no. the OP seems to think the level cap raise is going to be a blatant cash grab (aka not being able to use a master book till you have the expert scribed)
I might agree if the drop rates and combining scrolls to make a spell is implemented in the same way the ascension spells have been. I still have yet to collect enough scrolls to make one spell in the ascension category. And I play a lot. But if they are just like old, where spells drop fairly common and masters drop off Heroic and raid bosses then I would say this is not pay to win. They would have to change the way and rate these spells drop for me to consider it P2W. Unless I missed a posting where they said this would be the case, then someone is over reacting.
They are calling it pay 2 win because you have, for example, a healer or T3 dps that have bought all GM spells from ascension and epic (ancient) and are top on parse above everyone. They paid for an unfair advantage. They did not get via in-game methods. They paid for it. However, its not as bad as RIFT yet. THere you can buy a max level toon, with max lvl crafting with current tier raid gear for a smalls um of 300 dollars.
From what I've seen of the transcripts of the server AMAs, while they are going to require the prior spell level before upgrading (no skipping from Apprentice directly to Master, for instance), they've said the drop rate of 101-110 upgrades will be the same as for level 1-100 spells.
yeah... which is going to be very slow to start out. The only reason to force people to scribe spells one tier at a time is to frustrate them into paying for research.
Yep AMA with DEVs No more jump from apprentice to master in 1 spells scribe - expect to see same system we see with Ascending - spell will drops ... sometime ... may be
That's the thing though, Content is generally tuned around Experts, with Masters/GMs/Ancients being a way to make things more convenient. Not like the game is unplayable beyond Solo content without the higher tiered spells. Even with the post below describing their system changes, it still doesn't seem like you absolutely NEED to research. That said, good point about Rift atm lol. They actually HAVE stepped into p2w territory. I am starting to see the p2w crying here, though, as people simply not playing with the right mentality and expecting super-1337 fast clears from every player, regardless of gear/spells they have and the tier they're working on.
For real my friend, Look closely on Ascending spells some might say goh what the big deal apprentice - ancient ... it just take about 1 year per 1 spells but that's is ok ... not so fast. First of all expert is x2 damage of apprentice and GM is x3 damage of apprentice Second ancient give even new quality to the spells Third you can't jump directly from apprentice to GM unless you pay about 7800DBC (which not bad because you can get 10000 for $85) Forth the way current drops work - even if you got fortunate to get an expert scroll you (and yes it been expected you going to eventually get journeymen from drops/broker) you oughta pay for adept, if you are raider and been fortunate to get GM scroll you still expected to pay for Master (980 for Adept and about 1760 for Master) Now toss here fact that eventually everyone will run with charm that reduce re-use for Ascending by 20% now we are talking about bunch of abilities with 2min24s re-use. and think about disparity of x3 in damage out output. Now with new x-pack it been expected that many dungeon bosses have 12 minutes fail timer - still not convinced? I give you 1 thing thou its totally unnecessary do apprentice ---> GM jump there are more efficient ways of doing things first get for plat all journeymen than put 1 on research (20 days) and bump couple to adept - in 20 days for 1760 you have 3 adepts (just an example). Other thing if you look on parse you will notice that some spells contribute A LOT more than others - so pay for those (like EA for Ether, Mudslide for Geo, Scorched Earth for Elem) So to get decent performance you do not need GM everything but to be within mainstream you still have to GM something
So from the way I gather from my short time.. Apprentice is newly gained/given. Journeyman is crafted. Adept is drop only? Expert is crafted yet again. Master can drop AND be crafted? Grandmaster crafted only. Guess whoever chose the tradeskill professions that make spells and skills will make a mint next expansion. Researching a spell or skill from level 70 shouldn't take several days to increase in one rank, especially if I already have the next tier at master already. Broke system needing fixing but instead being capitalized upon.
Content's always been tuned to having Expert levels. So, I can see needing to straddle the ladder one book at a time being rather time consuming. But that's just it, TIME CONSUMING, not money consuming. Simply let it run its 20 days, or whatever it needs, to get each rank done. If you don't have everything beyond Expert by the time the level cap goes up, you at least have a handful of Experts or GMs and can most likely use those until you've experted the new stuff. Also...it kind of solves a key complaint of crafters -- that their junk is useless -- well now their junk is definitely NOT useless. lol.
Sadly not everything so simple I already mention that experts do nowadays x2 damage of apprentice and GM x3 (with ancient add some kicker to the spells like buff getting extra 3 fervor) On top of that damage increase not goes linear (what is surprise lol) Journeymen - you get really decent jump in DPS (like +30-40% or so) Journeymen to adept - not so much like 10-15% gain at most Adept to Expert again - very decent jump in damage Expert to Master again not so much Master to GM again uuuuge jump Between apprentice upward to expert single research step required between 20 to 23 days or about 980-1080DBC. And you been right many things is revolves around expert level of spells so you are talking about 2 months per 1 spell to get to expert and likely (much like Ascending) you need at least 2 1 buff 1 DPS. So one way or another you going to pay
Doom, are you serious with this bro?!?! $85 to me is a lot of money to spend per spell for a game. I already pay for game, subs, and other things currently available in the market place. $85 x 10 is $850 man! WTF are you a trust fund baby who doesn't have a life where bills are included in your monthly ****?!?! Then add in the Ascension upgrades coming it's ridiculous. I understand the Ascensions were a cash grab, and that maybe they just needed a quick boost of cash for something, but I don't want to be waiting 2 years to upgrade spells that come into play next xpack, and I "WON'T" be paying cash to upgrade regular spells. I bit the bullet on some of the ascension spells to be a team player, but if they are expecting the same for regular spells, I may need to reconsider my gaming habits. But, I am happy for all you folks that think this is OK because you can blow 12-1500 bucks a year extra on a game. Just sayin...
