Chains of Eternity - Level 95 Question

Good Morning, All!
With the last expansion, we needed to obtain at least 280 AAs to be able to level to 92. Will those restrictions remain in place with Chains of Eternity, or will everyone be able level to 95?

Katanza wrote:

If you need 280 to get to 91, you can't get to 95 without having 280 either...

I'm not sure where the question is?

The question seemed pretty clear to me. Will the 280AA req remain or will it be removed?

I'm positive the requirement will stay; in fact, I'd bet on them having a 300 AA requirement for 95, or similar. The gate of 280AA was introduced because you simply needed those end-line abilities for Skyshrine encounters (and you simply needed all of your prestige AAs for Sleeper's), so it's a fair shot to say that level 95 raid content is harder and therefore needs more.

pure speculation here of course, but i highly doubt they will reneg on everything past 90 being "prestige" levels and requiring 280aa. It's probably just wishful thinking on many peoples parts, to hope for a faster+easier path to 95.

ArtemisClyde wrote:

Aye, but Skyshrine was a free download. Will they risk losing expansion buys by maintaining the AA req? My gut is telling me the AA req is going bye bye this November. But like you said, it's pure speculation.

It would be a mistake to release an expansion that offers absolutely nothing for those that do not have 280 AA.

actually, i believe they said skyshrine was part of dov. withered lands is dov2 whereas the great divide and eastern wastes is dov 1. and i think aspects of skyshrine affected AoD owners as well; Deshniak and Yelnar are research apprentices, Perrin is a Merc. but i get what you're saying, skyshrine didnt cost money; you just needed to own those xpacs to benefit many of the skyshrine features. I don't think they will lose expansion buys, dov was targeted at 90+ players mostly. Most players have at least one 92 by now. Many people have several.

Iad wrote:

just by what they've said so far, it wouldn't appear there's "absolutely nothing for nobody under 280aa" for instance, you could be any level or aa and be in a guild that is level 90 and now works towards level 95. you could have zero aa and still craft, crafting is raising to 95 as well.
to be honest, im not sure i would WANT my 90+ toons to be running through CoE so easily that they could get by on 180aa or 225 or what have you. I don't mind a challenge, and i don't need everything to be handed to me or easymode. If i want a toon to get to 95, i got no problem putting in the work to get at least 280aa. its not all that hard.
you could place an entry into the new facebook contest which adds us +50 likes per entry. this would help us beat eq1 and win that double xp weekend. you could use the double xp weekend to get your toon(s) to 280+

ArtemisClyde wrote:

Oh I agree with you, it's really not hard. But I think there is a significant portion of the game population that will maintain that it is no matter what you say to them and for whatever reason still haven't managed it and they will give you a hundred reasons or excuses why. So, will SOE risk alienating them when they want them to dole out $40 for an expansion? I doubt it. I hope I'm wrong. I thought the 280AA gate was a good idea. It provides a real, quantifiable measuring stick for what you need in regards to where you're going.
That being said, if I was in charge of SOE's marketing department I'd say scrap it. It's potentially bad for sales.

I also really hope they do not change this.
Why would anyone want to be level 92 without a decent level of AAs to actually play your class well. This is also why I really like the fact that they fixed the AA slider bar for Bronze/Silver to 50/50.
Most people I am sure can recall a fail group (PUG and/or guild) with someone who is level 90 with less than 70 AAs (although IMHO - Getting to 90 with only 70 aas is a certain achievement by itself).
If someone doesnt really want to run group content etc or have any interest in leveling up their AAs for that, then the AA caps shouldnt affect them, can still get TS to 92 (and therfore 95) etc.. but if you want adventure - why would you not want to have the AAs to let you do it effectively? They are just as important as leveling levels (if not more so) in what you can do with your toon.

Iad wrote:

They've offered expansions which had absolutely nothing to offer for people below level 90 or so (DoV). Many expansions haven't had much for people below cap. So an expansion with absolutely nothing to offer people below 280 AA doesn't seem a problem at all.
I think the only reason they'd remove the 280 AA requirement is if they thought it wasn't contributing to the game. I doubt that would happen.

