My first experience in an MMO was playing Final Fantasy XI, where as I have previously mentioned forming a party was downright necessary for everything from leveling to clearing content to browsing the auction house. You formed one by putting up your flag indicating you were looking for a party and then waiting around, or possibly going to the zone where you expected to level and shouting that you were looking for a party until you got invited. There are those who still consider that in some way a purer or better grouping experience than just getting in a queue and getting matched for a party.
Of course, it’s now 2022, and there are lots of different ways to form parties to take on content that requires one. Many games let you queue up for things, many games have what amount to in-game message boards in which you can pick and choose applicants, and so forth. So what’s your preferred method to form one? Do you still long for the days of just sitting in a street shouting until someone scoops you up? Would you rather queue and go? Use party finder tools? Arrange things out-of-game with people you already know and never encounter strangers?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
