Forums » General Pantheon Discussion

solo content

    • 643 posts
    March 23, 2016 6:42 AM PDT

    In a different thread,

    Endalmir said:

    One of my most memorable accomplishment would be soloing Lodizal on my Shaman for the shield. I'd really like to see some good solo challenges like this in Pantheon.

     

    And that got me thinking.  I agree and understand Protf will be a group game and you will need social interactions and friends and a hunting party.  I also understadn there will be some stuff to do when you are solo.  Figuring out ways to solo is a lot of fun.  It's not finding ways to "cheat" the game, but finding really fun and challenging and CLEVER ways to do things.  I absolutely loved quad kiting wyverns in IC.  That was so much fun.  I loved root-dotting mobs.  etcetera.    I don't want anything overpowered, but I do hope there is some chance to have some fun solo type content, as well.  

    I always played a character that could solo to some small extent (druid, chanter, mage, necro) and loved that aspect.  I can't imagine playing a class that can't do any solo-ing.  Of course, it should be dramatically less rewarding (xp and $ wise) than grouping but I certainly want to be able to hunt a little solo.  And hopefully there will be some new clever ways to figure it out.

    Some of the most iconic solo-ing within EQ was not pre-planned.  It was figured out by the players.  It never broke the game and it never discouraged grouping or raiding.  It was nerfed to make it not overpowered but things like quad-kiting, swarm-kiting, FD-tap-dotting, charming, etc.....these all were figured out by players as ways to do some things on their own.

    That's an important aspect of the game I think.

     

    Again, the game should encourage and reward grouping but some days I want to go out on an adventure and try to do something on my own.

     

     


    This post was edited by fazool at March 23, 2016 10:23 AM PDT
    • 130 posts
    March 23, 2016 6:48 AM PDT

    I'm sure game mechanics will allow soloing to a point.  As much as I like grouping or raiding, sometimes time doesn't allow you to go all out and you just want to hop on for 30 min here or there and jump back off and can't commit to a large time investment.  At least, we can hope.

    • 1468 posts
    March 23, 2016 7:07 AM PDT

    I played a necro as my second main and enjoyed the soloing but I did find the necro a bit over powered when it came to soloing. You could pretty much solo anything as long as snare stuck and the mob didn't summon and sometimes even if it did summon you could tap tank it.

    What I really loved about the necro was being a really good puller in a group. I mean a decent necro was up there with monks and bards as far as pulling was concerned.

    So while I do enjoy being able to solo at times I prefer classes to have decent use within a group first and foremost. I found that grinding for 2 hours in a row on my own got really boring where as I could grind for much longer than that when I was in a group because I'd have people to talk to.

    • 74 posts
    March 23, 2016 7:09 AM PDT

    I will miss Illusionist solo farming all the zone nameds and dungeons for old tier spells that weren't upgraded.

     

    But enchanters are going to get a constant illusion pet, right?...RIGHT???? wink wink nudge nudge

    • 1714 posts
    March 23, 2016 9:56 AM PDT

    Cromulent said:

    I played a necro as my second main and enjoyed the soloing but I did find the necro a bit over powered when it came to soloing. You could pretty much solo anything as long as snare stuck and the mob didn't summon and sometimes even if it did summon you could tap tank it.

    What I really loved about the necro was being a really good puller in a group. I mean a decent necro was up there with monks and bards as far as pulling was concerned.

    So while I do enjoy being able to solo at times I prefer classes to have decent use within a group first and foremost. I found that grinding for 2 hours in a row on my own got really boring where as I could grind for much longer than that when I was in a group because I'd have people to talk to.

     

    But while your necro was extremely powerful in the open world, you couldn't do much in a dungeon by yourself. That was part of the amazing balance of power in EQ. All the druids and necros that raced to 50 and got rich came clamouring to join the melee groups that came up behind them because we were doing guk and sol b without them while they'd been wearing the same oracle robe for 15 levels. 

    • 1714 posts
    March 23, 2016 9:57 AM PDT

    Vade said:

    I'm sure game mechanics will allow soloing to a point.  As much as I like grouping or raiding, sometimes time doesn't allow you to go all out and you just want to hop on for 30 min here or there and jump back off and can't commit to a large time investment.  At least, we can hope.

     

    Soloing can also be REALLY FUN. 

    • 70 posts
    March 23, 2016 10:47 AM PDT

    Yep, I play solo alot in games.  I don't have much time during the busy work week.  Hopefully there is lots of content for all playstyles.

