Who's the current best solo investigator?

[silverthorn 109]

Like it says in the title (since I'm getting tired of using solo Jenny Barnes).

[Antimarkovnikov 152]

Why go with the best?  Go for the challenge!  Do one that's difficult to solo with but not impossible.  You could do Roland, or Daisy.  There's a few investigators that would be useless solo.  But for the most part a lot of them can be played solo. It's just harder.

[Assussanni 528]

You could take a look at this, although it was written at the end of The Path to Carcosa before The Forgotten Age came out: https://strangesolution.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/the-state-of-solo-investigators/

[Carthoris 248]

I've played true solo with Roland, Silas, and Norman, and they were all fun and capable. 

[ColinEdwards 48]

Certain cards really shine solo: lone wolf, adaptable and lockpicks. (One clue locations are the most common, so once-a-turn abilities have little downside.)

Any rogue or rogue hybrid is going to work well solo. (Sefina's ability to start with more cards in hand is amazing: it's like a couple extra turns of free card draw to start the game in a class with access to hotsteak?)

Duke is a standout: move + investigate as a single action is amazing solo.

Wendy has a great ability for solo play, bad token draws are just more dangerous when solo.

 

[ColinEdwards 48]

I am not really a fan of Roland-solo outside of NotZ. As the core investigators progress, the play a lot more like their 'major' class; at the end of a campaign, Roland is playing mostly as a guardian, and without much to kill, he's has trouble.

(RtNotZ: he works great. Balanced to start, the second mission is a hunt/kill thing, third is stand, prepare and walk in with a big gun.)

[Carthoris 248]

I played Roland true solo in a standalone of Lost in Time and Space, and it was a hoot.

[Moon-beast King 19]

Rex Murphy is pretty good when it comes to getting clues. also like the fact that he is presumbly loosely based Carl Kolchak. At least i think he is.

[Assussanni 528]

Of The Circle Undone investigators, Joe Diamond looks particularly strong with his 4 combat, 4 intellect, access to both Guardian and Seeker cards and cost reduction on Insight cards played from his hunch deck. Marie Lambeau also looks decent with good stats and a free Spell action per turn as long as there is a doom on one of her cards.

[tsuruki 197]

Core: Roland, Skidds and Wendy can all go solo these days. 

Roland has always been a good solo choice, beefy brute who simultaneously clues and kills. Of all investigators in the game Roland is perhaps the most at the mercy of the mythos deck so be careful. 

Wendy having gained her Bow, Pickpocketing(2), Lockpicks, Track Shoes and a variety of other interesting options has become a powerhouse

Skidds is still a risky pick but campaigns are generally easier on him nowadays (Dunwich used to be a nightmare but Return to Dunwich suits him nicely), the upcoming Guardian ally who gives +intellect will also be nice on him since he'll be able to Evade -> Clue - >Damage the thing he just evaded.

 

Dunwich: Jenny and Ashcan are famously strong solo. 

Ashcan comes stock with Duke, that dog is so strong a card that people argue that Duke is the actual character and Ashcan's the ally.

Jenny is very flexible and doesnt require much support to operate self-sufficiently, especially when she obtains Streetwise.

 

Carcosa: None of the Carcosa folk are ideal solo folks.

 

Forgotten age: Finn is good solo, Calvin arguably so.

Finn has workable stats in every stat that generates scenario progression, whether it's obtaining clues, running around or killing stuff. 

Calvin is a funny sort, in my opinion he's just too slow but when the stars aling he can literally explode through a scenario, try this at your own risk. 

 

 

Lots of characters can be argued for, Rex with Fireaxe, Certain Jim builds, Leo with flashlights and keen eye, lots of folks become solo capable after certain mechanics get added via XP (Minh getting her Acidic Ichor and cornered. Sefina getting a proper weapon, Hot Streak. Agnes with a Bow.). You can try these but keep in mind that you're at the mercy of not only the mythos deck and token bag in these cases, but you're extra sensitive to bad draws, a Rex whos'e fireaxes are at the bottom of his deck for example.

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by tsuruki

[Moon-beast King 19]

Rita has the best evade in the game period. and her special card ability compliments her evade very well.

[Assussanni 528]

9 hours ago, tsuruki said:

Forgotten age: Finn is good solo, Calvin arguably so.

Finn has workable stats in every stat that generates scenario progression, whether it's obtaining clues, running around or killing stuff. 

Calvin is a funny sort, in my opinion he's just too slow but when the stars aling he can literally explode through a scenario, try this at your own risk.

I agree with all of what you said. I'd be tempted to throw Ursula into the mix as well for good Forgotten Age solo investigators, although I don't think she is as strong as Finn. She likely needs an early Ornate Bow or Acidic Ichor to deal with Elite enemies.

Definitely use Calvin at your own risk! I wonder if the release of the Five of Pentacles will see him used more often.

8 hours ago, Moon-beast King said:

Rita has the best evade in the game period. and her special card ability compliments her evade very well.

I'm sure a solo Rita deck is possible, but I'd argue that her two intellect prevents her from being included amongst the best solo investigators with the current card pool. Survivors have access to things like "Look What I Found!" and Winging It but these become less efficient at one clue per investigator locations in solo, and the one Trick that helps with clue gathering so far (Eavesdrop) requires an intellect test.

[Burgie1996 9]

I solo played Ursula through the forgotten age with absolute ease. Partly I think because she is almost designed for the campaign. The free investigate ability after you move works so well with the explore action that is featured throughout every scenario.

[FireBones 2]

The best solo investigator is easily Joe Diamond now.

Note that Higher Education solves his willpower issues, and he generally gets clues so fast that he does not have to face that many encounters before winning the scenario. He can play Combat Training to give agility and combat boost if he needs them. With Milan, he has plenty of resources for boosts.

Note that Joe Diamond gets access to 1 additional seeker card per round (at much reduced cost), so this basically means you can make your deck 70% seeker / 30% combat and still have nearly the same effective access to seeker cards as Minh, Rex, etc.

 

[gazzagames 24]

14 hours ago, FireBones said:

The best solo investigator is easily Joe Diamond now.

Note that Higher Education solves his willpower issues, and he generally gets clues so fast that he does not have to face that many encounters before winning the scenario. He can play Combat Training to give agility and combat boost if he needs them. With Milan, he has plenty of resources for boosts.

Note that Joe Diamond gets access to 1 additional seeker card per round (at much reduced cost), so this basically means you can make your deck 70% seeker / 30% combat and still have nearly the same effective access to seeker cards as Minh, Rex, etc.

 

Yes I was thinking he might be... I never really solo seriously... sometimes an old scenario or 2 to test a deck...

i guess if you can survive the lack of willpower in the first scenario Higher Ed is a game changer...

does his lack of agility prove an Achilles heel (oh my agility... Achilles heel.... 😂😂)? Would this make Forgotten Age a no go??