Companionless leveling.

[Redblade]

Among the wide variety of reviews and threads around here just after launch there was one complaint that got me thinking, the complaint was that some people didn't want to be forced to play a pet class, I started to think what class to use and what professions would be best and so on but it wasn't until I saw this post that I decided.

By biggest gripe with the game is how they pigeonhole everyone into being a pet class for single player. I want to feel awesome in games, I don't feel awesome babysitting and micromanaging a companion. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't HAVE to have one, but the game is absolutely impossible to go through solo without one.

Challenge accepted!

Now to make it a little bit more interesting I made up a couple of rules.

• No companion use obviously, exceptions are professions and the times you have to have them out (set to passive ofc) for the story line.
  
• No grouping, added this to at the same time prove that group quests and flashpoints are optional, the exception was PvP.
  
• Finishing the story line before getting to 50, this to not be able to over gear and over level all content, also to not be able to just PvP up to 50.
  
• No outside help, financial or crafting, to not trivialize content through gear.

With this in mind I decided to roll a Jedi Shadow called So'ronery on Bloodworthy where I had no characters previously, used Biochem, Bioanalasys and Slicing as professions and went on my way. There where a few elite mobs along the way that really proved to be a challenge and early on keeping gear up to date was extremely important, as far a the general leveling through quests there wasn't a huge difference, some added downtime due to not having a companion healing you and the need to use you characters abilities to their advantages much more than you would with a companion.

On Tuesday I finished my storyline and leveled to 50 thus concluding that it isn't absolutely impossible to level without companions, it was actually quite fun and challenging at times.

There is a compilation of screens I took early on and an additional 10 or so videos of elites encountered in this YouTube channel for anyone doubting.

*SPOILER* Video of final fight in the storyline. *SPOILER*

[xeonix]

Hah! nicely done mate. Will shut alot of mouths i bet.
However how did u manage to do with the class quests that had 2-3 mobs?

[moff]

I believe i could have done that with my tank specced juggernaut, just with lots of downtimes. with the healer i had pretty much none.

with my sorceror I doubt it would have been as easy but certainly possible, especially if you do lots of flashpoints, pvp and space missions to keep your level above the mobs

[Redblade]

Some times you simply had to pop all cooldowns and kill one or two then die, rez, and finish up, the once where the whole group re-spawned I simply had to use every trick in the book such as CC, knock backs, slow, kite, LoS and such, that's what made it both challenging and at times frustrating, as a game should be.

Edit: This was one of the harder, had a lot to do with me being 3 levels below as well though.

[Deleted]

Really good job!

I guess those moments (if Jedi shadow even has those) where companion is required for the story line, you just had them on passive?

[Redblade]

I guess those moments (if Jedi shadow even has those) where companion is required for the story line, you just had them on passive?

Yeah there where a few of those, just used passive, usually they died from the first couple of AOE attacks as all of them are still in what ever gear they came with.

[Stormcall]

"ome times you simply had to pop all cooldowns and kill one or two then die, rez, and finish up"

While it's cool that you did it, this part kinda voids the completion of the challenge, IMO. Having dying being MANDATORY to finish isn't what I would call completing the game...it's one thing to get killed because of a screw-up or bad tactics or an overlooked patrol that jumps you mid fight or something, it's another thing to actually *require* getting killed in order to advance...

Still impressed that you did it though.

[Redblade]

While it's cool that you did it, this part kinda voids the completion of the challenge, IMO. Having dying being MANDATORY to finish isn't what I would call completing the game...it's one thing to get killed because of a screw-up or bad tactics or an overlooked patrol that jumps you mid fight or something, it's another thing to actually *require* getting killed in order to advance...

Still impressed that you did it though.

There are quests like that even with companions, it's usually the way cut scenes end and puts you in to combat with an awkward start, don't think there was any fight where I would have been required to die if I could start on my own terms, it simple ended up in me getting killed due to it and then proceed to finish the elite on he's own, if any fight had required it the two elite droids on Corellia that's apart of the storyline would have been it(didn't upload that video as it's two parts where the second becomes quite boring).

[Stormcall]

There are quests like that even with companions, it's usually the way cut scenes end and puts you in to combat with an awkward start, don't think there was any fight where I would have been required to die if I could start on my own terms, it simple ended up in me getting killed due to it and then proceed to finish the elite on he's own, if any fight had required it the two elite droids on Corellia that's apart of the storyline would have been it(didn't upload that video as it's two parts where the second becomes quite boring).

My assassin didn't die to those sorta quests, least not with Khem out(I guess it woulda been Qyzen in your case), even before I got Force Cloak(not sure if your version has the same name or not, it's the one that's basically Vanish). Once you have Force Cloak you CAN start any fight on your own terms.

[Redblade]

My assassin didn't die to those sorta quests, least not with Khem out(I guess it woulda been Qyzen in your case), even before I got Force Cloak(not sure if your version has the same name or not, it's the one that's basically Vanish). Once you have Force Cloak you CAN start any fight on your own terms.

There where a few of those quests when I leveled my assassin, not where I had to die but my companion sure did, by removing the companion the circumstances you are put in at the start of the fight makes death inevitable, once you have force cloak it's all good though and as I said previously the hardest such fight that I remember bar the dual droid on Corellia was the one I linked on Voss.

Would it be possible to do without the need of death in multiple add fights, sure, would it be worth the effort of resetting the phase and re-clearing to show that it is, not really, perhaps next time if I decide to do it again but with a healer class.

[jammyd]

Well done glad you enjoyed it i would never do this seems pointless

[wowmolly]

I think its awsome that you did this. Id never be able to do it myself, i find it hard not dying even with the companions out lol ><

[jayinjersey]

I think my Pureblood Jedi Shadow (totally light side) might need to quest this way...will RP it saying he is shunned by all the other Jedi


I LIKE IT!

[OhpUldum]

that's what made it both challenging and at times frustrating, as a game should be.

I'll stick to playing my games on casual mode as my games should be played

Good job on trying the game out differently though.

[maky13]

This sounds definetly awesome, I think I`ll steal your idea too. Congratulations.

My latest "challenge accepted" type of leveling was to finish class quest as early as possible, but I stopped at 46 (after staying 4 levels below planet since 30 or so). Tried at 45, but the miss rate gets really ridiculous and I was too lazy to see what mass-accuracy mods would do to that.

[philefluxx]

You sir/ma'am have the patience of a saint

[Redblade]

I'll stick to playing my games on casual mode as my games should be played

Each to their own, I did this on a fairly casual basis though.

[mystik]

sounds really pointless and dumb to be honest. taking story out of the story focus and making things harder for no reason with no reward. I guess you can you did it just to say you did.

[OhpUldum]

sounds really pointless and dumb to be honest. taking story out of the story focus and making things harder for no reason with no reward. I guess you can you did it just to say you did.

It is very similar to the ironman challenge for WoW. Whatever floats the players boat imo.