Developers: is this the experience you want for players?

[Fusionstrike]

An open letter to PL developers:

I wanted to share my recent experience with PL and find out how it strikes you. Here's my story.

I started working on Nuri's Hollows when I hit level 57. I thought I'd try to craft for myself a demonic set through determined application of time and effort. So, I played exclusively in Nuri's from 57 all the way until I recently hit 61. Every single run I did bosses and mini bosses, never wanting to pass up the chance to get a legendary drop or rare crafting component. I wanted to craft the set for myself rather than waiting for someone else to do it and buying it. I figured it would be a good challenge to do it myself.

As of now, I have earned a little less than half the crafting components and recipes I need. But the big thing is I have earned zero of the legendary items (helm, plate, etc) I need. In fact, I've only ever seen a single legendary item drop, and it went to someone else. So I have to wonder, is this really what you want the experience to be like? I played for the equivalent of 13 levels (grind from 60 to 61 is effectively 10 levels) and I literally never got a single item I needed. And I didn't pass up a single drop chance along the way either.

Now I realize someone's going to say "well you're just unlucky" or "I know player x who got 20 drops" or other comments of that nature. It's true that my story is anecdotal, and maybe it is unusually unlucky. I guess only someone with access to the drop rate code could answer that. But my point here is, it doesn't matter what happened to others. This is how it happened for *me*, so it's the only experience I'll ever have. Sure, I can go buy what I need from the store. But I have to wonder, how do *those* people get the items that they're selling? If people were counting on me to supply the items for sale, they'd literally never get what they want, because even if I played forever at this rate, there'd still be zero for me to sell.

So I go back to my original question: is this the experience the developers are hoping for? I'm a pretty patient, determined player and I don't get discouraged easily. But it's hard not to walk away discouraged from this experience. I did everything I could do and still came up empty. Not "a little bit short" or "need to try a little harder" but completely shut out. I understand the value of having difficult challenges to achieve in a game, but I really think there needs to be some reevaluation here. Players really ought to get something if they try hard enough, and apparently the drop rate is so low that it's possible never to get anything at all. I know because I just proved it.

[AbsolutePally]

Im sorry to hear that and ive heard this before. Nuris was not nearly as generous as sewers was for me. I did get pinks but mainly when they dramatically decreased in value.
Well hopefully this cheers you up and gives you something to look forward to. Mt Fang is coming, and you may just be the luckiest son of a squirrel with its drop rates. Everything comes and goes.

[Cahaun]

One significant thing I noticed since AO3 is that the mobs are alot harder! There seems to be fewer drops now and I got whacked to death by a single broom! Fanstasia all over again.

[Yvonnel]

I understand your frustration. Try leveling 2 toons from 56 to 61. I got 3 Glyph Drops total. But I take that as they are Legendary drops. They are supposed to be extremely rare. A lot of the people you see who seem to have these items all of the time are merchant's who buy them from others to resell. I think people sometimes forget, there are a lot of people (and I mean a lot, onetime heard the millions number stated by the devs) that play pocket legends. And to see the relatively small number of items listed in cs, I would say they are rare like they are supposed to be.

Tapatalk'd from my PowerWashed Fascinate

[nmyxspaceship]

I do miss ao3 days. Not to complain but items and levels being harder to farm and requiring days and days of farming has made it hard to sit down and play. Now with school and basketball I dont have much time to play it so I never get the new end game set like demonic or strongman until 2 map releases later when its dropped 200k.

[modredd]

From Lvl 60-61 I didn't see one Glyhp,Over 100,000 exp?
Its not fun and I value your honest insight!

[Roc]

I ended up buying my entire set by selling old gear and tapping into my piggy bank I wish I was lucky, but instead I just saved and saved and saved until I got a nest egg that I could use to buy some gear. There's no way I could afford Demonic but the only situation in which I'd attempt to get it were if that was the final, final endgame set

[modredd]

I think there is a difference between the number of downloads and Facebook likes vs people that play often.
I have to choose my words or the troll and flame police will be all over me.
No one can argue the drop rate gets lower and lower with every update,Thats why for the Sewers seeing a million was not uncommon and for Nuri it got up to four - six.

[Cascade]

It is only 10 lvls from 60-61?

[Gluttony]

It is only 10 lvls from 60-61?

I think it's less actually since to 61 is 100,590xp which will become 10,059xp after the update and level 62 will be more than that. I think the estimation is only valid if one uses it under the pretense that you're repeating level 60 ten times over.

On topic: I also leveled from 60 to 61 without seeing a craftable glyph drop, which is one aspect of this thread, but another issue is that I didn't receive one glyph steel or para leather that I would need to craft the Avian demonic set. Those items are not even legendary drops, but are uncommon drops and I couldn't get one in over 100k xp gained. Discouraging indeed.

