Guild Wars 2

This might be a stupid question, and I’ve received quite a lot of trolling for it on other forums for other games. But quick version: Are there dungeons you can solo? Story mode, perhaps? Or explore? The thing is, I’m sticking to solo as much as I can, and only join groups for dynamic events. There are loads of reasons for this. Some reasons why I don’t usually bother with dungeons include things like:

- “Everyone just rushes through them, and never really take their time to enjoy them.” Kinda sucks, as dungeons are often the most visually striking and fun places in MMOs. That’s like going to McDonalds, ordering “whatever, just surprise me”, eating your food in a hurry and leaving again, just because you’ve been to McDonalds before. What’s the point in not enjoying the food?

- “Everyone expect me to be an expert on my first time through.” I’ve been kicked from quite a few dungeons in quite a few games because of this. Not an expert? Kicked!

- “I can’t play my own way, or the holy trinity is everything”. Over in LotRO, I was playing a guardian in a dungeon, and had the nerve to use a two-handed weapon for extra damage, rather than a shield for extra protection. Nevermind that there was another guardian there too, and he was the main tank. Guardians are tanks, and tanks uses shields. I didn’t use one, so I got kicked.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I’ve had plenty of fun times in dungeons, but lots of horrible experiences too. So are there dungeons you can solo? Or… gasp… are intended for solo play?

Yep, you can solo some of them.

AC story is easy. TA forward and up are pretty easy, though the last boss drags on and is good to bring a party in for time’s sake. Arah p2 and p3 are a bit tougher, but also popular to solo. CM p1/p3 are also popular for solos, and SE p1 isn’t too bad either.

Some paths have gimmicks that require multiple players, such as CoEp123, Arah p1/p4, CoFp12, etc. But other than that, most can be soloed with enough practice.

Most dungeons can be soloed. However, they’re designed for a full party, and thus are extremely difficult to solo. They will be even more difficult with suboptimal builds, and even more difficult still if you don’t know the dungeons and all of their mechanics like the back of your hand.

Not all of these are soloable by all classes. The difficulty in soloing each of these will vary hugely.

AC Story (great starter solo dungeon for any class), AC P1, AC P2, AC P3, CM Story, CM P1, CM P2, CM P3, TA Story, TA Forward, TA Up, SE Story, SE P1, probably SE P2 but it’s buggy as hell and the last boss fight would be very hard solo, SE P3, CoF Story, CoF P2 (theoretical), HotW Story, HotW P1, HotW P2, HotW P3, CoE Story, Arah P2, Arah P3, and Arah P4. Many fractals, especially at lower levels, are readily soloable as well.

So basically, everything except TA Atherpath, CoF P1, CoF P3, CoE P1, CoE P2, CoE P3, and Arah P1 are soloable. At least by some class, or at least theoretically.

BattleCat.2098:

That’s like going to McDonalds, ordering “whatever, just surprise me”, eating your food in a hurry and leaving again, just because you’ve been to McDonalds before. What’s the point in not enjoying the food?

Have you considered that people have had the same happy meal for 3 years and don’t want to stick around to kitten around with the toy? All typical “zerk only, fast run pls” lfgs are all aiming to finish the dungeon as fast as they can.

If you want to cutscene RP then state that in an LFG and you might find the right group, learning to solo dungeons which are designed for 5 man isn’t a walk in the park and it won’t make your experience more enjoyable.

dlonie.6547:

Some paths have gimmicks that require multiple players, such as CoEp123, Arah p1/p4, CoFp12, etc. But other than that, most can be soloed with enough practice.

Arah P4 is soloable. An ele can solo Simin with some great RNG (as well as every other part of the path, obviously). Someone has even done it and posted a video awhile back, after the might nerf (iirc) and before the 6/23 trait changes. I don’t see it being viable on any other class besides ele, though, as you need extreme DPS in concert with good RNG in concert with insane mobility (FGS).

On a theoretical basis, CoF P2 is soloable. I’m not sure if it can be done in reality, though. Maybe by some insane Mesmer tricks for the bomb part? The

Zui.9245:

dlonie.6547:

Some paths have gimmicks that require multiple players, such as CoEp123, Arah p1/p4, CoFp12, etc. But other than that, most can be soloed with enough practice.

Arah P4 is soloable. An ele can solo Simin with some great RNG (as well as every other part of the path, obviously). Someone has even done it and posted a video awhile back, after the might nerf (iirc) and before the 6/23 trait changes. I don’t see it being viable on any other class besides ele, though, as you need extreme DPS in concert with good RNG in concert with insane mobility (FGS).

On a theoretical basis, CoF P2 is soloable. I’m not sure if it can be done in reality, though. Maybe by some insane Mesmer tricks for the bomb part? The

Out of curiosity, how do you solo the orb on ele? I have never tried and still think that it’s theoretically impossible.

was the first one I found using Google.

