Mentoring System - EverQuest needs one!

EQ2's mentoring/chronomage system is, in my opinion, fantastic. I propose the entire shroud system be scrapped and removed from EverQuest, and replace it with a Chronomage/Mentor system. This would encourage 'At-Level' enjoyment of more content.

This would also allow those of us with returning friends to enjoy playing content with our mains, with all the abilities we've earned, and not be hamstrung by shrouds.

Thoughts?

Can you describe what this chronomage system is? Sounds cool.

Chronomage in EQ2 is an NPC you pay a fee to temporarily downgrade your level. This is done for any number of reasons - to perform old or lower level quests in order to get full credit, to help friends, to experience content you missed or want to return to.

http://eq2.zam.com/wiki/Chronomagic

IMO the shroud system is fine, but every player should be given access to a shroud that is the class of that character. With all the skills and abilities that class can have up to whatever the level shrouds stop at and have 1000 shroud AAs to buy AAs for the shroud.

I love the concept of the shroud system, but it just needs to be updated to current gear/aa standards. A level 70 beserker shroud is almost worthless.

The EQ2 mentoring is far superior to shrouding, like OP said you keep your current level abilities but can level down to your friends range and exp together. If course the abilities were reduced to your current level in strength, but I felt it really encouraged grouping and helping others because you were still advancing your own char.

Yeah, they had this in Vanguard as well, IIRC.

The fellowship 'mentoring' thing wasn't bad at first. Now it's just useless.

A real mentoring system would be great.

Shrouds should work both ways.
I would prefer a shroud up way for lower levels to be grouped with higher levels.

Mmm...I dunno that this would work, tbh. I do think we should be able to shroud to higher levels than what we can atm, too.

Having new shroud forms for the harrowing horde would be awesome, as well!

Seriously, though...I'd rather just see a mentoring form where you 'shroud down' your own character to a lower level but...as others have said...keep your abilities, but they only do a % of their max efficacy.

We've been asking, with multiple examples, some very detailed, for years about getting a mentoring system. They've ignored it mostly or said things like "Which would you rather have, one of these ideas or new spells?" Which in this latest expansion, I would have liked a mentoring system more than the garbage we got so far.

I don't think it would work well for EQ. Even if all the abilities we had were lowered by an appropriate %, a level 100 toon in a 70 shroud would be way OP.

Actually, since most expansions' stat increases are spreadsheet-based, it would work rather well. Sure there will be instances where that lvl 100 mentored down will trivialize content. But how a character of given power performs in given content is not the point of a mentoring system. The point is to encourage grouping at ANY level.

Case in point, I refer you to EverQuest II's mentoring/chronomage system. It works very well today. It has needed some ironing out in some areas, but like anything worth doing it takes time. A mentoring system would breath more life into EverQuest than merc armor or merc AA's. That much I guarantee.

If implemented in a proper way this would be great. EQ likes to boast about it's vast content but most of it is dead and forgotten. Quite a few players nowadays have had breaks and missed an expansion or two or more but apart from checking out the scene once or twice there is no incentive to go there.

I agree that it would be fantastic for grouping with returning friends or new players. There are tons of spells and aa's that were not available at lower levels that, even though weakened, would allow us to destroy lower content. Unless they become unavailable when you drop below the level that is required to use them. Sounds like a lot of work.

Destroy lower content like, say, Tank Mercs? Or like Beastlords? Or like getting buffed by a higher level player? There are plenty of ways to ensure abilities and spells become level appropriate in a mentoring system.

It's EASY to come up with reasons NOT to do something. A task being 'a lot of work' is not a valid reason. In fact, it's usually those tasks that take the most work that wind up becoming essential.

A J5 merc for a shrouded character is ludicrously powerful. I use the Wizard merc. Mark it Main Tank and set it to Burn. You can run OOM just using a spell to pull for it!

I'd love to see a mentor/sidekick system implemented, but unless it made old content fun for end-game players, I would rather the resources were devoted elsewhere. Utilize the trivial loot code to ensure that people aren't just wiping out the whole zone with level 100s, and put a chase item ala Crested Mistmoore Ring & Ancient Cloak of Flames in every old zone.

Meanwhile, just PL your friends. 1-65 takes me an evening, and the next day, they're high enough to group with a max-level character. Day 3 for me is getting them J5 mercs.

Then, either drag them along with you, or get them into a feeder guild with players around their level.

In EQ2 a mentored down toon was a bit OP but not anymore than mercs or buffs like stated above. That's the reward for leveling and gearing your toon. It makes it fun, helps pl your friends and allows your to do older quests etc and get some exp in the process.

I guess what I am aiming for is a way for people of any level to enjoy playing with people of any level. PLing isn't the point here. If that's the case, let's just start all characters at level 70 so "they're high enough to group with a max-level character" - because that's fun, right?

There is no need for a new system. Shrouding is fine, make class specific shrouds that have all the abilities that class has at that level and be done with it. If you are actually mentoring someone you don't need (and shouldn't want) to be overpowered. You need to be equally powered, that way they can actually learn to play the game instead of being coddled by having someone really doing it all for them; mercs do that enough for the first 60-70 levels.

Have you tried the EQII mentoring system? I think you'd see the value, shrouding is silly IMO. Why play something other than your class which you have invested much time into developing? This game is easy, who cares if someone gets a little boost from grouping with their mentoring friend?

Oh and if there were no need for change, I'd doubt you would have seen a post on the subject.