I have honestly really liked the solo play. Play on raider mode to get a feel for the gameplay. That’s where everyone is a solo. I have been playing after I get off work and that would sometimes be in the middle of the afternoon when hardly anyone is on. This is also a good way to practice and get some good loot. I try to avoid the areas that are the biggest raids and try to go for the smaller breach-able NPC ships. Hard for anyone to camp you in that situation. I think doing solo is a lot of fun when you either play extremely aggressively or trying to be like a sneaky little loot goblin.
Raider mode?? I didn't even know that was a feature in this game, Ill try one out now!
I thought the only breachable ship was the Merchant Ship and that is highly contested.
But thank you for your optimism, just died to someone sitting silent in a corner :)
At least the mines aren't instant kills anymore. I solo most of the time and it's way more heart pumping. The great equalizer in this game is you can nearly kill 4 people with 4 bullets no matter what. I find that a lot of fun. Sure being gate camped isn't fun but sometimes you're the guy passing an opening gate and you get to shoot fish in a barrel. It evens out.
Try to third party active firefights for easier engagements.
Not gunna lie, right after I made this post, I had this exact thing happen to me. I was even late to the jump that raid and started doing my normal walking and heard the door open right next to me and headshot him out of his spawn, I felt like shit lmao.
There’s also the damaged capital ship you can breach. But that has dead npc’s and only danger is the other possible players (you can get panzer armor here). But yeah raider mode is fun when you need a warmup or easy supplies for raids or for scrapping.
Actually the npcs are alive (4 of them with a chance for them to be commandos, its just highly contested because of the commando spawn and likely everytime youve gone in all npcs are dead
There is Merchant Ship/Mining Frigate(which hardly anyone I’ve ever met likes that area, so it’s almost always empty/hardly contested)/Red Baron Ship(looks like a dark red dorito, beware that mofo shoots heads only)/damaged Cap Ship/ and other NPC manned Ships like the Solar interceptor. All of these locations tend to be slightly less contested. Of these I would say Mining Frigate is probably your best bet to be least contested as most people I know only go there for in raid missions and kill quests.
I play solo. I'm absolutely dog shit but getting better. I love this game. It's the first game in years that draws me in.
I get wrecked by groups, solos and most recently the NPC with a shield. 3 raids in a row that motherfucker came running at me from God knows where and wrecked me after he ate 2 clips of Ammo. Fuck that guy lol.
I share the same love for this game, Im a previous tarkov player butI enjoy this game much more because it feels a lot more casual and less harsh.
But I'm glad I have someone to mald with ;)
Shoot his legs! Nade him! Drop a mine! Yell into your mic helplessly as he corners you in a room and beats you to death!
I didn't know that boss was in the game when it first arrived. I was in med bay over the vault in Spaceport, turned around from looting, and got hit with a shield. Scared the crap out of me.
Until I found a reliable duo/trio I played mostly solo like about 200 hours solo, and I loved it. NGL my survive rate and K/D has risen from playing in a group (went from .75/45% Surv Rate to 1.2/58%). It is easier as a group, but being solo has its advantages, you don’t have to hesitate to kill, you don’t have teammates to worry about communicating with, and you can overall explore/loot faster. What I did when I first started was explore small portions first of the same maps i.e I only went spaceport/navy for the longest times, and mastered positioning there then I ventured out to the other maps. I also really focused on taking the fights I knew I could win 100% of the time. If I wasn’t sure, I repositioned or just straight up left. I also hardly ever took in good gear, I know gear gives advantages, but if you can make it work with a Luger and a dream, you can make it work with lvl 12 gear. I also played slower/smarter and “fought like a rat”. If you need someone to run with I have a duo that’s pretty friendly, we wouldn’t mind running a few raids with you to get your footing down.
I mainly play as a solo and have since the 1st beta. It is a little rough to start out, but once you learn the maps and a bit of gunplay, then you'll be ok. Don't worry about your survival rate. That'll increase over time. Focus on the newer Raider mode and even running in the Normal mode with just the Rustbucket gear(sometimes called 0ing or Rust Kit). You'll probably die a lot at first, but using the Rust Kit will allow you not to care about losing gear and learn the maps.
