I like the whole " go back to the hard stuff....except the stuff I don't like " comment at the end. It really sums up much of the attitude I am seeing here on the forums. How does a person learn their class in a group setting when they are forced to solo/molo almost their entire time up to 85? Or while they sit around for hours lfg because there is literally no one to group with? You worry about a person quitting because they have no time involved in the creation of their toon..what about the people quitting because they can't level due to there being no one around to level with? If EQ was still strongly populated with people of all level ranges, you would have a point. If EQ was easy to solo in for all classes, you would have a point. Since both of these are negative, I would have to say you don't. You can have all the good content in the world, but if there is no one to group with to experience it with, its useless good content. Level 80 or 85 is not a high level toon. I don't get what the big deal is. Am I worried someone get to bypass content I did 4-5+ years ago? No. If anything, I am sad that there are so few people coming up the pipes, and they are missing out on the chance to experience it in the same way I did.
I was trying for humor, perhaps I was too subtle. Some things that they've changed over the years - most of them, in fact - are for the better. Getting rid of the whole "you gotta stare into your spellbooks while you med up" aspect got rid of one of my most despised mechanics in the whole early game. The rest, though, I think we're going to have to leave at "agree to disagree." I firmly believe that the reason that we're losing the number of people that we are has to do with experienced players watching newbies get everything handed to them on gilded platters every bit as much as it does with the content being delivered in a cookie-cutter fashion (more of the same, piled higher and deeper). I admire the way you look at it. I just don't happen to share your conclusions.
I have yet to meet anyone that said they stopped having enough fun in EQ to continue playing because someone else was handed something on a gilded platter. Met people that quit due to not having anything to do because of a lack of groups and sitting around lfg with no one to even try to group with? Sure.
For race/class combo's, I'll say it again. I want a Froglok Beastlord with a mosquito pet!! Hehe, as for folks being able to hit 85 so what. That is not endgame, but it will allow them to group with friends who are 100. That alone will help encourage some to stick with the game a bit longer and try it out. Remember, level 85, even with say 2k AA is still underpowered compared to most of us who have played for years. Encourage/guide them, and who knows. You might just make some friends (and have a few more folks to raid/group with).
Only that it's been posted many many times... and been responded to by SoE that it's NOT a violation of any rule.
I've read about 2 dozen threads from over the last 8 years on this very topic and froglok monk is one of the most frequently mentioned race class combos over that time span. When the devs were kicking around this idea they decided on giving that particular combo in addition to the voted on selection (rather than making it one of the voting choices). So we ended up getting more rather than less.
Piestro.... just two??? That makes me sad. This seems like a great opportunity to really expand options. New Race/Class combos bring people back. Only two? Well... you're seriously hampering the possibilities there, in more ways than one.
This doesn't have to be the only time we do this, and we could decide to expand the current offering. That's our plan currently however.
Disappointing I was expecting 2 + the bonus monk. Everyone vote Frog Beastlord - with mosquito pet !!!!! Time to rally the guild!
Frogs eat insects. None of the other beastlord races have food for a pet; seems a bizarre pairing. A sporali pet seems more appropriate.
I'm sure I've seen a troll eating a basilisk...maybe that what happened to their alligators. Giant mosquitoes are cool!
That's good news. This is a much bigger opportunity than I think is even being considered. People have very strong connections to their race of choice. Allowing broadened class selection across a large swathe of races would mean a LOT of people would be curious to come back, try their combo of choice, and perhaps boost the playerbase of the game.
I hope what they talked about of having people not able to use the race change items at first for the combos happens
Why not allow them to use race change potions? If they always wanted to play a Vah Shir Paladin, and couldn't, so they had to roll a High Elf instead.. why stop them from swapping to their race of choice at a cost? Would make a lot of money that way, and make a lot of people happy, all in one fell swoop.
Also, you don't think that barbarians hunt wolves at all for food? Or an ogre would eat a bear? We know that iksars make armor out of the skins of the scaled wolves... i dont imagine the meat is just tossed in the field of bone. Trolls i'm sure ate the original alligators. The only race that may not eat the race that their pets are, is prolly the vah shir.
You, personally, may not have met anyone that stopped playing due to the slide into EZ-mode of this game, but ask around a bit more. You may become enlightened. One might even ponder that the easier the game became the fewer the number of committed players. As for people you say you have "met that quit due to not having anything to do because of a lack of groups and sitting around lfg", that certainly is a comment describing what I consider the "Gimme, Gimme, instant gratification" mind set. If nothing else, EverQuest is filled to overflowing with "things to do" which do not require a group. With the addition of mercenaries ANY class can get out into the world and level, earn plat, find gear and progress. Of course, the character will NOT get there faster than those characters that have others to play with but they WILL get there. They might even make friends, find a regular play group and/or find a compatible guild along the way with a little effort with the result they WILL get there faster. Since when has it become common place and the norm to start ANYTHING at the end point and not the beginning?? There is absolutely NO excuse for someone to complain that they sit around looking for a group IF they actually are pro-active in seeking one. Sitting in the guild lobby spamming General channel looking for a group doesn't cut it. Sitting in the guild lobby spamming General channel for power leveling also doesn't cut it. The game was meant to be PLAYED and, overtime, it has become a whole heck of a lot easier! It's not a matter of insisting that new and/or returning players should be subjected to the game as if this were 1999! That is impossible. It is, however, a matter of not wishing this game to be turned into a "Log in, press a key and, voila, you are instantly granted the "You have beaten EverQuest!" flag with all the sirens, bells and whistles sounding! People who dismiss the lower level game as useless obviously haven't PLAYED the lower level game. People who insist that nothing learned as a lower level character affects the same character at higher level obviously haven't advanced a character from the beginning. Druids have been used as an example. Well, let's see. Type of spell: Snare at level 1 used at level 100 - Yes Healing at level 1 used at level 100 - Yes Direct Damage at level 1 used at level 100 - Yes Damage over time at level 1 used at level 100 - Yes Root at level 2 used at level 100 - Yes Cure at level 4 used at level 100 - Yes Pacify at level 5 used at level 100 - Yes Succor at level 18 used at level 100 - Yes Regeneration at level 34 used at level 100 - Yes Shared Wolf Form at level 35 used at level 100 - Yes Group Regeneration at level 39 used at level 100 - Yes Feral Pack at level 52 used at level 100 - Yes Group Heal at level 70 used at level 100 - Yes The above doesn't include all the "buffs" and "debuffs"a druid has in their arsenal beginning a level 1. A druid who hasn't learned how and when to use their arsenal of spells at low levels isn't likely to know what to do at higher levels. Attempting to claim that the game or the basic types of spells change radically past level 75 is just silly. Yes, it takes more finesse and skill to play at the higher end of the game, but someone who hasn't bothered with the low end game will certainly be out of their depth at high level. Nothing like being grouped with a druid who doesn't know not to cast a DoT on a mesmerized mob, which is usually something a druid learns at level 1!
