So, my first char was a lancer, and I thought "hey, this game is fun, let's have a Let's Play series about it. But better start from scratch with that. Since I don't want to delete my Lancer like that, I choose another class". And I pondered some back and forth, and thought that a mystic might be fun.

So far so good, I level up my mystic, reach level 20, and want to hop into a dungeon. I check how long it wll take to get in, and the game estimates 12 minutes. And so the first 5 minutes pass (which I of course spend with questing), and I hope that maybe I get in early. And another 5. And another 10. And another 10 minutes. And I'm still not in the dungeon. And I wonder "what? Why? Maybe there are too many healers?", but as a mystic, healer is the only thing I can choose. I guess it's the lack of tanks.

Still: I thought "well, it's saturday afternoon, and there are lots of players online... maybe you're still unlucky, better try later". And some hours later I tried it again. The dungeon finder estimates a waiting time of 14 minutes, and 30 minutes later I'm still questing.

I don't get it... is it in this game, in the early levels, really about impossible to get into a dungeon, unless you are a tank?

It's not only the waiting time that annoys me. Another reason is simply the amount of time required for logging in to get into a dungeon. You can't just say "oh, that dungeon will take about an hour, I have still like 80 minutes left beforeI have to leave / shower / go to bed or whatever". You have to add at least half an hour for the waiting time alone.

If you create a let's play video, then you also have to make sure, that you have enough harddisk space, for at least half an hour of additional waiting material. If the dungeon takes an hour, and you take 45 minutes just to get into a dungeon, then that's means you have to make sure to have another 100gb of harddisk space available, just for the waiting time. And running out of space inmidst of the dungeon would be pretty sucky.

Well, I guess the dungeon finder ain't that bad, but I'm just disappointed. You're level 11, leave the starter island, think "well, 9 more levels and I can enter dungeons! that will be fun!", and you spend hour after hour, slowly levelling up... You reach level 20, get some glyphs, maybe enchant a weapon, rearrange your skill bar to be ideal for some group fighting... And then nothing. It continues like the last few hours, because you can't get into any dungeon.

Bah...

It's much easier to just ask in area chat, usually takes me 5 mins to find a party for any of the dungeons.

The problem right now is a lack of lancers, the queues vary depending how many are online, also before max level warriors can tank fine so just remind people of that.

More people use area chat than the dungeon finder, I like the community aspect there, often leads me to doing multiple runs with the same group and even questing on BAMs afterwards.

Lancer is almost always 100% insta-queue.

Originally posted by Pivotelite

Lancer is almost always 100% insta-queue.

And so is in WoW as a tank. And so is in Rift as a tank. As any other class you'll spend quite a while on the dungeon finder tool.

That kinda frustrates me also. I think it happens just because the whole "trinity" idea might not really be optimal for group play afterall. People tend to avoid to do a job which is essential for the survability of the group. As a tank or a healer, not paying attention even for 3-5 seconds could mean wipe. I am not even close to a fan of GW2 (much more interested in other games these days) but i really think that's the way to go. Really, it might not sound aberant at all even if it goes up to no aggro tables, everyone can heal, everyone must pay attention, the mob randomly choses who to attack (and emotes it in a way / turns toward that player etc), if a certain "role" dies that doesnt mean instant wipe.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/815/51553655.jpg/

just saying.

I've got a Priest and Lancer at mid 30's used the instance matcher 20 or so times between them, my average queue time is 1-2 seconds.

They're going to allow Warriors to queue as tanks soon, so basically currently everything is dependent on there being a lancer queued.  Should be a lot better once warriors who can tank are allowed to queue as tanks. 

I've gotten matched twice on my 50 sorc although I do use it everytime.  The way I get into groups is to use /area chat and it's basically the only way to get one in a decent amount of time until the change is made.  Also, I should note that the second group I got matched with was absolutely aweful and all of the ones I've been a part of trying to form have been good.

Originally posted by holdenhamlet

They're going to allow Warriors to queue as tanks soon, so basically currently everything is dependent on there being a lancer queued.  Should be a lot better once warriors who can tank are allowed to queue as tanks. 

Not really. Wow had 4 classes can tank, yet queue time for dps is still quite lengthy.

Originally posted by Pivotelite

...the queues vary depending how many (Lancers) are online

No. It varies by how many lancers are queued up. Doesnt matter how many are online. Most decent guilds have their lancers wrapped up tight...As you near 60, shouting in chat just doesn't cut it anymore. If you get a group in 5 minutes, its your birthday. Log off and by yourself a gift.

I dont mind a treadmill, I really don't. This was one of the best I've ridden. But group options at/near end game have basically shut off my treadmill. I can get a group...maybe once a night (if I'm lucky).

However, I did rush to the end rather quickly. So what should I do? Probably, I will check back on this game in a couple months to see if there is in fact an end-game population.

OP,  my first question is, have you played WoW as a DPS??? for those of us who have you know where im going with this...

