This is a fantastic addition to the game. I knocked out some story quests this morning where I could actually stop and loot the mobs without being left behind. I was also able to pull over and let the dogs out and grab a cup of coffee while the party just hung out and waited. I hope they expand this system to the older dungeons. 😁
Over the past 20 years, I have skipped over countless amounts of dungeon and raid content because of that performance anxiety and unfamiliarity with the layouts... being able to practice with AI is going to change my life...
This is so depressing to read, nobody should be scared to join a dungeon in particular, those of us who carry out this content regularly should, I feel, have a responsibility to help and educate new or anxious players. I’m a 485 ilvl healer and recently joined a levelling guild purely to help out and it’s the most phone I’ve had in years
You are a unicorn if you go out of your way to help newbies; that's simply not the case for 99% of the LFD groups who are on farm/speed mode for their dailies.@@leelangley3705
Don’t get me wrong, I run 25s a few times a day. But I don’t expect to find noobs at over 15 or so. The best fun in the game is getting a few new people together and running them through a dungeon
This is spot on. I also have younger players in my family who play with us. The speed running meta just killed it for them, and having to dual log to fill the dungeon roles and multi-box just increases pressure on the adults. Follower mixed dungeons need to be expanded to all dungeons asap, eventually, even normal raids. Right now the bots are a little stupid, but with time they can improve them. This is a great option for people not interested in speed running and want to take things at their pace and actually LEARN IN GAME rather than having to meta-outside the game and watch videos and read guides. It's always more fun, more challenging, and more interesting to have your first run be a "cold" run. As for the people bitching about people not teaming, well, sucks to be your speed run sweaty meta then... go play M+ and let relaxed play.. be a thing. I am very happy to see this in wow.
5:20 someone tested it on the PTR but if you are on a Paladin for example and change spec mid-dungeon (say from Tank -> DPS) it respawns new NPCs to fill the empty roles. So if you wanted to try tanking but found it too much you can switch to DPS and continue. It's really so well thought out.
Can you "cheat"? So be a healer but choose dps so you get an extra npc healer? Or will the AI see it and "force" you to be the healer if you are healer specced?
@@sandokanfrits Not sure at the start but in the dungeon I was DPS and changed spec to Healer. A message box pops up saying "You've changed spec. Would you like different NPCs?". So I guess you could enter as a healer, then change to DPS and click 'No' so you'd have 1x Tank and 4x DPS.
Love it! One thing I've said for years, dungeons are not as fun as they used to be when I first started WOW many years ago. Now it always feels like a race to finish them as fast as possible, and it's really irritating.
I did my first follower dungeon today. I have avoided them for many of the reasons mentioned in other comments. Except I am not young. Quite the opposite, a senior citizen. I just need to go a smidge more deliberately. I played a Druid tank, but I had a NPC lead. It all worked great. I am level 70 and l lvl 430ish.
I really appreciate this! I so rarely see someone doing a 'walk-through' for the casuals and newbies. I've been looking forward to the follower dungeons with eager anticipation. Finally, I can actually see the scenery, listen to what the dungeon NPCs are saying - especially when it touches on or develops the lore. I'm totally a casual player and have had SO much trouble with PUGs. Too many impatient jerks. I really needed the 'training wheels' mode (perfect description) for the dungeons and your video was kind of the same. Thanks! 😁👍🏻
Great for training, whether you're a newcomer or not, I think. Also great if you just want to continue a storyline that leads into a dungeon, or if you prefer to play solo. And in my case, it's great, because I've always wanted to _slow down_ and explore the dungeon maps in more detail, for readable stuff, for mineable stuff, for fishing, for battle pets. Great addition also for people with very small children, (and pets,) who occasionally require their attention. Your followers will happily wait while you afk to take care of RL stuff. (Small point of correction- all resource nodes in Retail are shared now- including skinning, so this factor doesn't matter really in follower dungeons. BUT, a lot of LFG's will get annoyed and just leave you behind if you're mining, or skinning, or whatever. Followers just chill and let you poke around at your own pace.)
I love it because I hate doing dungeons with strangers and I rarely do them, so I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of story and experiences. Also what I love about it is that I can go to the bathroom or take a break whenever I want without the stress of disappointing humans or making them wait for me and getting frustrated.
Thank you so much for understanding the anxiety and fear of doing dungeons. You are very calming! I’m so going to give this a go. Woohoo Blizzard for remembering the solo players.
WoW veteran here. I LOVE this feature and I hope Blizzard expands upon it. I ran almost every dungeon so far using this feature with multiple characters and at every role. You can complete the dungeons fast (roughly 15min) if you have a 70 with high gear score (450ish or more), but if you're playing a lower level character (between 60-69) even with heirlooms, the pace is much slower and boss fights last much longer. If you wanna get the full spectrum experience where mechanics matter most, you gotta play with a lower leveled or lower geared character. A few things I noticed: The AI is surprisingly effective. CPT Garrick (Human paladin tank) doesn't lose aggro, like...ever, but if you accidentally pull distant mobs, she draws them in rapidly; she also rapidly casts Blessing of Freedom on you if you get rooted. She will also help Crenna top-up the party's HP at the close of combat. She will also actively avoid unnecessary trash mobs if you let her take lead. Crenna (Tauren druid healer) not only heals well, even when things go crazy, she also dispels very quickly. Crenna prioritizes the player in case multiple debuffs appear. She usually reminds the party to buff up at the start of the dungeons, too. Huntswell (the fire mage Dwarf) loves to crack jokes; especially if the boss involves some sort of fire mechanic (ex: the bird fight in Algethar Academy: "A game involving fire!? Count me in!" Huxley (the Worgen hunter) loves to jump around like an eager and excited player and tell the players what to do if there's some sort of action needed (ex: releasing the Tuskar in Brackenhide Hollow). Other NPCs will take turns chiming in on things, too. Shujo (Orc shaman) often provides some sort of short commentary on bosses to provide context. At least one of the NPCs in your party will offer advice on boss mechanics during the fight. Huxley, Huntsworth, and Shujo will often find higher elevation to rain their ranged abilities down on trash mobs. They will also use LoS for mobs that are immune to taunt, who attack the party members randomly from ranged (ex: the trappers from Brackenhide Hollow). The DPS NPCs will use AoE if there's more than 4 or 5 mobs in the fight. If not, they'll simultaneously focus and take down one mob at a time to alleviate damage to the tank as quickly as possible (this is something real players never do, by the way). They will also priorize higher threat mobs (healer mobs, mobs that enrange or do heavy dmg, etc or or mobs with lower HP.). They'll also participate in boss mechanics and prioritize removing boss adds, hazards, etc before returning fire back to the boss. The only downside is their outgoing damage is minimal and because they're still AI, there are limitations and the occasional complication. For instance, Nokhud offensive, they don't mount dragons and ride out with you to the battlefield. They just stay behind, then appear again when you land. They're not particuarly quick with avoiding hazard zones, either. All in all, the AI for this feature greatly surpassed my expectations and in some ways, they perform even better than most players.
