Need some light

Ok I need someone to help me shed some light on a situation. I've been playing guitar for about 7 years now and I've just gotten really serious about getting good. My question is when you're playing say a 3 note per string run either up or down the neck, should you pick every note or should it consist of pulloffs? In example Paul Gilbert stuff, Laiho, Malmsteen.

3 note; 4 note; doesn't matter. Pick or legatto depends on what you want a particular note or run to sound like. Legatto makes for very smooth, fluid runs, but sometimes you need to throw in some pick action to emphasize the rhythm, or to shift the timing. The feel of a passage can change dramatically with the application of different techniques.

Yeah, depends on the effect you're going for, what type of song it is... how difficult it is to play.
I tend to use hammer-ons and pull-offs a lot cause it tends to be quicker and easier.

It's a matter of personal taste in sound.

No picking= soft
Some picking= some accents on the pattern
All pick= Zack Wilde playing

Wilde says he get a better attack that way, but maybe (and just maybe) YOU HAPPEN TO LIKE THE SOFT RUN, so be it.

The thing is doing it your way, or all the ways possible and humiliate everyone.