Family Name: Garretonzo

Region: NA

Suggestions/Comments: Solo players do not currently have a means of completing the Rich Merchant's Ring treasure due to one of the pieces being gated behind a zone that requires a party of 3 - Olun's Valley. Many players are bottlenecked by this treasure piece due to not having the ability or desire to coordinate playing with others. In order to fix this, a zone where solo players could farm for the treasure piece should be included in the game. This can be achieved in a variety of different ways. Here are my suggestions: 

1) Add the Olun's Valley Rich Merchant's Ring piece to another solo zone's loot/drop table. 

2) Revamp Olun's Valley (regular) to be a solo grind zone, while keeping Dehkia’s Olun's Valley a party zone. 

Option 1 is my preferred solution as party zones are valued by a portion of the community and I think it best to preserve them. It is my opinion that this treasure piece being gated behind playing in a party is an arbitrary restriction that should be removed. The restriction only hampers a portion of the player base, it does not add value to the game. I hope the team will consider the request. 

Thank you kindly for your time and for reading, Garret.

Been complaining about this for sooo long!

There is no downside to it, just do it PA!!!

Wholeheartedly agree with this, as much as we keep sayin "give us more group content stuff/cater to us group players needs", the solo players still exist and are still a big part of the community and game's economy honestly. I don't see a problem with this at all, however I do like Option 2) more; make it a soloable version for regular oluns. On my anti-social days I would like to go beat up some golems pls. But Option 1) can be added in conjunction as well.

Cheers, yes I am a human 

Even though I currently count myself among the solo players, I think that BDO really has enough content that solo is doable. Why does everything have to be doable solo?

I think that group activities should be rewarded extra, because it simply takes more time, coordination and competence.

People are social for two reasons: firstly due to necessity and secondly due to boredom. Both are important for the social structure of an MMORPG and create the memories that many remember even after many years, which is more than just the item you get from it.

what is it that you are trying to say?

Merch ring should be locked behind group content because?

Not necessarily merch ring, but in this case it should stay that way since BDO really gives little relevant small scale group content.

Because... like i said, "I think that group activities should be rewarded extra, because it simply takes more time, coordination and competence."

If BDO offered a lot of relevant group content that has extra rewards, then I would see no reason to lock merch ring also behind group content.

An imo good MMORPG needs things that are locked behind group content, because only through this dependency are the noteworthy memories created.

I agree in sentiment, but there is a difference between being rewarded "extra" vs exclusively for party play.

I think one of BDO's strongest and most attractive aspects is that it goes against the grain of other MMOs and lets each and every player progress in the way they choose, on their own time, in their own style. The Rich Merchant's Ring is the exclusion to this and is unwelcome by the vast majority of players even interested in hunting the treasure in the first place. 

Yeah the oluns ring piece is the worst and it is doublee exclusive group content. First you need a group. Second you need a shai in youre group. I refuse to play a shai only for that content. And this makes it doubled hard for people because the conditions to get it, are very player unfriendly. The trade option is not really a option.

And then there some players and streamer who got the piece 2 or 3 times under 60h grind. Feels very good for people with over 800hr there.

Or improve whole group loot system and make it more approachable without the need for precise coordination, so the players can play in group at their own pace. After all this is not some dungeon boss fight, just another grind spot. I already suggested to improve group reward gameplay but it seems it's not really interesting to others.