I have definitely noticed that ToL seems to be a bit on the easy side. Not that I have a huge issues with it as group content is meant for groupers wearing group gear (I have a bit of raid), but this seems like one of the easier expansions content wise I can remember. I'm able to tank quite a bit in tier 2 zones as a DPS class, definitely more then I can remember in previous expansions. Like I said though, I think it's fine for the most part as I agree with the notion that if you are going to tie exp 100% to progression, then you can't make it that difficult. I just feel tieing exp to progression only is just a bad design decision all around for numerous reasons.
I started playing this game in Sept 1999 - and every single time, there is are "keyboard cowboys" who posts this SAME thing, EVERY single expansion! Just stop already! For a long timer (like myself) I can say, this is one of the BEST expansions I have ever been a part of (original Kunark was #1 and original Velious was #2). Stop complaining - it is tiresome! I see more groups, conversations and more importantly - FUN than I have seen for a while. Enjoy the expansion - there is a TON to offer!
If people don't know by now that progression is the fastest path to leveling, that's on them. We all know standing in one spot killing is going to be the slowest way to level. The expansion has been fun. The missions are fast and easy. Earning coins will be easier imo, even if you just want to do the 3 easier missions. Obliette is a step harder but only cause you need a good strat etc.
They way many of you act, they should just bump to you 120 when you log in and not even bother leveling. Honestly, it should take a month to get lvl 120 if you want to know the truth.
I’m fine with that. There’s no designed gameplay between 115-120. This isn’t classic, where there are content options from 1-50. Expansion cap raises aren’t enjoyable because it just resets your character relative to content without any new interesting class development.
I'm totally cool with that. Leveling is the most boring, tedious, and mind-numbing aspect of this game. It's nothing but busy work for each level increase expansion. That's why people race to get done with it just as fast as is humanly possible because it's a sucky, irritating process that serves no purpose other than to be done with it.
Do people not remember hell levels in vanilla, kunark, and velious? Cmon, it took forever to level up. In vanilla EQ, nobody was getting level 50 in a week. It was hard work gettin there. You can still grind exp, it just will not be as fast as doing the content that the dev team worked hard on. They made the exp reward a good incentive to see the work they put in. Think of it like bonus exp.
We almost have this in Overseer. By my estimates, it would only take 2-3 months of Overseer (@ 5% a day) to go from 115 to 120. You could literally log in for 10 minutes a day and be level 120 in a few months.
That’s perfectly fine to have leveling like that, when that is the game’s design. When your expansions only add 5 levels and no additional class mechanics or content for non-level caps then leveling serves no purpose. Early EQ leveling was directly tied to your character power, so gaining just a level was a big deal statistically. Modern levels mean that your 116-119 character loses power as the AAs and gear are linked to the max level. Adding more levels is detrimental to the game’s health. It makes people frustrated due to bad class power design and returning players feel too far from the cap.
I'm fine with it taking 1 months, 2 months, or even 6 months to hit max level. The time it takes isn't the issue I was trying to highlight. It's the fact for some reason they changed the way EQ was played for 20 years starting with ToV, to make achievements far and away the best way to level starting at level 110. All I'm saying is grinding should at least be as good\efficient as achievement exp to give people options again as they previously had for the past 20 years. Yes, I realize you "can" grind and eventually hit 120, but the exp rate is mind numbing and I don't think anyone can truthfully argue otherwise. This is coming from someone who does NOT like grinding, as I have always preferred doing progression to eventually hit max level for each cap raise. I have played this way going back years. However, I have a lot of friends and guildies who detest the rat race of trying to get groups to do these tasks/missions and instead would just like to find a quiet place to grind and get reasonable exp. This has always been an option until ToV/COV and now TOL. Less options is never a good thing. We do have Overseer now which I guess is another option to level, but I still think it's dumb that you can level all the way up to max level in this game without ever leaving the guild lobby due to overseer. I was never a big fan of Overseer and I'm still not sure why it was even put into the game other then to add another avenue to get people to waste/buy station cash.
Who spends 10 to 15 USD on sub fees to log in and play a cell phone game? . When friends ask me questions about my cell phone session that completed 30 seconds ago, I don’t how to respond. I can’t even recall what I did 10 minutes ago. I think that’s the problem… I much rather be playing the game drinking a nice cold one, chilling with friends on discord. It takes time to find groups for missions, and nothing to do if you don’t have a backlog of AAs to grind. I can’t even pay friends to go back and complete the smaller progression tasks if they have already completed it. This whole new EQ on rails is LAF. It’s no wonder why half my main guild just randomly quit.
I did not work my hero or partisans tasks to completion basically at all. Missed out on a ton of heroic stats from missing them and stuff in general. In the downtime that is the summer I busted my (LOL) doing the old missions starting at COTF some of it was wasted exp but the ones that gave you glyphs of stored experience helped out a lot. I think I had over 22 glyphs to use. Save up 1o overseer rewards to claim next expansion (ones that give exp btw) Oh and the 700 overseer collectible claim items I banked helped when I could just buy all the collectibles from last expansion. (already had the other expansions done on collects) Between that and doing mercenary and partisan in Maidens eye and over seer, oh and 3 boughten Hero task adds I am already 119 and heading to 120. There are easier paths to take but if you want to keep banging your head on a rock go ahead.
Finished 120, and all prog and Hunters in a couple of days. No saved collections or other prev expansion gimpage. XP in ToL is just fine. Can do the missions at 116. Its one of the easier expansions in ages. Also XP is 8 mobs per 1% of XP, depending what you're killing of course. White and Yellows obviously yeild the best as always, and mob HP didn't go up much. Really not sure what all the whining is about. Yes we're raid geared, but the expac was finished in days. For normal progression and XP, It's only been out a week, what do you expect ?
Esp when Math challenged. ToL is 8-9 mobs per % XP. Also 105% to 140% of an AA, depending what and where. Group gear is ALWAYS useless if you have the prev expansions raid gear, since, forever. This isn't news. Augs, TS drops and spells are useful of course.
Once you do hit 120 and swap to AA, it comes super fast. An AA per kill at the least, red cons give 2 or more. Add lesson to that and you'll blow through AA in no time.
I'm getting between 0.05% to 0.06% per kill with full group at 118 in VT ... which is approximately 1750 kills for a level. Assuming you kill 100 mobs an hour that's 17.5 hours ... Maybe one of the other T2 zones has higher con mobs that are easier to kill ?
I did most of my XPing in Bloodfalls. White and Yellow Con mobs most of the time. (Note: we made a point of getting people thru Oubliette mission. They were also fine on my group-geared group as well, which has done a lot more grinding / less Missions etc. The XP is certainly slower, at lot slower, than doing missions. Though faster than I recall previous 'grinds to level'.
By my calculations, it’s taking somewhere between 1500 to 2000 mobs per level. How long it takes to level, should be relative to the total amount of content available. If the expansion has a considerable amount content, then longer levels are justified, otherwise they are not. It appears to me, that they are purposely trying to railroad people into a particular play style - progression and overseers. It’s no wonder half my main guild hasn’t logged since shortly after launch.
My math has it closer to 800-1000 mobs, so depends what you kill, and time depends on how fast Also there are free XP Pots, Lesson etc, which reduce this, sometimes significantly. The Expansion has TONS of places to XP as well. Respawn is so fast, that if you want to grind, making a camp and doing so is dead simple. Level XP, best do Missions AA XP, grind away !. get > 1 AA per kill is nice.
