Soloing vs. grouping, once and for all

Noselacri · #1 10-06-2010, 01:53 AM

I've been wondering about group vs. solo exp. At this point in time during Live, I exclusively played classes that had to group, so I don't have a distinctive memory of the difference. What I certainly don't remember was constantly hearing that soloing was vastly better exp than grouping, nor finding a magician in every conceivable solo spot in the entire game, but this is clearly the case here. I can level significantly faster solo than I can in groups, and that's as an enchanter or shaman, not even the true solo-exp kings.

The impact this has on gameplay on this server is extremely obvious, and if this was the case in nineteen ninety-nine, I'll resign myself to the apparent fact that this is how it always worked and that people were just more willing to group back then.

So, to those of you who soloed extensively eleven years ago, was solo exp twice as good back then as well?

Evandor · #2 10-06-2010, 02:53 AM

solo isnt faster than a good group, the downtime is much longer and after 10+ mobs it gets boring like hell...
i dont know why ppl want to solo all their way up?
I am back in this game because modern MMORPGs don't offer any group feelings, it only comes to groups to rush through instances...
I would prefer even "not so good"-groups over solo stuff in EQ, if i want to solo i would play other games but seriously not EQ.

thats just my 2 copper.

Noselacri · #3 10-06-2010, 03:05 AM

Well, your personal preferences for grouping are fairly irrelevant. I'm not interested in anecdotal nonsense, and I think it's safe to say that anyone who knows how to solo efficiently can verify that the exp is quite a bit faster than grouping if you can find a place that offers enough mobs to avoid having to wait for respawns. What I'm looking for is believable reports of whether or not this was the case in the era we are trying to emulate, to the extent that is currently evident.

Cheech · #4 10-06-2010, 03:13 AM

Group exp on this server is horrible now. If your able to solo with your current class in a decently timed manner, then do so. You won't regret it.

Tronjer · #5 10-06-2010, 03:48 AM

The levelspeed on P99 is too fast anyway. Took me 20 days /played (roughly 2 months) to hit 50 solely by group xp and I spent a considerable part of this time /lfg.

JayDee · #6 10-06-2010, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tronjer [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The levelspeed on P99 is too fast anyway. Took me 20 days /played (roughly 2 months) to hit 50 solely by group xp and I spent a considerable part of this time /lfg.

Shoulda been here around server inception.

People were doing 20-40 in one day in sola.

Wizerud · #7 10-06-2010, 04:26 AM

I think it's the same. The difference is that people were much more inclined to group back then and I remember people used to look down on soloers as some kind of freaks who shouldn't be playing such a socially-enabled game.

The other thing is I think people are much more aware of better soloing techniques for almost all classes now than back then. So people are just better at it now (generalizing).

RKromwell · #8 10-06-2010, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizerud [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think it's the same. The difference is that people were much more inclined to group back then and I remember people used to look down on soloers as some kind of freaks who shouldn't be playing such a socially-enabled game.

The live servers had between 1500 to 3000 people on them at a time. If you wanted to kill anything you had to be in a group. Sure, there were people running solo but to get the good spawns they knew at some point they would have to group, just to have a shot at something they wanted.

skorge · #9 10-06-2010, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noselacri [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

So, to those of you who soloed extensively eleven years ago, was solo exp twice as good back then as well?

Yes, it was, unfortunately...and that is the sole purpose of "twinking" an alt. Because, everybody knows that soloing is much faster if you know what you are doing.

Braveguard · #10 10-06-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skorge [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yes, it was, unfortunately...and that is the sole purpose of "twinking" an alt. Because, everybody knows that soloing is much faster if you know what you are doing.

And there is a big part of the issue... twinking. If you are level 5 with level 40 gear, there is no point in grouping. You're taking nearly no damage and killing non-stop. Why would you bother with a group. Even with a minimal amount of twinking, if you know all the quirks and secrets of the game (as a larger percentage of players do), you can play the system to level faster as a solo than you can in a group.

I prefer having regular partners. I don't like random groups and soloing is boring. I only do it if Im trying to work up a skill or learn a trade or something that would be a drag for someone else to slog through with me. The game really is a lot more fun if you're with a bunch of buddies.