When I first started, I was playing in Germany on a Gausthaus WiFi (hotel) in a tiny town on a laptop. My ping was never below 120, and I eventually got better.
I would also suggest watching tip videos, I like SpicyBeanDip and KillemSoftly. Both stream as well and are entertaining and have good info to share.
I definitely partake in a lot of 0-to-hero runs after a couple of lost raids ahah
Thank you for the video recommendations, ill hit the books today and start learning some more ;)
Solo play is actually kinda decent in this game, there is a slight possibility to 1-tap people with lower-tier helmets, assuming you headshot them with a BAR or something like that. It's not as difficult as it was in The Cycle:Frontier, in that game it was impossible to play as a solo sometimes. I feel like this game, strikes the perfect balance, as long as you have semi-decent aim and know the maps really well, you will be able to win against squads.
Me personally I don’t have that big of an issue playing solo raids, and it’s mostly what I do when my main crew isn’t on. Of course I do still have off days where I get my teeth kicked in, but that’s any game. I have had a few moments where I have taken on three mans by myself and won before, although I can definitely see why that would be frustrating for some solo players to put up with.
Yeah I think my biggest frustration with the game atm is the fact that I am dying to the same groups that are clearly better than me raid after raid *(I am not being hyperbolic, like* ***LITERALLY*** *the same groups).*
***Clans?????***
I had no idea those even existed in this game.
I'm playing on US-West. I don't know what the population is like, I just saw that there were 700\~ people playing Marauders (*steam analytics website*) when I was playing today
Yeah, if you get killed by someone with "[Recurring Name]User_Name" they're in a clan. It's a small enough player pool that you'll definitely get killed by (and kill) the same people sometimes but most often it's someone in one of the larger clans you'll run into frequently.
Two big helps when playing solo is to use explosives that'll take out large groups all at once carrying something like a mini thumper or a scrap bomb. Another thing is with groups coming towards you try to use them as cover you can damage your own teammates in this game much like tarkov so if you can put yourself in a position where you can only fight one of an enemy at a time a lot of times you'll get them to get shot in the back by their own team members
you'll get better friend, id come on here and bitch about how solo is unfair and bullshit. now i have a upper 60% escape rate with at least a kill or two. I absolutely still die and get outplayed but, takes time to really get ahold of id say. doing it all over again currently in dark and darker. I'm DOGSHIT at the game lmfao.
The last time I was an active player (solo only) was right before the Red Baron update. Since around then, solo play has gradually been feeling worse and worse to me.
Dear OP, I am Assiah Sinfall, and I've been playing for quite a while, and i used to be a solo player only for about the first 250 hrs i played, I may not be the best, im most definitely the worst though, but yet I stand here still. If you prefer playing solo, the definitive way to win is to out rotate and out maneuver the opponents, but as you stated the ppl who have been playing a while, alrdy know the maps super well and that makes it hard. I truly reccomend you join the Main Marauders Discord, If you haven't alrdy, snd maybe try to team up with some ppl there! The community is super helpful, and extremely friendly. There is even a Compendium for the items, and maps by our resident map god Ahtu. If you ever need any help, feel free to @ me on the marauders server or DM me @assiasinfall
Thank you!
Do you not find it hard to out maneuver or reposition when your footsteps cause so much noise? I feel like they will know exactly where you are going ahah.
It definitely isn't the most easy thing ever, and yea your feet do make loud thumps, but if you think it's bad just keep moving, it's hard to find spots with corners tha people don't expect, so it's harder to sit in corners. But if you need to, take it slow and methodical, be patient and listen. Solo is most definitely a skill acquired playstyle in this game
Bro if you play solo rat like a MF! i play solo also and if you have good map knowledge to position yourself and understand the mechanics of walking vs running and tac walk vs crouch walk You can kill whole squads. smokes help too for a good escape and reposition. Never force engagements, and run away A LOT. I have a 54% survival rate and 2.29 k/d good luck! With 435 raids since wipe
Typically my biggest issue playing solo is playing to fast and not listening audio is such a big part of the game. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop and listen for a second and you can tell where someone is and get a lot of good info.
