Advice needed to finish the Atlas!

I know why I don't trade. I feel like I cheated. I lose respect for the game and quit. That's me. It's not the game itself. Trade is fine for those that enjoy it.

Bothers me when people say trade is necessary though. It's not. At all.

It's faster. You progress easier. You can trade for gear and maps and what ever else the game is reluctant to give you to use. But it's only "necessary" for players without the patience to play the game solo. Every time I read a post about how necessary trade is, I know it's just a person trying to justify that feeling of cheating that they get when they do it.