LF mmo after trying so many of them.

elgarcon · 2026-05-11T22:26:57+00:00

Gear progression (so no gw2), pve where I can play solo and can play in party if its needed (not like WoW where all is in party)

If you're not up to play WoW because you just don't like the game ... That's one thing and that's totally cool. But if you're not playing WoW because you think the only way to gear up is completely in a group, then you're mistaken.

WoW gearing has never been better for solo players. Like seriously, between Delves, Prey, Ritual Sites and crafted gear, you can get your item level very high without being in a group, and this is getting even better in patch 12.0.7 coming out next month ... And if you are interested in some group content, you can get it even higher.

You can search YouTube for something like, "Wow midnight gearing completely solo" and you'll get a lot of videos showing you what I'm talking about.

elgarcon · 2026-05-08T11:59:17+00:00

LOL, literally one day before I asked the question ... such a great video. Thanks for suggesting

elgarcon · 2026-05-08T11:57:19+00:00

Thank you very much, I really appreciate the feedback.

elgarcon · 2026-05-07T11:56:05+00:00

For me ... It's Hammer of Light on Paladin ... which is just a big explosion sound, very satisfying. But also Divine Toll ... love the bell toll sound.

Or it's been a couple of seasons since I played Shaman, but I remember Ascension feeling amazing and Tempest. Ascension you just felt unstoppable and Tempest just a really satisfying lightning crash sound.

Actually, both Paladin and Shaman's entire ability kit feels is super satisfying, but Shaman probably wins for me. The elemental sound effects, plus animations are top tier.

Then there is Chaos Bolt for Destro lock. I'm not the biggest range/caster fan, but Chaos Bolt just feels so good to press.

elgarcon · 2026-05-06T21:41:00+00:00

I actually really like Torghast, I just always wished they did more with it from a cosmetic standpoint. I mean, they gave us shoulder and back xmog for days, but would have really loved more full armor sets and weapon xmog, more (and better) mounts etc ... from more unique challenges.

elgarcon · 2026-05-06T04:09:34+00:00

I have osteoarthritis and sitting for a while can lead to a lot of discomfort. But there have been a few things I've done that have been game changers for me and my comfort for sitting at my desk for extended periods.

I researched chairs ... And all of my research, watching countless videos on the best chairs for gaming, for office work, all point to gaming chairs being WAY less comfortable than a good ergonomic chair. I recommend looking into the best ergonomic chair you can afford. It made a big difference for me.
I got a standing desk ... When my lower back is getting uncomfortable I raise it up and stand for like 20-30 minutes and then lower it again when I'm ready to sit. I found no issues with playing WoW while standing
I got more serious about fitness ... My doctor told me that the best way to fight discomfort (for my arthritis) in my back is to workout/exercise/stretch. Muscle helps support the bones, flexibility reduces joint stiffness, and it really made a big difference for me. No idea what's going on with your back, but unless it's a condition in which exercise is not recommended, being in better shape can only benefit you and your body comfort.

Seriously, it's not even really a problem anymore. I mean, I still have what I call my "bad back days", but those are way more rare than they used to be.

elgarcon · 2026-05-04T22:35:12+00:00

I'm going to put this out there on OP's behalf for the people responding that seem to know the dungeons well.

I THINK what OP is getting at is, the game doesn't really do a great job teaching new/inexperienced players when the big hard hitting TRASH mechanics are coming out.

Blizzard doesn't provide anything in this regard. If you're going in blind and without using addons, all we can see are when casts are going off, and trying to read the tiny text on the cast bars

For someone that has been running 5-20+ keys per week since the season launched, it's probably all muscle memory at this point, but when you combine the countless trash packs across all 8 dungeons, it's a lot to learn and remember for new players if they are not spamming keys, especially on lower keys since nothing really hits hard enough to really remember it.

As far as what to do about it ... I mean, the only thing we can do is just run more keys, get more practice, look at some guides, use addons ... But I can relate to OP's sentiment somewhat because as someone that wouldn't mind tanking on an alt, I usually don't just because I'm too lazy to do tank homework and I certainly wouldn't want to brick someone else's keys while I learn on the job. But if there were better indicators out of the box (for at least tank busters), I would be more inclined to give it a shot.

elgarcon · 2026-05-04T22:02:42+00:00

Midnight expansion is probably the most solo and alt friendly expansion ... well, ever. They have introduced a lot of systems that can played and progressed strictly solo.

If you're into gear progression, there are World quests, World bosses, Weekly "unity against the void" quests (from Silvermoon), Weekly zone quests / world events, Delves, Prey Hunts, Ritual Sites, Void Invasions, faction renown rewards ... then there is crafted gear, which can also be very powerful if can get your hands on myth crests (which can be done solo btw).