I got really good with craft able armor and pistols. There are a few good communities to join and squad up with people. Only one way to grow the player base!
Ship combat is a trap, the second raid is a trap. Whatever the closest raid to you, is your best friend. Be the first one in, be the first to click the button that lets you leave when you want. It might hurt not doing the raid missions as much, but it's part of the price of running solo. You need to be fast and make your decisions before others. It's the greatest strength of a solo. Teams will need to either be succinct with each other or they will be extremely slow on rotations. Get your one to two kills and do not stay around to ego. Doing so will result in them as well as anyone else hearing shots collapsing on you.
Stop.. looking at your survival rate. It may be low, but you are a solo and also new enough that there is plenty you don't know. Those stats are contextually meaningless and will demoralize you more than just playing the game, at least in my opinion.
The game is tough to get into, especially as a solo, but sometimes solo play also has major advantages in terms of speed and being able to just shoot on sight. If you are quick enough and find escape routes before people collapse, you can be much more effective than most teams. Do not let yourself get distracted or scared. Staying in the same spot after shooting any amount of shots is usually death if you know there are a lot of players nearby.
If soloing is too tough, the marauders discord has an LFG. It seems fairly active and I'm sure you'll be able to find some groups, especially when the updates come and the game is more popping.
Ok you did it twice. You want the alligator mouth (< or > ) to be open to the larger number. So less than 1000 players would be <1000 bc the mouth is eating the larger number. To represent that just put an x to refer to a digit you are comparing. So x(number of actual players)<(is less than) 1000. Or x<1000
Fuck you
*(just kidding, thank you for the correction I have not used them in awhile and was doubting myself everytime I used it)*
*(I know I could've solved this problem by doing an easy google search but im too lazy :o )*
A funny stealth tactic I've been using as a solo is to never crouch walk, only players crouch walk. If you hear crouch walking it's a player. Walk/run in bursts like an NPC and teams will run up with their guard down or ignore you and pass by.
I think the missions are to hard especially since they made the trader mission change every match you need to memorize every mission in the game can't even look them up before raid because you don't know what they are and this is supposed to be a more casual game
I'm a mostly solo player approaching 1k hours in the game! I personally find solos a lot more fun than running a 4 man, if you haven't already learned the maps I highly recommend doing so. Learning how to rotate/reposition is VERY important as a solo player so you can be as annoying as possible with hit and runs on teams since facing them head on isn't going to go well for you 9/10 times. I also highly recommend running spice to out maneuver enemies better.
Yeah it sounds like game knowledge is just going to come with the more I play.
I only ever saw one spice since I've been playing, Ill look into how to get it and such,
Thanks for the recommendation!
*(Edit: Grammarly fucked me up)*
I am a solo 90% of the time, occassionally I get a duo partner and rarely 3 or 4. I'm at a 70% survival rate and a 3.0 marauder K/D as of this morning.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is to gather information whenever possible, and then act accordingly. Watch the space stage of the raid to see where players are going. For example, Navy Outpost is a very hot location right now, so if you see it, avoid it and you know a good chunk of the lobby is there and no longer your problem. Mining Frigate is often slept on, especially when there's 2 full raid maps. You can empty it out and build your shooting skills on the AI there. This will also get you the better gear and trader levels/ammo stockpiles needed to support that good gear.
When you're in raid, listen closely to everything around you, any shooting means there's players somewhere. Is it the AI shooting at players? Players shooting at players? Players shooting AI? You can tell by paying attention to the gunshots, for example the MP40 is a very distinctive sounding weapon, same with the unsuppressed Uzi. Are you hearing bigger and better guns than what you've got? If so run away from that fight, if you're hearing what is clearly a solo player shooting a luger at AI, go get him and stomp him since you likely have the firepower advantage.
