This game is UNPLAYABLE solo at 90+ :(

[Myga]

I play this game solo. All my friends already quit the game so this is how I play exclusively nowadays. I pretty good equipped I think, armor can be raised but its still well above my own lvl in QL.

Here is my char:

91 agent
QL 181 OET Type 77a Lovemaker (maxed shotgun and rifle skills)
Full 105-115 flowertech + hanshi cloak

607 atk buffed, 2380ac's

I tried to keep up nano skills as well, what I been suffering in is defensive skills. Have only a bit over 100 in those and this might be part of the reason for my problems but then again where am I supposed to get spare IP from to put points into 2 dark blue skills and at same time try keep nano skills up somewhat (and I'm still hurting in those)?

Loaded up 3 missions today:

Mission 1:
All greys except the mob I am supposed to kill. This is quite common in 50% missions and it is a complete waste of time.

Mission 2:
Many greys, a few greens but a bunch of light orange mobs. Most orange mobs die easy except 2: Seasoned Highwayman and Seasoned Thug.

Seasoned Thug got like 7000-8000HP and hit me for 325 quite often.

Seasoned Highwayman got less HP, I'd guess 7000 or so but they always use some reflective shield so instead of 2400dmg crits I can only get 1700dmg crits on them the few times I crit (using low light targeting scope and subconcious guidance of course). Problem is this mob hit me for max EVERY shot. 325 EVERY SHOT. I have 2404 hp so naturally I dont last very long.

Only way I can solo these mobs is pull them to zone, do as much dmg I can then zone out, heal (maxxed treatment now because of the implants so I heal 540 per shot from treatment pack), then zone in and repeat. After 12.8 or 12.9 mobs regen very fast (completely unannounced BIG nerf for me and all others who solo). So usually they regen just as fast as I can do damage unless when I'm lucky and land 1 or 2 crits. If I keep at it I can usually kill them but it usually takes like 20min per mob!

Another issue is mobs camp zone in after they get pulled there. And after 13.0 they aggro immediately when I'm done zoning (there used to be a small period you wouldnt get aggroed before). Same when I zone out, so if I have to zone out from a mob I cant kill, and then get aggroed from a hostile mob outside I am simply dead. This is also a unannounced nerf that has huge impact on my playing style.

Outside the box the CD came in when I bought this game it says "Team up or fight solo against monters and other players!". I saw an official post by a funcom employee saying this game should be soloable to 200. I got news for you, it is NOT. I do not wanna waste hours every day looking for groups, I'm quite fed up of that after EQ. Ironic thing is in EQ you can actually solo fairly effective to 60 with most classes. In AO XP is 5+ times as fast in groups compared to solo play. I cant advance anymore with my playing style, so this game is over for me.

I can't imagine for 1 second that those who actually are responsible for balancing this game even plays it.

Or is this just me?

[_______________Zippo]

I'm looking from the perspective a low 39 Agent so much may not be applicable.

I implanted a little and IP'd my evades after 12.8. My missions got decidedly easier in comparison. I have a 45 MA with low evades and he dies now.

Evades seem to have come into their own.

[blu789]

This is ludicrous.

At the 12.8 patch, my overjuiced, tooled out, unbelieveablely tough level 79 adventurer could clean out level 102 missions. Play balance was about right given that I have Q146 riders, Q125-Q142 implants, 250 token board, flurry of blows, every possible adventurer buff for my level, and Q125 armor + tank in most slots.

Now at 13.01, at level 80, I can't even do 50% missions.
Hardened criminals (yellows enforcers) are doing 108 damage a hit (which is minimum damage btw... I have *full* evades, ludicrous armor, and almost never take a critical hit). I basically take 1 swing at a hardened monster and have to start running for the door, because by the time I make it to the exit, a pair of them (yellow) have a 50% / 50% chance of taking me out.

I've died twice trying to kill these two monsters, and with the increased aggro range, I can't pull one from the room. Missions with 3 of these in a single room are basically forfiets.

Play balance is messed up badly. I can not wear any better armor due to the treatment nerf. I cannot get any better nanoformulas until I get a ton more IP. I can't get better weapons until I level (and rider executioners over Q125 are very hard to find). I've tried playing with the agg/def slider to no avail.

