No matter how big are benefits, loner should be hard enough to prevent using it as alts, but good enough to play them as main char.
my points in summary
- hard to use as alt
- usable and quite big bonus for lonely play (every hour of play daily +bonus, but max is X hours only to get profits, and starts after Y hours)
- safe places where only loners may rent a cheap room (cafe of broken dreams map)
- ingame time based leveling
- no parties and gangs
- dog respawn with You
- de-rusted items, usable only for loners (normal detoration), when used by other very fast detoration, fixable only by loners, and price when selling derusted item should be very low, cause it brokes to often for normal people
- bigger carry weight (may be based on ingame time too)
- no access to bases
- no more than neutral karma (some max value reachable for loner only not to be hated)
- speech skill max 100%
- low charisma
- not allowed: Gain Charisma, Magnetic Personality, Negotiator, Gambler, Karma Beacon,
- bonus: Survivalist, Mr. Fixit, Pathfinder, Cautious Nature, Earlier Sequence, Faster Healing, Awareness, Explorer
- worst (maybe available on much higher levels): Strong Back, Thief, Pyromaniac, Master Thief, Lifegiver, Medic, Dodger, Bonus HtH Damage, Action Boy etc
- bonus for PvE, lower damage in PvP
You are forgetting that loner character is for those "fantasy" role players.
ingame time based leveling explained: