#zerkers

I've learned to avoid groups shrieking for "ZERK ONLY" like they have the plague, even if I'm on a "zerk" character, but I still can't seem to avoid these killjoys.

I joined a team going through the Ascalonian Catacombs and despite them lacking the "ZERK" tag it didn't take long before one of them questioned me on my build. The second I confirmed that my warrior is not a zerk I was buried in condescending comments about the game "not having the holy trinity" and that I was being useless and "why would I even want to play as a defensive character?". I kept my retorts as short and polite as possible and thankfully the shitstorm died down, though not before it had ruined what could have been a smooth and otherwise enjoyable dungeon run.

The amount of abuse you will get for not conforming to this "one true way" of playing the game is nauseating and I am bloody sick of it.

Just because I'm not a zerker doesn't make me useless. Holy trinity or no, a team is going to run better with some balance, that's just common sense. I'm tired of all in, balls to the wall, stacking in a sweaty corner, wipe and retry. As a defensively built character I can keep people on their feet, distract or kite enemies, and survive onslaughts that would down a zerker. That. Is. Still. Useful.

But even if it bloody wasn't, that's still no justification for giving people shit about the way they play the game. There's no wrong way to play a game. We all have our preferred ways and that's fine. It's when you start telling people that what they enjoy is "wrong" that my fur starts to bristle.

If you want to zerk, then zerk! I zerk! I have a maxed out, zerk-tastic, mesmer bastard who swats champions like flies! It's hella fun! But so is standing up against that same champion and taking all those ground-shaking attacks with my health dropping no more than a fraction of an inch. It makes me feel just as badass as a massive damage decal does.

Hrime: But yes, I need to play more dungeons, but I'm never online when everyone else is, and PUG's are scary

The Hatchet Lady: I learned to navigate those out of necessity. Pugs, I mean. Their bark is usually worse than their bite

Hrime: Yes, but you cannot question the fact that a lot of them seems to have run head-first in to walls one to many times

The Hatchet Lady: That is awfully true. And some of them are a bit too focused on arses.

Hrime: Indeed. If you don't make them respect you they'll shit all over the place

The Hatchet Lady: Yeah, and pee on your shoes just to prove their superiority

Hrime: Especially your shoes ...and if those shoes aren't zerkers, then ho boy

The Hatchet Lady: Yeah. Zerker pugs tend to be the worst ones, but you learn to see the signs. Like the loud, yelping barking

Hrime: Yes

The Hatchet Lady: "NO NUBS"

Hrime: "ONLY 5000+ CHIEVO POINTS"

The Hatchet Lady: "ZERK ONLY"

Hrime: "FULL ASC ONLY"

The Hatchet Lady: "YIP YIP YIP"

Hrime: "BARK BARK BARK"

The Hatchet Lady: "STACK STACK STACK"

I’ve spent a lot of time grinding Honour of the Waves lately to get those sweet kodan weapons for my guardian. It’s been relatively painless so far since the dungeon is one of the easier ones and there’s usually enough interest to quickly form a PuG and dash through it.

This morning, however, I had the unfortunate pleasure to run with the worst party I think I’ve ever encountered.