Changes with the February Update: Developer Updates

couple things.. I am perfectly content with AA grant. I usually only play solo, or with my dad or brothers, and going is super slow when we're there trying to grind AAs to get what we need to not get completely thrashed. I took a fair chunk of time off from EQ1, where I logged in maybe 4-5 times over a couple years just to check out what big things were added with expansions, but we've been playing since Kunark released. I KNOW how to play my classes, but soloing the AA grind is really keeping me from progressing to higher level stuff. If that concern was out of the way we could focus on leveling more and get to see the higher stuff sooner. besides, 4 expansions of AAs to actually work toward is still quite a bit. they're the super important high level AAs anyway(and people saying that makes it so you can just do nothing till next expansion and get free AAs cuz nothing matters anymore.. you probably really should quit, because that is a very poor attitude).
PLUS: how would getting the AAs keep you from experiencing the older stuff anyhow? you still need to make the levels as you go, and if you don't visit a zone while you're doing it, that's your choice to miss out on it. you wouldn't get any benefit of the grant until it starts at 51, which has quite a bit of content to experience, and another 30 levels to acquire which is another large chunk of content.
I've read(or skimmed.. the complaints got horribly repetitive after awhile) all the pages of this thread and the original. I have to agree with swarm kiting going away. I experienced it once. pulled way too many mobs to count in kaesora library off field of scale, and it kinda went like: horde of mobs runs from every which direction, they meet up and everything in the area just freezes. no walking, I couldn't even tell if anything was attacking the lag was so heavy. but then, they just drop dead as things catch up. you're suddenly getting about 3 AAs every two seconds, until the horde is dead. then you wait for respawns. it takes longer to loot all the corpses(seriously spent half an hour just looting to clear space for the guy, and to drop the corpse lag) than respawn practically.
My dad is a ranger so he'd know more about headshot than I, but wouldn't it make more sense to lower the aggro(rangers be squishy-ish) blast of it if its that much of an issue(maybe stun them for a second so tank can regain the aggro, I dunno.. I'd personally think an arrow to the face would force me to pause a second. lol)? and lowering the headshot proc chance makes no sense because its technically like you're lowering their accuracy so they can't manage them as often. hehe

One minor thought. Since we will be able to check a box to opt in for the AA grant. Can the lines that would be granted be in yellow text or some way to see what would be granted if I check the box?

Disclaimer: While I may not post much on these forums, I am not new to the ranger class, or the ranger community (I reckon many other rangers will recognize my name as I do theirs /tips his hat towards Hadce)

I am a little surprised about the reaction of pulling with archery...mainly because I haven't pulled with archery myself in a while I guess. I use the dispel AA Entropy of Nature (6 second recast, 200 range) mostly now. If I need a little extra space, I may use the spell version (which is what I used all the time before the AA existed). Sure, ranged attacks give you even more room to work with, but is it required? Nope. Archery is definitely NOT the only pulling avenue you have. And not all mobs summon. So I just feel like that argument doesn't hold water. Also the cast time on Entropy of Nature is fast. If I need to pull while moving (it happens now and then) but do no damage, I use Glacial / Volatile Arrow.

I like how you insinuated that pulling with archery is "proper" though. That's cute. Where I come from there is way more than one way to properly play a class in EQ though.

All that said...I am looking forward to the growth/change of headshot. At 2 ppm (average), a non-boosted headshot is ~180k damage (currently). That's ~6k dps over 60 seconds. Its hardly game changing, but who wouldn't want to do 6k more dps on raid trash and the like? Seriously.

HA does not work at all. And I will not try to argue with you how many times a minute I am procing since you obviously have not played an end game ranger.

Why stop at just all AAs minus the last 4 expansions? Why not just make everyone max level and max AA? We could all move around hanging out and checking the HA NPC to see what daily gear we can get without doing anything minus logging in. Wow, a strong friendship and stronger community created.

Disappointed,

Rykear

Just trash headshot and raise our minimum bow damage to the amount you want it to add instead to bow dps. Gimmick uncontrollable procs that hardly ever proc suck.

You may be right. I've been reading these threads all day and my brain is getting a bit fuzzy. The rest of the post still stands though lol

Yes, clearly I know nothing but feel free to ask the ranger community. Your amount of procs would mean we hit around 900 to 1500 headshots while burning LoTD, which is simply not correct.

