Are we being punked? Is this a real expansion?

All I had time to do today before heading to work was log in to take a quick look at the new cleric AA. I can only use the word "new" figuratively, however, since there are absolutely 0 new cleric abilities. Don't get me wrong, I'm awesomely excited to spend AAXP on more int and cha for which I have absolutely no use. I was just hoping for at least a bit of character development for my money.

Sony decided not to increase the level limit (I imagine completely ignoring all customer feedback, since as much as we sometimes gripe about grinding new levels, we all love to power up). There are no new character development AA (I'm not counting merc AA, since for many of us those are completely irrelevant to the EQ experience). There seems to only be 4 new zones and a very limited number of new spells.

Is this an actual once-a-year pay-big-bucks expansion? Or is this a last money grab before EQ Next comes out?

I've been playing EQ since '99 and still enjoy the game a lot, but this expansion smells like it may be retirement time. Is it too late to get my money back?

First off.. Yes, I know there aren't a lot of AA with this expansion. This is partly intentional, and partly a function of the lack of the level cap increase. What I've given you are the basics for the expansion launch. If there are AA you feel are VERY important or have ideas which you think would be GREAT additions to the class, that won't cause huge balance issues, then by all means, send them to me. I'm not against adding more before we launch the expansion.

In a later update, the plan is to give you more AA in order to make adjustments to balance, tweak ability sets, and so forth.

This is NOT the end of AA for the expansion. Not even close.

Elidroth Renato
Doug Cronkhite
Asst. Lead Designer - Systems

It's being released in pieces, same as last expansion.

OK.. but it would have been nice if one of the big "pieces" was actually at official launch time, right after Sony took my money!

At least based on what (admittedly little) I've seen, this looks way more like part 3 of the release than part 1, which is supposed to be where you find the big sexy stuff.

Easily the vast majority of people probably voted for no level cap increase for various reasons. However, I think the majority of those who voted for that still expected reasonable character growth AND a LOT MORE content. Instead we got little to no growth and less content then even RoF. Many seem to be voting with their wallets now.

Hopefully the game can withstand this semi blunder and all the growth, content and numorous nerfs are righted before these people never return. Some of these decisions are even hurting Next pushing people away from SOE entirely even if they already were just hoping to try Next realizing it was not what was expected.

I feel they don't have a plan for what to do with the remaining EQ 1 players. EQ 2 seigs into EQ Next easily because both are next gen games, in a way, but EQ 1 is an old game with an old design and older players. I don't see people here easily transitioning to EQ Next, which is designed to be a third generation MMO.

First generation: UO, EQ, AC, DAoC, AO, FF11, etc.
Second generation: EQ 2, WoW, Rift, LOTR, SW, FFXIV, GW 2, etc.
Third generation: EQ Next? Elder Scrolls Online?

Course, we don't know whether the upcoming MMOs are going to be third gen vs. WoW++, but I still don't think the style is going to match EQ 1.

IMO, it's time to open EQ 1 up to player development and third party driven content.

I know wizard weren't getting major upgrades... no upgrade at all even, but I expected something that would slightly change my playstyle...

4 of the 5 new spell are worthless, the 5th one is the rune everyone get.
no interesting new AA.. no upgrade to meaningfull existing AA except arcane destruciton ( wee, 3 more charges). Some of the new AA are outright insulting ( extended swarm? you mean, the swarm pet that cannot even hit a mob because the last level of call of xull is of underfoot level?)

crapload of summoning mob- unsnareable mob in the new zone ( is that your answer to people beaming?)

the mission-quest-raid better be friggin amazing cause the caracter developpment is a sad joke.

and i'm aware more stuff is comming in january... but looking at SoF and HoF release i'm not expecting much , if anything at all.

First off angry dwarves who are have faces only moms could love really need to be grateful for any extra charisma they can get.

That being said your thread title WINS...really

Finally I think the idea of charging $40 for an expansion which is released in pieces is absolutely absurd. EQ didn't release 1/2 of Kunark or 1/2 of Velious at a time. Is SOE so desperate for money they can't afford to code a full expansion but have to sell 4 zones and some fluff for $40 and use the proceeds to pay their coders for the rest of it? How about we get billed in pieces? I think their expansion sales will continue to fall until they get back to the industry norm of releasing an expansion properly instead of like they they don't have enough money to pay the coders for the hours needed for a full expansion.

Your mom told me she wouldn't blab!

Half of kunark was more than this.

I won't disagree with you that the start to this expansion is light on content. But remember, Kunark and Velious was when EQ was absolutely exploding in population (and doing server splits,) and SOE was devoting tons of resources into the game compared to now.

I like the new content release system, except that now that we're fully onto the new schedule, the part where you pay the full expansion price up front makes no sense.

I think it makes some sense. Either you get the expansion and all of its features (new zones, shared bank slots, merc AAs), or you don't get anything. It makes no sense to charge $10 for Tier 1 of one expansion, including the features. Then you have to ding somebody's card a few more times. And then deal with people who want T1 and T3 but not T2...Be realistic here.

I wouldn't call it an expansion. If we are honest, it's a 40 dollar nerf.

I was being sarcastic sheesh.....NOBODY charges full expansion price and then releases the damn thing piecemeal except SOE. It's brilliant if you think about it you give customers a taste and then charge them full bore before you have to budget any dollars to finish the expansion properly like everyone else in the universe does.

I didn't buy this for my cleric's account..or my zerk's. So I guess if you are gonna get nerfed, its best to be nerfed for free?

Few hours later...

Yes, this was a marketing experiment on how crappy they can release an expansion and get away with it.

it's actually brilliant marketing.. cause tons of people bought it.

NOTE : This was actually also promised with RoF. We'd get new AA's later on. I'm guessing when he said later on, he was actually meaning when we're launching the following expansion.

1. We're paying for an expansion with new zones, new creatures, a new episodic storyline, ....
<- new expansion release.

2. We're getting an implied suggestion of a promise that there will be FREE (to buyers of the expansion) content later on. Has there been? Yes there has. <- free content updates

I hope you notice how expansion releases and content updates are different. The amount of content in each is used to regulate how quickly players consume it (more work goes into the initial expansion release) - that part is working very well.

3. I pay for where I live monthly. Are you suggesting I should be paying daily? Such arrangements are not as your language might suggest rare.

4. Bundle it with the monthly fee? Ah yes people who buy krono for pp can't afford $50 a year like the rest of us.

I like staggered release. The last thing in the world I worry about is SOE cheating me. IF I thought what I was paying was excessive, THEN I'd be outies. But sir, I'm not going to find a better entertainment bargain anywhere.

I do admire the "we're paying upfront for only part of an expansion" ploy however. Would you prefer a $50 yearly membership fee and a monthly charge for using the equipment? Does that work better for you?

We got new AAs later on with SoF.
Elidroth kept his word