Best way to bail from bad groups?

OK we all know this isnt WoW where you can just bail from groups left and right if they were bad because you will never see those people again. Leaving groups, especially frequently, tends to not get you anymore groups. So whats the best way to go about leaving groups if they are just painful to be in? Mainly bad guild groups.

Was in a guild group in one of the new zones an hour ago. Other than the WK raid havent done much grouping in new zones so decided to go. It was just terrible. Got our first named after only 15 mins and tank went down with 2 reactive mercs healing. I had moloed the same named before and did just fine with earth pet tanking so no clue how a real tank dies with 2 healer mercs. I really didnt wanna be there because even killing light blues was better AA exp. But I stuck it out for two very painful hours, where the tank died three more times. When you get bad groups like this, especially guild groups, how do you duck out of the group without making it look like you are trying to leave because the group is bad?

Imma gonna play WoW later casuals

Cat is on fire, Grandma died, etc.

LOL cat's on fire.

I have to wash my hair.

/q and log on an alt your guild doesn't know about.

Next time you see them explain how your power went out, and whenever they want to group again find some excuse not to.

Just act like you can't play; do poor dps, poor healing, get an extra add, die to something a pet could tank, etc. before you know it the bad player will be looking for a polite way to leave.

Or maybe you could keep grouping with your guild mates so the tanks can get gear and augs so they stop dying so much, and you can help the people play better by giving them information.

My guildleader is calling me.

Just say you have to leave. Rationalization is not important. Offer as little information as possible and that saves you from not having the backbone to tell the truth (which hardly anyone does) or from having to craft some elaborate lie. If you are bailing on guildmates, well that is kinda a callous move but it is what it is. Still, leaving and then lying to boot is bad news x2. Especially if you get caught.

Best thing is to stick it out to the end and be mindful of grouping with them in the future. Maybe talk to their class leader and let them know that the people in the group who were coming up short need some pointers because its not your job to fix them. That just adds more insult. It could be they had a bad day or just need gear. All of which are temporary but if you burn a bridge with them than that is one less option you have in the future and does nothing to solve the inadequate player's shortcomings.

Truthfully, I always have something that needs to be done which would require me to afk! Who doesn't?
The cat answer is more kind because it makes them laugh.

We have bad players, of which I am one. If someone asks in advance of grouping with someone, I can tell them whom to avoid if they're picky that way.

This is why EQ is full of cliques.

So ... I'm going to come from this from a different angle.

To the OP - it sounds like you've had a lot of these bad groups. Can I ask if you recently just joined the guild you're in and what type of experiences/guild you were in before? I'm wondering if you went back a bit in progression (e.g. from a top 5-10 guild to maybe top 20-30 guild) where your expectations may be a bit off due to the guild switch.

If both mercs were on reactive, I thought it's usually been said it's bad to have 2 set to the same setting because they react exactly the same (and therefore only at the same time, no constant healing).

Who all was in the group and who formed it? Was it the tank, you and 1 other player (what class) with 3 mercs, or were there 4 players and 2 healer mercs? What was the purpose of the group (were they after a certain drop from the named or just exp killing)?

Reputation is in the eye of the beholder, even if you feel it isn't true. That works both ways. You may feel some groups you've gotten have bad players and are beneath you (your perception). If you start burning/leaving groups the wrong way, your reputation can stay a long time and it's hard to fix/remedy.

I've never been a key fan of saying "I have to go" (if you plan on staying online and doing something else). Folks will usually take that to mean you're logging, so even if you don't lie, that bad reputation will still start. (Seen it a few times in guilds and the players have never been able to shake the rep once it started.) I'm more a believer of being honest to a point with something like "hey guys, I am looking to do something a little different in game before I log" or that with "player x is coming to take my spot" approach.

Stick it out, and make the group into a success. Be the hero.

After the first couple times where the tank died, you should've offered to let your pet tank and have the tank attack from a range. Swap a healer merc for a caster merc so things start dying faster and off you go. The new zones aren't great experience in either case, either you soldier on because you want the loot or you'd probably be better off elsewhere.

As for gracefully leaving the group: This is a guild group, if it sucks you're obligated to help it get better instead of bailing. That might mean giving advice to the person having trouble, informing them that maybe they aren't properly AA'd/geared for the content, or even just letting them DPS and getting someone else for their group-critical role.

If you don't want those obligations, don't join groups that are part of your organization. In a pick-up group, as others have said, you don't really need an excuse unless you're doing some kind of instance. You aren't beholden to stay in an open-world group a second longer than you want to, but be aware that it may damage future group prospects if you get known as someone who leaves at a moment's notice with no replacement.

Just leave the group and go play somewhere else. It isn't up to you to fix a player who is obviously out of his/her league guild mate or not.

just be honest and give the reason why you want to leave..no need to make excuses

if the group isnt your cup of tea..just say so and bail and do something else

Tell them you hear a noise downstairs. Go afk for about 15 to 20 minutes, then come back and simply type "/g WITNESS" and /ex

All I read was: 'I cannot be bothered to help guildmates that obviously need it.'

Really, guy? Really? You want instructions on how to mitigate fallout from bailing on a guildmate? Class act, you are.

load the army alts, and do it yourself ...