Insta-Level 85 (280 AA?) (Heroic Characters)

I just wanted to add a comment regarding these insta-85s

I think it will be a huge diservice if they aren't provided a set of gear sufficient to do Kael contested since that is the starter contested dungeon for the level 85-90.

The issue I've noticed is there really isn't level 85 gear in game that provides the CC needed for contested Kael, and its something that should be addressed here since the issue is known and will stand in the way of these players grouping content.

Unfortunately, most of the gear itemized for CC needed for DoV dungeons and contested heroics is level 90, causing an issue for level 85s looking to do the zones.

i don't think this will be an issue, as those chars will have to do so many L&L, languages, epic + myth buff, diety etc that they turn 90 before ever needing to go to DoV. than again, you can always adorn for another 50ish cc

I've tried it, there is no way to get a level 85 geared to do contested kael in any meaningful way. An alternative is simply remove or reduce the critical avoidance in that zone.

While I agree there is alot of content to keep them busy if they choose to, I think a large part of offering this service is to condense players into a smaller section of the game so there is more opportunity to group up and do things together. Being that we're starting at 85 and DoV will be free now, I think taking a little time to ensure they can actually group up in that content is reasonable. If not, was the point of lowering the min level in Kael ONLY so people can PL behind a raid tank?

I suspect they're doing it because other older MMOs are. They're trying to stay competitive.

The way I see it, powerleveling is rampant and essentially endorsed as normal gameplay. Might as well be honest about it and just let people roll the character at high level anyway. They're practically doing it now except you have to go through the motions of pretending to level while someone else basically levels you for you. I doubt someone who's been powereleveled is going to know their way around their character very well either without a lot of extra study on their part. Besides which they still have to level the old fashioned way (i.e. powerleveling) to get to cap.

If AAs are going to be preassigned, I really hope they do a good job of it. Other games with preassigned but normally player settable customizations sometimes really blow that one.

Will I roll an insta-85? Probably not although you never know. If I do it'll most likely be to get the flavor of how a class might play in almost end-game, but not as a regular character. Depending on how it's implimented, (i.e. assuming I don't have to pay for each one) I could see myself rolling a lot of 85 classes and playing them awhile just to understand them better and then deleting them.

I did that a lot while playing DDO -- it has a way for you to start at level 7, which might correspond to level 30 or so in EQ2 -- I'd roll one character after another just to see how it played and then delete it. DDO is introducing iconic characters which sounds lot closer to this, although likely more limited.

Friend's child is taking some Calculus courses in High School for college credit. It is so slow and laid back in some ways easier then advanced HS courses.

Makes you wonder about the engineers of the future.

On topic: They should toss those AA steward things in SC already because currently I see no reason to level another toon. Just seems like a total waste of time at the moment with current changes around the corner. Course one could argue all these games are a waste of time but that is another argument for another day. lol

I like it. it doesn't hurt new people and it doesn't hurt vets. and I can explain why I feel so.
some people like doing the older content, even if no one else is there, memories or storyline or whatever. and let them. but some people really have seen it all 8+ times and really dont' care anymore. vets can just get to 85, and get right started. People say leveling is fast, so they shouldn't do this. I level my toon fast, no PL, no help from mains other than their vet bonus. 95/320 in 3 tops max. but that doesn't mean much. just because you can do something fast, you shouldn't have something that's Faster and more welcoming?

as for new players, new players I would feel choose to play a 9+ year old game for hopes to group and do stuff together, not run around in the lower zones and see no one, except once in a blue moon. people fear that the new people insta 85 will have no clue how to play the class. well in honesty time spent on toon =/= how well toon will be played. and the lower levels in this game are so simple in comparison to other games that your normal non heroic mobs will die in 2-3 hits on just about any class until around 70ish or so. so really you won't be doing much "learning" anyway. you don't practice much healing on a healer in the lower levels, your health will be fine. you don't practice back attacks solo in lower zones. you don't practice group management when there aren't even though to make a group in the lower zones. Atleast in the respective levels. you could get a group of higher ups with 1 person or two of level, but than it's just a train on the whole zone and you won't "learn" anything anyway.

Ahem.

For those afraid of twitter, the text of that link reads as follows:

I think you all have made some really good points on the subject. I can see the good, the bad and the ugly in all of this but it's going down no matter what. I just hope it has been well thought/planned out. Here's to wishing for the best.

Feara nods in agreement.
Feara walks away singing The Black Eyed Peas song "Let's get it started"...

All of DoV is being re itemized and progresses from solo to heroic. You will be able to gear appropriately just within those zones, and they leave off at a more natural place to step into Skyshrine.

<--------- New player here that quit after 2 days.

