Thy Random, Why Dost Thou Bother Me So?

[Altiea]

It's time to field more opinions!

So, in Quick Questions, a particular rant popped up about not being able to randomly join parties without the Party Leader kicking you. This got me thinking. Almost no one plays this game with other people they run across. Most people run either by themselves, or with friends or Team members. What's with the stigma against randoms? I personally enjoy randoms, since they give me someone to party up with. But,

Solo players, why do you dislike randoms?

[millefeuille]

Fewer problems if you solo. Also less awkward.

[ArcaneTechs]

1. I generally prefer to play with friends or team mates only
2. Most randoms want a "free ride"
3. I don't want randoms joining me period
4. The game is literally piss easy when your end game or for "experienced" players that soloing everything doesn't take long (at any level)
5. I may or may not be able to respond if the random is a JP player
6. Most randoms that join generally leave IMMEDIATELY after the quest is over so why bother even joining
7. Person is usually poorly geared and I don't feel like picking up their slack get triggered
8. The person will join the room and decides to be a complete mute
9. They don't keep up at my pace when I'm going through the Quest (I.e. taking too long to kill one thing or just wandering off on their own)
10. They decide to start "Gathering" when we're here to clear Daily Field CO's, do this on your own time

All I can think of at the top of my head, I like playing with people but the game is so easy its almost not necessary
flame shield on

[Shiyo]

Enemies don't scale with players so adding more people makes the game easier thus less fun. If you play a melee and invite a FO you basically don't get to play the game outside of EQ's and bosses.

[Bellion]

They join my party and don't even say hi!

[SteveCZ]

why do you dislike randoms?

I don't. As for me, I've said it many times, these poor souls are part of the game difficulty for me. Locking my party doesn't mean I hate them.

Regarding to party issue, I don't let anyone join my party either. I'm a solo player, lool. But by experience, all I can suggest is never ever join a random party. BE the party leader. :)

[Xaeris]

When I play this game outside of an EQ, I'm rarely playing it intensively. I alt tab frequently to my browser, I watch videos, tinker with outfits and accessories and am basically not in any real hurry to get done what I want to get done. Playing at a languid pace like that, I prefer to be alone so I don't feel like I have to put my srsface on.

[otakun]

The only reason I am bothered by randoms is cause they generally only join when I am half way or almost done with the mission so I have to wait to get them enough kills so they get S/A rank. That has been my only problem with randoms ever. Outside the low level person joining in a SH/XH mission while we were waiting in campship for EQ but that only happened to me twice in the almost 2 years I've been playing.

[AnikaSteinberg]

I usually don't even prefer partying with friends and teammates if we are not running EQs (since we're like, always together for any scheduled EQ), much less partying with completely random players.

My solo play time is usually my 'performance calibration' time. Outside of external DPS calculators like ACT and Parser, you can't really gauge how efficient your character is in multiple (random) situations when you are in a party. So yes, even during TAs and XQs I typically run completely solo.

Also, there is the distinct awkwardness that since you are essentially the party leader when players join your quest, you need to like interact with them at least at some basic level. Maybe it's just me, but just the thought of having to deal with that much random players every single time I do regular field quests already exhausts my mind.

[SteveCZ]

They join my party and don't even say hi!

Well, unless it's an organized MPA with randoms, this was definitely the number one issue for me though. No greet = I'll kick.

I had a funny story though, me and my friend are so fed up that he told me to make a party description with rules. 1. Say hi. 2. Say "<any random word written, I forgot>". Of course, no randoms ever read it. So I kick them all cause no one read.

That was a troll (and a test) so I guess that doesn't count. :D

But ever since then we just lock it, and well now since I'm a solo player for like years, this party thing is not even my issue anymore.

[final_attack]

As long as they don't auto-follow then afk ..... Personally I don't mind '-')
If they joined mid-quest then want S-Rank, I also don't mind running around a bit.

Since I started joined random mpa through Twitter for EQ a few months back (so I don't have to standby hours before in-game) ....... So, they usually can only join when I'm doing DO / AQ / casual run UQ ..... which I should be able to carry / help clear should they don't have uber gear / still new. Then again, they mustn't auto-follow then afk.
As for TA, I usually joined random TA which stated that it's open to all. I usually open for invite too of course.

Though recently I haven't got online at all. Either because irl things T~T Probably hardware issues is there too T~T or only playing offline games these days.

[Daku]

I did use to leave my party open to randoms, but they would either leech or just be unpleasant from mute-ness or meme spam in their autos. EVentually I got sick of it and just had a policy of making my party 'team only' or 'friend only'

A while ago for example me and a friend forgot to lock the party and two randoms joined... we didn't like it but we let them stick figuring there was no potential harm and we'd only needed Big Vardha for my friend's SPCO I believe. The friend wound up dying and I forgot moons so I stop attacking Vardha waiting on one of the two to use a moon, instead they decide to kill Big Vardha while he was dead denying him of credit for the CO and they never even said a word the entire time. There are more stories of similar and varying scenarios, but generally the player who randomly joins is eerily silent from start to finish even if their arks cards and autos are in English or JP.

TL;DR: Generalizing(I'm sure some are actually fun to be around.), randoms don't care for another player's goal even if they were the party's lead and softened up the primary target. Now I have my parties locked, if I forgot to lock it I will boot the random if they don't at the very least say "Hi" regardless of their gear.

[Shadowstarkirby]

Besides being rude little shits that never say hello, during EQs, the random person who joins me is usually an inconvenience, so I kick them out. Outside of extra EXP gains which I've long since stopped caring about, having people in my party has been more often than not detrimental. There have been many times I've been dumped into empty MPAs because my party was +1 over the limit of a fresh one. When the quest is complete in certain time sensitive EQs, I have to wait for each person to pop into campship or say "r" to signal that they're finished grabbing their rares with their shitty 50 slot item bags that were 4/5ths filled with miscellaneous items at the very start so I don't look like a selfish prick trying to restart immediately. Then I have to check their class and gea--OH, IT'S A HU/FO, GOOD.

With how the EQ and block system is and how a large portion of the community still don't properly build themselves, it makes me hate having to be with people more than want to be buddies. I've kept my parties open to friends and team members only as a result. I like to go at my own pace during quests outside of EQs as well, such watching videos, looking at forums, doing chores, or actually doing what I need to do in a quest ASAP without having to worry about the other people and their problems, so again, I play by myself, because it's just that more convenient. PSO2 just doesn't encourage me to party up at all.

