Will we be getting a new round of hotzones pretty soon here? Gotta say im pretty spent on the current hotzones lol.... Just haven't seen or heard one way or another on hotzones (unless I'm just blind and missed it somewhere). Thanks!
I haven't seen anything, but the custom has been in recent years to create a new set a few weeks after the new expansion release, with an extra rank to cover the level increase. But there has typically been a lot more agitation for new hot zones than I have seen so far this year,
Not sure if everyone wants new hotzones - but want to know if they should play 24/7 to enjoy the current hotzones before they change.
I wouldnt mind some new hotzones either, i have spent good time in them leveling my main and now an alt, so a lil change would be nice
Well, I wouldn't mind having 2 zones for each level tier, so that way there's a little more variety for each tier. A lot of people like to stop at certain tiers to grind out a few hundred AAs, so it would be nice maybe starting in the 70+ hot zones to have 2 for each tier for variety's sake especially since the hotzones need to last us an entire year at a time.
It is a good suggestion, but probably harder than you might think. There are two conflicting requirements (at least): 1) fast experience, and 2) a focus for players to find groups. If a zone meets 1), you'll pass through too quickly for 2) to apply. What seems to happen in practice is that sub-50 is highly accelerated (not just with ZEM, but with gear as well) to get players to cluster in the 50/60+ zones, which is where some people want to stay around to collect AAs, and there are some old favourite zones (Grieg's End, the Hole, Sebilis, etc) with good experience anyway. The problem with 70+ is that there aren't such well know favourites around, and that is where SOE have often provided double hot zones anyway.
MAKE EVERY ZONE A HOT ZONE. This would encourage people to go exp in other zones that would simply be ignored otherwise. heck cut the exp required to lvl/aa in half AND continue with the hot zones. I promise this would bring in more players, even at that rate its still gonna be slow leveling at higher lvls, as not everyone will play 12 hours per day and hardcore grind.
The purpose of hotzones isn't accelerated experience, but a quest system that funnels players into common areas. Hotzone experience is actually rather insignificant (most people think it's double which is nowhere near accurate)
I didn't see the exp bonus as significant really. In the steppes, fighitng light blues and dark blues with lesson on, I earn about 50-70% AXP per kill. In Plane of Earth I earned about 70%-120% per kill (yep, got two AAs on dark blues from time to time). Granted, in order for me to hunt in PoEarth I require a bit of buffage, but it's worth it.
None of them would be hotzones then, it would just be easy exp all around. Unforetunately some of the content of the game is the grinding to the next level. Also considering that have made 96-100 incredibly slow levels, it's unlikely they would go and half the exp needed. Not that it's really necessary, anyway
Devs we don't mind if you don't add kill tasks or new augs for new hotspots, just please rotate hotspots in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, if you are worried about kill tasks, just leave the old zones (aka Hero's Journey zones) hot, so there will still be technically kill quests for hot spots.
I find the difference very much significant, but only the lower level ones. The higher level hotzones are mobs with 400 billion hp anyway so of course it really doesn't seem significant when i have to take 20 minutes to down 3 mobs. Yes I'm exaggerating, but the mob per minute ratio in other zones that aren't "hot" is so much better when you reach level 70+ I've found.
Instead of those two zones, I would suggest Bastion of Thunder. I think you will find the mobs to be much easier to pull and take down with similar aa exp results depending on your level.