VoA NDA is lifted!

[Nusa]

As of 10:30am Pacific Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Beta participants are now released from the confidentiality requirements of the EverQuest Veil of Alaris Beta Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Thank you to everyone who waited patiently for the NDA to be lifted before sharing information with their friends!

Please note that even though the NDA has been lifted, there are still some limitations. Specifically the Veil of Alaris Beta forums remain under restriction. You are not permitted to share (especially via copy and paste) information from that section of the EQ Forums.


Thank you for participating in the Veil of Alaris Beta. We can't wait to see you in Alaris once it goes live!



Message edited by Piestro on 11/08/2011 10:57:49.

[Nusa]

Just hitting some highlights.

Zones: No progression required to enter, regardless of difficulty.

UI: EVERY custom UI will break. Some of them will have upgrades at launch time -- many UI authors are in beta too. UI changes are massive and mostly positive. We've gone to 4 hot-bars of 10 buttons to 10 hot-bars of 12 buttons. They're re-sizable like bags are now, and have a confusing number of features, including being able to put custom labels on buttons. Clickies now work INSIDE bags, can be on hotbuttons, and have visible cool-down timers! The Spell-bar is resizable too.

New Language: Alaran. Can only be learned by reading books from doing quests in the lower level zones. Most of them are solo quests, so forget about task-adds. The Ancient Text from the "Engine Trouble" pre-launch misson in Steamfont is one of those books, although you won't be able to read it until after launch. Language will be required to interact with many higher level aspects of the game, it's not skippable in the long term.

AA: Many typical upgrades. Class AA's are locked behind the language requirement. FD can be improved to 90% reliability with 20 second reuse. Two more ranks on Bite of the Asp and similar abilities. New ability Cheetah's Pounce which gives you a LARGE forward leap ability....which only works well on flat land. New ranks of Nature's Salve cure some corruption counters. New burn ability Bloodlust, which gives you 100% proc rate for 18 secs.

Spells/Discs: Typical upgrades. Increasing language ability required to obtain spells. We get a GROUP version of ferocity! New spell Natural Collaboration, which is useless currently...supposed to be reworked after launch.

[Vidyne]

Bloodlust was a nice AA for 100% proc rate for 18 seconds I believe.
Warder looks to be a standard +25% upgrade, but I did not parse very much in the Beta.
Class AA are locked behind the language?  I never really noticed that, care to elaborate?  We can't buy any class AA until we learn the expansion's language?

Hopefully they'll get custom UI pieces fixed,  I really dislike using the new spell gems.

[Rilelil]

Class AAs are locked behind learning the culture  I believe which again is unlocked by doing quests. There will also be more AAs released supposidly in December

[Hzath]

People responded while I was typing this, but I'm posting it anyway.

Spells: 

We got one new spell, Natural Collaboration.  It's a pet heal (lol).  It's a long duration buff that gives our pet a heal over time (~2.5k/tick) with a base of 4 ticks (extended to ~40seconds) every time we land a killing blow.  The chance of the HoT firing is decreased on mobs under level 90.  I was seeing high (90%) proc rates soloing mobs in the 80-85 level range.  It's not very good, but being a long duration buff you only give up a buff slot by using it.

Shared Brutal Ferocity - I guess it's a new spell line, but doesn't do anything special other than cast on an entire group.  It is not MGB-able and has the same duration/recast/stats as the single target version.  It's a big hassle saver, people will probably love it.

Savage Fury - a direct upgrade to Empathic Fury.  I mention this because not only is it a rare upgrade, the targetting issues have been fixed AND it will now go to the short duration window.

Bestial Rending - a direct upgrade to Bestial Vivisection.  I only mention this spell because like Savage Fury this also goes to the short duration window so we can do away with our /blockspell hotkey nonsense.

Kolos' Fury - direct upgrade to Nature's Fury.  Really surprised this is in here.  On a related, and less surprising note, expect a "fix" (nerf) to NF/KF sometime this year.  Why we're getting an upgrade I don't know.

All other spells are stock upgrades with nothing exciting.


