Patch 28th of April

[Tastian]

10 days was just a figure to show that you can easily do it in that amount of played time.  I've leveled characters much faster even without Plvl'n, but my point was you can do it relatively fast.  Sure if you play 2 hours a week it'll be slower, but the game is built around what is slightly above reasonably done imo.  AA costs in GoD are largely built around Ele planes, etc.  Fact is someone that puts in ~10 hours a week can go through this game quite quickly and someone that spends 4+ hours a day 5+ days a week will blaze it.  I had a friend of mine that was 35 for 3 years, they logged a whopping 2 hours of hunting time then hehe.  Others can do 35 in an hour.  My point isn't RL time, it isn't in game time, it's time spent getting exp.  The amount of time now required getting exp is much lower than it used to be, the game is faster, much faster!!  Obviously you can't gauge speed around RL time because some will play far less or far more than others.  When you are actually hunting though that speed is much faster than it used to be.

[Junaru]

When you are actually hunting though that speed is much faster than it used to be.

Well I completely agree with that. Hell they got rid of the hell levels right AFTER my one Bard had gotten thru them.. But yeah the game is now gear more for high level stuff and SOE is doing it's best to get people there quickly. But legit leveling quickly isn't going to make a bad Beastlord IMHO.. You are still doing the work..

[mac173]

If the game is so heinously easy, then please tell me why the hell I'm still level 54 after several months of play?

My main, Kunnar, was born February 27, 2002. He made level 10 in May, 2002. Approximatly the time it takes to get to Level 65 now. I do not think we have to go back to the "good old days", but I do beleave the game is accelerating the leveling too fast. I applaude the use of out of the way zones this way, it is nice to see people going to new places. I'm just afraid anything under level 60 will become "Trivial", and the majority of the CONTENT of EQ lies in these levels.

[Lorudce]

One other point about the hot spots.  They picked LoY zones for this round.  I know many who "never bothered getting LoY".  I wonder if there is a connection there?  Not a criticism, just and observation.   Would be interesting to see if LoY registrations go up now.

[Junaru]

One other point about the hot spots.  They picked LoY zones for this round.  I know many who "never bothered getting LoY".  I wonder if there is a connection there?  Not a criticism, just and observation.   Would be interesting to see if LoY registrations go up now.

Since they just gave PoK away for free I doubt they are doing this to get people to buy LoY..

I think SOE is just tired of building new content for lower levels and is trying to get everyone to 60+ as fas as they can so they don't have too..

[janl]

Or maybe just trying to get people to spread out and USE the lower level content they've designed.  I know, it's always those damned black helicopters.

[katahn]

I hope its not to just get everyone to 60+ ASAP.  Easy/fast levelling is a bad thing, you'd think they'd learn that with SWG.  The trick should be to reduce ZEMS in over-used zones, or zones where the risks honestly aren't as big as others.  Going in as a group into Sebilis in the low 50s is riskier than PoNightmares, if only for th lack of graveyards.  Its also more difficult to get to instead of just "clicking".  And yet, it has worse xp, worse/outdated loot, and recently nerfed gem drops for cash.  It has been reduced to a 65s farm zone, something that has happened to too much of EQ, born of an over-focus on getting everyone to whatever the new end game is, instead of making the entire process fun and interesting.

On its own, I like the idea of the hotspots, to a point.

[The Kittenpeeler]

I'm very familiar with slow exp. Really, I am. Started my shaman when Kunark came out. What level is she now? 61. I spent sixteen levels in Blackburrow GROUPED, then went to Unrest, died lots, finally went to Ill Omen, made 24, went back to Unrest, milled there, then went to the Best Zone Ever, Cazic-Thule.

How many folks remember Cazic thule? Camp check! Four corners! Sewers! Pyramid! heh, good times.

If they REALLY want to get lower-leveled folks into out of the way dangerous places that give good exp and reward, they need to revert Cazic Thule to its previous incarnation. At least it was being used for PL before they changed it, now who the hell goes there?

[maethwyn]

There was a GM event in Cazic Thule today on Tholuxe Paells.  (/shouted in PoK to recruit sucke.... adventurers)

Some silly ogre lost his sister in the temple... and wanted some ubAH adventurers to help him and his sister out.

...otherwise CT would have been just as empty as it always is.

Of course, I wasn't 65 so I couldn't go.  Oh well... I guess I need to grind some more so I can have fun, too   /snicker  :)

[The Kittenpeeler]

GM's? YOU LIE!

GM EVENTS?! HERETIC DOG! REPENT!

[mac173]

Continuing to spread rumours and speculation about things like the supposed existance of GM's does nothing for anyone.

Just stop.

[cougerofeq]

Shamans had complained that BST with slows and melee made them obsolete - so maybe the increase will make them feel better? But where mobs mitigate slows - a 100 % slow can be near useless and is very much weakened -  65%, 75% .... mitigation makes them all much, much less powerful.