Oow/POR locked server

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Xeris, Sep 7, 2022.

  1. Xeris Augur

    Long time Agnarr lifer, splitting time in Vaniki to play with my old guild, get achievements, and see what the later EQ expansions are all about.

    After experiencing some of this content I think creating an oow or por locked server would be a great idea. Granted, I've long been a supporter of locked servers.

    Why lock at this era?

    - This era provides a lot of content for a variety of different player types. I've been pleasantly surprised what you can achieve as a solo/group content player. It was super fun for me doing some of the Arcstone/Relic quests with my lil box group that wasn't raid geared. Some I couldn't do, all of them were a fun challenge, and the rewards are great as a group-content player. DON progression offers a lot of solid gearing options for group lvl players as well, and you can progress decently far into DON by grouping or small raids... The rewards even for reaching tier 3 are pretty awesome.

    As a raiding player, there's a lot to do. I'm not the most experienced with this content yet, but from what I've seen so far, it looks like top end OOW raid gear is still viable in POR. So if the server has reached end game, it looks like raiding end game content from OOW, DON, POR are all on the table. (I don't know much about DODH as we've not done any of that content yet). This will allow the server to stay/feel fresh

    - Epic 2.0's are still super relevant and are also very nice things to work on and achieve as a raider or non raider

    - Not super knowledgeable about POR end content stuff, but numbers don't appear to reach super bloat status, which is a big turnoff for a lot of players, myself included

    - The game, in terms of raid mechanics, class abilities, etc, seem to be fairly manageable. The raid content seem to have some unique mechanics that add depth, but don't get too crazy where sneezing and looking away for 0.5 seconds will wipe a raid; but it's more complex than tank and spank

    Anyhow, so far this content has been fairly enjoyable. I've always figured this would be a nice end point, and after experiencing it, my thoughts feel pretty validated. I'm going to stick it out on Vaniki to see what later stuff brings just to see, but ATM my thought is a OOW or POR lock server would be a big W.

    Why are locked servers a good idea?

    For casual players, it's great. I can grind during the server progression to "keep up" and it works because I know there's an end date. I can tell my s/o, "hey for the next 9 months or so I'm going to hit this game pretty hard in my free time" and after that I can transition to playing a few hours a week and not ever get left behind.

    Alternatively, I can just enter the server and play at a casual pace, and I will eventually reach BIS status and be raiding the same end game content as the hardcore players. There's no pressure to play 10+ hours per day to keep up.

    Thirdly, I'm playing in an era of EQ I enjoy, I know the time and energy I invest in my characters will matter and last. Most players don't end up making it to live on a TLP, and at least for myself, I'm hesitant to invest a huge amount of time and effort into building up characters I know I won't be playing in a few months time. While on a locked server, I know I can always drop the game, take a break, and pick it back up and my characters will always be relevant. If I take a 6 month break on a normal TLP, I'm so far behind it's hardly worth trying to catch up.

    Ultimately, it's a great server for casual players, especially ones that enjoy a certain part of EQ specifically. Obviously if you're someone who looks forward to end game/live EQ content a locked server isn't for you. I'd argue though, that for everyone else, a locked server is ideal.

    Are locked servers successful?

    I'd argue yes. People can call Agnarr a "dead" server, but it's got 4 active raid guilds and does see a trickle of new players join the server pretty consistently. It's not a high pop server by any means, but what TLP is after 5.5 years. It's got a solid, stable population of players that invest heavily into their characters.

    Most TLP servers that have lasted as long as Agnarr have similar or even fewer active raiding guilds. To me, this shows that there exists a decent number of people who enjoy the locked aspect of the server/the POP/Ldon era.

    It stands to reason that another locked server would be a similar lasting success.

    Anyhow. This is my pitch for another locked server. CHEERS.
    Aenvar, Dre. and PipotheAFILADOR like this.
  2. Branntick Augur

    Good god. The 70s slog is the longest, highest attrition era on TLPs. Why would you ever suggest locking a server there?

    DoN and PoR hardly qualify as expansions and quite honestly should already launch alongside OoW/DoDH the same way that LoY is tied to PoP.

    You can pretty much always find at least 1 TLP that is stuck somewhere in the 70s era to play on as is. Mischief is currently that server.
  3. uberkingkong Augur

    The enjoyment your having is from Vaniki server ruleset not so much the Oow/PoR era.

    It's probably fun for you because you can do stuff end game raiders are doing too, they are working arcstone gear as well as you. So you feel some kind of equalness. Since they cannot be lvl 70 as it would be in era and blow through everything.