[Sirius-91]

1. I generally prefer to play with friends or team mates only
2. Most randoms want a "free ride"
3. I don't want randoms joining me period
4. The game is literally piss easy when your end game or for "experienced" players that soloing everything doesn't take long (at any level)
5. I may or may not be able to respond if the random is a JP player
6. Most randoms that join generally leave IMMEDIATELY after the quest is over so why bother even joining
7. Person is usually poorly geared and I don't feel like picking up their slack get triggered
8. The person will join the room and decides to be a complete mute
9. They don't keep up at my pace when I'm going through the Quest (I.e. taking too long to kill one thing or just wandering off on their own)
10. They decide to start "Gathering" when we're here to clear Daily Field CO's, do this on your own time

All I can think of at the top of my head, I like playing with people but the game is so easy its almost not necessary
flame shield on

I agree with this 100%

[MightyHarken]

1. I generally prefer to play with friends or team mates only
2. Most randoms want a "free ride"
3. I don't want randoms joining me period
4. The game is literally piss easy when your end game or for "experienced" players that soloing everything doesn't take long (at any level)
5. I may or may not be able to respond if the random is a JP player
6. Most randoms that join generally leave IMMEDIATELY after the quest is over so why bother even joining
7. Person is usually poorly geared and I don't feel like picking up their slack get triggered
8. The person will join the room and decides to be a complete mute
9. They don't keep up at my pace when I'm going through the Quest (I.e. taking too long to kill one thing or just wandering off on their own)
10. They decide to start "Gathering" when we're here to clear Daily Field CO's, do this on your own time

All I can think of at the top of my head, I like playing with people but the game is so easy its almost not necessary
flame shield on

Basically everything Kryl said. But most importantly, they just want a free ride, it always ALWAYS happens to me, they wait in campship till I reach A3 and then they join for the boss, which I always kill in less than 15 seconds. They don't even say fucking thank you

[red1228]

I don't hate randoms on the principle of them being a random, but as others have said: Far, far too often they are just looking for a quick free ride & don't even attempt to communicate (language barriers asside) even when I stop to type out a greeting (no, your obnoxious auto-words do not count).

[wefwq]

Few randoms join me while doing DOs.
They generaly don't say anything, not even simple "Hi" or something, to the point they felt like a zombie or something though i don't really mind.
I only kick people out when they don't say anything and they badly geared, because i have impression that they're looking for easy free ride. Usualy something like +0 units level 70+, ugh.
There's also a guy that decide to randomly wander aroind on his own, and decide to be mute on entire quest run.

I hate random because they rarely helpful or straight annoying to deal with.

[SteveCZ]

Honestly I see no good point of the system to join some parties randomly through counter for this game. It's good if it's friends/team only, and/or if someone wants to jump into the same block / MPA without joining the party.

The old style party invite in the lobby (or not in the enemy area) is a way better approach (The one that can provide message like "SHAQ 2/4" or "EQ 1/4" or whatevs, not the invasive party invitation window).
The new invite party beacon (I forgot what the name is, pardon me, not a party player anymore) is already good addition, I appreciate that feature.
These two features provides mutual benefits, instead of feeling invaded.

I really don't see a point why I should join a party randomly or let other random people to join except through that beacon or lobby invitation.

I just believe that's the root of the problem.

[Meji]

They join my party and don't even say hi!
This, forever this.

[Caetho]

I get kicked out because people are elitist scum who cannot handle my HuFo Weddle Park swag. I don't see the issue with Ilmegid and Zanverse, it kills everything pretty well.

[Dammy]

where do you even get randoms joining you ?
Free Fields ? - LUL
TA? - I dont think many ppl run it for meseta in 2016 ... and if they do , its faster to start it yourself than wait 10+ mins for others
EQ? - doesnt matter if someone alone in MPA or in party , actually if they join you its even better , coz you can kick baddies from MPA
AQ? - its either dedicated group in specific block or solo run so you can do whatever you want, also not many does em
XQ? - see TA ^

so what are you talking about ? Challenge mode ?

[gabor100]

not being able to randomly join parties without the Party Leader kicking you

Because you don't read the description, that's why they kick you, we are nice people(party leaders), you are the a$$hole.

/endthread

Edit: This is a singleplayer game with some multiplayer elements.

[Caetho]

Because you don't read the description, that's why they kick you, we are nice people(party leaders), you are the a$$hole.

/endthread

Edit: This is a singleplayer game with some multiplayer elements.

Savage

[Zephyrion]

It might be because I play on ship 10 but I rarely ever got players to join my party, except during free field,and when that happens they always say hello and explain why they are here at least half the time (often in moonrunes though, making it hard for me to communicate xD. It's often people looking for dailies, joining only early on the quest, and actually helping to kill stuff faster, and I really don't mind that kind of people riding in my party at all. The vast majority of the time I'm just "oh well" and go with the flow
.I have yet to meet a free-rider that doesn't even attempt to communicate and just stands there waiting for you to do the work, Hopefully that won't happen now that I've mentioned it xD

[Pyrei]

lol? I guess im one of the few that doesn't kick people (most of the time), im used to randoms from running TAs on b43, so if 1 joins me on DOs I let them do w/e if they wander around it doesn't matter to me cause ill just kill the boss solo anyway, for the ppl that want a free carry (90% of the ppl that join my DOs) I just go ahead and let them be carried, for the ones wanting a carry in EQs, I run it with them but leave on reset, as for TAs... if you bring bad gear to a TA run, you get B-Listed at the end of the set, so I don't meet you again x; (sorry but TAs aren't supposed to take an hour or more and most ppl just don't care about gear, yes I can tell the ones that try to make gear even 2 slot affixed gear and +10/+30 grind is fine, but no grind at all? costume switching between TAs? Totally lost not sure how to TA? all of that eats my time... no hard feelings)

one more thing tho, if something rare, spawns with me, depending on what it is, PLEASE don't touch it... things like tagami, mesetan, clones, rare bosses, etc I might want to break them down/call for friends to reap benefits of the spawn... once there was at ep3 start, a random joined me and a friend while we were doing coast explore DO on SH, at this time granfol was mad expensive and a rare bal spawned, I said break it down, because granfol was worth 8~15m, random hooked bal twice... after I said not to hook it... he got booted and no don't feel bad about that one, he had it coming language barrier or no.

[Hrith]

If you're in an MPA but in a party of one, you're not soloing.

What I really cannot fathom is why people who solo and do not want to be joined do not use this new thing called a password.

[KazukiQZ]

@Pyrei
B-but i do outfit switching every new round ;w;
Although, I despise layered wears (only exception is Aika setup) so my switching is abit faster with Armor menu lol

But yea, people already mentioned the things that needed to be said regarding 'why solo play much', nowadays my party is locked to either Friends or Team Members only. Don't wanna handle some BS from randoms \o/

[Pyrei]

lol its not that I mind that much but...when I'm sitting in the gate for the next TA, I'm like can we go sometime today..... -_-; and I know the JPs that are in the party thinking that too (or why doesn't lead kick this scrub)

[aiMute]

Without randoms this game would be less MMO, and not like they spoil anything and they usually are not completely silent.

