Yes. The game was always advertised as being more fun with friends, but rewards, although sometimes different or of different values, could take you to higher level with some dedication. Looks like it will be impossible to level up as a solo player in the future. Loved binging on new (old) 6v6 PvP but you'll never find me raiding or trialing by going to LFG's. Enjoy playing by myself without social interactions, have those all day. Just me and my weapon and the pleasure of getting good headshots. Had a cool art group of friends here but it moved to Discord for "reasons" and I lost touch. No one from that group seems to play Destiny much anymore anyway. Also, tried guided game for Nightfall, had time to fold my laundry, walk the dog, and still no game. Why? Why not have matchmaking? It doesn't require lifelong friendship, heck, it doesn't even require a mic.

I've always argued that it's your mindset and goals that make a player "hardcore" or "casual." You could log into the game 16 hours a day, but if you spend 99% of that running laps around a central hub town spamming emotes, I'd venture a guess that you're not a hardcore player. On the flip side, if you can only play an hour total every few days, but you always spend that hour grinding for upgrades or working towards min/maxing your character than you're probably a hardcore player. I haven't logged into D2 for quite a while, which sorta sucks because I did want to get those IB ornaments, but that's beside the point. What is the point though is that you're pretty spot-on regarding Bungie and their projected view of the solo player. Solo players like myself are routinely ostracized and shown to be "unwelcome" by Destiny's underlying design. Bungie's refusal to provide matchmaking for all activities, convinced in their insistence that certain activities are "too complicated/require communication," really drives the point home. Considering their stance falls squarely on the "third-party sites provide the matchmaking we won't," I'm not holding my breath for matchmade Raid activities and usually just resign myself to never seeing the inside of any current-content Raid. It's honestly kind of funny that these third-party sites are just regular matchmaking services with extra steps. The quality of player you get is a crapshoot, and far more often than not people are just looking to be carried for loot by demanding levels far and beyond what's required to complete the encounters. Despite all this, Bungie won't put in a functional chat system, a hub that can support enough random people to maybe find someone who isn't just dropping in to ID some purple hedrons, or basic matchmaking of their own, yet demand you build a Fireteam for things? It's like they don't want to admit that their top-level content just really isn't all that complicated. Bungie does not want solo players playing their game. They want groups of buddies, because groups of buddies can joke around and have a good time, distracting themselves from the severe lack of content with hilarious hi-jinks.

Solo players def aren't casual; but I can see why so many people think so. For a "social" game, there is definitely a lot missing considering this is a AAA game. Had this even had a clan social space or something it'd help. Solo players could run patrols to gather materials that the clan needed for w/e, boom. No one'd be calling them "casual" anymore. OR if this game offered more on the "RPG" side of things, solo players would likely be highly sought after to assist with endgame content because of the time we dedicate to Destiny. Instead, we're stuck between a watered down social game/ rpg, and everyone is at each others throat :/

guided games is not a disaster, but honestly, I'd rather attempt more challenging content on my own rather than this "teamwork makes the dreamwork" on the hardest, complicated, and repetitive content! who has time to find groups or magic friends who never stop playing D?

The other thing is, there's no major incentive for teamwork anyway in this franchise. In Borderlands, more players means more enemies to kill, but they also have progressively greater chances to drop better loot (i.e. with 4 people you have the maximum chance of getting legendaries). Diablo 3 does the same thing. The Division naturally encourages teamwork because it means you can tackle the hardest content for the best rewards in the game. You don't HAVE to, but it's much more efficient than soloing. Oh, and *all* of those games reward you for said efforts, and in the case of Borderlands and Diablo specifically, you technically have infinite progression via Badass Ranks and Paragon Points which are essentially Prestiege Bonuses (sort of). What do you get for getting max Light in Destiny? A slightly easier time with the current raid. Oh, yay.

Primarily a solo player here. I spend most of my time running Strikes, patrolling, and playing Iron Banner when it rolls around. I definitely don't consider myself a casual. I've been sinking hundreds of hours into Destiny since D1.

