Yes, I know they're a separate pool. Which is why I was pointing out that they increase stats by exactly how much they say they increase them by. They're not subject to the abilty to increase stats by MORE then they say they do that results from being part of an infuser pool that contains adorns with a less then 100% success rate.
So you're saying "Ok I don't mind EQ2 going P2W as long as it helps the game stay alive." Got it. I mean I disagree, but at least we know where you're coming from. And the reason this game is still alive is because SOE / DBG have reduced servers, reduced development team size, and reduced overhead at roughly the same rate as the population has been dwindling. If you have literally any evidence that the current players spend more money than the old players did, please share.
I don't do anything in game to compare myself to other people. But for 10 years EQ2 was a game where you paid for the expac and your subscription and you knew "ok, I won't be tempted to spend any more USD to progress my character, I can just play". Have you guys really never played one of those stupid android/iOS games that nickel and dime you to death? Fun games with nice progression, but the progression is slow and there's always that alternate currency icon in the corner, saying 'buy me, buy me, you can upgrade your weapon right now if you just pay $2'. Infusers are the first step towards that. It's right on the boundary of "yes you're paying USD to directly increase your character's adventuring stats" and "but eh it's pretty minimal, probably not a big deal." But that's on purpose, they're testing the waters. They want to see what the community outcry is, if at all. And then next thing they add will be slightly more severe, "eh yeah it's actual armor and jewelry, but its just on par with advanced solo gear so pretty easy to get anyways, no big deal." And then heroic gear shows up, and then raid gear.
Kinda funny you don't realize i am agreeing with you. The sentiment of most players on these forums[that i dont agree with] is that certain paywalls on things (even as a subscribe) such as reforging, xp pots, infusers, character boosts, kronos, heartbound, adornments, playing multiple accounts, etc. are good because it supports the game. More players would support the game if they didn't have payment rescrictions/bypasses on things left and right. Most people out there that i know (i get it's anecdotal) wish games did not try to dance the line between F2P/subscription based. If I could pay more for a subscription and not have to deal with said things being listed, i would. For most people its not about being too cheap to buy each and every individual thing. Honestly if KA was 20$ more expensive but included additional things such as reforging many people would probably prefer that instead being nickel and dimed the more you delve into the game. Remember when EQ2 had a separate server with all the DBC crap and a clean server? EQ2Ex memories.
It's probably not available for SC, but link to $ purchase on this page https://www.everquest2.com/expansion-content It's not game-breaking in its current implementation, but lets not pretend that benefits are trivial at max usage either (and very expensive). This development is certainly troubling and if becomes a trend, a grim turn to be sure. The unlimited nature of Bonus-type infusers obtainable by buying has no counterparts by playing the game. This makes it fall under pay-to-win definition, even if objectively you're unlikely to be immediately winning anything you weren't before. Still, this is the first mis-step on the long successful tight-rope balancing act between making profits and falling into pay-to-win pitfalls, DBG. As for your bickering about infusing mechanics - infusers can go above their listed maximums (both 100% success and other ones); they just can't be used if stat value in their corresponding bucket is already above the infuser's listed maximum (or above 1/3rd of base stat on the item). Statistically this means 100% infusers will land closer to their listed max values vs non-100% ones, all else being equal between infusers. The example you keep bringing up of 8pot max infusers going to 13-17pot are for non-100% ones building up long fail-chains.
Because right now it isn't. You freak out totally because you want to, due to no other reason. There are NO premium infusers on the marketplace, but the ones included in the maximum $$$ expansion. And then six! Oh... yes how unfair! Oh I use them right now... oh got a better equip... dang poot and such... now I spent all the more for zilch... Really... sober up, think about what you rant about. Right now there are only experience scrolls/drinks on the marketplace. Nothing else game changing. To compete in this game, I don't need to pay more than my subscription, and even that, yes, without subscription you lose quite a lot. But else, to become good I need not buy stuff at the marketplace. I need to farm equip, experiment with different skillsettings... Nothing form the marketplace will make my toon an exorbitant Tank/DD/Healer. Until now. And I don't think it will happen. Try to wrap your thoughts about that.
https://www.everquest2.com/expansion-content Separate from the expansion: Premium Consumable Pack - 5 premium equipment infusers (among other things) "This pack is available immediately - multiple purchases allowed!"