My level 64 tank with 250 gear score took about 1.5 hour to clear what my level 70 hunter with 444 gear score only took 20m to run. It's fun as hell either way :)
I main as a tank and I absolutely love this. It's going to make it so much easier to learn the routes and fights the next xpac, even if it's only in normal mode.
Thank you for an extremely helpful guide. I am an old (very!) player who stopped doing dungeons when the family quit WoW. I will never do normal dungeons as I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's game. So as a long time solo player, I am loving Delves and have only just discovered Follower Dungeons. Yes I know it's an MMORPG but I'm absolutely loving WoW atm due to all this solo content. Thank you.
As someone who has played off and on since classic i love this. Im obviousle no stranger to the dungeons of old, i could probably walk through most of the classic era dungeons blindfolded with how many time i have ran them, but anything post Cata i simply do not have that same kind of recolection of and have have mostly skipped doing unless i do have my friends on to play with simply because i know how people want to simply rush through the content (especilly when using LFD to level) now i have reason to go back and experience the dungeons i missed durring my breaks for their story and i absolutely love it.
Wow! Very cool! I’ve been away for a few years and didn’t even know about the follower dungeons! I’m somewhat of an introverted extrovert (or extroverted introvert). When I used to play wow, sometimes I would enjoy my solo time and sometimes I would enjoy grouping up. Obviously, what I could do during my solo time was limited. I’m encouraged to see how wow has evolved over the years to accommodate various play styles.
Awesome Dungeons Tutorial !!! I wouldn't consider me new but one of my last dungeons the group was pretty seasoned ( and it was my first time in this dungeon). Somehow I stopped at the first NPC (to look over the quest line) and all I did for the rest of the session was chase the group. While I collected quite a bit of gold it, I technically only "killed" one mob character, making the experience quite unfulfilling. Outstanding job explaining the new system and you gained a new subscriber.
Totally enjoyed this guide! I do not play very often anymore and alot of the reason is that I'm so lost. This video explaining this was perfect! I jumped in game to try it out while I was watching it. Thank you for taking the time for us :)
I never raided on retail, only on classic, and I was kinda affraid of trying it despite I come from high end FF14 content. Thank you for the tutorial, I love how chill you are, you earned a new sub!
Well after watching this the other week I found my Ret Palladin needing an item from a dungeon. Now normally the storyline stops here & never gets completed as I don’t have a guild & I don’t pug due to having met a few toxic players doing so. Follower Dungeons are what was missing for players like myself, it was a Breeze. Thanks RenFail for bringing it to my attention.
I'm honestly so happy with this new feature. As someone who only played DPS roles since 2006, mainly due to the fact I felt inadequate to be a tank/healer when I wasn't used to the class and layout of the dungeon. I feel as if now I can enter a new chapter of the game. I have attempted to be a tank/healer before but failed miserably and either got kicked or just had people complain at me, now I can actually do it and not worry. The pressure of trying to be perfect is gone and now I can FINALLY BE A CLASS WITH A SHIELD! Thank you for this video as well, it was the push I needed to get back into the game and start something new.
Very nice! Just resubbed again and decided to check it out, running on my tank I haven't had any issues with agro so far and it just runs like a smooth group, will definitely be doing more. I agree I don't like going on a dungeon run for the first time and being treated like an idiot because I don't know the dungeon. I especially hate it when I'm learning the story and watching an awesome cut scene to find they've got the boss to
@Renfail ya hopefully they will implement it for more older content, it's a great way for people to learn how to play as they level and not only once they're close to max level. Also there's so many dungeon quests leveling up, it'd be nice to hit those easily without drama. Honestly I'm actually looking forward to playing my healer with this, can't wait to kill off a few follower groups...lol, it was fun I looked back at the group while I was tanking and the mage was running around in the back launching fireballs, the healer was still on their mount not doing anything till we were taking dmg, it was like a real group, lol
I just subbed because you took your time to explain this 'new to me' feature. I am considering returning to WoW after taking a break. I started the dragon exp but it didn't grab my attention and I decided it was best to just stop for a while. Anyhow, something like the follower dungeon is going to help me get any quests done and to learn the dungeon layouts.
THANK YOU! I did 2 dungeons yesterday. The first one I went into, I had the extra action button to toggle. The next, it was on my bar and I didn't know it. Bug reports got 2 new bugs with me. So you showing where it was has me excited. And I just made a toon on Moon Guard about two weeks ago and I'll be hitting you up for guild, Roseruby, LF Paladin level 20. I am excited to find a guild.
just started playing wow a few days ago, and can say, follower dungeons is REALLY helping me learn without the stress of lfd people who know what they are doing to rush past me
This is great. Yes, for all the reasons you said, but also, I just don't really know anyone in game, and it seems syncing up with people with what you want, and what they want, doesn't quite ever jive. And you are right about people just blazing thru dongeons, I really hate that. I want to play to have fun, enjoy the journey, if you will. FYI you do a great job with your presentation, and are very clear. Thank you.
My initial response was: "they're taking the multiplayer part out of mmorpg", but after I ran one of these I realized it is a great training tool to learn tanking or healing or even just tactics. Also solves the issue if you have 2 or 3 friends and just need to fill the group. Nice vid.
