Eh, I don't really subscribe to or really even understand the whole refusal to accept help/items from higher level people, the refusal to twink characters to the teeth (which I do to an art, btw), etc.
I mean, sure, I remember joining a mid-20s/mid-30s venture to the little-explored Lower Guk back in '00, when the best geared warriors were in full Crafted and there were only a few level 50s on the entire server. We didn't make it to Lower Guk, by the way. We fought bravely, but alas, as we neared the corridor to the lower dungeons the frogloks were too many; our troll warrior brandished his two-handed axe, sacrificing himself so that we'd escape, but the swarm seemed endless.
There's always something in the game that will kick your ass, at any level, regardless of how geared you are. If the game seems too easy to you, then you're simply not challenging yourself. If the game seems too easy for your group, then your group isn't challenging itself. Most groups are coasting groups. People generally don't want to do difficult things, they just want an even-paced stream of xp and loot, which is fine - sometimes that's all I'm after too, but I also consistently try challenging things either solo or by leading groups. Sometimes it results in failure and brutalizing CRs, sometimes it results in the best adrenaline-pumping experiences you can have in an MMO, with the xp and loot to match.
It's always a question of attitude and playstyle, not of equipment. There is always something different and challenging to do, even on a top-heavy server like P99, and even at peak server populations. This also scales across the board, whether you're soloing, duoing, trioing, grouping, or raiding. Always.
|