Why keep changing loot for lower lvl mobs instead of EPIC lvl mobs?

[Melamp]

<DIV>The reason I loved everquest so much and played it for many years was I loved the uber loot mentality.</DIV> <DIV>That mentality is that you get a guild of ppl like yourself that want to invest heavy amount of time playing the game and the reward for that is great items.</DIV> <DIV>I've not played eq1 in over a year but I still go to sites like <A href="http://www.townrebels.org" target=_blank>www.townrebels.org</A> and look at things there are to do in that game and what my character could have if i invested the time into it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I played SWG I should have known then how SOE will begin making their games. Me and other friends started playing it from launch...we lvled up fast I was the first master CM and we enjoyed the pvp aspect..there wasn't much to do kill a krayt dragon get some scales make better things..not too shabby</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But the game was made opposite of EQ...it based everything on player created items..there was no reward for hard work. I mastered carbineer to compliment my CM skills...but crafters were in control of how good my character can be...If i want a great suit of armor then I have to buy it from someone who made it in factory and it's Identical to the previous 30 sets he's sold that day. It was a game of just getting crafted stuff like everyone else and making the most of it....couldn't stand that.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So along came EQ2...was thinking great eq with better graphics, plus everyone starts at lvl 1 so I would start out equal to everyone and my hard work above others would be noticed.</DIV> <DIV>well in the early lvls it's much like that you group do quest get nice rewards...Heritage quests in the game are some of the best items, Gebs,Jboots,EBBC,manastone...or your group can kill some named mobs and get decent stuff.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But then we hit high lvls and we look forward to the big stuff...So here I was busting my [FAAR-NERFED!] off got to lvl 50...in a guild with like minded ppl that worked their [Removed for Content] off to get to lvl 50 and do the high end stuff.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So there we are doing it...getting a couple dozen ppl organized and focused and defeating lvl 53^^^ grpx4 mobs consistantly...getting spawn times locked down..</DIV> <DIV>we were doing great but the problem was...LOOT...maybe every 3rd kill we would get something we though was great...then you put in 4 new instanced zones...we thought this would be even more chances to get the guild all equipted with HIGH END loot. Well these new zones are the same...maybe after killing the guy a few times you get something nice..Cap of Discords and rare resources will only take a guild so far when they are expecting uber loot.</DIV> <DIV>well due to this my guild looked at itself and wondered why they played as many hours as we do for lil to no reward for hard effort...and our morale was low...but was were the final nails in the coffin were hearing of some of the uber loot lower lvls characters were getting.</DIV> <DIV>A lvl 38 got a sensor with mana regen..or a 46 lvl getting another uber loot from the same lvl mobs.</DIV> <DIV>Ancient spells in Eqlive should equate to master spells in eq2..but they don't we take 24 ppl to kill one mobe and we consistantly got lvl 42-46 adept one spells, yet a 6 man grp can be xping and get a master lvl spell..I got a pair of high stat...46hp 45power pants which are the best stats..better then pristine ebon (since we love only getting resources from a mob) pants. I didn't get that from Killing Vaz'gok the cursed or sol fist or your new epic zones..I got that from a named lvl 48 mob killing it with 5 ppl. Got a 12 wis 40power earring..not from those high end mobs but from a solo lvl 48 mob.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So as of this past week the guild Legacy on Neriak as all quit playing to play another game. Im not going to go to that game but I'm not staying on this one either.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I saw the new test message and thought hey maybe there be a change for the better and I can get on our guild's website and tell the guys about..perhaps getting them to come back here and try it out..since we all started on day one then our billing cycles won't end till about the 10th of next month.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I read through the changes and although your are adding another lvl 50 instanced zone...there is no message of an increase in loot for those type mobs..but message for increasing loot for 1grp doable mobs.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You know if the Kobold King dropped a Cloak of flames I doubt many ppl would get together to kill naggy.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Just last night I was reading the <A href="http://www.fohguild.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13940" target=_blank>http://www.fohguild.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13940</A> thread and thought..I emersed myself so deep in eq1 trying to be the best that I remember this kinda stuff from years ago..yet this game it's impossible to feel that way about killing stuff like naggy/vox and fear because there's no real reason to..why do the SBD quest when you can just havest a rock node or kill a named mob and get a rare and make and have a crafter make an ebon leafblade or have another crafter make a set of ebon armor because even with raiding all the grpx4 mobs..and doing the epic instance zones 7 times a week there is no way you will be able to get a suite of amor because equiptment drops are rare when/if they do exist..and as far as having the best spell...I have my highest single master ward spell (defining spell of my priest class) did I get that from being only one or two mystics that were on an epic raid that took 24 ppl..no i got it a long time ago killing a mob for xp.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Please fix your loot to reward a collective effort of hard work....not just the casual player that logs in an hour or 2 every couple days.</DIV>

[Rendakor]

Amen to this, I busted my [FAAR-NERFED!] to get to level 50, first of my class on my server, was in a great guild, raiding nonstop, and...for what? All the gear i'm using i found xping, nothing from raid mobs.Fix the high end, give us a REASON to get to level 50.

