People not squadding with me b/c they "Need EXP"?

On the lower levels it's calculated so you level up with quests+the exp you get from mobs without having to focus on grinding.
If you squad you'll get the quest done faster but get less exp, forcing you to grind.
On the higher levels if you're using a scroll or farming dq items u dont want to squad.

Lessie pretty much nailed it. I learned long ago that if I joined squads to get my "kill this many mobs" quests done, I would get my quests done quickly, but it would leave me behind the bell curve, so to speak, as far as over all experience gained.

This would lead to me running out of quests before I reached level once I started hitting the 40s. When I started running my quests solo, I noticed I would level faster and I didn't start running out of quests until around the 60s.

For some reason, that whole "two people kill twice as fast" thing never really works out, because I never end up with the same amount of experience if I duo when compared to soloing.

Also, many higher levels grind while using exp. scrolls and sharing exp cuts into the efficiency of the scroll. The only time it really works out is when people do AoE parties, and thats because of the quantity of mobs killed combined with the higher levels of mobs hunted generally.

As for money made, the equal loot thing is a myth. I make tons more soloing than when in a squad. If I am out hunting for certain DQ items, I will never join squad because this game hates me and it never fails that the others get the drops I was hunting for in the first place.

So yes, there are reasons why people don't want to join squads other than they just want to be rude to you. (Of course...there are rude ones out there as well, but most have other reasons)

That's because the group's level range is taken into account as a diviser to XP.


If say 2 people are Lv.20, okay each gains 50% xp
If one is 19 and the other 20, there's something like a 10% penalty, so each gains only 45%
19 + 21 = 40% and so on
And that diviser is applied to XP, Spirit and drop rates.

Those are not the exact values but the penalty is nasty and around these.


So, grouping is a BAD idea due to game mechanics.

I only squad when its needed, like dungeons and certain bosses. I will never party in normal grinding or quests for reasons already stated.

Another factor is time to find/pull mob vs. time to kill. In many of the crowded places where you're more likely to find a group, about 50%-80% of your time is actually spent finding a mob which isn't already engaged. So pairing up only results in a 25%-10% reduction in your time spent hunting, but a 50% reduction in exp. The only group I've been in where it actually worked out pretty well was when we all split up and killed solo, but while in a squad. It got the quest done quicker, and our kill rate didn't suffer because we had 3 people finding new stuff to kill instead of just 1.

On the looting thing, I really believe it's random. But on my last FB run we had 3 3-star items and a half dozen blue items drop. I got a condensed mana potion and a soft fur. b:laugh

I discovered the problem of insufficient exp when i built my first cleric - tried to go full healer/support, and hadn't learned about the inefficiency of Blessing of the Pureheart yet, so i never got either Plume Shot or the Cyclone above Level 1... Soloing became impossible, so I always ended up needing a squad for even level-appropriate quest mobs. By about 15% into Lv32, I was out of quests, and still unable to effectively solo grind.

If someone makes a polite request for assistance with some mobs, I will squad them if I am able to. Other than that I prefer to only squad with friends or solo.

If anyone random squads me without a word, I will never squad with them.

If someone random spam squads me without a word b:angry

Its actually alot better exp if u grind in a group, since u get bonus from others ppls kills. There is a reason 60+ start grinding in 5-6 ppl parties, u get about 200% xp boost in a full party. So party = good xp.

But that requires that people can that care of their own kills, u dont hit the same mob as your partymember like some ks-ing moron since it affects xp. Kill your own mobs and decent speed, thats how grindparty works ^^

And thats also why u get sucky xp when u party ppl for quests at low lvls, many nublet insist on hitting the same mob..its like 3 ppl wacking away at the same poor eldergoth. Or they like decide to meditate after every mob. It gives bad xp and quest takes longer. Also why i rather not party random at quests lvling my lower lvl veno. Ppl are incapable of killing stuff by themselves - which is really weird because pve part in this game is not very hard. They want my pet to tank the mobs for them, they begg for all DQ drops, they just stand there and leech or meditate and... RANT RANT.