When AA are mandatory, they are no longer alternative.
If AA are needed, then all characters will be the same for they will have to be the most efficient in raid.
It's destroying the goal of AAs, which was to make the character we like, not the best to raiding.

Vifarc wrote:

You misunderstand the purpose of AAs then. Alternative Advancement means an Aternative means of advancement besides character levels. You're mistaking alternative for optional. The whole term was lifted from a similar system in EQ1. In both games AAs are required to fully and effectively participate in end-game content.
AAs are important for more than just raiding. Try effectively contributing to a group going through end-game heroic content without plenty of AAs. Trust me, the rest of us will notice even if we don't say something. If you're the tank you won't be holding aggro, of you're the healer then the tank will be dead, if you're dps the tank will be out damaging you.
You flat out can't put powerful abilities and bonuses into a game and then not balance gameplay around them.
AA are required to effectively engage in game content, they always have been.

Lizabethan wrote:

Sleeper's Tomb raid is clearable on challenge mode with 12 characters. You just need to be 92 so scouts/fighters don't have bad hit rates (BUT NOT MAGES, LOL SPELL MECHANICS) and ruin their dps/hate generation. Prestige has nothing to do with it.

Thank you for considering my question with an open mind and different thoughts on the subject.
I'm not an "easy mode" player. I don't powerlevel my toons. I like to earn my levels and ranks. Katanza is the first toon I ever leveled in this game, and I took her to 90. Unfortunately I did this a little blindly. I just leveled her up, not really paying attention to the AAs. Total rookie toon here.
That being said, my level 90 bruiser became 90 with just over 100 AAs. Then I learned about the AA system. I learned I needed a whole lot of AAs to raid. I felt like I was leveling all over again. Now I am up to about 175 AA, but then comes along a new Expansion that requires 280 to get to 92. Ugh. More AAs are needed. I'm still at 90. And I see in front of me a looming 95, but that 95 is more than 5 levels away for me. I still need a ton of AA.
And AA farming is tedious. Sorry. It's not "easy" as others seem to find it. I don't have other toons powerleveling me in any capacity. Though I am thinking maybe I should take advantage of Mercenaries.
My family life is really busy, so I only have a little time each week to play. I'm a casual player. So from my point of view, I've a long road ahead of me to get to 92 - never mind 95.
I know - we all learn from our "mistakes". We all learn from our first toons. I'm okay with that. I just thought I would share a little of my point of view. I think there are still many facets of the game for me to discover yet. This is one of the reasons I really like this game - so much to see and do. So I put a smile on and Katanza puts a growl on, and we will get it done.....really slowly.
With that being said, it's going to be a really, really long time before I will need to buy the next expansion.
Note to others: I'm just sharing my experience. Please don't "flame me" or belittle it. I still love the game, and I will keep playing in my casual, spare time sort of way.

AA farming IS easy, *but* it can also be tedious. The easiest methods are usually the most tedious.
Find an area with fast repop heroics, chrono down, slaughter repeatedly until you're comatose and drooling on yourself.
LOL said it was easy, didn't say it would be fun. When I decide I'm gonna AA grind a toon, I fire up the Netflix app in my blue-ray player, buy a 4-pack of red bull, and order a pizza.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was actually thinking that might be the route to go. Maybe if I have a stretch of time this weekend, I can give it a try and see how it goes. I think I am around 175 atm, so I will just need 105 more....patience, Katanza, patience. LOL.
Thanks...I just might have to order that pizza.

Another good thing to do is explore. Discovery experience from areas you have skipped or overlooked ca n be substantial.

Buffrat@Antonia Bayle wrote:

You forgot to mention that its doable by 12 people if they are decked out in PoW gear and have absolutely no business being in ST. Of course you can 2 group x4 zones when your people are majorly over-geared for the zone...