A minor but cool request for TLP2024 - All races/classes

Since we're entertaining requests that won't happen, why not something fun like a new race or class?

ZAM is unfortunately both right and wrong by technicality. There was a patch that added a bunch of extra loot to a bunch of zones during the LoY era, and there were a couple of recommended level items added to CT during that time, but it was not the original revamp.

The original revamp of Cazic-Thule (what i would call the Required Level Revamp, since the items added were Req 51, as opposed to the Recommended level items added with the LoY additions) was on or around March 7, 2002, ~93 days after Luclin launch. What makes this notable is that there are no archived patch notes listed for that date that would correspond with the revamp . It is possible the EQ website had mentioned it in a news article, but otherwise it was quiet. When they did that, they moved the original Basepop outside into the temple area. There are comments from that era talking about the difficulty spike.

Unfortunately, the current era it is slated to be released in corresponds with the 8/26/03 release date that added additional items to the zone, in addition to Torsis, Charasis, The Ruins of Old Paineel, and the Deep, approximately 537 days AFTER the revamp actually happened.

-We can randomize hundreds of thousands of items based on level range & expansion
-We can implement a First to Engage system game-wide that locks every mob ever attacked to a character/group/raid

But we can't have frogloks or halfling rangers at launch? Sorry but I don't buy it

I'm in agreement here. I think its POSSIBLE to do a good chunk of what people want (Frogloks/Bst/Ber in classic would be RELATIVELY minor compared to some other changes, since the NPCs all exist already, theyre just expansion locked. And lets just say neither of those classes are getting their epics in era)

Something like ARAC would be fun, but much more difficult without changing starting zones or unlocking Crescent Reach early.

I still don't see a reason why halfling/gnome hybrids and frogs aren't just implemented immediately though.

Just do it already. Game is 25 years old. We get it. Just make a tiny red button called "ARAC" on the character screen to enable this. Give it a pop up so newbies don't do it on accident.

Oh mybad. I've always wanted to play a Barbarian Paladin so I jumped to conclusions.

I'm fairing certain you've been told about a 100 times how new race/class combos require ALOT of grapics changes and animations and such. However you don't like that answer so ignore it

ARAC and future expac race/class combos are two different things. Notice how I mentioned frogloks and halfling rangers?

Stuff like Ogre Monks or Troll Wizards is just stupid and doesn't belong in EQ

I am for most situations of all race all class. The Gnome and Halfling additions for example I see no logical reason for them to not be in except for the want to make people pay for race changes which is a reasonable reason. However, at the stage of game, especially with personas now this point is rather moot. As for the added races (Iksar, Vah Shir, Froglok, Drakkin) only the Froglok would have no impact on the server as the starting areas for the other races would be difficult and while I think it would be neat to have alternate starting points for those races, I would doubt they would do that just temporarily. Saying that, I would not be against adding new starting areas for those races in classic to give more options to start other than just Cabalis, Shar Vahl, Crescent Reach for those races on all servers, not just the TLP. Then the added classes, I would say lorewise it would not make sense however again because of the state of the game there is no reason Beastlords and Berzerkers can't be in at the start beyond the epic not being available. Which I personally would be fine waiting for Luclin for Beastlord epic and GoD for Berzerker epic, despite berzerker epic being mainly in Kunark.

TLDR

Gnome and Halfling added classes: Yes.

Iksar at start: No, unless start is Kunark or a new classic area is made for all servers.

Vah Shir at start: No, unless start is Luclin or a new classic area is made for all servers.

Froglok at start: Yes.

Drakkin at start: No, unless start is TSS or a new classic area is made for all servers.

Beastlord at start: Yes. Keep epic for Luclin. Except I would be all for having them in Kunark with the rest of the classes if a special NPC was added to teleport to instanced versions of the zones for epic progression.

Berserker at start: Yes. Keep epic for Gates despite most being done in Kunark. Unless of course the special NPC is added for BST then it would only be fair.