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

What I really cannot fathom is why people who solo and do not want to be joined do not use this new thing called a password.
I'll explain - it's because they're a$$holes and should be kicked irl hard. No sense to talk to them - they just won't listen, because a$$holes physically can't do it


TA? - I dont think many ppl run it for meseta in 2016 ... and if they do , its faster to start it yourself than wait 10+ mins for others
How else people are supposed to get mesetta in 2016 then? Player shops, obviously, is a main source of income, but sometimes you need to wait a lot to get the money... And TACOs allow you to get money ASAP when they're available

[NoiseHERO]

People actually wanna join your guys' parties?

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

You know, I once did a stupid CO, which forced me to do it with specific stupid NPC and I forgot to make my party private and another player joined. I failed the stupid CO that time, but I failed it, because it was my stupid mistake and I have payed for it. The game UI shows, which parties are private and which are open and it's pretty obvious that open parties can be joined. If you kick a player after he has joined you, you ruin his expectations, because he expects to start the quest in the selected mode and has to wait up to 2 minutes for the stupid game to load (not everybody has a machine up to 2016 standards). You can blame stupid UI, stupid designers and shit, but other players have nothing to do with this.

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

People actually wanna join your guys' parties?
Unfortunately the game UI doesn't mark them as a$$holes :( There should be an option to report player, who kicked you and it should be enabled by default. And such players should be displayed as they are - as shit, until they are banned.

[TehCubey]

You sound pretty salty.

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

I definitely am, even though I usually play solo. But I will never forget the bastards who kicked me from an open party - all their names are written in my death book.

[Keilyn]

If I am going to be given the choice to throw my life away at a game of my choosing, it had better be something I can enjoy throwing my life away with others. At least I will have the company to do so with others; and perhaps take a memory that goes beyond slaving alone for years. Too much dependency on the community fostering an environment of solo-playing in an online RPG, along with the toxic levels and lack of support of the communities associated with this game is the reason this game is a tertiary game for me.

[Flaoc]

when doing non eq things well.. password lock with both friends and team ticked and nobody can even join as another party without knowing the pass.. not a social person and even then im pretty biased towards people with bad gear and wouldnt want to be around them
when it comes to eq i just run with team whenever possible cause pugs are trash and team mpa is generally much faster.

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

It's a good idea to give players who have a really bad equipment an advice on how to grind and affix them, since they may just don't know about it

[SteveCZ]

It's a good idea to give players who have a really bad equipment an advice on how to grind and affix them, since they may just don't know about it

For that I suggest you start joining a team, not random open party. :)

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

Like I said in another thread, always playing with the same team is like masturbating by watching the same porn video over and over again - it can be okay sometimes, but if you do it every day, it won't be fun anymore. People join others to have a different experience, to meet with other players, to experience gameplay for classes they've not played, to learn something new, etc.

Its like having sex with the same girl over and over again - passion dies after some time has passed and it becomes dull.

[TrueDynastyWarrior]

For that I suggest you start joining a team, not random open party.
Besides why would you suggest that to me - I know how to grind and affix equipment. The problem is that millisions of players don't...

[SteveCZ]

Besides why would you suggest that to me - I know how to grind and affix equipment. The problem is that millisions of players don't...

Correction: For that I suggest they start joining a team, not a random open party.


Like I said in another thread, always playing with the same team is like masturbating by watching the same porn video over and over again - it can be okay sometimes, but if you do it every day, it won't be fun anymore.

Its like having sex with the same girl over and over again - passion dies after some time has passed and it becomes dull.

That's your own definition of "fun". lol.


People join others to have a different experience, to meet with other players, to experience gameplay for classes they've not played, to learn something new, etc.

Player A who have different experience A, meeting player B with different experience B. Just going to wait either A or B to get kicked for the differences that most often don't meet in open random party.

One player wants the other to say hi, the other player just want to play a game even though this guy is playing good. The other player will get kicked by the one who wants him to say hi first. Lol.

[Pyrei]

a lot of people don't get this concept, because its REALLY harsh, I learned it while I was leading my last team,

You CANNOT help everyone. doing so only ends up with you getting your hands bitten.

its brutal and harsh, but that's how the world is, not just pso2.
the group of players that don't grind/affix their gear all have different reasons for not grinding their gear.

some plain don't know about the grinding system and treat pso2 like a typical rpg where you just find better weapons as time goes on and equip w/e is best
some don't care about doing better damage or clearing quests faster.
some don't know the difference between a good player and a bad player (movement and gear wise)
some only want to spend money on fashion in pso2 and wont drop a dime into gear ever
some want to be carried (and this isn't a joke, there's a vid of a JP siting at td3 XH not lifting a finger to help his mpa clear it)
some just want to troll... (again there's vids of JPs trolling mpas by moving wbs to "bad places" on purpose)
some just don't want help at all

the only people that can be helped are the ones that want help or realize there's a large gap between them and another player's skill/gear. everyone else is not possible to help cause it can be insulting, belittling, embarrassing, degrading, etc. to be told that you aren't a good player and need to work on your gear/skills. so most people never say it and just don't hang out with badly geared players.

Also teams aren't the same all the time, active teams gather/recruit players all the time and it becomes fun getting to really know players instead of the casual passing by in DOs/TAs/XQs/EQs, so no teams aren't always the same players over and over again unless your team is small/inactive/exclusive.

[nguuuquaaa]

You are joining other people's party, you are abide by their rule. There are a lot of people who doesn't like strangers, so getting kicked is expected.
I just don't understand why you hop in without considering the risk.

Why not wait for random joining instead?

[黒雪Yacchi]

I just dislike it when people try to join in on gated quests (TAs, XQs, AQs) especially when low level /shit gear, don't even say "hi" or get smartassy with me when I ask who they are. It's especially annoying with AQ and XQ which you have to reset up if they join while you're selecting stage/paying stones.

[Dammy]

or get smartassy with me when I ask who they are.
well , that question looks kinda rude, so what else did you expect?

[Meteor Weapon]

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/dc/dcfa356e294726a8674f93336fff4ec31d4b8ba9612ef75bdc af4dd180f9bf66.jpg

[Daku]

You are joining other people's party, you are abide by their rule. There are a lot of people who doesn't like strangers, so getting kicked is expected.
I just don't understand why you hop in without considering the risk.

Why not wait for random joining instead?

This, I don't understand why people don't see it coming... while you can't whisper the party lead to make sure of what the 'goal' is. Odds are if the party leads wants randoms to join the party will have a description, it's rare but done practice to put a password up and put it in a short description with miscellaneous info. There's also the "Open" tick box that is off by default so odds are the leader would prefer said random join if you see it ticked, I believe the option even auto kicks a NPC if room is needed for the random.

