Not newer races/classes since 2006? Why not "freeblood" from EQ2?

First of all, I love that the game keeps being updated literally decades after its release. And getting newer expansions but with race/class, since the launch, EQ only got Beastlord + Berserker as newer classes and only Iskar as new race.

That said, I know that there are a lot of work to do in order to add a more "exotic" race like Iskar, but why not add freeblood from EQ2? The game already has vampires, so there is no need for developing new models. I would suggest the following characteristics of such race :

• Available classes : Bard, Berserker, Enchanter, Necromancer, Shadow Knight and Rogue
• Racial traits : Ultravision and once per day(24h cooldown), a "mistform" which acts like harmshield
• -20 hp regen per "tik/turn" while outside during the day(yes, daylight should be deadly to vampires)
• -50 fire resist
• +10 hp regen and +5 mana regen indoors or at night
• Berserker freeblood gain vampiric weapon buff for free.
• Charmed undead/normal mobs from an NEC/ENC freeblood who breaks free gets stunned for 6 seconds/a "tik'
• Enhance unlife : Reanimated necromancer undead gets +5% hp and AC and a glowing dark aura + red eyes.

Perks are too good.

Instead of expanding would rather see a reduction delete, Drakkin.

When EQ was created, they only made so many "slots" for race and class. Its hardcoded everywhere race and class are refrerenced in the game. All those slots are currently filled, and it would be an enormous undertaking that could break parts of the game for them to change it.

We can also delete Vah Shir while we are at it.

We can delete anything that is not a Dark Elf and hunt down the mask wearing bards.

There is a cap on the races and huge work on the itemization side. That is why we don't have new races. All the race suggestions do nothing to change that.

My proposed solution is to make a hidden illusion slot. NPCs respond to illusions. Trick the client. Vampires or lycan, or other such races, can have a base race. That base race is used for itemization. So Wood elves were infected and now we have vampires. Vampires can wear WEF gear.

All vampires start in the vampire hive, have quests in the hive, look like vampires, NPCs respond to them as vampires, but functionally, they are WEF with a hidden illusion, and other illusions stack and show over the hidden one.

What would happen to PC's of this race?

Interesting. What about "sub races"?

[quote="Vumad, post: 4159303, member: 439257"huge work on the itemization side. (...)[/quote]

Nice idea about illusion, about itemization, what if we just say that everything that a HUM can wear, an VAM can also wear? With few exceptions like holy relics.

Hard coded limitations in EQ prevent the addition of new races & classes.

Animation limitations prevent all available classes being suitable for all races.

The game really doesn't need any new races & classes after 22 years of running anyway & there are plenty of illusion options available.

I would like to see a few more race illusions made more easily available though, Troll illusion is technically in the game but prohibitively expensive to obtain.

There's room for more race/class options to be available but this is a pretty low priority given there are far more important things players need addressed.

Beyond coding limitations, the truth is they don't know what to do with or how to balance the races/classes that are currently in game right now.

Adding new ones to the game would literally be tossing more tires on to the eternal tire fire that never stops burning.

There are quite a few races that seem to meet certain qualifications to be a Player race... such as they seem to have a language or at least able to speak common.

However, there are other things to consider... such as where would their home town be? What would their deity options be? Class options? Are there males and females? Can the model ride a mount? What would their base (start) Factions be? Can the model visibly wield weapons, shields and armor?

So, there is clearly a LOT more to it than one may believe.

Now with that said, there are a lot of races that could be 'modified' as a Player race, but the effort would probably mean it would have to be a 'bonus' (promotional) feature of an expansion release?

I like the idea of Vampires (Freebloods) as the op suggested, since much of the mechanics might be all ready worked out via EQ2? They could use Katta Castellum as their home town, which would fit right in with the next expansion (Night of Shadows).

Others that have been around forever, that could potentially be Player races are:

• Orc
• Goblin
• Alaran
• Grimling
• Tegi (Centi)
• Akheva
• Goranga
• Minotaur
• Satyr
• Faerie
• Brownie
• Clockwork

But they still have a key ring or two to add, also (Nimbus, Novelty / Click items...).

I wonder if they can put a quest mob in the tutorial or somewhere else.

To play as an orc, you have to be a level 1 troll. You talk to an Orc in the tutorial who goes through some things about life as an orc. You say long to be an orc, he gives you some warning like the priest of discord would, you agree, he casts a spell, you zone.

You wake up in Clan Crushbone. You have a permanent hidden orc illusion that you can never click off. Your quest modified your base factions as any quest would.

Just a work around. It could make for a great TLP. Drop people in a "tutorial". They can either talk to their race and say "I wish to go home" at which time they are ported home. Otherwise, they could pick from a bunch of alternative races. Gnolls, Orcs, all those places just outside the home towns. Get your newbie quest from Fippy.

About vampire illusion, what if they implement a "vampire embrace" perk which applies the suggested changes and the illusion, essentially becoming a "sub race"?

Other question. I'm playing live as an necromancer human. If I use the illusion wand in marketplace and then Arch Lich/Demi Lich spell, I will lose my vampire form?

It exists. It's called NDT/NPT, has a scarecrow illusion, and it's cast by ENC. It procs a life tap.

Race only matters in the early game when it can impact immersion and RPG aspects of the game. At the late game, it has no meaning. There are no race related quests in the late game and race is faction neutral in almost all late expansions. Illusion into anything you want.

No, you will not lose the buff. The devs split the illusions from the perks a while back. NPT, the ENC pumpkin spell with a proc was split. You can now block the illusion while receiving the buff. Get the NPT proc effect and illusion to a vampire. As a NEC, you will get the vampiric mana conversion buff and the illusion in your spell will simply be blocked by the existing market place illusions. I have the plague bringer illusion for my NEC.

What you are asking for races is actually just buffs and illusions which already exist in the game but it seems you might not fully understand how they work.

Don't we all have ultravision in our helmets ?


Re the race limit of 16:

Really though just because it was too much of a limitation in the past doesn't mean they don't have an idea of how to implement more races today. We shouldn't discount things just because at one time they said something wasn't possible.

Now I don't think we need new races or classes, it would likely be bad for the game to have a new class and I don't really see the point of a new race since mostly they'd just get a pl or a heroic or race change so I don't think it would reinvigorate the low level game.

I just think we shouldn't flat out accept their answer when they say something can't be done, if enough of the player base actually want something they would find a way. As long as they see a financial benefit that is big enough they will overcome any obstacle.

Heck if the 2 million plat limit in the bazaar was of actual concern on all the servers instead of just FV they would have either fixed it or added another coin that you could buy and sell from a vendor and always get all your money back. They could and would find a way to fix the bazaar plat problem if is was a problem to more players.

If they ever introduce a new 3d-engine with new player-models, they should introduce Shadowed Men as a new playable race, just to mess with people...

It's becoming a problem on other servers too. People are destroying general with sale spams. They really, really need to fix the BAZ.

They have poor priorities like adding an entire new stat, Luck, that had to be added into every combat and loot calculation. You could argue it’s been a net negative on the game when looking at the dedicated dev time, ruining drops with bad luck rolls, added complexity to combat calculations.

A new Bazaar could’ve been worked and released as a much more interesting expansion feature.

I did a double take when they decided to add another calculation while lag was still running rampant. It didn't make any sense to me then, and still doesn't.

Ahh I vote for creating an auction house (wow style) that can accept more than 2 million then! Make it require new expansion and gold for all I care!