As for HA I try it out each expansion, last I checked it did exactly what it was meant to do. Not what it says it does, but actually what it was meant to do. But hey don't trust me I was just here from inception to change to change to change to the ability, I clearly know nothing about end game rangering.

Harmonious Arrow does work, maybe you aren't using it correctly (its totally useless if ANY of the mobs within harmony range of your target are over level 100 and it will fail depending on how far apart mobs are...which is the same with all harmony effects). I've used it recently in places with blue cons and it works as intended - which is not to say it works as it was originally designed...that will never happen again.

Hadce has been a big part of the endgame ranger community for years, by the way.

This. A thousand times this.

Your years of membership has gotten you Veteran rewards, friends, memories and experiences. Thats what you paid for. You did NOT pay for some golden throne to sit upon to scoff at the unwashed new player masses. This "hardcore EQ gamer" demographic that you want SoE to pander to is slowly dying. That same demographic wants gameplay that would also suffocate most new/returning players in a grind that only unemployed, no-social life basement dwellers can even hope to invest upon.

This AA grant makes it so that there is at the very least a baseline ability set so that if you get a level 85 or higher in your group, you know they at the very least have the abilities and power(not including gear) at their disposal to be an actual contributing member of the group. Compare that now to an 85 without AAs(numerous reasons as to why this happens, most common of which is the person wants to be at a level to at least enjoy the same content as friends). This character is basically dead weight, regardless of gear.

And the other argument against this AA grant is "Ohh noo, there will be so many people running around who don't know how to play their classes. It will be horrible and many deaths ensue if I ever group with them!" Fact. AA count is NOT a measure of ability or skill. I know plenty of people at or near Max AAs who are just plain BAD PLAYERS. Clerics who only cast Hots/go afk all the time, Tanks who use TANK MERCS because they don't know how to hold agro. DPS who complain when they die but never use any de-agro mechanics. At least with this new Auto Grant AA, the new, GOOD players will be able to show how good they are/how willing they are to learn their class without having to be useless for an ungodly amount of time grinding.

Also, people who are saying that they are killing all content below 85. The zones aren't going anywhere, and people still need a place to XP. The easy button to the top doesn't exist, SoE is just removing the giant rock chained to your legs to get there.

Furbykiller - We're targeting these changes for the week of February 17 for this year.

Not 2013 (really? and not 2020) In approximately two weeks.

This post makes no sense. You just stated that it takes some people a few days to get to 85 and 2 k of meaningful AA's and then you state that returning players are years behind in progression. You do realize that is a contradiction, right?

Not quite, archery auto attack is lower than melee by quite a lot. That 6k dps would require that you stand at range the entire time firing the bow, which means you probably wont get off your disc abilities depending on the size of the hit box.

Rogues and zerkers would gain though without question, we're kind of a toss up but it would need parsing and estimation I'm too lazy to do right now.

Yeah, Hadce, try playing an endgame ranger who HS solos all his exp before talking about headshot or harmonious arrow on the forums.

My vote is to refund an earned AA when an AA is automatically granted. The arguments have already been stated in a number of posts. Basically, it is a matter of fairness and loyalty. One suggestion is to keep a count of the earned AA displaced by the AA automatically granted. The choice as to what will be done can be decided at a later date. There have been a number of suggestions. One or more can be made available leaving the choices to the discretion of the player

Yeah I thought of that after, it works as it is meant to but what it says in the description sounds quite different.

If he reads this... It lands a doom effect on your target, this will proc for something like 1 damage after it fades which is the pull mechanic. From where that target is standing it will cast a 100' lull around the mob, exact reaction radius I forget but it wasn't that bad. Then the doom hits, the target comes, and so long as nothing is closer than the reaction radius on the lull you get it single.

Halifax - No, we're giving you the option to do so. We're still going to discuss further benefits if any to those that have earned it. No promises though.

I like the changes folks. Yes, it is a shakeup, but we need it to bring new folks in.

I'm worried about the changes to SK and Cleric, but the rest sounds good.

Phathom, it's almost 1 am in California. Get some sleep dude.

Thank you for your dedication.

Please increase the proc damage, relative to level 99 mobs this will be extremely weak.