I do, still. But then, I think I might have an addiction to grinding in online multiplayer games. I’m now ranked in the 80s and have basically unlocked everything important, minus the highest tier saddles which are not super crucial but pretty useful in edge case situations. And explosive ammo is supposedly super useful against heavy tank builds, but I usually avoid players like that.
I play solo still. My brother played with me a bit, but he’s the opposite of me in game tastes, and only likes casual games that he can just jump into and play for an hour or so. These days, I spend most of my time hunting and completing stranger/story missions for cash and xp to upgrade cards, and avoid groups of players whenever possible.
Griefing situations that are an actual problem for me only arise when I’m very focused on something, or when I’m lazy and not paying attention, or when I’m fishing and don’t have a radar to alert me. The Companion App helps improve situational awareness in some of these cases, and if I see someone closing in I usually move away from them as soon as I can. Sometimes I spend a few minutes watching blips on the map and studying what other players are doing. This helps 90% of the time, and as long as I diligently follow best practices I almost never lose stuff from my horse, which is the only real risk when it comes to being attacked by other players.
To minimize the risk and reduce the material effects of actually being griefed:
- Always pick an area to hunt and complete missions in where there are very few players. Use the method I mentioned above by loading into one part of the map, and fast traveling to another. Note in particular the areas you’ll be operating in and the butcher you intend to sell to. Get used to jumping sessions when the situation changes, or when that one player blip you saw turns out to have a hard-on for other players.
- Check the map frequently and always keep an eye on the radar. Get into the habit of having the Companion App open at all times.
- Try to prioritize for satchel hunting (these stay on your person when you are killed), and save up storing carcasses and pelts on your horse until close to when you’re ready to head to the butcher. Get acquainted with areas that provide the highest value. Personally I like Lemoyne for feathers and baby alligators, and I sell in Saint Denis. Don’t fall into the bad habit of doing a bit of hunting while doing other things such as Stranger Missions. You’ll just lose whatever’s on your horse at some point.
- Keep an eye on your health, stamina and dead-eye, and try to keep them topped off. Be in the habit of keeping a good stock of cooked meat and tonics. Practice quickly eating meat and drinking tonics.
- The Never Without One card is super useful for mitigating against a surprise attack. It prevents the first headshot and decreases damage taken while you have a hat on. I use it when I’m fishing, and in a few other situations.
- Always have pistols or sawed off shotguns ready, and practice quick drawing and hip firing. Spend time practicing this. When another player comes close to you, be super ready to quickly take them down. If they’re heading in your direction – especially if they’re running – don’t even give them a chance. Like, assume they intend to kill you. Sometimes they’re friendly, but usually they’re not. Personally, I rock a pair of sawed off shotguns. No matter where it hits them, they are dead if I react quickly enough. Note that I don’t always fire immediately. Sometimes just taking my guns out and showing them that I’m ready is enough to dissuade them from starting anything.
- Melee is trickier and kind of janky until you get used to its quirks. Don’t melee unless they force you into a melee fight. Use the knife if you can, especially if they’re trying to lasso you. If they do lasso you, the knife will cut you free, and then you can commence stabbing them. (There are a bunch of “hidden” melee moves that I haven’t learned yet.)
- If you are griefed, take a moment to note who the player is. Get on chat and communicate a WTF response right away. Report them if you want to, even if this buys them time to kill you again. I have no idea what RS does with griefing reports, but I’m assuming that if a player accumulates a lot of reports it may have consequences for them at some point down the road, so why not.
- Remember their player name – this is very important – and note their position and what they are doing after they griefed you. Note their posse and the posse player names. If it’s a large posse and they’re all in the vicinity, try to diffuse the situation in chat, and just change sessions if you think they’re going to be a continued problem. If the griefer is alone, you probably stand a good chance at resolving the situation and keeping your self-respect intact.
- Griefers usually aren’t very good at combat, and prefer to get the drop on you. They like easy kills. Don’t be an easy kill. Make it frustrating for them. Don’t shy from retaliating after your first encounter with them. Often it’s not too hard to take them out a few times which tends to motivate them to leave the server or the area. Use chat to diffuse the situation if you can. Sometimes people attack by mistake, thinking you’re a different player or an NPC, and sometimes they’re just goofing around and don’t realize that you take such behavior seriously.
- When I’m dealing with a dedicated griefer, I sometimes spend time going after them again and again until they get the message. Dying repeatedly is pretty humiliating, and bullies are cowards and have the thinnest skin in my experience. Honestly, I’ve become pretty good at hunting them down and am starting to actually enjoy it. Standing up to a bully builds confidence and self-respect. But I’m always happy to part ways amicably if that’s an option. And it often is.
- Interfering with Stranger missions isn’t really griefing, but it can be a gray area sometimes, and certainly will feel like griefing for players like you and me. When starting a Stranger mission, check the map and look at the area around the stranger. If you see one or more posses, expect trouble, but if there are just a few individual blips you’ll probably be OK. Taking down a single player isn’t too difficult once you have some experience under your belt and if you’re prepared.
That’s just the basics. I’m sure there’s more I could say, but I’ll leave it there for now.