Stories that focus on the individual should never require parties.

[Cynthis]

Right now, aside from helping your friends out, there's no incentive to replaying certain quests if you already finished them.

This. Thankfully I have managed to finish my AF quests but I feel so sorry for the people who shout in Uldah for help with AF quest 1/8. Most people have already done the fights that require a party a number of times for themselves and friends and are just tired of them. For the main quest that would be even more the case so that new players starting the game would struggle mightily with finishing the content. Content finder might help but doing content with random strangers is not automatically better than doing it solo in my humble opinion. Having some rare drops from these quests could incentivies experienced LS members to help out new people.

The problem with the main quest isn't that it is solo, it's that it is poorly executed. I would have liked to see it tie together the team around you more closely where you would fight together with a good path companion that actually continues to play a role outside the main scenario, your chocobo and maybe even your retainers in some support role so that you bond with the NPC characters attached to you.

[Goufunaki]

Source: US PlayStation Blog

I believe this answers your plea OP. And I also believe this is the right direction.

It's definitely a good thing.

I know I sound like I'm whining a bit, but I needed a place to say something with the way the game currently is. With current GC quests being around only for a short time, I hate not being able to get through them more quickly when just gathering a party is more challenging. @_@

[Zezlar]

I hate non challenging content.... and there's not one single piece of solo content in this game that's even remotely difficult. To be fair though a lot of the PT content isn't either... but at least it's better than being alone and bored.

United We Stand was a perfect step in the right direction. Just make it a tad more difficult and BAM.

[ChiefCurrahee]

side quests and job specific quests should be solo.

MULTI-PLAYER ONLINE STORY should be MULTI-PLAYER

NOT SOLO!

I don't care if you're a casual player and have limited time to play. Schedule your limited time to get the story done if you want to progress in that manner.

Don't dumb down the game for the people who won't or can't devote the time, provide alternative content but don't make XIV: SWtOR.

if you do you lost my sub.

[Goufunaki]

Schedule your limited time to get the story done if you want to progress in that manner.

Don't dumb down the game for the people who won't or can't devote the time, provide alternative content but don't make XIV: SWtOR.

I was on for 4 hours today. No results.

[Teakwood]

Sadly, it's pretty much impossible to have content that is both -solo- and -interesting-, and it goes against the entire idea of an MMO. I sympathise, but there's really no way around this.

[Halvaard_Vidan]

Maybe you could try offering help as well instead of just shouting for what you want to get done.

For AF, as an example, offer to help with 2-3 other fights as well.
The majority of people who play MMOs have some idea of what they want to accomplish when they log on.
Making your goals over lap with theirs is much more likely to get you help than hoping 5-7 other people randomly need exactly what you need.

[Murugan]

I was on for 4 hours today. No results.

Use some social skills, make friends. Get them to help you.

I don't see what the problem is, I do AF/GC stuff after I've done it lots. Find an LS you can't tell me there aren't dozens of casual linkshells on your server that do exactly this type of thing all the time.

Yoshida made a point of saying that the community is what sits on their "three pillars" of course you have to engage it in order to see major parts of the game, which is (or at least was) always true of MMO's. If you don't have enough time to meet other human beings playing on your server what is the point of playing an MMO?

Even still though you are getting content finder, a system that will do this for you so you don't have to actually talk to anyone. Yay! Please don't ask for them to once again ruin main story content by making it "one size fits all" again like at launch as well.

Content finder at least doesn't affect my play, while it allows for you to make up for the fact that you don't know anyone on your server to help you with content. What you are asking for in this thread.... yuck. No thanks!

[Nix]

I don't mind the party play for storyline/GC missions, or even going back and helping others on AF, but there's a lot of people that won't help out there for the sake of helping someone.
I think giving some kind of incentive as one chap previously mentioned like rare drops, exp or even GC seals would help to alleviate this problem. I'm not sure if it'd be a little much to say that repeating a GC quest to help someone out could offer like 25% or even 50% of the seals awarded for a first timer (so like a 2k reward first time, 1k reward 2nd time).

It can be a pain in the rear trying to find people to do things with, even if you're in a linkshell with a few folks, sometimes it's just really rough but that being said it's not impossible.

I feel your pain not being able to get Castrum Novum done OP, my friends did it without me so now I'm stuck til I can find a group X3

[Vydos]

I can understand the OP's viewpoint on this. As an european player I often fall victim to having a hard time finding people to help or do group stuff together. And I often wanted or more wished that I could simply solo it. However there is no greater joy for me than to tackle it eventually with a group and overcoming the battle. It gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that I would not want to be taken away. And allows for people to come into contact with each other.

So unfortunately I'm going to say that I'm against solo content. Even if I know that I'll regret saying this in the future lol. Makes me a bit of a sadist I guess.