    Its been a few weeks and still no one with 2.0 yet on Vaniki, so you still feel pretty equal.
    End game raiding guilds would welcome you and not too difficult to join them.

    AA autogrant helps as well even though you only get up to 60, its better than having to grind each of your boxes to that AA point. You can make a mistake with a box and make a new box very quickly because of autogrant.

    In a couple more weeks your going to excited for the next expansions because you have everything done.

    The good thing about Vaniki is it moves at a good pace and you feel accomplished too. I already have nearly all the AAs most people have them all (tradeskills and few other AAs really all thats left). All everyone does is the actual content your suppose to be doing in that era. The difficulty is there because your 10 levels behind so it brings some sort of winning feeling doing content that is hard yet doable. There is some sort of scary feeling because mistakes made are very costly but you don't really lose much besides having to run all the way back since everyone has max lvl and not too much if any AAs to grind for.

    So it's not really this era, its this server. A lot of people are enjoying the server ruleset. You actually feel some sort of accomplishment on this server and people actually want to do the more challenging content because they can't easily do the latest expansion content with their box, they have to look at other options. AND these expansions are opening in groups, so they have to prioritize from Oow I need this from DoN I need this, from DoD I need this, from PoR I need this, I have 12 weeks then back to the grind again with expansions A needing this expansion B needing this expansion C needing this.
    Skuz likes this.
  4. Anklepoker New Member

    I always thought Xeris was secretly a dev….

    I do agree that a OoW or especially PoR locked server would be just as successful as Agnarr.

    Yes there is a lot of attrition in the 70s but the Agnarr crowd proves there is a population that loves a definitive end point, or at least one that stays put for a long long time.
  5. PipotheAFILADOR Journeyman

    I would absolutely love a new locked server. Unsure if this is the point id lock one at but im 100% on board with being locked somewhere.

    For me any server that ends up in live is a total waste of time. But then again im one of those weirdos who likes to 100% complete characters.
  6. Rasper Helpdesk The Original Helpdesk

    I'd argue 75 is a better lock point.

    For groupers Ashengate/Frostcrypt are nice thematic zones to hit, Zhisza / Silyssar are a touch better for non-vis, can do TSS class armor or Orux archtype + powersource for vis.

    For raiders you get AGN/FC2 as staple targets, Solteris for a solid endzone raid. Also FC1 AGE/W are good targets for completionists that want a full collection of Best in Slot augments. And then the Charm of Lore makes for a nice long term goal as well.
  7. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    I myself think a Velious Locked Server would fare better than anything post-PoP & would pose a lesser risk of killing off Agnarr.

    Populations interested in era-locking post PoP are very small & are split among a bunch of Post-PoP expansions rather than forming any sizeable demographic for any one particular expansion.

    The 70 era is widely regarded as EQ's weakest era sandwiched between the highly Regarded PoP & TSS so getting locked there is probably many players idea of EQ hell.
    Taladir and Appren like this.
  8. Murdukethegreat New Member

    I think the best way for a locked server is to release two fresh servers at the same time with one locking at era x and the other going to live. Then allow server transfers from locked server to unlocked server for free. Everyone wins
  9. Ddezul Augur

    GoD , OoW and DoDh are three of the best expacs imo.
    DoN and PoR not so much. I don't enjoy LDON either.
    yepmetoo likes this.
  10. Bullsnooze Augur

    +1, just look at the success of p99.
    Skuz likes this.
  11. Indigo_Quarmite Augur

    If they weren't going to promote Agnarr to GoD locked there will never be a 70s era locked server. They couldn't even make a 65 locked server and left off the 2nd best expansion they ever made in GoD.

    70s are AWFUL expansions. OoW was semi fun for a minute and straight downhill from there. EQ should just end at 65 and they can make 70+ a different game. As stated above at least 75% of a servers population quits post GoD sometime in OoW. Shortly after they "win the game" and get their epic 2.0.
  12. Xeris Augur

    I don't really understand why people think these lvl 70 expansions aren't fun? Seems pretty enjoyable to me ;;
  13. Exmortis_MT Elder

    I do not understand the draw to a locked server?
    That's like only ever driving down dead end roads.....Sure its a nice drive but gets you nowhere.

    It will not solve the population issues, people leave when they are finished the content they enjoy, or they leave when there is nothing left to accomplish in given era or in this case server.

