Let's talk: what would make YOU want to group?

[Darrell]

I'm not sure I can really explain what would encourage me to play in a group, but I can offer my reasoning for playing Solo.

The short explanation is; I feel like I am only a liability in a group. In a group setting, me getting annihilated without mercy is going to upset/inconvenience at least five other people. Solo, if I get annihilated, I'm the only one that's having a bad day.

My highest character is a 40/29 Marauder, just hit 40 a couple of hours ago. My experience with him has been, since I started playing him again at level 35 after a long hiatus, joining a scenario. If I go into melee, I die. If I stay out of melee, I die. If I walk within 100 feet of a ranged class, I die. No amount of healing or guarding can keep me alive, and a few brave puggers have tried. I have been sticking to the pug scenario, but the outcome is still awful.

I feel like I'm just incapable of contributing anything meaningful to a group setting. I'd love to play with a group, but I know that any group that I join is going to have a bad time having a Marauder that does precious little damage and takes damage like I'm getting paid for it. I would essentially turn a 6 man into a 5 man by being in it, and that's not something I want to inflict on other players.

So, I stick to just running solo, doing pug scenarios, joining a warband if there's one going on.

I know it's not a problem with the career I'm playing, it's just an issue of playing badly and not having any gear. But it's something that any group I'd be a part of would have to tolerate. I feel like I'm not really going to be able to meaningfully participate in a group environment until I have all the gear I need, which means staying solo, which means getting gear very slowly, which means being a liability for a long time, which means staying away from group play.

In my case, I don't think there's much that could be done to change that perspective. It's just the realities of playing a MMO. Maybe eventually I'll be able to play with others and not feel like I'm dragging the performance of the team down, but that is a very, very, very long ways away.

[Darosh]

Spoiler:

I'm not sure I can really explain what would encourage me to play in a group, but I can offer my reasoning for playing Solo.

The short explanation is; I feel like I am only a liability in a group. In a group setting, me getting annihilated without mercy is going to upset/inconvenience at least five other people. Solo, if I get annihilated, I'm the only one that's having a bad day.

My highest character is a 40/29 Marauder, just hit 40 a couple of hours ago. My experience with him has been, since I started playing him again at level 35 after a long hiatus, joining a scenario. If I go into melee, I die. If I stay out of melee, I die. If I walk within 100 feet of a ranged class, I die. No amount of healing or guarding can keep me alive, and a few brave puggers have tried. I have been sticking to the pug scenario, but the outcome is still awful.

I feel like I'm just incapable of contributing anything meaningful to a group setting. I'd love to play with a group, but I know that any group that I join is going to have a bad time having a Marauder that does precious little damage and takes damage like I'm getting paid for it. I would essentially turn a 6 man into a 5 man by being in it, and that's not something I want to inflict on other players.

So, I stick to just running solo, doing pug scenarios, joining a warband if there's one going on.

I know it's not a problem with the career I'm playing, it's just an issue of playing badly and not having any gear. But it's something that any group I'd be a part of would have to tolerate. I feel like I'm not really going to be able to meaningfully participate in a group environment until I have all the gear I need, which means staying solo, which means getting gear very slowly, which means being a liability for a long time, which means staying away from group play.

In my case, I don't think there's much that could be done to change that perspective. It's just the realities of playing a MMO. Maybe eventually I'll be able to play with others and not feel like I'm dragging the performance of the team down, but that is a very, very, very long ways away.

Pick up a group/guild, have them run BL with you - get some starter gear, mix-match with merc/anni/ruin (once you get the RR for that, until that run BL and the t3 stuff if need be), it takes roughly a week if not just a couple days to get a solid starter setup going. Don't expect groups to tryhard; especially if you are a relatively new player old folk will enjoy showing you the ropes. Everyone gotta learn and gear up at some point, there are plently of guilds around that can help you out. Don't let your expectations run wild in these regards.

[Telen]

There shouldn't even be a line to cross, if people are dicks... they will get ostracized by the community. No need to police it so hard.

Ive found from other gaming communities the more you let go. The worse types of people you attract. There are people out there looking for toxic.

