Do you prefer your FFXIV solo or MMO style?

[IslingrHashslinger]

I've come to find that, with the most recent relic weapon abandoning additional content in favour of tome grind, a lot of people really do prefer this MMO to be a solo experience. I'm of both minds: it's nice to be able to solo and complete personal goals without relying on others, but I feel you get SO MUCH more out of it when you have to actually play the game with other people, persevere, and earn your shiny beatstick. It also feels like the game heavily favours the solo players experience.

For me, ginding for boz relics and the yokai event in anticipation for Dawntrail has been some of the most fun I've had in my 1800+ hrs of playtime. This is the first time I've done any events with an FC aside from maps, and its cool actually playing with your guild! I've met some really cool people in boz because it forces interaction, something which I think this game SORELY lacks, considering its an MMO. Stepping into the southern front instance and seeing people milling about and actually talking about the game has been so, so refreshing. The yokai event has injected a ton of life into the game for me. The world actually feels alive when you can go to nearly any zone right now on a congested server and see SWARMS of players running around doing overworld content. It all comes down to personal preference, I suppose, but playing an MMO and actually having to make your own parties, work with other players, and engage with content I've otherwise not really touched due to a lack of general interest from other players has been phenomenal.

What is your preference? Did you do the any of the bigger relic grinds when they were current? Did you love it, hate it, or was it just meh?

[Roda]

I bought xiv because it was an mmo. I like playing alongside strangers in the world. I like meeting new people and making lasting repeated connections.
I find myself not logging in as much when they release content that is meant to be soloed or achieved through groups you will never see again.

[Zeastria]

I would say both
Too much focus on "group" content can make game "boring- nothing to do" if/when you cant be grouped..
I had that issue a lot in WoW.

However to much solo content
is also harmful because it kinda kills of the social aspect of the game,
since players ain't encouraged to talk to others or play with others.

Which is why it needs to be balanced..
FFXIV is currently too much solo focused atm.

[FlatLined]

I like playing solo but around people. Makes the world feel more alive even if I don't interact with others much.

[Moqi]

I am so confused by your first paragraph because boring grind is synonymous with MMO content to me. Were this an entirely single player game, you'd have a proper boss fight to get one of the best weapons in the game.

Anyway, I can't call any moment that has been made the experience better by interacting with other people. I play solo all the time but also the fights tuned for NPCs are incredibly dumbed down that if you want a fight to be any kind of engaging you have to go where NPCs can't.

[Zairava]

A mixture of both is ideal, but MMO by a large margin. I'm glad we're getting a field zone next expansion and hoping there's an actual relic grind. Doesn't need to be brutal, but I want to feel like I've earned it like I did with Eureka/Bozja

[IslingrHashslinger]

I am so confused by your first paragraph because boring grind is synonymous with MMO content to me. Were this an entirely single player game, you'd have a proper boss fight to get one of the best weapons in the game.

The tome grind is absolutely more solo player friendly. You can just sit in your preferred city essentially AFK, or engage in some other solo grind like crafting, until your duty queue pops then play through the dungeon as an essentially solo experience. Yes, there are other players, but when you're grinding one of the two endgame tomes you rarely have to actually talk to or engage with them beyond a "o/" and a "gg tyfp" at the end. The game just pairs you up and you go through the motions of a dungeon you've likely done 10+ times.

Every other grind requiring you to go out and form parties to efficiently grind fates/exploration/CEs is much more an MMO thing. You have to actually engage with other players. When you're new to Boz the fastest, easiest way to learn is to ask people who have been doing the instance for a while. Communicating information in CLL, explaining the harder CE mechanics, etc.

[MuraBoy]

Bruh, it's an MMO

[IslingrHashslinger]

Bruh, it's an MMO

but you don't REALLY have to do any MMO stuff in it. you never have to say a word to another player ever to get to the end game. never are you required to make a party, the game will do it for you. hell, you don't even need to do a bunch of the dungeons with other people anymore if you don't want to. hence the question.

[LyraShu]

So, for early content (ARR up to like mid STB) I like to do solo play. My reasoning is that most things un-synced is easy to accomplish in minutes, and for me to wait in a queue for 20-30 min for a dungeon no one runs is a little much to me. Once STB starts to include some party mechanics into trials then I enjoy moving into MMO style gameplay.

Story/MSQ, I stricly do solo. The solo instances really put a damper on my party whenever we are trying to move through the MSQ together. That plus specific job quests or long make it to where we end up splitting up for half of our time playing, so we just like to do that sort of content on our own and meet up for some other stuff.

I really enjoy buying/crafting/trading so that is MMO style gameplay for me though you are a solo crafter just playing a mini game and then throwing stuff on market soooo you could argue either way I guess.

Eureka/Bozja depends on my mindset. If I want to run Delerium or BA, then ya MMO style for sure but if I am just leveling my elements/resistance then solo for sure to allow myself to mindlessly grind stuff out (granted, way slower so not recommended)

I love the venues they have out there and housing district and how the players interact, for sure MMO style.

I am a collector, so there is a ton of side content I do (achievements/GC seals/tribals/ect) that I stricly do as solo play but again, that is just I can just zone in and not worry about social interactions.

Raids/extremes/ultimates are MMO style, but sometimes strictly just people I know/game with regularly due to skill level of party finder (and because I don't want to hold people back).

There is a ton I am missing, but I hope the mindset I have for my style of gaming comes across. Really, for long grinds/old content I tend to be solo (or I guess, the things that CAN more easily be solo'd). Otherwise, it is party play