The other day, I took a break from leveling and took one of my Alliance 70’s through the Shattered Sun dailies. I had sapped most of my Alliance bank to support my new Horde characters, so it was time to build up a small bankroll again.

I was working on the quest Intercept the Reinforcements. I flew over the ships, dropped my bombs, and set the sails ablaze. When I landed, the middle ship was pretty crowded, so I swam over to the ship on the left.

After climbing aboard, I walked past a Night Elf Warrior – who was busy battling his own mob. I promptly destroyed everything on the boat that was alive. I was a Mage after all… that’s what I do.

A minute or two later, the Warrior gets up and leaves, apparently in a huff. On his way out, he makes a rude gesture at me. I’m not entirely sure why. I guess he thinks I stole his boat. Which leads me to the question – when does a mob or a gathering node belong to you?

If He Shares, You Share

Typically, I’m a pretty considerate person. If I’m out farming something, I share the wealth.

For example, let’s say I’m killing some Fire Elementals in Skald and someone else is there. I could easily tag everything in sight – Ice Lance, Nova, some Frostbolts, and watch everything die. Instead, I stick with a single target, kill it, and move on. If the other guy is ready to engage a mob, I’ll skip over a mob and go to the next one.

If the other person grinding tries to steal my kills – then all forms of courtesy go out the window. I’ll tag any mob he’s running at with an Ice Lance and promptly kill it. It’s even more fun if he’s a Warlock or Shadow Priest and I can tag something after he puts dots on it.

In short, be nice and most people will be nice in return. If you see someone getting ready to fight, don’t step in and steal a kill.

You Can’t Claim an Entire Camp

However, you can’t claim an entire camp. Let’s look at the original example.

On each boat, three or four different mobs will spawn. They also spawn very quickly. Once you engage one, I’m happy to let you have it. Don’t expect me to leave the whole boat to you, though – especially if you’re going to take all day to kill it.

When people are forced to grind in the same area – as often happens with new content – you’re going to run into competition. The first days of BC were like this in many quest areas. The Elemental Plateau used to be a free for all. The new Shattered Sun daily areas are, too.

With that competition, you need to learn to share. You own the mob you’re killing – and nothing else. If I come along and kill everything else, don’t make a rude gesture. Wait a minute, I’ll leave, and you can kill the next batch.

Or, if you’re a Warrior, do the smart thing – bring a friend to DPS.

What About Gathering Nodes?

This leaves one other area of “tagging.” What about mining or herb nodes?

I remember a time that I was flying around on my Mage, picking herbs. I saw a Mana Thistle on my radar. I swooped in on my Epic Flier, dismounted, and prepared to pick the herb.

At just about the exact same time, an Undead Priest dismounted and tried to pick the same herb. I won. He got mad. He made a rude gesture. Why? Did he own that node?

I would say no, and I think most people would agree.

If you see someone killing a mob to get to a node, it’s considered poor form to swoop in and steal it. By engaging the mob, that person is laying claim to the node. Likewise, you shouldn’t move in on a mining node that someone else is already tapping.

If you’re flying in from an opposite direction, though, you have no special claim to the herb. Whoever gets there first gets to keep it. Them’s the breaks.

Be Polite First, Vengeful Second

As a general rule, I think it’s best to be courteous to other players. They will probably return the favor.

Don’t get bent out of shape and expect people to defer to you for no reason. There are some unwritten rules to who owns what – and you don’t own everything.

Once somebody crosses your path, though, give ‘em hell. Maybe they’ll learn to be more polite next time.