5 infusers... thats (taken from the XPacs amounts) : 100 pot 100 cb 15000 mod 3000 sta 3000 Sta yes that is much, but only depending on which class... The rest... really? Yes I can purchase that as long as it's availble... but you can't infuse stuff into oblivion, there is a limit of max infusion. Those amounts are quite laughable with the whole pot/cb and stat inflation. But even so, if you think that will make every contend this XPac has to offer laughable... perhaps I should wear my raiding red/white ringed socks again to compete. We only did progression when I had put them on... On my ears, not feet mind you... I still can do that without buying the stuff. So not needed. I takes me a day or two longer.
Each infuser... Has a 100.0% chance to increase Potency by 20.0 to 25.0. The Bonus modifier may only be increased with this infuser up to 25.0. Has a 100.0% chance to increase Crit Bonus by 20.0 to 25.0. The Bonus modifier may only be increased with this infuser up to 25.0. Has a 100.0% chance to increase Ability Modifier by 3,000.0 to 3,750.0. The Bonus modifier may only be increased with this infuser up to 3,750.0. Has a 100.0% chance to increase sta by 600.0 to 750.0. The Bonus modifier may only be increased with this infuser up to 750.0. We have 21 Equipment slots, all of which are infusable. So that's a total of 525% pot 525% cb 78750 AB and 15750 STA total irrelevant stats right?
Look at the stuff you get. Then calculate that through. The only over the top is the stamina in my view, ok given, the CB is high as well. The rest is a decent equip piece. But that equip you still need to earn first. You surely won't infuse quested or crafted gear or old equip. Or would you? The AB I don't even think about, that is highlevel tweaking to parse 0.xx% higher with all the stuff already pushed into oblivion. Yes now someone comes around the corner like :"oh I could buy them and put them on hold until I get something useful to put it on!" There are other things that change the ACT to your advantage quite more. Runes etc. Before I don't get the "essentials" together, those stats don't hit that hard. Yes yes the Sta... and perhaps the CB. As Ranger I won't even parse half as high with those infusers, as if I had the ethereal runes that push my damage. What is all that bonus Sta good for, when it can't get filled back up?
Just because it costs a lot of money for a slight advantage does not remove the fact that you can pay to have an advantage. on my tank toon with 12mil hp, ~40k STA; an extra 15k STA would boost my health pool considerably. Not sure if you have played a healer this expansion but pretty much every heal a healer has heals someone to full health. You just need the HP pool to live through the hit as for the eth runes doubling classes dps, a dev stated that epic2.0 is going to make them useless
And again, you can achieve the same with the homemade infusers... you just need a few more. And also yes, I haven't played my Inqui actively this addon. I just got him through the signatures because I got 2 mythical equipment pieces out of the incarnadine chests, which were meant to be for the Mouzerker, but had healer stats. So he had to go through all this to drop the offhand from the ToT crafting signature quest. Yes the new offhand is way better =) so I don't complain. another And... And I needed to start equipping form scratch, having stopped playing at AoM and now coming back. I infused a lot already, but all selfmade infusers. Sometimes when I turn in the tynomium keys I don't know when to start or stop salvaging the stuff, even after doing the weekly dungeon crawl (solo/adv solo). Quite enough material to make a crapload of infusers. Yes they don't do 20-25 pot at once, but the sum up.
Guys, I already said that infusers are on the border between 'yes you can pay USD for an advantage' and 'but its not a big advantage so eh'. So why are you trying to convince us that infusers is not a huge advantage? We know it's not a huge advantage. The fact that it's an advantage at all is problematic, but what's more problematic is the door this opens to future possibilities. What, you think that now that they've added infusers, they're just gonna be like 'ok cool, well we added infusers for USD, now I guess we are just done adding items to the marketplace.' Get real.
he put a link up earlier, you have to buy them directly from the website and they have limited time availability
