Spiral Knights - Soloing vs Groups

Soloing vs Groups

11 replies [Last post]

Wed, 06/08/2011 - 19:02

Rakshi

Legacy Username

I've found soloing in this game to be an enjoyable experience, I don't have to deal with certain sorts of folks, I get all the drops to myself and I can go at my own pace, I don't have to worry if I'm going too fast or too slow for everyone. I do seem to go quite a bit slower solo than in a group though, this doesn't bother me, as I'm in no rush to burn up my mist energy for the day.

My question though, is whether or not I end up with less money soloing than going through dungeons with a group. The wiki says that the money is the same, no matter the group size, though I must say, I've seen more gold coins dropping in groups than I see alone. Should I continue being a hermit or join the masses in my journeys into the clockworks?

Wed, 06/08/2011 - 22:30

jooozek

Legacy Username

Drops are random. Random is

Drops are random. Random is random. I wouldn't question that article's content, the part about the crowns was there from the start (i.e. first revision of the page) and it would be deleted if it was not true.
On the other hand, even if it was true, it would be a chump change difference in the crowns gain since i haven't noticed any significant change never and i've clocked like 12 days ingame time.
So yeah, don't let it get to you and just solo like you used to. Don't worry so much about crowns drops, since as you aleady know they are worth much less in comparison to materials.

Thu, 06/09/2011 - 01:46

Tipiak

I guess that the main benefit

I guess that the main benefit you'd gain from not-soloing is that you can join friends in the second stratum of some tier, thus getting to the most juicy part with a minimum energy investment.

Thu, 06/09/2011 - 05:16

Baines

Rakshi ~ thanks for the

Rakshi ~ thanks for the question! I am in the same boat. I typically solo what I can, trying to push the envelope a tad further each time I play to see how far I get. The main thing for me is the 'ants on a hotdog' approach a group typically takes. Too chaotic for my old brain. But in reference to your question, I haven't done any testing on it myself, but feel that I get less (marginal differences) when in a group. The larger the group, the less I feel I get. It may be a mental thing, see others actually picking it up, but I don't know. My rational on this though is that in a group, especially a PUG, everyone has a different agenda. Some are there for heat, some are there to get through it (rushers, wanting to get to 'x'), treasure seekers (me, I smash every brush I see). I just don't think a typical full group is as thorough as a solo run.

This is all speculative of course,
The Bane (IGN Baines)

Thu, 06/09/2011 - 20:26

Capellaa

I solo most of the time. The

I solo most of the time. The drops are just far better for mats. Everything else seems the same between solo and group. Except of course you can use strategy going solo. Also with only one target (you) being tracked, kiting is far far easier.

Cap

Sun, 06/12/2011 - 16:56

Gwenyvier

Heat (until there are

Heat (until there are deaths), crowns, and tokens are the same among all party members. The main differences between soloing and a group are...

Soloing:
~Pros~
You get all the mats.
Can set your own pace, nobody else to worry about.
Don't have to deal with noobs that decide to go and break every crystal block in a room at once, releasing all the enemies they're caging.

~Cons~
You die, you get to use energy to revive.
Nobody to help on difficult mobs.
Soloing honestly gets boring after a while.

Group:
~Pros~
Unless the entire party wipes your party members can revive you.
NOOBS! (they die, you rev, you get some of their heat. Nothing quite as nice as leaving a floor with 300% heat due to them dying a ton)
Assuming all party members know how to fight you can go quite a bit faster.

~Cons~
Enemies have more health as a way to balance the larger group.
NOOBS! (them not knowing how to fight and ending up getting you killed)
Mats are randomly given out. Meaning you could get all the good mats on a run, or none.
More Phantoms spawn in Graveyards. (only an issue if you have trouble with Phantoms)

