Solo dungeons and Gambit system

[Nalien]

I do wish they'd just do away with the strict requirements on entering instances. Why do I need a whole group to enter anything? Why can't I just enter with what I have to practice or even clear? Why do I need to find a random person who'll probably eat dirt all fight then walk away with the loot?

Not sure how I feel about having a NPC squad to "solo" dungeons. Would they be stupid? Why would you ever do dungeons with other people again when you can just have all the EXP/loot with none of the drawbacks of actually being solo? More so you'd have incentive to actively level them, seems like an absurd concept in a MMO. Maybe add it when it's actually required, but low level dungeons aren't so abandoned that I think Alter Egos are required just yet...

[Warlyx]

they could balance dungeons for solo mode , lowering the dmg and HP maybe add a npc that can heal u , no different than some class or main story quests.

[Eye_Gore]

Maybe just do it for the pre-50 dungeons. Though not sure how it would work. How would the NPC's position themselves or move from AOE's for alot of the dungeons thats critical to staying alive. It's been a little while since I ran low level, but things like if the tank was an NPC. How would they know to pull the boss into the crystal veil, or pull them near pillars? Things like that, I know there are many more positional or AOE events that have to be done properly or expect a wipe.

I guess the only thing would to be reduced damage output from the monsters, but then do the rewards get reduced also unless in a party of players? Seems like the programming behind it would be a bit taxing. It would be neat to have something like a practice mode or something. Something to get in and get the lay of the land. I know most dungeons are pretty linear but I have taken a few wrong turns here and there and got into some trouble.

[synesthetic]

Maybe just do it for the pre-50 dungeons. Though not sure how it would work. How would the NPC's position themselves or move from AOE's for alot of the dungeons thats critical to staying alive. It's been a little while since I ran low level, but things like if the tank was an NPC. How would they know to pull the boss into the crystal veil, or pull them near pillars? Things like that, I know there are many more positional or AOE events that have to be done properly or expect a wipe.=

That's what I've been worried about, too. I'm curious how the devs would pull it off, but just given how some dungeons and mechanics in general are, it's hard for me to be optimistic.

Like would an NPC tank in Brayflox-NM pull Aiatar out of spit, and make good use of the arena?
Or what if you're in AV and your NPC tank stays in acid puddles, never eats fruit, doesn't avoid Bad Breath, or dies to Coincounter's Heavy Swing? At least a third of the tanks I've seen in there don't even know how to avoid stuff like Swipe and Swing even after I tell them what their AoE range is, and they just keep dying; I'm even more scared of an NPC tank I can't communicate with. I know I've seen bots sort of avoid AoEs by just running away whenever their target's using a skill (even if it's not an attack), but a primitive AI like that could cause more trouble, like aggroing mobs.

Another thing that I dread is the idea of new players learning from bad AI. Would NPCs single-target everything, even against mobs? Would tank AI know how to handle mixed mobs of ranged+melee, or know to Flash/Overpower enough so that a player could AoE? Would healer AI be retarded like a chocobo in healer stance, spamming Choco Medica instead of Choco Cure when there's just one (near-dead) person?

[Rhaja]

I thought this was something that was actually happening in Heavensward through our GC's? And I don't think t would be too terribly difficult to implement; you would just have to control things through a pet bar and formation. Have an option to move party incase a hazard appears, make them immune to stage hazards that can't be esuna'd. Your healer would never run out of mana either. Hell, this could be a "safe" way for tanks to get comfortable with larger pulls.

In regards to having a tank as an npc, it would just naturally generate more threat than you could in most cases. I think people are too focused on making it feel like an actual party than what it could be; a method to get through a run that requires a absurdly long que.

And to prevent the whole, your not in a GC for the first few dungeons, make it shared with the adventurer's guild. Or just the adventurer's guild, god knows that thing is mostly forgettable.

[Tint]

would be funny if the NPCs are playing better than real people xD (and they will)

[Firepower]

I thought this was actually happening in Heavensward too, I also remember a remark about having them loiter around your personal home. You could use the current resistances from the current pets (smn/sch) so that dodging aoe's aren't a major problem.

Though things like moving aiatar outside of poison puddles, breaking bubbles, killing adds and coincounter's aoe's, I do find would be difficult without manual instruction which either mean taking them out from the solo version of the dungeon or giving the player a "npc party" hotbar.

[Saseal]

Though things like moving aiatar outside of poison puddles, breaking bubbles, killing adds and coincounter's aoe's, I do find would be difficult without manual instruction which either mean taking them out from the solo version of the dungeon or giving the player a "npc party" hotbar.

Oooo good idea. Too bad I didn't read all the posts before derping about that same point z_z; (placement specific mobs/bosses/etc)

I thought this was actually happening in Heavensward too, I also remember a remark about having them loiter around your personal home.

Then, you can yell at them, all day, to 'get off the lawn', 'You break it, you bought it!', etc while shaking your fist xD
Dang kids these days.