Wow..... This might explain why my 115 keeps dying in Crypt of Sul from light blue trains. This is the 2nd time I've run through TBM with a 110+ char and do not recall it being this hard last time which was a couple of years ago.
Risk VS reward is fine on HAs while leveling. They aren't terribly easy until the rewards are no longer worth it and you still have a small mountain of currency to grind if trying to upgrade every 5 levels unless you're buying up that currency from baz.
I won't touch on all of the points in the original post because I can't. However, it looks like you've gotten one of the text drops as well as the ground spawn. Usually when I've done this mission, I can get both of the dropped texts from mobs in the rooms to the north. But there may have been a time or two where I've also had to start killing in the rooms to the south from the zone-in to get the second drop. It could be (but I don't know) that the mobs in the north room have a higher chance to spawn with one text and that the mobs in the south have a higher chance to spawn with the other text. Also, there was a complaint that the second text drop you got was a repeat of the first. It's understandable that it's disappointing to go from the excitement of finally seeing a second text drop to the realization that it's the one you already have. However, it's actually good that multiple mobs spawn with each text. Otherwise it would be possible you'd have to kill most or every mob in the zone before you found the one mob with the final text. Is the scaling broken for your level? Possibly. If it is, it would be great for the scaling to be fixed. Unfortunately, I don't think DPG will change it very soon. In the meantime, someone on your server would likely be willing to help you get through this mission so you can unlock the plane of health vendor. If you're on Emarr, I could help you with it.
Well yeah, I mean these items are pretty much the best for 75-105 (best as in good enough so you can continue on to the next 5 levels). ex. The person was saying MORE RISK same reward, as in the trash hit as high as they can for there levels now, mission reward still same. They made it harder because current players exploiting it, and results is more punishing content for returners/newplayers. When I was mentioning actual content for returners I meant Expansion 28, giving a zone-path 80-115. Not do expansion related content, where a returner is expected to do VoA, but catch is no one to do it with, while back then VoA was meant to be done with other people. Every expansion for over a decade has been zones for the end gamers only. Over a decade and not 1 zone was made for people 15-20 OR MORE levels behind. Ex. Oow, they had a zone called Dranik Scar, "FOR CATCHUP PLAYERS", 30-55, current max level was 70, it went back and had a zone for people 40 levels behind. Over a DECADE (about 14 years) and not a single expansion goes to make a SINGLE zone for people 40 levels behind, like Oow. I call TSS and earlier expansions, TRADITIONAL EXPANSIONS. They have zones for catchup players, TRADITIONAL EXPANSION. Returners don't plan on spending a whole year upgrading gear and what not in VoA, they want to get to end game 115. Theres no groups nobody to play with, why spend a good chunk of time in VoA today? There is no reason. VoA 91-95 was meant for people spending a whole year in it. We need 80-115 catchup zones (VoA, thats meant for people who have HoT gear, catchup players don't usually have full set of HoT gear, RoF was made for people who have VoA gear, not made for returners to do that content, returners when they turn 95 they don't get automatic gear upgrades, they gotta do stuff for it or bazaar, and there goal is to get to 115, not spend a year in VoA get fully geared and venture into RoF. Catchup expansion (TSS wasn't all catchup, it had CURRENT LEVEL STUFF TOO). ACTUAL catchup zones, not "do this HA and cross fingers its not overscaled" Its been over a decade since we had expansion that doesn't follow the 5 level rule and goes back 30 levels to help people (returners/newplayers) CATCHUP. Sure maybe a player whose been to 115 and doing an alt in 90s they probably tweaked to do these HA's. but a returner, they usually under geared, its much rougher for them, overscaling is more painful to them. I'm pretty sick of 13 years of end game only expansions, 0 catchup zones. Oh look an advertisement of EQ new expansion, oh I'm not end game, this does not apply to me. Should I buy the latest expansion? Oh I'm not even 115 yet, guess I wont buy. Asking for even just 1 zone that is catchup as in 80s-115, I get so much heat. Its been 13 years. When I did the TBM mission, I'm autogranted AA, I have RoF gear from bazaar, so technically 94 thats tweaked. I still didn't finish. That 98 golem hitting harder than 101 RoF named, and other mobs hitting hard too, you sure this TBM is for catchup? It's where all the catchup gear is, yet I gotta fight stuff crazy strong. Difference between TBM and CotF, CotF you fight DB whites, maybe yellow TBM you fight whites yellow red, if they *5 higher so 91 vs 96, that 96 is 3 expansions higher (91 is VoA, the red con is CotF toughness). And this is suppose to be the catchup. smh Yes at 70s its doable and easy, you also get the DS buff at 75, it takes away 20% mob hp. But in 90s, its different story. When I said Bixie Warfront is good, not because they hit less, they still hit hard, the thing is with #3 and #1, the mobs are fighting the NPCs on your side, so you don't really take any damage. Pretty safe HA, you shouldn't die many times when the mob is going after you. If I go do Gribbles where the mob actually hits me, those mobs hit crazy amounts, I can handle them but theres like 10% chance of death in each encounter because luckiness from the mob, they have high max damage and can always get lucky. Sure I can always goto the regular zone and kill stuff, get that POINT 2 PERCENT, .2% xp, takes forever xp. I'm 21 levels behind! I guess another way to think overscaled is 94, so I'm VoA material, but the 98 trash, thats CotF material, yeah I'm going have a hard time with it. I'm not suppose to handle CotF mobs yet. Doable? Sure what isn't, but its going to be a long long time. Like I'm going to need to use the 6 hours. If they expect this to be a 1 hour thing, they need to relook it.
