Well, it is the apocalypse, and there are times when I just want to be left alone to kill in silence. I am a bit of a lone wolf, myself. But many times, trying to get a group together can be like pulling teeth... from a drunken throwback's maw. Sure, people aren't bound to be as friendly in a ravaged, unlawful world like the one we call home in Fallen Earth, but sometimes the wasteland can be a very lonely place. I enjoy doing my own thing as much as anyone else, and in many cases I don't want to stop what I'm doing to help other players, but I tend to. And I'm almost always glad I did. After the cut, I'll take a look at the pros and cons of being a lone wolf.
Much of the early content in Sector 1, especially in the starter towns, is very easy and can usually be done without having to group up at all. You can move forward at your own pace, and you won't need to wait for anyone to travel several kilometers just to meet up with you. As you progress through the game, there are more group missions, and by the time you get to Deadfall, you may need some help on a good portion of them. The developers have stated that they will be focusing on creating group content more than ever.
In a game that allows players to become jacks-of-all-trades, there are not as many reasons to rely on other people for much of anything. Most people have a dedicated crafter alt who is always crafting ammo, new gear, and consumables. The main character does all the scavenging and harvesting and simply mails all the stuff to the crafter. Doing so ensures you have a specialized combat character who is supplied with everything he or she needs. It doesn't make for very needy players. But regardless of how self-sufficient one can be in Fallen Earth, there are always those who have to have their hands held all the time. The latter type don't usually last to the end. But those who are unchallenged by the game don't stay forever either.
Even though I am bit of a lone wolf myself, I always wound up in a clan. I didn't set out to join any clans, but I was eventually invited to join them, and finally I accepted. In one of the clans, the leader left the game and handed me the reins. I have never formed a clan, but I lead one today -- it was never my goal, but it is what it is. I urge every lone-wolf player to join a clan regardless of how isolated he would like to be. Being in a clan definitely has its perks. Of course, so does not being in a clan.
Being in a clan is nice when you need something that you simply cannot find or craft (or afford, for that matter). In many cases, a clanmate will simply give you the item and ask for nothing in return. Oftentimes, members of your clan will a have a shared pool of knowledge about character builds, game mechanics, and rare material locations. Some of the more well-established clans have vast amounts of information that they don't mind sharing with their members. It sure beats asking a question in region chat and getting flamed, getting wrong answers, or getting no answer at all, just the sound of the crickets. Asking a really stupid question among friends is much easier than blasting it over the region chat channel.
What is the point of all this rambling? Well, I think that, although you can be a lone wolf player, you won't get as much out of the game if you don't interact with others. Be a lone wolf. But join a clan and help those in need. Communicate with other players and take the time to travel to them. The game is so much better when you team up against the hazards, even though in most cases you can handle it alone. I kept to myself for my first few days in the wasteland, but now I'm less of a lone wolf and more of a people-person. If you see me in the wasteland, don't hesitate to ask for some help. I may be a lone wolf, but I wasn't raised by wolves.