I know Goku has soloed Arah p3 on ele in the past, so he’d have a video of it. I’m sure Miku also has a video of it.

Zui.9245:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BahL_ryXHY

was the first one I found using Google.

I know Goku has soloed Arah p3 on ele in the past, so he’d have a video of it. I’m sure Miku also has a video of it.

That video is a year old tho, and with the recent swiftness nerfs it not possible anymore without clerics gear and the usage of the executioners axe toy

Btw OP : there was recently a thread posted here with pretty much exactly the same topic, and there are some helpful replies on there so you might want to check them and see if they help you out
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/dungeons/Solo-possible/first#post5364786

I only really don’t like in dungeons when somebody PRETENDS to know where to go, then doesn’t ask for help til about 20 minutes later. Even if I ask them first they pretend to be a pro.

Are you sure it’s only possible with the Executioner’s Axe? (In any event, that still makes the path soloable, albeit not under our self-imposed solo ruleset for records)

I don’t really play Ele much (something I plan to change… eventually), but it’s my impression that it’s still possible. Maybe they’re just using Executioner’s Axe. Has anyone tried leading with FGS for movement, as well as pre-placing medical packs (with clerics+water runes, obviously), along with good RNG when the orb starts ticking?

Zui.9245:

Are you sure it’s only possible with the Executioner’s Axe? (In any event, that still makes the path soloable, albeit not under our self-imposed solo ruleset for records)

I don’t really play Ele much (something I plan to change… eventually), but it’s my impression that it’s still possible. Maybe they’re just using Executioner’s Axe. Has anyone tried leading with FGS for movement, as well as pre-placing medical packs (with clerics+water runes, obviously), along with good RNG when the orb starts ticking?

I would test it, but to be honest I cant be kitten d getting clerics gear just for soloing orbs while I never solo arah on ele anymore anyways.
And while it still makes the path soloable, not everybody has access to the executioners axe toy

The fix is simple tho, just get a friend to help you

BattleCat.2098:

Or… gasp… are intended for solo play?

They are designed as group experience.
No offense, but I think its a bit strange to ask for solo dungeons in a MMO. MMO are (or should be) teamgames. GW2 offers no teamcontent except dungeons/fractals.

There are other, better games out there which offer solo Dungeons. Skyrim for example. Asking for solo dungeons in a MMO is like asking for autoaim in an Egoshooter. I know many people prefer to play solo, but they shouldn’t buy a MMO then. There are many friendly casual guilds, which will help you through dungeons without rushing or asking you to bring experience or a certain build.
You could even just open a lfg “firsttimer looking for friendly people, no rushing” or something similar – but i recommend searching a guild of like-minded people.

One note. AC used to be a great dungeon to start soloing, but with the recent change to scaling, it’s a lot harder for the burrow events. Not impossible, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting solo dungeon anymore. TA is easier to solo.

Jockum.1385:

They are designed as group experience.
No offense, but I think its a bit strange to ask for solo dungeons in a MMO. MMO are (or should be) teamgames. GW2 offers no teamcontent except dungeons/fractals.

There are other, better games out there which offer solo Dungeons. Skyrim for example. Asking for solo dungeons in a MMO is like asking for autoaim in an Egoshooter. I know many people prefer to play solo, but they shouldn’t buy a MMO then. There are many friendly casual guilds, which will help you through dungeons without rushing or asking you to bring experience or a certain build.
You could even just open a lfg “firsttimer looking for friendly people, no rushing” or something similar – but i recommend searching a guild of like-minded people.

Dungeon soloing is pretty huge in GW2. Most player that consider themselves great dungeon player solo or used to solo or duo on a regular basis. Mostly because of the lack of challenging content. But you are right that asking to solo so you don’t need to group up is a bit weird. It’s usually the other way around. People do dungeon in group to the death and start looking for more challenging solo run after.

Zui.9245:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BahL_ryXHY

was the first one I found using Google.

I know Goku has soloed Arah p3 on ele in the past, so he’d have a video of it. I’m sure Miku also has a video of it.

Yea, but they remove stats from trait line upon the recent specialization change. That’s why I question if it’s still possible anymore.

Also I didn’t think of the Executioner Axe Toy, just Ride of the Lightning.

Zui.9245:

Arah P4 is soloable. An ele can solo Simin with some great RNG

Every class can do it (No clue if Sin/Zerk Necro can actually) as long as you have the Guild Banner Tonic

Orbs solo post specializations for ele:

You do need clerics, but by no means is executioner axe necessary.

IrisTheCasual.3742:

Zui.9245:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BahL_ryXHY

was the first one I found using Google.

I know Goku has soloed Arah p3 on ele in the past, so he’d have a video of it. I’m sure Miku also has a video of it.

