I assume that the next expansion will be more difficult than TBL. In particular, it will basically require full TBL gear. The problem here is that TBL is inaccessible to a large portion of the playerbase. First, the roadblock of smoke trials needs to be removed. At most one smoke trial should allow players to access the other TBL zones. Secondly, rare mobs in TBL need to be toned down in difficulty. Raising the level cap will help with this problem somewhat, but many players will not be motivated to buy the new expansion and level to 115 if they feel they are already locked out of playing in the previous expansion.
Gonna disagree. TBL won't be changed at all. The new Expac will probably be a bit more of a reset if anything but not a "big expansion" as far as content since part of the "new" content is TBL!
The problem is a number of players cannot do TBL, so they cannot get the gear to even consider doing the new expansion. The gear jump in TBL was huge so I'm dreading thinking what the mobs in teh next expansion will hit for. Ashes trial needs to be toned back and the lockout for Estanti (T1 zone) needs to be removed and should never have been locked behind doing progression in a T2 zone.
It won't be gear as much as levels, AA, spells/discs that can move people into TBL. Plus if the dev team was smart, the first zone of the new stuff should have some broad overlap with 110 content in terms of challenge/gear but everything past that should be challenging AF. Granted, they will do what they will do.
I did all the progression and flagging for the entire expansion without being done all five smoke trials. I was only done 3 of 5 until they were the very last thing I needed to complete TBL. So, you can, in fact, progress through with only doing one smoke trial and then campfiring past it each time your lockout is up, or just redoing whichever one is easiest for you.
Or do what they will do, but then change what they did because what they did was second-guessed by other members of the EQ community who represent the 1% of people who raid.
They won't nerf it until August/September 2020. Nerf Season = now as in they do "tuning" in prep for next release.. Maybe its the most wonderful time of the year after Christmas for some? Those 1% still want to get all they can out of riding the gravy train before they jump off of it and trigger the dynamite on the railroad bridge. After the Trainwreck they can still claim they raised a red flag back in November but the devs didn't listen....
Assuming you are in a fellowship with people who are past it. Some casuals are in large casual guilds. A LOT of casuals are small guilds or even one player guilds. A lot of them don't have the fellowship options. And when many others are done with smoke trials getting groups to constantly have a smoke trial pass is an issue. If you are in a large raid guild smoke trial barrier is zero problem. If you are in a large casual guild it can a bit of a problem but you will get around it often enough to eventually get geared up. If you aren't in either of those situations it could be problematic. And while I would love for everyone to at LEAST be in a large casual guild that does not seem to be what people want to do. Ooops forgot you are also golden once you figure things out if you run a box group capable of doing one smoke trial over and over. But if you are on your own not in a decent sized guild you will have to hear about the work arounds through guild chat or the beta forum while it was up. The fan sites do not talk about work arounds and only detail the straight forward progression. At least last time I checked.
IMO: No reason to have any content locking after the next expansion is released. That includes TDS, Essence of the Dragon, VP and TBL smoke trials.
I get it. My point was there was an implication in an earlier post that if you can't get past the smoke trials you can't do any progression. My point was that is not the case. In fact, if you get the clicky lamp from doing progression in a piecemeal fashion (when a smoke trial is on lockout or you get fellowship'd in) you're then able to skip the Smoke trials entirely from that moment forward.
I keep seeing this number when referring to raiders.....this seems made up to me. Also using your logic. Do you design a game around 99% that play the game 1% of the time or around 1% that play the game 99% of the time. Again these numbers are made up
The logic serves a point because it shows the divide. Do you design a game around people who, by nature of being raiders, have the capability of seeing the ENTIRE game (raid content AND group content), or do you tailor group content for people who will never have the desire or perhaps time to devote to raiding? How you answer that question is critically important. Group content needs to be accessible to casual players with casual player gear and casual player levels of AA's. It doesn't have to be a total pushover, but if it's too challenging you drive people away OR you force them to decide that maybe free to play isn't so bad, if current content is going to be so bonkers. It's like the GMM thread... why the heck would you complain about a zone that's been in the game for like 9 months right before the next expansion release? Oh, yea, it's because you view it as too easy. Well, some people need options like that. It's ridiculous to think that because it's too easy for you that it's the same for others.
Ok, Lianeb let's play your game. Idealogically, the 1% who play 99% of the time should get most of the consideration. Unfortunately there is that little detail of the game having to make money. Unless the 1 % doesn't mind bringing in 99% of the revenue then you have to accept you don't get your way 100% of the time.
Just an FYI for those in group gear, casual players especially those not in large guilds getting the lamp clicky is not so easy.
Let's not derail this thread with a dichotomy debate (raider v. casual). EQ2 allowed players to "catch up" in flags (epic spell) with their Signature Timeline for Chaos Descending expac. While I don't think the dev time should necessarily be used for a new "catch up" quest, perhaps unlocking older progression and AA (EOTD) could be a reward for a current T1 quest in the upcoming expac.
Nowhere did I imply it was easy. I even acknowledged that it would take time and have to be done in a "piecemeal" ... i.e. very gradual .... manner. What I will stand by, though, is my assertion that the implication that having to get a smoke trial lockout every 3-4 days to continue further progression is an impassible roadblock is a bit overstated. Heck, if someone asked for that in general chat I'd invite them and blow through a trial for them AND give them all the loot. It's not a huge deal, imo. With that said, I'd support opening up the static zone after one trial completion.
Look, and as a mage I quit EQ for about a year because I couldn't get quillmane to spawn by myself and I didn't have any ingame ranger/druid friends who could help me. I spent weeks in south karana by myself trying to do everything the stupid online guides said to spawn him. I never saw him. It was the last thing I needed for my epic and it wasn't happening. I know what roadblocks look like and how frustrating it can be. break/break Devs, don't go too buck wild with the next expansion when TBL wasn't exactly entirely accessible. Also, are we being told or is there implications that this next expansion is gonna be similar to EoK/Ros ....where you need to have a bunch of crap from the earlier expansion to progress into the next one? The gear creation was the worst.
Devs.. leave road blocks in. We play everquest.. we SHOULD.. be expected to go threw clearly defined progression missions or quests that key us for next tier up. Anyone who says all zones should be open an accessible day 1 launch are lazy a$$ hates who hate to actually play the game.
The 1% number comes from SOE, but it was said at the GoD summit in 2004. I have friends who were there and swear by it.
