Identifying aberrant personalities In any grouping of human beings , conflicts involving personalities are inevitable . Learning how to identify certain personality types can help you identify a person or group who could potentially ruin a party . Identifying idiots . The most common malady affecting players is the inability to see another ' s point of view . The truly blithering idiot has no regard for the welfare of others , and will do everything in his power to advance his own cause , even at the expense of the rest of the party . Some idiots , on the other hand , are merely incompetent within the realm of their chosen class . It is all too common to find a mage who doesn ' t understand the concept of aggro management , a warrior who insists upon tanking in Berserker Stance , a rogue that thinks all the sheep standing around during a fight are easy pickings , or a priest that stops healing and starts complaining any time he takes damage . Some of these types of players can be successfully dealt within a party , while the revealing of some sounds the death knell of the group or party . Despite assertions to the contrary , specific types of aberrant personalities often * do * gravitate along class lines . This is due to the specific psychology ( or psychopathology ) which tends to be associated with the different play styles required by different classes . As such , the type of aberrant personality you will most likely encounter with members of the Priest class , as an example , is a tendency towards extreme emotional sensitivity , smugness , and elitism . The Warlock is similar , however added to that ( as you might expect ) can be a layer of schizoid , Gothic morbidity and viciousness . Aberrant Warriors and Rogues ( particularly the latter ) will tend towards control issues , a desire to dominate others , and hubris / overestimation of their abilities . This , then , is a short list of a few of those stereotypes . While it may be embellished to the point of absurdity , anyone who has spent any significant amount of time playing World of Warcraft will tell you that there are people more insane than this . General advice on handling the socially disadvantaged . Dealing with some people can be very difficult . A common impulse upon spending time with an idiot is anger . Managing your reaction to other players is as important to working in a group as knowing how to play your chosen class . Keep in mind that the average idiot , having no empathy for other players , couldn ' t care less what you think of him , and as such will often goad other players into hysterics purely for amusement . We offer , for your edification , a few suggestions on handling yourself in the presence of these mental muttonheads . Above all , remember that they really can ' t help it . Just as you can ' t help needing to breathe and eat , idiots can ' t help themselves when it comes to foolish behavior . The best you can hope for is that someone will train the idiot , in much the same way you would train a recalcitrant dog , to think before he speaks , and to have some regard for the feelings of others . Know your retard . Disciple of Leeroy . Immortalized in the Internet subculture , Leeroy Jenkins sprinted into a massive brood of whelps , completely destroying his party . The entertainment value in recordings of the event is incalculable , as is the number of working hours irrevocably lost to the industrialized world . Unfortunately , there is a class of player who idolizes poor Leeroy , and believes emulating his strategy will bring gold and glory . This player is convinced that the best tool for opening a jar is his forehead , that blindly rushing into a group will bring victory , and that anyone wary of supporting such a foolhardy leap into the Pit Lord ' s mouth is weak and cowardly . Your Defense . Find something to occupy this player , preferably something that will result in minor and nonlethal head trauma . Napoleon ' s Lovechild . There is a type of person who knows everything . From Sumerian history to Hammurabic law to astrophysics , there isn ' t a subject under the sun that this person hasn ' t mastered . Strategy and tactics are second nature to this player , and they are convinced that , given a pliable enough party , they could conquer the world . They will espouse at great length the best way to engage in fights , then fly into a spittle - flecked rage when a fight is handled counter to their instructions . Your Defense . There is very little you can use to silence this player , short of chloroform , an Indonesian fighting snake and a whiffle bat . Generally the best thing to do is find another group or , failing that , tequila and a pistol . The Guardian Angel . Learning to effectively play your class can be a challenge . Don ' t worry , there are people willing to explain your particular role in such minute detail that you will have no problem understanding it . They alone know the One True Way to maximize a particular class , and they possess the ego necessary to correct your every click . These players , while very similar to Napoleon ' s Lovechild , have narrowed the scope of their expertise so as to specialize in the blinding of the untutored with the brilliance of their genius . Your Defense . It is extremely difficult to maintain composure when exposed to this class of person . Silencing them can be difficult in the extreme , as it is very hard to convince the all - knowing of a gap in their understanding . In addition , you need to be careful that such a person isn ' t a friend of the group leader , or , heaven forbid , the group leader themselves . If said person " is " the group leader , antagonizing them is basically asking to get booted from the group . . . although the bright side of this is that you could then look for a different group , one where you hopefully won ' t be exposed to the kind of aggravation that has been proven to cause cancer in lab rats . Houdini ' s Brother . Disappearing without a trace , these players trade in cryptic phrases like , " brb , " then vanish for minutes or hours . They typically return just as a major boss has died or a desirable piece of loot has dropped . It can be very aggravating for a party to down a boss with four people , find a rare and extremely valuable item , and have that item taken by the one person who did " nothing " . Your Defense . Admire the tactless ego that allows this person to use his inclusion in the party to justify taking items he didn ' t help acquire . Then , when your blood pressure has risen to the point that you begin to twitch like a boiling teapot , cram a piece of rawhide in your mouth and sit quietly until the impulse to scream yourself unconscious passes . Curious Explorer . Some party members have an unquenchable curiosity , a burning desire to know what is around the next corner or how close they can get to a monster without attracting attention . The smarter of these folks have some sort of stealth ( rogue or druid ) , but none of them is Sir Edmund Hillary , if you take our meaning . These fearless trailblazers tend to wander off looking for gather - able ingredients , trying to get a close up on a mob they ' ve never seen before , or just seeing if they can squeeze between two barrels for the fun of it . Your Defense . Rather than constantly trying to rein in this intrepid explorer , sometimes it ' s best to let them die a few times and be slow to heal or resurrect them . Eventually they may learn that their curiosity tends to cost them time and repair bills , but we wouldn ' t count on it if we were you . The Deaf - Mute . This person never learned how to type . Never mind trying to figure out how they entered a character name , or setup their account name . Maybe they have invented a way of interacting with computers via semaphore . Maybe they trained a squirrel to take dictation . We can ' t figure it out either . Somehow , some way , they never figured out that one can use a keyboard to communicate . The anguished screams of a party in need of their stone deaf tank will fall upon his eardrums with less effect than a snowflake on a seesaw . Your Defense . Having one of these characters in your party is probably one of the most difficult situations to deal with . On the one hand , the person might not be responding because he ' s busy . This makes him a bad candidate for addition to the party , since communication is more than a little necessary to the proper functioning and continued survival of a party . On the other hand , the person might not be responding because he doesn ' t care . This makes him a bad candidate for addition to the party because he ' s a jackass . It ' s generally not a good idea to party with anyone who doesn ' t respond to chat . Warcraft lore does not include deaf - mutes in any way , so you can be assured they aren ' t role playing a deaf or mute character , and if they ' re trying to anyway , you have to ask yourself if you really want to get involved with that kind of person . The Arrogant Anarchist . This seems to be the exact opposite of the Napoleon ' s Love Child ; they ignore rational tactical thought and do things their own way , often demanding loudly in raid or battleground chat for people to ignore the designated leader . When called to the carpet for their actions , they usually cite their ability to simultaneously kill three of the opposite side as a justification for undermining the attempts of more rational players . They will often ignore their detractors , choosing instead to believe in the abilities that mysteriously turned them into a social pariah . Your Defense . A reasonable ability to recognize a pattern of actions that will result in extreme bodily harm can serve you well if your party has been shackled to such a deviant . Spend just a moment or two too long discussing strategy , and they will become impatient and incensed at your apparent indecisiveness . Watch the ensuing bloodbath as they learn that trying to solo a boss in the Shattered Halls is a terminally bad idea . The Vengeful Healer . Some people weren ' t meant to be healers . They cast Divine Intervention on themselves when an extra mob gets facepulled . They heal a Warlock that just used Life Tap in the middle of a trash pull . In a boss fight , they put on HoT on the tank and start swinging their staff . They run away from the tank when they are attacked . " They pull aggro by breathing " . When confronted about their obvious inability to heal a scraped knee in a Band - Aid factory , they get furiously defensive , hurling poorly - spelled invectives at anyone and anything nearby . Instead of healing , they constantly start arguments about the completely bizarre and illogical beliefs that have put them in the position of being less useful to a party than a burning rock . Your Defense . If you ' re feeling lucky , boot the healer and find another one . It may take some time to find one that isn ' t already helping another group , but it will be well worth your time , as stress has been shown to decrease quality of life , increase blood pressure , cause headaches , and is a major factor in the use of " filthy " expletives , some of which can cause grief and anguish in family members , pets , and visiting law enforcement officials who have been summoned under the impression that severe domestic violence is in full swing . If you ' re not feeling lucky , or you feel like your time would be well spent in being a dick " to " a dick ( and who could blame you ? ) , the remaining party members may collude to give the healer a baptism of smack . Hunters should use Misdirection , rogues should use Tricks of the Trade , and the tank should stand around looking butch ( if circumstances have transpired to put in a group with a " female " tank , she should instead endeavor to appear confident yet feminine ) . The Drill Sergeant . Most of us in WoW who run dungeons or raids know exactly who this is . They are usually the " leaders " of the party , the tank , or both . Unless you enjoy having every order barked at you via the / yell command ( and caps , don ' t forget that ) , being raked over the coals for drawing a bit too much aggro as a DPS ( not enough to wipe the party , but just enough to piss them off ) , or screaming at the healers when their health drops below 50 % just because they were healing an off - tank tanking a key add mob at that moment , I would suggest leaving any party containing such dreck . Cut your losses and leave the party because it just isn ' t worth it . These " special folks " are the bastard children of a Napoleon ' s Lovechild and an enraged pitbull . God forbid you question their authority when a bad call is made in Vent ; do this and a virulent stream of nerdrage is sure to follow . In sum , if you play World of Warcraft to * gasp * have FUN , and enjoy hearty combat with a group of intelligent , mature individuals who enjoy having fun in the game as well , and look forward to exploring all the cool late - to - end - game content with a reasonable amount of light - hearted trash - talking , please DO NOT associate yourselves with this piece of trash player . Your Defense . This one ' s easy . If you are a person of infinite patience , stick it out and finish the dungeon / raid / bg / whatever and never , ever , group up with that mental midget again . For the rest of us , however , the best option is to simply utter a " stfu " and get out of the group . It ' s not worth the stress , aggravation , or hurt feelings that pricks like this cause wherever they go . Remember , they are 99 times out of 100 just a sniveling coward in Real Life who feels that treating others like crap will somehow make them feel better or stronger . If you do stick around in a party with this moron , out of necessity or just can ' t see missing out on the awe - inspiring boss monsters , please , PLEASE / ignore the sumbitch ! 8 ^ D A last word on people . As a game , " World of Warcraft " is built to entertain . A huge part of that entertainment comes from the social interactions between players . Unfortunately , it doesn ' t take many mean , disruptive , or abusive players to ruin an encounter , a party , or even the entire game . Remember that you are " not " the only player . Maintain a healthy attitude and don ' t be a jackass . Nobody enjoys spending time with a jackass . If another person in your group needs the same item you do , be fair in deciding who gets it , and don ' t bitch and moan when you lose . Treating a game like a job is the surest way to stop enjoying it .