GMM – Let’s get this over with.

They spawn overcon whites/yellows/blues at lvl 95. I just went in with a well geared lvl 100 - and was being hit for nearly the same as I remember lvl 100 raid content hitting for (15k-17k)

Ok - with this said... when a player comes back to the game... where do you suggest they start to get back in? Say a lvl 95 comes back. Where do they start?

I just did a /who all for each level from lvl 90 to 100 on 7th hammer. We have 16 people online total between lvl 90 and 100 - of those, 11 appear to be being power lvl'd (They are in zones they couldnt survive without a well geared 110).

How does this lowly lvl 95 come back? Say they are able to push their lvl up to 105 ... now what do they do for gear? Mind you they cant tank anything ... let alone the named of EOK mobs.

GMM prior to nerfs gave returning players something to reach for ... somewhat easy mission with good group gear to catch up. But it did not complete them. They still needed 8 visibles and 1 extra earring.

Also please keep in mind GMM group gear is not the best group gear in the game. Secret Dawn gear beats out most GMM gear. (I believe GMM beats out secret dawn for 4 slots?

The instance minimum requirement is 95, so it's reasonable to expect that it will be dynamic and accept that level of player.

I'm also not 110 (yet), but if min requirement is 95, it should be reasonable to expect that you will be viable in the instance, rather than a squishy.

It is better for all non-visible slots, including charm, as well as range/primary (weapons for everyone, 1-3 depending on class)/secondary.

Well the instance minimum on deadhills is 75 and if you go in there with level 75 gear at 100 you're going to die. You get different levels of instances at different levels so if you go in there with all level 95's the orcs will be level 95-97 but if a level 100 joins you even mid instance it will change to the level 100 version and so on.

The reason they make these missions so that level 95's can zone in is so you can drag your lower level friends along.

Well if a 95 comes back to the game, they can group in FM with those people who are there, while the content is still technically too high for them they can group there. Or they can be dragged into a 110 zone like GMM with all level 95 people or a few well geared well aa'd 110 that can do it without a full group.

If you manage to get to level 105, what do you do for gear? well as a tank get all the ac augs you can get with a merc while lfg and otherwise probably slum it for one more level if you don't have gear so you can start getting some conflag peices to fill you out. Get some more random rot off slots from FM. You can also tank EOK Nameds in remnant gear (tbm).

The difference between Secret Dawn gear and GMM gear is not very much, for a non tank a bunch of the gmm gear is close enough to best in slot. That all being said I will invite the 95's if I'm doing something they can survive so will a lot of other people on my server. I'll go drag the 95 through GMM, sometimes they get a death or two because again 95's HAVE NO BUSINESS being in the level 110 version of the instance.

The 110 GMM gear does not answer the problem of gear for a 105 or a 95, the 105 answer is to get 106 and get conflag or get dragged through some tier 1 TBL stuff where they'll probably die to AOEs (because a 105 has no business in TBL)

The 95 can go tag along in FM or try to form groups for deadhills HA or TBM HA or buy some remnants to make level 95 TBM gear. In November I did start a new team on Emarr because I thought I wanted off FV, I fully leveled and geared up my new characters doing content just fine, while I was leveling up I saw many others take the easy path of going to FM at level 85 and leaching exp from high level players to get their characters high level and they leveled faster than my group did.

GMM Back: 325ac / 6511hp
Secret Dawn: 403ac / 6497hp

GMM Charm: 269ac / 6482hp
Secret Dawn: 333ac / 6439hp.

GMM Shoulders: 314ac / 6427hp
Secret Dawn: 389ac / 6348hp

GMM Mask: 346ac / 6479hp
Secret Dawn: 429ac / 6460hp

Secret Dawn ring is also better considering you cannot get Form of Defense from the GMM task.
Secret Dawn Belt is slightly better because you can pick a slow effect.

The GMM gear is good - but it is definitely not best in slot in every non-visible slot. Moreover, EQ has enough barriers to entry - AA / Heroic stat tasks. Group Gear should be a non-issue.

You don't think people should have to work for gear? I didn't think GMM really needed a nerf because everyone else has already benefited but really it is easy for the gear you get still after the slight nerf.

The best gear should be a barrier and require work. But there should be an entry level for every expansion that is easily acquired like ROS Conflagrant gear for example.

I believe your solutions point out the biggest problem in all of EQ (and GMM: Howls was a partial solution).

In order to come back to EQ you have to rely on someone else. COTF changed EQ - mobs started hitting like trucks. It was no longer about surviving a longer fight - it was surviving a shorter fight that hit like a beast. It left returning players / new players in a position that was nearly impossible to come back from. GMM: Howls made it easier for people to help carry you back into the game. With that gone, it will be much more difficult to help returning players return productively.

Imagine that, an MMO that encourages cooperative play.

@Solani

GMM gear is best in slot, period. End of story.

You cherry picked lower ac non vis and compared them to the high ac secret dawn gear

Proof

https://tbl.eqresource.com/groupgear.php?class=&type=back&stat=ac&tier=5&Submit=Submit

If you take the same level 100 to deadhills what does that stuff hit for max? (I don't have a properly geared level 100 tank to go test it out)

I think they should have left GMM and nerfed exp hard post 110. To be honest leaving an easy mode to level up and gear up close to what the new max level will be was the next best thing to getting updated heroics.

With the hew Hot Server starting at heroic level 85's I think its clear where DBG things returning players should go. Just another drain on the Live servers then again the Live servers haven't been the friendliest to returning players overall.

But yes overall I think folks should work for gear but GMM is close to being old news.

You are correct ... because above the post you are referring I said "Secret Dawn Gear is best in slot for all but like 4 items. Those items are: 2 Rings / 1 Ear / Neck... all other slots are better in secret dawn ... and that is simply because of the AC. I did not cherry pick anything, I reinforced the point I made above ... GMM only has 4 items that are better than secret dawn (+/- 1 due to class)

if its like tainted karana like 12-13k.

My ranger died from tanking 2 mobs in gmm howler mission. Mobs used to hit for a max of 20k now they hit for 30k like the normal gmm zone. does the named hit for 40k+? I mainly just do lotd for my alts now. Guessing making it harder so less people chain the missions since new exp is on the way. Went from tanking 3-5 to 2 yay.

Andarriel

I will test it on my side. I do not know the answer off the top of my head though.

GMM gear is (has to be) good because it may be a trap/ploy to get casual people without TBL to pay for subscription(s) to use said prestige gear.

Edit: Even if someone owns TBL, the edge of GMM gear (say over T1 TBL non-prestige and "filler" until T2+) may entice players to pay for a subscription.

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