I absolutly love this feature. I will definitly come back playing wow now and check this out. My playing style is soloing content. By being able to do current dungeons and not waiting for two content updates to do them at a higher lvl, this helps me a lot, for example to continue story elements or collecting battle pets etc. I'm hyped :).
I love this addition to the game. Since I started playing in 2008, I have gone back and forth, loving dungeons and pvp, then getting nervous because things change so fast and even though I know pugs are not serious at all, I find myself avoiding them. I've been in guilds with people who get angry if you don't know the dynamics, even for normal dungeons, so this is perfect. Although I do watch videos to orient myself, I learn best "hands on". Reading and watching how it's done does not work well for me. Now I can go into a dungeon and if I die, I can laugh when the whole team rage quits but never yells :D. I ran the Nokhud Offensive today and was able to stop and watch a video when I needed. The npc team just waited. I've pugged it in the past but I never fully understood what was going on. I just stayed alive and tried to keep up my dps. These are great for training with no pressure.
I just came back to the game after not playing for a bit over a year. This is great for me to remember what my spells and rotation is, even though musle memory kicks in. But the best thing about it is, they seem to have increased the item level on dungeon loot, but also the required item level for heroic dungeons, so after such a long break I can no longer queue for heroics, and I'll just use this feature to get some loot without waiting in queue.
I am so excited for this new feature and so pleased with how well it was implemented. This was a game changer for me and has me considering new roles in groups that previously were just off-limits in my mind. It's a shame that so many people seem to feel the same way (I had no idea how common this is!) about grouping with strangers and the anxiety of failure and not wanting to be "that guy" in the group. This feature, I hope and truly believe, will result in better players, more tanks, more healers, and hopefully a more patient and considerate playerbase in general. Great video, btw. First time I've seen anything of yours, but I subbed.
Really like this idea. Was a little disappointed about the xp i got. Was hoping that i could do this follower dungeons while leveling. Was rested and got just 2 bars of xp in 1 dungeon run.
Thanks for putting in the time for training Ren, loved the video. Was wondering if you can inspect the NPC's and see what type of gear they have equipped and look at their skill tree. Would be cool, but could take some of the fun out of individuality.
Thank you so much for this video this is the coolest thing I’ve seen in gaming! I’m a WOW noob, I’ve played ESO for years(and love it) but I’m trying WOW on the free content mode where you can play up to level 20. I’ve been trying to decide if I want to purchase the game and this video is all I need to be convinced. I’m in! Cheers 🥃🥃
I am so looking forward to trying this. I've learned to hate doing dungeons in the past, mostly because the group runs ahead constantly and I have no understanding of what to do, how it fits into the story, etc. And heaven forbid you go slower, or ask them to wait for you - all the toxic L33T memes come true in an instant. Finally, I can take my time, look around, explore, talk to any NPCs I find...and actually come away understanding where it all fits into the greater storyline. 👍
Very helpful, thank you! I just noticed that that there were "Follower Dungeons" today! I have bad encounters with ppl in dungeons that call you stuff only because it is my first time. And then there is the running...and running. The running made me die because they left me behind and didnt know where to run. Pathetic. So I decided to solo everything. This will make me experience more of Wow.
Great addition to the game. Back during Wrath and BC and Pandaria to a certain extent, dungeons were more methodical. They felt like an achievement to finish them. Once Mythic + was introduced, I stopped playing shortly after. I personally never enjoyed the rush rush and ridicule if you don't rush attitudes. I always play tanks and even when I resub now to and play, I'm either going too fast or too slow, every single group complains about something I'm doing and it gets really old. Back in the day, people were just glad to have a tank that knew how to play their class. I will be glad to experience dungeons at my own pace again and will have a ton of dungeons to catch up on lore wise.
It is a good start to something that WILL overtake future games - Real AI. That said, it has a ways to go. For instance you cannot use some abilities (buffs) to assist your comerade NPCs - I tried to Soulstone the tank and the healer - not allowed. Your NPC companions cannot operate mechanics (like the Dragon Balistae in the first boss fight of the Nokhud Offensive. That said, it worked great in the Ruby Life Pools run. I also compliment the way the tank was smart enough to pull back trash during the run in RLP. So, it's good, but it has a ways to go. At this time you need to take a friend or two if the dungeon has complex mechanics.
The way you described this type of dungeon made them sound so much better than going with actual humans ^^; Just need more loot and mythic like this, then we don't need more players :D
For learning the dungeons this is WAY better than trying to LFD with others who are only interested in speed running. However, nothing can match a good group of guildmates doing heroic and mythical, so these are nothing more than stepping stones and training wheels :)
If they add this feature to their old dungeon content (and ideally older raids too), Blizzard can have all my money. I'd love to go into dungeons blind and play at my own pace instead of checking a guide before every new dungeon. Makes it feel more like an actual RPG. They can offer this and still incentivize grouping by making higher difficulties group-only and offering better rewards to groups.
There were times when I wanted more of a challenge tanking than heroic. And in mythic we would sometimes wipe a the group would leave. Or I didn’t know the instance so they would leave.
Oh this is awesome thanks. II run tanks so these are great for me learning bits while Guildies are not on. I did find a few times when we wiped certain NPCs like to jump around and it would agro in others mobs or smaller groups. Trying to grab these new add ons in time before they smoked the healer was an issue for me. One Npcs just had the hops LOL Cheers for this was a huge help :) 💪💪❤❤🤟🤟
Follower dungeons are the best way to get the story and quests finished. Bonus the AI isn't perfect, it will over pull, the dps will body pull ads, and I even had a boss kill the 2 AI DPS.
Hopefully they will do this for the raid. I am slow to learn mechanics and i get frustrated so easily. You could run the raid here and learn it then run it for real
What's the enable you to do in the instance next to choosing your role. "Indicates that you are an experienced player and are comfortable with instructing the group".
