A lot of people have touched on my reasons for solo'ing (want to go at my own pace, don't want to deal with other people, don't like blind Group invites (*)), but one I didn't see was this: I feel like I learn how to play the game (and my character) better soloing.

 

I solo'ed a Healer Sage from levels 1-50. I also played a Gunslinger with a friend of mine playing a Healer Sage who grouped from Level 20-50. He soloed a bit on Corellia and was getting tooled by some Elite; I suggested "Use your interrupt" during some difficult boss fight and he said, "Which one is my interrupt?"

 

Running with two other players the whole time, he never had to really learn his character, while I had to just to survive.

 

OTOH, I do understand the need to group some of the time as well. I've started playing that Sage in endgame content on occasion, and it's been a huge learning curve having to transition from running the combats in my rhythm and instead having to deal with/take care of other people. If I'd done more group content while leveling, I'd probably be better at it.

 

(*) - Trufax, I logged a character on on Coruscant just to check my mail/send a Companion out on a crew mission and got a blind Group invite. I hadn't been on for more than 15 seconds at the time. W T F?

Edited January 3, 2013 by AlixMV

1. I hate blind invites. If someone sends me an unsolicited invite, they will be declined, if they repeatedly send an invite over and over without preamble, they get ignored.

 

2. I prefer to RP while playing, especially when doing PVE. Without knowing if the other person feels the same, I won't accept. If the invite was preceded by an in character proposition of why we should work together, I'd be much more likely to accept.

 

3. PVE is too easy as it is. Playing PVE in a big group makes the game unchallenging.

 

4. As I play for RP, if someone has a non-Starwarsy name, especially a dumb joke or pop culture refrence, I wil not give them the time of day,

 

5. Part of RP for me is pacing. I can proceed at my own pace, and other players who throw out blind invites may not share that.

 

So I generally solo or play with a friend.

Edited January 3, 2013 by DoctorJest

Try whispering them first. Most people are put off by an invite that has no message attached to it and may not realize it's coming from the person in the same area as them (I've gotten invites from planets away for no reason at all).

 

This ^

 

I never accept a random invite.

 

Personally i prefer questing alone but if i see someone in the same area for a while i am sometimes inclined to ask them to group.

Another example of why I prefer rolling solo...

 

Despite me saying I wouldn't group with people (which I have turned down a few requests recently because there was no formal request to group), I accepted an invite while facing a champion and immediately regretted it.

 

On Quesh, there is the champion that Imperial players can face not far from the Imperial speeder area. I was in the area and had already beat him by myself and decided to try to farm some loot/credits/exp from him. I noticed another person healing off in the corner after facing him but figured he would just stand by and watch until it was over. Well as soon as I sent Ashara after him (this is on my Sorc healer) he jumps in (a jugg) and starts attacking the champion. I see the npc is now locked, so I called Ashara back and jumped off the side to wach this guys demise lol. Well he starts losing and decides to run and gets away from the champion. I figure I'll go ahead and take him out now. I go up, send Ashara in and again this idiot jumps in but sends me an invite almost immediately.

I'm like whatever and accept the invite but soon start thinking, this guy is gonna ninja the loot. At this point tho, I'm into the fight so I just keep going and after a bit we kill him. A purple epic mod pops up and the first thing he does is need the mod So now I'm really beginning to get steam, and I need the loot as well and he winds up winning the roll Stupidity on my part and the reason why I roll solo People can be real douches in this game.

I will usually decline if I'm on a gaming dead line. Such as when my daughter is napping. It's not meant to be offensive, I just figure it more rude to log off suddenly when my baby walked up. After she's in bed for the night that's another story altogether. I will gladly group at night. Edited January 3, 2013 by Keiori
type o

Since my previous post I have accepted a few more invites. Here is how they went.

 

Tython. I am finishing up the scan 6 seeker droid slay 15. A knight shows up and also starts slaying bots. He throws out a blind invite and I think "Oh he must want to finish the slay # quest done."

