Changes with the February Update: Alternate Ability Grants for Gold Members and Ability Changes

So I recently returned to the game and started leveling up with some friends, we've been having a blast. Should we all just quit until this update takes place? It seems like we're just gonna be handed a ton of AAs, so why work for them now if we get them for free when the update goes live?

I been playing catchup for about a year now, logging on and exping for 30-60 minutes a day. Went from 68 with 250ish AAs to 85 with a little under 4k. Are you telling me that past year I been playing was for nothing? That me coming back at that time was a huge mistake? Or... or am I going to not have to worry about AAs for a few levels because I will have 4k AA banked on top of what I earned now when I log on when this goes live?

What are you all planning to make the 85-100 grind easier now that you are removing swarming and all forms of Power leveling?

This may warrant the use of the Welcome Message for people upon logging in. Unfortunately many people do not come these forums it seems like.

In the case of a character on a gold account leveling up past 51, do you intend to auto-grant AA abilities as the character's level makes the AAs available for purchase? In other words, ding 51 and get ~200aas granted, ding 55 and get another 100 granted, etc...?

Guys, this is unbelievable and ridiculous...playing 3 of the most affected classes, Ranger, SK and Berzerker, has been super fun and encouraged my re-entry into Everquest. I dont have time to grind the way you all apparently want me to play this game.

I have three kids now and logging on with my bot squad and getting some exp has been awesome. It's the best the game could possibly be given that the community and guilding and raiding has all but disappeared due to WoW and other games (vs. the old days).

I first started on Sol Ro back in 1999 and never once threatened to quit the game over ANYTHING you all have done. Im 40 years old and mature enough to tell you all that doing this would ruin the game for me.

You can have it back if you pull this stunt. I'm not some uber geared guy exploiting things...I just really enjoyed being able to work my off, make some fun characters and go kill things quickly for ONCE in my entire EQ career.

Good luck with your proposed changes. I really hope you listen to your user base.

Pretty sure all the returning players are the ones footing the bill these days.

Jakle

Basically I want to spend them how I want or save them for 90 or higher you're eating up all the bonus AA xp right away making it take way longer to get the important 90-95-100 AAs that a class would need for end game content. Example a wizard does not need defensive AAs until he has all his DPS AAs at 90 or 95 etc but your auto grant just made it take much longer to get them important DPS AAs once i level to 90-95-100.

Just grant me X number of AAs to spend how I want and when I want.

I'm also worried about what Slasher pointed here:

Exactly. If, let's say, you currently get an experience boost to your AA while you have less than 4000 and you are already granting me 4000 AA at level 85 there will be like 2500+ I don't really need or don't want yet over other AAs from further levels. You would be killing our AA bonus!

I hope the "autogranted" AAs don't count towards the AA experience bonus.

not sure about things in a wait and see way some stuff makes me go awww but also some I can nod and understand but for the aa thing I think it would be neat to have a AA quest to unlock it I mean at level 51 getting all the new shinys needing to go out get 5 orc scalps and craft them with a class symbol kinda like the old pop armors and turn it in and get all the new shiny aas would be neater then just wow I leveled up and super glow of power but whatever you do no biggie ^_^

As a lv 99/100 I have over 4 or 5k aa's so they already come slow... So whatever... at least i get to spend the points ( i am assuming in a manner that i choose.. I could be wrong in that ...

Bomana

Whats the point in wanting to play if all your going to do is keep making our characters weaker? The granting aa's takes away from half the experience and feelings of accomplishment in the game. I'm also sure those of us that have already spent alot of time getting those aa's will not be compensated at all for it. This is a stupid idea as a whole and might lead to me having to find a different way to waste my time.

auto granting aas...well thanks for the slap in the face to those of us who maxed our aas the hard way. that is a horrible suggestion, make the exp boost go over 4k maybe to 6k, but auto grant aas? HELL NO!

I for one don't like the Idea of Giving AA's to anyone. You are basically turning every Person who plays a class into a copy of each other. I agree with Slasher don't auto assign AA's if you want to give them to us just give us x number and let us customize the toon the way we want and not the way you think it should be. As to the Nerf's I do understand some of them but you are basically taking away/Changing abilities on certain classes that make them usefull (and before anyone says anything yes I do have a SK and a ranger niether are the ones I play the most often).
Looks like I will looking for a new game to play again shortly if this goes through.

Never wait and see what happens in EQ... you will be on loosing end mate.
Bomana

I can understand that you feel the need to break methods of mass killing of non trivial mobs. I agree that it was a problem. However, please consider leaving the single-target effectiveness of Assassinate, Headshot, and Decapitation at their current levels.

Also, are you still leaving the detrimental effects in place on Wizard beams and Instant spells?

The continued approach of making this EVER-EQUAL sucks....I might as well go play a console game....the draw to this game is that it was hard...an ever questing game. Don't auto grant anything, make them earn it. Make tank classes tank, healers heal, and dps do their job. monks should pull, ...instead of giving every class the ability to do everything ...make each class great at one thing and ok at others.

Everyone wants a nerf, or a fix for someone else's class...stop complaining and get better at your class. I understand the mass killing is affecting those people in that zone ...so make it instance only.

How about we gear zones to the average level/aa of the zone, spend more time making harder content and rewarding those who work or have worked for the right to be there. If you give people equal character the day after they make it...the overall quality of players brings the game down...on top of slapping those in the face that have earned those level/aa's and experience of playing their game.


I understand what SOE is doing...they are trying to make the "draw" bigger...well if you give everyone in the world a million dollars...they value of money goes to crap.

btw, I only have 437 days played, 12.5 years of playing, and only 6500 aa's...not max...not top guy on the server or game....not even close...but I know how to play my character...nothing was given..it was earned.

Xorn
Rathe Monkey.

Please can a developer respond to this? Is this guy gonna get all of his AA refunded to spend on the AA he isn't being granted for free, or was it all for waste? This answer pretty much determines if I want to keep playing the game.

I don't think this free AA thing is fair to all of us who have spent days weeks months and years building our characters, I think every veteran player here can agree with me on that. So if you must give out the AAs for the lazy people who already have no clue of just how easy they have it these days, then how about reimburse us the spent AAs to spend as we see fit, otherwise you are just penalizing us and our hard work

I disagree with most of these changes.
You show a chat about the spikes on the servers. But there is really only 1 problem as far I see, and thats beaming.

So far I have not seen other classes lag the zones. So for me those dont give problem.

Thanks for ruining Shining Armor/Bastion on raids. =/

This is dumb...your taking the fun out of the game. I mean seriously i have played this game over and over since 99 ive played every class in the game. Sk was my favorite i loved swarming mobs for my group and being able to live it was dangerous and fun...and your killing that. You are RUINING THIS GAME! Leave stuff alone. Stop messing with something thats working.