Options for solo players

It will eventually get added into the game. They say they won't but it will. They would be dumb not too. The game would get a sudden rush of players who have came back to the game if they did that. As much as people say "bye, felicia we don't need you here", well we do. We do need them for our over all community. Cutting out a big portion specially with families because others fail to understand that having a PvE server would not kill the game is asinine and is actively holding the game back. I mean, no one has seemed to realize that the Arena is actually a PvP server only, and Adventure Mode is PvPvE. So where is the PvE server then?

If games like Rust, Ark, and Conan all survival games that are actual risk vs reward style games that are very intense have the option to join a PvE server to play in, to have a game like this not to have it is quite mind boggling.

@musicmee
Hey I apologize for violating the call out rule. I did not do this on purpose. I rarely read forum rules. It won’t happen again. It was happening in the official Twitch feed for the game and was so public I wouldn’t of thought it wasn’t OK to mention.

However it is ironic there is a rule against this, but some of the actions that take place in game are allowed. If this is a pirate game shouldn’t this be a pirate forum? The reasons people use to argue against the PvE option are only made because they only want to ruin people’s experience and negate the time they’ve spent in the game.

@sir-lotus Indeed sir.. PVP needs PVE and PVE needs PVP simple as that!

@faceyourdemon

It’s very difficult to follow your points. Not sure if it’s a language barrier. But I think what you’re saying is you don’t like the option for people to chose what because you don’t like it. Well nobody is advocating the removal of pvp servers they still be there for you to select. You’d literally lose nothing and Rare would gain a larger audience.

@faceyourdemon
Your points were not and still are not clear. Maybe it’s the lack of punctuation.

Adding an additional option nerfs nothing because the game would be untouched. Nothing costs less, does less damage, or rewards less. The pvp players have everything as it is now.

Who do you think would finish the game first...

How can you finish a game that has no beginning to it in the first place? The game has no direction. There literally is no story to it.

The pve servers decrease the value of everything. One of the common comments on the reddit:

Player A: "Our haul from yesterday" - picture of several milion gold on the ship.
Player B: "Must have played on the exploit pve server so it's worthless"

Most of the reviews say that the game is gettin better, but it's still the boring game. What do you think would happen if you had pve players doing voyages on the pve server, and pvp players doing pvp on another server? Both groups would get bored quickly.

No, if people playing on PvE only servers get bored they can easily switch over to PvP servers and vice versa.

Pve players would hoard loot at much faster pace, finishing the game quickly, having nothing to do so they would get bored.

Again how can you finish a game that has no direction or main objective? Besides if they do add PvE only servers there will be a downside to playing on those servers, like the value of loot earned is less then earning it on PvP servers hence making you work more to earn money.

Rare could actually lose everything by nerfing the game into single player pve experience. The risk of pvp is the main reasons people need to team up with other players and that social part is the main source of content. Remove the incentive and you get that boring game with nothing to do.

Rare would not lose everything. You people who are soo against PvE servers do not understand that people are not asking to remove PvP all together. They are simply asking for another type of server option. They are going to add Arena mode which is basically a new server option so let there be a third option; you can chose either PvP(Arena), PvE(Whatever the hell you wanna call it) and then your regular PvPvE

But, if those 'PvP griefers' sink you and take your loot. You respawn empty handed and now the 'PvP griefers' have something to lose. You can then become the infamous berserk zerg Slooper that just follows them, ramming them wherever they go. A constant pain in the rear and a drain on precious resources. A 'PvE griefer', so to speak, is not really a fun way to play.

-OR-

My Solo tactic is simply don't give them anything to take. Turn in often. I never hoard Solo and turn in after every voyage, if not during. Only loot I casually sail around with is the stuff I've scavenged from wrecks or from beach-combing. I'll hold on to a few Cast-Away's chests or low rank skulls to drop behind me if being pursued to hopefully draw them off. IF it works, I've given myself more time for the ole' Sloop & Dupe maneuver at the closest Outpost I can get to, to at least turn in the high value item(s).

-OR-

Use your speaking trumpet and parlay. Give these 'PvP griefers' a choice: Hound and sink you all night for limited profit and waste of resources or form an Alliance protection racket. They let you go about your voyages and get half the cut of the entire night, with no waste of resources. Additionally, if you run into another crew of 'PvP griefers', you lead them back for your 'PvP griefers' to take care of.

The last option is more win/win than splitting the servers three ways, especially as what you've described in your OP is not griefing. They are playing within the mechanics and vision of the game. PvPers want to PvP, so bring them together and you can go about your PvE adventures.

Rare understands that giving options to players doesn't guarantee a better game.

SWAG, until the Arena arrives.

