bosses. My second alt that is a restoration druid has succesfully pugged at 8/14H on my realm at 555 item level.

So to answer your question, it is all about the realm you are on. On your realm, it might be, it might not be. Who are better to tell that than you yourself? All I know that on my realm pugging is extremely easy, but of course I realise my realm is a fairly active one raiding wise.

[Jezziut]

While it can be difficult to pug into a group that is insisting on the achievement, I have found that if you send that individual a pm stating that you are 564 DK with extensive experience with P1,P2, and P3 and that not only will you excel in the group but you will also take responsibility if you fail and they can kick you you may find some one willing to take the chance. It means you won't be able to make a mistake, but at the same time it may make just all the difference for you.

Unfortunately it also has a lot to do with the fact that you are a Death Knight, Melee DPS on 10 mans are offered 1 or two spots tops in raids compared to the 4-6 that are offered to ranged dps, so unfortunately it will take a lot of patience until you find a group that is wanting to bring a melee.

[Snuzzfizzle]

I've been pugging SoO normals and even a couple of heroics with some of my alts for weeks already. There are plenty of people creating and looking for pugs on my server (Eu-Eredar). Never had to link any of my achievements either.

So it might just be your server? Dunno, never had such a problem.

[clevin]

If you don't have a guild that can do it, you pug for the kill.

If you're in a pug that doesn't require the achievement, it's usually destined to fail, and never gets to Garrosh, let alone down him.
t.

... Really?

[soulyouth]

just your server.
Frostmourne has regular pugs and gdkps going on for seige, usually the first three heriocs since they are so easy.

Well to be fair Frostmourne is the highest pop Oceanic server by a lot if you couldn't pug there I'd be surprised

[Simmias]

openraid beats oQ by far, so I'd recommend using that.

[Ragashii]

Not really, most people have insane gear requirements to even get into a flex raid and the magic number is still 14. The changes made aren't going to change people's mentality on it until WoD either.

[Deleted]

This should make you laugh^^

I have killed 9/14 hc. I have not killed Garrosh on normal as I was away the day the guild group got him down.

I tried to join a normal run through SoO this week(starting at boss 1) and was told that I don't have the experience needed as I do not have the kill achievement. Seriously? turning away ppl who have nearly cleared the place on HC nvm normal? things are just silly

[Belloc]

openraid beats oQ by far, so I'd recommend using that.

Openraid is a cross-realm raiding site and this thread is about normal mode SoO. Openraid doesn't help for that.