FFXIV challenging the inner Introvert in me. Forced grouping.

So here it is, another: "This game forces me to group" thread. After the first dungeon I was a bit dismayed. Is it actually going to force me to play with others? By the 3rd one I' realized yep, I can't advance the story unless I do these dungeons. If I had known this before I bought the game I probably wouldn't have bought is so...thank God I didn't know about this because despite being a huge introvert I've actually enjoyed the Dungeons. I've only done 3 of them but they didn't take too long. The pacing was really good and I had a great time. It's not often that I enjoy doing dungeons so this is a good thing. I know I know, why bother to play mmo's if you don't want to socialize right? I enjoy my alone time but I also enjoy interacting with others so it's good that it gave me a much needed kick to make me see what it's team content had to offer. Now instead of dreading the upcoming dungeons I'm looking forward to them. It also helps that everyone has been so friendly in game. :D

Maybe you're not actually an introvert ;)

It's all good until you hit the more difficult, high level dungeons. Just don't make any mistakes...

Can definitely relate, when I initially got this game I didn't fully know well what I signed up for, but it's definitely been very fun and very nice. That said I'm probably more introverted now than I was a few months ago, but that's an entire story of added salt. I'm inclined to say this game has a really good balance of being able to do solo content, and doing grouped content. There's times I'll like to just sit down, relax and be introverted, in which case I just gather/craft turn on some music, it's very relaxing. Then when I'm feeling social I run content :)

As the person above said, it's all good until the more difficult stuff comes around, but even then it's very forgiving and fun :) I'd recommend just finding friends with same nature as you, then you just group up when you want to do a piece of content. It worked really well with one of my friends on the old server I was on

I wouldn't necessarily call FF14 dungeons socializing. The DF connects you randomly with three other players. The four of you run thru the dungeon with little or no communication. You finish the run and likely leave without a word.

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't play without the DF.

Can always treat your teammates as eccentric AIs. You might then have some qualms with their design, but the introvert remains unchallenged.

Kidding, of course. Glad you enjoyed the dungeons.

Dont let these people scare you, the higher level dungeons arent that bad. Looks like youre leveling archer/bard. Knowing when to aoe attack versus single target, how to dodge attacks(mostly just dont stand in the aoe markers), and how to use your group buffs is all you need.

This happens throughout the whole MSQ, but it does take longer and longer to reach the next required dungeon as you keep going just because of the amount of MSQ and sidequests available.
As far as the more difficult dungeons go, as long as you take a look online for strategies regarding the new dungeons you unlock, you'll be good.

It's possible to resist the forced grouping and solo most of the ARR group content on the first character though. With exp buff and some fates to get ahead of the MSQ, the only 4-man dungeons i ended up not soloing were ifrit and titan. It was suprisingly easy too, with trash mobs usually being harder than most bosses. A bit weird that i switched to conjurer to get faster dungeon queues after finding out i'll need to do them to progress, but ended up not needing other people because i alone had enough dps/tankiness to clear pretty much everything.

Glad it turned out better than you expected!
Dungeon runs are pretty low key for the entire game. People want to get them done regardless if you talk or not, so as long as you can play well enough , nobody will really say anything if you just don't respond.
That being said, I have to wonder what the appeal of an MMO is to someone who doesn't want to interact with people at all?
Sure the story in this game is awesome, but it is first and foremost an online game advertised to be populated with your fellow gamers.

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Originally Posted by Krotoan

That being said, I have to wonder what the appeal of an MMO is to someone who doesn't want to interact with people at all?

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As an introvert myself, I find it harder to meet and make friends offline considering how much I keep to myself(always watching, rarely interacting with people in my surroundings). It's nice to meet people online who can coax me out of my shell, and actually take the time to get to know me. I've met some of my best friends online, some who we are actually planning on getting together(we all live in different cities across North America) at some point when we can all afford it. To me, that's the appeal of a MMO, the possibility of meeting new and interesting people(though sometimes they turn out to be negatively interesting....).

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Originally Posted by Straynge

It also helps that everyone has been so friendly in game. :D

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For the majority, I found people to be nice while playing the game. There are definitely the rude/elitist people out there, and you will eventually run into some of them, but don't let them scare you. It is rare that you will ever encounter them again after the first meeting. If it gets to be too much when you do originally run into them, the worst that happens is you leave a dungeon before it finishes and need to wait out the 30min lockout timer.

