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

you don't have to start the character at 85 if you don't want to it will be an option you can still start at 1 like normal

it is I tried it. and while I love tolkiens stories with out someoen to adventure with I got tired of it real soon

Balancing raids is easy in a sandbox classless world. Just make them fairly easy, put them in noninstanced noncon PVP zones, and make the loot stealable/lootable off player persons and corpses. The game balances itself, as the hard part of the fight is keeping the enemy guilds away from your boss and loot

I believe I stated making account age as an option also. That said, I would still refer to see this option limited to those that have already hit max level with 1 or more toons.

Putting those kinds of restrictions on defeats the purpose of this feature, which is to get new people in and hopefully keep them around longer. It's not aimed at vets. Vets already have xp bonuses, potions, knowledge and other people to help them get up to 85 at a decent rate.

How do you know what the purpose is? Holly never said, and as far as I know, hasn't discussed anything beyond what was stated at the Keynote speech. It could very well be for veterans who are tired of leveling their nth toon through the same boring quests over and over.

I'm going to pretend you've been following this conversation and ignore that comment

Why? Because you can't answer it? What does it matter what other players are saying? The fact of the matter is, people are ASSUMING a purpose for the heroic characters and basing their arguments around it. There has been no official word one way or the other whether this is intended to draw in new players with a fast track to current content, or to keep vets who don't want to have to level yet another alt. So, go ahead and ignore me, in any case, you're only making assumptions, and throwing out someone elses assumption because it doesn't jive with yours.

They stressed a few times at SOE Live that they wanted heroic characters available to free to play accounts, including making the content they start in available to free to play accounts. If that's not a hint that it's for new players I don't know what is.

Edit, not to mention they're completely reitemizing and retooling the quests through Velious to give an advancement path for these heroic characters, which wouldn't be needed for 'vets'.

It's not that I can't answer it. It's that we've gone over the reasons why it would be for new people and why that would be a good thing. It's not an assumption. It's an educated guess. Every other thing they do is aimed at vets. New players need a hook and this is it.

So, you are suggesting SOE let a brand new player totally skip some of the best content in the game in the name of end game? As well as miss learning how to play their class? Even playing part time after work and bit on weekends, its no big deal to get a character to 85. I just wish I could turn back the clock and come into this game with all this content brand new...and you're suggesting they miss all of it?

On the other hand, if you've done the content over and over on as many different alts...yeah, that is what I see as the purpose of something like this.

Um....didn't SOE already do that suggesting all by their little old selves? And pretty much state it was a done deal?

The suggestion is that people skip content in the name of being able to group. We've been over this already. 1-85 is lonely. The top tier is where the action and the people are.

Being available doesn't mean they can make it as their first character. It's available, period. People are painting assumptions without facts to back it up. Raid gear is available to everyone, even free accounts, but that doesn't mean they won't have to do some work to be able to loot and equip it.

Shrug, you don't have to believe it. But that's definitely the impression they were giving. Sounds a lot like they're making up Great Divide as the new newbie area, just with lvl85 toons.

And that would of course mean that it's available to anyone without restriction.... funny the only restriction that Holly mentioned was that it was free. So no one will have to pay for it, but that doesn't mean a bronze account that was created 30 seconds ago will be able to roll one as the first character. We don't know that yet, because they haven't said yet if that's true. You're assuming.

Actually, Holly said, “Every single person can play a Heroic character for free.”

My guess is that means everyone will be able to get 'a' heroic character for free and you'll have to pay for additional ones.

Right, so a brand new bronze account can make a lvl1 toon, camp, delete it, and then roll an 85. Congrats, that was so hard.

Again, where does that say without restriction? It doesn't. Yes, every single person (regardless of account level) can play one for free, but there is NOTHING there about whether or not a high level character is required.

I am not saying it is, I don't know, just like you don't know. YOU ARE ASSUMING. You can argue all you want, but until there is official word one way or another, all anyone can do is guess. Not even the slide says anything about if there are any prerequisites to creating the characters, nor does it say there are no restrictions at all.

Keep on assuming and acting like it's fact.