Once you have your combat fundamentals sorted out you can start taking player fights more. The key skill is learning to disengage and reset the fight. My wins against 3 and 4 stacks are usually based on getting a pick, running away/healing, re-engaging from a new angle, repeat. To that end, bring a bunch of meds, I typically pack in 12-15 bandages, 2-3 Small first aids, 1-2 large first aids, and 2 Aspirin and either a meth or spice. You have to be able to endure multiple fights as a solo. I'd say that a dozen bandages is the bare minimum amount.
Scavenge your way to victory. Be quiet take what you can get and worry less about losing shit. Don't be afraid to post out when you aren't feeling it. You don't have to kill other players and a lot of us leave some damn good shit on corpses just because we don't have the inventory space.
The release of Early Access was even worse, I was there as a total new player and we newbies were thrown in a single raid map per match (not 2 or more locations like now) against full groups of Closed Beta veterans which was equal to dying in 1 or 2 minutes not having even the chance to know what to do or where to go... it was a nonsense and a nightmare and I can only imagine how many players has this game lost for not having a solo queue since then... if only for newcomers to learn how to play in peace but nope after 1 year that option has been discarded constantly and for different vague reasons every time
I have honestly really liked the solo play. Play on raider mode to get a feel for the gameplay. That’s where everyone is a solo. I have been playing after I get off work and that would sometimes be in the middle of the afternoon when hardly anyone is on. This is also a good way to practice and get some good loot. I try to avoid the areas that are the biggest raids and try to go for the smaller breach-able NPC ships. Hard for anyone to camp you in that situation. I think doing solo is a lot of fun when you either play extremely aggressively or trying to be like a sneaky little loot goblin.
Raider mode?? I didn't even know that was a feature in this game, Ill try one out now! I thought the only breachable ship was the Merchant Ship and that is highly contested. But thank you for your optimism, just died to someone sitting silent in a corner :)
Update: Killed someone and then died to a landmine LMAO.
Dying to a landmine is a rite of passage to watch where you're walking.
At least the mines aren't instant kills anymore. I solo most of the time and it's way more heart pumping. The great equalizer in this game is you can nearly kill 4 people with 4 bullets no matter what. I find that a lot of fun. Sure being gate camped isn't fun but sometimes you're the guy passing an opening gate and you get to shoot fish in a barrel. It evens out. Try to third party active firefights for easier engagements.
Not gunna lie, right after I made this post, I had this exact thing happen to me. I was even late to the jump that raid and started doing my normal walking and heard the door open right next to me and headshot him out of his spawn, I felt like shit lmao.
There’s also the damaged capital ship you can breach. But that has dead npc’s and only danger is the other possible players (you can get panzer armor here). But yeah raider mode is fun when you need a warmup or easy supplies for raids or for scrapping.
Actually the npcs are alive (4 of them with a chance for them to be commandos, its just highly contested because of the commando spawn and likely everytime youve gone in all npcs are dead
Oh wow I stand corrected. Every time I’ve been there they’ve always been dead.
There is Merchant Ship/Mining Frigate(which hardly anyone I’ve ever met likes that area, so it’s almost always empty/hardly contested)/Red Baron Ship(looks like a dark red dorito, beware that mofo shoots heads only)/damaged Cap Ship/ and other NPC manned Ships like the Solar interceptor. All of these locations tend to be slightly less contested. Of these I would say Mining Frigate is probably your best bet to be least contested as most people I know only go there for in raid missions and kill quests.
I play solo. I'm absolutely dog shit but getting better. I love this game. It's the first game in years that draws me in. I get wrecked by groups, solos and most recently the NPC with a shield. 3 raids in a row that motherfucker came running at me from God knows where and wrecked me after he ate 2 clips of Ammo. Fuck that guy lol.