As twinked out (as everyone else seems to call it) as I am, no way a pair of yellow monsters in a 50% mission should eat me alive.

Tim

[blu789]

Level 80 adventurer
2700 AC (light tank, q125 omni pol white)
2801 HP
Q120 riders (with Q146 riders in the bank collecting dust due to multi-wield zoning bug).
250 token board
6 slot belt, 198 NCUs
Q70 first aid kits (not enough skill for Q90 w/Q125 FA implants)

Hardened / seasoned monsters are out of control in 13.xx patch.

Tim

[______________Xombie]

ABLE to solo =/= EASY to solo.
If the game were as easy to solo as it were to group, then that wouldn't make much sense, now would it?

[blu789]

Originally posted by Xombie
ABLE to solo =/= EASY to solo.
If the game were as easy to solo as it were to group, then that wouldn't make much sense, now would it?

So are you saying that I should not be able to do missions anymore? Or that I need to group to do *single* mission?

Tim

[_______________Talys]

Originally posted by TimOtholt


So are you saying that I should not be able to do missions anymore? Or that I need to group to do *single* mission?

Tim

Hehe.. Xombie is just being anal about the definition of "ABLE". Able == possible, which means if you have to zone 15 times and use 30 treatments to kill a yellow critter, you are still technically able to solo the mission. Just drag every critter back to the main room and zone/hit/heal until it's dead. All you have to do is more damage than their regen rate (which is actually not trivial after 13.0), and you are technically ABLE to solo missions.

By the same token, you COULD reach level 200 by putting together implants or AE nuking backyard leets.

[______________Yazule]

I am a 90 enforcer, can do 107 missions solo (can do 113's but then that is that able==possible scenario) with no issues at all. 2700 melee ac, 166 hammer, 130 beam, mongo bash, deflction shield, standing nano kits.


*shrug* just thought I would say it

oh and with an MA friend with me we can do 120 missions easy. (he is 95)

[Ashuras]

Originally posted by Yazule
I am a 90 enforcer, can do 107 missions solo (can do 113's but then that is that able==possible scenario) with no issues at all. 2700 melee ac, 166 hammer, 130 beam, mongo bash, deflction shield, standing nano kits.


*shrug* just thought I would say it

oh and with an MA friend with me we can do 120 missions easy. (he is 95)

AMazing.. guess we should all go play Enforcers.

ADVs are crap now.

After some analysis.. I can safely tell all people who are starting ADV characters to give up. Will explain in another thread.

[________________Lona]

I agree that soloing missions are almost impossible if you dont want to fight grey/green mobs all the time.

A game should be fun but doing those missions aint any fun at all. When i reroled my NT i could kill yellow and even orange mobs and i had a great time doing it, now at lvl 94 missions iaint any fun at all.

[______________Yazule]

I was not saying that everyone should be enforcer, or that enforcers are god, or anything like it.

Honestly all but the hammer/beam enforcers are in the same boat from talking to them. The only thing that lets me do my missions is my 1600-2200 crits. And having to rely on crits to play the game is kinda lame.

I was just telling my story like everyone else.. sorry if I offended.

[Ashuras]

Originally posted by Sickbag
I agree that soloing missions are almost impossible if you dont want to fight grey/green mobs all the time.

A game should be fun but doing those missions aint any fun at all. When i reroled my NT i could kill yellow and even orange mobs and i had a great time doing it, now at lvl 94 missions iaint any fun at all.

I actually don't mind fighting grey/greens.

Problem is.. at level 78.. sometimes 2 greens can kill me. And there are lots of such gang bang room in missions.

And a SINGLE yellow kills me too.

I am getting damm frustrated.

Yazule.... don't worry.. I'm not offended by your post.

I'm just angry at Funcom. For nerfing when there is really no need to nerf.

They don't even play their own game ... not to the levels that we do anyway.

[________________Ming]

If you don't have a high damage weapon, you're screwed in this game, period.
a) In PvP...you can't expect to beat an enforcer with capped out damage, that's hitting for 900+ AND can brawl. It's not gonna happen.
b) In PvM...well right now if you aren't using a hammer or beam you're hurting. Mob AC is absorbing all but minimum damage and mobs get double hits when they cast nano's. Funcom, you have to acknowledge the AC problem. It's not fair that we (non-atrox hammer enforcer) melee characters are screwed like this without a peep out of anyone from FC.

