Make More Solo Content

[Tennotsukai]

Title says it all. This game is starting to get really boring when all my LS mates are offline. I can solo me some reives or 109 JSE battles but only for so long. I miss campaigns...

[Pixela]

I agree with this, since they refuse to do incredibly needed server mergers (every zone is empty) then they need to further with the idea that this game is now a single player mmo and add more content for people to do alone...or with their trusts.

Baffles me why they will not do merges, the game is depressing with so few people around.

I'm on my 2nd month back, I don't know whether I can justify subbing for a 3rd month after this one runs out with the state of the game right now. Only reason I still play is to get one job to 99 (which has a decreasingly weaker pull every day), trying the new pet option in mog garden and to level my Adventuring fellow.

All the plans I had of things to do get quickly buried in tedium (mass running around for missions while being forced to have wiki open), boring, BORING fame boosting, NPC quest items that are based on conquest placement (meaning I may have to wait months to get them lol), incredibly slow NPC reputation which means I can't level her for who knows how long till I can unlock the level cap quest and the biggest thing, which is never being able to do Abyssea. I know many hate it and see it as obsolete but it was something I wanted to do and I can't because getting atmas is impossible now.

Square really need to start a new character and level to 99 to see exactly how bad the new player experience (or fresh returnee) is in this game now, I mean they REALLY need to do this.

[Damane]

there is enough solo content out there. what we need is more party content.

[Malthar]

There is enough party content out there. What we need is more alliance content.

[Ramzi]

^ this, although I think what people are saying is that it's hard to get an alliance formed due to the low population. JP seem to still be playing in large numbers - 1500 people on Shiva right now during JP primetime.

Alliance content has been made obsolete due to populations, but what exactly are you looking for? Something like dynamis/limbus with 128 level difficulty? Kind of a raid, or more of a battlefield setup?

[Lithera]

Some would say for alliance content it would have to be beneficial to bring an alliance worth of people to the event vs low maning something.

[Arbalest]

I like not having to form alliances. It's nice.

[Rhonda]

I've always considered Walk of Echoes and Meeble Burrows to be fun things I can do on my own. Both can be somewhat profitable, too. I've caught up on my missions lately, too. CoP, ToAU, WoTG, Abyssea, SoA (up to the end of Ch.4).. next up are the three mini-expansions.

While WKR aren't solo content, there's no real commitment to stick around for the whole thing and there are often shouts for them in town.

Also, the game really is best played with others.

[Tennotsukai]

there is enough solo content out there. what we need is more party content.

Please list the solo content available that is worth doing and provides a simple challenge.

Also, people need to understand I'm just talking about something to do when no English speakers are online. This game needs a lot more content in all aspects.

[detlef]

Please list the solo content available that is worth doing and provides a simple challenge.What kind of solo content are you looking for? What kind of reward do you think is fair?

[Demonjustin]

Please list the solo content available that is worth doing and provides a simple challenge.

Also, people need to understand I'm just talking about something to do when no English speakers are online. This game needs a lot more content in all aspects.Clerify what solo content is. Content that can be soloed by a skilled player? Content that is meant to be soloed? Content that could be done with a party but is able to be done with a party to make things easier?

[Damane]

Please list the solo content available that is worth doing and provides a simple challenge.

Also, people need to understand I'm just talking about something to do when no English speakers are online. This game needs a lot more content in all aspects.

JUST FOR YOU:
Solo content worth doing:
- Records of Eminence sparks, AMAN: rewards vary from REMschapter to gear to various other stuff
- Dynamis: rewards: gil, or a Relic Weapon/Shield/instrument
- Salvage: rewards: gil or Alexandrite for doing a mythic
- SCNM 10 or 20, solo on normal or easy, tough on duo with trusts: rewards gil drops, Chapters (if needed)
- Hardmission battles AA Very Easy or Easy: rewards 1 Chapter, very very low drop rate on armor
- EXP: for merits
- EXP: to lvl another job
- CP: for Job points.
- Meebles: some armor there is still good
- ZNMs: Mulcibar Scoria (gils or upgrade of mythic weapon)
- Crafting for those delicious +1 accessoires armor that sell for alot of money


The list could prolly go on. There is enough solo content, your problem is that you arent satisfied with the rewards those contents offer on solo (this is an MMO, solo play shouldnt be rewarded more then party play), or you lack specific job combination/gear to solo some of the stuff above.

if for nothing else and you have 2 friends on, you could also go trio some delve, assumeing you have the correct job combination/gear to back it up

[Afania]

Please list the solo content available that is worth doing and provides a simple challenge.