It looks amazing for the game, with so many dungeons and so little time it would be nice to have a slower pace experience when I can afk with no problems
I love this. TBH this is the only thing that will get me to re-sub to retail. I'm not interested in speed running dungeons with strangers, and I experience pretty bad anxiety even thinking about it. It should be expanded to older dungeons and even raids. Maybe they could tie the NPC gear level / skill to your own, so it's not just free loot? I know "it's a MMO you have to play with other people" but there's people out there with anxiety issues and it would be nice to have a way for us to enjoy all of the game too, the way we want to.
I actually JUST recorded an episode on dungeon anxiety / performance anxiety and how Follower Dungeons tie into this (it's airing on the morning of the 26th at 5 a.m. central)
I'll always support MMO's having features that allow usually single player minded players to hop in and enjoy the fun. Especially AI parties for dungeons. It means more people paying and playing. And it's optional so all the other players can just ignore us hermits lol.
I haven't played a dungeon since Cata or maybe Pandaria. Partially because I usually lose interest each time I come back from a break before I hit level cap, and partially because I got tired of people expecting perfection and talking down to you if you mess up. This may be interesting.
i hope they implement this backwards so people like me who have a weird schedule can run dungeons while leveling and actually get groups to do it. i love this new feature. need to farm a piece of ger for your progression? just queue up and go. and you're not wasting anyone's time. love it.
It's a great feature. I only wish DF launched with it. I can keep up with those rushers in LFD but I can't stand that approach to dungeoning, and I definitely don't like most Finder group vibes. I bring along my SO and they're not high-performance, and there's usually always someone in a group that angrily calls that out, votes to kick, etc.
They spwan in and immediately toss out buffs and mage food? That's better than MOST PUGs ive been involved with since the system went live in Wrath, lol. They should give out a mechanical Pug pet for using this mode.
@@Renfail I'm looking forward to trying it after work. I skipped all the dungeons in the last few expansions just leveling alts and whatnot so would love to go back through them and be able to actually do so being a DPS class and not having to wait an hour for a tank or healer for my LFG
Only Dragonflight, and the upcoming War Within/etc. Dragonflight becomes the new default leveling expansion with the new content in the fall, so it's starting here.
Follower system could be great for roleplaying and immersion. But not just generic followers npc. I would like to have followers that you recruit around the world, maybe for example you find some poor dwarf archeologysts stranded in a jungle about to be ganked by ogres and you do quest to help him, so now you are friends and he becomes your follower. Or you go to Booty bay and recruit hardcore mercanary pirate.. You gear up those followers, set their talents etc. And then you go exploring stuff together and they have actual dialogue, they are amazed at the dungeon, suggest shortcuts etc.. Its a great way to delve into the lore and explore the world before you are ready to jump into end game content and play with other players, instead of just having generic 20 seconds cut scenes and random time skips between major quests.
Im a casual nowadays, Im not going to read up on dungeons but I also dont want to suck so I really hate doing the forced dungeon quest for the campain. With this feature I will even do the optional dungeon quests for rep that I always skip now.
This is a fantastic addition to the game. I knocked out some story quests this morning where I could actually stop and loot the mobs without being left behind. I was also able to pull over and let the dogs out and grab a cup of coffee while the party just hung out and waited. I hope they expand this system to the older dungeons. 😁
Yes! Go afk, get coffee, bio, take care of your pets, kids, etc., without getting booted or left behind.
Funny thing is I felt guilty still when doing a BIO break. I just know those AI were talking smack while I was gone. 🙂
I really like the ability to take time in a dungeon to enjoy the atmosphere and the story rather than being rushed.
indeed!
Over the past 20 years, I have skipped over countless amounts of dungeon and raid content because of that performance anxiety and unfamiliarity with the layouts... being able to practice with AI is going to change my life...
Gonna change a LOT of lives :)
Dear lord this is a pathetic community. Did you roll a "queef" class?
This is so depressing to read, nobody should be scared to join a dungeon in particular, those of us who carry out this content regularly should, I feel, have a responsibility to help and educate new or anxious players.
I’m a 485 ilvl healer and recently joined a levelling guild purely to help out and it’s the most phone I’ve had in years
You are a unicorn if you go out of your way to help newbies; that's simply not the case for 99% of the LFD groups who are on farm/speed mode for their dailies.@@leelangley3705
Don’t get me wrong, I run 25s a few times a day.
But I don’t expect to find noobs at over 15 or so.
The best fun in the game is getting a few new people together and running them through a dungeon
This is spot on. I also have younger players in my family who play with us. The speed running meta just killed it for them, and having to dual log to fill the dungeon roles and multi-box just increases pressure on the adults. Follower mixed dungeons need to be expanded to all dungeons asap, eventually, even normal raids. Right now the bots are a little stupid, but with time they can improve them. This is a great option for people not interested in speed running and want to take things at their pace and actually LEARN IN GAME rather than having to meta-outside the game and watch videos and read guides. It's always more fun, more challenging, and more interesting to have your first run be a "cold" run. As for the people bitching about people not teaming, well, sucks to be your speed run sweaty meta then... go play M+ and let relaxed play.. be a thing. I am very happy to see this in wow.
Yes! :)
5:20 someone tested it on the PTR but if you are on a Paladin for example and change spec mid-dungeon (say from Tank -> DPS) it respawns new NPCs to fill the empty roles. So if you wanted to try tanking but found it too much you can switch to DPS and continue. It's really so well thought out.
interesting!
@martyxm that is going to be a huge use case for me. Testing tank and healing specs.
Can you "cheat"? So be a healer but choose dps so you get an extra npc healer? Or will the AI see it and "force" you to be the healer if you are healer specced?
@@sandokanfrits only losers cheat
@@sandokanfrits Not sure at the start but in the dungeon I was DPS and changed spec to Healer. A message box pops up saying "You've changed spec. Would you like different NPCs?". So I guess you could enter as a healer, then change to DPS and click 'No' so you'd have 1x Tank and 4x DPS.
Love it! One thing I've said for years, dungeons are not as fun as they used to be when I first started WOW many years ago. Now it always feels like a race to finish them as fast as possible, and it's really irritating.