Advents don't get AC, hehe, I'm convinced. I've never fought an advent with my MA that didn't fall like a house of cards regardless of their AC. Maybe low evades?

[__________BestDealer]

Originally posted by MSag
...
Here is my char:

91 agent
QL 181 OET Type 77a Lovemaker (maxed shotgun and rifle skills)
Full 105-115 flowertech + hanshi cloak

607 atk buffed, 2380ac's

I tried to keep up nano skills as well, what I been suffering in is defensive skills. Have only a bit over 100 in those and this might be part of the reason for my problems but then again where am I supposed to get spare IP from to put points into 2 dark blue skills and at same time try keep nano skills up somewhat (and I'm still hurting in those)?

...
I can't imagine for 1 second that those who actually are responsible for balancing this game even plays it.

Or is this just me?

Don't worry, even maxed evades wouldn't help you. I have a level 112 Agent who I'd consider "mega twinked" with ~2600HP, an assortment of QL200 rifles and nearly ~3800 ACs, maxed evades close to ~500 each and even against GREEN MOBS that do MINIMUM DAMAGE ON EVERY SHOT they can kill me unless I re-zone. One time, I even GOT KILLED BY A GREY ENFORCER!


It's probably a good thing that I play on RK2, because on RK1 I probably wouldn't be invited to teams much and I'd probably just be an XP-mooching liability that can't pull his own weight.

On another note, my success rate for sneaking missions is abysmal. Even if I try to sneak a 50% one, ONCE SEEN I AM DEAD UNLESS I CAN RE-ZONE. Which is almost never, given the abundance of jurassic-park sized dungeon layouts at high levels.

[Takir]

Once again, I am posting to yet another thread to present my case that this is all because of a root problem.

FunCom needs to understand (and you would think from their name they would) that we play this game to have FUN!!!

I started playing AO and continued because it was really FUN. You could solo OR group...your choice. At first, I was worried about the cost of things in shops but then discovered that missions could give you the money to buy those things (as well as experience). WOW what a novel idea, I thought, FunCom has finally come up with what all the other games are missing...BALANCE.

High Prices? no prob balanced with Missions to make money.

Mission Boredom? no prob balanced with group play and ability to tailor your own missions.

Getting the picture?

But suddenly all that Balance went away and AO began looking like all the other MMORPGs.

Put it back. What we want are the promises fulfilled. Let us solo to 200 (if we want). Give us reasonable ways to make money to support our character.

We don't want EQ or UO warmed over. We have had our fill of that. What we WANT is for AO to truly be the game that was promised.

You had a great start. You got off track. That's OK we understand. Just get back on the right path and stop listening to consultants or new hires from EQ, UO, and all those other games we all left.

This is a basic philosophical issue about why people play games (and why they pay you money). Take away the FUN and I'm gone (as is the rest of your player base). Make it MORE FUN than any other game and the gaming world will beat a path to your door.

We came to AO, in spite of the bugs, because it was more FUN than any other game out there. Now you are making it just like all the rest. If you are just like all the rest, what is there to keep anyone playing your game?

Takir
Lvl 58 Doc.

[Holinor]

Hear hear...

Stop listening to people from other games... They got costumers because there was nothing else to buy. I left UO after the first month, finding the game too boring to even think about.

Now I found AO really good, but..... getting worse all the time, and that is probably because, as said, you listen to the people from the bad games, instead of keeping what was good in this game.

[________Transcendent]

The only way for me to do 50% missions at level 90 is to run them. I can fight most missions if they have only grays and maybe a few green ones (depends on the type), but if they gangbang I don't stand a chance.

And what's with those guys stacking DoTs? If they can do that, I sure as hell should be able to stack my HoTs. I don't like taking 70 damage continously while taking 100 damage each hit (their minimum damage, which btw is way to high and is sometimes more then I can hit them for). I'd like to see a level 90 mob having a minimum damage of 30 (with damage buffs running).