Is it weird to play an MMO solo?

ozm8ey

I don't know if its my anxiety or some other issue but I always seem to play this game solo and enjoy it. I never seem to have the need to group up unless I want to try a dungeon but with the questing I always play solo. I do try to talk to people sometimes while just roaming around but most of the time in /say they just ignore you and pretend you don't exist for some reason so I guess thats part of the reason I just solo most of the time. Thing I do like is that I like the feeling there is loads of people around and that I can interact with them if I feel like it but not forced to do so. Anyway is it weird to solo in an MMO? Like doesn't it sorta defeat its purpose?

JayAstrophel

There's so much solo content in eso that if you want to go solo, that's totally fine! I personally enjoy both solo and group stuff, but you're good going either way! I'd you're having fun, then you're good.

skiidzman

ozm8ey wrote: »

I don't know if its my anxiety or some other issue but I always seem to play this game solo and enjoy it. I never seem to have the need to group up unless I want to try a dungeon but with the questing I always play solo. I do try to talk to people sometimes while just roaming around but most of the time in /say they just ignore you and pretend you don't exist for some reason so I guess thats part of the reason I just solo most of the time. Thing I do like is that I like the feeling there is loads of people around and that I can interact with them if I feel like it but not forced to do so. Anyway is it weird to solo in an MMO? Like doesn't it sorta defeat its purpose?

I think you can do it solo to a point. Or maybe you could reinforce your play-style by focusing on really tanky, powerful, solo PvE builds and you can try and accomplish harder content. But when it comes to trials, you might miss out. When in reality, you could at the bare minimum do +0 trials which don't require much coordination or discord or voice platforms, you just join up and go at it for the gear relatively risk free and upgrade the gear over time. It just takes a while to find people you enjoy playing with. For some looking is just too much of a nuisance. For me, I just play until I come across someone who is fun and competent and continue to play with them and see where it goes.

russelmmendoza

Ummm, its not esmmo right?

Just saying.

Sylvermynx

This is my third MMO - first was WoW, second was RIFT - except for family and friends for raids and so on, I always played them solo, and that's how I roll here too. My ping is so high (2k ms + as satellite is the only connection available besides dialup) that grouping is just way too hard on the others in the group.

SirAndy

ozm8ey wrote: »

Is it weird to play an MMO solo?

I play mostly solo, and yes, i'm most certainly weird ...

Carl-lan

Yeah not weird at all. Lots of people solo the game. I do for the most part, only I run dungeons or do dailies with my brother if we are both on occasionally. Otherwise I’m never really interacting with people besides the occasional ‘thanks’ here and there.

silvermistktralasub17_ESO

Due to visual disturbances (I see a lot of after images after 'flashy lights'), I find it almost impossible to work with a standard healer (nightblade, warden, or dk not using healing staff is ok, but that's rare), so I more or less avoid group content. It's not something I can help, though it's annoying, sometimes, when people don't consider that people who are 'disabled' in some way deserve the same chance to have fun...But I also have been here since beta, and do a lot of other things (even guild things that don't involve dungeons/trials).

bluebird

Even though MMOs are called that, many aspect of their gameplay aren't actually massively multiplayer. The term comes from ye olden days when MMOs actually required people to group up (i.e. you were unable to do world content, quest mobs, etc. without a group and all of the content was tuned towards groups), but that is no longer the case.

ESO is even more solo-friendly than other MMOs. It has tons of immersive story content, all of which is single-player oriented. While in other MMOs (like SWTOR) you can actually complete quests in a group (as in, both of you get to pick dialogue options and the game rolls to pick which one of your choices the story will follow, it's awesome ), ESO's quest and story system is an isolated process. (And to be honest, there is a case to be made for this too - it could get really frustrating when I tried to be a professional Empire agent to see the optimal quest outcome and my friend's Sith Inquisitor kept rolling high dark side choices and we ended up having to murder everyone. )

Many of the other systems of ESO are single-player oriented, such as personal housing instances with only one owner (not shared like guild halls can be in other games), or crafting which is entirely self-sufficient as you can learn all of the crafting professions yourself (as opposed to other games which limit you to two for example so need to cooperate and trade items with other players to craft more complex recipes and to get all your consumables). Single player delves and many public dungeons are also arguably better as a solo player, as mobs just melt too fast if you're in a 'proper' group.

If you're bothered by people not responding in the world (many characters you see may just be farming while watching vids, or be bots, or be afk, or not speak your language if you're playing on EU), I suggest joining a guild That sounds like exactly what you're looking for, a place to group up and chat if you feel like it but not having to. While most of my guilds have people constantly looking for groups for world bosses, dungeons, trials, or grouping up for roleplay events or guild socials, I don't think any guild forces participation if you don't feel like it.

So no, it's not weird to solo in MMO, especially one like ESO which has several single-player-ortiented systems.

arena25

I play solo, and tend to want to solo things cos in my opinion, "If you die when you're playing solo, the only person to blame is yourself."

That may be just me, though.

morrowjen

ozm8ey wrote: »

I don't know if its my anxiety or some other issue but I always seem to play this game solo and enjoy it. I never seem to have the need to group up unless I want to try a dungeon but with the questing I always play solo. I do try to talk to people sometimes while just roaming around but most of the time in /say they just ignore you and pretend you don't exist for some reason so I guess thats part of the reason I just solo most of the time. Thing I do like is that I like the feeling there is loads of people around and that I can interact with them if I feel like it but not forced to do so. Anyway is it weird to solo in an MMO? Like doesn't it sorta defeat its purpose?

Eh ESO is weird in that it's a TES game. Of course, a lot of people playing, including myself, are here because it's the gaming version of methadone for TES addicts. So, no, I don't think it's strange at all for you to solo so much. In fact, I'd guess that ESO probably has more soloists than other MMO games because it draws so heavily from a single-player series.