Also @TrueDynastyWarrior, calling people a variety of insults for playing the game solo if they prefer to. Solo or with a set group of friends, does kinda make you hypocritical don't it. I mean you did kinda sling mud first at party lockers. I mean I've played La Tale, Borderlands 2, Elsword, and many more games unlisted with this single friend and I've honestly have yet to get bored of the idea. So maybe your idea of fun isn't everyone else's... it's called an opinion perhaps? Your comparisons also don't make any sense, just saying.

[Ziel]

Once i was XQ-ing for the usual money-wise goal, a random joined in, started whinig that I should speed up, wanted to "teach me" that i shoulndt waste his boost time, then asked for party lead because i was "too slow loading back to campship" so his precious boost time doesnt get wasted, add the fact i was actually carrying him which may be the reason why he joined (aka couldnt solo).

Rude AF if you ask me, left to lobby and changed blocks after that single run.

No, i dont hate all randoms, i even help the once in a blue moon low level random that joins for daily quests, but barging in, bark orders and belittle other people? no, fuq u.

[Zephiron]

A general trend I notice with randoms; they are generally not good at their class, gear is poor, or both.

If it's an EQ like mining base, I'm not going to use a moon on someone UNTIL the area around them is at least safe. There is no point to use a moon when so many enemies are nearby that using a moon would most likely kill you in the process as well.

[Tunga]

I dont mind random people joining IF they greet me and ask if its ok to stay. I dont even mind carrying some noobcake with something. Leechers and Aholes on the other hand...

[Zyrusticae]

English-speaking community is pretty hit-and-miss in general. Very noticeable going from Blade & Soul JP to the EN version. There's a certain sense of social cohesion that is completely lost in the 'me-me-me' mindset of a hyper-capitalist society. This sort of thing is just par for the course, really.

Would need a major societal shift in thinking for things to change in this regard. Just not worth dealing with all the people who don't have any consideration for others. Too much work for too little reward.

[Keilyn]

English-speaking community is pretty hit-and-miss in general. Very noticeable going from Blade & Soul JP to the EN version. There's a certain sense of social cohesion that is completely lost in the 'me-me-me' mindset of a hyper-capitalist society. This sort of thing is just par for the course, really.

Would need a major societal shift in thinking for things to change in this regard. Just not worth dealing with all the people who don't have any consideration for others. Too much work for too little reward.

You mean the hyper-immature, hyper-uneducated, collective attitude and collective intelligence of public gamers being used as a sample-population to reflect the whole mentality of a society....

[Zyrusticae]

I'm talking about everything I've seen, in aggregate, in the news, the Internet, and my day-to-day interactions with various customers.

The fact is, there is a very noticeable cultural divide between a country like the USA, any EU nation (bar maybe the UK), Japan, Korea, China, etc., etc. It's very easy to tell the difference when you actually engage with people from those cultures.

USA is at the bottom of the heap in this regard. We're literally taught to disregard the well-being of others because "they deserved it", and that anyone who does is a "bleeding heart". Never to look inward because it's those other people that need to fix their shit. That respect should be earned and not freely given. It's just tons and tons of raw ego. Meanwhile, my interactions with Japanese players remind me a lot of myself - constantly putting others into their consideration and trying not to get in the way or stand out in any fashion. Lots of social anxiety all around. It's actually refreshing after dealing with English players for any amount of time.

When Japanese players join, I dread the communication barriers and potential misunderstandings.

When English players join, I dread the usual silence and their inability to be considerate of my needs or feelings on any level. (And in competitive games, also the usual badmouthing of team mates and general asshattery.)

I wish I could say I was exaggerating about any of this. But I'm actually understating just how bad citizens of the USA actually are. So much racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, blah-blah-blah you name it, it's all terrible, shitty awfulness all around. I hate this country and I want the fuck out.

[milranduil]

You mean the hyper-immature, hyper-uneducated, collective attitude and collective intelligence of public gamers being used as a sample-population to reflect the whole mentality of a society....

that sample population is voting for Trump. seems accurate to me given the current polls.

on-topic: I solo most of the content besides eq because frankly, a rando joining that isn't at least somewhat familiar with efficient play/strategies just slows me down. A prime example is ultimate quest. Say I'm doing nab uq for stones as fote and a bayari spawns. I do 5 uncharged ilbartas, zanverse, 2 charged ilbartas, and barantsion and it dies in 15 seconds. Now say a random fo joined me and uses charged ilbarta only without an ice tree and is using invade rod on that bayari. Now it's going to take more than twice as long to kill that bayari because 1) I can't anticipate their terrible damage, but 2) bayari won't be roaring after 7th ilbarta because it hasn't lost enough health. Now my barantsion is not gonna get weak point damage. Do I expect a random to know how to kill bayari in one full rotation? No of course not, but you best have an ilbarta talis or something if you gonna be joining UQ so I can adjust accordingly and we still at least kill it in the same amount of time as I would have soloed. Various situations like this can make playing with randoms more frustrating than it is easier because, as has been said many times, many randoms just want a free ride and don't care about how much work others have to do (which in many cases goes for 100% to 120% to make up for others' lack of play).

the exception is full taco because idc how fast/slower you are as long as you aren't like, taking 5min to do your altar box or your nab2 a2 boss; then we have a problem.

[Suplin]

I dont even care what gear you might have but if it takes you over 5 minutes to drop a greeting and especially after the host did the same multiple times then you deserve the boot
oh and pretending to be afk while moving sporadically and having chat bubbles on your head come and go is not exactly polite

[Skyly]

Randoms never triggered me. I met a few really good friends years ago just from random encounters in free fields etc. The other day I did a TA with some random who invited me in the lobby. He left immediately after we were done lol. I didn't mind cause there's so many new players now a days you kinda have to set an example and not discourage people from playing together.

[EspeonageTieler]

I have a few reasons I guess (but I prob wont kick someone if they do join in) First I like playing at my own pace someone may join and want to boss rush when I want to find certain mobs or do certain quests.(happened a bit when the collection sheets came about) I also dont like when a force joins and just one shots everything before I can touch it. unlike alot of people I'm actually playing the game to have fun.

[Shirou66]

Solo players, why do you dislike randoms?

Would you want some random dude bust into your house and say "Hey, lets watch TV together"
then he go sit on the couch doing nothing and you have to feed him?

I don't know them, why would I want some random person joining my party?
There's a function that allow players to see which party welcomes random players

If I wanna have random people joining my party I would've select the welcome option so they would know
But most of the time people just don't give a crap and join the ones that don't welcome them
Can't blame anyone but themselves if they got kicked out

[Xaeris]

Huh, never realized this topic was such a point of contention. I've always just ticked the Friends Only box whenever I log in and get started for the day. Been doing this since, like, open beta, and I've never had a problem aside from the annual event where I forget to tick the box and a random joins.

[Altiea]

Call me an enabler, but I like HELPING randoms. Hence why I asked the question. If one happens to join up, I finish my quest as if I was soloing. If no reply after quest, I just continue with what I was doing. If they say thanks, but don't leave, I help them out with whatever they need help with. I don't even check their gear, because honestly, I don't care about someone else's gear all that much. I will never, ever kick a random even if they're literally only present to leech.