@sir-lotus

If you believe it takes away an integral part of the game simply select the pvp option. See it doesn’t affect you at all. It doesn’t take much for arguments against this to fall apart. As for it being fair, cosmetics give you no in game advantage. Gold is a number only you see. And before you say the pve side would accumulate the items faster and finish faster that’s on Rare to add more.

The kind of people who just want to sail and farm loot, are the kind of people who will not last long in this game. They in my mind are people Rare shouldn't invest time in, simply put, because they are content driven not player driven. That and this game is PvPvE. Why must we make demands for a game to change into something it isn't?

Hear me out, lets say you get PvE servers. A fraction splits off, and starts grinding away. Not only because they have no player threat, they will reach Pirate Legend significantly faster. Then what? Unless Rare starts pumping out new content, these players will get what they came for PL title and just leave.

PvP games, have a longer on average life span. Very few games that are single player stay alive long. However, these games are usually juggernauts with content, of which Sea of Thieves isn't. PvP encounters on the other hand, stay fresh and new. Players can adapt and learn, while becoming harder too fight. Since players have to face more hardship, their stay on the seas becomes alot longer.

TLDR: PvE servers aren't healthy for the game. Players get what they want then leave soon after. Rare shouldn't invest time in these players. If you bought this game with the expectation you won't be attacked, you bought the wrong game. Lets not make demands for it to cater to what you deem fun.

Player encounters is as much part of Sea of Thieves as the water and ships in the sea. Part of that is the freedom for each player to partake in many activities with those other players. Drinking, playing music and even killing eachother.

Sea of Thieves was created as a co-operative open ended multiplayer pirate game. It wasn't created as a Single player solo PvE game. Asking a developer to just drop a design pholosophy and make the game YOU want is called selfish and not worth the €60 (or less) you paid for it.

While I rarely actively partake in PvP I love the fact that it's there. Not having the ability to attack other pirates or get attacked would make this game boring in no time flat. Having the constant looming question weather or not someone is hostile, friendly, being able to talk your way out of a sticky situation, everything is so much more rewarding with a real threat.

Losing a diverse pool of players to meet in the game is not a win-win situation we'd all lose. People defending the norm don't want easy PvP they want diversity. They don't want to lose the threat of PvP but also don't want only hostile people.

@justin-yerbeavr I was pure PVE for a long time but I still didn't mind the PVP part of the game even though I avoided ships. It made the game exciting to know I could lose my stuff at any second, it made me and my wife very aware of our surroundings. If we had loot on board and was in a blind area one would stay on ship scouting the horizon ready to leave and the other would do the voyage.

Because of PVP I learned a lot how to navigate the ship, I never feared pirates on the open seas because being chased gave me the advantage. I think I only been caught running once but that's because my open game crew jumped off (was only suppose to be one but 3 went) the galleon to turn in fort loot leaving me along to navigate the ship a lone, just bad players all it was.

Now that I am experienced and have a crew I welcome the PVP fights, I love when I get attacked, it's exciting. I have been in battles with multiple ships and been the victor. I have met some good enemies along the way were there was no ill toward each other just a "GG".

A PVE only mode would feel like a cheat mode, the PVE side of this game is rather easy. It would be like getting a shopping list from your wife, walking into a grocery store picking up all the items, returning home then shouting "I win at life!" 0 Challenge.

@faceyourdemon said in Options for solo players:

@justin-yerbeavr My "points" were crystal clear and RARE will lose a huge audience by losing the point of a pirate themed game.
PVE server only is not natural optional or not its not the vision that RARE and the majority of their fans.
And dont choose for the best of everyone based only of what i like or dont like its.

I believe that it is a pretty bold statement to say that the majority of players don't want this, when it is one of the most requested things in the forums. And honestly, Joe Neate has said many times, they wanted to create a family friendly game. While not impossible, it is hard to do that in a PvP environment that can often times become toxic. A PvE server would lend itself much better to a family friendly game.

I also believe most are mistaken, I don't believe the game will suffer from PvE servers. If anything, you will see players that are struggling or fed up stick with the game rather than leaving. But then again, there will always be some that complain no matter what.

I know the arguments for keeping the PvEvP together, and quite frankly, for me, 90% of the time I will stay on a PvEvP server. But I just don't understand why people get so upset that PvE servers are requested. Unless it is because it would take away easy targets. Even then, there will be people like me that will be there.

As for it being easier, when the game first came out, I would say sure, that is a valid argument. The game should be somewhat difficult. But I would argue that the AI in game threats are much more challenging, and you run into them at much more frequency than you do other pirates on the sea. So if anything, the PvE is much more challenging now than the PvP. And for those that try to work towards being pirate legend, that is much more difficult to do today than it was at launch.

@zormis said in Options for solo players:

A PVE only mode would feel like a cheat mode, the PVE side of this game is rather easy. It would be like getting a shopping list from your wife, walking into a grocery store picking up all the items, returning home then shouting "I win at life!" 0 Challenge.