You checked drop rates on adepts and master spells lvl 96-100 laterly in the new zones? just saying, not that i necessarily think its a bad thing to require the previous version, however... Drop rates, availablity up to and incl. master currently is absolutely something that needs looked at.
Umm this game is obviously becoming pay to win...I don't know how much more detail people need, but when you put in mechanics that give one up that you pay for with cash, that is official paying to win. 1. Ascensions spell drops are rare, which would have been fine if you never had the option pay to upgrade them (Not to mention that insane you need 10 adepts of the same kind and 10 masters system.) 2. They took out buying dbc cards because you could get them else where for way less than what stores offered them. 3. Above is right also, the new spells will be on a pay to grab bases 4. You have to buy an xpac, pay a sub, and pay for spells to compete 5. You are paying a company with a extremely low population base, a short staff, and insane amounts of bugs that have not been worked out in years 6. Kronos to buy in game gear, look at how high the market is right now, people are paying 86 dollars a week sometimes just to have millions of plat. Feeding the cow before it gets slaughtered is all it amounts to.
My friend - I am here with you - I also happens to believe that spending on game more $100 per month is much to much - I also believe that no game worth spending for it like $1-1.5K per year (but I have zero problem with paying that much for my fencing club - cause it healthy, it allow me blow some stress out and a lot of fun). I look on it this way - 1 visit of steak house is about $85 per person - can you spend that much on something that give you a lot fun? - of course, but on something that "not so much fun" - nah thank you (even if I could). I stopped playing any flash browsers games for that sole reason - they are cash grab. You HAVE to spend any where from 100 to 300 per month to stay afloat - not worth it. My pick on upcoming skills changes - I am already got same itchy feeling like I had in EQ1 before my retirement from game - game becoming second work, it does consume to much time but nothing much to do outside of raids (for you I bet too). I do not have stomach or time or will to run full blown hard core game anymore. I do not wish spend 4 days a week every evening from 9 to 12 for raiding sorry I have RL but there is nothing outside raiding what you can do atm - that and mindless tithe/ascending grind. I am so sick of this run Rise-Ill Seen-Terpid-Submerged-6names Contested-Stigian. I am equally sick of doing AS circle in KA too. PUGs all but dead, folks in guild outside of complete hardcores logging on only for the raid (everyone have RL too). Once in a blue moon Rev send a invite for the group which usually made my day . One thought about doing another key run make me ache but no way in game of making some plat (in absence of PUGs running experts) so I HAVE to do that because I still disdain of buying Krono and selling them for plat. So as said at this moment game degrade to the point of second job (raids) or mindless grind. Game much like EQ1 (at some point) lost its diversity of virtual reality where you dive to have some fun, a bit chat, some relaxation of RL stressed. I bet you remember how much fan was camping dead side in Guk for SSoY and SMR back in EQ1 - no stress, friendly chat, occasion scream - train to the zone
Until this xpack I never felt like I "HAD" to pay extra to compete and never did. I admit to buying tithing coins to speed my grind, I admit fully to buying 5 exp vials for my main, I admit to buying appearance gear in the market place. Even with all of that I wasn't spending 100$ a month plus sub plus new xpack cost... Why, because I was getting 500 DBC a month to help off set that cost. KA was the first xpack I truly felt like I "HAD" to spend to compete for top end gamin experiences. Am I alone in this? I would prefer to hear the opinion of those pushing the envelope on end game content. If you play solo or just grp in heroics and expert content, you definitely are not in real need to pay to compete. No offence intended with that distinction, merely an opinion from my point of view. I would grp a lot more if I had friends still playing that played my play times on a reg basis. Just not enough of them on at the same time to accomplish this. I'm not fond of Puging, and as an Illy it can be tough getting grps to begin with. For instance, I still need the heroics or experts to finish my meta collections and have needed the same 10-14 collections for the last two or three months. Every time I pug, some alt of someone who has barely any collections needs on the damn rares so they can sell rather than let a main finish, just another reason pugging sucks a**. After all the work I put in, I refuse to pay the plat for the rares to some ***hole who looted it on his alt and stole it from a main in need. Last xpack I spent lots of time gathering the blue shinnies for guildies and friends to complete their meta's and not a one has offered collections they have on broker now that would help me finish mine. Boy have the times of inflation really taken it's toll. Just sayin...