[TaigaUC]

When I started the game, I ran with randoms sometimes. Both JP and EN.
I don't remember if I got kicked out of a room for no reason. Maybe once. For AQ, I think.
People will kick for the stupidest reasons, and they won't tell you. So you'll never know why it happened.
It's just easier and more convenient to run stuff alone or with people I know. Less hassle.

If the leader is random, there's a chance they will restart before people are done looting.
There's a chance that randoms will criticize you and start a fight for no real reason.
Although I don't think I've had that happen to me specifically, outside of EN people making sweeping rude remarks in GJs.
There was one same EN asshole repeatedly harassing a friend privately, because they assumed my friend had to be the bad WBer (he wasn't).

I don't want to deal with random people. They might be assholes! And my friends list is full, anyway.
I like helping people, but I don't want to find out later that the person I helped is an asshole.

I also might need to go AFK or disconnect or something.
Then people would think I was an asshole for disappearing.

Sometimes I'll party with a JP friend who asks if we should allow randoms to fill slots.
When we do, nice JP people usually join. No problem there.

Speaking of which, I remember in PSO2's early days, most players would publically greet with "yoroshiku!" and almost always say "otsukaresama!" after.
Seems much, much, much rarer nowadays. Even if I do it, others usually don't. Or maybe one guy will say it, and sometimes someone will respond.
Don't know if it's because people have gotten ruder, the atmosphere becoming more distrustful/hostile, or people being sick of doing the same shit over and over.
I always assumed it was the latter, but it could be any reason, really.
Could also be because people decided it'd be better to keep it to party chat. Dunno.

[NightfallG]

The reason I don't join randoms and generally lock my rooms tends to be the same; a teaspoon of social anxiety due to language barriers, and a major lack of patience. I go at my own pace, generally trying to just get whatever I'm doing done to move on to the next one. Suppose it's a little joyless, but there's only so much grinding you can do before you stop taking it slow and start going "ugh just get this shit OVER with already".

Also because during EQs, I really don't want some rando to figure an open room is an invitation to get carried.

[Remz69]

i'm 4k hours in starting from ep1 on ship 10 with little afk time. I typically don't look for parties (except for TAs back when it was daily) so i create my own and leave it completely open, yet i've only ever been joined by a random twice and it was a low level taking advantage of me running a lower difficulty

so i have nothing against randoms, when i play solo, and i do solo a lot it's because no one happens to join, ever

[SteveCZ]

I don't understand it in the case of people who leave their rooms wide open. It's open. Why leave it open if you don't want someone to join?

It's open for anyone who knows how to say hi. Lol.

I leave my house door unlocked. When someone random gets in suspiciously, do I say "hi, sorry do I know you?" No, I pick up my shotgun and point it at them.

Not sure for those who kick people for no reason.


.... I still don't understand why people go solo into EQs like Falz Arms, either. I've seen whole MPAs pass up a party maker set by someone with minmaxed gear, so it'd have to be a very special kind of arrogance that would have them thinking they're not worth teaming up with for the whole EQ...

Everyone has different reasons to play. I simply have no interest of teaming up (anymore) regardless of who and what the party is offered, and that doesn't mean I hate them either nor despise the markers.

So just because I want my own space to play, I am arrogant? oh please. Don't make it sound like it's an obligation to interact with each other in the game.


I can't sympathize with whatever the soloer's mentality is.
Nor can I understand Japanese writers' tendency to glorify solo players as a super pro rarity when THEY'RE MORE COMMON THAN GRASS

Well I sympathize those who seem to be busy with how other people play the game. If depending on other people (as in always joining a party) is best suited for you, I won't judge you either cause that's how you want to play.

[ArcaneTechs]

I dont get why kicking a player out when you dont want them in there is such a huge deal for some of you guys, you swear theyre gonna sit out in the lobby waiting for you to show up (it happens but black list and move on) or the guy is gonna hold the hugest grudge over you. Simply kick and move on, its your room if you forgot to lock it or make it so ppl dont join (or simply dont feel like changing these settings) then kick and continue playing, you dont have to cater to people, you dont have to feel obligated to keep them in either if it makes you uncomfortable or you simply dont want them in.

[Selphea]

PSU culture was more courteous. If a random joined they'd usually have the decency to ask "Hi, mind if I join?" or "参加していいですか？" so I'd be happy to let them in.

In PSO2 they tend to just come in and do weird things like chill in the camp ship for ages or run off to a random part of a free field on their own and get killed.

[ArcaneTechs]

PSU culture was more courteous. If a random joined they'd usually have the decency to ask "Hi, mind if I join?" or "参加していいですか？" so I'd be happy to let them in.

I remember times i would forget to put the pass up or someone managed to guess an easy pass (out of laziness) and the moment that room is up they instant join and occasionally others will join too when i didnt want people which then people ask "can you restart for S rank please?" when i just dont want to. So simply kicking is quicker for me

[SteveCZ]

I dont get why kicking a player out when you dont want them in there is such a huge deal for some of you guys, you swear theyre gonna sit out in the lobby waiting for you to show up (it happens but black list and move on) or the guy is gonna hold the hugest grudge over you. Simply kick and move on, its your room if you forgot to lock it or make it so ppl dont join (or simply dont feel like changing these settings) then kick and continue playing, you dont have to cater to people, you dont have to feel obligated to keep them in either if it makes you uncomfortable or you simply dont want them in.

Well I still do agree for those who forget to lock the party is socially obligated to say sorry that the party is meant to be locked. Technically you can just kick them, but socially you just can't, unless you are uncivilized and assume other players aren't human. Whether person don't like it or not regardless of both technical and social approach to kick them, that's entirely a different thing.

Say you have reserved dining table that someone suddenly sit there because you forget to ask to put the reserve sign. Do the waiter just pull that person away without saying anything? Surely not. Technically, yeah the waiter can do so, but he or she just can't. He or she got to say "sorry this table is already reserved by other customer". Whether the guy is mad or not, that's entirely another thing.


I remember times i would forget to put the pass up or someone managed to guess an easy pass (out of laziness) and the moment that room is up they instant join and occasionally others will join too when i didnt want people which then people ask "can you restart for S rank please?" when i just dont want to. So simply kicking is quicker for me

Definitely deserve a kick and blacklist without saying anything. They broke your door! Lool.

[Kokurokoki]

I like randoms. In fact it's fun to get randoms when playing XQs.

I got this random guy when I was playing XQs, and now we regularly go through XQs together. 150-250k with a 50% booster on for 30 mins and we usually clear out 2-3 XQs per 30 min session depending on how fast we're going.

