I'm having a REALLY hard time leveling on FG

Many nights I can log in for 2 hours and log out without getting a group or any xp. I'm a 39 guard, so it's a littler harder to join a group than when I play a dps unless I start the group myself... but I'm pretty much in the sweet spot for getting groups and play during prime time. And of course there's no point in trying to play before I've had dinner, because eating dinner one handed and tanking one handed makes both bad.

Looking at your character profile, you are not in a guild. I have no sympathy for someone who does not join a guild and yet voices grievances about not getting groups.

I got a 50 paladin, 50 conjuror and a 43 inquistor on fallen gate. The max amount of time I waited for a group has been 20 minutes on my second char, which was a DPS and im not even american so the server status is mostly at half when I login.

You are doing something wrong or play in a timezone where not a lot of people play at all.

The guild thing is pretty much trial and error... I have been through 3 and left all 3 due to low activity and interest in grouping. Of course that's just my individual experience and social skills. But yea, ideally everyone would be in an active guild with like minded players.

We could discuss all day alternate things to do with downtime; I was specifically talking about leveling up... and for that you need a group; even you acknowledge that. I could buy a stack of pots in 2 hours of real life if I wanted to, so whatever solo pharming you're talking about is kind of out in left field. It's not like I can just pop a pot with no group and go solo something for xp, unless I just want to waste a dollar and two hours of time.

I'm typing 39 guard lfg in world chat just like everyone else; I'm sure you have some killer pro-tips though.

Going through 3 guilds this early in the server would be rough on leveling speed. I just don't see how a tank is having that much trouble finding groups. I level my main (a tank) though mostly LFG channel do to being ahead of many of my friends in levels, and had 0 issues finding groups. My alt I have brought up, most of the time my groups are waiting for tanks and I just go ahead and tank it on my BL. So far I have tanked RoV and 90% of RE as a BL. So my experiences make it hard to understand how a tank playing at peak hours is having a ridiculously hard time finding groups.

As far as me recommending to farm Shinies and Harvestables to make plat. With Plat you can buy XP and Vit pots and finish off collections. All of which will aide in your quest to get to 50 faster. So since you are online for hours not in a group you might as well be productive with your time.

Not to sound sarcastic, but do you use the LFG channel as well?

I use the lfg channel, and use the /lfg tag, and hang out/solo inside the dungeon. Usually I get a group, often I don't. Sometimes I start a group, usually I won't. I don't know what to say about the guilds, but it's not like I haven't been trying. I've not only joined a few guilds, I've passed on a few as well. I'll go through a few levels, notice guild tags that keep popping up in my groups, but nothing has panned out. For now, the server is my guild and world chat is my channel... as it pretty much always has been since I rolled. Just sayin... progression is not all easy peasy slick as lightning, would be cool if you could at least get half a level or something, in a night of soloing.

As a tank, I would just say RE Group LFM/Healer

Making friendships with people and joining a guild will take you far here. I am working on a Channeler in my off time between raids and finishing up HQs and leveling her is still tedious but helps a ton when you have friends willing to help you and mentor you. I always see people looking for tanks and I've grouped with you before Sixgauge, you're a good tank so you shouldn't have any problem at all finding groups, I'm not sure what the problem is. I used to gripe about the exp gains too, but have admitted defeat in expecting change. It sucks and I would go play on live but < insert reasons >. Exp potions make it bearable or electrical tape over your exp bar. I might also suggest alcohol, it's helped me get through many levels

I will never understand people's aversion to just starting a group. If I'm lfg for more than a few minutes with no bites, I just start one. Works almost every time.

(more than 60% of the time)

I also have no fear starting groups if I'm lfg too long. On live, I'm often the one right-clicking people during PQs and inviting them to a group or raid. Not waiting for others to start it works better.

There's also a psychology to it. Don't say stuff like "we're dying here, we need a healer" or anything that wiffs of repeat deaths, lol. No takers.