I accept and he immediately runs into the tunnel for his class quest. And then I find out why...it's because he is only level 4 and cannot finish his quest because he is 3 levels too low. I help him anyway (my consular is 7) and he never says thank you or offers to help with any other quest.

 

I should add that I can do the quest he was stuck on under levelled but unless you are deliberately skipping about 2/3 of the content, there is no reason to be under levelled on the newbie planet.

 

So basically he wanted a tanking / dps pet but could not wait till he got T7.

 

Tatooine: Search and Rescue.

 

Player spamming for a group. I joined. Party gave up and left after wiping, one player commenting on how I cannot tank. I did point out that having 2 healers dps only along with the dps while I am trying to hold off 6 is not a formula for success. Mind you during that time they did not drop a single mob. Also rezzing me after I held aggro so they could flee would have been nice. But no biggie. I went back the next day and soloed the heroic.

 

And yes, I still accept invites

I have to most of the time. just when I group for a H4 my kids start going bonkers. or the phone starts ringing like mad. we live in a fast moving world, and trying to find a solid hour to play is almost impossible for me. when i solo i can just jump up and fix the issues that's stopping me from playing, jump back to the game no worries. the minute i group ***** hits the fan for some reason.

 

Sith Happens.

to avoid moaning and slow people? and newbies too?

1. I hate blind invites. If someone sends me an unsolicited invite, they will be declined, if they repeatedly send an invite over and over without preamble, they get ignored.

 

2. I prefer to RP while playing, especially when doing PVE. Without knowing if the other person feels the same, I won't accept. If the invite was preceded by an in character proposition of why we should work together, I'd be much more likely to accept.

 

3. PVE is too easy as it is. Playing PVE in a big group makes the game unchallenging.

 

4. As I play for RP, if someone has a non-Starwarsy name, especially a dumb joke or pop culture refrence, I wil not give them the time of day,

 

5. Part of RP for me is pacing. I can proceed at my own pace, and other players who throw out blind invites may not share that.

 

So I generally solo or play with a friend.

 

This ^

Pretty much just summed it up for me right there, im glad im not alone here

I went back the next day and soloed the heroic.

 

More fun that way anyway

 

And yes, I still accept invites

 

Slow Learner huh?

 

Kidding Good for you - for me, Thanx, but no thanx - even though you DO get some good stories out of it. If I want to burn time I'll go boss hunting or solo a couple instances

So I'm new to the game (started in Dec as F2P and quickly went sub (payday)) and my first char is a knight. Now being new to the game I thought it would be best to solo play as much as possible so I could learn the class and various game mechanics (my first mmo too ). I also wanted to experience the complete storyline without having someone in the group jump down my throat about taking my time to listening to the story. My knight is almost 45 now and I'm loving the game.

 

I have another char (shadow) that is done only in group with my brother (sage). We will invite others if they need help, or if we're going to do a heroic 4 we'll ask for help if we fail to pass it on our own. So far most of the players we have met are friendly, we've only had to kick a player from the group on two occasions for being complete ******es. My shadow is almost 30 and I'm still loving the game. Having a "group toon" and a "solo toon" has worked out great for me.

 

I also have a sith inquisitor that is level 30 where I am a hybrid solo/group player.

 

Random invites to a group are declined most of the time (especially on my knight) because I have no idea why I'm being invited. If I'm asked to help most of the time I will (unless I'm on a time crunch), if I'm asked if i need help most of the time I will politely decline for the time being and will ask them if I can call on them if i do need help after all.

Personally, I tend to enjoy soloing more, because from personal experience (sadly) I've found that many people just aren't 'fun' to play with. These are my top reasons (not in any meaningful order);

 

 

• Mute people. Seriously, if you group with someone and I ask a simple question such as 'Do you mind if I listen to the conversations instead of skipping through them?' or something, at least have the courtesy to say something back. I'm not asking for your life's story, just a simple answer will do.
  
• Seriously bad chat etiquette. English isn't my first language either and I don't expect Oxford grade literary excellence. Far from it actually. If you honestly try to communicate, even in broken English, I will really appreciate it and I really won't act like a grammar nazi. But even a little bit of 'l33t' or 'facebook' speak without it being a joke and you're on my ignore list (pet peeve 'o mine).
  