[Chronox9000]

im sorry really, most people on this thread, you guys are WEIRD, and quite frankly, VERY boring. seriously. i LOVE joining random parties since episode 1 ( i had to quite for 2 years tho), but really, most people here sound VERY anitsocial, and quite frankly, i am appalled. sigh......is this what mmo's. action mmo's, whatever, has come to??!!! christ jesus........im sorry, y'all are boring.

[Chronox9000]

sry double post. maybe its just ME, but i freaking got on pso2 to MINGLE, and play with OTHER PEOPLE, outside EQ's. i want to have fun, show off my gear, and just make friends. whats SO wrong with that? to join a random dude to help him bust a boss or something? level? this is a dang MMO for crying out loud!!! people in 2016....they forget what this genre is, and complain "omg pso was so much better, we had so many people to mingle with, and hubs, and blah blah blah", well this is what you recieve, because theres PLENTY of hubs, team rooms, ect, for people to chill in, yet, y'all are so xenophobic, you cant just chill and enjoy the ride, even with some random people.

the game wont last forever. ive been gone 2 years, not by choice. enjoy it while you can, you could die ANY day, the game could end NEXT YEAR, but yall are so stuck in your "boo, imma solo" ways, you cant EVER just sit and enjoy the ride like you did as a kid in pso., only complain.

[Xaeris]

The spam bots are getting a little more sophisticated.

[Chronox9000]

i am NOT a spam bot obviously. im being serious as a heart attack. o well, my words are obviously lost on you and others on the forums. guess most people who play this game ARE basement dwellers who don't go out. heh, not like i can't game 16 hours in a day tho as well...... i just want people to get together and have FUN, is that so much to ask?

[SteveCZ]

im sorry really, most people on this thread, you guys are WEIRD, and quite frankly, VERY boring. seriously. i LOVE joining random parties since episode 1 ( i had to quite for 2 years tho), but really, most people here sound VERY anitsocial, and quite frankly, i am appalled. sigh......is this what mmo's. action mmo's, whatever, has come to??!!! christ jesus........im sorry, y'all are boring.

sry double post. maybe its just ME, but i freaking got on pso2 to MINGLE, and play with OTHER PEOPLE, outside EQ's. i want to have fun, show off my gear, and just make friends. whats SO wrong with that? to join a random dude to help him bust a boss or something? level? this is a dang MMO for crying out loud!!! people in 2016....they forget what this genre is, and complain "omg pso was so much better, we had so many people to mingle with, and hubs, and blah blah blah", well this is what you recieve, because theres PLENTY of hubs, team rooms, ect, for people to chill in, yet, y'all are so xenophobic, you cant just chill and enjoy the ride, even with some random people.

the game wont last forever. ive been gone 2 years, not by choice. enjoy it while you can, you could die ANY day, the game could end NEXT YEAR, but yall are so stuck in your "boo, imma solo" ways, you cant EVER just sit and enjoy the ride like you did as a kid in pso., only complain.

Again, for many times I said it, fun is different to everybody.
There are those who get into a party and happened to play so bad by their pace, so they went solo or make a team.
There are those who get into a party and got mocked and cannot take it. So they went solo or make a team.
There are those who are tired waiting for other people. So they went solo.
There are those who ain't got time waiting for other people where they just wanna play a 15 - 30 minutes COs or EQs or Story quest every day or every week. So they don't even bother.
Etc.

Second, anti social does not only apply to those who don't talk to others, but those who are ignorant to what other feels, including those who feel so chatty and keep hurting everyone around him without knowing why.

Third, Is your real-life so bad, that you suggest everyone has to be extremely social in a freaking game that can be played alone?
Some people also being so social in real life, they want to have their few minutes/hours private space by playing PSO2. Or they just like PSO2 they wanna play when they can, without using the social feature including chatting and partying, but just playing the game.

Fourth, no idea on those who are saying that that mingle with other people is wrong. What is wrong is when someone joined a party and hoping to socialize, and forgot how to socialize, and worse, trying to somehow invade/take over the party. The game contains players from age 13 - 40 or so, so don't expect everyone to be approached in the same way.

Is this game somehow your real life escape that you eager to find friends here, so bad, that you tell anyone else who aren't like you are anti social? I am more worried about you.

[Dammy]

its like extraverts teaching introverts and telling them they are wrong

[Xaeris]

Ah, don't worry about it. Another five posts and it'll go away.

[TaigaUC]

It's not simply an issue of extrovert/introvert or anti-social or whatever.
Do not assume as such.

Every game has design elements that either encourage or discourage people to play a certain way.
It's the same for multiplayer.

PSO2 has several incentives to encourage people to play together. Here are the ones that I can recall:
- Enemy HP in EQs is designed for large parties.
- Parties give an EXP/mile bonus. The more people, the larger the bonus.
- It's faster to go in a party, and time is important.
- Other people can revive you. You can't revive yourself alone unless you use Dolls. Running back after death affects Rank, which affects various other things.
- More enemies spawn when there are more players.
- PSO Burst is easier to achieve and keep alive when there are more players.

However, playing with others also have these demerits, off the top of my head:
- Leader can prevent everyone else from looting, whether on purpose or by accident (and this is a big issue if it happens).
- Leader can kick people for no apparent reason.
- Leader can accidentally pick the wrong option on the campship (I've done this a few times).
- Randoms might be leechers or cheaters. If people realize you're in a party with them, there's a chance you will get blacklisted, reported, harassed, etc.
- Some random people are assholes in general. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause? I've heard of people who got stalked, too.
- If you get disconnected, people will probably think you're deserter.
- There may be no chance to go AFK, for any reason (stomach ache, someone at the door, etc).
- Block system is generally a pain to deal with.
- Someone with a bad connection may end up being the area host, which negatively affects everyone.

But that's not all.

There are also many factors at play in regards to individual players. Here are the ones I can think of, off-hand:
- Extrovert/introvert personality.
- They know they're too weak and will be a burden, so they avoid groups. I know a few people like this.
- Prefers to play alone, or with less people. I know several JP people who enjoy soloing/duoing everything.
- Prefers more difficulty (play with less people).
- Language barriers.
- Good/bad experiences with randoms influences their preference.
- Prefers to play with people they know, as randoms are too unreliable and a hassle to deal with.
- Don't want to deal with the responsibilities of managing a party.

So... obviously it is not simply a matter of "you're weird, you're anti-social!"

I know of a PSO2 JP female player who was traumatized by foreigners doing something terrible to her.
I don't know the details, but now she's too afraid to deal with foreigners and simply avoids them.
Does that mean she is "anti-social" or "racist"? No. People naturally take steps to protect themselves and their interests.
It doesn't mean they hate dealing with people in general, or hate foreigners in general.

The same goes for playing alone or avoiding randoms.
Depending on individual preference and the aforementioned incentives and demerits, the positives can outweigh the negatives.
You shouldn't jump to ridiculous conclusions by accusing people of being "anti-social". It's not that simple.

