Had a guildmate ask me to level together steady, not just whenever we happened online at the same time. Said yes without thinking it through, and the first week was rough because we had no agreements at all.
Here's what changed once we actually sat down and talked:
- Fixed two evenings a week as "our" time, so neither of us felt guilty logging in solo on other nights
- Agreed loot goes to whoever needs it for their class first, roll if both need it, no exceptions once that's said out loud
- One person calls the route for the session, the other calls it next time, so nobody feels like a passenger the whole way
- If one of us has a bad day and wants to just chat instead of grind, we say so up front instead of dragging the other through a quiet, joyless session
The pace difference was the real surprise to me. Soloing I'd rush and burn out after an hour. With someone locked in regularly, we took our time, actually read quest text sometimes, and I didn't quit halfway through a zone out of boredom.
My honest takeaway is that the schedule agreement mattered more than any loot rule. Once we both knew exactly when we'd play, showing up stopped feeling optional and started feeling like plans with a friend.
Anyone else leveling as a fixed pair right now, maybe getting ready for new zones down the line? What ground rules made it click for you?