• Ninja looters. They are everywhere. Simple suggestion; if you are going to need on everything for all your companions, just say so in advance. I'll simply do the same and we can all be friends. Though, I usually don't 'Need' on companion stuff unless I really need an upgrade and even then I ask first.
  
• People with Jersey Shore levels of intellect and social grace. Last night I did a Black Talon run on a new alt and a guy literally said 'WE'RE EMPIRE! WE **** JEDIS IN DA *** WITH SHOVELS!' during the first conversation. Need I say more on this point?
  
• Elitist gamers. Got a suggestion for me on how to improve my gameplay? I'm all ears! I welcome suggestions such as those! Want to insult me for not living up to your supposedly perfect level of skill? Welcome to my ignore list and watch me pull the entire room of elite mobs on you for being a you-know-what. Or when I'm in the mood, I intentionally play like a complete tard just to watch them go nuclear.
  

 

There are more reasons, but I won't bore you guys any further. And I really don't think I have high standards or anything. I just wish there was more common courtesy in MMOs.

 

Sadly, a large part of random grouping in my past 10+ years of MMOs, has taught me that I'm better off solo or with friends/guildies than random groups. The only time I consider grouping up with random unknown people is if they are a guild group and/or they politely ask/respond for a group request. Sadly, that doesn't happen too often.

 

God, I feel like a grumpy old man now.

[*]Ninja looters. They are everywhere. Simple suggestion; if you are going to need on everything for all your companions, just say so in advance. I'll simply do the same and we can all be friends

 

Even on HM's now with ninja's I hessitate my "Greed" decision until ive seen what everyone else has rolled.. if I see a single "Need" then in turn I Need also, and as you can trade in your group with players on items picked up in the group if I win the roll I ask the other person needing why he needed it (if they already havnt had a hissy fit over me needing) then if I dont need it put it up to the rest of the players for alts or comps etc, It may annoying teh other players in the group but I need on needers to piss them off.. even more so if I win the roll

Edited January 6, 2013 by dacentabaal

people dont spacebar thru videos.

 

other then that when playinga non 50 toon i have about a 20% chance for the flashpoint que to give me a decent group, and in open world i have about a 5% chance to join a group that i do not vote to kick 1-2 useless players in. ends up not being worth my time xp per hour wise or enjoyment wise.

 

Why people solo in a mmo period?

After all if you want to play alone play a singeplayer game.

 

I am awaiting your responses.

 

Getting to this late but I solo because I like reading the text/hearing the dialogue, exploring and going at my own pace. I have a "Pair" character with a friend so we eitehr team together on those or solo till we are even.

 

I am playing this because it's a Star Wars MMO, the multiplayer aspect is great for chatting and meeting people but there aren't (from what I have seen) any global chat channels outside general, PvP, Market...if we could make a global channel and invite people/mod it would be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, but that's neither here nor there.

 

Also, I take care of an elderly person that might need attention at a moment's notice so I can't really join a group, say "brb care needs giving" then afk for 15-30 minutes, really rude to the team leader. MMOs are nice where I can progress on my own but help others and chat with others when I feel like it.

 

I played solo- and group-characters all the way to 50 and I have to say, not only did I get more money and loot solo, but I also was faster at level 50 than with the group characters. Makes me think those group benefits are a lie, buggy or simply to meager.

 

In any case that could be part of the problem.

 

It's not that the group benefits are a lie, its that if you're a decent person like me, and a decent player like me, you spend 50% of your time waiting for the other people/person to catch up to you whilst questing in a group; I finish quests MUCH faster playing solo with my companion.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Red_Ripper

PUGs...just become progressively worse for me. At first they were ok generally but over time, they reached a point where the good was rare and the awful was common. Usually bad attitudes, though also plain stupid game play that made everything a disaster. So, no PUGs for me. I don't care if I don't do group content anymore, if it is no fun I can't see doing it.

