It’s almost always possible, in some shape or form, to play most MMORPGs in some “solo” manner. You can work through the primary story in games such as Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft with multiplayer only existing for certain battle instances. However, Mainframe Industries, the devs of Pax Dei, acknowledge these solo players—but really hope they spread their wings.
On its official blog, Pax Dei has posted an official series of tips for players who choose to play solo, starting with a long-winded dev perspective on solo players. In short, they’re an inevitable part of not only an MMORPG, but the community and cultures that grow around it.
The issue, as it’s explained, is that Pax Dei has always emphasized its gameplay’s MMO and sandbox nature in previous discussions, de-focusing from the quest-and-side-quest nature of popular ‘theme park’ MMORPGs; therefore, solo play isn’t necessarily the core intent. However, they don’t want to discourage players from doing so, and therefore, they’ve put out an article of tips to help solo players roll along smoothly.
Most of the more practical tips encourage players to branch out from the obvious and take their time in doing so. For instance, putting up a plot in an obvious area can mean fighting for resources, and overbuilding at first can take up too much time best spent learning on basics. They also insist on a lot of solo exploration, making sure these players know exactly what woodlands they’re getting into (some basic axes don’t chop certain trees!) and which enemy camps can be raided with one good, well-prepped player.
Still, at the end of things, they encourage any solo players to just interact with other people. These players don’t need to get thick into a multiplayer setting, such as joining a Clan, but saying hi and being friendly within a larger community can offer some basic kindnesses, such as local tips about nearby resources.
The final tip? “Discord is part of the meta.” It’s not incorrect, as a “sandbox” MMORPG is always changing, and news about factions, wars, and “outlaws,” as the team calls it, can help a solo player navigate the game better.
The full article gets into some of the specifics of the solo exploration tips. Have you tried Pax Dei—and was it on your lonesome?
