Difficult experience in Forked Tower – a reminder to respect public content

[Mawlzy]

Always amusing when a single anecdote is used to "prove" a hypothesis.

I give credit to any individual or group that is genuinely helpful.

The issue that is being overlooked is: why is it that so many people have negative opinions regarding 14-related Discords?

I too can only provide a personal anecdote. It's because I have been a member of many such Discords.

[Jeeqbit]

Always amusing when a single anecdote is used to "prove" a hypothesis.

That was the case for OP also.

The issue that is being overlooked is: why is it that so many people have negative opinions regarding 14-related Discords?

It's not the discords they have a negative opinion of. It is raiders in general they have a negative opinion of, whom they incorrectly assume are "elitist" and "exclusionary".

I truly get what it's like when you've never raided before - you think that raiders are some elite bunch trying to exclude you. But then you overcome the anxiety and join a party. You go through hours, days or weeks to get that clear. Then you don't want to go through that progression again, so you make a [Duty Complete] party. Suddenly, you have become the "excludes people" bunch. But once you get that far, you realize there is no other way; you can't go through all that prog every time just to reclear.

But the game is actually so large and cross-world now, that first timers can often find a full party of people new to the content. So it works out anyway, and everyone is happy, except those who haven't overcome that anxiety to try joining a High-End PF or discord.

So yes, a lot of people will naturally think these discords are some scary elite bunch. If they garner the courage to join a run their opinion will quickly transform.

[Mawlzy]

That was the case for OP also.
It's not the discords they have a negative opinion of. It is raiders in general they have a negative opinion of, whom they incorrectly assume are "elitist" and "exclusionary".

I truly get what it's like when you've never raided before - you think that raiders are some elite bunch trying to exclude you. But then you overcome the anxiety and join a party. You go through hours, days or weeks to get that clear. Then you don't want to go through that progression again, so you make a [Duty Complete] party. Suddenly, you have become the "excludes people" bunch. But once you get that far, you realize there is no other way; you can't go through all that prog every time just to reclear.

But the game is actually so large and cross-world now, that first timers can often find a full party of people new to the content. So it works out anyway, and everyone is happy, except those who haven't overcome that anxiety to try joining a High-End PF or discord.

So yes, a lot of people will naturally think these discords are some scary elite bunch. If they garner the courage to join a run their opinion will quickly transform.

Let's quit this "courage" nonsense, Jeeqbit, you're better than that. This is a video game, not the Marines. And anxiety is irrelevant to people who are trying to do this content, but are impeded first by the dreadful decisions of SE, compounded by the hostility expressed by some Discord groups.

As to "everyone is happy"... Honestly, mate, I think we'd get on IRL, but this Panglossian worldview directed at such an obviously flawed game is a little excessive.

Again, I understand there are helpful Discords out there. Indeed, when I started taking PvP seriously, I received a lot of help from a Discord server! It was from a general Discord hosted by a streamer. I went there when a handful of PvP Discords proved completely bloody useless, not to mention unpleasant.

If Discord servers wish to have a better reputation, I'd suggest they need to clean up their own houses. If they dislike Plebs vs Patricians mud-slinging, maybe they should reel in their members?

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

[...]If Discord servers wish to have a better reputation, I'd suggest they need to clean up their own houses. If they dislike Plebs vs Patricians mud-slinging, maybe they should reel in their members?

Now that is the hard part. There's not a small subset of the playerbase who would pardon some... questionable behavior just because they did 'something good'. Some would pardon because they think & states "I can't control them, they're adults". While that is logically sound, it really doesn't inspire confidence in term of discouraging people from continuing said questionable behaviors.

It is what it is.. lol.