Solo dungeons and raids!

[PEANUT]

I know this has been spoken about, and addressed to the dev. team.

But I think solo play for dungeons AND raids, such as BCoB would be a great idea. I know they have considered putting in solo dungeons, but it would really help out for raids as well, so there is no cut-scene skipping, no relying on people to be good or well geared just to experience the story(which again no one really does because they want to skip everything and just farm gear).

They just would not allow drops from the solo play, and the battle mechanics would be simplified like the story mode Primal fights. That's all. I think it would be great for people who really just want to see the story and enjoy it solo!

Thoughts?

[Nektulos-Tuor]

I know this has been spoken about, and addressed to the dev. team.

But I think solo play for dungeons AND raids, such as BCoB would be a great idea. I know they have considered putting in solo dungeons, but it would really help out for raids as well, so there is no cut-scene skipping, no relying on people to be good or well geared just to experience the story(which again no one really does because they want to skip everything and just farm gear).

They just would not allow drops from the solo play, and the battle mechanics would be simplified like the story mode Primal fights. That's all. I think it would be great for people who really just want to see the story and enjoy it solo!

Thoughts?

Why? There is no point to do the dungeon without loot. There is no point to playing an MMO if you don't play with others.

[Brightshadow]

I don't understand why people play a MMORPG if they want to solo everything; might as well just play a RPG.

[Cikala]

I think this is a great idea for the raids at least. Why? Because some people don't have the time to devote to a raid group, and therefore never get to experience the story in them. This isn't a matter of wanting to play solo, it's a matter of missing out on the story that is gated behind the cooperation of 7 other people.

[PEANUT]

I didn't imply to solo everything. Just allowing a simplified solo-version to some end game content that is very heavily story related. Again, it would be to enjoy the story, battle, and atmosphere without people rushing you, or holding you back from advancing on to the next battle, section, part, etc.

Dungeons are not usually(although a lot of the end-game ones are) heavily story related, but there are still small cutscenes, rooms, clickable objects with readings on them, etc. that you don't always get to experience because you are farming and running through the dungeon. A lot of material you can't even finish because you don't have a great party, or terribly geared players.

It's simply options for different types of players. And again, after you experienced it, if you want loot, gear, the entire battle mechanics of the fights, etc. you join parties like normal MMORPG content.

There is NOTHING wrong with giving people choices, imo.

[Arkenne]

While not solo, they did mention on one of the latest letters from Devs that dungeons will be enabled to start up with partial parties like duo and trios to which other people might or not (not specified) join up later on.

Part of the updates for the DF.

[PEANUT]

I think this is a great idea for the raids at least. Why? Because some people don't have the time to devote to a raid group, and therefore never get to experience the story in them. This isn't a matter of wanting to play solo, it's a matter of missing out on the story that is gated behind the cooperation of 7 other people.

Precisely, especially since they bully you into skipping cutscenes and different content so they can farm more quickly. I know I am not wrong in that statement, because there are numerous threads concerning it, and it is a problem that could be fixed with a simple solo solution like this!

[PEANUT]

While not solo, they did mention on one of the latest letters from Devs that dungeons will be enabled to start up with partial parties like duo and trios to which other people might or not (not specified) join up later on.

Part of the updates for the DF.

Oh, that's a cool idea! I can definitely see a positive outcome in that!

[kyuven]

In what way is it a raid if it's done solo? The very definition of a raid is multiple people exceeding the standard group size laying siege to an enemy. If it's soloable, it ceases to be a raid.
SPECIAL solo dungeons I can get behind, maybe akin to Maat from XI. DCUO did these types of things and it works pretty well. Basically imagine harder versions of our Job quests. The rewards aren't great, maybe no more than doing a map would be (Maybe it could be the new form of alexandrite maps!), but they're still prizes.
This is a multiplayer game. There is and will always be plenty of solo content, but there should ALWAYS be things locked behind group content, otherwise this would just be a single player game.

[Gunspec]

"Why play an mmo if you want to play solo?" Well, try finding a single player game that is as large and immersive as an mmo, with new content constantly being added. I mean, I've sunk hundreds of hours into Elder Scrolls games or classic Final Fantasy, but eventually you've played the whole thing and have nothing new to see. There are no content patches for those games, or expansions that add another 40% to the world map. You don't get an evolving storyline or new classes and characters every few years. An mmo isn't just a multiplayer game... it is a game that is constantly growing and adapting.

Personally, I play several mmos mostly by myself, because I enjoy the world building but don't have the time or patience to coordinate myself to a raid schedule. I'm mostly content with casual group content like Crystal Tower and 4-man dungeons. The ability to solo some fights would be a treat, so I'd definitely appreciate that type of content being added after the real raid groups have had their fun.