Does anyone group anymore?

[Seredoc]

Ok, just started up here and I have noticed that outside of a few people making their first toon and a mule every now and then I have yet to see anyone do anything but get powerleveled in the newbie zones.

Does anyone party up or am I going to have to save up crazy amounts of pp just to max out and then get to play with people?

[Rhambuk]

There should be a lot of groups, i run arund low lvl zones looking for Groups to buff or unlucky noobs. once you get into the mainstream it should get easier. 10-15 and you start oasis

[Swish]

Which newbie zones are you starting in? Usually a very quiet affair in Feerott and Innothule, but you'll find a lot of low levels in Greater Faydark, Freeport and Nektulos Forest :)

If you're starting on Faydwer be sure to do the mail quest from 1-4 (Tacar Tissleplay in Felwithe to Jakum Webdancer in Kelethin bard guild....over and over) rather than slapping wasps, its quicker if equally monotonous. Winners get a SoW to speed it up further :p

[ko37qtl]

I pretty alt-prone but I don't generally seek groups much below 6th level. Most classes don't have that much to offer a group before that and I'm more in a scramble to clothe my new character in some fashion, collect some cash for gear and/or spells, and visit the trainer to learn fundamental skills. I try not to be antisocial, but I think everyone can solo at that point and it's generally more efficient to do so.

[Rhambuk]

if your doing the bard mail quest from gfay to bb docks, dont forget to stop into kaladim theres a bard outside the tavern that gives you a letter for the same npc at docks

[Ephirith]

You need to know where to look to find groups... there are many of people grouping in all kinds of places. If you don't know about those places, I guess it's easy to assume nobody is grouping.

Generally people do not group before level 5 or so.

[Rhambuk]

first gruops are usually ec orcs then wc/nro dervs over to oasis, then there are a few more options and people start grouping in more than one zone

[Duckforceone]

something is making grouping bad though..

it's so easy to get cheap good gear, that you can solo faster on a non solo class, than get xp in groups... it's really really slow because you share in all their xp penalties...

i'm actually thinking about soloing my cleric to lvl 20+, just to avoid the slowness of group xp... which just makes it worse for other groups to find healers...

[Kagatob]

something is making grouping bad though..

it's so easy to get cheap good gear, that you can solo faster on a non solo class, than get xp in groups... it's really really slow because you share in all their xp penalties...

i'm actually thinking about soloing my cleric to lvl 20+, just to avoid the slowness of group xp... which just makes it worse for other groups to find healers...

Don't listen to this negative Nancy. The group bonus makes up for enough of it and combined with the zone xp modifier for being in a group in a zone you wouldn't be able to solo in anyway, more than makes up for it. Just make sure that you group in dungeons, solo in zones like oasis.

[rafaone]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Duckforceone
something is making grouping bad though..

it's so easy to get cheap good gear, that you can solo faster on a non solo class, than get xp in groups... it's really really slow because you share in all their xp penalties...

i'm actually thinking about soloing my cleric to lvl 20+, just to avoid the slowness of group xp... which just makes it worse for other groups to find healers...
Don't listen to this negative Nancy. The group bonus makes up for enough of it and combined with the zone xp modifier for being in a group in a zone you wouldn't be able to solo in anyway, more than makes up for it. Just make sure that you group in dungeons, solo in zones like oasis.

Totally agree, Everquest is made for grouping, not to think about Xp penalties. Life's a journey, not a destination ;)

[Nogdar]

+1. Stop the bullshit about XP penalties -_-

[Duckforceone]

well as was stated, in dungeons it is ok... but in normal open zones, do not group or your xp will seriously suck compared to soloing...

[Kagatob]

well as was stated, in dungeons it is ok... but in normal open zones, do not group or your xp will seriously suck compared to soloing...

Also not true. Practices trump your (not) numbers.

Dungeons are mostly desired for grouping but groups are still able to clear mobs at a faster rate than the individuals making up the group are able to commulitavely take on solo.

Simple example for you.

Oasis:

A not twinked out monk (or Rogue) soloing crocs, yeah he'll kill a couple of them, then have a long downtime, kill a couple of more, then a long down time. this class has an exp penalty, more so if it's an iksar
A not twinked out Druid soloing crocs, you fear/snare kite 2 or 3 then have a long downtime unless you have clarity or some other mana buff (note that you will still have downtime even with mind buff), which doesn't last forever and is not regularly available.
note in the above that charm doesn't last very long at this level and with such a small mana pool is not viable so we are looking at fear/snare kiting.

Put the two together and now they get a 2% xp bonus, hardly anything to talk about considering the druid just got slapped with the xp penalty from the monk, however now the druid can fear/snare at will with no downtime while the monk is able to go non-stop DPS on the mobs. This results in killing mobs with 4 to 5 times the overall effeciency that either class would be able to do alone, vastly outdoing any xp penalty.