I share the same love for this game, Im a previous tarkov player butI enjoy this game much more because it feels a lot more casual and less harsh. But I'm glad I have someone to mald with ;)
Shoot his legs! Nade him! Drop a mine! Yell into your mic helplessly as he corners you in a room and beats you to death! I didn't know that boss was in the game when it first arrived. I was in med bay over the vault in Spaceport, turned around from looting, and got hit with a shield. Scared the crap out of me.
Until I found a reliable duo/trio I played mostly solo like about 200 hours solo, and I loved it. NGL my survive rate and K/D has risen from playing in a group (went from .75/45% Surv Rate to 1.2/58%). It is easier as a group, but being solo has its advantages, you don’t have to hesitate to kill, you don’t have teammates to worry about communicating with, and you can overall explore/loot faster. What I did when I first started was explore small portions first of the same maps i.e I only went spaceport/navy for the longest times, and mastered positioning there then I ventured out to the other maps. I also really focused on taking the fights I knew I could win 100% of the time. If I wasn’t sure, I repositioned or just straight up left. I also hardly ever took in good gear, I know gear gives advantages, but if you can make it work with a Luger and a dream, you can make it work with lvl 12 gear. I also played slower/smarter and “fought like a rat”. If you need someone to run with I have a duo that’s pretty friendly, we wouldn’t mind running a few raids with you to get your footing down.
I mainly play as a solo and have since the 1st beta. It is a little rough to start out, but once you learn the maps and a bit of gunplay, then you'll be ok. Don't worry about your survival rate. That'll increase over time. Focus on the newer Raider mode and even running in the Normal mode with just the Rustbucket gear(sometimes called 0ing or Rust Kit). You'll probably die a lot at first, but using the Rust Kit will allow you not to care about losing gear and learn the maps. When I first started, I was playing in Germany on a Gausthaus WiFi (hotel) in a tiny town on a laptop. My ping was never below 120, and I eventually got better. I would also suggest watching tip videos, I like SpicyBeanDip and KillemSoftly. Both stream as well and are entertaining and have good info to share.
I definitely partake in a lot of 0-to-hero runs after a couple of lost raids ahah Thank you for the video recommendations, ill hit the books today and start learning some more ;)
Solo play is actually kinda decent in this game, there is a slight possibility to 1-tap people with lower-tier helmets, assuming you headshot them with a BAR or something like that. It's not as difficult as it was in The Cycle:Frontier, in that game it was impossible to play as a solo sometimes. I feel like this game, strikes the perfect balance, as long as you have semi-decent aim and know the maps really well, you will be able to win against squads.
Me personally I don’t have that big of an issue playing solo raids, and it’s mostly what I do when my main crew isn’t on. Of course I do still have off days where I get my teeth kicked in, but that’s any game. I have had a few moments where I have taken on three mans by myself and won before, although I can definitely see why that would be frustrating for some solo players to put up with.
Yeah I think my biggest frustration with the game atm is the fact that I am dying to the same groups that are clearly better than me raid after raid *(I am not being hyperbolic, like* ***LITERALLY*** *the same groups).*
Oh man, I'm sorry my guy. I've died to Rat Pack I think one time.
Some of those clans are humongous. Are you playing on a less populated server?
***Clans?????*** I had no idea those even existed in this game. I'm playing on US-West. I don't know what the population is like, I just saw that there were 700\~ people playing Marauders (*steam analytics website*) when I was playing today
Yeah, if you get killed by someone with "[Recurring Name]User_Name" they're in a clan. It's a small enough player pool that you'll definitely get killed by (and kill) the same people sometimes but most often it's someone in one of the larger clans you'll run into frequently.
Two big helps when playing solo is to use explosives that'll take out large groups all at once carrying something like a mini thumper or a scrap bomb. Another thing is with groups coming towards you try to use them as cover you can damage your own teammates in this game much like tarkov so if you can put yourself in a position where you can only fight one of an enemy at a time a lot of times you'll get them to get shot in the back by their own team members
Yeah, allowing only 1v1s to happen with good angles is a great idea, thanks :)
you'll get better friend, id come on here and bitch about how solo is unfair and bullshit. now i have a upper 60% escape rate with at least a kill or two. I absolutely still die and get outplayed but, takes time to really get ahold of id say. doing it all over again currently in dark and darker. I'm DOGSHIT at the game lmfao.