Our warder got a very substantial DPS upgrade.  The 93 warder does about 50% more dps then the 88 version.  The tanking upgrade isn't as big, but it can offtank fine in lower tiers (I didn't try high level zones).


AAs:  There's a new system for progression using the Alarian Language skill.  Class AAs will be locked behind a certain amount of this skill so you'll have to do some progression and not just grind to earn them.

Our launch AAs aren't all we're getting, there's several standard uprgades left out that will be coming in the December patch.  Other stuff is coming too, but it isn't on Beta yet so we don't know specifically what he'll add.

Playing Possum - new rank with 90% success rate.  We also got hastened AAs to bring the reuse to 20 seconds.

Frenzy of Spirit - new rank with hundred hands effect of 20. 

Bestial Alignment - new rank with damage mod of 150%.

Protection of the Warder - new ranks, highest gives 15% vie with 54k damage cap.  It's finally better than cleric vie.

Warder's Gift - new ranks, highest is 35k heal.  Also hastened AAs to bring the reuse to 2 1/2 minutes. 

All of our deagro AAs got upgrades.

Nature's Salve - new ranks, highest now also has 12 counters of corruption cure.

Cheetah's Pounce - new AA that shoots you forward a long distance.  It's just like netherstep/hatestep/whatever those other AAs are called that shoot you forward.  It doesn't "do" anything other than make you get places faster, faceplant into geometry, and get reported for warping.

Bloodlust - new AA that gives you 100% procrate for 18 seconds (base).  It does not have a deagro modifier like the ranger version.  It makes potentially viable as a burst agro ability if you're using agro proc weapons.

Hastened companion's sacrifice bringing the reuse down to 14 minutes.


I'm sure I left stuff out because I did this on the fly so throw in anything I forgot other beta people.

edit: Vidyne is right, we do finally get a passive AA to give us some flurry chance.

I forgot some other things.  Focused Paragon now has 1.0s cast time (he wouldn't do .5).  We asked for the runspeed removal on Pact of the Wurine (this was after every other request dealing with it got shot down) so that we don't lose dps for every snare/root we encounter.  The runspeed is so small and less than any other runspeed buff it was a general consensus to be worth giving it up.

[Nusa]

Class AA are locked behind the language?  I never really noticed that, care to elaborate?  We can't buy any class AA until we learn the expansion's language?

Exactly right. "Knowledge of Alaran Culture" is now visible as a requirement on all VoA ranks of class AA's. You didn't notice because you likely didn't to buy AA during the week language was being tested. In earlier beta language wasn't required and in later beta language was getting in the way of other testing so 100 skill was handed to you when you zoned. In fact, briefly all VoA AA required language, but that was changed to just Class AA after feedback.

[Mordeb42]

Just hitting some highlights.

UI: EVERY custom UI will break. Some of them will have upgrades at launch time -- many UI authors are in beta too. UI changes are massive and mostly positive. We've gone to 4 hot-bars of 10 buttons to 10 hot-bars of 12 buttons. They're re-sizable like bags are now, and have a confusing number of features, including being able to put custom labels on buttons. Clickies now work INSIDE bags, can be on hotbuttons, and have visible cool-down timers! The Spell-bar is resizable too.

Can macros be longer than 5 lines now?  Have they modified the macro engine much with the hotbar revamp?

[Nusa]

Just hitting some highlights.

UI: EVERY custom UI will break. Some of them will have upgrades at launch time -- many UI authors are in beta too. UI changes are massive and mostly positive. We've gone to 4 hot-bars of 10 buttons to 10 hot-bars of 12 buttons. They're re-sizable like bags are now, and have a confusing number of features, including being able to put custom labels on buttons. Clickies now work INSIDE bags, can be on hotbuttons, and have visible cool-down timers! The Spell-bar is resizable too.

Can macros be longer than 5 lines now?  Have they modified the macro engine much with the hotbar revamp?

No. There's still the 120 social limit too, which is where all user-macros reside.

[Nusa]

Raiding Progression: it's basically a raiding experience bar for VoA for flagging, everyone in the raid gets experience.

Being on three T1 raids gets you flagged for T2 raids. Being on 9 T2 raids gets you flagged for T3 raids. etc.