Just weed out those speedrun twerps and you are good to go :)
I did my first follower dungeon today. I have avoided them for many of the reasons mentioned in other comments. Except I am not young. Quite the opposite, a senior citizen. I just need to go a smidge more deliberately. I played a Druid tank, but I had a NPC lead. It all worked great. I am level 70 and l lvl 430ish.
Awesome 👌
I really appreciate this! I so rarely see someone doing a 'walk-through' for the casuals and newbies. I've been looking forward to the follower dungeons with eager anticipation. Finally, I can actually see the scenery, listen to what the dungeon NPCs are saying - especially when it touches on or develops the lore. I'm totally a casual player and have had SO much trouble with PUGs. Too many impatient jerks. I really needed the 'training wheels' mode (perfect description) for the dungeons and your video was kind of the same. Thanks! 😁👍🏻
All of the above!
Great for training, whether you're a newcomer or not, I think. Also great if you just want to continue a storyline that leads into a dungeon, or if you prefer to play solo. And in my case, it's great, because I've always wanted to _slow down_ and explore the dungeon maps in more detail, for readable stuff, for mineable stuff, for fishing, for battle pets. Great addition also for people with very small children, (and pets,) who occasionally require their attention. Your followers will happily wait while you afk to take care of RL stuff. (Small point of correction- all resource nodes in Retail are shared now- including skinning, so this factor doesn't matter really in follower dungeons. BUT, a lot of LFG's will get annoyed and just leave you behind if you're mining, or skinning, or whatever. Followers just chill and let you poke around at your own pace.)
More options ftw!
I love it because I hate doing dungeons with strangers and I rarely do them, so I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of story and experiences. Also what I love about it is that I can go to the bathroom or take a break whenever I want without the stress of disappointing humans or making them wait for me and getting frustrated.
Here ya go :)
Love this. Just ran a follower dungeon blind and really liked it. I really tend to take issue with the people I end up grouped with.
It's SO smooth and paced based on YOUR needs, not the craziness of LFD.
Thank you so much for understanding the anxiety and fear of doing dungeons. You are very calming! I’m so going to give this a go. Woohoo Blizzard for remembering the solo players.
enjoy!
WoW veteran here. I LOVE this feature and I hope Blizzard expands upon it. I ran almost every dungeon so far using this feature with multiple characters and at every role. You can complete the dungeons fast (roughly 15min) if you have a 70 with high gear score (450ish or more), but if you're playing a lower level character (between 60-69) even with heirlooms, the pace is much slower and boss fights last much longer. If you wanna get the full spectrum experience where mechanics matter most, you gotta play with a lower leveled or lower geared character.
A few things I noticed:
The AI is surprisingly effective. CPT Garrick (Human paladin tank) doesn't lose aggro, like...ever, but if you accidentally pull distant mobs, she draws them in rapidly; she also rapidly casts Blessing of Freedom on you if you get rooted. She will also help Crenna top-up the party's HP at the close of combat. She will also actively avoid unnecessary trash mobs if you let her take lead.
Crenna (Tauren druid healer) not only heals well, even when things go crazy, she also dispels very quickly. Crenna prioritizes the player in case multiple debuffs appear. She usually reminds the party to buff up at the start of the dungeons, too.
Huntswell (the fire mage Dwarf) loves to crack jokes; especially if the boss involves some sort of fire mechanic (ex: the bird fight in Algethar Academy: "A game involving fire!? Count me in!"
Huxley (the Worgen hunter) loves to jump around like an eager and excited player and tell the players what to do if there's some sort of action needed (ex: releasing the Tuskar in Brackenhide Hollow). Other NPCs will take turns chiming in on things, too.
Shujo (Orc shaman) often provides some sort of short commentary on bosses to provide context.
At least one of the NPCs in your party will offer advice on boss mechanics during the fight. Huxley, Huntsworth, and Shujo will often find higher elevation to rain their ranged abilities down on trash mobs. They will also use LoS for mobs that are immune to taunt, who attack the party members randomly from ranged (ex: the trappers from Brackenhide Hollow). The DPS NPCs will use AoE if there's more than 4 or 5 mobs in the fight. If not, they'll simultaneously focus and take down one mob at a time to alleviate damage to the tank as quickly as possible (this is something real players never do, by the way). They will also priorize higher threat mobs (healer mobs, mobs that enrange or do heavy dmg, etc or or mobs with lower HP.). They'll also participate in boss mechanics and prioritize removing boss adds, hazards, etc before returning fire back to the boss.
The only downside is their outgoing damage is minimal and because they're still AI, there are limitations and the occasional complication. For instance, Nokhud offensive, they don't mount dragons and ride out with you to the battlefield. They just stay behind, then appear again when you land. They're not particuarly quick with avoiding hazard zones, either.
All in all, the AI for this feature greatly surpassed my expectations and in some ways, they perform even better than most players.
My level 64 tank with 250 gear score took about 1.5 hour to clear what my level 70 hunter with 444 gear score only took 20m to run. It's fun as hell either way :)
I love the fact that followers don't rage quit. Such well educated people !
It's there for learning :)
This is so cool. Coming back after quitting during legion.
have fun!
I main as a tank and I absolutely love this. It's going to make it so much easier to learn the routes and fights the next xpac, even if it's only in normal mode.
Enjoy!
Thank you for an extremely helpful guide. I am an old (very!) player who stopped doing dungeons when the family quit WoW. I will never do normal dungeons as I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's game. So as a long time solo player, I am loving Delves and have only just discovered Follower Dungeons. Yes I know it's an MMORPG but I'm absolutely loving WoW atm due to all this solo content. Thank you.
Have fun! And yeah it's amazing in its current state
As someone who has played off and on since classic i love this. Im obviousle no stranger to the dungeons of old, i could probably walk through most of the classic era dungeons blindfolded with how many time i have ran them, but anything post Cata i simply do not have that same kind of recolection of and have have mostly skipped doing unless i do have my friends on to play with simply because i know how people want to simply rush through the content (especilly when using LFD to level) now i have reason to go back and experience the dungeons i missed durring my breaks for their story and i absolutely love it.
At the moment they are ONLY for Dragonflight (and future expansions) dungeons, so no old-world content.