In my case, I'm afraid of dealing with random assholes. Had enough of them screwing me over throughout my life.
But there are games where randoms aren't that much of a problem, and can enhance the game experience. So I play with randoms in some other games.
For example, Dark Souls encounters can be interesting, although it also suffers from some similar issues (unknowingly connecting to a random cheater could get you banned).
I haven't played it myself, but I think I heard Journey was designed in such a way that it's difficult to be an asshole.

[Chronox9000]

Ah, my apologies for earlier, i did only read the first and last page of the thread, and now, I suppose I DO see where many of you could be coming from. Some people may just like to play solo, for well, various reasons, and in hindsight, time barriers, differences in personality, language, or just preference to play alone, may be a a factor.

Like i said, i started playing in episode 1, and this was my first MMO, I just don't like stale MMO's like WOW, or the typical point and click mmo, so i was always very excited having something for me, an actual GOOD action mmo. I would join random parties, and met many japanese friends, and people from hell, even italy. It was fun.

so thanks for pointing out your point of views, and letting me learn more still about people in general. lets all play exactly how we prefer ^_^.

[sheen20]

I love randoms :) my ID is shmallhushky and my parties are always open. Welcome everyone ^_^

[Bellion]

Honestly, playing alone when you're getting tired of the 12/12 MPAs that slaughter everything is quite refreshing. That is in regards to only myself being in 1/x quests, though. Not to mention, I'm more used to bosses with their solo player patterns and duration of their attacks. Adding in a second player will ruin that and make it much harder than it is if they're not experienced.

I have yet to actually kick anyone from joining my party, but I just end up leaving after 1 or 2 quests if a player joining my party doesn't say a single word. I know if I join someone's party that the first thing I would do is greet them. What exactly is so hard about saying any sort of greeting in the first place? It seems that they are the anti-social ones from my perspective. Perhaps someone would enlighten me of the possible reasons that one doesn't bother to type in "hi" at the very least when joining another player's party? I can't think of one reason that would be considered to be good enough.

No, not even +1 weapon and +0 units has made me actually kick someone from my party and I don't exactly want to stereotype these players but they most certainly do not say a damn word. The last time I did kick someone a few years ago, they were being quite rude to another.

[SteveCZ]

Perhaps someone would enlighten me of the possible reasons that one doesn't bother to type in "hi" at the very least when joining another player's party? I can't think of one reason that would be considered to be good enough.

I think some people already said that they are concerned about the language barrier, the fact that the game is Japanese. It applies to both sides, party maker and the one who joined. More than that, I'd just agree with you.

[Bellion]

It's probably just me, but I don't think even the language barrier is enough of a reason. The language barrier can be overcome if you decide to put in a little effort into learning even just the simplest of terms, phrases, and whatnot.
Being that the game is Japanese, I think it's right to learn a little bit of the language as to not inconvenience the natives. If this game were in some other language, I'd most certainly try to learn greetings/partings at the very least. I definitely don't want to visit another country for which I know absolutely nothing of their native language.

The English Patch does make things a little easier if English players want to find one another; being that it will automatically convert quest names of hosts to English when searching for parties. It's quite rare for a Japanese player to be using the English patch, but maybe they're trying to use it as a tool for learning and more than likely they'll be capable of greetings and vice versa. If one intends to join a party with a Japanese quest name, it's probably better to not join at all if you're not able to say anything as that would most likely create an awkward situation for the party. Maybe someone won't mind foreigners if they actually try to communicate even between different languages. As they say, you'll never know unless you try.

Effort is the master key and laziness is the master lock, it seems. Such matters do make for a nice discussion.

[SteveCZ]

It's probably just me, but I don't think even the language barrier is enough of a reason. The language barrier can be overcome if you decide to put in a little effort into learning even just the simplest of terms, phrases, and whatnot.
Being that the game is Japanese, I think it's right to learn a little bit of the language as to not inconvenience the natives. If this game were in some other language, I'd most certainly try to learn greetings/partings at the very least. I definitely don't want to visit another country for which I know absolutely nothing of their native language.

The English Patch does make things a little easier if English players want to find one another; being that it will automatically convert quest names of hosts to English when searching for parties. It's quite rare for a Japanese player to be using the English patch, but maybe they're trying to use it as a tool for learning and more than likely they'll be capable of greetings and vice versa. If one intends to join a party with a Japanese quest name, it's probably better to not join at all if you're not able to say anything as that would most likely create an awkward situation for the party. Maybe someone won't mind foreigners if they actually try to communicate even between different languages. As they say, you'll never know unless you try.

Effort is the master key and laziness is the master lock, it seems. Such matters do make for a nice discussion.

Greetings may lead to conversation. I'm sure it ain't good if you say yoroshiku and then that Japanese asked you something else that you don't understand and then you just stay silent. It's as simple as that.
The fact that the game is also legally only for Japanese gives even more uncomfortable situations to some people to initiate such conversation either. Their minds may wander. It's not even right to learn a little bit of Japanese, it's only right if you are in fact a Japanese in this game.
It's definitely great if you meet the ones who don't mind, but considering this game isn't for everyone outside Japanese, it can't be helped that some people can also think that it is a risk to open themselves to other people especially the Japanese players.
You aren't even allowed to visit to this "game" at all in the first place, so "visit another country" issue is not even valid. Don't make it sound as if the game is already for everyone around the world, lol.

[Bellion]

The fact that we shouldn't even be on this game gives even more of a reason to actually bother to be able to communicate properly. If you're afraid of engaging in a conversation you're better off not joining a party, it's as simple as that.
Also, you're technically only allowed to be playing this game if you live in Japan. Being Japanese isn't even enough, and it's really not the point that I was trying to make.

Greetings are a place to start. You can't get anywhere without a starting point now.

[Flaoc]

eh never had to deal with this as ol introverted me remembers to password lock the entire mpa so i wont even see others on the field and they are unable to join (ticks both team and friend options)

[SteveCZ]

The fact that we shouldn't even be on this game gives even more of a reason to actually bother to be able to communicate properly. If you're afraid of engaging in a conversation you're better off not joining a party, it's as simple as that.
Also, you're technically only allowed to be playing this game if you live in Japan. Being Japanese isn't even enough, and it's really not the point that I was trying to make.

Greetings are a place to start. You can't get anywhere without a starting point now.

Yeah well I can agree with you on that. I myself still don't get it on how people dare to get into a party but then say they are afraid to talk in case the person is a Japanese cause they can't speak Japanese, which leads them to stay silent and doesn't say anything. Yeah, like you said, they can just stay off the party if that's the problem, but I think they just want to be in party in the first place. So maybe it's a mixed feelings, I don't know. I assume this is what they take as language barrier as an issue. I'll just take it as they wanna play with them but they don't know how to talk to them and so maybe it took guts for them to even start.

