Is this a social game?

[GriffnX-KT]

Returning player here.

I just got back into this game and am curious to see how it is in 2018.
One thing I realized is that I am lonely as heck in this game.

Every opportunity I have attempted to say hello, and interact with those around me. Not once has there been a need to connect and incentify any sort of comradary. 
People seem really disconnected and don't want the social interactions or to play together.
I'm a level 72 chanter, group dungeons I've had to skip because there is no one joining the party.

So whats your take? Do you have meaningful interactions later in the game?
I went asmo to be the underdogs and to go hard at pvp. I thought there could be a great community that comes together for a common goal.
So far my experience is this is a solo game where you hit stuff over and over to level up and get gear, that's about it.

[StarWebIcarii-KT]

Well, sadly this is the reality of AION now. I am the only one playing since all my legion friends left and I'm always playing solo since the last two updated/paches. I started playing since the beginning in 2009 and I was in love with this game and I'm enduring this last "big" update but I don't think I will for long. I cannot join any groups I do not even ask to anymore, I already know the answer.

I must add that I'm a PvE and I do not like PvP so being playing this game for so long means that I really like Aion! Lately, most of the players want only gear up and zerg lover or not geared up players. I think it gives them lots of fun.... and it's fine by me but it also dump my fun and makes me think that it's time for me to leave.

I think NCSoft should advertise Aion as a PvP "only" game because now it is just that and it is right for the gamers who like this kind of game will/should fight between them all together.

Okay, I have finished complaining, as some will say. No need to tell me to find another game and to leave....being told that so many times and I'll be careful when I will leave not to let the door to hit me!

[Bryos-DN]

16 minutes ago, StarWebIcarii-KT said:

 I am the only one playing since all my legion friends left and I'm always playing solo since the last two updated/paches. I started playing since the beginning in 2009 and I was in love with this game and I'm enduring this last "big" update but I don't think I will for long. I cannot join any groups I do not even ask to anymore, I already know the answer.

Well, thats the problem. You are playing on an inactive legion. Each server has several active legions which would take similarly thinking people. But if you are stuck alone, unwilling to meet new friends, of course the experience will be less enjoyable.

[Kailor-DN]

If your legion is inactive, perhaps it's time to find a new legion. Most of the time, I'm typing in legion chat, checking my quests, making sure I don't need to go to the warehouse, etc... in town so, not watching the "say" chat at all. Out in the world, I'm fighting and following the map, not watching except for legion chat.

So it isn't me being unfriendly, it's me being busy doing in game things.

As for groups, I see them all day, in LFG, looking for either anyone or certain classes, not caring who you are as long as you can run the instance.

[Shirayuki-DN]

I don't even have normal chat enabled  if anything people just whisper

[Wesker-KT]

1 hour ago, Kailor-DN said:

As for groups, I see them all day, in LFG, looking for either anyone or certain classes, not caring who you are as long as you can run the instance.

m8, that is the biggest bs I have ever heard about this game in it's current update. You must be as disconnected as the people the OP mentioned.
At any point in time I am online there is at most 2 groups in LFG or none. And when there are those 1 or 2 groups, you bet your ass they care about and look for certain gear already + candy.

"not caring who you are as long as you can run the instance" lol in an alternate dimension sure.

Unless you been paid to falsely advertise the game, stop feeding the poor false hope.

[Squid]

15 minutes ago, Wesker-KT said:

m8, that is the biggest bs I have ever heard about this game in it's current update. You must be as disconnected as the people the OP mentioned.
At any point in time I am online there is at most 2 groups in LFG or none. And when there are those 1 or 2 groups, you bet your ass they care about and look for certain gear already + candy.

"not caring who you are as long as you can run the instance" lol in an alternate dimension sure.

Unless you been paid to falsely advertise the game, stop feeding the poor false hope.

server + timezone makes a big difference however this being said you see lots of CoE runs but not much of anything else.

[Kailor-DN]

Maybe try being on when the majority of the people on your server are on. No there isn't a group for much at 3AM server time but, if I get insomnia and play then, I don't expect anyone to be up at that gawd awful hour. all day I see FM, CoE the most but, there are others unless seige or Evergale is running - but then you can do those if they are.

[LakeFever-DN]

On DN Asmo side mostly everyone is social, I myself am a returning player been since launch I stopped playing the last two years but wanted to try out this patch as it reminded me of the old katalam map days. You might not see much chatting in /s in town, but when you are out in open world doing the camps for crystal alot of people will talk and warn you if any enemy is around or they will thank you for a buff or heal. If you are a part of an active legion that is where most people communicate.

[Aly-DN]

First, level to 80. It's pretty quick. You can do it with the coffin buff (which is still up, btw) and doing your weekly and daily lunas. You can even afk them if you don't feel like actually playing them.

Then you need to find a legion. There are usually legions that advertise as "casual" or "social". Avoid the ones that advertise as "hard-core" or "PvP".. for now. There is no reason why you have to stay in a legion forever. While you are learning the game or are undergeared, join a legion that is more open to questions and teaching. 

Don't fall into the "they won't take me so I won't apply" trap. You have to keep putting yourself out there. Cold whispering people doesn't work often. It's a little freaky to get a whisper from someone you don't know that says, "Hi! Can I be your frieeeeeeeeeeeeeeend?" Not that you would do that, but you can see what I mean. Run things with people as often as you can. Join siege alliances and participate. See how people post in LFG. Look for legion recruits for more casual legions and whisper those people.

Once you find a legion, things look up considerably.

