It seems to be about that time again when we should review the subject of asking for run thrus through instances. The subject is a touchy one that some folks feel particularly attached to – probably because it is more work to level and quest at level than to be power-leveled and run thru. Probably also because in starter guilds there is a lot of running thru going on. Mid-range guilds and [certainly] high-end guilds typically do not and tell you that up front. So how do we handle it?
We are not a starter guild and we are not a high-end guild; if anything, we are on the smaller side of mid-range – which means we have a lot of toons that are still under level 50 and need help. The problem comes as a two-edged blade. If lowbies ask higher levels non-stop for run thrus, we have experienced many high level toons departing to guilds where they can focus on getting things done – and trust me, the higher level toons get A LOT of requests for run thrus. If the lowbies don’t get run thrus, they say our guild is not “a good guild” and gquit leaving us with a succession problem.
What we have found is that a common sense – no stress – approach seems to work out fine. No one I have asked has ever joined any other kind of leisure “club” or association (e.g. soccer team) and expected them all to give them power-leveling and “run thrus”. The more advanced members might offer to help out a bit or share some techniques with them, but they are not called a “bad soccer team” because the team did not level the newcomer up to World Cup level. By the same token, higher level toons need to not take lowbies asking in guild chat if anyone wants to do XYZ instance as a run thru request.
If you want to do an instance, ask if anyone else wants to do it. If there are no takers, a higher level toon might need a break from grinding out the 500,000 xp or the 5,000 gold they need and want a diversion like running you thru an instance.
Let the high level toons offer to give you a run thru, don’t ask them for it. It’s one of those social norms that it is polite to wait until someone offers. And offer they do. I see offers *every single day*. It’s not like there is a shortage of them. You may have missed it, been offline, in a battleground, doing something else. There is tomorrow.
One thing that almost guarantees a high-level to not offer to run you thru something is if as soon as you join the guild you ask for a run thru. One thing that almost guarantees that a high-level WILL offer run thrus is when they see you putting in effort to level and quest without asking for run thrus and ESPECIALLY is we see you helping others – including giving others run thrus. It makes sense. If you are committed to yourself and to the guild, the guild is committed to you too.
Help and run thrus are not the same.
Now let’s get something straight though – for both the high-level toons and the low-level toons. Someone needing help is not someone asking for a run thru and that we absolutely need to try to make happen. It could be that they were right before the last boss and their tank had to leave or that they simply cannot do it. Stepping in to join their group and help them clear through is very much in culture for us. Helping someone complete all of their gnomer quests in one shot because there is no one to group up with them is also helpful. Asking for VC run thrus when you aren’t high enough level yet to even get the quests is straight out “run thru request”. If you have completed the quests and are at level to do the instance and ask for a high level toon to take you through even though there are 30 people on the server at your level is again a run thru request.
The subtle difference lies in whether you need help or not.
Asking for a run thru and offering to give their lowbie a run thru on your high level is different and should be done privately.
We’re not saying “don’t ask” nor “we won’t”. Asking someone who has 500,000 xp to grind out over several days to level to come all the way back into the mainland to run you through an instance so you can get 15,000 xp and level borders on selfish when you are offering them nothing in return (i.e. you can’t help them level). More so if you ask them every time they log on. Even more so if you ask every high level every time they log on. Sooner or later, we end up with 10 level 70s that have not logged on in 2 months because they are leveling their alts waiting for us to get up to 70 before going back on their main. Or worse, they leave the guild to get away from the 6-12 run thru requests a day.
It’s not an exaggeration.
Yes – we are here to help you. No – we are not a bunch of selfish jackasses that don’t want to help lowbies.
More importantly, not everyone has had the experience in a high end guild or with a high-level toon and therefore may not have any basis to know how many run thru requests come through in a day nor how distracting it is from the huge amount of work at hand to level, gear and key up.
In short, we are a guild – not a power-leveling service. Our high-level toons are individuals with the same gaming time limitations we all have and are not individually a power-leveling service either. We will help you – we will not power-level you.
I’m not expecting this post to go over like free beer at a happy hour; however, I am expecting that it will provide guidance to those that might not have had any basis for knowing the ’social norms’ in our guild about run thrus.
