Gather your party before venturing forth

Gather your party before venturing forth is a potentially problematic game mechanic that blocks progress in a quest until all members of the party are present at the designated spot.

Some players have argued against using this mechanic in quest design with the argument that, because some players can get lost, die, or go AFK, the entire party has to wait and possibly fail the quest, and so it discourages grouping. 

In an attempt to alleviate the problem, DDO staff has made a change in U19, whereby 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.