Raid vs grouping/solo

[Scalewulf]

Recently I did a short stint with a Elemental Guild and found it completely unsatisfying.  Which left me with the question, are there others out there that find the raiding life boring as hell, not to mention laggy as hell.  

I have no beef with anyone that loves raiding, I'm just wondering if there are people out there that have a distaste for it like myself.  

Conversely, I'm much more "in" the game and busy in a LDoN group or soloing than I am at a raid.  And to be honest, I kind of felt like a Fero, Paragon, SD bot.  And failed to find the drive to want to continue to do it on a daily basis.  

I just enjoy LDoN groups and Soloing SO entirely much more than raiding I doubt that I'll give it a try again (elemental types of raiding guilds).  

Also, conversely, it seems to me that it would be very easy to hide a so-so type player in a 72 person raid (unless he is a total-fugg-up).  As opposed to grouping in LDoN.  I mean, you really see who is worth their salt in one of these dungeons.  

Anyway, just wanted to find out if I was alone in these thoughts or if there are others out there that can't stomach raiding more than 2-3 times a week.

peace,

:wink:

[Skrunch]

I am with you 110%

Been in a heavy raid guild, hell been in a couple of them.  Finally I decided that this heavy dedication was just not for me.  It was not fun and I found myself creating anon unguilded alts just so I could get away and enjoy the game.  I have since helped start a guild of people who feel the same way and I am having the best time in EQ since I started playing.

[Kaspur]

I'm just getting into raiding and have to say it's a nice diversion. Granted we are not a hard core raiding guild (at NToV) but taken in moderation it's fun. I wouldn't want to do 24/7 though.

Soloing is boreing as hell after 65 levels of it and LDoN COULD be great but all the adventures I've been in have been nothing but races to get done as fast as possible. I'd like it if LDoN was really more like a dungeon crawl than the Indy 500 time trials.

[Scalewulf]

I know what you're saying about the race mentality with LDoN, I've experienced it like that and casual.

The funny thing is, the more DPS you have, the more casual it is.  

Put together a group last night with Myself, another 65 bst, a 64 Monk, 65 wizzy, 62 wizzy and 65 cleric.  I was MT.  lol - the pure casters were skeered and the 65 wizzy admitted to having evac memmed.  But we cleaned house though and it was nice and relaxed for everyone but the monk who had to pull almost nonstop.  

I think it really depends on the make-up of the group and whether or not you are melee heavy, caster heavy or the puller.    :wink:

[Kaspur]

I'll admit that all but the very first adventure (only one I've failed) were very good groups (half were pick ups, others friends).

Cleric's got so bored on most of them they were tanking as well. Groups are generally all level 65's and skilled in their class so there was generally no finess at all.

Basicly a 6 person zerg rush into the room and kill everything in sight. Nice experience I guess and kind of a rush the first few times but hard to get worked up over doing them all the time.

[Noriko]

I am an ex-raider.  Raiding life has too much pressure and requires way too much time.  Most raid guilds ask their members and applicant to not treat EQ and their raid life as a game, that it requires serious commitment and real life sacrifices.

That was too much for me.  After a full day of work and screaming baby, last thing I need is another commitment in my life.  Fun is what I seek.  Day-in-day-out raiding is not fun.

[Soriab]

I love to raid personally, I also love to group/duo/solo Tradeskills are getting there (shadowscream "scream" aptly named). If I get tired of raiding I log and read a book or call raids off and we all relax, like tonight most everything is dead so we went to complete a quest for a guild member and I loged.

It also helps when your one of the main raid leaders ;)

[Bulge]

I am now raiding a lot, since we are in the proces of flagging in PoP. Mostly the lower flags, and I think it's great fun, since with this sort of Raid you get a bonus everytime: the flag. Well, unless you already have it.  Raiding every day however would be as boring as grinding every day. BUt something like the AGnarr fight, I thought was awesome. I had never been in BoT anyway and I was impressed with the whole setup and quest. Agnarr was a sight to behold.

I always try to do different things and Raiding is just one of  those things. Apart from the multiboxing I do, which is either grinding or dungeoncrawling(fun!), I also have evenings where I take my druid and simply go on a Tour of the World, visit old places, maybe take a peek (with superior camo) into places I have never been yet (and those are MANY, even after almost 5 years of playing) and do overall silly stuff, like see if any Names are up in....Blackburrow! ;)

Keeps the game fresh.

Raiding 24/7 would burn me out fast.

[Man0warr]

Theres 2 types of raiding guilds, each server has each kind, theres always one on each server that raids 7 days a week, 8 hours a night, Brotherhood of the Spider on my server, then theres guild im in, just 5 days a week or so, maybe for 3-4 hours a day, depending if its weekend or not, Of course we're only in EP and they have been done with Time for awhile but  i couldnt handle 55 hours a week to EQ tho, especially with a job/college now - but on the flipside, if i'm not raiding, im not playing, ive done everything else in the game.

