There are as many downsides to co-op as there are advantages, and Blizzard want to address this. 1.0.8 will tackle new social features, direct group buffs and matchmaking tags.
They plan to let us broadcast what type of grouping we plan to do like questing, brawling and such. Blizzard will implement some ”straight up” bonuses for multiplayer.
”From day one, it’s been our goal to make Diablo III a great co-op experience, but right now it’s not living up to its full potential. Even if you enjoy playing with your friends, it can often feel easier and more efficient to play solo,” blogged Blizzard. ”Playing solo has a number of advantages. For instance, you can choose your own route.”
”If you’re farming for something in particular (like a specific recipe), you can do it as many times as you want. And you can pause the game and attend to things in real life without making anyone wait.”
”Of course, multiplayer is awesome, too, and comes with its own benefits. For example, leveling up characters with a group of friends can be an amazing experience. Working together with other players to take down bosses or destroy Elite packs super quickly makes for great farming runs. There’s resurrections and the banner system, and don’t forget farming for Infernal Machine keys and organs,” they continued.
”But, there are also disadvantages, like having to coordinate where you’re walking and what you’re attacking, losing your followers, and trying to find groups that have similar goals to yours without a defined matchmaking system in place.”
Areas they’ll be focusing on for 1.0.8 are matchmaking tags, multiplayer bonuses, monster health, identify all, archon kills, combat alerts, players near you, private chat and more. Check out the lengthy Battle.net 1.0.8 write up.