No, after a certain level, players can solo dungeons as well. The game is set up to again reflect this solo and ease aspect.


For example, all the dungeon quests, save the sending you to the dungeon itself, have their quest givers in the entrance. A higher level character can solo most of this content until a certain point which is end game or extreme raiding content.


Also, the dungeon quests are no longer reflective of a questline ending in most zones. Again, for example, you don't need to complete say Blackfathom Depths to complete the storyline in the Ashenvale area as you once needed in Vanilla and Burning Crusade.


As far as having no life . . . well, you are attempting to bait me into another argument on a discussion about phasing content. Instead of focusing on the actual discussion, you attempt to question my social and/or real life.


We call that trolling.


Please stay focused on the discussion and not me personally. I don't desire your continued attentions.


Thank you.

 

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I know. Foreign concept these days.


The thing I like about WoW is that solo is an option. It was one of the few games 6 years ago that did not demand group play to level. At least until endgame. It has become a double-edged sword; sometimes it results in players that excel soloing and struggle to adapt to group play. It also fosters the atrocious lack of community that has become one of WoW's defining attributes.


It is one of the diverse playstyles they had at launch. Certainly not the only one. Nor the only intended one. Over the years, however, Blizzard has figured out it brings in more $$.


........


I have guildmates that only log on to play in a guild groups. Even though it means doing quests aren't (necessarily) efficient (collect quests for example), their enjoyment as a group outweighs their need to level faster.


Partying while playing ... and having fun.... what a thought!


PS: The neat part about group questing is: it leads to the quests for dungeons where groups are required at level! That's where the REAL fun is for us...

 

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Wow man, freudian slip much. He never said you had no life at one point that I see. You definitely read in to something though and ran with it. self hate much?

 

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Lonely life, no life, any life. The topic isn't about semantics, or me, it's about the phasing idea offered from Urk VN.


Would you like to offer your opinion about that? If so, please do.


Thank you.





Agreed, but I wonder if the cart is before the horse on this. Personally, I probably would rely and play with groups more often, if at all, if the community wasn't so ugly . . . and often stupid. We read enough here, and experience enough in game, to know it's sometimes better to do it yourself.


And alone.


However, even from the beginning, the community was pretty bad even beforehand. That may be the nature of people in general, but the phasing idea gives more content to enjoy for groups, solo, or otherwise.

 

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I already did. Arc summed my thought about your post very well. You're delusional if you think your WoW is 'built around solo gameplay'.

edit: lonely life means no life now? he made a direct assumption given the comments you have made in this threads. Everything points to a loner given what you type.

 

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Thank you.

 

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It's pretty much a given that World of Warcraft builds players into solo-style gameplay from level one. In Vanilla, it was a statement that the game trained players to solo until level 60.


Then, the game switched gears into raid-heavy content.


This sudden switch caused more grief between the raiding 'haves' and the casual 'have-nots' until Blizzard ramped up more solo play.


Anyone who does not see the radical changes toward the casual 'solo' play from the ground up in Cataclysm is entitled to their opinion.


But, to call this effect 'delusional', is quite shortsighted.


As far as being a loner? In game?


What part of me stating I like to solo content all the way to the end game did you miss? Of course I'm a loner. I enjoy relying on me more than the player who may or may not be able to play their class correctly. On top of that, the rewards benefit the solo player more due to the game's structure in experience and speed.


The idea offered is solid toward both casual and group-minded play. While some may feel the phasing idea is overdone, I enjoy it immensely.


To me, it's all about update.


And it makes sense.


Seeing the same NPC trapped under a rock makes no sense if you just saved him from that circumstance a few minutes ago.


Now, again, please focus on the thread's topic. It's not necessary for every, single thread to get derailed by a selective few members who insist on turning every discussion into a flame war.


Thank you.

 

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Forgive me for coming into this thread and only commenting on the last post, but that is what I'm doing so take my post in the proper context.

I actually like phasing in this light as well. I know this an MMO and it is suppose to promote group play, but I would have to agree that the questing game is usually more fun when done solo and the changes that Blizzard has made over the years have supported that.