[SteveCZ]

eh never had to deal with this as ol introverted me remembers to password lock the entire mpa so i wont even see others on the field and they are unable to join (ticks both team and friend options)

One day... Soon... :nerd:

[RadiantLegend]

The one time I tried joining a random for Harko-tacos, I got kicked instantly before I could greet. Just did it myself anyway. I do try to help random that join my runs.
I run free explore and AQs with 3 NPC's for spawns

[isCasted]

If it wasn't marked as open, you joined a private mod farming group, most likely. People don't do short TAs in public.

[RadiantLegend]

Doubt it was that.

[Gaylar]

I don't necessarily dislike playing with randoms, to me, playing with randoms is essentially what joining MPA pugs are, rather than actually forming parties with people.

I've played this game alone like this for the past... god how long has it been? My ID card is something like 10800000- its been awhile, basically.

I find it to simply be a courtesy not to randomly join people's parties, even if they're open to drop ins- I prefer to converse with the person directly and get some understanding of their attitude before I join just to avoid any unwanted headache.

And most players are Japanese or act like me anyway, so in the end I just keep to myself, and my focus has always been to better myself so I can carry my weight and the weight of others if need be in MPA groups (which is funny, cause carrying people actually kind of aggrovates me).

[TaigaUC]

Japanese people should be able to say hello and stuff like that in English. They can handle some degree of written conversation.
Dunno if international people are afraid to greet in case it drives JP players away.
If they greet in Japanese, JP players might think they are Japanese and that leads to conversation they can't handle.
And then there are some people who just want to play in silence, or something.

Sometimes when I'm changing blocks for EQs, I don't have time to put friend only before someone joins.
Usually it's an EN person, and sometimes they say hi, but that's about it.
If they say something, I say something back. I also always say thanks for the party afterwards.
But some people leave before I can say that.

[Great Pan]

I joined, I leeched, I fled. That's my motto.

[NoobSpectre]

I joined, I leeched, I fled. That's my motto.

My SOP in LQ and LQ alone, unfortunately I dun have zamba nor axeon nor +3 Imperial Axeon so still have to grab stuff and whack mobs. Others such as AQ.... solo kthx.

EQ like TD3 leaves so much nightmare for random that I decide to semi-organized myself, which is regular known person + random person who pass level and gear check (the basic 10503+2s). Do this some more, and you will get more regulars... and possibly need to open new organized dozens to cater more, gawddangit.

[Starryeyedbunny]

I feel like the problem is less "This person I do not know" and more of anyone that joins(from counter) is usually expecting a free ride...

:/

Keep in mind this is my stance on doing regular/extreme/time attack quests. I kind of enjoy the idea of randoms for something like EQ. Yes, we have very terrible players who still want to leech or just don't get that they can't handle XH... but generally you will still get people who try or understand things like that WBing magastu's shoulder on the left after it stands up is a bad idea and they should focus on the other side for the time being. For every bad MPA there, there's always a decent one and a very good one. It's just a matter of bad luck if you keep getting the bad ones in a row.

But with normal quests, it's awkward. They don't ask to join, they don't say hello, they have horrendous character designs, etc. I don't want to see certain types of characters always doing cutins where they have that awful awful blood splatter or the like. And the thing is, if the player is good enough, they'll probably be soloing. These people are looking for some one strong to take them along. If they need help, they should ask first, rather than make everyone feel uncomfortable. And when it comes to something like Extreme quests, it can really mess things up. Suddenly you could wind up with only 2 choices when you have your stones to get and you just so happen to get two pieces with Flict on them with decent amount of junk attached.

You usually want to party up with some one who won't potentially mess something like that up, that has the same desire to try as you, not just wants to get whatever or expects you to get it for them. I don't even know why those people play because they turn it into a chore for them... I enjoy farming Flicts and Modulators, they just kind of wait and hope for them to come, which means they're not enjoying themselves...

Free Field and the like... I wouldn't mind so much if they just said hi or asked for help etc. I've gotten random party and friend invites as well, not just people getting into the party I started because I forgot to check a box. It's usually those who say something first that honestly want to try but something in the game is too rough and they'll rarely get in your way as well as actually listen to you. I really have 0 issue with helping if asked and not busy with something else atm.

Then you have MetalDeathLord89 who spent all their money on LAs and can't even handle Rockbear on SH.

Also this:

When I play this game outside of an EQ, I'm rarely playing it intensively. I alt tab frequently to my browser, I watch videos, tinker with outfits and accessories and am basically not in any real hurry to get done what I want to get done. Playing at a languid pace like that, I prefer to be alone so I don't feel like I have to put my srsface on.

I don't like the idea of keeping up with others or forcing them to wait because I want to load a video off to the side or chat a bit in discord lol.

[TaigaUC]

That's a good point, that most people looking for parties are looking for strong people to assist them.

I alt tab a lot as well.

[Daku]

That's a good point, that most people looking for parties are looking for strong people to assist them.

I alt tab a lot as well.

I don't believe theres anything wrong with looking for help, me and starry just had our XQ parties among other moments random joined by some... questionable types who were either blatantly leeching or just counter productive even. But theres a clear difference between asking for help and walking into a house and sitting on a couch as a mute.

-A likely troll, attempting to outright fail the XQ trials. Only saving grace was his gear was so awful he couldn't even kill mobs remotely fast enough to fail ones such as kill from behind/front.
-Bloody faced cut ins... twice, didn't say anything outside of their autos.
-People stingy with moons and killing the bosses when somebody is dead during vital COs
-Toxic dickweed who think PSO2 is nothing to them after they played PSO when the two games may as well be completely different things, bonus because this individual decided to lecture me rudely when I repeated three times I was playing a low level class I had no experience and even continued so when I stressed I had no long term plans to use it.(Was on said class to play with my friend before he was at cap)

There are other incidents but these are the ones on the top of my head...

[Starryeyedbunny]

-People stingy with moons and killing the bosses when somebody is dead during vital COs
-Toxic dickweed who think PSO2 is nothing to them after they played PSO when the two games may as well be completely different things, bonus because this individual decided to lecture me rudely when I repeated three times I was playing a low level class I had no experience and even continued so when I stressed I had no long term plans to use it.(Was on said class to play with my friend before he was at cap)

There are other incidents but these are the ones on the top of my head...
Ugh...I think I recessed those memories they were so awful... The Big Varda incident was just...my lord...that was awful. It's bad on Sega for not making it count when I'm down but it's still awful they just let me lay there when I was doing a lot more for them... :/

And then there's just egotistical people... The fact I was completely new to the game and they aimed all their "concerns" and war stories on you was just...stunningly awful ._.; I think I didn't want to play a bit after that.

Not to mention there's a big difference between hard and XH... .w.; at hard you kind of assume people are still getting used to things... XH you kind of need to reach out if some one is having a tough time...