Wow! Very cool! I’ve been away for a few years and didn’t even know about the follower dungeons! I’m somewhat of an introverted extrovert (or extroverted introvert). When I used to play wow, sometimes I would enjoy my solo time and sometimes I would enjoy grouping up. Obviously, what I could do during my solo time was limited. I’m encouraged to see how wow has evolved over the years to accommodate various play styles.
Welcome back!
Thank you for this. I have a little of dungeon quests. Looking forward to trying it.
Have fun!
Awesome Dungeons Tutorial !!! I wouldn't consider me new but one of my last dungeons the group was pretty seasoned ( and it was my first time in this dungeon). Somehow I stopped at the first NPC (to look over the quest line) and all I did for the rest of the session was chase the group. While I collected quite a bit of gold it, I technically only "killed" one mob character, making the experience quite unfulfilling. Outstanding job explaining the new system and you gained a new subscriber.
Cheers!
Really like your video very well explianed love this feture of tollower dungeons tumbs up to you on your video
Glad it was helpful!
Totally enjoyed this guide! I do not play very often anymore and alot of the reason is that I'm so lost. This video explaining this was perfect! I jumped in game to try it out while I was watching it. Thank you for taking the time for us :)
Cheers!
Thank you for making this video. It was a great help for me. : )
You're very welcome!
Discovered them by coincidence yesterday. Thanks for breaking it down :)
Cheers!
Love this feature. No one can kick me out .. OH HAPPY DAY!! I can play wow again !
Enjoy :)
So glad I found this
Indeed
I've been playing steadily since wrath and I can say this is the best thing for dungeon running since dungeon finder. Great video my man subbed.
Glad you enjoy it!
I never raided on retail, only on classic, and I was kinda affraid of trying it despite I come from high end FF14 content. Thank you for the tutorial, I love how chill you are, you earned a new sub!
Welcome!
You got my subscription! just the way you explain stuff makes me like you straight out of the gate!
Welcome aboard :)
Well after watching this the other week I found my Ret Palladin needing an item from a dungeon.
Now normally the storyline stops here & never gets completed as I don’t have a guild & I don’t pug due to having met a few toxic players doing so. Follower Dungeons are what was missing for players like myself, it was a Breeze. Thanks RenFail for bringing it to my attention.
Yep!
I'm honestly so happy with this new feature. As someone who only played DPS roles since 2006, mainly due to the fact I felt inadequate to be a tank/healer when I wasn't used to the class and layout of the dungeon. I feel as if now I can enter a new chapter of the game. I have attempted to be a tank/healer before but failed miserably and either got kicked or just had people complain at me, now I can actually do it and not worry. The pressure of trying to be perfect is gone and now I can FINALLY BE A CLASS WITH A SHIELD!
Thank you for this video as well, it was the push I needed to get back into the game and start something new.
Have fun!
Just got back into WOW since Wrath, this is great because I am lost and slowly relearning!
exactly !
Realistically they have had this tech since MoP, with trials. So, its cool to see it being put to bigger use.
Groovy
Thank you! This video is exactly what I needed!
Glad it was helpful!
This system alone has made me resub ❤
Right?
Very nice! Just resubbed again and decided to check it out, running on my tank I haven't had any issues with agro so far and it just runs like a smooth group, will definitely be doing more. I agree I don't like going on a dungeon run for the first time and being treated like an idiot because I don't know the dungeon. I especially hate it when I'm learning the story and watching an awesome cut scene to find they've got the boss to
It's only Dragonflight for now (and everything beyond), but it's a great addition.
@Renfail ya hopefully they will implement it for more older content, it's a great way for people to learn how to play as they level and not only once they're close to max level. Also there's so many dungeon quests leveling up, it'd be nice to hit those easily without drama.
Honestly I'm actually looking forward to playing my healer with this, can't wait to kill off a few follower groups...lol, it was fun I looked back at the group while I was tanking and the mage was running around in the back launching fireballs, the healer was still on their mount not doing anything till we were taking dmg, it was like a real group, lol
This is huge for me. I'm terrible with a keyboard and grew up on controllers. This a game changer, pun intended. Thank you!
Wrong video, I'm also terrible at internetting as well apparently.
I just subbed because you took your time to explain this 'new to me' feature. I am considering returning to WoW after taking a break. I started the dragon exp but it didn't grab my attention and I decided it was best to just stop for a while. Anyhow, something like the follower dungeon is going to help me get any quests done and to learn the dungeon layouts.
THANK YOU! I did 2 dungeons yesterday. The first one I went into, I had the extra action button to toggle. The next, it was on my bar and I didn't know it. Bug reports got 2 new bugs with me. So you showing where it was has me excited. And I just made a toon on Moon Guard about two weeks ago and I'll be hitting you up for guild, Roseruby, LF Paladin level 20. I am excited to find a guild.
Have fun and good luck
just started playing wow a few days ago, and can say, follower dungeons is REALLY helping me learn without the stress of lfd people who know what they are doing to rush past me
Enjoy
it is amazing! just for getting away from the toxic players, add in the learning chance to get better there is nothing to not like!
Yep!
Thank you soooo much for the tutorial. Well done!
Glad it was helpful!
This is great. Yes, for all the reasons you said, but also, I just don't really know anyone in game, and it seems syncing up with people with what you want, and what they want, doesn't quite ever jive. And you are right about people just blazing thru dongeons, I really hate that. I want to play to have fun, enjoy the journey, if you will. FYI you do a great job with your presentation, and are very clear. Thank you.
more options = better!
My initial response was: "they're taking the multiplayer part out of mmorpg", but after I ran one of these I realized it is a great training tool to learn tanking or healing or even just tactics. Also solves the issue if you have 2 or 3 friends and just need to fill the group. Nice vid.
Yes; it takes NOTHING away, and adds SO much more for new players.
This is great I can’t wait to practice
Enjoy
I absolutly love this feature. I will definitly come back playing wow now and check this out. My playing style is soloing content. By being able to do current dungeons and not waiting for two content updates to do them at a higher lvl, this helps me a lot, for example to continue story elements or collecting battle pets etc. I'm hyped :).
