Why can't I find a party after level 6?

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Possibly, but why would anyone use myddo to sceen characters at level 6? Unless they are actively trying to make the quest harder it's not like the quests are so challenging they can't be done without deadweight.

I don't think it would be necessary to look at MyDDO for this one.

[Anderei]

Not to single you out because this is definitely a theme in this thread. I play a healer on Thelanis and I don't recall these levels where I wasn't healing regularly. Is it possible? Yes. Can others be more self sufficient? Yes. I've healed plenty of people at all levels in this game. I'm really not sure where this all of a sudden "you don't need heals" is coming from and now only "End Game". This "You don't need a healer" gives me the impression that this is a seasoned players perspective, but many people aren't seasoned and are still figuring the game out and need the heals.

Yes, you can play most dungeons in normal mode without a healer.

And yes as cleric you should do more than "just" healing, as the party doesn't need just an healer.

[DoctorWhofan]

I cannot judge a person to be a deadwieght unless I party with them. TO THE OP: Here is the problems you may have contribute to your party problem:

1. your build: 2fighter and / ?? Wizard is HIGHLY UNUSUAL. Especially for a new person to play effecively. Now there are exceptions, and you may be one, But at the end of the day, as a wizard you lost two levels of power. You will have to justify your build to some parties your abilities.

2. I don't exactly buy the CON thing. Is it a 10 CON? Not that of a big deal for a Wizzy. HOWEVER...I would not be in the middle of combat, and pick a choose when you start casting those Firewalls. Recommend next character to have higher natural CON.

3. My original advice wasn't to join a guild. Never heard of the guild you joined, btw. I suggested to contact my guild for help and people to party with.

4. Healers. I play ALOT of healers. They are right, they are not needed. BUT...If you are in the world ofthe PuG, and learning the game, they can be almost essential (it seems). Also, going BYOH, especially for your character, would be very expensive. It's ok to go traditional, I do lovethat balanced party, but you should not rely on it. Also remember, with a 10 CON, healers are going to find it harder and harder to keep you alive in a party, cuz the monsters will hit harder and harder. So it becomes expensive for them. Just advice.

Finally, relax. These people are here to help. Most of the forumites actually dish out pretty decent advice. Remember Most of us have 4 years of DDO gaming experiance. We have been there, done that, have probably several T-shirts. We are NOT out to get you, or to embarrass you, but we here to tell you that in your position and current knowledge base of the game, you are not seeing the forest forthe trees. And probably won't for awhile That's ok, you will, hopefully sooner than later.

This game is very much NOT like FFXI, which I played. Dispite the rigidarty on the classes and ruleset, this game is HIGHLY flexible. A cleric, if played right, can do anything. Same with any other class...add multi-classing, it can get confusing. So my advice is just to play the game.

[Montrose]

Barbarians are great first characters, we are practically made for it. Warforged ones not as much. Warforged are a more advanced choice with specific advantages and detriments. I may be a mana-sponge, but smart play can reduce that by a great deal.

Way OT, but I disagree with you here. Barbarians are powerful characters and do a lot of damage, but they have a number of drawbacks that make them more difficult to play solo than other melee types, such as a monk/paladin/fighter.

The biggest drawback for barbarians is that they are extremely vulnerable while raged. You can't use any clickies or cast any spells. So you can't cure blindness, for example, or remove a curse. Yes, you can drop out of rage to fix the condition, but then you are fatigued for the next minute unless you drink a lesser restore pot.

Barbarians can also be very expensive characters. Because you have no self-heal ability you are limited to drinking pots to heal. You can purchase cleric hirelings to be slight more cost-efficient on the healing, and the recent changes to nerf the time on status effects like stat damage and curse does help somewhat in this regard, but it still adds up fast.

[Turgar]

To the people who don't think that 10 con is a problem for a melee toon, and really for any toon for that matter:

10 con is as laughable as a toon having 25% fortification at higher levels. You should start a melee toon with 12 con minimum, 14 con preferable.

