Is DB Trying To Rid Game Of Casual Players?

I can understand from a certain standpoint where bugs or disproportionate mechanics that make things unobtainable are frustrating. However, this is not the only expac to have flying gated behind a quest line; i.e. AoM.
DoV was by far more frustrating in that it took a literal week to get flying due to having to "train" your griffon.

Also, for me, personally, I feel a sense of accomplishment if I have overcome an obstacle which is possible to beat via normal gameplay and am able to get the final prize.
"Where did you get that gorgeous floor tile?"
(/shows prideful face) "I beat that awful Seru place to get it, tee hee"

I think the OP is a nice person. I have to say that they give voice to many issues facing players who find difficulty in the game.


The first time through a zone is always the most difficult and as you learn the scripts and how to adapt your character to the new expac (gear, stats, etc), it will get easier.
There are some good suggestions in this thread and I suggest you at least give them a try.

A couple of notes:

• Both Signature lines do not require ANY heroic instances, the quests may be written as heroic.
• Running with a healing merc and bringing power potions will make a difference.
  Well, it did for me.

I don't really follow your logic. You are not expected to get every single slot filled with 165 resolve loot before you can go to t1 heroics. If that is the case then T1 heroics are now pointless. You are only expected get 4/5 165 resolve gear outside of t1 heroics.

Does it matter how people meet t1 heroics requirements as long as they can meet it solo? The dev have two options, give some 165 gear via solo means or somehow boost stats (free potency mount for sig ling completion etc)? They will both accomplish the same thing.

Not all t1 heroics are of the same difficulty. Things like Reishi Rumble, Listless spires etc are easy which can be done with resolve 155 gear (infusion required still). So you don't really need those 4/5 resolve 165 gear for these zones.

From 2004, we (with the exception of top end players) have been getting *some* raid gear to help us clear some harder heroics. This is nothing new to EQ2.

This thread isn't about heroics so please keep posts to the subject of the original post--how the solo instances, for the adventuring signature line, are extremely difficult for casual players trying to run healers through the zone.

Healers were never meant to be solo fighters. We don't have the spells or weapon damage of other classes. Even with a merc, it is difficult to get through a series of instances where the healer is ganked, continuously, from the start of the zone.

When I went through the first instance, with my merc, I targeted only the first npc I was to talk to. It turned aggro so I fought it just to have the merc run off and aggro about six other mobs. I don't know if they were linked to the npc, or if the merc just went nuts, but after a few minutes of trying to fight off so many mobs, I decided to exit stage left and get help.

Getting help worked like a charm and I got two characters through the first instance. But I don't kid myself that help will always be available and it will certainly be hard to get it on low-population servers. That is the problem with the way the instances are currently set up.

There is little incentive, besides the intrinsic reward of helping others, for players to run healers through these instances. The named mobs don't drop loot worth the effort and that makes it hard for independent people, like me, to ask for help. And, as a crafter/decorator, I don't have the funds to bribe others to help.

I also don't have the plat to infuse gear to make my healers better equipped to fight in instances. And up till BoL that has never been a problem for players who focus on harvesting, crafting, and decorating. Giving up an enhanced pack pony is a far cry from giving up flying.

And while AoM required a couple of easy quests to be able to fly in a very small area, the rest of the xpac's zones were free to fly in. Still, taking away features stinks to high heavens and plenty of players complained. I really thought DB had learned a lesson from that but apparently not.

Many of us have bought mounts with real money. Being denied the use of those mounts, without completing signature lines, is just plain wrong on so many levels. Our ability to play the aspects of the game we enjoy has been taken away from us. We either play the game, as DB has decreed, or we are SOL for continuing to progress in the game.

Progression is not one of my worries but it is for a lot of players. If the ability to progress is taken away from players then they will move on to another game. That is a worry for me because I want this game to continue. And if you want this game to continue, it should worry you too.

Once we define "casual" for everyone, then we can argue coherently about it. I don't think that is possible though.

That said....you can either play the game or you cannot. Only the player in question can answer that for themselves. And then make the decision that makes the most sense for them. EQ2 is a difficult game compared to a lot of the newer games.

I tired of ToV quickly. Quit playing for a couple of years for the launch of GW2. Then came back and caught back up. Left again for GW2's new xpac, then came back here a month or 2 after the launch of CD. CD's gear grind was massive. But by the end of the xpac, most of us were running T2's & Experts.

It will be the same for BoL...though it may not seem that way (for some folks) right now.

OK let's take a vote on the following definition:

To make the game welcoming to casuals and new players (or anyone who's lost their account for whatever reason and is starting over)....

A casual is:

1. Someone whose character power and skills are in line with a new player who bought the expansion and used a bauble on one character

2. They may have made character choices that are not ideal for solo play such as a class without native AoE attacks, ranged attacks, or a healer class with low DPS.

3. They may not have more than a 3 levels unlocked on ANY mercs, and there's no need to assume about the mount, because everyone is dealing with mount training losses, since they are replaced. Ditto the familiar is replaced more often than it is trained, so assume base mount, base familiar.

4. Someone who has no bonuses other than those given in the current expac. So while you can assume they have a guild and a guild buff, you can't assume they have the illusions that buff from previous expansions.

5. Someone who may be interested in content only for the purpose of using our spectacular and wonderful housing system. There is literally no other game with such a level of creativity in housing. Name me another game where I can create a magic garden inside a home, complete with pixies and mushroom creatures? Housing isn't a niche interest, it's a central interest for many players.

6. Someone who literally can't afford to plat infuse. The things they buy with DB cash are sets of housing items, not kronos.

7. Someone who's just as happy using chronomages and wandering through old content as they are doing new content. For them, reading NPC dialog is more important than rewards.They get a burst of happiness every time they hear the Tupta music.

