...when do I NOT go solo?

I haven't really adventured in earnest with a party for at least a month. I was tired of not knowing the IMF well enough and getting slammed by the rockets so I joined a random group and watched and learned. Since then, I showed a Steam friend the Snarbolax but have been doing solo runs almost constantly. First it was running the Emerald Sun T2 with the 4 arenas, and now it is the Amber Bishop's Beast themed stratum 5. Boy, do I love it. All the mats - mine. I even found a Virulisk Mask in a treasure box. 4*, no unbinding costs, so it sold for more than most 4* items. I've gained lots of Monster Bones, Bushy Tails, Beast Scales, Warp Dusts, Chroma Tears, Drake Scales, and even a couple Dragon Scales and a Primal Ore. Probably my highest influx of crowns yet in this game.

Challenging? With a Mighty Cobalt set and a Levi, stratum 5 beast is not so bad. As long as you're not bitten by the alphas, you have a good chance of survival. I die maybe once every 3 runs due to either disconnecting or getting inflicted with Freeze in an awkward spot. It's the same with most other monsters; I'll say if you like soloing but can only afford to make one 5* item, go with a Leviathan Blade first. Its charge makes it useful for crowds, and its normal damage ensures it's not weak to any monster groups in particular. I haven't really done stratum 6, but if the new gate has a good stratum 6, I'll probably go a few deeper than Basil.

I haven't played with randoms in over a month, and most of the people I do play with are only online once or twice a week, so I normally solo.

Apart from the run taking longer, it's a lot easier to play when I can accurately predict what any give monster is going to do. If I walk up to a retrode, it's going to try and swipe at me, not laser the guy behind me. The monsters are all chasing me, so they'll clump together if I move in a circle around them. The turrets are all firing in my direction, so I can guess where the bullets are going to go.

I know that nobody with a sword is going to push a monster before my pulsar blast hits it, so the knockback direction won't change - I carefully place my shots so that a monster will be directed into specific locations, such as the path of the rest of the clip, or a corner. I know that nobody with a pulsar is going to throw a monster into my face - or away from my face right as I commit to a charge attack - when I recognise that my sword is more appropriate, I don't want the monsters to suddenly move because of outside forces

And the only real drawbacks are that the run takes longer, I get less minerals and death is more dangerous - but I die less when I'm playing solo. In teams, I know when I can risk taking hits, or when I should risk taking hits, and because I'm willing to take those risks, there are times when I die. In solo, I don't take those risks, and I know what's going to happen at any given time.

Also when soloing, nobody complains if I stop for a moment to do something else (I have good enough etiquette to not do this in team play, but I know I can get away with it solo); likewise, I don't have to wait for other players who do the same. Last night, a friend I was playing with stopped to chat over steam every 30 seconds or so - you can tell when it happens, when somebody pulls up the steam overlay they go into that animation that plays when they're browsing a shop (Air computer! taptaptaptaptap)

Soloing is a bore for me. Granted that since I use a vortex-brandish combo, combined with the enemies low health, I generally one-hit most waves.

I much prefer randoming and teaching weaker players or seeing the strategies of some of the veterans out there.

Also when I go with randoms, I almost always get some sort of compliment on the vortex-brandish combo so e-peen boost there, =p.

The one time I dislike running with others is when enemies have a ranged attack. Retrodes and the spiny green slimes are the worst for this. I can wipe a jelly Danger room with green spikeys easily by myself, but with others they make the slimes shoot and the whole arena ends up being a storm of spikes. Retrodes have the same kind of effect, random explosions from their beams everywhere.

I've been soloing more and more, especially since I went bomber. It's one thing to wade into the enemies with swords swinging, but bombing takes a slightly subtler approach that I notice a lot of people don't understand.

I think if they could see the damage done by AoA, they would give me my room to light stuff up before they go running in a triggering. The JK16/top-left room is a perfect example. I can carve a small hole in the wall, run in and drop a bomb...then run out. As the jellies and lumbers bounce out, kill em with more bombs, charge swords or guns....and save the gun puppies for last. It takes like...30 more seconds than charging in, but there's seldom any rezzing, or even damage taken at all.

The other half of that is doing a bomb-kiting run and having either a teamie run the wrong direction or knock a mob into my path with a Leviathan. As I'm wearing a Mad Bomber helm...I die. :(

So this is why I like soloing.

Lots of running and charging, I bet. heheh. Decent CTR stuff, A Divine Avenger and a Leviathan/CIV could do about anything needed in an arena. The more I play, the more I see that swinging a sword to it's maximum combo is a horrible idea, but charge attacks are where it's at.

You'd have to tool your armor well as well. In T3, normal damage armors aren't very necessary anymore, so I would suggest a Volcanic/Ironmight shield, one piece of Vog for speed, and one piece of..what is it? Blessed? The evolution from Elemental that comes with a halo on the helm. Either that, or Gray Feather.

That's what I need to work on now. :\

if i have time i go solo, more money for me!

Well they shoot maybe around 120 degrees (of the full 360 circle) worth of bullets in T3, but as long as you're far away you can go between them and if you're close, you shield them. Otherwise just run around them. Remember you are much faster if you're not shielded. If you hit them with knockback (charge or 3rd hit, for the Calibur line), it stops their attacks. If you curse them, they die pretty fast. Hiding behind gates in the Clockwork tunnels is helpful as well.

Crazzywave said:
if i have time i go solo, more money for me!

Don't all the knights in a party receive the same number of coins, regardless of who picked them up?

@Globosa: Yeah. A party of four doesn't split the crowns, heat, or materials four-ways, its given in full to all members of a party.

I solo a lot, mainly cause I'm used to how much it takes to kill enemies with one person in a party, often taking hits in party play because I forget that monster health scales. :P But it does make some levels a bit more annoying. You learn to deal with it after a while.

Graveyard = Free reign with Blitz Needle, less phantoms, no other players knocking enemies back.
Roarmulous Twins = less noobs "accidentally" hitting switches

I either go with a random party in non-boss gates, or with a guild run on the boss gates.
But there are times where I am pissed off by the random noob fooling around in the party that I just continue on my own, and there is where the fun begins.
In T2, anything gets sliced with two swings of my Combuster or my Acheron, and I own the Wolver Dens with my Nitronome ;D

I know you get less heat and minerals in general but you can do the levels in your own pace and it gives you a general peace of mind.
Having said that, I still prefer the company and the relative safety of a party.

Do you ever wear armour from the Wolver line, just for the sake of being a LONE WOLVER?

Forgot to answer this.

I put on a Justifier Hat and Fencing Suit and I'm the Lone Ranger.

However, I don't use the Callahan anymore. I've since hung it up the trusty revolver for a Blitz Needle.

when i do t1 run (idk y i would but i do :P) i tend to go solo unless i got a t1 friend tht want to git t2 so i will take them to moorcroft but i cant do t2 solo in t2 i usual go with 2-4 party members :P

i do better in solo runs for some reason, my guess is because i control aggro. i can do an entire run without dying solo, but i'll die 3-4 times in 1 arena with a pug for some reason.

most successful run was the 1 time i fought vana solo. and i didn't die :P

~Spag