I Take Notes So My Groups Don’t Have To
I am Steven Ruiz, and my most-used gaming skill is typing fast between pulls. Years of Destiny 2 raiding turned me into the person who writes down the plan while everyone else is still loading in. That habit followed me into extraction shooters and now into WoW Forever, where a four-sentence briefing before the first pull keeps saving my groups.
My Briefing Format, Stolen From Better Players
- Targets first. Who dies in which order, named out loud before anyone moves.
- Interrupts assigned. Names attached to casts, never vague calls for somebody to handle it.
- Positioning in one line. Where the group stands, stated once, no mid-fight renegotiation.
- Pace agreed upfront. How many pulls, how long the session runs, when we stop.
Comms I Actually Use
Destiny gave me raid vocabulary, extraction shooters taught me radio silence, and Azeroth demanded something in between. These days my groups hear very little from me during combat, because everything important was already said before it. New players sometimes mistake the quiet for indifference. It is the opposite: silence means the plan is working.
What Lives on This Blog
Dungeon etiquette for returning players, interface setups that survive contact with real groups, and honest first impressions of whatever I am playing that month. WoW Forever currently fills most pages, with shooters rotating through whenever friends drag me back.
Corrections welcome through the contact page. If a callout is stale, I would rather hear it from you than wipe to it twice.
The full shelf is on the All Posts page, newest first.
Written Down Between Pulls
These are my newest guides, each drafted the same way I prep a group.
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Sniper or SMG? The Loadout Choice That Defines Your Game
Introduction: Pick Your Path, Define Your Play Early in Warzone matches you’ll face the core decision: long-range sniper or up-close SMG. Each loadout shapes…
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Console vs. PC Performance: Which Gaming Platform Offers the Best Overall Experience for Arc Raiders?
In the ever-evolving landscape of gaming, the debate between console and PC performance has reached new heights, particularly with the release of games like…
How I Keep a WoW Group Organized
Typing between pulls is my best gaming skill, and it carries over to WoW nicely. Before a dungeon I write the plan in a few lines, with who handles what and where we regroup. Classic-style leveling is easier when the group shares the same notes. Raids get a longer page. Professions and gold go in a small list too, so nobody argues about materials later. Alts get a note each, otherwise I forget their jobs.
Why do you take notes during raids?
Memory fades after a long night, and groups repeat mistakes. A short written plan saves everyone from relearning the same lesson.
How long should a group plan be?
Short enough to read while loading in. Three or four lines covering roles, positions and the one thing that usually goes wrong.
Does this habit work for solo play too?
Yes. I write myself a short reminder before sessions, mostly about what I wanted to fix last time, and it keeps play intentional.