Have fun!
I am going to try out those follower dungeons. Great addition to the game:)
Indeed
I love this addition to the game. Since I started playing in 2008, I have gone back and forth, loving dungeons and pvp, then getting nervous because things change so fast and even though I know pugs are not serious at all, I find myself avoiding them. I've been in guilds with people who get angry if you don't know the dynamics, even for normal dungeons, so this is perfect. Although I do watch videos to orient myself, I learn best "hands on". Reading and watching how it's done does not work well for me. Now I can go into a dungeon and if I die, I can laugh when the whole team rage quits but never yells :D. I ran the Nokhud Offensive today and was able to stop and watch a video when I needed. The npc team just waited. I've pugged it in the past but I never fully understood what was going on. I just stayed alive and tried to keep up my dps. These are great for training with no pressure.
Absolutely!
I just came back to the game after not playing for a bit over a year. This is great for me to remember what my spells and rotation is, even though musle memory kicks in. But the best thing about it is, they seem to have increased the item level on dungeon loot, but also the required item level for heroic dungeons, so after such a long break I can no longer queue for heroics, and I'll just use this feature to get some loot without waiting in queue.
There ya go!
what a great idea, thanks for the video
Glad you liked it!
Great overview - thanks!
Thanks for watching!
I am so excited for this new feature and so pleased with how well it was implemented. This was a game changer for me and has me considering new roles in groups that previously were just off-limits in my mind. It's a shame that so many people seem to feel the same way (I had no idea how common this is!) about grouping with strangers and the anxiety of failure and not wanting to be "that guy" in the group. This feature, I hope and truly believe, will result in better players, more tanks, more healers, and hopefully a more patient and considerate playerbase in general. Great video, btw. First time I've seen anything of yours, but I subbed.
It's a win for them for sure.
Really like this idea. Was a little disappointed about the xp i got. Was hoping that i could do this follower dungeons while leveling. Was rested and got just 2 bars of xp in 1 dungeon run.
Questing will ALWAYS be #1 way to level.
Great way to work on healing. And gear up a fresh character. Really enjoy it. Would be cool if they added to it, difficulty lvl, alts etc
Yep!
Great Guide! Thank you.
You're welcome!
Thanks for putting in the time for training Ren, loved the video. Was wondering if you can inspect the NPC's and see what type of gear they have equipped and look at their skill tree. Would be cool, but could take some of the fun out of individuality.
They scale
Thank you so much for this video this is the coolest thing I’ve seen in gaming! I’m a WOW noob, I’ve played ESO for years(and love it) but I’m trying WOW on the free content mode where you can play up to level 20. I’ve been trying to decide if I want to purchase the game and this video is all I need to be convinced. I’m in! Cheers 🥃🥃
Welcome aboard!
I am so looking forward to trying this. I've learned to hate doing dungeons in the past, mostly because the group runs ahead constantly and I have no understanding of what to do, how it fits into the story, etc. And heaven forbid you go slower, or ask them to wait for you - all the toxic L33T memes come true in an instant. Finally, I can take my time, look around, explore, talk to any NPCs I find...and actually come away understanding where it all fits into the greater storyline. 👍
Enjoy :)
I'm back after a break played since vanilla hate pugs but this is great for me to get back into the game subbed cheers
Welcome
This is freaking awesome ❤
indeed.
Very helpful, thank you! I just noticed that that there were "Follower Dungeons" today! I have bad encounters with ppl in dungeons that call you stuff only because it is my first time. And then there is the running...and running. The running made me die because they left me behind and didnt know where to run. Pathetic. So I decided to solo everything. This will make me experience more of Wow.
Have fun
Great addition to the game. Back during Wrath and BC and Pandaria to a certain extent, dungeons were more methodical. They felt like an achievement to finish them. Once Mythic + was introduced, I stopped playing shortly after. I personally never enjoyed the rush rush and ridicule if you don't rush attitudes. I always play tanks and even when I resub now to and play, I'm either going too fast or too slow, every single group complains about something I'm doing and it gets really old. Back in the day, people were just glad to have a tank that knew how to play their class. I will be glad to experience dungeons at my own pace again and will have a ton of dungeons to catch up on lore wise.
Yep
It is a good start to something that WILL overtake future games - Real AI. That said, it has a ways to go. For instance you cannot use some abilities (buffs) to assist your comerade NPCs - I tried to Soulstone the tank and the healer - not allowed. Your NPC companions cannot operate mechanics (like the Dragon Balistae in the first boss fight of the Nokhud Offensive. That said, it worked great in the Ruby Life Pools run. I also compliment the way the tank was smart enough to pull back trash during the run in RLP. So, it's good, but it has a ways to go. At this time you need to take a friend or two if the dungeon has complex mechanics.
It's a great first step
Agreed they finally took something from the single or scaled ai raiding from private servers, Great addition.
Gained a new subscriber my friend.. great video!
Welcome aboard!
The way you described this type of dungeon made them sound so much better than going with actual humans ^^; Just need more loot and mythic like this, then we don't need more players :D
For learning the dungeons this is WAY better than trying to LFD with others who are only interested in speed running. However, nothing can match a good group of guildmates doing heroic and mythical, so these are nothing more than stepping stones and training wheels :)
oppp oppps!! 12:06 can you do a guide on how to set up the controller?
Already got you covered =) ua-cam.com/video/5ySPyiTOdtw/v-deo.html
I remember when Dungeon Finder was first introduced. People use to talk.
I'd like to bring some of my Garrison or Class Hall followers.
People still talk. It's just in Discord now.
Gosh i hate dungeons because i cant keep up due to my hands, but im definitly gonna try these.
Now you can !
Sounds like my type of guild.
Feel free to hit us up for an invite into the guild server on Discord to fill out an application :)
If they add this feature to their old dungeon content (and ideally older raids too), Blizzard can have all my money. I'd love to go into dungeons blind and play at my own pace instead of checking a guide before every new dungeon. Makes it feel more like an actual RPG. They can offer this and still incentivize grouping by making higher difficulties group-only and offering better rewards to groups.