No, they do not. I was a returner during EoK expansion, I've made lvl 1 toon and spent 10 levels in Gloomingdeep refreshing my memories of the game mechanics and learning new stuff about mercenaries etc. I've steadily ground up my level, went through new and exciting questline in Blightfire Moor and then went to my familiar Luclin, fought in PoI, butchered Acrylia Caverns, fought in Steppes, in The Buried Sea expansion (btw, Heroic quests there reward with awesome gear and very nice experience), after I've assembled the full Heroic gear set I went to SoD and spent wonderful 10 levels in there doing the questline story and earning Paragon gear in the process. The lotsa HoT, until I was farming The Fear Itsel nameds for gear (those lvl 93 meanies), then VoA, lotsa VoA, endlessly cleansed Saryth and Resplened Temple for Teek, went to RoF, almost completed the questline in there. Murdered Luclin and Cazik-Thule, which made me very proud of myself. Then went to CoTF and got my Champion in there. Mastered TDS. And only then I went to TBM and EoK. By that time TBL was current expansion. Got my conflagrant gear at 106 and level up to 110 in GMM while collecting all the Luck 5 gear in there. Finally ! Finally after 3 years I caught up with the current era in ToV. All maxxed up, all group gear and AA's, all quests, the whole main group, not just 1 toon. It took me about 2 and a half years to go from 1 to 115 . 2.5 years of MAJOR fun and enjoyment! So, no, returners do not want to quickly get to end game 115. If you do - just pay a few Kronos to PL service team on your server and in a week or earlier you'll be 115. And you'll become just one of those raid-guild hopping 115's who have to idea where the zones are, how to fight the mobs and are just earning dkp's by attendance. Or not, maybe all you are missing to be a top-dog of EQ is just a level ? Then pay to those PL guys and win the EQ.
I just don't have that time anymore, a common theme with many gamers nowdays, they just don't have anymore. 2.5 years just to get to end game content? No thanks. especially when 1-100 is just lonely, no one else around. I didn't mind being 10-20s for over a year back then because there was people around. Not just I had time too. I didn't return to relive old content either, you see people asking about which Live server is best, not which TLP has the most people. They want Live server, they want to play whats new, but also have people around to play with. If the game had steady people 1-100, it wouldn't be so bad. You maybe an exception to the usual returners, they probably don't 115 right away but get close enough to max level of 115, they want to keep making progress. Getting 5% xp everyday is not the kind of progress, its more of a level or halfway through a level a day. Which is 1-3 hours playing. 90s aint even close to max lvl of 115. It's 25-16 levels behind that's a lot. 10 years of content behind and nobody in it but farmers, small chance a returner. The returner population is low, so that tells you that the game isn't doing something right. It maybe afloat due to current players boxing and what not, but certain population is low, returners. Zero incentives for returner, they not at end game to enjoy end game stuff being advertised. Level cap increase 120! "I'm still 70 though, 55 levels behind, are there any zones for a 70?" "Nope ZERO, no not even one zones for 70 since 14 years, over a decade" TSS is 15 years old. Traditional expansion like Oow, they'd go back to lvl 30 with Dranik Scar, max level is 70. Thats more than half of the max level it would go back and do catchup content.
The discussion about how long a player should have to spend to go from 1 to raid ready aside, not being able to find a group unless you're either a known person in a community or have high level characters is a huge issue in current EQ. My current favorite answer to this is: Create a squiring system where lowbies can scale up to the highest member in a group. Not a scaling that lets them contribute as much as they would with a natural high-level, but something that makes them not a liability in easier content Update the hot-zones to extend to current expansion, revolve to each zone every day and give significant gear / XP bonuses. The intent is to concentrate the player base in different zones than whatever the current easiest zone is Streamline the hardcore heritage / level scaling so that an older zone could be duplicated and scaled up to current level cap for brief periods of time (ex: 1 week) while keeping the normal zone accessible. These zones would always be hot. The above would ideally allow for lowbies to log on and join max-level groups in one of a few hotzones. It would also allow for max-level players to see other content they missed because it was scaled up and hot. Finally it'd make it easier for casual players to finish quests in harder areas when those areas are hot because the playerbase would be concentrated there.