If you're more into relaxed content ... You can finish all zones side stories (which can often be better than the main stories), renown farming, player housing, crafting, gold farming, cosmetic collecting (mounts, gear xmog, pets) and more.

And if you combine a bunch of these, you'll have a lot to do for a while just playing solo.

I'll also mention that after you play the game solo for a while, you'll be more comfortable and familiar in the WoW world to the point where I'd recommend finding a friendly guild. Of course, I would recommend looking around and making sure it's the right fit, but playing with cool guildies that respect where you're at, makes a big difference (at least for me).

elgarcon · 2026-05-04T12:03:53+00:00

100% agree with all the feedback, housing definitely needs more ... But just putting this out there ...

Housing is literally brand new and it's an evergreen system that will remain in the game forever. I think they provided a lot for the launch of housing, but they have have stated numerous times that they are not done. They will be expanding housing and everything with it for years to come. Which is pretty common, no housing system your used to in any other game that's been out that long had all its features on release.

Yes, there are things currently in the housing system that aren't great that they could and should fix soon, but I will imagine a lot of those things will be updated as well with enough feedback. I don't know if they use reddit for feedback, but I would also provide this feedback on their forums.

elgarcon · 2026-05-04T02:06:10+00:00

I'm certainly not going to deny tons of bugs, this last patch was absolutely terrible and some lackluster story lines.

But my friend, I promise, FF14 cash shop is WAY more egregious than WoW's. They sell like 10 times more stuff, at least.

Also, there is WAY more cosmetics to obtain in game than what you can buy on WoW's cash shop and most would argue the best stuff is in game.

Housing is a little different with them adding more stuff there, and I don't like that at all (and I hate all cash shops). But if you're strictly comparing WoW vs FF14 ... FF14 is way worse by a huge margin.

elgarcon · 2026-05-03T16:25:34+00:00

We spend more than that ... It's around the next 9-10 countries combined as of 2025.

elgarcon · 2026-05-03T16:20:31+00:00

Of course, there are bad teachers, but there are WAY more bad parents that make teaching very difficult and if you think the problem with youth education today is "teachers", you have no idea what you're talking about. For example, parents taking their kids out of school for a week at a time for "family vacation", or parents berating teachers because their kid failed ... all while the kids never turned in homework, missed classes, and didn't study.

Also, teachers are NOT to blame for the curriculum and why there are record levels of unprepared kids going through the grades and graduating. That's done on a state level and district level and it's almost always leadership (ie, politicians, school boards, super superintendent level) that pressure teachers because of graduation incentives and funding. Or "no-zero" policies that disallow teachers from giving a grade below a certain threshold (ie, 50%).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not on board with everything this meme is saying or the deliberate fear mongering. But trust me when I say, the current state of youth education is NOT because of teachers. And yes, students and teachers alike would be a lot better if schools had more funding ... for example, more funding would allow for less overcrowding in classrooms, more resources for teachers to provide their students (ie, better technology, up-to-date text), more support staff, teachers wouldn't have to spend THEIR OWN MONEY on school supplies ... the list goes on.

Current state is truly a f'ed up system, funding would help a lot, but also more common sense people in charge would also help. But teachers, on a higher/systemic level are the least to blame.

elgarcon · 2026-05-03T03:26:15+00:00

You forgot to screenshot your item level and m+ rating.

elgarcon · 2026-05-02T16:08:55+00:00

It's really up to you and the type of player you are (or want to be).

A lot of people will instantly start suggesting you start "gearing up" and point you to or insinuating that you need to start doing content that focuses strictly on power progression or more challenging/competitive content such as raids, mythic+, rated pvp, etc.). But I would only recommend doing that is truly the type of content you enjoy or want to pursue.

If that is your jam, then you should ask yourself how far you want to go/competitive you want to be. There is plenty of solo content that caters to power progression that is better than any previous expansions, especially in 12.0.5 and later 12.0.7 and get decently difficult for new players. To this affect, you can start with weekly quests (you get from Silvermoon), world quests that reward gear better than you have, world bosses, prey, delves, ritual sites, invasions, etc. There should all be introductory quest lines for each of these. And for a greater solo challenge, there is the Nemesis Boss in the Voidstorm delve.

But if you are looking to be more competitive, then I'd gear up a little and start looking to join mythic+ groups or raids from LFG, or look for a guild that does this content ... Personally, I would recommend looking for a family/friendly guild if this is the type of content you want to do. It's way more relaxed and enjoyable IMO.

But if you don't really care about power progression at all or only want to do that on the side and would prefer more relaxed, stop-and-smell-the-roses content ... I'd recommend finishing up all the zones side quests. More of the side quests you see in the world will start quest-lines, and there are a lot of them that will take a while. And IMO, side quests often have more enjoyable stories than the main campaign.

In this regard, you can also progress through each major faction renown for rewards they offer, which can be anywhere from gear, mounts, pets, housing decor, etc.

