Changes with the February Update: Developer Updates

Mage PBAOEs were, a few expansions ago, a solid arsenal comprised of several weave-able spells. But they were discontinued on the principle that beams were already infinite target, had no cooldown, and were thus > PBAOEs in every situation where PBAOEs were relevant. However, now that beams are limited to 12 targets, PBAOEs are relevant again, so in the same way that wizards want to have their beams un-nerfed, mages want their PBAOEs back.

So when will druids be getting our own version of headshot , decap and assassinate?

Any word on whether we can get a bunch of vitality for the AA we worked on as a reward? It's not the end of everquest for me if we don't but it would be cool...

We fill 6-8 clerics on raids. Sunday night we were benching 2 at a time due to raid size limitations.

if you will truly open up a debate about this I shall get with some cleric and paladin friends about this and see what data we can cobble together because currently the nerf will pretty much kill the spell outright .................. to say nothing about the procrate nerf on the spell that is also going to make it fairly crappy and a waste of a spell gem Piestro

Ok so here's the deal. You think that assassinate and headshot actually fully kill a mob? Sure if you crit and do a focused blow. But normally it takes 2 to 3 assassinates to kill a LIGHT blue mob at lvl 100 raid geared rogue. Now directly correlate that same AMOUNT of damage done to a LIGHT BLUE MUCH LOWER hp mob and apply it at the SAME DAMAGE but high lvl mob ac hp. Do you really think that a reduced proc rate and assassinate will actually really dent a mobs health to the fact that you would consider it a 1 shot? Please. I actually wanna see where this one will can lead.

Secondly, Casters. THose that have turn summoned. Doesn't that have an ability to Assassinate per say a mob? Maybe you guys need to ask for more summoned mobs. Or a zone or several of Summon mobs. Call it, The Halls of Lost Summons. Zone created entirely of end teir group and double group summoned mobs from Fizzles reacting with the ether on all summon creature spells throughout Norrath!. There's your lore! Now ask for it!

Your not-so Friendly neighborhood rogue

Are you going to refund the AAs back to the players who have already spent their time and money to earn them the old fashioned way? That's a lot of points that are just wasted in your automatic appeasing of the masses.

While we understand people won't like it, the massive AA hill is bad for the game. Easing that is absolutely necessary. We've got tons of data (antecdotal and statistical) to show this internally. Do we leave something in that's bad gameplay or do we do something about it? That's a tough choice. Sometimes the Devs have the responsibility to make an unpopular choice (to some) for the overall health of the game.

Now we have to look at how to tackle that problem. While we considered the AA low bonus ramp up, it didn't really fulfill some of our internal criteria for good design. So we haven't gone that route. I guess there is some chance that we could change our minds and do that, but it's pretty dang unlikely. I don't want to give false hope on that score. Giving false hope is a terrible thing for us to do, because it destroys long term trust. Instead we need to be as honest as possible. Because in a very real way we're partners in this with you.

We don't want to lose anybody. It sucks that people I like may choose to not hang out here anymore, and I will miss them. But every change, good or bad, this game has ever made has led to someone leaving. If we don't make this change someone is going to leave. We have to do our best to design the best game possible. This isn't about easy mode, EQ is pretty far from easy. This is about presenting reasonable goals that are achievable with reasonable amounts of effort. Something that's hard for many of us to remember, since we have the benefit of knowledge and experience to make it much easier for us.

There is a fine line of logic in between the "omgZers I'm going to quit" and "I really could care less how someone earns their aa."

The reality is people as a whole, for the most part, are lazy. If they don't have to do something, they won't. The thing about earning your own aa/spells from level 1 is that you are FORCED to learn what they all do, because you do not survive without knowing.

Those who really care to learn, regardless of the level or starting aa, will do so to be the best they can be.

The later will be outnumbered by the previous.

There have been too many game changing additions over the years to avoid a "fix" like the proposed AA dump. I hate to see this but lack any handy alternative suggestions at the moment.

I've been contemplating the posts of logic regarding how changes impact zerkers and... really hope that this implementation does not further increase my ...frustration with them interfering with crowd control on raids. Rebuffing them repetitively is a distraction.

Reward for Previously Earned AAs

Since you are pushing ahead with AA autogrant, can veteran players at least receive a consolation prize/reward for their time/subscription spent on previous AAs? Can we receive something more substantive than titles - say illusion, mercenary skin, house item, or other click for some status (and cushion)?

What about offering players who have already spent a lot of AA on those abilities 1/2 of their AA back? They wont get it all back as they have benefitted from it up to this point but they can use their AA's elsewhere, just a thought so we don't feel like we wasted AA's...

There is no plan to do a refund at this time.

Piestro

Can you plz NOT touch SK epic? I mean I'm thankful for keeping riposte as is, but I need my epic. Putting a hit count on the epic means nothing really. Tanking 5 to 7 raid mobs in WK1, do you realize how fast them hit counts will go? That counter goes out = dead SK and a bunch of adds loose. At least the other way I could watch the timer on the buff and then hit a disc if needed, with a hit count its impossible to predict. Is it possible to decrease the buff time and / or increase the refresh time on the epic?

I'm just 1 voice, I don't know how the other SKs feel about this. Get rid of mortal coil and increase the refresh time on our epic or decrease the buff time, but leave the effect alone.

I'm not going to lose sleep over this change. But there is a number of posts in this thread, and a whole lot more in the original one, from people who feel strongly enough about others getting for free what they've spent years earning. And those people don't sound like quitters who are going to quit anyway and are just looking for an excuse. It doesn't matter if their reasoning offends you or not. This AA decision will cost EQ a number of of players. So SOE must be really sure that they will gain more than they will lose.

The issue with having Headshot work on current mobs is that rangers primary dps is melee. So if the damage gain with the new headshot using bow dps doesn't exceed melee dps, its has very limited value in limited situations that bowing is preferred over melee.

Has this been considered in the 5 hour meetings of removing a useful tool rangers have had access to for 50ish levels?

Thanks,

Ruven

It's still in discussion. Suggestions are welcome.

Ok lets get it live and let the chips fall where they may this is KILLING me!! Haha

Let's wait till we see the numbers on the hit counter and the overall impact before we make any decisions about how good or bad this is.

I really wish that you all could have compromised on what the grant would be, cap them up to level 65 and give that curve what it sorely needs with maxes being in five figure range, this is not what I want at all...and I only speak for myself and a few close peers, but I know many of us would have been happy had we met in the middle after all that feedback. It is what it is, I will leave the conversation.

If this was about fair game play and helping people get over the hump, why are the aa's not getting gifted to silver accounts? Again, the gifting of aa's is to get people to upgrade to gold, not to make better game play.