Best of luck.

[Aenema-DN]

It's not. Everybody solo quest and they group only if needed. I see no ppl making parties for instances and be at a legion is useless, except siege. 

[Aly-DN]

1 hour ago, Alva-DN said:

It's not. Everybody solo quest and they group only if needed. I see no ppl making parties for instances and be at a legion is useless, except siege. 

Um. Is joke, yes?

Everyone is not solo. Legions do group together. And the one time where you don't need a legion is sieges.

[Rapier-DN]

It's not a joke. Maybe it's better on the asmo side, but if you don't have a static, then aside from COE groups, it can be extremely difficult to find a group that does not want to take a chance on anyone without experience for any instance after that for PVE.

So yes, a lot of people end up playing the game solo aside from siege, even if they're in a legion.

[Aly-DN]

So find a casual/social legion! The best place to find groups is within a legion.

Or start one! Advertise as casual for those who have been solo for too long.

[Arlyce-DN]

everyone has raised some good points but the reality is we live in the age of voice chat. alot of the time if i dont hear the whisper notification i wont even look at the chat box. People always assume they are being ignored when actually they aren't.

Discord. Get it. So you dont have to focus on typing/reading.

[Rapier-DN]

4 hours ago, Aly-DN said:

So find a casual/social legion! The best place to find groups is within a legion.

Or start one! Advertise as casual for those who have been solo for too long.

Casual/social typically means almost never on OR bad OR not really interested in progression

I understand you're trying to encourage people, however in reality the game from the point of view of a DPS is can be very  different from a healing class sometimes or even a tank, and on a faction basis.  Incidentally, that's not even unique to Aion.

[Gwin-DN]

It's true the AION is this now, but I believe that this change happened because of the new versions of the game. AION gradually changed the culture of the game and it stopped encouraging the formation of groups to focus on individuality of the player.

[Mirelium-KT]

On 11/10/2018 at 3:47 AM, StarWebIcarii-KT said:

Well, sadly this is the reality of AION now. I am the only one playing since all my legion friends left and I'm always playing solo since the last two updated/paches. I started playing since the beginning in 2009 and I was in love with this game and I'm enduring this last "big" update but I don't think I will for long. I cannot join any groups I do not even ask to anymore, I already know the answer.

I must add that I'm a PvE and I do not like PvP so being playing this game for so long means that I really like Aion! Lately, most of the players want only gear up and zerg lover or not geared up players. I think it gives them lots of fun.... and it's fine by me but it also dump my fun and makes me think that it's time for me to leave.

I think NCSoft should advertise Aion as a PvP "only" game because now it is just that and it is right for the gamers who like this kind of game will/should fight between them all together.

Okay, I have finished complaining, as some will say. No need to tell me to find another game and to leave....being told that so many times and I'll be careful when I will leave not to let the door to hit me!

Well if you are in a dead legion, you won't find too much activity. Why not change the legion. if your friends get back you can always rejoin the legion you are in currently. there are a few active legions around, and i wouldn't say game isn't social. i guess it depends. some legions are social on discord, some in legion chat. some ppl only speak in legion chat, while others will troll in lfg (yeah i know trolling is not a social thing) but it can make you laugh sometimes. AION DRAMA FTW!. I feel you i play Aion on NA since it became free2play. Just because someone wants to get geared, doesn't mean they are not social. I strive to get better gear but i still talk with ppl, make jokes, discuss real life issues (true though i mostly do that in legion chat.)

 

 

On 11/10/2018 at 2:44 AM, GriffnX-KT said:

Returning player here.

I just got back into this game and am curious to see how it is in 2018.
One thing I realized is that I am lonely as heck in this game.

Every opportunity I have attempted to say hello, and interact with those around me. Not once has there been a need to connect and incentify any sort of comradary. 
People seem really disconnected and don't want the social interactions or to play together.
I'm a level 72 chanter, group dungeons I've had to skip because there is no one joining the party.

So whats your take? Do you have meaningful interactions later in the game?
I went asmo to be the underdogs and to go hard at pvp. I thought there could be a great community that comes together for a common goal.
So far my experience is this is a solo game where you hit stuff over and over to level up and get gear, that's about it.

Well you should first level to 80. You won't find grps for instance below 78 (CoE). and replace the Lakrum gear with Coe as soon as possible, if you want to go in other instances, beside CoE and Mirash Sanctum.
 Now regarding to social part, as i said above, being in an active legion is important. people don't speak in /say channel. it's not that people are disconnected, it's a side effect of Aion. Almost every time a random guy/gal said hello to me in /say or /whisper it was followed by "can you give me x kinah for ......?" so people are not paying attention to /say anymore. I'm pretty sure that you can find a few nice legions on asmo side. you might have to check a few and find the right place for you, according to your interest and your personality.
 

 

Lot's of Love

[GenericUser7319]

For me, Aion is a social game.  When you are in a good legion or in a good group, it's a lot of fun.  I spent a good deal of time solo during 4x and 5x, because I did not join groups or legions, or ask legionmates for help. 

[Vantheria-DN]

I don't know, I won't do anything solo. I hate playing by myself. I won't do Mirash lol. I afk Luna. Anything I have to do by myself, I don't like it. I am almost always in a group of some sort.

It's just a matter of perspective. As @Aly-DN said, you have to keep putting yourself out there. But you also have to be willing to actually put forth an effort to do a good job. For example, if you aren't willing to use a transform scroll, the rest of the group is going to see you as someone who doesn't care about the success of the group.