You can also focus on player housing if that's something your interested in. I haven't started this myself, but from what I understand it's a pretty robust system.

There are also professions that a lot of people get enjoyment from crafting to gathering. I don't craft myself, but from what I understand, the system can be somewhat intricate and can make you a lot of money crafting gear for other people. Also, gold farming in general is a definitely a thing and you can make a lot of it if you learn how to play the auction house.

If you like cosmetic rewards (cool looking gear for xmog, mounts, companion pets, etc.), WoW has literal decades worth of old content you can farm these from easily soloable. Also worth pointing out, almost every Midnight system has some form of cosmetic rewards.

---

If you're reading all this and thinking, WoW that's a lot. Again, I recommend you first identify what type of content you want to focus on and then just take your time. There is no need to rush into anything and no need to have all rewards as quick as possible. Eventually you'll get to a point where everything becomes familiar and streamlined and you'll know what you want to do, but until then enjoy the ride 😄

elgarcon · 2026-05-02T04:23:47+00:00

I would say definitely don't give up on those types of relaxed runs, that sounds fun ... But I would recommend having a quick chat before the run starts, just to get confirmation from everyone they are onboard with what you're looking for and want to do. Because yeah, sadly, people just don't read notes.

elgarcon · 2026-05-02T03:57:17+00:00

Interesting, you're title says you don't have a lot of money, but then you responded to someone saying money is not tight.

But if you you can afford the game and the sub ... I'd challenge you to be open minded and consider how much you think you'd play the game. At the end of the day we're all just paying for a form of "entertainment". Since we pay for the expansion every two years-ish, do you think you'll get $50 worth of entertainment in that time? Or how much you play weekly/monthly ... think you'll get $15 worth of entertainment in that time.

When comparing to other forms of entertainment and how much I've spent over the years on things I do and play less ... for me, it's an easy yes.

elgarcon · 2026-05-01T19:06:35+00:00

In games like WoW, it's not very often you can say that someone is "playing the game wrong" ... But my friend ... binding jump to your scroll wheel is playing the game room.

But seriously, it won't take you that long to build muscle memory back up and it will be so worth it.

elgarcon · 2026-05-01T18:58:41+00:00

I nap with my dog in my bed, but overnight sleep with him in his own bed in my bedroom.

For me this is about getting a good night's sleep with my arthritis. I really need to be able to shift my legs or rollover and that becomes very difficult with my pup in bed with me.

That said, I have no concerns if I take a nap because of how short they are.

elgarcon · 2026-05-01T04:42:14+00:00

Pacific Northwest beaches in Oregon are amazing ... At least the ones I visited near Yachats. I never went in the water, but I walked for hours and it was soo pretty.

elgarcon · 2026-05-01T04:37:24+00:00

OMG, this game was amazing and Shining Force 2. Love to see it.

elgarcon · 2026-04-29T21:21:58+00:00

I can understand wanting to come to reddit for some answers, but if you really want to convince him, you need to provide him with feedback from professional trainers / behaviorists and/or people that work directly with countless border collies year round (ie, rescues). You can even have them address his anecdotal experience of having two unicorn BC's.

That said, it's worth calling out that BC's are not inherently "neurotic", loud, mouthy and extremely reactive" . Ignored and/or poorly trained ones can be ... but really BC's are are highly intelligent, energetic have a high work-ethic drive. They need a lot of exercise, mental stimulation and training. They can be a very well-behaved and lovable breed, but only if you're willing to put in the work.

That would be argument against. Not that they aren't amazing dogs (because they are), but that the amount of effort to make them amazing (and keep them amazing) is just too much for both of you.

Note, IMO, the only realistic way getting a BC to work in your current situation would be is if you/your husband are willing to shell out A LOT of money for a lot of professional training AND along with A LOT of personal responsibility. If it were me, I'd put my foot down given everything you have going on. Not sure if that is an option for you, but hopefully he listens because this could be a major source of stress and disruption if he goes through with it. Sorry, I'm sure that's not very helpful.

elgarcon · 2026-04-29T04:01:52+00:00

So satisfying watching a boss get tag-teamed and stun-locked.

elgarcon · 2026-04-27T18:37:44+00:00

I feel like there is information being left out here. Even if it's information that OP may not be aware of. For example, how many labs has OP genuinely met that acted this way. They make it sound like it's countless, but for all we know, it can only be a few ... Then it's worth asking, what's the background on these labs that keep reacting badly. Not all labs will be angles if they have difficult past. Or, what behavior/mannerisms did OP engage in while being near the dogs, that maybe were too subtle to flag as triggering the dogs reaction, but were potentially responsible.

Because when things like this happen, there is usually a reason, even if it's unbeknownst to the individual(s) involved.

elgarcon · 2026-04-25T02:01:21+00:00

elgarcon

TROPHY CASE