Role playing games are by far my favorite and I have been playing FFXI Online for almost two years now. The one thing that I have noticed is that most players don't solo. They're always looking for a party. Don't get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with partying. Even I party at times. I just don't understand why someone would stand around for hours just waiting, when they could be somewhere fighting and gaining experience while they are waiting. I have actually seen players wait for eight hours or more. Don't they realize that they could have gained a level or two during that time? Do they think that soloing is too hard?
Why is everyone in such a hurry? This game goes on and on, so why not take your time and just enjoy it? After all, it is just a game.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a true soloer. Think about it for a moment. When you are on your own all you have to worry about is yourself. You can do whatever you want, go where ever you want, fight any way you want, and only worry about keeping yourself healed. You have no one that you need to converse with, so this gives you more time. You can fight, fight, and fight some more! You will be totally surprised how much fun this can be and how much exp you will gain.
When going out on your own you just need to be careful where you go. Go where you can fight easy preys and decent challenges. Pull one mob at a time and keep your eyes open. It is important to take your time and not be in a hurry. Always keep yourself healed in between fights. Don't take chances. I know it takes time to heal, but it is much better than keeling over and losing all that exp.
Final Fantasy has made it even easier to solo and gain exp. They increased the amount that you get from mobs and they have also added field manuals by the outposts. These manuals give you five pages to choose from. When you complete a page you receive an equal amount of gil and exp (plus what you gained out on the field) along with tabs which are ten percent of the exp. You can use the tabs at the field manual to purchase certain food items and get buffs. Utilize these field manuals and have a blast while you're doing it!
There is one thing about soloing that you will notice and that is your skills (with the exception of magic) don't go up much. That is because the mobs you are fighting need to be stronger. I don't worry about this because I know that they will go up when I am partying.
You can learn a lot from soloing. You will become better in every aspect of the game. Learning from soloing will make you a much better partier. Oh, and don't have too much fun now, LOL!