Also, people need to understand I'm just talking about something to do when no English speakers are online. This game needs a lot more content in all aspects.


You can get a relic and mythic solo, those are some of the most powerful weapons in game, more so than party content delve weapons. You can also do WKR on JP time just fine. You can also solo full set of ILV119 reforge armor by soloing very easy battle field or RoE.

If relic/mythic/WKR/reforge gears isn't "worth doing", then idk what else is. Those are like 90% of the top gears in this game.





The list could prolly go on. There is enough solo content, your problem is that you arent satisfied with the rewards those contents offer on solo (this is an MMO, solo play shouldnt be rewarded more then party play),

If you add the time you spend on making a pt, the above mentioned solo content list is actually more efficent than party play unless you own mules. The time I make pt and find buyers for delve2 merc often ended up making less gil/hr than quick salvage run+ dyna solo. You can probably finish reforge armor pages faster solo too. I really can't understand how can anyone complain about the lack of solo play when this game already favor solo play more than most other MMO.

[Afania]

double post.

[Jybwee]

Square really need to start a new character and level to 99 to see exactly how bad the new player experience (or fresh returnee) is in this game now, I mean they REALLY need to do this.

I just came back to FFXI. Last time i played was 2008, but that was just a trial account. Last time i really played seriously was 2004-2006ish. The game is obviously completely different. I can semi-see the game from an absolute new player prospective. If they didn't have a wiki open in another tab or steam browser then they would be lost almost instantly. Back when i first started in 2004 it fit me. I was incurably curious. Talked to every npc. In todays world there is an extremely small amount of the population that would ever give ffxi a try passed the first few hours. I truly believe this can be, in a small way, fixed by just pointing people directly to RoE and Trusts. SE has to suck it up... This is mostly a single player mmo atm, and must build it's new player experience accordingly. Long gone are the days of group lvl'n and learning from other players aroudn you. I mean FFXI and the way it's built almost makes you have to have a wiki open in a another tab anyway, but the focus on where SE points a new player in-game needs to be there.

What FFXI has going for it is the incredibly in-depth story and lore. The systems that bring you so far into the world of Vana'diel that it is hard to get away. A challenge to get what you want... and i want. But what you desire you have to work for. A player with all the time in the world and the driving force to obtain it will receive the rewards it gives. A casual player can still have an immense amount of content but can never compete on the level of the elitists without an insane amount of time devoted. I enjoy that separation.

Now this is coming from a player that hasn't hit the highest levels yet but for a new player the isolation of FFXI is something only an extremely few mmo'ers will enjoy. I can't comment on solo content at max level but for a newer player leveling up... The world is barren. Solo content is all there is. I remember the days fighting for hares outside Sandy, partying for hours and hours in groups, fighting viciously for the first hit on NMs after sitting there for hours. FFXI is a hardcore game in it's own right. It's always appealed to a certain type of player. You make it easier (more solo able) then FFXI (in a way) loses much of what made it FFXI.. for me at least.

Altho... I can, without doubt, say i'm all for more party/alliance content but without the player base to support it... what good is it?

Anyway, i may be just venting a bit because the mmo i knew and loved has changed so much... but i needed to get it off my chest :P. Sry to go a bit off topic but... lol

[Dazusu]

There is enough party content out there. What we need is more alliance content.

Sadly that ship sailed about 4 years ago. Most end-game Linkshells that had any form of mass competence have died out through lack of challenging (and enduring) 18 man content - and an abdunance of small-group content. My own Linkshell a victim of this; along with many others on Leviathan (like Radiance, etc). The scraps of alliance content that were fed since Abyssea weren't enough to keep most Linkshells together (though Delve came close... it missed the mark with excessive drops - meaning after a couple of wins, it wasn't worth farming anymore). When things like Divine Might II are added now I'd guesstimate that less than 20% of an already abysmally small player base touch them.

It is time to accept that 6 man content is all we're going to see, and the ideas of FFXI being a "massively multiplayer game" are very much in the past. The majority of current players seem satisfied with 3-6 man content (and more power to them). Those that enjoyed larger scale content have slowly died off over the years due to negligence on Square's behalf.

Had SE kept the alliance content up consistently after Legion, things might have been different. Too little, too late, too far apart.

[Draylo]

Who are you to say what we're going to see? SE reads different ideas from this forum, why can't he post his own opinion? Regardless of what LS are left, there are still people that enjoy alliance content or who still have functioning linkshells or the ability to obtain an alliance of players. Also this thread is hilarious, a good 90% of this game is soloable haha.

