Crossrealm PUGs - FAQ

After yesterday's big announcement about the new Crossrealm LFG Dungeon System, there were a myriad of questions on the official forums that prompted a LOT of blueposts to help people understand exactly how the new tool works.

Based on this I put together a new article which includes a FAQ that lists all questions and answers. The page itself will be constantly updated as more details surface and please remember all of the details about this tool are subject to change.

The article itself is available on the Guides > Patch 3.3 page.

Crossrealm PUGs, new LFG tool in Patch 3.3

Below you'll find the contents of the FAQ page:

Q: Why the restriction on armor types?
A: We knew this change was going to be controversial, and we totally understand that e.g. cloth can be an upgrade for a Balance druid or leather can be an upgrade for a shaman.

Looting to some extent is always going to have a heavily social component. There's only so much we can do (or should do) to try and 'solve' that problem for players. On the other hand, the new LFG system also removes some of the social checks and balances (not that those are huge to begin with) by potentially grouping you with folks you may never see again. On my server, perennial ninjas and jerks earn a reputation. That's going to be harder when you're talking about a battle group. Overall we expect players to just pug a lot more often, because the new system really is that good. So overall the drama over who gets the healing shoulders might arise more often. :(

Ultimately, our logic went like this: If a Holy paladin loses a great non-plate upgrade to another player, one out of five players might feel bad. If a Holy paladin rolls Need on every type of armor that drops, then four out of five players might have a bad experience. The jerk potential seemed worse than the lost-an-upgrade potential as far as whether or not players buy into using the new dungeon tool.

You can still Greed a potential upgrade item. You can still talk to your group and explain that X is an awesome item for you and would they mind passing on it or even trading it? (You can trade BoP items for a short period of time following the same rules that apply today.) (Source)

Q: What happens to the /5 LFG channel after these upgrades?
A: The Looking For Group channel will return in patch 3.3. If you wish to run dungeons with players on your realm, you can use the Looking For Group channel in any major city to create the party. (Source)

Q: How can I block people from being grouped with?
A: And hey, the Ignore list is being expanded! You can also ignore players on other realms if you have a bad group experience with them. The Dungeon System will not place you in a group with any character on your Ignore list. (Source)

Q: What are the default rolling options?
A: I believe the Need before Greed loot option will be the default in these dungeon runs as well so that will limit the number of items that can be needed on to some degree. (Source)

Q: What happens to premade groups?
A: Yes, you can do the Daily Random Heroic with a premade group.(Source)

Q: Can you do the random heroic daily with less than 5 players?
A: You need a full group of five people to start the Daily Random Heroic through the Dungeon System. If, however, a player leaves the group once everyone is inside the instance, the group can continue without filling the vacancy. The leader can choose not to have the Dungeon System fill vacancies.(Source)

Q: Are there any loot upgrades to heroic bosses similar to Patch 3.2?
A: All Wrath of the Lich King bosses in the current raid and Heroic dungeons will drop Emblems of Triumph when patch 3.3 hits.

The Daily Random Heroic will award two Emblems of Frost upon completion (can be done once a day). The Daily Random normal dungeon will award two Emblems of Triumph upon completion (can be done once a day). If players continue to select 'Random' via the Dungeon System when running Heroic dungeons after the Daily Random Heroic dungeon has been completed, they will receive two additional Emblems of Triumph for each random Heroic dungeon completed.

Emblems of Frost will drop in the 10- and 25-player Icecrown Citadel raid... and perhaps if another boss stumbles into the Vault he'll drop them as well. ;) (Source)

Q: What happens when your group falls apart before the completion of the random heroic?
A: As it works on the test realms right now, it's no different than if a group were to fall apart mid-run on the live realms today. If anyone leaves the group or gets kicked though, the leader will be asked if he or she wants to continue the instance. If the leader chooses to continue, the group will automatically be put back into the Dungeon System to find more members. (Source)

Q: How exactly do you know what the random heroic is?
A: You get rewarded for completing the first Daily Random Heroic dungeon you do on any given day. It doesn't work like a quest anymore, so the choice will be random for each group formed through the selection of this option. (Source)

Q: Do you get rewards for using the tool within your realm only or must you use the battlegroup search to be rewarded?
A: You can form a group of five players on your realm and then select the Daily Random Heroic dungeon through the Dungeon System tool. You will be rewarded just the same except for the fact that you will not get credit toward the pick-up group Achievement reward. (Source)

Q: Can you decide if you want to look for people in your realm alone or the tool will just mix and match?
A: If you're looking for party members via the Dungeon System, it will always look for eligible characters queued within your Battlegroup. You will need to use the Looking For Group chat channel in a major city or form a group on your own terms if you want to keep the group confined to players on your own realm. This doesn't make you ineligible for the Daily Random dungeon rewards though. (Source)

Q: How is the gear requirement determined?
A: The Dungeon System will make sure players are of the appropriate level, have the appropriate attunements for a dungeon (if applicable), and look at the average item level of each player. The system will put together a group according to the roles (tanking, healing, DPS) players have selected to fill and attempt to match characters as best as possible according to the items they have equipped. (Source)

Q: Will the Looking for Raid be cross realm as well?
A: No, the LFR system will be for your realm only in patch 3.3. (Source)

Q: When a player is invited to continue a run that lost a players, can they choose to accept or wait for a fresh run?
A: Yes. (Source)

Q: When is the particular dungeon determined, and is it fixed if you degroup?
A: The dungeon is determined once the group is filled. If the group does not like the instance that's been selected, they can leave, get the Deserter debuff, and try again to get a different random dungeon once the 15-minute debuff dissipates.(Source)

Q: Are the random dungeon emblem rewards independent by the player?
A: As long as you select to do a random Heroic dungeon and it's your first for the day, you will be given the daily reward for completing that dungeon.(Source)

Q: Is a character still limited to doing each dungeon in heroic mode once per day?
A: If the Random option is repeatedly selected, players can run the same Heroic dungeon more than once a day. If a specific dungeon is chosen through the Dungeon System, that specific dungeon cannot be chosen more than once a day.

You could technically be given, say, Heroic Culling of Stratholme repeatedly when choosing the Random option and be eligible to repeatedly run that Heroic dungeon in one day. You cannot, however, repeatedly choose Culling of Stratholme in the Dungeon System.

If you run Heroic Culling of Stratholme through the Random option, you cannot select that Heroic instance specifically again in the Dungeon System. If you choose to run Heroic Culling of Stratholme rather than pick the Random option, there is a chance you will be selected to run Heroic Culling of Stratholme again if you pick the Random option later that same day.(Source)

Q: Can a specific dungeon be excluded when you hit the Random Dungeon?
A: No, you cannot exclude a dungeon through the Random option.(Source)

What is player matching to groups based upon? Similar item level, or average item level?
A: It's going to try to group people with similar gear together, similar to the Arena system attempting to match teams with relatively equivalent ratings against each other.(Source)