This story begins on a Friday morning when my guild line was quiet and my Orc Rogue had 50% rest bonus to burn off as she advanced towards 43.
As a standard first-measure, I put myself into the LFG tool - but since I wasn't officially ready to hit any dungeons yet, I put myself in the tool in a way that most players searching wouldn't find me: In a Zone, instead of in a dungeon. I did this so I wouldn't likely get whispered, but I'd still be "in the tool" and thus subscribed to the LFG chat channel, which is where half of the LFG action takes place. I do this on all of my toons and watch the LFG line for people looking for members to take on something one of my other toons could join in on.
Preparing For The Run
No quests picked up, this is an exp-and-loot run.
Repaired all equipment to 100% durability.
Consumables brought include:
Battle Healing: 10 Superior Healing Potion
Requires Level 35
Use: Restores 700 to 900 health.
Charges: 1
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Between Battles Healing: 20 Heavy Runecloth Bandage
Requires First Aid (225)
Use: Heals 2000 damage over 8 seconds.
Charges: 1
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Heavy Runecloth Bandages
Buff Foods: 20 Grilled Squid
Requires Level 35
Use: Restores 874 health over 27 seconds. Must remain seated while eating. If you eat for 10 seconds will also increase your Agility by 10 for 10 minutes.
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Grilled Squid, 20 Poached Sunscale Salmon
Requires Level 35
Use: Restores 874 health over 27 seconds. Must remain seated while eating. Also restores 6 health every 5 seconds for 10 minutes.
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Poached Sunscale Salmon
Guardian Elixir: 5 Mighty Troll\'s Blood Potion
Requires Level 26
Use: Regenerate 12 health every 5 sec for 60 minutes. Guardian Elixir.
Charges: 1
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Mighty Troll's Blood Potion
Battle Elixir: NONE
Party Favors: 40 Moonberry Juice
Requires Level 35
Use: Restores 1992 mana over 30 seconds. Must remain seated while drinking.
Charges: 1
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Moonberry Juice for healer emergencies
Listing In The Tool
I'm level 42, an awkward level as far as dungeons are concerned. I list myself in Razorfen Downs, Maraudon, and resign myself to being okay with Scarlet Monestary's Cathedral as well.
As is standard, I put a note into the LFG tool comment area: "whisper first, pls - combat rogue". I like it when people filling out a group whisper me first before they invite, because then I know what the invite extended to me is coming for.
Invite Extended
It wasn't long before I got an invite. No whisper ahead of time, so I did a quick /who and found the player was a 38 Paladin, in range for an instance, and not a gold spammer as sometimes happens.
I whispered before accepting the invite, "what instance are you looking at doing?", and the response came back: "RFD".
I accept the invitation.
Starting Party Layout
It's not a full party, but thanks to WoW armory I see we have one 38 Warlock and one 38 Retribution Paladin in the party, plus me.
Then, a 36 Holy Priest joins, and the party leader says how he's got a 5th who can join us in 5 minutes.
Making Way To The Stone
As soon as the party formed and the dungeon was confirmed, I headed from Orgrimmar to Camp T in The Barrens to begin my trek towards the stone. I make it a point to not join the LFG tool until I'm ready to head towards the instance because a number of times I've been caught off guard by parties that needed someone and were ready to summon RIGHT NOW. Better safe than sorry, better relaxed than stressed.
The Holy Priest inquires about whether we should head towards the stone and the party leader says yes, that's a good idea, might as well start to convene.
Arrival And Sitting At The Stone
I get there and I'm alone, which is fine because I was pretty near to the instance when I got into the group in the first place. So, I sit and wait for the Holy Priest to arrive.
I get myself a drink and return to the computer.
Party Leader - Duelling?
Hmm, why's the party at such minimal health, with a fireball DOT on him?
Now he's dead.
Now he's re-popped, at full health.
There's that fireball DOT on him again.
I hover over him and get something non-descript like "Farm" and I think of the pig farm just outside of Orgrimmar heading south towards Razor Hill.
Later, I see Defiler's Den when I hover over him, and then finally the ever-clear, Arathi Basin.
He's in the battlegrounds while he's "leading" an instance party?
Voicing Displeasure
I inquire on the party line about the guild leader PvPing while the group was encouraged to go to the summoning stone (ie: "hey, I don't want to interrupt my game playing to do something trivial like make my way to the instance as the party leader, and I can use you guys to make it easier for me, right?") and of course, since he's in Arathi Basin as well, he can't see the party line outside the dungeon and doesn't know what I'm saying.
The Holy Priest whispers me to agree with my displeasure and after a few moments of discussion there, we decide to drop group and try to find another group, together.
Dropping Group, Jumping Back On The LFG Line
Right after I drop group, I get myself back on the LFG line and advertise: "42 Rogue LFG RFD", and the Holy Priest whispers me and asks to join up with me for this new group I'm seeking. I invite him and turn back to the LFM tool to see what other partial groups have formed and are looking for members.
PvPing Pally Whispers
Shortly after I send my LFG out to the LFG line, the PvPing Pally whispers me, asking what happened, as I was going in to the instance with his group. The discussion was brief, as my priority was to find myself and the healer a new party and not explain the fine details of why we bailed:
New Party Secured
As soon as I was done with the PvPing Pally convo, I looked at the LFG tool and saw that there was a party of three - two pallies and a rogue - looking for two more in order to go into RFD. I whispered the leader of the party and he asked us to drop group so we could join his.
Turns out there was a Prot Pally, a Ret Pally and a Combat Rogue in their group, so the addition of our Holy Priest and the extra DPS to fill out the party was all we needed to head in.
We headed in right away, and had an awesome run. Unfortunately, nothing good dropped, but we got all the way through the instance and even completed the Escort without a single death!!