To the OP; your attitude about grouping is the reason you can't find a group. Your toons probably suck, and you are having difficulty finding the perfect party to carry you past level 6. You are new to this game, and don't know anything yet, so check your attitude at the door. Nothing worse than a f2p newbie with a poor attitude. Fix the attitude and you might have an easier time finding groups.

I'd also recomend going to the build threads and getting some help there, start over and lose the sense of entitlement, it won't get you anywhere.

[Zenako]

OP, If one of the characters in question is one of the ones in your Sig, Aberawn, that character has a number of issues that would jump out at anyone looking at the character.

You are wearing at the same time the following items: Ring of Resistence, Cloak of Resistence, Agile Belt (+1 REF Save), Engraved Circlet (+1 WILL save) AND the Anger's Gift set (Necklace and Boots) which also gives a Resistence Bonus to saves. Those DO NOT ADD together!!! Only the best bonus applies and that would most likely be just +1. So you have Six! item slots giving you the same bonus. Not good. Perhaps no one ever explained how they work, but if you look at your character sheet when you equip something, you can see the values change if the new item actually gives you a benefit.

You have clearly favored combat based on your STR and the weapons you are using, but as most of your levels are WIZ, you have poor BAB to start with, and very few feats available for using. You have no AC to speak of. So you will be getting hit a lot. At low levels AC can be very very important and mitigate a LOT of damage. With the penalites to Two Weapon Fighting I am guessing you miss a lot in combat. It is FAR better to only use one weapon and hit 50% of the time than to swing two weapons and only hit 15% of the time with each one.

YOu have a stack of Crossbow Bolts in your arrow slots, reasonably nice +2 bolts. However, using a crossbow avoids any of the potential benefits and Elf would get with Bows, depending on where you spent Action Points for enhancemnts.

The 10 CON comment has been beaten to death, but 104 HP at 7th level with fighter levels is really pretty low. If you were not wearing 6 redundant items at once, you could find spots for items to boost your HIT (False Life) or CON. A False life item would be 10 more HP, a CON +2 item is another 7.

What I see when I look at the sheet is someone who has played some, but clearly does not understand a number of the rules of how the game actually works. A lot of players are not interested in spending time on tutorials while in a quest, and as such would look at the build/character and just say, thanks but no thanks....

[Tyrande]

[..]
I will not join a party without a healer. [..]

Be a cleric or FvS and you won't have a problem finding a group at that level range.

Also, your level 8 paladin can heal or use cure serious wands just fine. Why wait for a healer?

[Vuedoo]

everyone is so tired of pugging by Lvl 6 they all decided to solo there way to 20 from there

[ArichValtrahn]

Is this a server problem? Ive played a wide array of chars past level 6 and never had trouble getting a group on Khyber. Sometimes with a char like a bard groups dont want to take more than one, but past that..

Edit - Wizard/Fighter multiclass. Nevermind, that makes sense then.

[Mentor61]

Hi my name is "insert newb's name".

I can't go up in levels because I keep running different alts, re-rolling, and insist on having a healer in every party I join (sure this might work better if I just rolled a healer). I am also F2P and refuse to spend any money on the game so I am very limited in what quests I can join.

Why can't I level up?

Stop reading my mind!

[Jemaniya]

Well if you are talking about your character in your signature it is most likely because you are a ftr4 wiz2 elf with con of 10.

Those are the chars I started the game with. Pics for role playing.

My main's build is drow 3 cleric, 5 barb. Mitral armor. Short shords max damage, ice and spell penetration duel wield. Can solo.
Main
s 19 (+4)
d 14 (+2)
cn 14 (+2)
i 10
w 14 (+2)
ch 10

My little healer helper is 1 rog, 3 cleric. Cannot solo at all no strength. Drow.

Soloing is not my style. This is an mmorpg. If I wanted to solo I'd play my ps3. Little Helper is leveling faster than my main because he's both rogue and cleric, plus he only parties with other clerics to help them lvl. Two cleric parties rock all. The problem does not lie in my build. It lies with clerics. YOU NEED THEM. That is how all mmorpg's are designed.