Being gimped (85/15) into a higher-level raid earns you double (one level difference) or triple experience (two or more) over your current flag level. This is your backflag method, and its entirely possible for someone to become flagged without ever seeing a lower tier raid.

Only those who request raids have to have actually done every lower raid or the quests/missions for that zone.

Language requirements apply to those who request, but not to raiders. However, you can probably forget about useful audio triggers without knowing the language....the mobs will be yelling in Alaran.

That's the basics...don't worry about it if you aren't in a VoA capable raiding guild.

[Nusa]

There will be no new type 3's for spells/discs at launch. They'll come later, probably in December.

[Nusa]

Rasper is back this expansion: http://home.comcast.net/~mathadon/Guides/VoA/index.html

[Vidyne]

Hrm,  I'll have to actually parse it then.  It looked like about a 30% increase to me, but that was in generic solo encounters.  Nice to see it getting a decent upgrade even after the catchup upgrade of HoT.

88 pet was a 115% upgrade in max hit compared to 83 pet
93 pet is a 40% upgrade in max hit compared to 88 pet

Currently parsing dps.

[Hzath]

With unbuffed unfocused pets fighting a level 95 test dummy from the front (so defensives could be parsed simultaneously) here's what I got using medium length (2-5hour) parses

Here's offensive and defensive data for the 88 warder.  All pet AAs, no buffs, no pet focus.

Hzath`s warder -vs- Test Ninety Five: -- DMG: 2786305 -- DPS: 313 -- Scaled: 313 -- Hit: 2704012 -- Bash: 82293 -- Non-crit rate: 76.6% -- crit rate: 23.4% -- Attempts: 13543 -- Hits: 8043 -- Missed: 3585 -- Defended: 1915 -- Accuracy: 69.2% -- Avg Hit: 346 -- Max hit: 599 -- DMG to PC: 4217755

Tanking summary for: Hzath`s warder --- Total damage: 4217755 --- Avg hit: 569 --- Swings: 15435 --- Defended: 4360 (28.2%) --- Hit: 7411 (48%) --- Missed: 3664 (23.7%) --- Accuracy: 66.9% --- Dodged: 777 (6.6%) --- Parried: 853 (6.3%) --- Blocked: 1811 (11.7%) --- Riposted: 919 (7.2%) --- Absorbed: 0 (0%)


Here's the post tuning 93 warder with all AAs, no buffs, no focus.

Hzathz`s warder -vs- Test Ninety Five: -- DMG: 5796428 -- DPS: 464 -- Scaled: 464 -- Claw: 5630884 -- Bash: 165544 -- Non-crit rate: 77% -- crit rate: 23% -- Attempts: 19161 -- Hits: 11757 -- Missed: 4730 -- Defended: 2674 -- Accuracy: 71.3% -- Avg Hit: 493 -- Max hit: 835 -- DMG to PC: 5736589

Tanking summary for: Hzathz`s warder --- Total damage: 5736589 --- Avg hit: 561 --- Swings: 21786 --- Defended: 6382 (29.3%) --- Hit: 10222 (46.9%) --- Missed: 5182 (23.8%) --- Accuracy: 66.4% --- Dodged: 1121 (6.8%) --- Parried: 1241 (6.5%) --- Blocked: 2685 (12.3%) --- Riposted: 1335 (7.5%) --- Absorbed: 0 (0%)

[Vidyne]

88 vs 93 I had a 44.4% increase in dps, while 39% increase in max hit

I put the 88 pet vs a level 90 mob and the 93 pet vs a level 95 mob though.  The only buff I applied was Pet haste, no focus, no other buffs.  I can redo later without pet haste.
4% is not a huge difference though, as yours looks to be 48% increase.

The 88 pet will not do as well vs a 95 mob because of the con difference.  Putting it against the 90 mob is more fitting for the era, but all tests are going to have issues.

However 44-48% is better than 25%.  We can't get the 100+% every expansion unfortunately

My apologies for not parsing the first go round.

There was also an AA that gave a chance to flurry passively on our normal attacks.  Not sure if it will make launch.

[Karve]

wow, we got loved again?