Soloability and End Game

I got 8 Shards plus the Ancient Nictus fragment from a 90 minute ITF this evening

GR a full paid expansion worth of content was just released with no TFs or anything that even required a team and we finally get some new high level TFs and this? All I can say is greedy and selfish much.

Have read through most of this thread, although I may have failed to take in some of the points made.

I'm a Brit who both solos and teams a lot, although I'm finding that with I19, I'm soloing an awful lot less, as alpha slotting the 22 of my 57 50s that I've decided to do would take me many years solo, whereas by hammering the ITF and LGTF I've now got 18 uncommon slotted. I didn't transfer over to the European servers because at the time I had to make the decision, I already had far too many toons I actually cared about to fit on the number of available servers.

Shard drop rate could do with looking at solo, as one toon where I needed just a few shards to complete my uncommon alpha was averaging 1 drop per 10 cleared missions doing Boreas at +0x5 no bosses (the toon was spines/fire and the psi bosses or too many psi lieuts mess him up badly). I did a rough calculation from the available drop rates, and this suggested I was unlucky (less than 1 in 10 chance of it being that bad). I've suggested before that multiplying the number of shards needed to do stuff and the drop rate by 5 would smooth this experience significantly.

Raid content is horrible as far as I'm concerned. If you play in US peak, you're probably OK, but I have never seen for example a CoP advertised in the 4 Victory badge channels I frequent in UK peak time. I've done one on Justice (my morning, Aussie peak time), and the problem is that while you can assemble 24 bodies, you have to take what people want to play, meaning we had waaay too much melee and little chance of completing it with the team we had and the mobs dropping no insps (we got the purple guy at the end and couldn't dent him). I've never done this again, and most of my SG have never done one at all. If I want to do a mothership raid, odds are that I'll have to do it at 1am my time.

ITF is definitely soloable, but I think most people who do this use a different exploit to the aggro cap one to avoid the nictus aiding Romulus.

Last night my weekly SG team of 8 ran L50 arc missions for three hours and I got 9 shards.

When I solo L50 arc missions (on double mobs) for three hours I get not one bloody shard. Zero.

I don't have an axe to grind, but IMHO that number should be 1 or 2. Or else let us buy shards for Vanguard Merits. Or something.

I have not read the entire thread but have skimmed some of the more heated arguments. My play experience has not really changed with the inclusion of the incarnate system for one reason, I play to have fun. I am still playing my lowbies which are many (Damn altitis!), I still solo tip missions for fun and A-Merits, I still run the occasional TF when real life allows and I still team up when I feel like it.

All this and I still have not experienced either the Apex or Tin Mage task forces. Am I suffering for it? certainly not. Am I benefiting from the incarnate System? Yes I am because the one or two 50's I have that have slotted the alpha boost have noticeable increases in performance which therefore increases my enjoyment.

Of course the definition of fun varies greatly from person to person but I do count myself as one of the many who still just plays the entire game as I like. I don't see any one aspect of the game as what defines what and how I spend my time in Paragon City, Pratoria or the Rogue Isles.

I have run one task force, ever, and have limited desire to change that (although I might try a Hamidon raid sometime). I play solo in large majority; or in small (2-4) groups of RP and SG 'mates.

I have not yet run any incarnate content. I look forward to opening the Incarnate slot on several of my characters. I look forward to Incarnate content I can attempt solo. I understand it will be 'slower' than in groups - so's the main game, and I'm totally okay with that.

I understand and agree with Arcanaville's assertion that group incarnate play should be 'tackled' first, and don't mind waiting. But I would appreciate the devs letting me know I'm waiting <for> something.

If all Incarnate content is to be Task Forces, I'd just like to know. It won't make me ragequit, or storm around, or yell. In fact, it'll free me up to do other things, in game, instead.

The only real concern I have with the Incarnate system is the solo/small team shard drop rate. It's horrible in light of what can be achieved on a TF. I fully accept that teaming needs to have an advantage. However I think the current drop rate gives teaming too much of one. As others have posted, if the shard requirements continue to escalate as more of the system is released and the current drop rate remains the same, it will become a ridiculous grind that will most likely put it in the "don't bother" category for a lot of soloists and small group players.

Funny thing is, I rarely solo. Usually I am grouped up with 1-3 friends. Even then, I'm lucky to see a single shard drop per play session (which for me is about 3 hours on weeknights). When I think about future slots possibly requiring dozens (or more) shards, I just think "why bother at all?" The Devs have stated they want "end game for all". I admire that goal, but I don't think they're there yet.

Team based content give the devs the biggest range of options to come up with new challenges - introverts are welcome to paly, but as they're in the minority, they can't expect that the game will be designed around soloing, with any spectacular encounters toned down to suit their play style.

Tyrant is trying to wipe out every single superpowered person in the world - it makes sens that superpowered people would join forces to fight him.
That's the whole point of Primal Earth teaming up with the Resistance - it's made clear in the game that the Resistance can't stop Tyrant on their own, and neither can Primal Earth - he's such a huge threat that it needs a trans-dimensional alliance just to stand a chance of halting him.

Might as well just hand you a shovel.

I don't want to beat the introverts with it

They just need to realize that in an MMO, there will be some team-only stuff that is very, very awesome.

It seems early to get really worried that the rest of the incarnate content will all be team-oriented just because the first piece has TFs.

Especially given that TFs are a good way to get shards, I'm not surprised TFs came out first. And really, the only thing about those TFs that is incarnate-specific is that they debuff you if you don't have an alpha slot filled, and some content that basically says that. Other than that, there's plenty to do solo with the new power the alpha gives you: respecing to take greater advantage, running at higher difficulty, etc.

I'm introverted too, but something I try to remember is that one of this game's strong points is that it appeals to a variety of people, from the hardcore AV soloers to badgers to TF fanatics to casual solo players. For it to do that, it's got to deliver for everyone, but this happens steadily over time. It's rarely given *everyone* what they wanted in any single issue.