[Horrorscope]

Yes, you can play most dungeons in normal mode without a healer.

And yes as cleric you should do more than "just" healing, as the party doesn't need just an healer.

Oh I didn't know "Normal" was the only difficulty level we were discussing. I tend to think all the way to Elite.

[toastjeff]

Two cleric parties rock all. The problem does not lie in my build. It lies with clerics. YOU NEED THEM. That is how all mmorpg's are designed.

You're honestly not helping your cause any by saying things that anyone who has played this game for any length of time knows to be untrue. Isn't it possible that maybe, just maybe, the problems you are having with finding groups has nothing to do with either the game or which server you are on and has everything to do with the way you choose to play the game?

[DoctorWhofan]

You're honestly not helping your cause any by saying things that anyone who has played this game for any length of time knows to be untrue. Isn't it possible that maybe, just maybe, the problems you are having with finding groups has nothing to do with either the game or which server you are on and has everything to do with the way you choose to play the game?

He is on Thelanis. And to the OP, as a cleric player, I AM NOT NEEDED IN PARTY.

[TreknaQudane]

My main's build is drow 3 cleric, 5 barb. Mitral armor. Short shords max damage, ice and spell penetration duel wield. Can solo.
Main
s 19 (+4)
d 14 (+2)
cn 14 (+2)
i 10
w 14 (+2)
ch 10

<Snip>

The problem does not lie in my build. It lies with clerics. YOU NEED THEM. That is how all mmorpg's are designed.

No offense, but with a 3 Cleric/5 Barbarian, the problem is partially your build. Using one of the key functions of the Barbarian part locks you out of using the Cleric component, not very good.

And you don't need clerics despite what you may think

Rangers, Paladins, and Bards can use wands to heal themselves even if they don't want to heal others. Sorcerers and Rogues can often attempt to use UMD to wand heal. Monks on the light path can add a curse to an enemy that heals those that strike it, plus can cast what is close to a Mass Cure Light Wounds. And if you're not one of those options.. You can buy potions.

[Shassa]

Not buying the "we don't need a healer" attitude, no matter how many sellers are out there. You are right in that I came from other mmorpgs. I was trained playing FFXI.

Shassa, Level 75 THF/NIN from Sylph here (retired).
FFXI is nothing like DDO.

FFXI plays more like the original Everquest than DDO, which also had "required classes" for all parties. Those games are a lot more rigid as far as what class can do what. DDO character design is a lot more flexible, so anyone (and I mean anyone) can make a self-sufficient build if done right, party or solo.

So, welcome to DDO, but you will have to retrain your way of thinking for this new game. Best of luck to you!

[Lleren]

Way OT, but I disagree with you here. Barbarians are powerful characters and do a lot of damage, but they have a number of drawbacks that make them more difficult to play solo than other melee types, such as a monk/paladin/fighter.

The biggest drawback for barbarians is that they are extremely vulnerable while raged. You can't use any clickies or cast any spells. So you can't cure blindness, for example, or remove a curse. Yes, you can drop out of rage to fix the condition, but then you are fatigued for the next minute unless you drink a lesser restore pot.

Barbarians can also be very expensive characters. Because you have no self-heal ability you are limited to drinking pots to heal. You can purchase cleric hirelings to be slight more cost-efficient on the healing, and the recent changes to nerf the time on status effects like stat damage and curse does help somewhat in this regard, but it still adds up fast.

I think we'll have to disagree, what you are saying is a weakness, are some of the bits I think of as a strength.
Hirelings are much more cost efficient then potions/wands for most beginners if they are going to "solo"

I think self-sufficient beginer characters are more expensive when they go solo, because sometimes they won't need that hireling, and sometimes they will. Often they will spend a significant ( to them ) amount of resources before they give in and pull out the hireling. A non self-healing character learns to pull out that hireling every time, or go broke from quaffing potions.

Plus, Barbarians are really encouraged to group by the system, and that means pugs. Pugs will show you that while there may be no one right way, there are innumerable wrong ways to go about playing.