Yea, but they remove stats from trait line upon the recent specialization change. That’s why I question if it’s still possible anymore.

Also I didn’t think of the Executioner Axe Toy, just Ride of the Lightning.

Would ride the lightning work? in that it’s a form change, I’d imagine something would bug out there. FGS and start your whirl or rush or something and grab the orb though, maybe?

Element Two.7316:

Zui.9245:

Arah P4 is soloable. An ele can solo Simin with some great RNG

Every class can do it (No clue if Sin/Zerk Necro can actually) as long as you have the Guild Banner Tonic

…go on…

dlonie.6547:

Element Two.7316:

Zui.9245:

Arah P4 is soloable. An ele can solo Simin with some great RNG

Every class can do it (No clue if Sin/Zerk Necro can actually) as long as you have the Guild Banner Tonic

…go on…

it breaks the freeze so you dont have to waste time and utility slots for stability

Oh, haha, I thought that there was some new way to bug her out. She’s a buggy old bat, I’m always surprised by the odd ways that she breaks / gets exploited.

That trick works with a lot of other transformations, too

The only non-bugged solo of Simin that I remember ever seeing was Austin’s old fgs solo from a year ago, unless you count the perma-stun ranger solo with the Korga staff.

The problem with doing a legit solo of Simin is that she can bug when trying to go into hiding and interrupt her own spin but I still am not really sure what causes it.

It might legitimately be possible to do on warrior without guild banner tonic exploiting though, might need to give it a try. You can spam signet of might + healing signet when luring the sparks for enough precision to not have to worry about the DPS loss from taking a stability util now and the damage might be good enough to actually pull it off.

Just too bad that stupid AI glitch from the ferocity patch still hasn’t been noticed/fixed yet and you can’t lure more than 2 mobs without actually damaging them without the first one resetting.

Jerus.4350:

IrisTheCasual.3742:

Zui.9245:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BahL_ryXHY

was the first one I found using Google.

I know Goku has soloed Arah p3 on ele in the past, so he’d have a video of it. I’m sure Miku also has a video of it.

Yea, but they remove stats from trait line upon the recent specialization change. That’s why I question if it’s still possible anymore.

Also I didn’t think of the Executioner Axe Toy, just Ride of the Lightning.

Would ride the lightning work? in that it’s a form change, I’d imagine something would bug out there. FGS and start your whirl or rush or something and grab the orb though, maybe?

Both Ride the Lightning and Burning Retreat work fine. I think Rebound could help pull a double Lightning Flash once Tempest hits. You can even Overload water for some extra heal. But for now it sucks to have to stick with full clerics.

The McDonalds analogy made me laugh. People actually go to McDonalds to savour and enjoy the food? It is called fast food for a reason you know. x)

spoj.9672:

The McDonalds analogy made me laugh. People actually go to McDonalds to savour and enjoy the food? It is called fast food for a reason you know. x)

psh, spoj the eating elitist. I bet you eat a fry whole and don’t give it the proper 5 bites each.

o.0

mc donalds is not food.

spoj.9672:

The McDonalds analogy made me laugh. People actually go to McDonalds to savour and enjoy the food? It is called fast food for a reason you know. x)

Alright mate calm down, we can’t all eat gourmet like you

I eat like a slob though. I just dont go to McD.

BattleCat.2098:

That’s like going to McDonalds, ordering “whatever, just surprise me”, eating your food in a hurry and leaving again, just because you’ve been to McDonalds before. What’s the point in not enjoying the food?

Well, if you got paid to eat McDonald’s….

lol love the topic since i did my first solo run today .with my condi ranger with dire gear

Thanks, everyone. And sorry for a bit late reply. Been too busy trying to finish the story. Just fought a big dragon in Lion’s Arch and united the three orders, so I assume I’m done soon. But anyway, I guess I won’t try to solo a dungeon any time soon. Maybe I’ll just reluctantly try to find a group, or something.

Jockum.1385:

BattleCat.2098:

Or… gasp… are intended for solo play?

They are designed as group experience.
No offense, but I think its a bit strange to ask for solo dungeons in a MMO. MMO are (or should be) teamgames. GW2 offers no teamcontent except dungeons/fractals.

Why is solo dungeons so strange? We already have some rather awesome solo story-missions, so why not a solo dungeon? It could be the same as the group one, just scaled down to suit one player. Consider it a “practice” dungeon, if you want. Besides, history has shown us countless times that things that might sound ridiculous on paper is actually pretty darn clever, and there are countless inventions that left a lot of people thinking: “Why didn’t I think of that?”.

(and btw, keep in mind I want to add solo-dungeons, but NOT remove the group-dungeons. Add more, not remove. Kinda important to keep in mind.)