[Dazusu]

Who are you to say what we're going to see? SE reads different ideas from this forum, why can't he post his own opinion? Regardless of what LS are left, there are still people that enjoy alliance content or who still have functioning linkshells or the ability to obtain an alliance of players. Also this thread is hilarious, a good 90% of this game is soloable haha.

Ah, Draylo, always one to take a post the wrong way.

I too am one of those people that enjoy alliance content; as you well know. It was the main function of my Linkshell for many years.

The point I was making is that SE has neglected Linkshells and given the distribution of 18 man content over the past 4 years; can you honestly say you expect any substantial content aimed at large groups in the near (or even distant) future? If that was a possibility, a lot of people I played with would return; but like me - they know SE's track record - and post Abyssea, it aint great. Not for Linkshells, anyway. It doesn't need me (or anyone else) to "say" what SE is/is not going to do. Their actions speak for them.

TLDR: Incase you still don't get it; when it comes to alliance based content, I agree there should be more of it. Released at a rate equal to that of small group content (and not modified small group content: i.e. delve enterable with 6 or 18). Do I think we have a chance of that ever happening? Nope.

[Draylo]

Well there isn't anything saying they won't add it. They added Divine Might II a couple of months ago and it is alliance content worthy at VD. I just don't see why you are trying to make it seem like he or others shouldn't voice an opinion like that. In the past you would be right, but SE at least checks these forums from time to time and has taken suggestions in the past. If they see people still want content like this they might add something down the line, although it might be like how Delve 2.0 was (hopefully scaling better, as it penalizes large groups atm) or Divine Might II. I would even take a VW 2 at this point, really bored with just low manning everything now. I felt the same way when Abyssea was the top content. When it was though, I had this same train of thought as you but I was wrong when they added Legion and Delve 1.0 etc.

[Tennotsukai]

I believe my before posts were too vague, too thoughtless, or maybe everyone just dislikes me lol. The way I feel about solo content now is that it was all once party content. It's either too challenging (AA) or a boring chore (everything else, not reives). I know exp and gil farming are not exactly this, but I do not need exp nor gil. To add to this, used to, farming gil/exp was somewhat fun and challenging, but now it's like mowing. We're literally mowing through the enemies and omg it's freaking boring. Same with working on REMCs. BOOORRRING.

Newer content may have been the answer to soloists but not for long. I had already stated that I have done 109 battlefields and reives way too often. Those are fun for soloing but too much can become repetitive when you have 20+ of each paper and all the bayld in the world. VE AA fights are a little less worth doing when I can farm sparks faster than most people I know.

So what kind of solo content am I looking for so I may have some of you better understand what I mean? First of all, I'm talking endgame content. I understand this game revolves around soloing all throughout being less than lvl 75. That's unfortunate but nothing can really be done about that. Now, we have had several things to do in the past solo that are now meaningless. Campaigns, NM hunting, BCNMs, Besieged (kinda), dynamis (when it was more difficult), and not content where I feel like I'm mowing because the enemies are so weak, and I see bots everywhere farming mindlessly. All I'm asking for is for SE to let up on the battlefields that they keep producing and work on something else.

I know some of you are in strong disagreement with me on that solo content is not as important as party/alliance content. To that, I say make another thread stating we need more alliance content. Already done? Make another one. If you haven't noticed, the community reps don't read every single post, so they may just catch the title, the trolling replies, but not the issues you bring to the table.

[Malithar]

Those are fun for soloing but too much can become repetitive when you have 20+ of each paper and all the bayld in the world.

Didn't really read the post tbh, everyone likes different stuff etc, etc, that bit just stuck out. Go make an Ergon. ^^

Or is 131,000,000 bayld more than all the bayld in the world? :o

[Dazusu]

I know some of you are in strong disagreement with me on that solo content is not as important as party/alliance content.

That's not the case, the argument is that it is as important. But right now, completely neglected.

@Draylo - The problem I have is not with the 18 man stuff they do put out, because as you pointed out Delve 1 and Legion was incredibly fun; it's the rate at which they do it. We had two notable end-game events added in a 4~5 year span. Legion and Delve.

While Delve 1 was more fun due to it being varied battle; gimmicks, many new HNMs, I would argue that Legion got it more right - simply because there was a reason to farm it for longer and make it a regular event (much as Dynamis used to be back in the day). People argue that they don't have time for 2~3 drops per 18 man event.. or 5% drop rareity; and the solution provided for that is - beat Tojil once - get access to everything he drops. Kill him 10 times, cap out an entire alliance on everything.