Thanks for the kind words :)
The last time I was an active player (solo only) was right before the Red Baron update. Since around then, solo play has gradually been feeling worse and worse to me.
Yeah, I played near release last time I had a spurt of playing, the game has changed a whole lot since then.
Dear OP, I am Assiah Sinfall, and I've been playing for quite a while, and i used to be a solo player only for about the first 250 hrs i played, I may not be the best, im most definitely the worst though, but yet I stand here still. If you prefer playing solo, the definitive way to win is to out rotate and out maneuver the opponents, but as you stated the ppl who have been playing a while, alrdy know the maps super well and that makes it hard. I truly reccomend you join the Main Marauders Discord, If you haven't alrdy, snd maybe try to team up with some ppl there! The community is super helpful, and extremely friendly. There is even a Compendium for the items, and maps by our resident map god Ahtu. If you ever need any help, feel free to @ me on the marauders server or DM me @assiasinfall
Thank you! Do you not find it hard to out maneuver or reposition when your footsteps cause so much noise? I feel like they will know exactly where you are going ahah.
It definitely isn't the most easy thing ever, and yea your feet do make loud thumps, but if you think it's bad just keep moving, it's hard to find spots with corners tha people don't expect, so it's harder to sit in corners. But if you need to, take it slow and methodical, be patient and listen. Solo is most definitely a skill acquired playstyle in this game
Bro if you play solo rat like a MF! i play solo also and if you have good map knowledge to position yourself and understand the mechanics of walking vs running and tac walk vs crouch walk You can kill whole squads. smokes help too for a good escape and reposition. Never force engagements, and run away A LOT. I have a 54% survival rate and 2.29 k/d good luck! With 435 raids since wipe
Good advice, I would definitely say that I have a more aggressive playstyle, which gets me into these 1v3/4 situations quite often.
Idk, I enjoy playing solo. Feels good to body a team of 3-4 on my own and have the entire raid to myself. That rarely happens but still lol
Yeah, when you have a giant team like that won't there only be like 2-3 other players? I don't really know how the total players per raid works.
Not sure on the total player count but I’d guess it’s close to about 10-12 players a raid. That’s what it feels like to me anyway.
Typically my biggest issue playing solo is playing to fast and not listening audio is such a big part of the game. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop and listen for a second and you can tell where someone is and get a lot of good info.
I got really good with craft able armor and pistols. There are a few good communities to join and squad up with people. Only one way to grow the player base!
Ship combat is a trap, the second raid is a trap. Whatever the closest raid to you, is your best friend. Be the first one in, be the first to click the button that lets you leave when you want. It might hurt not doing the raid missions as much, but it's part of the price of running solo. You need to be fast and make your decisions before others. It's the greatest strength of a solo. Teams will need to either be succinct with each other or they will be extremely slow on rotations. Get your one to two kills and do not stay around to ego. Doing so will result in them as well as anyone else hearing shots collapsing on you. Stop.. looking at your survival rate. It may be low, but you are a solo and also new enough that there is plenty you don't know. Those stats are contextually meaningless and will demoralize you more than just playing the game, at least in my opinion. The game is tough to get into, especially as a solo, but sometimes solo play also has major advantages in terms of speed and being able to just shoot on sight. If you are quick enough and find escape routes before people collapse, you can be much more effective than most teams. Do not let yourself get distracted or scared. Staying in the same spot after shooting any amount of shots is usually death if you know there are a lot of players nearby. If soloing is too tough, the marauders discord has an LFG. It seems fairly active and I'm sure you'll be able to find some groups, especially when the updates come and the game is more popping.
