The Definitive Guide to Parties (WIP)

So why should you party instead of soloing? I soloed for a long time before I ever tried partying and after trying it and experiencing how terrible partying can be, I soloed even longer. You may be experiencing the same difficulties. So why even bother partying if it can be such a hassle? Well, with the right map or area level and player levels, you gain experience much faster than soling. Quality and quantity of item drops also increases with more players which means you get more and better stuff. These are both very good reasons to continue reading this guide and getting a good party system working.

As stated above, you gain more experience with more players. There is, however, a requirement you must meet in order to gain that XP bonus: you must be within two screens from the party. If you are a hoppity-hop gogo player, and love running around by yourself in the map, you won't be getting the XP from monsters killed by other party members nor will you get any of them item drops allocated from monsters killed by the group. It is in your best interests to stay with the party. I'll be covering grouping and formations later and why they're important but for now just know that you should always stay with the group.

There are currently three types of allocation for item drops.
Free For All(FFA) - Items drops are available for pick-up by all party members.
Short Allocation(SA) - Items are available for pick-up by a random nearby party member for short period of time (then the item converts to a FFA status).
Permanent Allocation(PA) - Items are available for pick-up by a random nearby party member until they leave the area.
Some items, such as gems and orbs will convert to FFA status even in a PA area if the person assigned the item, leaves it and wanders off.

You may hear the classic "How much DPS do you have?" question as a prerequisite to being allowed into a party or maybe you've asked it yourself as a party leader. While DPS is good, it is most certainly not everything and quite often, overrated. One of my characters runs ten aruas at +78% and casts three permanent curses and I've been kicked for not having DPS. What the person asking the question failed to understand (and refused to hear) was the amount of DPS that my character added to the other party members' attacks was far more than any one of their DPS values not to mention the defenses she added as well. So, before you start jumping the gun on things like DPS, think first how that character's abilities might add to the overall survivability of the party. Even though an archer may not do 10,000 DPS, does she have puncture that might save you all from a Corrupting Blood boss? Perhaps the summoner can offer a distraction against the myriad of monsters charging you in a +xx% Pack Size map. Consider the value of combined skills when you play in a party as these can be the difference between more XP and losing XP.

Generally it is polite to say hello when entering a party and goodbye when leaving, even thanking the host for the maps. It takes only a few seconds and may even get you new mapping friend.

Also, it common courtesy to call out special item drops such as chaos orbs, 6 sockets, maps and uniques. People don't always see their item drops especially with a magic find culler in the party so it helps everyone if special items are called out when they drop.

When clearing a map, most leaders tend to follow a side or reference wall to clear the periphery before going to the middle. This is not always the case so if you find a leader moving haphazardly through the map, just tag along and enjoy the map instead of trying to control where the party goes. As a party leader this tactic can work well for you too. You can suggest a direction but let the party move as it will. Think of it like a school of fish and go with the flow. Even as a leader it's important to know when to follow your party rather than try to corral them. Remember, the most important part of map clearing is that everyone sticks together.

A culling strike kills a monster if it has 10% or less HP. There are a few ways to achieve a culling strike. You can attach a Culling Strike gem to you attack, use the Power Siphon attack (which has Culling Strike built-in) or equip the Heartbreaker Imperial Skean which causes all your spells to have culling strike.

When you see a party chat message or info in the party title about "A Culler", that means that, not only does that person's character uses Culling Strike but also that it has high magic find (Item Quantity/Item Rarity).

The character who gets the kill on a monster is whose magic find counts; therefore, if there is a culler in your party and you're using culling strike as well without magic find (or a lower magic find), then the main culler is not getting the treasure drops that he should. Be sure announce both the fact that you're a culler as well as your magic find numbers (found on your character's attack sheet under miscellaneous) when entering a party. If someone else has higher magic find, be courteous to everyone else and change you attack so that you don't cull and ruin the treasure drops.

When running in normal areas, a 66th level map can drop for anyone; however, when playing in maps, only the host will get map drops, that is the person who put the map in the device and activated it(usually the party leader but not necessarily always). Unique maps are the exception to this rule: unique maps can drop for any player in the map (including the host). So, if you want to get more maps, you'll have to host some maps yourself. Be careful not run maps in someone else's party without permission or you might just get kicked (See the Party Hijacking section).

This section cannot be overstressed. The importance of proper grouping is the primary key to a successful party and one where everyone just dies. First and foremost, everyone must be grouped at all times in order to have a good chance at survival.
But staying grouped is not a simple thing or it wouldn't be so difficult for some people to do.

Grouping
Below is list of builds that may have a hard time grouping and the reasons why.
Dominators (people who use Dominating Blow) - These builds depend on having a good-sized mobs of dominated monsters and so these players tend to run off and solo.
Melee (any type) - These players often feel (and sometimes are) not easily killed by anything in the map and therefore feel perfectly safe soloing.
Summoners - Since they have an army already, the apparent need for the party can be less in the mind of a player who has a character of this build (although more often than not, summoners tend to stay with the party).

If you play one of these builds and find yourself soloing, reconsider the need for your party and review the sections above entitled Experience in a Party and Allocation. Besides that, any auras provided by support characters will not be extended to you if you wander off. You may also get someone killed, which lessens your chances of survival and also lowers the XP gain and treasure drops in the map. You're hurting yourself by not taking care of others in the party.

Now, I know there are a few things that make keeping an eye on your minimap nearly impossible. One being summoners. I love having summoners in the party but finding your other party members can be difficult with so many minions. Also, Dischargers tend to muddy the screen which is not their fault, the skill is just annoyingly massive and distracting.

Movement speed can also be a factor with maintaining a group. If yo find that you move too fast for the rest of the party, simply wait for your party members instead of running of ahead and soloing (and probably getting killed in the process). If you seem to be too slow to keep up with most parties, get yourself a travel gem such as Leap Slam, Whirling Blades or Lightning Warp, any of these will help you move a little faster.

Formations
When I talk about formations, I'm not speaking in the strictest sense of the word regarding armies but more in reference to positional tactics. That is, where you are in reference to the monsters and other party member. While there are exceptions to this general rule, most of the time it is better not to be surrounded or flanked by the enemy. Try instead to be aware of your position and to keep a position that best surround, flanks or harasses the enemy.

Keep in mind, support characters must be protected if you want their continued support, so keep an eye on them. If you see them running away, it probably means they're in trouble, go rescue them. Don't forget, non-support characters have to consciously and actively defend the support characters. If you play a support character and you find yourself being harassed, try to draw the enemy toward your fighters.

We all want to host maps so we can, hopefully, find more maps. The best way to do this is to create a party and invite your friends or wait for pubbies to show up. The thing you don't want to do is throw a map into the map device without permission from the party leader. This could very well get you kicked from the party. While many party leaders are happy to alternate who hosts from time to time, dropping maps in without permission is a sure way to not make friends. If you want to run a map in someone else's party, it's best to ask first.