The reason this is an issue is obvious... once you cap your group out on gear - you have to wait 3 years for the next alliance content.

This is why Level 75 endgame worked so well (but was so much more punishing); the low drop rates and marathon goals kept you busy while SE prepared new content. Now you cap out on the new content and have nothing else to do for a couple of years.

[Mitruya]

Perhaps a better request would be to make more content that a varied group can complete (or balance the jobs better so it doesn't matter which DD you bring for instance). So if your relic RNGs and mythic WHM are on vacation or busy, you don't have to hear "we can't do x event, maybe next week." Sure there is a hell of a lot of solo content to keep us busy, but I think people want to be able to log in, grab a few buddies (or PUG even) and go enter a battlefield. The world is so empty, I feel like I solo too much. I know I could be more proactive, but still ...

[Ramzi]

That's not the case, the argument is that it is as important. But right now, completely neglected.

@Draylo - The problem I have is not with the 18 man stuff they do put out, because as you pointed out Delve 1 and Legion was incredibly fun; it's the rate at which they do it. We had two notable end-game events added in a 4~5 year span. Legion and Delve.

While Delve 1 was more fun due to it being varied battle; gimmicks, many new HNMs, I would argue that Legion got it more right - simply because there was a reason to farm it for longer and make it a regular event (much as Dynamis used to be back in the day). People argue that they don't have time for 2~3 drops per 18 man event.. or 5% drop rareity; and the solution provided for that is - beat Tojil once - get access to everything he drops. Kill him 10 times, cap out an entire alliance on everything.

The reason this is an issue is obvious... once you cap your group out on gear - you have to wait 3 years for the next alliance content.

This is why Level 75 endgame worked so well (but was so much more punishing); the low drop rates and marathon goals kept you busy while SE prepared new content. Now you cap out on the new content and have nothing else to do for a couple of years.

I agree, events like Delve make it easy to get all the items you want in a reasonably short amount of time. I guess their plan to fill the void until their next major idea gets implemented is the "hard mode" battlefields, which they seem to introduce more of with every new patch.

If they wanted to somehow expand on what they have, why not use Legion as the starting point? Make more halls, maybe with different battle stages besides Horrotu Ruins. And have Beastmen mega bosses instead of HNM types. There's lots they can do to freshen up the 18 man content. A lot of it is not too hard to do either.

Heck why not introduce new Sky God fights - They revamped limbus to give you hard mode omega/ultima, but left tuila untouched save for the AA/DM2.

Dunno what the long term answer is, but in the meantime, some well thought out nostalgia fights would make me happy.

[Dazusu]

Heck why not introduce new Sky God fights ... [&] tuila.

Dunno what the long term answer is, but in the meantime, some well thought out nostalgia fights would make me happy.

Re-vamped Sky, Sea would be absolutely amazing. My fear is that the fights would not be anywhere near as difficult as Kirin was circa 2004. That's largely my problem with the game in general. Some fights are tough (like VD versions of battlefields); but nothing compared to a two hour long Kirin, or 90 minute JoL. (I hate to admit that I still miss the rush of ground king HNM; though like most other people - I no longer have the time to spend camping them).

I'll stick to building endless mythics, farming Dynamis and standing in Jeuno.

[Feary]

Please list the solo content available that is worth doing and provides a simple challenge.

Also, people need to understand I'm just talking about something to do when no English speakers are online. This game needs a lot more content in all aspects.

if nothing in this game to you is worth doing then quit. im sure the time gained would increase your quality of life.

these types of "suggestions" are what making this game population drop off the face of the planet.

small simple tasks, are just that. they are completed fast, get tedious quickly, and bored ppl before the next update.

then there is no one to play with, because nothing is seriously worth doing. the "worth doing" that is not defined as its not your taste or too past your play level but because you've done it 5 times for every job you own and its more entertaining to play something else or makes it more apparent you are missing out on life.

who wants to sit down and realize that when the point of a game is to the exact opposite?

so please stop making "suggestions" for solo content in an mmo, it would never end kindly.

[Draylo]

That's not the case, the argument is that it is as important. But right now, completely neglected.

@Draylo - The problem I have is not with the 18 man stuff they do put out, because as you pointed out Delve 1 and Legion was incredibly fun; it's the rate at which they do it. We had two notable end-game events added in a 4~5 year span. Legion and Delve.

While Delve 1 was more fun due to it being varied battle; gimmicks, many new HNMs, I would argue that Legion got it more right - simply because there was a reason to farm it for longer and make it a regular event (much as Dynamis used to be back in the day). People argue that they don't have time for 2~3 drops per 18 man event.. or 5% drop rareity; and the solution provided for that is - beat Tojil once - get access to everything he drops. Kill him 10 times, cap out an entire alliance on everything.