Do you hear yourself ? You are a returner and see some returners in those "lonely" zones. Perhaps the problem is the small number of returners? And 90 IS close to the maxx. It usually takes me two weekends to PL my new Heroic alt to lvl 115. One weekend if there is an experience bonus going on. How long do you expect me to spend in those "lonely" zones so you can have an opportunity to group with me if all you play a 1-3 hours per day ? And by the way - just 2 weeks ago I have PL'd a returner guildmate from 100 to 110 in 1 evening. Maybe you should join the guild? In any case - you want an instant gratification - buy a PL and enjoy 115. Stop trying to break the game and direct valuable developers' time to designing some catch-up expansion just to fit you gameplay model. You do it repeatedly, everybody noticed already. If TBM is too hard - do TDS, CoTF, RoF. If that is too slow - buy a PL service. Just stop whining.
A miracle of ToV. Mercenary, Partisan tasks (I did not do Heroic Missions) gave him IMMENSE experience, and I do O.M.A.D on the loop as a filler when tasklocked. That is 6% of lvl 109 every 30 mins. (obviously, more on lower levels).
You are going over hypotheticals, obviously you know if there is people in the zone, they not going to group you all the time. Usually when I see a returner its them in Feerott dream, just coming back maybe heroic. I goto hotzone MMM I never seen a returner, I goto the more into the game returning zones I haven't seen a returner struggling or playing. I don't always check for them too, basically its a stumble across when I notice them. You don't goto a zone, ooh look 20 people here, I know I will get group 100%. Doesn't happen, you thinking best case scenario too much, and I said a small % chance to see a returner. 20 people here, I'll go the forums, I'll cajole one these 20 people into getting me there group, and I know 100% ill succeed. Yeah ok. I don't need tips on groups too, I was one of the late start (so behind) people that got groups formed back in the days, I know the tricks. Getting groups formed was an issue back in the days too, being a returner in the 50s while most people in the 60s 70s. I don't need any newbie tips, I'm a returner not a newplayer. Back in those days it was doable everytime I logged in, to get a group going, but nowdays its very challenging, sure it can be done, will it be done everytime I log in, not likely. Its easy for you think of returners as easy path, 115 easy and what not. But as returner, its a different set of shoes. Your not walking the returners shoes to see and feel what they see and feel.
My PL strat is usually just HS in FM till toon is around 108 using xp potions and lesson then buy ToV hero missions to get him/her to 112 then I get most of collects from ToV minus a few hard ones and of course overseer xp here and there and then move on to the ToV merc/part .. usually can go from 100 to 115 with no server xp bonus within a week (8days) with bonus it cuts it in half .. but i only play 4 or 5 hours or so a day .. some of those PLer's want insane amount for a PL .. I have found a few peeps that are reasonable .. when im being lazy its nice to get someone else to do the heavy lifting
btw if its bonus xp weekend can do the ToV hero tasks at 100 and make it all the way to 111 or 112 .. with just those 4 tasks .. I know some peeps save em till they hit 111 but then those 4 tasks only get you to 113 even with bonus .. once your 111 or 112 there is enough xp with the merc/part and collects to go from 112 to 115.. might have to do a little overseer but its doable ..
The idea is to be 85 and sit with a 115 in some grind group. At 113.8 or so without bonuses, the 4 ToV missions will bump you to 115 in about 20 minutes. From there you just grind AAs.
Forums don't need more PL guides, not everyone is looking for PL. I'm sure I could get one for free if I try hard enough, but I don't want to be PL'ed. Game needs more https://www.reddit.com/r/everquest/comments/5gyani/guide_to_leveling_on_live/ Not cookie cutter "do hotzone, do overscaled Gribbles" never seen a returner in MMM 85 hotzone. They know better. That guide is good but 2016 is outdated and they nerfed/overscaled Gribbles and other HA's, so its a bit dated. Myself I'm planning grinding Naturalist Yrelia Bixie Warfront #1 and #3, kind of done with trying HA's finding out they overscaled too much.
Don't "grind" those 3. Do all HA's in Bixie, Dead Hills, Neriak, ETWK. You know, do the questline. Also those give extra reward as a set ,a reward for Mercenary achievement: https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=7319 and like that. Also, in the guide you linked it actually mentiones VoA as a leveling ground. But you said it's too slow ...
At least 80% of us, if not more are returners. Been there, done that. And we tried to help you. Kudos to those who have played 22 years straight thru.
Sure. And if they required level 85 to use that feature it'd still be a huge boon to returning players.