[TheBroken_JPK]

If someone has already said this, then I will just reiterate it.

It seems a lot of people are painting a prettier picture of why there are little to no groups past the initial stages of the game. I've read a lot of people try to say it gets better as you get higher. It doesn't. It will be up to you to make the group. Then you will quickly find out clerics(especially ones that will heal) and arcane casters are very, very rare. Two of the most needed classes for quest marked level 15 and up. I'm off topic, though.

The reason you won't find a group at an acceptable pace past level 5 is because DDO is challenging. Its challenging to get your build right, the quest are challenging. No longer are you just able to swing your sword, and be able to get XP. You will have to think, follow directions, and adapt. This isn't your typical MMO. It takes a wee bit of brain power to function in this game. Unfortunately, this means most players are more a burden to the group, than a help. Its a hassle to group with people you don't know. In my experience it rarely works out. Most people have terrible builds, and bring the group down. They refuse to stick with the leader, run off and die, try to get all the optional XP when we are clearly zerging, die because they don't have basic gear, or any number of reasons that have turned players off to grouping with people we don't know. DDO is a game that takes research to play. Its also a game that penalizes mistakes. No one likes to waste 30 minutes of their time in a quest to lose all the XP, because some idiot couldn't do their job.

Is this fair? Not to new players its not. How are we suppose to get involved? How are we suppose to prove ourselves? Well, its a long, arduous road. If you think its bad at level 5 where most quest are very simple its a PITA at level 15 where it seems all quest involve special caveats. You simply can't be inviting people who are potentially bad players who are going to waste your time. This is on Turbine to fix the problem not the players. We are just trying to progress the best way possible. The way to do that is "short manning" a quest.

My tips to you would be to build an effective build. Don't be afraid to run a quest with less than a FG. Go at it alone with a hireling. You will need to do some research. Also, clerics and arcane casters will always have a spot in the group, as long as you don't prove yourself to be one of those "bad f2P players". Build a reputation, get in a guild with other good players, and the game will start to become more enjoyable and accessible.

The biggest thing that has helped me come along is running quest by myself if I have to. That way I know the quest, and when I form a group I can lead it effectively. More than likely, the people who join your group are new players also, and you will have to lead. Explain any special caveats(special weapons, traps, etc). If someone doesn't have a ghost touch weapon, and your in necropolis dump them, they are worthless. That is proof enough the player doesn't take his time, or someone else's for that matter, seriously.

I have a lot longer to go before I'm maxed out in level, not even to mention gear progression. It can be, and is frustrating as a new player. The best thing to do is make friends, and put your best foot forward. Good luck!

[nbennet]

The problem does not lie in my build. It lies with clerics. YOU NEED THEM. That is how all mmorpg's are designed.

The problem lies with you. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Your attitude, characters, equipment all indicate you are unfamiliar with this game, and ignorant about some of the basics and principles. Knowledgable, long-term players have offered some good, helpful advice. However, it seems as if you are less interested in accepting and using information to improve and advance your game, and more interested in whining or venting about problems that ultimately *you* are creating for yourself. If you could let go of your preconceived notions, and be open to learning, it would go a long way to solving your problems. If not, your problems are only going to increase as you gain in levels. No experienced player wants to group with someone ignorant, unwilling to learn, and with a poor attitude. It will become increasingly hard for you to find decent groups persisting like this.

Specifically regarding your builds: DDO offers a lot of flexibility in terms of character creation leading new players to make many mistakes and sub-optimal choices. This happens to everyone - there is no shame in it. YOUR BUILDS SUCK. If you can accept this, learn why from what people are telling you, and move on to create better characters in future, you will be more successful.

[Gremmlynn]

If someone doesn't have a ghost touch weapon, and your in necropolis dump them, they are worthless. That is proof enough the player doesn't take his time, or someone else's for that matter, seriously.

Sorry, I try to, but then remember I'm playing a video game and find it impossible to take things very seriously at all. "Oh noes the noowb aint got any ghost touch, how will the rest of us become uber leet now!!!111"