8. A casual may be a completionist of old content, they have every faction maxed, they know exactly how to do MajDul (I don't, do you?), they answer questions they can answer in chat.

9. A casual will join groups for Kaladim just because guildies are going there, regardless of level.

10. A casual wants crafting to be relevant so they can explore the solo areas of new content without worry about endless battles due to low DPS or dying repeatedly on content that's too hard for them. They're more annoyed by being stuck in graphics holes than an inability to progress to heroic or raid play.

I don't think casuals want things to be so easy they can one shot anything, but being in battle for 10 minutes is a bit rich. And that's exactly what the solo instances are now demanding of casuals. With an average of 5 bosses, and the immense amount of aggro in Sanctus Seru instances, that means they're looking at spending at least a couple of hours in there.

The infusing recipes should've been buyable from the guild hall merchant.

The crafting with ordinary rares should've given gear that allows you to be relevant in tier 1 heroic (what is that the reishi one?). Shadowed gear should've been comparable to Skyshrine Deshniak gear (which in its time was really good).

The immune to damage mechanics should've been limited to heroics or more advanced zones. Ditto the percent damage mechanics.

Mercs should be made immune to "confidence loss" again as they were in KA.In Sanctus Seru, you don't get a choice about flying horses, or archers or wandering mobs. In Order, you can decide to aggro the side closer to the buildings (invisible archers) or closer to the edge (bards) but you can't control the flying and wandering horsemen. You could be facing 6-10 mobs if you aggro both sides. Some of the mobs, may be out of range for you. Hence, merc goes nuts, aggros a bunch more mobs, and then cringes refusing to heal or anything else.

Someone with an item that makes all mobs not aggro should've walked nearly all of the land areas to find and fix all the graphics holes people might be trapped in, like trees next to cliffs, and piles of boulders. It might be an idea to include an item like that in beta next time. Or designate someone to do that, if you're planning to force people to walk the landscape, even for tradeskill quests.

At this point, with infusing and all the other things I've done so far, I can do the solos, even the Seru ones. But this isn't about me.

In a sentence, a casual is someone who will gladly go to Kaladim and mentor your alt, but won't go to new instances because they're taking their time with the new content / don't have time to hurry up and get to it as fast as you.

Their interest doesn't run to T2/Experts at all. They just want the solo levels to work, and maybe will help fill your group for the T1's.

Also of note, the solo instances will probably get adjusted since the mobs are casting curses and shouldn't be: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...sed-to-be-casting-curses.592922/#post-6589866

So let's have a heart for the crafters and casuals, eh?

I agree! Casuals play on Kaladim. End of discussion for the other servers.

Not sure what kind of healer you are playing. But it may not be a gear issue. Have you looked at aa's and adjusted for the new expac. I took my inquis out of the closet and she did the entire sig line with box gear and reward gear so it can be done. I had to make some tweeks to her aa as well. Doing the same with my defiler now.

Priests are one of the easist solo classes now. Reforge DPS, Get all the WDB you can get. get 2995 multi attack. Get new food+snacks. 100% accuracy/strikethrough. 5 points into Weapon of the Mind. 1 point into Vitality to Strenght. Enable melee auto attack no matter your class.

Pull entire zone and just heal. 9 zones cleared in less than an hour.

Those that say its possible and casuals should shut up.

Make a new toon on rivervale.

Do the sig.

Then come back and tell us it is easy.

Playing on Rivervale is the mistake you're making.

Same thing no matter the server. AA's and reforge are more than likely the culprit. I have a toon on Rivervale and it is not impossible just have to make adjustments to your toon like on every server out there.

Why? Is the solo content somehow different on Rivervale? Oh wait it isn't since I have toons there and Skyfire. The content plays just the same.

Priest take the above advice. You can do great auto attack DPS even with legendary gear and you don't have to even worry about potency and all that too much!

Yep, the content is the same ... including all the plat infusion that you need to do. How's that going on Rivervale?

The first line of one of the OP's posts states, "This thread isn't about heroics so please keep posts to the subject of the original post--how the solo instances, for the adventuring signature line, are extremely difficult for casual players trying to run healers through the zone."

One thing that I loath on these forums are people who come in here and think they can be the voice of a subset or group of players. Almee, what you should have said was ...how the solo instances, for the adventuring signature line, are extremely difficult for me, as a casual player, trying to run healers through the zone. You do not talk for me. And i'm sure these "casual players" (whatever that means) can speak for her or himself also.

Some of the solos were more challenging for my healers than my ranger. They took me longer because killing is so much slower. Were they extremely difficult??? Absolutely not.

Just as an FYI , if you do the overland quests , the drop quests , the overland shiney quests. Plus the solo zone shiney quests. They all give fairly good rewards, that can get you to over 3500 resolve. Do some reforging to get your potency up. I raid and am still wearing some of the items I got from these. Is it easy nope, time consuming . It does get you to see all the content and some upgraded gear.

I see casuals as players who play, on average, less than 10 hours per week in this game. Don't raid and rarely group.

That fits me. No, I don't have the plat/time/real world money to do much more. Although I do occasionaly have a bit of extra money, its rare.

They shouldn't even need any interns, whomever on the DBG staff that does the quests and lore should have a Round Table like Gninja has. There are more than a few extremely talented roleplayers on Kaladim and Antonia Bayle that could run circles around any creative writing interns and better yet, they already know the game and a lot of the lore.

Dude!!! I am a casual and I play on AB as well as Kaladim!!!!

lol I know ... I was just being snarky to the person who seemed to put "Kaladim" in a bunch of sentences that included "a casual player is ..."