    • 231 posts
    March 23, 2016 11:49 AM PDT

    I'm all for certain classes being able to do a form of soloing as long as it's reasonable and fits the class' intended play style. As a longtime bard I sometimes swarm kited. However, it was kinda a dick move depending on how much you gathered and if the game gains bards at some point then you'll see them envade certain zones/areas and make the area unusable for others. The ability to solo, even if it was just running around with 1-3 mobs and using standard DoT songs, was helpful while searching for a group. But, the exp gain rate was so much lower than a normal group (at elast as a bard not swarm kiting) that you always felt like grouping up was the best option, which is how I think it should be. Thankfully some caster classes exist with capabilities to solo fairly well, even if restricted to certain mobs/areas.

    • 2756 posts
    April 13, 2016 11:20 AM PDT

    I think most of the fun of soloing in games like EQ came from the fact you weren't really supposed to and, so, it was pretty difficult.

    Personally, I do like to solo when I know I only have a short time or if I'm just feeling anti-social!  But, I wouldn't like the devs to spend much time worrying about soloers.  It'd be nice if there was a little thought given to making it possible, but not to making it always viable.

    • 769 posts
    April 13, 2016 12:01 PM PDT

    Good post.

    As a disclaimer: I'm definitely one of those that advocates group play over solo play pretty much every time.

    That said, I agree, with the caveat that much like EQ/VG, there should be some classes that just aren't meant for soloing. Rogues in EQ, warriors in VG, come to mind. I liked that imbalance.

    However, some of my best times in LOTRO were soloing content as a Warden that made people drool. Completely and unabashedly overpowered, some may say, but they made up for it in having to work much harder as a group tank than the other in-game tank, Guardians.

    Yes to solo play. No to all classes being able to solo competently. Yes to finding challenging new ways to play your class, whether it's solo, group, or raid.

    -Tralyan

    • 1714 posts
    April 13, 2016 1:34 PM PDT

    The solo experience is extremely important. Certain classes should be much better at it than others, and in turn those classes will be more dependent in raids and dungeons on the classes who can't solo well. Basically, we all know casters and pet classes have an advantage solo. They have mechanics to do damage without taking damage in return. Pure melee classes will be at a severe disadvantage solo as they simply have to face tank and then rest up, and hybrids will be somewhere in between. The script is flipped in dungeons when pulling and tanking are a necessity. This is part of class balance. 


    This post was edited by Keno Monster at April 13, 2016 1:34 PM PDT
    • 1714 posts
    April 13, 2016 1:38 PM PDT

    Tralyan said:

    Good post.

    As a disclaimer: I'm definitely one of those that advocates group play over solo play pretty much every time.

    That said, I agree, with the caveat that much like EQ/VG, there should be some classes that just aren't meant for soloing. Rogues in EQ, warriors in VG, come to mind. I liked that imbalance.

     

    Exactly, it was balanced imbalance. Warriors can't solo for squat, but good luck doing a big encounter without one. Rogues can't solo for crap, but get them in the right group and there is no better way to EXP. Those imbalances are exactly what balance classes. Wizards can quad kite, but if they want their level 60 drop only spells from Old Seb, they rely on pullers and tanks etc, etc. 

    • VR Staff
    • 167 posts
    April 13, 2016 1:39 PM PDT

    I think soloing should be part of the game for ALL classes, but the rate at which XP is earned should be way slower (obviously). There should also be better rewards for group experiences—whether it's dungeons or just a camp that requires other players.

    Sometimes you have 30 mins to log in, and even if its just moving the bar a fraction of an inch, it's still moving. But, as the team has stated, emphasis should and will be on group play. 

     


    This post was edited by Roenick at April 13, 2016 3:31 PM PDT
    • 363 posts
    April 13, 2016 3:22 PM PDT

    Roenick said:

    I think soloing should be part of the game for ALL classes, but the rate at which XP is earned should be way slower (obviously). There should also be better rewards for group experiences—wether its dungeons or just a camp that requires other players.

    Sometimes you have 30 mins to log in, and even if its just moving the bar a fraction of an inch, it's still moving. But, as the team has stated, emphasis should and will be on group play. 

     

     

    +1

    • 21 posts
    April 13, 2016 3:39 PM PDT

    Part of what attracts me to this game is the focus on group play, however there needs to be something I can work on if I only have an hour or so or if I just don't feel like dealing with people that day. Solo play should never be an efficient use of time compared to group play.


    This post was edited by Yelta at April 13, 2016 3:39 PM PDT
    • 2419 posts
    April 13, 2016 5:39 PM PDT

    The average zone content isn't designed to be solo or group.  It's the players and the application of their skills, abilities and creative thinking which makes content solo content.  Do you think for even a minute that any developer looks at a monster he's making and goes "This will be perfect solo content for Druids".  No, they don't.