Not sure why but I'm going to log an hour each night of my PuG activities, mostly to reflect on how I feel about the current state of the game..TL/DR at end.
Me: Eastern Standard Time, PS4, Ethernet connection; Comcast; 28 mb/s down, 8 mb/s up.
6/23/2015 8:30PM - 9:30PM
Friends List: 20 online, 3 playing DAMP, 12 playing other games, 5 blank.
I am not picking classes to suit the PuG, I am playing whatever I feel like and let the consequences roll.
Game 1
Quick Match, Perilous, Random. picks FC, inferno dragon.
3 total people in lobby. Leader leaves. 2 people in lobby, nobody joins. I wait 5 minutes readied up, nothing happens, I leave.
Game 2:
Quick Match, Perilous, Random, picks FC, random dragon (frost)
2 total people in lobby. i ready up and so does leader.we both die zone one and 2 other people join before we fade out. we all die. nobody leaves (which would be normally surprise me if Perilous wasn't a complete desert). Nobody plays any support classes at all. Nobody seemed to have much HoK either.
Game 3:
ready up again in previous team's lobby. we all ready up.
we all wipe again zone 1. Still didn't have any barrier classes. If the PUGs had heal on kill, they should have doubled down on it. I have a funny feeling these were threatening players that found threatening dry, and went to try a perilous instead.
Game 4
1 pug leaves, then another. its me and the original leader left. He readies up as the same class, the one he died within 10 enemies of Zone 1 as, again. I give up.
Game 5:
Quick Match, Perilous, Random, picks Orlesian Cheatau
3 people total, 1 more joins, we start. we wipe on zone 1. These players are flat out terrible. Of course, nobody brought a barrier/support class, and if they had heal on kill, they sure didn't kill much.... Team-oriented play was once again at 0%.
Game 6:
1 pug leaves, another joins immediately. (one of my earlier PUGs from Ferelden castle) we start. not a great pug, make it to zone 5 and wipe instantly. The PUG from FC is ok. But its obvious neither of us are in the mood to play one of our perilous solo classes. All games so far have been completely joyless. Of course again, nobody played a barrier/support class or had enough HoK. Side note - everyone is using endgame weapons from Griffon Bow and Caliban to Dragon Weapons. I start to notice that more than the HoK, nobody seems to want to use potions. I drop some healing mists, resist potions, rock armors, etc. The PUGs so far do nothing of the sort.
Everybody leaves except the old pugger from Ferelden castle. As much as I feel for the poor fellow, I am doing an experiment here. I leave to try quick match perilous one more time.
Game 7:
Quick match, perilous, random
Get put into my own lobby as leader on Elven Ruins. 1 guy from my friends list joins. we ready up.
Struggle mightily, no one joins, we wipe eventually. My heart just isn't in it, I am having zero fun. God this is a freaking chore.
I was going to call it a night, but I tried one more. FOR SCIENCE!
Game 8:
quick match, threatening, random, (wouldn't ya know it?=, I land in FC)
put into full match in progress instantly, start in zone 2. rubberbanding is BAAAAD...
OP Avaar with a 250 match AW banner beasts everything whether we want him to or not. My hour is almost up, the urge to quit is strong, holy crap threatening is the most boring thing ever.
The Avaar keeps beasting and on Zone 4 I ignore the two weak PUGs as they fade out. The weakest pug is leader and forces host migration by leaving and is replaced immediately by a fresh PUG. Avaar gets overzealous and wipes, forgiven because he has skill though. Dog creature spawns behind the treasure door in zone 4, is completely unkillable without opening the door. Thank god we had the proper class to open the door.
Facing Red Templars on Zone 5, Avaar wipes (he must have gotten bored/sick of carrying the plebs). I hang out on my side mopping up mob after mob (barrier and 36% HoK makes this autopilot) Both weaker Pugs wipe and leave - I assume they left (LEAVE?!?!?! ON ZONE FIVE?) or I guess got crashed, and 2 new ones join and help me wrap up.
i am not embarrassed to say that the only enjoyment I had out of tonight was letting those two weak PUGS wipe while I stood 3 feet away. my only regret is not remembering to get in a couple cups of tea.
Hour is up!
TL;DR and Observations:
2 people on my friends list were in a full party each the whole time, so some people must still be playing.
Seems perilous public games are completely dead.
Threatening is more populated, but not by much.
Only saw 1 high level banner/portrait/title, doesn't mean much except when coupled with the low population of PUGs; the general skill quality of all but 1 player I encountered was medium low to very bad.
Connection issues were not that bad tonight.
Ferelden Castle Zone 4 - Zone 5 issues continue. Spawns behind a locked door.... GG BW.
Tonight was not fun at all, I kind of wish I hadn't committed myself to doing this.
I'm going to reward myself with ice cream and Penny Dreadful.
PS BONUS: I opened a large chest, having obtained about 1200 gold for my hour of effort. All items were common, lvl 12 and under.
Retour en haut
I can´t manage perilous in pugs for the love of all that is saint. Just my last attempt, nobody joined, so we risked it in two and wiped five metres from starting doors of Zone 1 when all enemies on map trickled in. I rage quit again. This game is destroying my ego(or what´s left of it) 
I tend to throw in the towel around 00:30-01:00 UK time. I work at 7am and this game is destroying my chance at sleep (that and a 5 month old baby I guess)
