Splitpaw is now empty as well as newbie zones----Long post---very long

Incase you haven't been paying attention, the devs have been systematically upgrading the loot tables on many of the dungeon zones. Runneyeye drops lots of nice stuff, and Varsoons just got a revamp, and Fallen Gate is getting one in LU18. Hopwfully SE will be next, as that dungeon could use a lot more content given it's size.

Caswydian wrote:
"Incase you haven't been paying attention, the devs have been systematically upgrading the loot tables on many of the dungeon zones. Runneyeye drops lots of nice stuff, and Varsoons just got a revamp, and Fallen Gate is getting one in LU18. Hopwfully SE will be next, as that dungeon could use a lot more content given it's size. "

I'm glad they're revisiting these dungeons and revising the loot table and drop frequency; I can't wait to check them out. The point that I'm really trying to make is that I think we're losing new / potential new people long before they get into dungeons. Maybe I'm completely off base here.....

As for the Bazaar comment;

So true, especially when a GM would show up in the Arena as a giant halfling and let people pound on him.

Get a group, and depending on your level go to Stormhold (17-24), RoV (26-30), Runnyeye (35-39) or Cazic-Thule (40-50). The devs have upped the drops in all of these zones, VERY nice stuff is in them, back at those levels I would have been drooling over them. Not to mention the abundance of rare drops in these zones as well, on one of my alts we got 6 rare drops in RoV in an hour and a half, 1 palladium, 2 jasper, 1 steel, 1 fir, and 1 pelt. Considering the Harclave took roughly 3.5 hours, even if we say it took you 2 hours to get a group for RoV (quite generous) you still had a chance at way better loot than you could get in the Harclave.

Now that is funny!

Edit - [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn] Firefox didn't quote... this was in reference to the EQ1 Bazaar being more populated than EQ2 servers.

Message Edited by Yngwiem on 12-12-2005 05:03 AM

Neither WoW or Lineage 2 are very good games IMO (I've played both). But they both bring something to the table: They're not afraid to give treasure and loot to everyone for their time. SOE acts like it actually costs them something to give nice loot; guess what, it doesn't, it's all just 0's and 1's. Actually it costs them more to not give treasure to the average adventurer, it costs them in subscriptions.

Obviously you have never played Lineage 2 because that game has the WORST drop rates for any item out of all available MMO's. I played a prophet to 64, a treasure hunter 61, and had 2 accounts full of chars > lvl 30 (7 chars > 40). As to drops the only memorable drops I recieved was a Samarai Longsword (12m adeda) on my TH and a Sword of Nightmare (8m) off my prophet. When you consider that equiping a character in the 60's runs about 200-300m adena that isn't crap.

In groups we've had some items drop but when your in a full party the odd's of you getting that drop are slim. In L2 you have to play the market to equip your chars like I did (or ebay your adena).

Of course later I figured out that the chinese botters gave the best drops and made a good amount training them with my TH. But still that was nowhere near what I made playing the market.

In L2 you could not in any sort of way play a char past 40 using only the items that dropped for you. If you did you would still be using a low d grade and getting your **** handed too you buy mobs (or being a leech in the party you were in).

Now in EQ2 it is 100% possible to play using only equipment you get from quests + mob drop items.

I think the problem is that we're looking at low level items from the perspective of more experience, high level players and not from the perspective of new players seeing these items for the first time. Item power is realtive - and so far as I can tell, players do not seem to be having a particularly tough time with the sub-20 content. Thus, if players are cpaable of getting through the content, it stands to reason that their equipment is on par with the challenges they will be facing, and so they are getting appropriate rewards.

Regarding the revamped loot in certain zones, I agree that those zones are a bit more fun now that they have loot you can drop a little drool over (if you're appropriate level).

But, looking at the two extremes of level covered by these zones... At the low end you've got Blackburrow, which is really around a level 15 zone to start, depending on how well set up your group is. Blackburrow is fine and dandy, but what about Antonica and Commonlands? What about all those wonderful named mobs in the newbie zones? (though I have heard that newbie zones are coming up for revamp soon.) What about the instances off of Antonica and Commonlands? What about the Isle of Refuge?

Back on the IoR, there were (and still are) several named mobs that at one time dropped halfway decent (for the level) loot... But since they removed the mitigation on jewelry, several pieces of that loot are now just vendor fodder... though they do come in a nice shiny wooden chest. The only way to get anything Legendary on IoR is to complete the quest to kill the Orc leader... That's it, one Legendary weapon.

Then at the high end you've got the Temple of Cazic-Thule, which is still a nightmare of mobs-inside-walls, bad pathing, and "can't see target..." At least that's the case where any of the named mobs spawn. Yes, it should be difficult, but I prefer my challenge to come from the mobs, not from having to move around for ten minutes to get a mob positioned so that my party can hit it, while at the same time dealing with the lizards who had a Passwall scroll stuffed up their... nose.

Plus, as far as I'm aware, there's ONE revamped instanced zone that drops T5 loot... The Chamber of Rulgax. The Overlord's Throne Room, despite the boss being level 42, still drops T4 loot. (Usually no-trade Legendary loot, at that). I haven't managed to try out the instanced zone in CT yet, since the access quest was broken for so long, but even if the loot is good, that's two instanced zones... All the others have not been revamped.

I get better loot in an hour in RE or CT than I would all day in LS or PF... So you've got higher-level players going into lower-level zones because of the loot factor. How many of you have seen a level 33 grouped with a level 60 running around in RE? That's how many level 60 folks are farming masters and rares these days... Named in RE are worth a lot more than named in other zones, and they're very easy to kill when you're level 60.

My point to all this rambling? Spread out the revamp lovin'... Give the T5 instances some looking-over, and do something for Antonica and Commonlands while you're at it. I know it's a lot of work, but you know, it could be fun, too