~Gwen

Wed, 06/15/2011 - 14:45

BaroqueInjec

Legacy Username

Worth Soloing

I recently started playing and found that it is worth soloing as much as possible for many reasons.
1. You get a better feel for your own play style.
2. Learn to fight more effectively against certain mobs.
3. Don't have to rush to every lucky box you see because PUGs will not delegate loot. It's a free-for-all most of the time.
4. I find I die less by myself, because I'm not having to keep track of what everyone else is doing, therefore I stay in the mindset that I only have myself to rely on. It's easy to forget this little gem in groups.
5. I found it easier to wrap my mind around the way this game "cycles levels in real time" and how the gates cycle as well by soloing them.
6. All your mats are belong to me! When I am in a group, drops rarely, and I mean rarely ever go to me. And this starts to rub me the wrong way after a while, especially when I'm the one dishing out the most hurt. There ought to be an order to this, as opposed to the "random" delegation.
7. I don't have to get to a particularly hard depth or fight, only to find out my group doesn't take directions well, mostly because they don't speak English.

Groups can be fun, or have their purpose, I find it easier to clear a graveyard in a group, because the phantoms tend to focus on everyone but me. Only on tier 2 yet, and haven't joined a guild, but that's just my experience.

Listless.

Wed, 06/15/2011 - 18:25

White_spiral

Legacy Username

Its dangerous to go alone

Words spoken in the legend of zelda. Though going it solo is pretty cool being in a group is better. First of all you're less likely to be overwhelmed by the number of enemies and you'll have to worry about watching your back alot less. Plus you get ALOT more minerals. I'm not saying going alone isn't great (especially when you're feeling ballsy) but i've found grouping has more benefits.

Thu, 06/16/2011 - 10:41

LeonAlabard

Legacy Username

I personally prefer "soloing"

I personally prefer to solo my adventures, since I can set my own pace, and because of my Monster Hunter Complex: "If I can't kill it alone, I can't kill it at all". So I'm basically I need to get my personal victories before I can enjoy playing with groups.
I obviously like to play (games in general) with my friends, but I can't convince any of them to play SK, so I'm alone by default here.

Also, I have nothing against new or veteran players, since I am one of them ("new" in the case), but I just hate people that keep spamming "oh your sword is sooooo noobish get out my party you are a waste of time/energy" and "omg gimma enargis HEAL PLZ".

But, on topic, talking about rewards only, groups have more minerals but less mats (since mats are randomly given out to everybody). Everything else (crowns, heat, tokem) you will get just like a typical solo adventure.
Also, basically what @Gwenyvier said.

Thu, 06/16/2011 - 11:07

jooozek

Legacy Username

Actually about the

Actually about the overhelming bits, if anything you can be overhelmed in groups thanks to the people with ADHD running everywhere, pushing everything. When you solo you have control over whom and when you fight when its possible. Arenas certainly shove you up a fist on the third sub-arena with the gun puppies spawning. Also, one of the Dark City levels (whose name i don't remember) is especially unforgiving in that aspect.

The level has at some point the party button after which there spawns a bunch of enemies. Ok, that isnt really a problem, normal trigger, right? The street that you unravel is pretty long and has 2 normal buttons on each end. Each spawns a bunch of devilites and 2 wings. So that gets you FOUR WINGS AT ONCE AND A LOT OF DEVILITES, YOU ARE DEAD MEAT

Fri, 06/17/2011 - 11:40

#10

Gwenyvier

Dang, I forgot about the

Dang, I forgot about the extra minerals gained in a group.

Also, I've been on that Dark City jooozek is talking about with a pug group. After telling them not to hit the dang buttons because I knew what the buttons did, they, of course, rushed right over and hit both of them before even killing off the initial spawn. I promptly returned to Haven as with that group there was no possible way I'd get out of that room without spending a lot of energy.

Lesson: Kill off everything before hitting a button if you don't know what it's going to do.

~Gwen

Fri, 06/17/2011 - 13:24

#11

jooozek

Legacy Username

I once managed to get a safe

I once managed to get a safe spot with just one revive when all that mess was spawned and nothing was killed. I was killed first on the right side and the group was all killed seconds later on middle and left side. I was so pissed off that i left the group and went solo and took it slowly. Honestly, since that time i said to myself that i'll take all Dark City levels solo since they are all so cramped with mini arenas, shattering crystal block(chains). Thankfuly enough i haven't had a chance to apply this rule since that time.

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Soloing vs Groups