Besides, I’ve said time and again that people keep forgetting the RPG-bit of MMORPG. MMORPGs aren’t games where you are stuck playing with others. They are RPGs with tons of other people around. There’s a huge difference there. You can play solo all you want, just like you can play with others all you want. You can ignore the MMO-bit entirely if you want and go solo, and you can ignore the RPG-bit entirely if you want, and rather do other stuff like PvP, or meeting friends. There is no right or wrong way to play MMORPGs. Other than “If you’re having fun (and not on someone else’s expense), you’re doing it right.”

And btw, sorry I brought up McDonalds here. No idea why that triggered so many tr… uh… “not nice people”, but I do hope you get my point anyway.

BattleCat.2098:

Why is solo dungeons so strange?

Dungeons are designed to be group content. Ofc Anet could add a solo mode or scaling. They did this with the tower of nightmares and other living story 1 parts (festivial of wind defend something stuff). Scaling was broken, both were way easier solo than in a group. On the other hand: did a story-mission with a friend and it didn’t seem to scale up, which ruined our game experience.

(and btw, keep in mind I want to add solo-dungeons, but NOT remove the group-dungeons. Add more, not remove. Kinda important to keep in mind.)

There have to be different rewards. Like no tokens and gold for doing a dungeon solo. Finding a team and interact with them is a bit of effort. In GW1 you could choose to do stuff in a team of npcs instead of humans. At the beginning NPCs were bad skilled and nearly everyone prefered human players.
With nightfall Anet introduced hero-NPCs which were using a build of your choice. Many players started to bring NPCs instead of searching for human players, for some builds NPCs were even prefered. Later Anet increased the amount of hero-NPCs you could bring, so you were able to form a full-hero-NPC team. You could see people moving into an outpost, taking their NPCs and leaving without even trying to search for human players. GW1 was an old game at this time and hero-npcs enabled players to do less popular content – a good thing. But it killed a lot of teamplay, it became more and more difficult to find human players.
—>implementing solo dungeons could kill teamdungeons.
If dungeons are made soloable, I want to be able to solo tequatl and every other world boss. They just need to give me a personal map and a scaled down boss.

Besides, I’ve said time and again that people keep forgetting the RPG-bit of MMORPG. MMORPGs aren’t games where you are stuck playing with others. They are RPGs with tons of other people around. There’s a huge difference there. You can play solo all you want, just like you can play with others all you want. You can ignore the MMO-bit entirely if you want and go solo, and you can ignore the RPG-bit entirely if you want, and rather do other stuff like PvP, or meeting friends. There is no right or wrong way to play MMORPGs. Other than “If you’re having fun (and not on someone else’s expense), you’re doing it right.”

You don’t need an online game to play solo. There are better RPGs out there with a way better plot, with characters which have a character, which are developing and got some relationship, drama, etc.
An important part of a MMO is the teamplay. Ofc you can try to avoid it – but you can’t expect to see every aspect of a game then. Teamplay is/should be a major feature of a MMO, if you want to leave it out its your choice. GTA is also no driving game, you can play it without driving a car. But you will miss huge parts of the game, can’t even finish the storyline.

BattleCat.2098:

And btw, sorry I brought up McDonalds here. No idea why that triggered so many tr… uh… “not nice people”, but I do hope you get my point anyway.

You got to understand this is the dungeon forums, and due to developer neglect some of us have well.. to put it nicely lost our minds a little. The people here are not going to troll in a mean light. But we do have a tendency to get off topic or go crazy over something silly if the mood takes us. The people who trolled here would be some of the nicest people you would meet in game and would be happy to help you learn to solo content if you so desired.

Many people have ask for solo dungeons, and its not that people would be directly opposed to instanced solo content. The reason most of us solo dungeons now is for the challenge of it. But as it as stated earlier on, soloing a dungeon now isn’t going to be something to be taken on lightly. If the reason you want to solo the content is that you don’t like being part of a meta group and expected to change your build soloing wouldn’t be a good idea, doubly so if you have never done the dungeon before.

It isn’t likely that you will ever get an option for soloing dungeons though, we are lucky to get any kind of content updates for dungeons. We still have bugs and exploits that have been part of the dungeon community for years. For example Potions were bugged for up until the siege in lions arch during LS season two, despite multiple threads asking this to be fixed.

Dungeons are just not Anets priority right now.

Pretty much every boss in the games have been soloed. You can check youtube. Probably except cliffside last boss.

So everything in the game have been soloed. The other stuff probably require you to have multiple account.

For example, cof path 1 would require you to have 5 account to solo it.

But the thing is it is really hard for people with slow reaction time. I give soloing dungeon a hard try, but in the end I just give up. My reaction time is just too slow to do it.

laokoko.7403:

Pretty much every boss in the games have been soloed. You can check youtube. Probably except cliffside last boss.

look up element’s engineer solo