I think mandatory matchmaking in PvE is bad. (Destiny)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Monday, May 16, 2016, 15:30 (2910 days ago) @ Kermit

But I also think that, if it is possible, all PvE activities should have optional matchmaking.

I wouldn't use it for raids, but if a bunch of people want to subject themselves to that misery, go for it. LFGs are already mostly awful, at least you won't have to hear them talk.

Not being able to talk during a raid sounds awful.

I bet some of my regular raid partners long for the days when I didn't talk ;)

Heh - Kermit's right, you're a special case. (Well, maybe not about people longing for silence; I know PLENTY of people who fit THAT mold. :) )

I seriously can't remember a KF raid where the ability to communicate ("4th Knight's Down", etc) wasn't critical. Without speech, you have to be able to watch EVERYTHING - and sometimes you can't.

Easy example (this actually happened): Oryx Challenge, I'm a Titan, with two jobs: I provide the Blessing bubble for the ogre shooters in the center, but I'm on Plate 2. This means I wait for Oryx to slam his fist, drop my bubble, and hightail it to the second plate - I'm almost always supposed to be up pretty much as quickly as I can get there.

On one run, however, I drop my bubble and sprint towards the platform, leap into the air with the expectation of hearing "One Up" from behind me... when I hear "Oops, missed the jump - One is not up!"

I had to turn in midair and land on the ground in order not to spawn platforms and ogres in the wrong order. Had Plate 1's person not been able to speak, that would have been a guaranteed wipe.

A great example among countless I can think of. Weren't you THE flawless raider, Cruel--the one who never was the first to die? You are the only player I know who could pull off silent raiding, which is fortunate given your situation.

Yeah, back during the Flawless VoG runs I was the only one who never caused a wipe... but it's not a totally fair record. The great thing about raiding with a regular group is that we were able to work me into situations where my lack of communication wasn't a problem. During the Conflux/Oracle phase, I stayed up on the platform with my Ice Breaker and covered the rest of the team who was down in the thick of it. My teammates were all very good players who communicated well, so I would just listen to their callouts and adjust where needed.

I've found that playing without a mic has certain advantages. When I'm not talking, I'm a bit more observant. I become more aware of what is going on with all of my teammates. Of course, this is dependent on having teammates who communicate well, but that is rarely a problem while playing with DBOers :)

On the flip side, I've definitely run into a few situations where I could see something going wrong, but was unable to do anything about it or warn anyone. I joined a couple of the Rebel FM guys for a run through Kings Fall on one of their charity live streams... There were several points where I could see a teammate making a mistake, and I would dance and wave like a maniac trying to get their attention to no avail lol.