Haha I was never solo in D1, unless you liked the solo challenges which was always enjoyable. D2 I find myself solo unless it's the Nightfall. That's mainly down to the strikes in my mind being quite meh compared to D1. Don't even get me started on the D2 raid. Ran it maybe 6 times, never again. I can't even bring myself to try the raid lair :(

I don’t see an issue with matchmaking on a technical side (although I don’t know how much stress that would put on development side and I don’t know the technical side of having a matchmaking system for those activities). What I CAN say about issues with matchmaking is that if you’re in a matchmade raid, who is the fire team leader? Who chooses who gets booted for inactivity or poor performance or power level? What if they don’t have a mic? What if they’re just there to troll? Do you get checkpoints if you’re matchmaking? If so, what if someone matchmakes for fresh and they get a checkpoint at calus? You’re better off with the destiny app lfg. I know people are a bit strict and harsh, but so is the raid content. It’s hard. Not everyone can beat it. My best suggestion would be a social hub just outside of the raid with a kiosk that you can post your credentials on and other players can find you. There could also be a “looking for more” tab on the kiosk where you could post your fireteam and tell that you’re looking for x number of guardians. There’s also the fact that you’d be at a social hub with other guardians waiting for a group. But if the issue is that you’re under leveled or you’re just not experienced enough, just wait patiently for the right group. Someone will come along and post for a normal mode group that is looking for a casual run for first-timers, and odds are they’ll be looking to teach. And as you get in more and more groups, you’ll learn more and more and get better at the activities. You just have to be smart and proactive enough and have the drive to do it. And if at that point you’re still thinking it’s too inconvenient for a solo player, then you are in fact a casual. Because a hardcore solo player (like myself) doesn’t take no for an answer. I FIND a group at all costs if it takes me hours, and I beat that content no matter the costs. No matter how long it takes. If you think you’re a hardcore solo player, and you’re complaining that we don’t have raid matchmaking, then you’ve either never heard of the lfg section on the bungie app, or you’re too afraid or lazy to put forth the effort to get on one of those groups. My first ever vault of glass raid, I just flat out lied and said I’d completed it, and I faked my way all the way to atheon, and we beat him. I had no clue what I was doing, but I listened and anticipated what to do when things got rough and listened to direction from the other guys, and we succeeded. I did it because I’m hardcore and I was determined. If you can’t do what it takes to find a team and you call yourself “hardcore”, then you’re in denial. If you don’t have the patience or the drive to find a team or if you’re letting fear of social interactions get in the way of beating the content, then you’re not hardcore.

I for one whole hardedly disagree with the notion that solo players should be given “other options” for max power. I am fine with exotics, nightfalls, and certain one time activities giving up-to max power drops, but I do not support clan rewards, flash points, vendors, non-raid/trials drops, and non-exotic engrams giving up-to max power gear. They remove the driving force behind actually playing those certain activities that grant max power gear. It may not seem fair to the solo player, but by ONLY playing solo, you are limiting yourself in the first place. You’re basically saying “I wanna be as powerful as the guys who take on the hardest content, but I don’t wanna go through the work they do to get it”. I worked hard to get my raid and trials gear, and this is coming from a guy who PREFERS playing solo 99% of the time. But when that content drops, I hit that stuff hard. I grind it out harder than most. I spent over 23 hours in leviathan one day during the first week after I had run it with my group just helping people get it done while getting more gear for my guardians. Trials is the same way, I practically only go from lfg. But I do it because it’s important to me. Never once have I said “this is unfair”. I am actually glad it’s a challenge, otherwise I wouldn’t even play the game. And if being social is too much of a challenge, then you better hit the nightfall’s hard every week and grind for exotics all day. You can absolutely blow up the forums with this and try to get your way, but for every angry solo player, there is another player ready to defend the power of the endgame and the way we want it.

Bump

[quote]Can we just recognise that a large % of Destiny players are solo and play just as much if not more than players who choose to put together fireteams and run raids? No one wants fast easy progression - It's a huge issue in D2 right now. Make it harder, make it slower - BUT make sure you make it possible for solo players[/quote] Amen to this.