Lvling my archer i had ppl to quests with from lvl 30+ that actually knew how to kill normal quest mobs in PWI (can u belive it). But random ppl that wanna party for quests is like 9/10 times better to decline unless there is so few mobs u end up ks-ing each other to insanity like tusk town or outside adc west.

As said in one of the posts above there is an exp bonus for parties with 4+ people.
I guess same goes with loot. You can get your bag full much faster in a full group than solo.

It just might seem to be a bit hard to get full group of efficiently killing people in the crowded areas but if you are alone and people around you seem to be killing your mobs before you then try to invite them.

Luckily most of the people out there aren't like most of the people in this thread and they accept random invites. You can just say "hi" before you try to invite them.

The only ones for who is understandable to play solo are venos.

If your pet isn't doing the majority of the dps, no it would not receive any xp.

If you group with multiple Venos, only one pet in the group gets any xp (if it did the majority of the dps).

Basically, if you as a veno like to level more than 1 pet, you won't be grouping much. Not that you need to, but it still is kinda lame, and my only real gripe in a pretty solid game.

For me, when quests ask me to kill 50 and above mobs....i on training estorica.So i don't party for that reason.

Plus when i play...i PLAY. can't be bothered to talk and chit chat, joke or what not.

Avoided squads all the way.

Squading will come when i hit 80+ and settle in with my reserved guild.

Smexxyfox - Heavens Tear wrote: »

why are you fighting the same mob? that defeats the whole purpose of squading in the first place?

The parties I'm in we always kill our own mobs seperate and see who can kill the mobs the fastest, end result is that there is always something dying at any given moment. Its good for exp, its fun and everyone's pets get exp.

Not the first time I have heard this, but in over 20 years playing, this is the first MMORPG I have heard it supposedly occurs.
I believe the terms squad and group is where the difference of playstyle lies.
Groups are where I descend from..
we do dungeon crawls, etc.. We have goals to attain. They maybe grinds, but it would be AoE grinds or intense fast paced grinds, without breaks for extended periods of time. People in the group would have very distinct roles and jobs to perform.

What you are suggesting I have heard other PWI forum-speakers talk of, is not a group in my humble opinion. It's a stretch to even call it a PuG. So we will stick with squad.
A squad of folk killing their own individual mobs is the farthest thing from efficient I can think of, but yet for some strange reason it is prevalent in PWI (at least on the forums it is). It is not a normal practice in any MMO I have come across (all pay to play, but also they have all been NA/Euro design and playstyles).
I personally do not see any real difference in game design other than cultural, so the grouping variation is not forced upon or even suggested from text or quests.
I also have yet to see any type of 'squad' practicing this method in my own leveling of 5 characters ranging 40-60, and 10 pets level 54 (1 water, 2 air, 7 land).

Regardless, what I am saying about veno pet xp is only in regards to my personal definition of a true group.

Well, for me there's also another reason...if i get invite and person is nearby and he looks like crossbreeding of dante's Devil and heavily overused toilet brush... Sorry man. Maybe one day I can pull myself together, cross the prejudice and accept but not in nearest future. You did this to your face deliberately- deal with it.

you know ive only once or twice seen anyone going "ary afk for a bit" and it was always just for 1 or 2 mins. Besides its REALLY not that hard to click the "kick" button.

Even if you are on a bonux exp scroll you will still get more exp in a squad, even if the other members dont use scrolls. Just ask the zhen groups that do this all the time.

I agree to some extent random invites can be tricky, i normally pm somone before inviting them, and since we are in the same area I observe them first.

All I'm seeing in this thread really is lame excuses, you don't need to chat or even like someone to use them simply for bonus exp.
So if you are really that anti social and hatefull towards the rest of the world just do it for the exp at least!

I reject ninja invites, say hi at least before inviting someone. Also I will agree that at the lower levels where quest exp levels you up, partying will have your quests dry up quicker. I dont usually reject people otherwise, though I will admittedly say that normaly I'm invited if the other person cant do it themselves. If someone isnt holding there weight, it -is- slower exp.