The problem with DF for you is, your impatience... sorry to break it to ya

The problem is the number of tanks(Lancers) in the queue.

DPS can spend an hour or 2 in the queue and never find anything.

Allowing Warriors to queue as tanks will get people groups faster but create a bigger problem ultimately.

The bosses in the level 60 hard mode dungeons were designed with Lancers in mind and are very positioning dependent. A boss pointed the wrong way can mean a wipe. Warriors can tank all the dungeons in Tera but they must be very skilled.

Warriors queueing as tanks just for insta-queues will do more damage to the Dungeon Finder system than not enough Lancers.

"/a LFM for BoL"

L2B social.

you are a mystic.  There are 3874039857 mystics.  Play another class.  Problem solved

Originally posted by holdenhamlet

They're going to allow Warriors to queue as tanks soon, so basically currently everything is dependent on there being a lancer queued.  Should be a lot better once warriors who can tank are allowed to queue as tanks. 

Wow and it only took them 15 months to do it...amazing!

Originally posted by citalkay

"/a LFM for BoL"

 

L2B social.

There are many dungeons beyond BoL..and many you will have to run over and over to get what you need for end game gear. That approach does not work. Its not a matter of being social or not. L2Read posts.

Originally posted by jtcgs

Originally posted by holdenhamlet

They're going to allow Warriors to queue as tanks soon, so basically currently everything is dependent on there being a lancer queued.  Should be a lot better once warriors who can tank are allowed to queue as tanks. 

Wow and it only took them 15 months to do it...amazing!

They could queue as tanks before but with so many warrior fail at tanking they took it out. Its much better to wait 1-2hr for a party than to get a party that keeps wiping coz your tank can't tank. Honestly same crap in every game, never enough tanks because people refuse to play tanks than bitch about it like its the game's fault.

Im not sure but there might two ways to que for instance, the dungeon finder tool that is under radar is i think for seeking out ppl from your server and the one you can get in by pressing "Y" is a cross server. Im realy not sure about that, but when i use "Y" way and the there is use the tool i fing group faster i mostly with other servers ppl.

Originally posted by rexzshadow

They could queue as tanks before but with so many warrior fail at tanking they took it out. Its much better to wait 1-2hr for a party than to get a party that keeps wiping coz your tank can't tank. Honestly same crap in every game, never enough tanks because people refuse to play tanks than bitch about it like its the game's fault.

Then games should design more interesting tanks.  I personally found the lancer to be a pretty boring uninteresting class to play and ended up abandoning at level 14.  Then I tried a warrior, a much tougher class apparently and I love the class.

It is tricky though.  You have to evade big attacks instead of using a shield to block them and a lot of the time the best way to evade is backwards because if you roll through the enemy, the melee dps get stomped.

Even without warriors though I think a lot of the problem people are having with long queues for dungeons are at high levels. At 20-25, the queue is around 15mins, at 26-31 is higher at around 20mins and I imagine it gets worse the higher up you go.  The simple reason for this is most players are still lower level so at high level there are considerably less of everything available.  I know I was able to get the full set of gear for my warrior from SM (inc earings and necklace, 2 different swords, gloves + boots + chest).

And as mentioned above you can often get a group much quicker if you check in /area chat... although this works best if you are a sorcerer, archer, or healer.  My sorcerer was able to get 4 groups in quick sucession for SM last weekend, but my warrior couldn't get one.  One I applied to was looking for 2 dps, but they already had a slayer and warrior (tanking) and were really after some ranged.. a common occurance.

Originally posted by Xiaoki

The problem is the number of tanks(Lancers) in the queue.
DPS can spend an hour or 2 in the queue and never find anything.
Allowing Warriors to queue as tanks will get people groups faster but create a bigger problem ultimately.
The bosses in the level 60 hard mode dungeons were designed with Lancers in mind and are very positioning dependent. A boss pointed the wrong way can mean a wipe. Warriors can tank all the dungeons in Tera but they must be very skilled.
Warriors queueing as tanks just for insta-queues will do more damage to the Dungeon Finder system than not enough Lancers.

It is the down side with trinity combat, tanks and healers are always hard to find, dungeonfinder or not.

Eh, it kinda is the game's fault that no one wants to play tanks.  Of course, this is really an issue I've had with MMORPGs ever since EverQuest II.  For a similar reason, not that many people want to play melee DPS either.  

Why?  Because modern MMORPG mechanics are incredibly unfriendly to melee classes, and tanking kinda falls into that same trap.  You have to factor in the unfriendliness to melee and the fact that tanks are responsible for a lot more than they used to be.  

Of course, I'm pretty old school.  I miss the days when MMO combat was slower and more tactical.  I actually enjoyed playing a tank before we were expected to AoE pull entire rooms and the like -- at least in terms of fighting in a group.  I miss actually being able to socialize with my party while playing.

just wait til the tanks and healers start griefing.  when you finally get into a dungeon they will quit right away.  dungeon finder only get's better...   ;P