 

I liked playing with friends a lot...but they tend to develope seperate interests...or, as many do, level at different rates and then loose interest in playing with lower level friends. I don't mind doing that at all..but many people do.

 

Then, many of my friends love PvP which I never do. Others are totally enamored of Ops...which I am not thrilled with.

 

 

Random group invites; I decline them. No idea what/why/who etc...and, as often as not, they are PvP flagged. I rolled on a PvE server cause i like pve and dislike pvp. Sorry but I am not getting flagged. On a pvp server sure..that is what is expected. On a pvp server I would not ask anyone to remove a pvp flag; likewise on a pve server, a player should not be somehow required, compelled, or demanded to wear a pvp flag if they don't want. Just common sense and courtesy in each case. I am purposely on a pve server, to play what I like, which does not include pvp or anything associated with it.

 

 

So, I have become a solo player almost entirely. It just goes smoother for me. I am here for fun and don't want aggravation or drama. Group content with friends was great...but anymore, that does not happen.

 

As it is I have more fun solo now.

This really bug's mo.

 

When i am in a area questing and i see someone doing the EXACT same quest i useall invite them.

It offer's both of us extra xp and we dont fight over mobs.

 

But 90% of the time i get diclined.

 

Why?

 

Even if your not interested in turning in the quest togather grouping at the very least allow for mob sharing.

 

So explain to me why people outright refuse to group for a couple of min get the rewards then leave:S

 

It just doesnt make sense.

 

people reject random invites normally.

 

secondly grouping with people you don't know can sometimes be painful

What server are you on? I love running planet missions in a group with voice chat. Makes it feel like 15 years ago with 4 controllers plugged into one console or some dice and a table!

A random group invite is very annoying. I have auto-decline turned on for that very reason. I like helping people out, but I hate grouping up with a random, under geared person who expects me to do all the killing. And, like a lot of other people, I only group with my guild. Too many jerks out there in random groups.

 

This. Sorry, but my 10 years of MMO experience have taught me to find a good guild and shun most everyone else. Too many drama queens and special snowflakes are attracted to this genre and I try to weed as many of them out of my gaming experience as possible.

I personally accept invites but I think you have to understand that the demographic for this game is a bit different than other MMOs.

 

For example, I've convinced at least 2 other people to join the game and they quite enjoy it. But to them, they honestly treat it as a single player experience and get a little confused by the chat menu and requests they get.

 

These people aren't inexperienced with computer games, but this is their first MMO.

 

- Arcada

I usually keep my leveling toons on auto-decline.

 

I get my blood boiling enough in FP from ninja looters. Don't need to take a chance on that happening in open world. Seemed half the time the random inviter was somebody with gear up to 10 levels below their toon's so i guess they had no choice but to leach off somebody else...

 

If somebody messages me first asking for help I most often will. Random invites just piss me off, thus the auto-decline.

In every single MMO I have ever played if someone sends me a blind group or guild invite it gets declined and you go on ignore. Its not hard to say "Hey lets group up and kill these guys since we are doing the same quests" Only time I will blind invite or accept one is if a group of people are standing around a known respawn point for a quest mob. Also most people scatter when they get in a group anyways especially if they have 7+ quests queued up. Just not worth it cause everyone is still soloing.

Like most people say, main reason is the "style" of play with no communication....but if you do find someone that can at least communicate...it's rewarding.

I typically don't group unless I need help, and in that case I'll put something up in Gen-Chat. If anyone randomly invites me to anything, I insta decline. I didn't use to do this, but there was one time that someone blindly invited me...I declined...he then proceeded to spam PM me saying he needs my help since I am a healer. I figure ok, I'll help you with a boss...something quick. Not true. He wanted me to help him through the entire planet. And, when I told him that I'm not going to help you through every single quest on this planet, he proceeded to curse me out. Obviously he ended up on my ignore list. Just knowing there are players out there like that make me refrain from accepting any blind invites, or a lot of invites to be honest outside of heroic mission groups. I just don't want to deal with it.