I believe that the PvE content is much more challenging today than at any time. And for solo players, or families with children, the AI ships, kraken and meg are way more challenging than PvP if for no other reason that you run into them at much higher frequencies than you do PvP.

@nofears-fun

I know the arguments for keeping the PvEvP together, and quite frankly, for me, 90% of the time I will stay on a PvEvP server. But I just don't understand why people get so upset that PvE servers are requested. Unless it is because it would take away easy targets. Even then, there will be people like me that will be there.

Then you don't understand the spirit of the game. It's a pirate game, the whole experience of the game is to not know what kind of ship you are running up against. People not wanting PVE servers is not because they want easy targets, its because it splits the player base. Besides you have Arena coming up soon and most of your battle hungry pirates will be doing that.

You think every ship a PVP player target are easy targets? I have sunk plenty of pvp players coming at me when I PVE and I have even taken loot off the ones foolish enough to come at me with some.

@zormis I understand quite well. I mean, most pirates didn't go around attacking other pirates. LOL. But that is another debate. Just saying it should not be so easily dismissed, as there is a large player base that would use it.

Honestly you'll probably see a drop on PVP players on the regular servers once the arena mode drops. It's gonna be setup to reward PVP players so they'll all flock to it.

That being said, I understand where your coming from as I like to Solo play from time to time. With everything they've added plus the increase in Summit wannabe PVP players it makes Solo play a bit of a nightmare. But Solo play was always supposed to be harder from the beginning so as the game evolves so does that hardness factor.

I would suggest a middle ground through. It might be interesting to do Sloop only servers as an option. It wouldn't eliminate PVP and would level the playing field a bit. I've seen some vicious battles Sloop on Sloop...there its more skill and less overwhelming numbers.

@nofears-fun fair enough, I respect your point of view. :)

Just for the record, I am a PLA10 (from the old days) who got here by doing mostly PVE.

To all the players who want PVE only servers, is this really what you want? A barren world, killing skeletons over and over, with the occasional skeleton ship, megalodon, or kraken that you can literally outrun every time as long as someone is keeping the ship repaired. Even if you are out of planks, if someone is bailing constantly you'll make it out. A PVE only version of this game would be incredibly easy.

What I suggest to all of the PVE players who love this game, but are tired of being sunk/robbed by other players - GET OUT AND PVP FOR A WHILE! Learn how to be on the offensive and sink other player ships. You don't want to be playing defense all the time - thats how you end up losing. Make the first strike for once! Pirating other ships isn't grieving if there is a purpose. You are sinking them because you want their loot, not because you want to "ruin their experience."

The fact is, the current state of the game includes PVP. If you don't practice and learn how to engage in PVP quickly and without hesitation, you're in for a long road to PL. Don't be afraid to fire the first shot! It just might save your loot!

@blindnev said in Options for solo players:

@shinten-rai said in Options for solo players:

You can't really compare SoT to these games. In addition to the PvP and the social aspect, they have crafting, survival mechanics, building, leveling and more. In Rust for example, you can play on a PvE server and create a town with others, trading and building together. That's because there are enough tools for it to work.

All I can say to this is so now it is not like them? What is it then? Just yesterday I had people arguing against me on the same topic but they told me that the game was influenced by DayZ and the open sandbox and open world pvp. And now you are telling me we can't compare them. I will let all of you guys who just feel that a PvE server would ruin the game get together and actually get some points and a story together so it's all cohesive, eh?

People need to understand that you can't have a PvE mode because there is no actual PvE content. The voyages and monsters are just all of the ways to obtain items to sell.

I fixed that for you because to get those items the only way to do get them is by doing the voyages. There are no PvP rewards, there is only PvE content. To tell me that there is no PvE content and the voyages and monsters are only just a few ways to get these items is deception of the tongue. Those are the only ways to get those items.

The world is supposed to be a competitive place, where everyone is fighting over loot.

And finally, is it? Is it supposed to be a competitive place? Is there esports teams? I thought this game was supposed to be a shared world adventure game surrounded by the philosophy of journey before destination and would be shaped by the interactions of other players. There is no PvP rewards. There is no rank chart. There is nothing in this game that makes it competitive

I love to do PvE stuff. Offcorse I'm always on edge looking out for incoming ships. But I think of that as nice aspect of game. You can work for hours and lose to a pirate ship. But then you learn for next time to do better. And if I wasn't scared of someone taking away all the loot I have been working for. I wouldn't be so happy and grateful when I can sell it.
Not all ships that I have seen are after my loot. But you cant trust them completely. And that's interesting too.
If there was a fully dedicated PvE server i would play on it for a weak and then got bored. Because PvP gives that extra scarring factor.
And its part of a journey. The mistakes let's us learn and do better.
Happy sailing boys and girls. And keep enjoying the game as it is.