Suggestion - Help New players and returning players

Hi STS,
I played PL from close to the beginning and SL from the beginning. I quit playing PL after the sewers update.

Here is my suggestion to help you keep new players interested (playing up to max level) and old players returning.

1) Lower the damage slightly of all non champion/boss mobs in lower levels. (Current Max is 71, so levels 1-65 would deal less damage). I'm trying to level, not grind out end game gear. I don't want to approach a mob of 3 and get reamed because i'm an enchantress and not a bear. I take 2 hits from a ranged mob and i'm dead, (lag + gcd = fail) If you look at any other MMO on the market the lower levels are not meant to be super challenging, but a learning experience for your class and just exploration and enjoyment of the game. Sorry i don't enjoy dying in 2 hits and i'm even a wand/bracer enchantress.

2) Lower the XP needed to level for lower level mobs. (Current Max is 71, so levels 1-65 would require less xp). I need 1800+ xp to go fro 55-56. without any potions that is about 15-18 dungeons that i have to do and when i can't even get a group to finish a dungeon that makes leveling pretty ridiculous. I saw a post that it takes 39,769 xp from 1-60. Or a mere 400 complete dungeon runs assuming an average 100 mobs. This doesn't include the 60-65 levels. don't touch the highes level content, so people will still will be wanting and willing to grind and buy elixirs

3) More programming intensive change - Make all NPCs have more/less HP depending on the number of people in the dungeon. So for soloing, you can kill a mob solo as fast as you can now when you have 5 people in the group in the current game. Essentially. Take the following equation to calculation mob health (Current or Base mob health / 5 * # of People in the dungeon)

I understand you want to make money on elixirs for leveling. But for people on the go or for people that quit playing full scale computer MMOs for something lighter, this is quite the grind and that grind is not simple at lower levels. I'd be curious to see what the average damage per normal NPC is vs. Effective Health (HP/Armor) of players graphed together from 1-71. I think it think the 2 lines come together at earlier levels vs the damage being a linear line up and the effective health being belled or a gradual curve up.

I would love to play again, but it just isn't fun for me know i have to grind for hours on mobs that can roflstomp my body in a couple hits. I have a <1 year old daughter and don't have time for this or enjoy it as is. I hope AL has a better progression to it like other leading MMOs.

Thanks for reading

Bump. Thoughts?

I'll take the first stab at this...

Keep in mind that this is only my opinion, and I mean no offense.

1) STS cannot and should not lower the damage. The issue is that with suitable gear and good tactics, you can solo most boards. Granted, you will have issues killing the bosses without a group and without Thrasher elixirs, but the point of MMORPGs is the communal aspects like friends, guilds, chat, etc. This game simply isn't built so that you can solo every board. If you are having issues dying as an enchantress with a wand and bracer, then it would seem that you either have ineffective gear, are in a map that is higher/tougher than you really should be in, or your tactics need some work. Mages are not tanks! Like Birds, you have to rely on your ranged weapons (wand/staff) and AOE skills to keep the enemies away so they cannot deal massive damage. Kiting is the key! Full INT mages cannot wade into a large group and try to nuke everything and hope to survive. You have to pull individual enemies away from a mob, kite them and use your skills. If you are unhappy with your survive-ability as an INT Mage, you should respect to a Paladin with 50/50 Strength/Intelligence. This will allow you to equip better armor so that you would be more likely to survive first contact.

2) I understand how monotonous grinding can be, but, honestly, I don't think that the XP requirements are out of line. There were people making the jump from level 65 to 71 in 36-48 hours when Humania came out! Yes, they were using 4X Exp Elixirs and Thrasher Elixirs, but the point is that if your intent is to just power level, there are tools available to make it easier. STS has to straddle the line between keeping the casual gamer engaged and keeping the hardcore gamers entertained. The point of the elite level cap is that it is challenging (far more so than leveling up to the cap) and most players will not grind like that. The elite cap is simply a tool to keep the hardcores engaged by granting them special gear (i.e. Crown of Persistence) which gives them additional stat bonuses. Frankly, I spend most of my gaming time helping out others and running lower level maps where I don't get XP, and I am at level 68. I don't use Thrashers or other elixirs and I only play for an hour or two a night. If my goal was to reach level cap, I most likely could have by now. I honestly don't think that the XP requirements or unrealistic.

3) As I said in point 1, MMORPGs highlight the community aspects of the game. As such, you can always solo lower level maps with relative ease, but what is the point of soloing every map? It seems that you are looking for an easy button and are unwilling to engage with pick up groups (PUGs) or guild runs. At any point, I can login to the game, do a quick PUG run through a Humania map and be out and on my way in under 5 minutes. I have been on runs where everyone in the map is a seasoned PL veteran, has outstanding group tactics and can clear the board in 2-3 minutes. Then there are the disjointed/unbalanced groups with bears scattering the mobs all over the place, birds who keep dying and mages who never heal and an overall, general lack of cooperation. These runs take quite a bit longer.

In the end, I would strongly recommend that you embrace group runs. Join a guild, improve your tactics, improve your gear, make friends and enjoy all the other parts of the game beyond just the mindless grind of leveling. Join Player vs Player (PvP) games if you are looking for a challenge and want to improve your skills. Play Capture the Flag games. Farm lower level boards for pinks. Buy and sell equipment and chase the gold cap like all the other merchs. Ask questions, assist others and contribute to the gaming community. There is so much to the game than just reaching the level cap. If reaching the cap is your only goal, you are missing out on the greater part of the game.

I truly understand how time limited you are (I've got four kids under 6, so time is something I have only in small bursts), but engage the social aspect of the game too - it make the game so much more enjoyable than trying to solo everything and leveling up as quickly as possible. There is a whole universe of twinking, merching, tournaments, contests, etc. that make the game more than just a hack and slash affair.

They actually did 2 a while ago for PL, simply with how long it's been out and leveling was becoming a chore across the board. It was worse before, trust me.

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Originally Posted by bronislav84

They actually did 2 a while ago for PL, simply with how long it's been out and leveling was becoming a chore across the board. It was worse before, trust me.

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True. Was that the Fang expansion when the XP adjustment came about, or was it Nuri's?

It was even worse in the early days when there were no Thrasher or EXP elixirs.

Thanks for the responses.

1) I'm an int/dex mage now and t 55 i had some of the best gear available at the time for and int mage. Maybe im rusty on tactics a bit and still trying to get used to the GCD. Remember however I was only mentioning dps/xp nerfs for lower level content not the latest and greatest zone or elite zones
2) again just talking about xp for low levels. Not that i want to get to 71 in a few hours but it would be nice to get to 65 in less time then it takes them to put out a new expansion
3) i understand it is a MMO, but i dont like to get in a dungeon and have to quit or pause every 30 secs to grab my crawling baby. Sometimes its just nice to hack and slash alone. I can group when i have more time. But i thought a balancing of NPC hp would allow for people to enjoy it when they dont want to group.

I looked through my friends list and about out of the 100 people i had in it, only 10 or so were lvl 65+. I would think making the game more friendly to a larger audience would keep more people playing which = more revenue.