[SinR]

i find it odd that low level NPCs drop stuff thats like X levels too high for me to use (like... lets suppose a lvl 10 mite in Antonica drops... a woven cordovan shoulderpad set that I cant wear until im like lvl 13 or so) but some higher level mobs (named included) drop stuff thats intended for someone thats X levels below the level of the mob you kill (like, the other day I killed the orc captain that's Group x2. this was before the patch where they dropped rare stuff, and i got this crappy axe thats like lvl 15 usable, peaks at lvl 19)make the drop tables more in-line with the level of the encounter for EVERYONE. i dont want to use a lvl 10 weapon when im lvl 23.

[A]

simple, 0.001 percent of the player population is at level 50.The best loot drops aren't on the plane of fear or Lavastorm or permafrost...I sympathize with you. I think they will change it. They will have to...maybe it's just their way of putting you in a holding pattern till some of the player population catches up. Do remember that one of the biggest knocks on EQ1 was powerplayers and powerguilds camping loot spawns 24/7 (and then -in some cases- turning around and selling loot items online). SOE is not catering to them...they made that error in SWG and that game is bust. At the moment, the very best loot drops, bar none, is mid-30 zones.Whether you like it or not, SOE has made a decision to cater to the casual, weekend player that is currently about level 30...that seems to be where my server level average is atm. Be that as it may, it's good business for them and should keep EQ2 one of the best and most entertaining games online. Unfortunately for you, being first to 50, first to time the epic spawns, first camp...means zilch. It wasn't promised by SOE...it was assumed by you. I don't want to sound harsh and do I think that the epics should reward better. The question is how unbalanced would the game become if epic mobs dropped GOD-like loot to you and your guild for 2 months before a fraction of the player population caught up. Should the game only reward those who spend their lives in a video game? It seems to me that SOE is trying hard to encourage players to play more conservatively (vitality system is but one example).<p>Message Edited by Aia on <span class=date_text>02-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>03:06 AM</span>

[A]

<DIV>  I am sure to get flamed, but it is the mentality of the OP and the "like minded" that ruined EQ1 and I hope it doesnt happen in EQ2.   SOE decided to cater to people like this in EQ1 that raced as fast as humanly possible to the end game then whined that there wasnt enough there.  The resulting mudflation of prices of items and item power completely changed the game mechanics.   Speaking of the Cloak of Flames you mentioned.  It was argueably one of if not the most valuable items in the original EQ.  Stats.. 9dex 9 agi 50hp and 36% haste.   Now compare that to items I have seen of late out of OOW.   I saw one just the other day with 40 to several stats and well over 300hp/mana/end.   This is exactly what happens when a design team makes the decision to cater to the uber end game crowd.   Dont get me wrong I totally agree that items must get better over time, but not exponentially.  To the OP and anyone else that plays the game with a race to the end mindset, the choice to do so is yours and thats fine.  No complaint from me over that, but at the same time dont complain to SOE because you run out of excitement.   It has been a standing point from SOE that this game is not like EQ1 in terms of raid content and was meant to be more casual in nature.  Learn to accept it and please dont ruin it for those who are playing the game for what it is.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Aaz</DIV>

[Qwindar]

I do agree that the loot needs to improve, for all toons. I'm not saying SOE has picked "favorite" crowd and will cater to them, not yet anyways, but I will say that they are honestly trying to please everybody. They have a limited resource, time, with a nearly infinite demand from players. They will focus on the majority of players first, they help out other areas of the game when they can. As far as why it's like this to begin with, well, I think that SOE thought the gear was "uber" to begin with. For example, start off small then go large, that makes people happier in the long run instead of starting off big and "nerfing" it. Give them time, they will fix it, eventually.

