Changes with the February Update: Developer Updates

Elidroth stated it was never again being upgraded and will be faded into uselessness many times over the last few years.

Wizard epic as well.

No bosses/named will be below level 100, that you need to worry about. =)

It's not only that, but it detracts from the sense of accomplishment for those who are getting 4000 AAs for the first time like myself. The first time I got Endless Quiver was great. When I got headshot the first time was amazing. Those accomplishments are now nothing more than leveling to the level and BAM you get the AAs. No sense of accomplishment at all.

I love playing alts. My favorite levels are 1 to 80 with 1500 AAs. I start a new alt at least once a year if not more. This ruins that for me. Sure I can turn off the auto AAs, but the FACT that I can have the AAs with out trying makes earning those AAs not feel worth doing anymore.

This change honestly ruins Everquest for my brother and I. We have no reason to ever play Everquest ever again once this change goes in because we don't like the end game.

I am so upset about this change. So very upset.

Realistically. changing those events is probably a better choice than leaving out twincast or the compromises that would come from altering the ability. Send me a PM about it and I'll forward it on though (not vpn'd in so I have to send it from my home email to the devs and it's a pain).

Well not at the moment, then again if you do go back and do older content for any reason it is a concern.

Assassinate, Decapitation, and Headshot really need a few more tweaks.
I think this info below correct for each of the abilities as they exist right now.

Assassinate
AA Name: Anatomy
AA Ranks: 22
AA Levels: 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95
AA Cost/rank: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 7, 9, 12, 7, 9, 12, 9, 12, 10, 12, 15, 12, 15, 18
AA Total: 199
Max Target Level: 88
Valid Targets: Humanoids Only

Decapitation
AA Name: Decapitation
AA Ranks: 3
AA Levels: 91, 93, 95
AA Cost/rank: 9, 9, 9
AA Total: 27
Max Target Level: 88
Valid Targets: All Mob Types

Head Shot
AA Ranks: 22
AA Levels: 60, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89, 90, 90, 90, 91, 20, 21, 22
AA Cost/rank: 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 7, 9, 12, 7, 9, 12, 9, 12, 15, 3, 3, 3, 15, 18, 21
AA Total: 194
Max Target Level: 88
Valid Targets: Humanoids Only

Rogue: Highest Cost, Low proc chance(Backstabs only), Extremely limited mob types
Ranger: Slightly lower cost, High proc chance(Archery based), Relatively safe usage, Extremely limited mob types
Berserker: Cheapest by a ridiculous amount, High proc chance(melee based), works against all mob types in game

Why do Berserkers get the best version of this? Lowest Cost, most chances to proc, hits any and all mob types...
I understand that the abilities are all having the proc chances reduced so hopefully they will be equal in that regard(I somehow doubt this will be the case! see Gloomfalls Post).
"Any mobs in game" and "humanoids only" results in a MASSIVE difference in valid targets. The disparity between the abilities is only going to get worse once you extend this up to level 99 mobs... It needs to be changed!

Suggestions for improvements without any direct nerfs

Assassination
Valid Targets: Change to all Mob Types

Decapitation
AA Ranks: Add 19 additional ranks beginning at level 59 or 60. This will most likely increase the total AA cost by 170ish in exchange for added utility at lower levels (This should be mostly a non factor for existing Berserkers as they can have the low level ranks autogranted once the February patch goes live)

Head Shot
Valid Targets: Change to all Mob Types

What he said

Chat channels have been a small but steady form of feedback. It's the hardest for us to spot from scanning the forums. I got some PMs recently that alerted me to it. The devs were already aware and working on the issue.

Piestro,
Isn't the cooldown on SK epic enough?
I can understand the counters added to Mortal Coil, but with the epic cooldown it really can't over used.

Just curious.

Its already useless, and yes, ild rarther lose headshot than lose the ability to pull with archery.

Granted, I dont use archery to pull every time, but its by far the quickest and easiest to use, even more so when tagging a mob via someone elses split.

Seriously, find a ranger who would prefer to lose pulling over a minimal once per 2 mins slight damage bump.

You wont, at least anyone who knows anything about playing properly.

I'm curious to know how you did it with wizards, do they not have twincast?

I also read you can use rangers somewhere. But I dislike being forced to make sure that we have a certain class in the raid in order to win it. If I grab two groups (which should be enough to clear the tower at level 100) this means I have to go beg, borrow, or steal a ranger and/or wizard. If we can't get one, we can't do this.

I know I'm kind of obsessing over this, and it is really a minor issue. But when a raid mechanic is designed one way and the game itself changes to prevent you from doing the raid, I think the raid should be changed or the mechanic adjusted.

Back when my guild was doing Discord Tower, my druid wound up doing the nuking for the sole reason that he was the only caster that hadn't bought twincast. Which I didn't buy just so I could do it.

I have oodles of aa points.......still playin, still payin.

I am going to go out on a big limb here... Just do away with AA's then and tie them to leveling. Thus a level 100 character would have all the AA abilities... Scale them by level and call it good. Now you don't have the AA hill for people to climb it just becomes part of your class... and this game becomes about leveling and not grinding AA's.

I know for myself I have been max AA for a while now... I watch exp go past my screen that says I can't use it until I burn the few glyphs that are actually useful. Keep glyphs and tie the rest to level... AA hell gone... I know crazy idea!

You should ask for compensation. Something nice but not too extravagant. Like dinner at Olive Garden or Red Lobster. Perhaps ask if you can bring a date too? Maybe a new car would be enough, like a Ford Focus or something practical but not showy. Or put one of the devs in one of those dunking tanks you throw baseballs at, and if you hit the target...they fall in. Only it is full of alligators and poisonous snakes!

Would that make you happy?

Otherwise, you earned your AA. You are maxxed out. What do you care if someone else gets AA and how they got it? Is it any better if someone was afk while they got power leveled compared to some AA being given to them? This whole Veterans are being screwed out of something they already earned argument is just getting stale. I guess anyone who got a clickie or an epic after they were no longer "current" should have gotten them at the appropriate level to make the effort a challenge?

If it was just about gold accounts then we could add an additional bonus curve for gold accounts.

The curve doesn't do anything for the psychological barrier. It also dramatically over rewards current players who have knowledge and resources to level faster, and under rewards new and returning players who are the most intended to benefit from this change. Strictly put, the curve doesn't meet much of our goals in this change at all no matter how much it is amplified. And any of the complaints that are being made about the auto grant could also be made about the curve. Curve it hard enough and they are almost entirely the same.

We did it because... I have no idea at all why we forced the wizards to do it actually as they complained a lot about it. We had few fails that I can recall though.

Anyhow if they are willing to adjust the event that's probably a better solution.

With these changes that has changed.

It is not felt to be enough at this time.

Right, but a Rogue/etc with a healer merc would be able to take those out.

Twice per one minute. At the current damage levels (240k if I remember right) that is an increase of on average of like a 9k bump in bow dps on applicable mobs. I'm confused as to how that is useless?