faction vs no faction

Miugre - Heavens Tear

Okay... Gasoline let me first say that the following is not a criticism of you, just of some general principles. Primarily: any statement that begins with "you NEED a faction for..." is a lie, unless that statement ends with "TW." Anything else, you can still get a party for. Granted, it may not be as fast, but you can still get one.

The benefits of being in a faction are that you can find help faster and have a close-knit group of people you can call on... the other side of that coin being, they could call on you too. There's nothing wrong with that, per se. Particularly if you're playing alone (offline, I mean), a faction can enhance the sense of community a game offers.

The thing I disagree with... and the primary reason I remain factionless to this day... is the idea that factions are necessary or important to gameplay. The sad truth is that at least two thirds of factions come with some or all of the following:

• One or more leaders who are actually little kids with god complexes
• Members who will disagree with and/or act hostile towards you
• Situations where you are obligated to help others when you'd rather not, and/or situations where you need help and your faction ignores you
• Pressure to participate in TWs (in factions that want to TW)
• Various drama over how the faction is run, recruitment practices and requirements, etc.
• Other miscellaneous drama

I've seen and talked to people who found themselves in all of these situations before. Of course, the logical answer is "leave that faction and find another," but half the time you'll probably end up in the same boat. On a side note, there is no such thing as a "drama-free faction." You can discourage drama in a faction, and it may happen less, but it'll still happen. And hey, if you can stomach the drama, then go for it. I personally can't because I consider myself a casual player, and I only play because some of my offline friends do, as well.

I'm actually very interested in seeing groups of people who are not in the same faction, or are factionless, squad up together to do large-scale undertakings such as world bosses, dragon temple raids, etc... I'd love to see that because it would do a lot to remove this stereotype of "factions are necessary."

They're convenient. They're helpful, in the right circumstances. But they are not necessary.