Tornaad

If it is weird, then you're not alone. I play almost exclusively solo play. I am getting closer to starting to do more group dungeons, but that might still be a bit.

Linaleah

I play pretty much all the MMO's that way. tried questing with a friend, more then once and it just... doesn't work. even when I play with hubs, we usually just do non quest content - sometimes its dungeons, sometimes its pvp, sometimes we just sorta mess around together. but most of the time - its all solo, all the time. i kinda feel like its a lot like going to a park or to a beach to read a book. you are on your own, enjoying the solitude but at the same time, there are all these little signs of life around you, kids playing, people taking, music playing, cars passing by outside, birds, dogs, etc. it feels nice to be part of the larger world, even without actively interacting with it.

so no, i don't think its weird. I think its wonderful. I think being unable to do anything in game unless you are in a group - is weird, same way I think its kinda weird in RL. but to each their own.

P.S. I do enjoy chatting in guild, so its nice to have that social option.

Sylvermynx

arena25 wrote: »

I play solo, and tend to want to solo things cos in my opinion, "If you die when you're playing solo, the only person to blame is yourself."

That may be just me, though.

Not just you.... I don't group because my ping is so high it's not fair to others. But I also believe your mantra there!

dannymcgr81b14_ESO

Another solo mmo player right here. ESO, WOW, Old Republic. I play all of them solo. I'll sometimes chat in zone chat but that's as much multiplayer as I want. I can never sell anything in eso because I don't want to join guilds. Lone wanderer all the way.

Tasear

I honestly assumed eso caters to solo experience best.

shadyjane62

I have played WOW and Rift and this game all solo and have been very happy in this game. It is the most solo friendly. I finally learned how to group for the last event. Some kind stranger walked me through it for the event.
I will still play solo but I enjoyed grouping for the special events.

ArchMikem

I played solo for a long time. It wasn't until Stormhaven in Cadwell's Silver where I finally got into voice chat and asked another player for help with a Quest Boss. I think I was Vet 2 or 3, (before Champion Points)

After that I was still playing solo, I didn't find myself into my first Guild until Malabal Tor in Cadwell's Gold, and this was like my second year or so of playing. Then there was a stint where I played socially until fairly recently where I left both Guilds I was in cause of reasons and now I'm back on my own. The few people that I played with back in my Guild don't really associate with me anymore and I'm back at square one. I never really make legitimate friends.

Dojohoda

Hello! No, it is not weird to play this game solo. At some point (vet dungeons) You might need to branch out a bit, perhaps a friendly dungeon guild.

Nyghthowler

I play entirely solo because I have M.S. and don't like letting others down with my slow reflexes and mis-keying abilities. Fortunately ESO is very solo friendly and enjoyable as such.

Ohtimbar

People doing what they enjoy is only weird, in the negative sense, when it infringes on others ability to do likewise. If you're having fun, why worry?

MattT1988

Nah, not this one. This is a very solo friendly MMO. You’ll be fine. Just don’t expect to do much end game.

Kiralyn2000

Most MMOs these days are quite "solo friendly". Because they want all the customers they can get, and there's only so many hardcore-grouping-MMO players out there.

(I've been playing MMOs 99% solo since vanilla WoW.)

DaveMoeDee

Who cares if it is an "MMO." Play games the way you enjoy them.

jainiadral

Not at all. Been playing solo for years in multiple games. Here, especially, solo play seems to be the norm. I almost never see groups questing overland, aside from dolmen running trains in Auridon and the Alik'r.

This game is exceptionally solo-friendly

worrallj

The regular story quests are actually designed to be done solo. For a lot of people, that's the whole game, nothing wierd about it.

I'll say though, I think those people are missing out. The harder group challenges & pvp, designed to be done as a group, can be much more gratifying and engaging. Getting a group of guild mates together and finding out which members can carry which roles on the team, and executing a plan together, is a lot more fun than hours of playing chase the quest marker.

Edit: don't get me wrong, I like some occassional tmt (Time to Myself in Tamriel) reading a few lore books, finding out the story of a delve, etc. But the truth is the solo content is not so interactive. I often feel more like I'm reading someone else's rpg fan fic than playing an actual RPG.

oddbasket

It isn't weird, practically all mmos cater to solo play for story mode, and lets you queue for group content.
You socialize if you want to, or not. I play solo, and don't feel I'm missing out even if I don't do trials or grind gear from group content.

SydneyGrey

ozm8ey wrote: »

... I do try to talk to people sometimes while just roaming around but most of the time in /say they just ignore you and pretend you don't exist for some reason so I guess thats part of the reason I just solo most of the time. ...

They might have the Chat window closed, or just not look at it. A couple of days ago I didn't realize someone was trying to talk to me until I'd already left that area. He probably thought I was just being rude.

barney2525

Amswer to the question - Nope


There's plenty of opportunity for interaction with other players apart from doing the quests.

IMHO

Watchdog

I mostly play solo, but I join forces with my guildies for group content, such as dungeons or difficult World Bosses.

Joining a good social guild actually helped my solo playstyle a lot. Nice people to chat with and ask for advice or help, access to crafting stations for sets, and free teleports.

I dare call ESO one of the most solo-friendly MMORPG's around.

Rygonix

Real talk - I tend to do a lot of Cyrodiil PvP but there is a reason for that. It allows me to jump in and help people out in a group environment without any kind of prior commitment. Ala I can jump in and out at a moment's notice while still getting my fulfillment of completing something with other people.

In a lot of ways I am a solo player, due to heavy commitment issues. I just can't stay involved with a guild or a group of friends for a long period of time without losing my focus or patience.

Besides that, I have trouble continuously working with people whom I might never have a chance to so much as shake their hand.