I miss party grinding (as a viable option)

[Moochan]

As long as it doesn't become mandatory to level i wouldn't have a problem adding specific zones that require a party and having the mobs give a lot more xp, however 200 mobs to gain a whole level is WAY to fast imo.

If it becomes mandatory then its a very bad idea, groups are common on launch but no so common 3 years after launch.

If playing with other people becomes mandatory in a multiplayer game then.....

[Seraphi]

If playing with other people becomes mandatory in a multiplayer game then.....

When you take it out of context like that, sure.

He doesn't want group exp grinding à la FFXI to become mandatory. Mandatory group exp grinding was not fun after your first 75, regardless of how much the FFXI purists want to believe. Meeting new people, and skill chains/magic bursts were cool, but that's about as far as the fun went. Grinding the same damn mob (usually easy shit like crabs) for hours on end wasn't exciting, engaging or even fun.

If they made group exp grinding areas a viable alternative for those that want to do it, I think that's awesome and I'd definitely partake in it once in a while. While I think SE has done an amazing job preserving the feeling FFXI had 10+ years ago, bringing back antiquated systems just to appease a few people wearing their rose coloured glasses a little too tight, is a bad move for the overall success of the game.

[TacoTheTaru]

When you take it out of context like that, sure.
Meeting new people, and skill chains/magic bursts were cool, but that's about as far as the fun went.

It was fun because in every area there were higher level mobs that would wipe your group if you screwed up and the puller got aggro. It was fun because if an add followed your puller back to camp and you didn't have someone with an available 2 hour and sleep failed your group would wipe unless the blm used escape. It was fun because if you didn't use the right set of skills (elemental weakness) it took forever. It was fun because it was the skill set of the party and everyone knowing their roles that made you successful. And, oh yeah, people got to know each other because there was some downtime between pulls.

I wouldn't want it to be the only thing available but I would like it if they added things like the crawlers nest for those of us who enjoyed it.

[gorror]

If playing with other people becomes mandatory in a multiplayer game then.....

Grouping to level is great when there are groups. I remember the elite areas in wow that required a full groups, as well as the group areas in star wars. What i also remember is how hard it became to get into those areas because there simply put wasn't anyone around.

Now 3 years down the road groups would be a lot less common. How likely is a new player to stick around if they hit a brick wall that prevents them from leveling at any decent pace? If they need to be in a group and just simply put can't find one are they gonna stay?, are they gonna spam chat for 2-3 hr's? Probably not.

I enjoy grinding sometimes, its why i keep Lineage 2 installed, but it can not be THE way to level or else you just don't get very many new players.

TLDR: the more options to level there are the better the game will be, just as long as some of those options aren't TOO good.

[Loony_BoB]

Gotta say, I really miss party grinding if only because it was by far the best way to get to know people in the game. There is no good way to get to know people in FFXIV that I'm aware of, party-wise - in dungeons they're generally not from your world so you can't add them to your LS, and in FATE you don't talk because you're too busy spamming and trying to get to the next person.

Putting together a party was a hugely social thing for me - the number of people who would join my party shot up like a rocket when I started being "experimental" with the way I shouted for parties, and when we actually partied together we would chat while we rested and have a good laugh on many occasions. It was awesome.

There's nothin' like that now.