There is under 200k items in the game total and most of them never have to be randomized. Sure there was a lot of items that had to be randomized at the start but they could break it down by expansions and do it in chunks. Seems like a pretty big exaggeration to claim they had to do it for hundreds of thousands of items and pretty sure they have stated in the past that it is a design decision on when they unlock.

No matter how much this statement is repeated, it will never be true / matter.

Edit: expanding my response.

1. There are no 'missing graphics' that stop this from happening. Proof: there are illusions for every race in the game right now.

2. What 'missing items' or tradeskills?!

3. Faction is the only 'real' thing and for a feature like this, who cares. Caveat emptor.

To make an 'all classes all races' server work (like has been done on a few emus already), you really just have to turn off race checks, which 99.99% of the time are redundant anyways. One feature flag and a common starting location (PoK, CR, heck even Common Lands tunnel) and this is an easy to do feature for a server.

For beastlords and berserkers, it is literally just enabling the expansion in the database for the class (assuming server starts in an expansion before the original class unlocking).

The devs are never going to release content that is missing all those things as they know the players will just complain about it.

That doesn't matter to them, stopping fun is their personal crusade.

We all just need to start on Tormax or Teek and open tons of CS tickets about not being able to start as bsts/bers or gnome sks/pals or halfling rangers.

Then they will decide they need to start with all classes and race combos from launch so they can cut down on the tickets.

Balance? What balance. That doesn't exist already. Adding classes to eras of laughable class imbalance does nothing.

And can you once speak for yourself instead of being the make believe proxy speaker for the devs? They don't need your voice.

Edit: they are charging over 2 Benjamin's for an illusion that is missing basically all movement animations and your argument for them not releasing all/all is armor graphics lolololol. What an embarrassingly bad take.

This is what people dont understand.

The devs have stated time and time again why they do not want to implement BST or BER at launch.

Its not just allowing the class to be made, its making sure all spells/abilities are available. Its making sure they have full gear sets available. Its making sure the epics are available (which im pretty sure means changing the entire epic).

People will claim left and right that none of these things matter and they will just be happy playing their favorite class. Until 1 month into Kunark when everyone in their guild has their epics. Then they will start a 3 year crusade flooding the forums with posts about how the BST and BER epic needs to be modified and made to be able to complete in era. Its just not worth the hassle.

Most people will just buy a race change, another portion will just play their 2nd choice of race. A very very minor portion will just not play at all. With FV ruleset, swapping to a BST or BER isnt even that bad, you can have 1 PL'ed in 2 days and already have a full set of gear for them.

Maybe, the out of era race/class combos are possible, but they are never going to implement BST or BER from the start, and they are never going to ADD additional race/class combos.

As much as i would love to have a full iksar group, its just not happening.

Have they really? Show me some sources cause I am genuinely curious.

The only place I've ever seen a dev talk about it was when JChan went onto a twitch stream and was asked about it. She said something along the lines of "I mean yea we could, but why?" but this was 3 years + ago and feels like old news. I also take posts like this and others asking for it showing this is the "why" that we want it.

I will say that free trade negates a lot of the need for it, and a late start isnt that big a deal but a beastlord day 1 in luclin in bazaar gear is vastly different than in velious raid gear. and even more so in god for berserkers. would still be awesome to see them both in classic.

Bst and berserker epics are useless by the time they are available now. Not having them in Kunark isn't that big a deal. Velious has better weps than bst epics and ber epic is too powerful so it shouldn't even be available anyways.

I dont disagree with those statements. But this is everquest, and you are aware of how the playerbase acts.

I mean ill be honest. Theres no world in which i have a link saved and im going to spend time looking for one. I am however... 85% certain i have seen them make the statement sometime in the past.

Could i be wrong, sure. I dont ignore that as a possibility, but i tend to have a fairly decent memory, i also remember scouring alla to check if most 2h in classic-kunark etc were BER usable because of it.

Even if they never actual said it, i imagine its one of the reasons.