You make an excellent point & it's something I wonder all the time. What is the appeal of mmo for someone who doesn't necessarily want to socialize? Part of it is the fact that you can do a lot by yourself & yet not feel so alone. Even the most introverted people get lonely at times. But for a lot of us I think sometimes we do want to interact & hang out with people but we have a unique set of circumstances (gifts? flaws?) that at times prevents that. It's like having that opportunity available if we want to grasp it but with the added security of knowing we don't have to. I was extremely shy growing up. Not so much anymore but I do prefer to be alone most of the time. I guess it's just a habit...but it's nice to know that there's others out there willing to give you a hand if you are willing to accept it. It's just a way to safely bridge that gap a little more until finally someday you cross that bridge completely & join a guild and make good friends. Plus it's freaking Final Fantasy.

Oh and yeah I ALWAYS look up guides before doing any Dungeons. I don't mind wipes or people messing up. That's part of the fun too but I'd rather not go in completely blind. Glad I checked the guide on the Dungeon where I had to click the lamps to keep them from doing that big AOE since I was ranged DPS and that was my job. Also the one where I had to shoot the dragon in the window with the Cannon was a blast. I only messed up a little in that one. I've got to do Darkhold next and I've already read several guides. And most dungeons are pretty fast. Hardly any talking but I've had a few where we've had a good time and weren't in a rush. I actually really enjoyed those quite a bit. Tanks have been nice enough to let me map the dungeons :) Now if I can just figure out if I should be dotting all the enemies I see or just focus on one target. Never know if someone is going to be binding mobs or not. I guess I'll ask before this next one. I'd hate to dot a mob that someone wants to stun.

You can DOT the mobs that people are going to stun, as it doesn't affect that at all. Only sleep(and I may be wrong on this as I NEVER see anyone use Sleep) could be affected by it.

When I first started leveling Bard, I was told to put my DOTs on up to 3 or 4 of the mobs(though, I think that might be wrong...I'm no Archer/Bard expert at all), since you do have some skills that reset if certain procs are met(if I'm not wrong). So, the more DOTs the better the chance of it resetting(and later some of your songs get their secondary ability due to the procs).

I am going to step on a soapbox here. This is not introversion; introversion is only when being around people in a social setting tires you out. I've read that this is because as an introvert, you spend time scanning people for emotional cues so that you know how to react to them. The key thing, however, is that you need to be able to directly interact with these people, not virtually. I know several introverts who are great public speakers and are able to handle large crowds, up until they run out of steam

What you're describing is shyness, lack of confidence, or a form of social anxiety. In all cases, I recommend playing a tank. One you get over the expectations that are formed in your head, you actually build confidence in playing with other people and you're level of concern as to whether you're making people happy drops.

There's been a few times when I've done a dungeon or a trial blind. That's because I'm confident in my ability to tank, and I know that the devs have spent considerable time teaching us the signals they use to indicate something is going to happen and how to react. There should be no reason to have to watch a video to learn a dungeon, you should be able to walk in, blind, and using the signals the game gives you, be able to finish it with minimal issue.

I was surprised at first too; always nervous trying out dungeons in a new game. But found them to be pretty easy going most of the time so no big deal.

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Originally Posted by Straynge

You make an excellent point & it's something I wonder all the time. What is the appeal of mmo for someone who doesn't necessarily want to socialize?
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I consider being an MMO to be 2 strikes against any game. Given the choice between an MMO and an identical single player (SP) version of the same game, I'd go SP every time. The sad truth is that MMO's have solo gameplay that's hard to find in SP games.

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Originally Posted by Straynge

Now if I can just figure out if I should be dotting all the enemies I see or just focus on one target. Never know if someone is going to be binding mobs or not.

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If its a 2 or 3 mob fight, you can DoT them all(though you dont have to). If its 6 or 10, you should probly just put up a couple sets(i only ever played bard far enough to get quelling strikes, so ill gladly defer to anyone with higher level experience). In a dungeon setting you want to be looking for opportunities to use your AoE skills. Hitting five enemies for 100 points each is more efficient then hitting one of them for 200(though some cases of especially dangerous enemies should be focused down first even if it is less efficient). This game doesnt feature strong crowd control skills, so 99(+)% of the time fights are handled via mitigation healing and damage rather then binds sleeps and the like. Stun(and silence, pacification, etc) is unaffected by ongoing or incoming damage, its only affected by use of similar skills(mobs build up a stun resistance/immunity the more you stun them for instance). As a BLM ive used Thunder(my only dot) + Sleep as an emergency option to stop incoming damage for a few seconds while still hurting the enemy a little - the thunder ticks dont wake the enemy as long as i dont cast anything new on it and nothing attacks it physically. However, as i lack any good form of self heal this is sort of a last resort.

And Avatre, bards get an ability where a crit from one of their dot ticks can reset the recast timer for a couple of their abilities(rain of death being the popular one), allowing for more uses. It used to be a standalone trait(i think this was changed with SB) but now its an added effect on(some? all?) their songs.