[NECROREAPER]

Same here, although I've gotten a few steels along the way but somehow 2 of them disappeared.

This argument can go both ways though; if they raise the drop rate people will complain the items are too common, but if they keep em low people will complain about not getting anything :/

[modredd]

I don't think it has to be all or nothing!
But we dont have a say,They only change when everyone gets in a uproar.

[arischal]

I hate to sat it but I had the complete opposite experience, I lvled from 56-61 and got every drop I need by the time I had 10k left to 61. It made the demonic set worth so much more to me. I noticed that when I play at random times during day I would get more drops. Not farming 10-12 every night, that never seems to work. Also I prefer pugs over other games as you seem to have more luck. ( BTW I have demonic wand set)

[zuesmirza]

Let me guess.. You were not using any platinum elixirs.. Thats why this happened with you... Well I'm used to of these facts...

[Elyseon]

I got 4 pinks leveling from 58 to 61 ( i dont really count 60-61 as i killed probably 10 bosses in that time) as well as a few scraps and 3 blade steels, personally jad much better luck than in sewer, when did full hideout and stronghold runs with no elixers and got 5 pinks in 83k xp compared to like 18k xp 58-60. I really miss the AO3 days however, i didnt really get to enjoy much of this solid cap, as i started only 3 months before sewers and spent much time getting all 3 classes to level 50, i received 2 decent drops in this time, and could not afford a nice AO3 set, thankfully however the shadow caves came out and i farmed (easily) 3 sets of gear. The drop rates were reduced drastically and now any drop is astounding to see. I enjoy these elite items but due to the new found elixir craze, the items are no longer truely elite, more or less an 'I spend money on the game' type item. I wish they would bring back a solid level cap, and just add some elite dungeons to it. If those drops were extremely rare many elixirs would still be bought for farming, like the shadow witch could really only be taken by elixed tanks, a 1 hit put everyone else down, also what is missing are the nice quest sets. AO3 had 4 sets the regular(rift, void, cosmos), the elite(hate, death, shadows), and 2 quested sets(crafted mystery, and cyber). Since then the caps have been reduced to a normal(quite pricey), and a crafted(extremely pricey) along with the elite vanity set, which isnt really gear. Why not give a nice quest set to those that try super hard but are just unlucky. And as new content is added on, maybe add an elite dungeon. I believe Mt Fang was originally suposed to be. Rushing new caps just make the old areas less memorable and the items dont seem as epic.

[Aikiebo]

This game, unlike other mmo's that I have played, has always promoted a sort of elitism to attract and hold players. It seems bit sad to me that the only way someone can feel happy is if they can look around and see how much more they have than others.

Instead of feeling good about ALL getting the good gear, some people actually wish for drop rates to get lowered. How awful.

If only a tiny percentage will be able to get the absolute best. A lot of people will give up cuz they get discouraged because they believe the don't have much of a chance - so why bother? If it is going to take forever to get the gear, and even if you spend forever, you still might not get it, well, then, why bother? This is unfortunealy how a lot of players will think. And they are right, at least at this time, so yeah, they figure, "why bother?".

Hopefully, with the possible upcoming changes to the drop level/looting system, maybe things will get better.

Until then, I hope everyone's luck improves.

[TANKKAAR]

Me.... 3 toons from 56 to 61 all stacked 4x combo and bigluck = 1 single drop

I feel you :-/

[Ellyidol]

This is a flaw in PL's rarity and loot system. It almost exclusively rewards luck only, nothing more nothing less. You either win big or none at all.

Out of curiosity, would you know how much gold you earned from all the time you spent to 61?

[Shellkaz]

Fusion, i totally understand how you feel. You and I are in same guild. I went 3 weeks without anything better than a green drop. Lucky lixer, nope rarely got the "reroll for better loot" on my screen. Bought big luck when it came out best I've gotten so far is 1 glyph steel. It is indeed very discouraging to grind for hours and days and not get anything that will help u craft the items.

However the consolation I took was that in the process of all that grinding, I managed to accumulate the gold I needed to buy demonic and that happened totally by accident. LOL. Not as satisfying, as crafting would have been though. I remember the feeling of accomplishment I had when I finished then mystery set for my Mage!!! It was fantastic!! Maybe that is the solution . . Quests to get the items that are needed for crafting??

At least there would be a feeling of accomplishing something, other than the Endless frustration a lot of us have right now.

[wvhills]

PL has a history of dropping lots of pinks the first week of release then adjusting the drop rate way down. I received several glyphs the first week or two but haven't gotten any in the last month. If you want to make some money and get good gear the key is to play the new maps as soon as they come out and hold onto all the pinks you get for resale later.