[Bhagpuss]

<DIV>Before release EQ2 was widely expected to be a casual-friendly game, based around single groups and small guilds and with a wide range of non-combat oriented gameplay.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>More specifically, it was not expected to be a big raid game, as the general feeling was that SOE already had a big raid game called EQ.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Lots of people came to EQ2 specifically expecting a more relaxed, less intensive environment, with no pressure to grind xp, grind levels or join large raiding guilds. In beta there were a number of posts by various developers emphasizing that EQ2 was not intended to be played in the same way as EQ1 and that trying to play it in the traditional race-to-50 style would be counter-productive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Unfortunately, when EQ2 launched it turned out to feel a lot less casual-friendly than many people had expected, and at the same time a lot of ex-EQ players chose to approach EQ2 as if it was EQ1. At the same time WoW launched and gained a fast reputation for being very casual-friendly indeed. The result was a lot of disatisfied SOE customers.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What we've seen in 2005 is a series of changes which are bringing the game back towards what many people always thought it would be. The current round of changes on Test look set to bring gameplay pretty close to waht a lot of people felt the pre-release publicity had pronised. Those changes need to be made root and branch throughout the game, but especially in the mid-game, where the grind really has become evident and where a lot of people who aren't hard-core seem to be stalling.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It must be a difficult balancing act, because the people who did rush to 50 have to be kept interested at the same time as the much larger number of people who currently see no likelihood that they will stay long enough to reach 50 must be re-invigorated. I'd certainly say that at this stage in the lifespan of the game it's the low and mid levels that need the attention, not the high end which is currently out of reach of probably 80% of the playerbase.</DIV>

[DevlDeg]

I fully agree that the moves that they are making are bringing the game more in line with EQ1. Can you blame them? How many 100's of millions of dollars did they make from that model? Remeber this is a business. Here are the priorities in the corporate business world today:1) Do ANYTHING to make that stock go up so that CEO can make $50 million on stock options.2) To do 1, make a good game but get it out ASAP so that we can achieve 1 ASAP.3) Listen to the customers and try to make them happy so that we achieve 1.4) Best return on money is to focus on customers that are in the most popular levels (I have to believe this is lvl 25 to 40 right now). Fix them, feed them carrots, and they will give you 1.

[Melamp]

<blockquote><hr>Aia wrote:nfortunately for you, being first to 50, first to time the epic spawns, first camp...means zilch. It wasn't promised by SOE...it was assumed by you. I don't want to sound harsh and do I think that the epics should reward better. The question is how unbalanced would the game become if epic mobs dropped GOD-like loot to you and your guild for 2 months before a fraction of the player population caught up. Should the game only reward those who spend their lives in a video game? It seems to me that SOE is trying hard to encourage players to play more conservatively (vitality system is but one example).<p>Message Edited by Aia on <span class=date_text>02-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>03:06 AM</span><hr></blockquote>Are you saying that ppl who work hard at the game shouldn't expect more out of it?should everyone that ever hits lvl 50 weather it be me right now or someone else 5 years from now be equipted the same?should you killing a named mob with a grp of friends 2 times a week get the same (or more) rewards than me and 4 grps of friends killing 4 epic mobs a night?

[A]

<blockquote><hr>Melampus wrote:<blockquote><hr>Aia wrote:nfortunately for you, being first to 50, first to time the epic spawns, first camp...means zilch. It wasn't promised by SOE...it was assumed by you. I don't want to sound harsh and do I think that the epics should reward better. The question is how unbalanced would the game become if epic mobs dropped GOD-like loot to you and your guild for 2 months before a fraction of the player population caught up. Should the game only reward those who spend their lives in a video game? It seems to me that SOE is trying hard to encourage players to play more conservatively (vitality system is but one example).<p>Message Edited by Aia on <span class=date_text>02-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>03:06 AM</span><hr></blockquote>Are you saying that ppl who work hard at the game shouldn't expect more out of it?should everyone that ever hits lvl 50 weather it be me right now or someone else 5 years from now be equipted the same?should you killing a named mob with a grp of friends 2 times a week get the same (or more) rewards than me and 4 grps of friends killing 4 epic mobs a night?<hr></blockquote>Actually, you ARE equipped the same...i have yet to see any level 50 that didn't have predominanly the exact same gear as the other cookie-cutter Level 50's. And no, I don't believe believe you shouldn't EXPECT more...of course you should. Whether you GET more is an assumption. No one is denying that you and your friends worked very hard to achieve what you have...and so have I. Regardless of that fact, SOE has designed the game world in a certain way. Either you can acknnowledge that fact or .....