The reason this is an issue is obvious... once you cap your group out on gear - you have to wait 3 years for the next alliance content.

This is why Level 75 endgame worked so well (but was so much more punishing); the low drop rates and marathon goals kept you busy while SE prepared new content. Now you cap out on the new content and have nothing else to do for a couple of years.

I agree w/you 100% Dazusu, I wasn't saying anything to the contrary. I recognize they aren't putting out alliance content, barely at all, which is why I made a thread on these forums. I just don't agree w/having to accept 6 man only content in an MMO, that is why I voice my opinion and why idc if others voice theirs.

[Damane]

I agree w/you 100% Dazusu, I wasn't saying anything to the contrary. I recognize they aren't putting out alliance content, barely at all, which is why I made a thread on these forums. I just don't agree w/having to accept 6 man only content in an MMO, that is why I voice my opinion and why idc if others voice theirs.

i am not against ally content as long as there is a way to do the same thing as a PT or 2 PTs (like delve, however the delve system punishes Alliances kinda more due to more TP spam of mobs). EU population has died, Its impossible to get an ally of 18 competent peoples together.
If they put ally content in that scales like Delve with the amount of people, but gives out higher reward amounts for people that bother doing it with 18 people, i would have no problem with that. Legion had such an example where 36 man runs had double amount of drops copared to 18 man runs.

so 18 man run should have at least double amount of drops compared to 6 man PT (you have to factor also in that sometimes depending on content an ally run makes things also easier, because you have more rooms for errors, but that really depends on how hard the content is).

[Draylo]

I wouldn't even mind that at this point. As long as the rewards scale for it. Delve 2.0 doesn't "kinda" punish alliances, it completely punishes them. There is a huge difference in difficulty between 18 man and 3~6 man Delve. 6 man Tree is a compete joke compared to 18 man and how chaotic that is. It's not the people, its the tp spam, the massive hp with the same exact time restriction and rewards...

[Afania]

i am not against ally content as long as there is a way to do the same thing as a PT or 2 PTs (like delve, however the delve system punishes Alliances kinda more due to more TP spam of mobs). EU population has died, Its impossible to get an ally of 18 competent peoples together.
If they put ally content in that scales like Delve with the amount of people, but gives out higher reward amounts for people that bother doing it with 18 people, i would have no problem with that. Legion had such an example where 36 man runs had double amount of drops copared to 18 man runs.

so 18 man run should have at least double amount of drops compared to 6 man PT (you have to factor also in that sometimes depending on content an ally run makes things also easier, because you have more rooms for errors, but that really depends on how hard the content is).

Legion 36 man is never worth doing because the time you gather that many people is doubled as well. For past 3 years almost all alliance content are better done lowman for higher efficiency, except VW due to less people=less procs.

I've also noticed that whenever ppl want alliance only content, all the opinion that's against it has always been "Please don't make alliance content because my play time is bad, I can't get people".

I don't play on NA/EU time either, and I can't speak JP. I'm probably in a worse position than any NA/EU player since every night I log on there are less English speaking player than NA/EU time. And I've been saying that this game needs more harder/party/alliance content too. I don't go against party/alliance content just because MY playtime is bad, I make suggestions based on what I think it's best for the entire community.

IMO, this game needs all type of content. Solo, party and alliance. If you want to solo go solo, if you want party go party. If you want alliance the game should offer an option. Just because you can't do/don't like alliance content, doesn't mean other people can't have the option.

At this point of time, I see more solo friendly content than alliance content. DM2 VD is the only real alliance content atm. Delve doesn't count because doing delve 18 man is just like doing old exp pt 18 man. You're decreasing your efficiency on purpose with more people. What this game really needs is alliance content that forces people to enter with 18.

[Draylo]

Good post :)

[Damane]

I wouldn't even mind that at this point. As long as the rewards scale for it. Delve 2.0 doesn't "kinda" punish alliances, it completely punishes them. There is a huge difference in difficulty between 18 man and 3~6 man Delve. 6 man Tree is a compete joke compared to 18 man and how chaotic that is. It's not the people, its the tp spam, the massive hp with the same exact time restriction and rewards...

i know, even takeing down the auro in delve on 18 man run is on a different plane then when going with 6 people. Delve entry system was a step in the right direction, but how they handled rewards/battle balance was not. 18 people shouldnt struggle more then a 6 man pt and it should definitly reward you with more, those are the 2 flaws in the design.