[Zombieorc]

For me it's a 2 fold issue

When you group up with people your expected to bring your a game and all that and that puts on an additional level of pressure and obligation

RoR is not such a game for me to approach so seriously and doing so would defeat the major reason I even play which is escapeism and relaxation

Secondly time commitment, my schedule and play times are really erratic due to irl circumstances so a group couldn't consistently count on me to be preset if they needed me

After getting kicked my my last "organized play" guild for being inactive for a long time due to irl curcumstances I feel It's not worth it to try joing another one

This is the same for me as well.

[ragafury]

Meh. I played every bracket with my main. Now I'm geared out and only log for guild warbands mostly or if we are doing something out of the shedule. That's also the huge majority which generates fun for me.

However:
My toons are mostly not in guild, I play them alone, only some ppl know some of the nicks, and mostly only the guys "which need to know".

I simply like playing unbound to a group and without the noise of a guild chat sometimes. And that's what those toons are for. I don't think anybody has a problem with it. At least not from the ppl which know. I mean I also attend 100% of the guild events.

Besides that some toons are a burden, even for semi serious setups cause there gear is lackluster and I hate getting carried.

[neutrino]

Couple things:

This is an arch type game. Get rid of the idea that healers/tanks can dps. They wreck any grouping because no one wants, in most cases, a dps healer/tank in their groups.

Make it so you can queue in WB's. You'd get more group play in scens.

Have more pve instances that require a group like Lost Vale. Ones that build morale for teams and then they can get into the lake after they get some gear. Want to kill groups - have a three hour wait to try to get a BL boss. You can do a PVE instance on live just about any time.

With leveling nerfed it takes forever for someone to get to a reasonable level to have their full abilities, gear, and renown points.

So this is a start....

Neut

[rngvp]

I have found that I have far more success if I am in a full 6 man so that is what I try to do when I can.

One reason for playing solo is time. If I cannot dedicate a couple hours to a group then I will not attempt to form one.
In the past, I have spent hours spamming LFG trying to find a spot in a group but gotten no response. Lately however, I just make my own group and I find that its much easier to be the leader.

Another thing that helps is that I have pretty much every type of class. I can play tank, heal, rdps, or mdps. I am not the best at all of them but it helps in setting up a group.

For Orvr, if I am playing rdps I might roam solo while mixed in with the zerg but sometimes I will jump in a pug wb to get heals. A couple times I have created a wb and it fills up quite fast. It is surprising how pugs will listen to you and follow the leader if you just give them simple commands.

[Falkenstein]

It's probably the entire package. i usually have to swap to my crappy rr 40 tank/heal instead of the 65 wh losing all progression on the wh. In orvr i'm better off solo because i'd drag my party down as wh and solo i get more conq meds more rr and more freedom.
Let's be optimistic and say 20 kills give 20 meds i'd have to do 120 kills each zone and roll 1/6th positive to get my share not to forget that 20 kills is pretty low and i usually net 30-60 when i put some effort into it and not get distracted by danS, the doc or anime while playing.

On the other hand i'm getting pretty tired of the same sw/bw, wl/sl, Mara/Ch, Sorc/sh FoTM setup everyone plays. Sure the path of least resistance is fun for some time but maybe it's time for a more risky and possibly more rewarding approach. People just lack the will to try out new stuff.

And lastly the lack of trying, I rarely see anyone properly ap drain heals/dps or stagger a punted tank. They won't even try a risky move because they are scared to fail or already are predetermined that it will most likely fail "so why even try?". A couple of months ago I started playing r6 I worked my way up from silver to diamond in silver I said to myself "flashbangs and smokes are garbage and unreliable i kept failing but i kept trying for hundreds of hours, now at the top i still fail sometimes but i got to a lvl where i was comfortable enough through sheer practice.

In short

Spoiler:

I lose efficiency playing in a group, doesn't keep me from playing with a group tho.
FoTM meta is boring me to death.
And the lack of people trying new things because they are scared/predetermined it could/would fail.

[Fallenkezef]

Maybe it's because I am an old fashioned Englishman, but I have never seen the need for "trash talk".

Now I engage in good old-fashioned wind ups but what's the need for swearing and blatant insults?

It's the mark of wit and humour to put thought into a comeback than to just swear and be vulgar.

[Jildaz]

I mostly play solo because no one wanna group with a noob roleplayer, and i don't like playing in WB. Except of course during Bitterstone Events.