Just wondering... (End Game) Very Long Post ; ;

[Ecks]

Ya know..

I hear a lot about high level NM/HNM camping and the stuff that can go on and how chaotic things can get. Silly things like not being able to help a friend because they are part of a different competing LS getting you booted from a LS (yes that is reffering to a post in the FB i read). Things of this nature just seem silly to me. So.. I have to ask.

Why can't one participate in doing these "events" while not having to "belong" to one said group? I for example have friends all over the place in this game, of varied levels and skill.

My current main LS has been together for a long time. We've gone through atleast 3 different linkshells total, due to leaders who had stopped playing. We don't do HNMs and we dont do gods, mostly because our member range is diverse. While we do have a few of us older members who are lvl 60+ now. We also have newer members whom we've befriended and helped out when possible. Some of the newer members don't stop in but from time to time to ask questions and talk for a little bit. In short its kinda like an ingame family, and I don't think I could just say goodbye to them and join some big competative LS that does gods/hnms and the like, even though id very much like to experience these things as I am coming up on them.. slowly but surely.

I've made friends in other LinkShells like BigFunII for example. A great bunch of people they are, but even so it just feels a little wrong not being with the people ive known for even longer. I got to know a lot of the BF crew as I used to join them on thier weekly Eco-Warrior runs. Those were a lot of fun, and every eco run ended in success.. well sometimes there were casualties.. but it was all a good and fun experience. We always made sure everyone got the (key)items needed. Even with all that though after the events I generally said my goodbyes and switch back to my main LS. I still wave and pop in every so often to see what's up, but its odd the way just one LS can feel like "home".

Anyway.. rambling..

Is wrong to want to be able to do all the endgame things, but not be confined to any one LS? All the "rules" I see and hear about are mostly rediculas(sp?). I understand the reason they are there.. but as a person with friends in many places.. Why should I choose one and bind myself to their rules and stipulations. I don't want to ruin friendships with people that I respect due to some silly HNM "code" but I do want to have the experiences of fighting such monsters.

I can see how this would seems suspicious, I suppose. But why can't I enjoy an experience with a multitude of people? Thats what this game is really all about anyway. Playing with different people in exp parties for example as let me see the different ways people tend to play thier jobs. Granted im usually focused on doing my part, but after 60+ levels on main job and several other jobs being leveled, not to mention playing since Day 1 of NA launch; you kinda have time to notice things like that. You notice how a rdm is really doing, when you're last to get refreshes.. but they still manage to keep you and everyone else refreshed while debuffing and even tossing in some heals on the side (im talking in the 40's here too) I've seen it, ive had those with real talent in some of my parties. It's this kind of talent I wouldn't have otherwised noticed, and not just from a rdm, but any Job that does a really amazing job. You can gain a "Now that's how it should be played" perspective, I've met my share of really great players of well.. all jobs quite frankly. This much I can be thankful about not being in a exp static. It lets me party with new people all the time, and sometimes the same players (which is good when they are good players).

So why then, can't I experience the end game content in the same manner? Different people, different experiences, different play styles: I want to experience these as well. I just don't see that possible if you stick with just one group of people and do the same things over and over with them. I'm not even going to go into some of the silly BS that's spawned over these things because of their "rules", that would be more Flame Board material than anything.

Is there anyone else who shares the same frame of mind on these 'events", or perhaps someone who does maybe do this? Those with HNM experience your thoughts would be appreciated, but id rather this try to stay a discussion/debate topic if possible. That means no uneccisary proking comments.. unless perhaps intellegently put in a less provoking manner. :twisted:

I have no experience with HNMs as of yet, I don't see myself as close to even really ready untill i hit lvl 70 atleast, but I'd like to see what opinions this may spawn. I've asked several questions, though they are all really the same. Feel free to quote/respond to whichever parts you like, infact that would be helpful.

Thank you for your time and sorry this post is so long. The thought's been lurking in my mind and I finally decided to let it out.
I may add more to this, as it's too late right now. I'll check back tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Skaw]

Well, people recruit others into their god/hnm/dynamis shells, expecting them to be there to help.

When they show up helping out an opposing group of people, it's like they're breaking a contract they made with the other group. Granted, some leaders need to lighten up about members doing things with other shells(ahem, dynamis) when it could just be that member making up for missing an event(Dynamis again) because of RL issues. As long as it doesn't conflict with the next entry period, it shouldn't be a concern.

As well, as long as you aren't helping someone elses LS against something your own is after, or are ditching your LS when they need members, it shouldn't be an issue.

A realization that the game is basically an elaborate chat room, where people have more friends than you know about, and others want to spend time with them, is really needed on people who want to own other players to boost their egos/pockets/whatnots.

 

[Bajaratt]

I don't think that your plan would work. the main reason is that a bunch of people would feel that you're leeching off a bunch of linkshells at once. There have been people who go from hnm ls to hnm ls, only staying long enough to get something and then moving onto another one. All the rules are there to ensure some kind of loyalty, large in part due to the kind of behavior I mentioned. I'm sure most people would be loyal even without these rules, but there has been enough people abusing a shell's trust to do without them.

However, just because you are in one hnm ls, doesn't mean you can't have friends in others. I have friends in OH, RevolutionESP, Ascensionz, SoraNoHi, BoL, and several other's I'm too lazy to mention.

Being in competing hnm shells hasn't really put a great deal of strain on those relationships. Everyone understands that you might be competing with each other for a couple hours every now and then, but you can still get along just fine. We still party together, do other things like dynamis, and even talk in /tells while we're CCing each other sometimes. If one of my friends in another shell outclaims me, I'm not pissed about it; I'll give a congrats after they get the kill.

I'm not to sure about helping people in another ls when you won't be CCing your ls. I wouldn't think it would happen that often, so I don't know what would happen. I wouldn't think it'd be a big deal as long as you don't abandon or work against your ls at the same time.

Basically, join a hnm ls that you like, your friends in other shells won't hate you if you're in another shell. Other than that, I doubt a lot of endgame shells would let you bounce back and forth.

 

[Sethala]

Well, unless your LS gets into the major "competing" endgame activites (HNMs, gods, etc), you really should have no problem being in that LS as well as the HNM/god/dynamis LS of your choice.

Like Skaw said, as long as you being in your own LS isn't conflicting with the other LS, you shouldn't have a problem. Unless of course one of the LS leaders is a big jerk and won't let you join any other LS period, in which case you say something that I really shouldn't say in this forum to that leader and quit his/her LS.

 

[Bajaratt]

Well, unless your LS gets into the major "competing" endgame activites (HNMs, gods, etc), you really should have no problem being in that LS as well as the HNM/god/dynamis LS of your choice.

Like Skaw said, as long as you being in your own LS isn't conflicting with the other LS, you shouldn't have a problem. Unless of course one of the LS leaders is a big jerk and won't let you join any other LS period, in which case you say something that I really shouldn't say in this forum to that leader and quit his/her LS.

I didn't even think about that part. Most hnm/gods ls's want you to be in there the majority of the time, so that they can get people if they need them asap. You can still be part of a social ls though. I have a social LS that I go into fairly often.

 

[Veteran]

Yeah, once you're in an endgame LS, you can do anything you want with people from other endgame LSs short of farming for god pop items in Sky, camping HNMs, and fighting gods, for the most part.