[Taking Part in the Nexon PEAK Post Challenge]

https://peak.nexon.com/post/2151

Hello, I'm 에드가.

These days, when I start a game, the first thing I check is whether I can play alone. There is a real convenience in not having to wait for anyone and being able to finish at my own pace.

But when I think back on the moments that have stayed with me, far more of them involve failing and trying again with other people than playing on my own.

The game I most enjoyed playing in a party was Nexon's DNF.

It was more than simply having four people enter the same dungeon. Someone would gather the monsters, someone else would create openings to attack, and a mistake even from a well-equipped player could cause the whole party to fall apart in an instant.

On the other hand, someone whose combat power was a little low could still make a run easier than expected by doing their part well. Once I experienced that difference for myself, DNF felt like an entirely different game depending on whether I played alone or in a party.

At First, I Thought I Was the Best Player in the Party

There was a time when I used to run dungeons with two friends.

I played a character with high attack power, and my damage numbers were higher than my friends'. Privately, I thought I was the one carrying the party.

But things started to feel wrong when one friend stepped away for a while and three of us entered a dungeon.

The monsters would not gather in one place, and my attack skills kept going in the wrong direction. Rooms we would normally clear in one go took much longer, and once we reached the boss, we struggled to find any real opening to attack.

Only then did I understand.

I had been able to use my skills so easily because my friend was always up front, holding the monsters in place. The numbers on the screen were mine, but someone else had been creating the conditions that made those numbers possible.

From the next run onward, I found myself watching my friend's movements. I paid attention to when they pulled monsters in, where they stood, and which skills they used before the boss moved.

Since then, I have felt that damage numbers alone are not enough to judge how well someone plays in a party.

“I'll Save You” Was More Reassuring Than I Expected

The party run I remember most is not one that went perfectly.

There was a run where the boss had very little health left, but our party members began falling one by one. I was nearly out of healing items, and the only other person still standing was one friend.

From what was happening on screen, it looked as though we would be better off starting over.

Then my friend said a few words over voice chat.

“Just hold on a little longer. I'll save you.”

It sounded impressive, but the very next attack nearly took us both down. We were laughing so much that we could barely concentrate. Still, we just managed to finish the fight, and when the clear screen appeared, we cheered much louder than usual.

The rewards were nothing special. The item we had hoped for did not drop, either.

Yet I still remember that run.

If efficiency is all that matters, party play can often feel frustrating. Someone's mistake can mean starting over, and before setting out, you have to wait for anyone who is not ready. But that same unpredictability creates moments that would be hard to experience playing alone.

In FC Online, Too, Teamwork Was More Apparent in Defense Than in Attack

Another Nexon game that helped me appreciate playing together was FC Online.

When playing with a friend, both people tend to want the attacking role at first. Scoring goals gets the most attention, and it is easy to think that taking the shot yourself is where the fun lies.

We were no different at first: both of us just kept running forward.

When one of us had the ball, the other would make a forward run, and whenever we lost possession, no one was left to defend. Our attacks looked impressive, but time and again, a single counterattack was enough for us to concede a goal.

Eventually, we settled on a simple division of roles.

When one person had the ball, the other stopped automatically running forward and instead found space behind or to the side to receive a short pass. When defending, rather than both rushing toward the same player, one of us pressured the ball while the other cut off the forward run.

That change alone made our play much more consistent.

In particular, when my friend controlled a defensive midfielder and stayed back to cover, I felt less pressure while attacking. And when I lost the ball and my friend immediately closed off the center, I would find myself saying, “That saved us.”

If you only look at who scored, it may seem like an individual effort, but the movement before the shot was actually more important.

Why Playing Together Made It More Enjoyable

DNF and FC Online belong to entirely different genres.

But the reasons I enjoyed playing them with friends were similar.

When I play alone, every mistake is mine, along with its consequences. In a party, however, I have to make decisions based on other people's movements. Sometimes, recognizing what someone else is trying to do matters more than how well I play myself.

On days when we work well together, there is no need to say much.

In DNF, we naturally knew who would gather the monsters first, and in FC Online, I took my friend's movement toward the flank as a sign that the center was open.

After finding that rhythm together a few times, the enjoyment starts to come less from skill alone and more from getting to know each other's habits.

Of course, there are days when the opposite happens.

If I make a mistake but insist it was my friend's fault, or we start blaming each other for a late pass, the argument lasts longer than the game. Whenever the mood began to sour, we would sit out a match or try different content.

When we forced ourselves to keep going, we usually ended up losing even more badly that day.

Three Habits I Developed Over Time Playing in Parties

The more we played together, the more I found small ways to make party play go smoothly.

First, I do not spend too long assigning roles before we start.
An overly detailed plan can leave everyone more flustered when something goes wrong. In practice, it worked better to decide only who would attack, who would support, and who would stay back to cover.

Second, I talk about what to do next before pointing out who made a mistake.
Asking, “Why did you die there?” cannot change something that has already happened. Offering something we can act on, such as “Let's wait on the right next time,” is less likely to sour the mood.

Third, I do not tell newcomers to watch a video first.
Making someone memorize an entire guide wears them out before they even start playing. They learned much faster when I explained only the attacks they absolutely needed to avoid or their main role, then let them try and fail once or twice for themselves.

Finally, I do not judge a party by one person's equipment alone.
Good equipment certainly helps, but runs were much smoother when I played with people who understood their roles. This was also one of the biggest lessons I learned from DNF.

Party Content I Would Recommend

If you are just starting DNF, I recommend running regular dungeons with a friend and learning to coordinate your characters' movements before jumping straight into difficult multiplayer content.

Learning who can gather monsters most easily, when each person's attack skills finish, and which character works best at the front is enjoyable in itself.

In FC Online, a good place to start is practicing not running in the same direction as your friend. Simply having one person find space to receive a pass while the other has the ball creates situations entirely different from those you encounter playing alone.

I like party games because they lead to mistakes and successes I could never experience on my own.

Parties that fell out of step once or twice actually stayed with me longer than perfect ones. Even moments that felt frustrating at the time became stories my friends and I would bring up again later.

In the end, the real reward of party play was not just an item or a victory screen.

What mattered most was having someone who shared those memories.

Which game brought out the best teamwork between you and your friends?

#NPC01 #파티플레이게임 #확률형아이템포함 #피크챌린지 #넥슨피크 #던전앤파이터 #FC온라인 #넥슨게임 #파티게임추천 #협동게임 #온라인게임추천 #친구와할만한게임 #레이드게임 #게임추억 #멀티플레이게임