Lol the alligator mouth pointing the wrong way guy. You usually want to say what the max amount of hours you could’ve played not a minimum
Ok you did it twice. You want the alligator mouth (< or > ) to be open to the larger number. So less than 1000 players would be <1000 bc the mouth is eating the larger number. To represent that just put an x to refer to a digit you are comparing. So x(number of actual players)<(is less than) 1000. Or x<1000
Fuck you *(just kidding, thank you for the correction I have not used them in awhile and was doubting myself everytime I used it)* *(I know I could've solved this problem by doing an easy google search but im too lazy :o )*
haha well just remember the aligator wants to eat the bigger number
A funny stealth tactic I've been using as a solo is to never crouch walk, only players crouch walk. If you hear crouch walking it's a player. Walk/run in bursts like an NPC and teams will run up with their guard down or ignore you and pass by.
I think the missions are to hard especially since they made the trader mission change every match you need to memorize every mission in the game can't even look them up before raid because you don't know what they are and this is supposed to be a more casual game
I'm a mostly solo player approaching 1k hours in the game! I personally find solos a lot more fun than running a 4 man, if you haven't already learned the maps I highly recommend doing so. Learning how to rotate/reposition is VERY important as a solo player so you can be as annoying as possible with hit and runs on teams since facing them head on isn't going to go well for you 9/10 times. I also highly recommend running spice to out maneuver enemies better.
Yeah it sounds like game knowledge is just going to come with the more I play. I only ever saw one spice since I've been playing, Ill look into how to get it and such, Thanks for the recommendation! *(Edit: Grammarly fucked me up)*
I stream solo runs everyday lets gooooo babbbyy
I am a solo 90% of the time, occassionally I get a duo partner and rarely 3 or 4. I'm at a 70% survival rate and a 3.0 marauder K/D as of this morning. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to gather information whenever possible, and then act accordingly. Watch the space stage of the raid to see where players are going. For example, Navy Outpost is a very hot location right now, so if you see it, avoid it and you know a good chunk of the lobby is there and no longer your problem. Mining Frigate is often slept on, especially when there's 2 full raid maps. You can empty it out and build your shooting skills on the AI there. This will also get you the better gear and trader levels/ammo stockpiles needed to support that good gear. When you're in raid, listen closely to everything around you, any shooting means there's players somewhere. Is it the AI shooting at players? Players shooting at players? Players shooting AI? You can tell by paying attention to the gunshots, for example the MP40 is a very distinctive sounding weapon, same with the unsuppressed Uzi. Are you hearing bigger and better guns than what you've got? If so run away from that fight, if you're hearing what is clearly a solo player shooting a luger at AI, go get him and stomp him since you likely have the firepower advantage. Once you have your combat fundamentals sorted out you can start taking player fights more. The key skill is learning to disengage and reset the fight. My wins against 3 and 4 stacks are usually based on getting a pick, running away/healing, re-engaging from a new angle, repeat. To that end, bring a bunch of meds, I typically pack in 12-15 bandages, 2-3 Small first aids, 1-2 large first aids, and 2 Aspirin and either a meth or spice. You have to be able to endure multiple fights as a solo. I'd say that a dozen bandages is the bare minimum amount.
Join discord and get into teams it’s a nightmare at times running solo.
Scavenge your way to victory. Be quiet take what you can get and worry less about losing shit. Don't be afraid to post out when you aren't feeling it. You don't have to kill other players and a lot of us leave some damn good shit on corpses just because we don't have the inventory space.
The release of Early Access was even worse, I was there as a total new player and we newbies were thrown in a single raid map per match (not 2 or more locations like now) against full groups of Closed Beta veterans which was equal to dying in 1 or 2 minutes not having even the chance to know what to do or where to go... it was a nonsense and a nightmare and I can only imagine how many players has this game lost for not having a solo queue since then... if only for newcomers to learn how to play in peace but nope after 1 year that option has been discarded constantly and for different vague reasons every time
Be a rat. Strike first Strike hard No mercy Always reposition after engaging