There are very very few quests that can not be done solo. Back in the day there used to be elite quests and even small elite questing zones that forced group play. As an example take that big Troll temple in the Hinterlands.

Most of the elite quests and mobs have been toned down to non-elite. Even the quests that suggest you take more then 1 player to complete them rarely require that. When I leveled my Shaman from 1 to 80 I might have ran into 5 quests at the most out of about 1000 that I could not complete solo.

If I do group for a quest it is only to be nice, If I am clearing a named mob so that the person does not have to wait for the respawn and the group is disbanded right after. Grouping with a friend to go through a whole zone would be fun and viable but I really don't find it economical to group with a random to do quests. The chances that you are at the same spot progression wise on any number of quests is slim.

This fact is only now made obvious by phasing, however before the same problem existed.

"I'm doing this quest."
"Have you killed so and so yet."
"No."
"Well you have to do that first."

Forcing the more advanced player to wait for the other, or repeat the earlier part of the quest before you were both on the same page. The only difference now is that you will not run into players that are not on the same page as you, at least if you do see a player in a phased zone, chances are you can be of aid to each other.

 

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The game defiantly is more on a solo level now than ever before. Before Cata you got horrible xp when you were in a group with any one while trying to level. From 1 to 80 the best way to level was solo.


From 1-60 in vanilla we all saw this. It was solo everything then "bam" learn how to play your class in a group for the instances and raids. Yes there was some area's and quests that you needed to group on or have some higher guildies/friends to help you with and 9 times out of 10 you got a higher level person to just rush you through it.


When BC came out they made leveling from 1-40 much faster. Slowed it down a tad from 40-60 then slowed it to a normal pace from 60-70. Still most of it was to be soloed. There were very few quests in each zone that I recall needed help on. Yes they had the big elite's that you had to kill which required groups but when you needed to do those there were plenty of people around that needed them or guildies/friends that didn't mind coming to help you. Then you had to once again learn how to play your class in a raid with your new found powers.


When WotLK came out levels 1-60 went fast. You slowed down again from 60-70 then went back to a normal leveling pace from 70-80.


With Cata, levels 1-80 are super fast. And the mobs are super easy. As a moonkin I was in Northrend just spaming moonfire on a camp of mobs, pulling all of them with no concern of dying. The game is easy mode until you get to the Cata zones.


Now in WotLK they started giving us sneak previews at phase questing. I like the phase questing. However the phase questing once again makes it so that you solo through most of it or find a dedicated friend that will wait for you or you wait for them when questing. Why? Because if you are not on that part of the quest that the other person is on, one of you is waiting. Which is why most of the game is for solo play. Otherwise your going to going to get frustrated and not want to play. Which is why blizz made it easy in that aspect. Yes you can get a group of friends together and burn through the quest and levels. But that is usually the raiders that do that.


I prefer to solo myself, because I can take my time reading the quests. Going off doing what I want if I get distracted. Not sharing loot drops or gathering nodes. Yes in the end you have to group. You have to group to raid. And yes you will have to group to do some quests but I guarantee you that most people will solo through the game until its time to raid.


Peace out! Be nice to one another!

 

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Interesting comments, and you guys for the most part detail them well.

However, keep in mind I also said that this phasing part would be optional, so that only players who really wanted to take part could, hence the taking the quest at the hero board. Again, the purpose of this is to avoid phasing people in and out unless they were all on the same step. Which in this case would consist of one quest, kill all the mobs in this area with other players. Those who don't have the quest and don't want to take part will just run into the normal zone.

I hated icecrown too because the vast majority of it was heavily phased. One only has to look at the beginning when the Argent Crusade is first trying to establish a foothold and has you killing Scourge there. Someone who's done the quests already won't see players there. I even ran into problems either getting help, or trying to help someone, and oftentimes we couldn't see each other due to this. Storm Peaks did this a lot too, but you didn't require as much help there for the most part.

Again, this idea would need more refinement and heavy testing on Blizzard's part, but done well, I think that it would enhance the game experience for many players. And it's not meant to force players to phase into a new zone in which they have no choice but to take part, but rather it would help them feel like they're contributing to something to their realm, and since it's dynamic in nature, you never know what might happen the next time Deathwing sends some minions to attack the zone.