1. I want to play.
2. I installed EQ2 after I heard you had mercs @ SOE Live, along with free 85s soon.

Want to know how my experience was?
/ooc Does anyone know where to get Mercs at?
ERROR: Free2play members can't use basic chat channels

Hmm thats odd, isnt the game free to play? I feel like im in prison.Oh, and Mercs require an Expansion just to get started? There is no weaker free version? I have to pay all this money the minute I install the game just to have a similar experience I do in EQ1?

Yeah, after playing EQ1, I came to the conclusion that EQ2 utterly sucks as a new player right now. I dont want a free 85 if it means ill immediately be bullied into paying money to have a pleasant time.. Sorry.

I want to level in EQ2 and have fun. I want a merc. I want to use chat channels. If you have to rely on demanding money just to use chat channels and mercs, you really need to reconsider your methods for earning a buck. I spent about $100+ in 2 months on EQ1 because I was addicted to the fun I was having, not because I was forced to buy things in order to have fun.

Also annoying: Spending 30 minutes rebinding keys... e.g. Why doesn't W-A-S-D move my character by default? Why am I ducking... It's 2013, WASD should move.

although many have said how strict ftp is. I thought it was said somewhere that DoV was being added to ftp as well as AoD being broken down so you can just buy the certain things you wish from it?? it's not a cash fix of course, but def cheaper than atm.

Im a brand new player, I dont even know what AoD/DoV stand for, and most people who try out EQ2 won't either. Im just giving you my experience of trying out this game and what Devs might want to consider in the future. I do not know what they have planned, just giving my experience to help. Like I said, I hope they change some things drastically, as I do want to play, but not the way they have it now. Ive been an EQer since Kunark. I truly do wonder what the retention rate for EQ2 is, and would bet money that it is extremely low.

figured you would since you mentioned them all but name

If you will look at the Membership Matrix*, you will see that Silver membership (which is attained by making a single purchase of $5.00 USD or greater value) allows unlimited chat. Mercs do currently require purchase of Age of Discovery (AoD), but they will be making the features of AoD separately purchasable Soon™** (probably around mid-October when the next expansion goes live).

* Scroll to about midway down the linked page, and you will see the matrix to which I am referring.
** Although not explicitly stated, this implies that you will be able to purchase the use of Mercenaries for less than the purchase price of AoD.

That is terrific news, having just recently done these zones in a natural progression group, there was absolutely no reason to have lowered Kael zone in below 90, the itemization just didn't make it work.

Glad to see the right changes being made. Worried what that will do to BGs though if 89's can get 220+ cc.

Indeed I knew that Silver=Chat channels, but I refused to pay to use chat channels out of principle, if you know what I mean(especially 3 minutes into the game)(I have like 3500 SC atm). Ill definitely check back when the updates launch, though I have no clue when all this is going to happen, I'll just assume a month from now. Why doesn't EQ2 just follow EQ1s model? Give new players somebody to level with (mercs) so it doesn't feel like such an empty world. Make new players feel apart of the world, not outsiders looking in who have to pay up immediately. I just don't get how they concluded this is the best model to make money and keep players.

unless some BG changes are made, 220 CC in BG is only be like 1-2% higher than if you were to have 45%, which you can easily get on a 89 atm.

To be fair with Sony: The 5$ cost of Silver is not primarily there for Sony to make money. It is there to prevent spammers free access to chat channels. Since you must pay a small fee for chat channels, the spammers can't just create new accounts to send spam from as their old ones get shut down. Makes sense.

Silver also allows you to research and scribe up to Expert quality of spells and Combat Arts, whereas Bronze limits you to Adept quality. That will give you a bit higher chance of survival.

But for the amount of content that you do actually get for no cost, you are getting quite a bit. Given that you state you already have 3500 SC, if you spent 500 of that SC in-game (for say appearance armor, a cloak, or a mount, or whatever else you can find that adds up to 500 SC), that would count as a $5 purchase, and you would be granted a Silver membership.

Another way around the chat restrictions would be to find and join a guild. Hit U and look at the guilds listed there. Find one that sounds like it is what you are looking for, then click on the thing that says "This player is online now, click here to talk with them" (this will let the recruiter for that guild know that you wish to speak to him/her; they will usually send you a tell within a few minutes - and as a Bronze player, you should still have /tell access). If it doesn't let you click on it, send a /tell to the name of the recruiter (for example, if my character was the recruiter you would type /tell Rotherian Can I join your guild?). The recruiter should respond shortly. Once you have joined a guild, you will still have the basic chat restrictions, but you will be allowed to talk in /guild. This will help you to be able to get groups from within the guild (provided that your expectation is not that everyone in the guild drop whatever they are doing to help you out - while most guild members are more than willing to help out when their schedule allows, it isn't reasonable to expect someone to sacrifice their entire playtime to enhance yours).

Seems to have gone off topic a bit, but really, a merc? This game is designed to be solo'd. This isn't EQ1 where every basic trash mob will eat your face without constant healing. If you quit after 2 days because of that, you didn't give the game a fair shot, so byebye.