    What exactly do you when you hit the dead end?
    Zarniwoop, Kaenneth and Appren like this.
  14. Xeris Augur

    The point of the locked server is as I described above. Of course people leave when they are done with the content they enjoy; that's the same on any server, or anything in life. Agnarr has shown us that there is a pretty sizable amount of people that absolutely like playing a locked server. It's not just like kill Quarm and I beat the game and onto something else.

    People like to be completionists. It's impossible to be fully BIS on a normal TLP server unless you're some insane high end raider with 100% RA, and even then it's probably not achievable after the first few expacs just based on time (I.E. Vulak might not drop all the items you need in the 12 weeks of Velious). On a locked server, you can do everything. Can max all my AA's, gears, augs, tradeskills, clickies, etc. People enjoy doing that.

    And - people can play at a slow pace. Do you want to be a once per month raider and still max your character and not get left behind? Great, you can do that on a locked server. On a normal TLP, you'll never even get raid gear that way, and very quickly become irrelevant because the server passes you up.

    Do you like Pizza? Have you eaten more than 1 Pizza in your life? If you've already experienced Pizza, why have it again? What if you REALLY like Pizza and want to eat it every day? Some people do. Locked server.
  15. Chopsuey Augur

    "It's impossible to be fully BIS on a normal TLP server..."
    That's why Mischief is so great. You should give it a try. Best ruleset yet. You won't wanna play another ruleset, so it's probably best you don't play there. Or maybe you should.
    Oh, Mischief is currently in DoN, prime time 70 era. But I wouldn't try it, it's too good.
  16. Xeris Augur

    Mischief didn't appeal to me at all. I'm not a fan of tradable loot, I'm not a fan of the random loot, and not a fan of the insane frequency of loot. Something about making a char right now, paying 2kr to pl to 70, and if I have enough money I can just buy all the bis gear immediately is a turn off for me. But hey, it's CLEARLY a very popular ruleset.

    Just not for me. I like doing the same stuff over and over :)
  17. straynge Journeyman

    Locked servers are great for casuals who want to play in an era they remember. Not all of us can raid 2-3 times a week and play another 10 hours weekly on top of that. Not everybody wants to be in a rat race with disposable gear everywhere. I run 3+ boxes on Agnarr and there are times I don't play for weeks. But everytime I log in the same familiar people are there, my gear is still relevant, and I don't have to catch up to anything. I can do alts, tradeskills, etc.

    The people who complain about locked servers want another treadmill to race on, that's great. But saying there's no value in a locked server is proper garbage
  18. Juskov Journeyman

    The population on Mangler actually seemed to increase after this era was over. It's a long enough slog as it is. Sure, Anguish and Demi-plane are fun, but most people will get sick of it eventually once their 7th alt has got their epic and gear. Someone awhile back suggested releasing OOW/DoN at the same time, then 8 weeks later releasing DoDH/PoR...and I think that's a better idea than a locked server if you actually want to retain more population.
  19. Ranari Journeyman

    Imho there's a huge disconnect between the content being designed and the player base that really starts at GoD and doesn't fully resolve until TSS. As a raid and itemization expansion, GoD is pretty amazing, but the art direction is absolutely horrible, it's extremely unfriendly to group-only players, and it also follows the closure of a long story arch that, understandably, is hard to start over from.

    (Kinda like how Wrath of the Lich King ends a long, long story arch that began with Warcraft 3, Planes of Power ends an overall story arch that begin with Classic.)

    OoW's only saving grace are epic 2.0's. Its art direction is slightly better, but otherwise, it's a lazy expansion. I thought Riftkeeper's Sanctum was interesting and had a unique and cool art direction, but they simply didn't do anything with it.

    Trials = Lazy development. The Ikkinz Trials were criticized in GoD, but they took it to the next level with the Muramite Proving Grounds. There's just a LOT of lazy development during this era because half the team was focused on EQ2 and it shows.

    DoDH finally addresses some of the gulf between groupers and raiders, but Demi-Plane of Blood got weird with the Demi-Plane of Blood encounters.

    Anyways I could write a long dissertation of the reasons for the player fall off and no one would ever read it, but there are many, many reasons why people generally stick to and enjoy just early EQ.
  20. Xeris Augur

    Hmm, I don't really follow the lore, but I've enjoyed the content so far. My guild just cleared GOD on Vaniki, and we're mostly through Anguish. I thought MPG trials, getting Signets, and getting into Anguish was fine.

    The DON progression stuff has been pretty fun thus far.