Even PQ LFMs are better if you say "mob down to 65% and falling, better hurry if you want a piece of it"

Compare: "grind group forming in TS, need tank and healer"
vs
"Going TS crater crashing for fun and profit, LFM 2/6 all classes welcome, level 20+"

Crater crashing being the term I like best for "going into each crater, from Antonica griffin tower down to Coldwind Point, and spawning the names as we go, then rinse /repeat after we get down to the giants crater." Good times, and doesn't require a perfect group makeup.

I'm probably in the wrong guild also. I've been thinking to switch myself. I see lots of people on, but many are in external groups (given their locations) and anytime I've suggested a group, it's silence. I think I'll try one of the "We were on Stromhold too" guilds.

Yeah, I've had plenty of nights where I haven't really gained much in xp due to not having a group, or not feeling social. Still had fun though just gathering or doing random crap. Right now the game is a bit of a sandbox so I log in and pretty much do whatever and don't worry too much about it. Probably why I'm still only 24...

It doesn't matter if you're going super casual like me or going full out to raid like Atan, TLE servers require a certain degree of adjusting your mindset in order to enjoy.

you are giving away my secret potion. I do more dps when i drink... or at least i think so because the numbers get blurry and a 5 can turn into an 8

I'd say the server is slowing down, as an alt a holic my first two characters had zero problems getting groups (27 warden and 49 bl now) and I rarely had to sit LFG for long. That was from launch till the past week or week and a half. Starting and messing with alts now it's harder and harder to get groups at lower levels, especially prior to level 20. My 27th and 49th level characters can get groups almost at will (one is a healer and that helps, but the other is dps). I think many have leveled alts up and aren't playing in lower level areas and I also think many are waiting for the new content to release or just quit.

I notice this a lot in general chat. What use to be busy is now dead during the day. I log on and wonder if I am logged into general chat sometimes, where before even mornings/days EST I'd have general chat flying by. I'm not suggesting FG is Stormhold, obviously it's not, but if you try to level a non tank (seems they are always in need) now days you have a much tougher time then just two weeks ago. Again, one persons experience, but yes leveling now is for sure harder then it was just a few weeks ago. I think it's kind of the life of servers like this, huge rush, people get to higher levels with any classes they wanted to and then lower level areas simply aren't busy.

Sadly it makes it harder for anyone just starting now or someone who's addicted to alts like I am. It's not impossible to level, or group, it's just not like it was not all that long ago.

"adjusting your mindset in order to enjoy" -- this is the real key.

I started doing this some time ago - not just with TLE but with any game I play. It really helps to exit that Skinner box and play when and how you want to play.

This approach may annoy other players from time to time, but that's their issue, not yours

One thing I don't understand and it might be due to the old style play or it might be new:

if I just gather a 4-group raid in the middle of Antonica, do all the nearby mobs gray out? Because I could just swear we had gray-red mobs out there and we thought we had to mentor someone, but apparently once we broke int o 4 separate groups the problem stopped. What's going on?

I also noticed that I am unable to troubleshoot by kicking and re-inviting anyone even as raid leader. Is that some historical wierdness? I mean, nobody was going to go off in a huff if I kicked them for a minute to see if it fixed the mobs and, it's not like I have any other way to tell what action I should take. I can't hover over a mob and have the UI tell me, "you have the wrong level range (need to mentor)" or "anytime you are in the overland zone you can't be in a raid" or everything grays... or whatever other problem it causes.

The UI for raid leaders seems clunky. Or maybe I am missing "the manual" for it?

If they aren't x4 mobs, they will grey out when you are in a 4 group raid, even if they are aggro.

Aha that explains a lot. I've never really played with that part of it much, always a raid goer, never a raid leader Well not until recently and still only randomly.

So for Ladon in CL we'd have to get all there and THEN group/raid group. Ditto Coldtooth, etc. And we'd have to be close enough to see the target mob before we can tell if the mentoring is working.