Hi there, Despite having paid up gold membership until 2014, I haven't logged in since just before CoE release, as I tried Beta, and was pretty underwhelmed with it. Having paid for AoD and being really put out by the content, or lack thereof in that expansion, I was loathe to 'throw good money after bad' as the saying goes. Dire lack of TS content, no real quests to speak of, no awesome overland group stuff, no large contested dungeons, no heroic or epic story line quests, cut and paste loot, only a 3 level raise, disparity between solo and group dungeon rewards etc etc. I have been playing some other games, and having fun, but I do miss EQ2. I check these boards periodically, to see what is going on, and if there are any changes I like the look of. So far there hasn't really been anything that grabs me, so I am relegated to awaiting the next expac, to see what that brings. I am sure there are a lot of other people like me and I've met a fair amount in the other 2 games I am playing, and we have chatted about what might bring us back to EQ2, so I decided to bring it up here and see if any other prodigal Everquesters have anything to say on the matter, as in - what would bring us back, and why? To get the ball rolling, here are a few things that would bring me back, spending money again on expacs and SC. Completely new zones, with quest hubs. Quest rewards that were actually viable rather than mutable. Epic quest line that could only be done via raid force Separate group quest line Family style feature - as in faction tokens available for ALL factions Auto-learned Myth skills at appropriate level plus a new 'at level' myth weapon skill/buff quest. Expanded Krono system. Allow SC top-ups, game time, expansion purchase etc. Removal of server transfer tokens, addition of 3 monthly free server transfer per character. Well, there are a few, probably there are more to follow.
I think were about to turn the corner in the next patch (based on test info) and get an xpac that it should have been at the start. Heroic zones are getting some love loot-wise and combined with everyone getting spirits and essences when they drop, it should make grouping more in demand. With these changes, I am reasonably happy with CoE. Yes, there could be more quest lines, especially heroic ones outside of the signature line (don't forget that technically the sig quest can be part heroic if you do the instances in group mode). As someone who is time poor, I've still not done half the heroic zones (Charisis, WC, WE) and only done HE twice. I've also not ventured away from the solo sig line to experience the other solo quests that are available. In terms of viable quest rewards, it really depends on what your gear was to begin with. I am almost exclusively in heroic gear as I can't raid. The collection rewards are generally quite an upgrade for all my toons prior to getting essence gear. The solo timeline (sig) rewards should never be better than heroic gear from the last xpac. It was a mistake when they did that for the WL questline imo. But they are a good upgrade from the last solo timeline gear and give progression for the purely solo people. If you're in raid gear from skyshrine, it shouldn't be that everything is an upgrade from CoE. But top end heroic gear is getting close which I think is right. I am starting to warm to the idea of solo instances giving a rare, untradable/un-SLR chance of EM raid gear and ethreals. It gives everyone a reason to run them in the quiet times rather than standing around wondeeing what to do, and getting bored. I think they're rare enough that after the first 20 or so runs it becomes a low priority thing to do, I know I'd pick grouping over it now as the time vs reward is better, but at least there's a chance I'd get something worthwhile so I'll always choose to run them instead of sitting in the GH twiddling my fingers.
i think maybe 2-4 slots max would be appropriate for solo content giving EM raid gear/ethereal quality merchandise
i dunno maaaan i personally have always felt that heroic nooobs should have a really lengthy, half-heritage quest type system in order to acquire a single red adornment though i think that's irrelevant because i doubt SOE would be so open minded & inviting to the average, casual, rebellious heroic nooblet
Well I have felt the same. Earned me a bit of retaliation here on the Forums. If I really had my way Red Slots would be Heritage/Signature Rewards and X2+ Raiding only for acquisition.
It's so tough to get a full set it's hardly game breaking. I 2 box a warden and zerker through them and in around 100 instances I've got one piece I can use on those characters, and 2 more on an alt that's 90+ SLR for people that can't raid can gear you up much quicker.
I was away since release of Age of Discovery. Grouping was dead already back then. I gave up on raid after Deathtoll. To demanding for a broader audience who just wants to finish an epic quest. I am back now and found plenty of content tbh. I tried a beastmaster but gave up at 20. He is just not my type of class. Now i am back on my 2005 main. Half way through withered lands and the new Qeynos timeline. Nice quest rewards, TS is worth to have a look into. The erxperimental thing looks promising. The access to good items and the merc maybe will allow me to go to some older heroic zones just to see them and to get shinies. Currently i have only room for 3 quests in my journal But i am quest-a-holic. So far i like AoC and the few things i have seen from CoE. I can solo and craft for non-trivial items or group if i got enough friends online.