[Scalewulf]

No offense, but that's a pretty big statement to make - "ive done everything else in the game".  


If you truly have, grats to you.  That, in and of itself, is a huge accomplishment and I don't think I'll ever be able to say that.

[Bulge]

Ok, ManoWar, just a little checklist then, for starters!

1) Have you done the Shining Star of Light quest? It's an ancient quest that originates in Qeynos and involves honeycombs, Kizzie Mintop and much more.

2) Have you fallen to your death in Eastern Wastes of the cliff that leads to Kael?

3) Lastly, did you ever dive from the waterfall in Blackburrow......and *missed* the water....?!

;)

[TheOriginalGronker]

I guess there are alot of people that actually enjoy raiding - my experiences with raiding have always been of frustration and in the end, feeling like I've waisted my time (like I'd rather farm orc pawns or something).  Dealing with so many people at once, many of whom are annoying personalities, and being restricted from trying "different things" top the list.  The waiting, the wiping for no reason, and the lack of discipline thats plagued my experiences have left me with a sour taste.  True, many raiding guilds run like a machine, but those are few and far between and still come with the rest of the baggage anyways.

Once I wrapped my head around "I dont need a +200hp item in every slot" the desire to raid, for me, was pretty much dead.  Happy with the vast amount of content out there that was rewarding for me, especially once LDoN came out, I've stuck with a small group of like-minded people and have had an absolute blast working on "everything and anything".

ymmv

[Bulge]

The waiting, the wiping for no reason, and the lack of discipline thats plagued my experiences have left me with a sour taste.

Yup, that's how it used to be, also with Scarlet Sun. :) Not anymore though, since the Guild has progressed beyond that, and now buffs the entire raid within 5 minutes (that's where levels 65 with 150 AA average, MGB and a bucketload of Raid experience comes in), no more people that screw up, and wipe only when we try some big Boss for the first time, like the Emp in SSRA or now with the flagging bosses in the planes.

A wipe now takes all of 15 minutes to recover from: again, having 8 level 65 clerics in the Raid, all with epics, that all know what they are doing helps alot.  When you die in the Raid you are resurrected AND buffed to full again in 2 minutes: without having to ask for a single buff. We have done 2-3 flags in a single evening, and something like the Agnarr cycle, including a wipe because it was the first, took all of 2 hours, from start to succesfull finish. Raid takes off 5 minutes after the announced time: buffed and well.


Sure, it's still way different then a good ol' dungeon crawl, but the things  we are raiding now is as thrilling to me as any crawl: I can assure you that nothing in my long years of EQ compared to meeting Agnarr, the Stormlord for the first time. The music, the huge God pounding his huge staff on the ground with thunder rolling, great stuff. I am not saying it is "better" then other experiences you can have in EQ, like a good solocrawl or group crawl, but it's out there with the best stuff that you can experience in EQ. Even though I am not really a Raiding person per se and do not covet to walk around in 1600 AC and 8k HP, I feel priviliged and proud that I can be part of these events and would have never thought I would.

Gronk, sometimes you REALLY make it sound as if YOU are the only one who knows how to play Everquest to the fullest and enjoy it the best. And I simply had to answer here, since you were obviously referring to Scarlet Sun with your "sour" experience.  :)

Oh, and all the annoying people have left the Guild by now.  :wink:  

PS that was a joke: I actually like Gronk. :D

[Skullet Crossbones]

I fell off that damn cliff heading to kael just last month for the first time ever and i have been playing eq since september of 2000. And on top of that i didnt have any bat wings and my corpse was stuck halfway up the valley wall and i had to get a chanter to come over and give me levitate. And on a similar note i thought i could live through the drop in the overthere falling into the giant pit that howling stones is in.......well i didnt and my wife still hasnt let me live that one down. :oops:

[Noxdowne Draggout]

I think it depends on where you are in your EQ career.

I have been in guilds that never raided. I have been in guilds that never really tired to get guild exp groups going.

I have been in guilds that 10% of the time actually had the leadership in place to get an activity going.

I have been a raid leader and officer in guilds that did one raid a week and went all out.....for one night.

What do I like about a raiding guild?

Man o man I am busy.

I know I can log on and have something to do every night that I want that "pressure".

I know I can lay on the couch and relax watching TV when I don't.

I play to do something.

I hate soloing now.

I hate /ooc 65 Beastlord LFG ....can 65% slow if needed too.

I love seeing the guild MOTD and knowing what my job is that night.

Nox