Could be at some point
This makes me want to come back to wow
As it should be :)
There were times when I wanted more of a challenge tanking than heroic. And in mythic we would sometimes wipe a the group would leave. Or I didn’t know the instance so they would leave.
good vid 😀
Cheers
Oh this is awesome thanks. II run tanks so these are great for me learning bits while Guildies are not on. I did find a few times when we wiped certain NPCs like to jump around and it would agro in others mobs or smaller groups. Trying to grab these new add ons in time before they smoked the healer was an issue for me. One Npcs just had the hops LOL Cheers for this was a huge help :) 💪💪❤❤🤟🤟
Glad you enjoyed!
Follower dungeons are the best way to get the story and quests finished.
Bonus the AI isn't perfect, it will over pull, the dps will body pull ads, and I even had a boss kill the 2 AI DPS.
Get gud =)
I’d also like too try follower dungeons to learn to tank
Do it
I was #1 prot warrior on my realm for s2 m+... have stopped playing since but would love to answer any questions you have!
I'm good, thanks :) Not my first time tanking!
Hello & thanks for your wonderful tutorial video,I have a question tho…where can I find the dungeon assistance?
You have to be level 60 plus, and it is only available in dragonflight
@@Renfail hello,I am 70 plus,where in Dragonflght I can find it pls?
@@firezonecrush999 watch the video
@@Renfail ok found how thanks!
Hopefully they will do this for the raid. I am slow to learn mechanics and i get frustrated so easily. You could run the raid here and learn it then run it for real
No, this will never be done for raids.
I wish this wasn't just for lvl 60+! Would love to do lower level dungeons as i lvl alt classes i want to learn! Follower raids would be awesome too
we'll see where it goes
What's the enable you to do in the instance next to choosing your role. "Indicates that you are an experienced player and are comfortable with instructing the group".
That's from the overall LFD system; you can flag yourself if you are doing randoms so people know you aren't a twat and are happy to host new players.
where is the Assisst buttom located? I hade to make a macro for it to work.
wherever you want it to be
Interesting note: If you eat, drink or just sit down, the group will come over and stand around you until you get up again.
Yep, it's very well done!
It looks amazing for the game, with so many dungeons and so little time it would be nice to have a slower pace experience when I can afk with no problems
have fun
As someone who hasn't played in over 7 years. This feature is pretty cool. I want to try it as a tank
it's awesome
This is my idea of heaven
indeed.
I love this. TBH this is the only thing that will get me to re-sub to retail. I'm not interested in speed running dungeons with strangers, and I experience pretty bad anxiety even thinking about it. It should be expanded to older dungeons and even raids. Maybe they could tie the NPC gear level / skill to your own, so it's not just free loot? I know "it's a MMO you have to play with other people" but there's people out there with anxiety issues and it would be nice to have a way for us to enjoy all of the game too, the way we want to.
I actually JUST recorded an episode on dungeon anxiety / performance anxiety and how Follower Dungeons tie into this (it's airing on the morning of the 26th at 5 a.m. central)
Hi, how do you get anything to show up in the Follower Dungeon menu? Mine's just blank
I'll always support MMO's having features that allow usually single player minded players to hop in and enjoy the fun. Especially AI parties for dungeons. It means more people paying and playing. And it's optional so all the other players can just ignore us hermits lol.
More people playing = winning. And ain't nothing wrong with hermits =P
I haven't played a dungeon since Cata or maybe Pandaria. Partially because I usually lose interest each time I come back from a break before I hit level cap, and partially because I got tired of people expecting perfection and talking down to you if you mess up. This may be interesting.
Find good people and that goes away :)
Ah, so it is only for 60+ ( @3:37 ) , I was why can't I lvl with followers.
Yep!
i hope they implement this backwards so people like me who have a weird schedule can run dungeons while leveling and actually get groups to do it. i love this new feature. need to farm a piece of ger for your progression? just queue up and go. and you're not wasting anyone's time. love it.
It's for the current leveling content and that will switch to Dragonflight in the fall :)
It's a great feature. I only wish DF launched with it. I can keep up with those rushers in LFD but I can't stand that approach to dungeoning, and I definitely don't like most Finder group vibes. I bring along my SO and they're not high-performance, and there's usually always someone in a group that angrily calls that out, votes to kick, etc.
Have fun!
They spwan in and immediately toss out buffs and mage food? That's better than MOST PUGs ive been involved with since the system went live in Wrath, lol. They should give out a mechanical Pug pet for using this mode.
It's pretty awesome :)
@@Renfail I'm looking forward to trying it after work. I skipped all the dungeons in the last few expansions just leveling alts and whatnot so would love to go back through them and be able to actually do so being a DPS class and not having to wait an hour for a tank or healer for my LFG
Is this new system only for dungeons in Dragon Flight or is it for all the dungeons from vanilla, Burning Crusade and so on?
Only Dragonflight, and the upcoming War Within/etc. Dragonflight becomes the new default leveling expansion with the new content in the fall, so it's starting here.
Follower system could be great for roleplaying and immersion. But not just generic followers npc. I would like to have followers that you recruit around the world, maybe for example you find some poor dwarf archeologysts stranded in a jungle about to be ganked by ogres and you do quest to help him, so now you are friends and he becomes your follower. Or you go to Booty bay and recruit hardcore mercanary pirate.. You gear up those followers, set their talents etc. And then you go exploring stuff together and they have actual dialogue, they are amazed at the dungeon, suggest shortcuts etc.. Its a great way to delve into the lore and explore the world before you are ready to jump into end game content and play with other players, instead of just having generic 20 seconds cut scenes and random time skips between major quests.
cool beans
It only shows 1 dungeon for me when i get l try to do the followers dungeons how do you unlock more
Can you do heroics with this new system or mythic dungeons?
The video AND the press release literally explain that
Im a casual nowadays, Im not going to read up on dungeons but I also dont want to suck so I really hate doing the forced dungeon quest for the campain. With this feature I will even do the optional dungeon quests for rep that I always skip now.
Yep! It makes them easy to do now