Gather your party before venturing forth

Gather your party before venturing forth is a fairly unpopular game mechanics that blocks progress of the group in a quest until all members of the party gather at the designated spot. Some players can get lost or go AFK, and the entire party has to wait.

Some players have argued against using this mechanics in quest design with the argument that it discourages grouping.

In an attempt to alleviate the problem, DDO staff has made a change in U19 where hirelings and pets don't have to gather.

Tip: If you are lost and/or dead and the rest of the party is waiting for you, you can log out and log back in after a few seconds; disconnected / link-dead party members don't count for gathering and the quest should continue.

See also:
 * Baldur's Gate also has this fun mechanic.