[Duckforceone]

some example for you then...

i spent some hours soloing from 8-12 on my mage, blue and even cons, with some yellows... took me a few hours even with the 50% xp penalty from pet...

spent 8 hours + in ec orc 1, with constant pulls of red's, yellows and more. Barely got from lvl 7-9 in that time...

even my cleric can solo faster than that...

so yeah, come and tell me again that group xp doesn't suck...

duoing as the one you are listing, is not the same.. duoing can be very profitable.. xp wise and loot wise...

[Kagatob]

some example for you then...

i spent some hours soloing from 8-12 on my mage, blue and even cons, with some yellows... took me a few hours even with the 50% xp penalty from pet...

spent 8 hours + in ec orc 1, with constant pulls of red's, yellows and more. Barely got from lvl 7-9 in that time...

even my cleric can solo faster than that...

so yeah, come and tell me again that group xp doesn't suck...

duoing as the one you are listing, is not the same.. duoing can be very profitable.. xp wise and loot wise...

Bolded the important word for you.

Orcs are a trap. The xp they give for their level is terrible. Oasis, EC, Solo, Otherwise. The only reason CB orcs aren't terrible is because the zone has over a double xp modifier. (Tied for highest modifier on server)

[Duckforceone]

they really that bad xp? well that would at least explain it...

[Kagatob]

they really that bad xp? well that would at least explain it...

From personal experience, red orcs from orc highway dragged in groups/duos compared to grouping/duoing blue crocs in the same zone.

As for EC orcs I can't say with any certainty other than the one time I pulled a few orcs solo and got one blue after some 5 kills. I like to look at that camp as something to do when you have nothing better to do while you are buying/selling in the zone with a toon at that lvl range. I'd suggest hunting scarabs for more xp though, worked much better on my necro back then (IIRC a blue every 2 kills at lvl 11 solo).

[Duckforceone]

i actually want to try and setup a group of 2 warriors grouping, how many mobs it takes to get to 10% xp.. then group 1 warrior 1 shadowknight/pally, and see how much longer it takes... just to really test out how bad it is...

because it seems like the orc 1 low xp then, combined with the usual 3 hybrids in a group.... makes the grind just drag on and on...

[Kagatob]

It's really not that big a deal...

[lawll]

Most of the time I would solo to 10-12 then move to oasis for grouping. But you can always search around your local areas for a duo partner.

[lawll]

i actually want to try and setup a group of 2 warriors grouping, how many mobs it takes to get to 10% xp.. then group 1 warrior 1 shadowknight/pally, and see how much longer it takes... just to really test out how bad it is...

because it seems like the orc 1 low xp then, combined with the usual 3 hybrids in a group.... makes the grind just drag on and on...

I can't really notice a difference in exp with a paladin tank and bard in the group. Don't think it really matters till you hit the hell levels in the 50s.

[Itap]

I think most people prefer to solo because of the following reasons;

1. Depending on the class, it is much faster to level.

2. You can kill on your own time, meaning if you're doing housework or studying, you can afk whenever you need and it won't effect a group. (This is great if you're soloing a mob on a 6-min timer)

3. You don't need to split loot = more pp for you.

Don't get me wrong, I love to group, but it's hard to go from getting 1-2% per kill with literally no downtime, to getting 10% in 2 hours of grouping. I usually group when I just want some interaction lol

[Nogdar]

Frankly, you're wrong thinking soloing is the way to go, especially being a cleric. I will not discuss much further but MMOs are for grouping, and that should be the dominant argument. Besides, if you can't endure the length of exp levels being at oasis-mobs-level, i.e. 15-20ish, you better give up cuz you'll shoot yourself at lvl 54 bigtime if not before that at 35 or whatever. Also, with regards to what you're talking about hybrids, you're wrong as well imo, as snap aggro makes pallys & sks valuable in exp groups, especially at low lvl when wars don't have proc weaps. Things will be less messy and it compensates for the exp penalty the SK/Pal brings. As for rangers, they bring ton of cc & utility to the table.

Honestly, all the hybrid debating stuff apart, if you're sick of slow exp at lvl 18, just play something else I'm afraid it does NOT get better x)

[masheen]

I'm only level 14 at this point, but it's really not a big deal for me. For min-maxers, yeah, the exp penalties are probably a turn off from grouping. For me personally, I enjoy grouping and the dynamic of different classes working together. As long as I'm getting steady exp and we're not wiping, I don't really care. I don't just sit there and stare at my exp bar for every kill. I find that all the sudden a few fun hours have past and I've gotten some decent exp.

[Psionide]

Frankly, mmos are designed to play whatever way you want solo or group not just group. If they were made just for groups then soloing would not be possible. Also I think most people here would agree that group xp absolutely SUCKS compared to solo xp. I've played solo and group classes here on p99 and even my group classes I preferred to solo when I really want to grind out some xp. Oh and yes clerics are very capable of soloing on this server.