[Ethelwo]

<DIV>A disgruntled power gamer. Go figure. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Melamp]

<blockquote><hr>Aia wrote:Actually, you ARE equipped the same...i have yet to see any level 50 that didn't have predominanly the exact same gear as the other cookie-cutter Level 50's. And no, I don't believe believe you shouldn't EXPECT more...of course you should. Whether you GET more is an assumption. No one is denying that you and your friends worked very hard to achieve what you have...and so have I. Regardless of that fact, SOE has designed the game world in a certain way. Either you can acknnowledge that fact or .....<hr></blockquote>You're correct...you're proving my pointThey ppl that are lvl 50 and raiding CAN'T equipt them selves with unique gear..because there is none dropping.They are forced to use the rares that drop and spend 2-3 hours a day harvesting to get a rare so that CRAFTERs can provide them with equipment.which means a crafter that goes and harvestes his own stuff and gets rares..or a small grp of ppl that kill a named mob that takes less than 6ppl to kill are equipted the same as ppl killing dragons and everything else.Maybe you are correct...maybe I did assume that this game had something to offer for adventures..not just crafters.So hitting lvl 50 and getting your rare havested armor is about as good as the game is gonna get for a player, no need in killing epic lvl mobs as it'll drop the same stuff as a 1 grpable mob 8 lvls ago.Is this the mindset?

[Melamp]

OkJust read this on another forum...posted byCaoLead Designer"Thanks for the feedback. To answer your question about what a duo should kill: Whatever they'd like to try. Previously, we had strict ideas about the challenges and rewards offered by different play styles. We've relaxed or removed most of those constraints. <b> Now, the challenge itself should determine the reward. Tougher stuff will give greater rewards.<b> Easier stuff will give less rewards. Stuff that doesn't really challenge you will provide little or no reward. Go out and there and see what kind of trouble you can get yourself into Let us know how it goes.

[A]

Metampus, There's no denying that high level content/loot is lacking. We know that. But what do you expect? After level 50, what is there? We don't really know yet...perhaps the developers have their ideas but until an expansion that allows 50's to progress to 60 or 75, I highly doubt anything will change. Take your example...harvesting for rubies in tier 5 zone for what? As a templar, I could use it for Greater Restoration but since my skill is capped much earlier than i could normally master a spell...why should I? For example, Restoration Adept 3 - Tier 4 heals for 790 while Greater Restoration - Tier 5 at adept 3 heals 954. A nominal increase - hardly worth a ruby rare UNLESS the levels are extended past 50. They will be and when they are you'll be much better prepared than most. Harldy much consolation but...Again, I too have killed epic mobs only to be tremendously disappointed by the loot drop as you have, obviously. Oh, and your quote is out-of-context. The developer is referring only to solo, duo and small groups. Not epic raid mobs. Quite a difference, wouldn't you think?

[Melamp]

Aia,1) The dev was talking about different play styles...solo..duo..grp..raid..are all diff play stylesYou say there is no denying that the high end is loot is lacking. Thanks..but I never knew mid lvls were complaining enough that there wasn't much loot for them..but SOE is changing to make there more loot at the lvl..as oppose to where the real problem is.And yes upgradeing your heal spells are most important if you are doing Epic lvl mobs..especially as a healer...Now, I'll give you this, grp buffs are not worth upgrading..you can take some str giving spells only give a 2-4 point stat increase from app 2 to adept 3.But as a cleric your heals and reactives will scale nice from adept 1 to adept 3As I said the Main way right now for a high end player to upgrade themselves is by doing things in a grp or solo as the epic raid do not provide this efficiently.I personally don't particularly care if the next expansion raises lvls. AA's would be nice..new spells going back to the early lvls up would be nice. But most of all I want content related to my level that has a reward that is based on challenge.

[Kwoung]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Melampus wrote:<BR> <DIV>So along came EQ2...was thinking great eq with better graphics, plus everyone starts at lvl 1 so I would start out equal to everyone and my hard work above others would be noticed. <HR> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV>That was your mistake. Prior to launch, SOE made it very clear on a number of occasions that EQ2 was *not* EQ with better graphics.. it was an entirely different game targetted at an entirely different market. They made it very clear that EQ was their raid game and they had no plans of changing or competing with that, and EQ2 was their game for more casual players. Coming to EQ2 and expecting it to be an updated EQ, was just a plain lack of research on a lot of peoples parts.</DIV><p>Message Edited by Kwoung on <span class=date_text>02-28-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:36 AM</span>

[Melamp]

<blockquote><hr>Kwoung wrote:<DIV>That was your mistake. Prior to launch, SOE made it very clear on a number of occasions that EQ2 was *not* EQ with better graphics.. it was an entirely different game targetted at an entirely different market. They made it very clear that EQ was their raid game and they had no plans of changing or competing with that, and EQ2 was their game for more casual players. Coming to EQ2 and expecting it to be an updated EQ, was just a plain lack of research on a lot of peoples parts.</DIV><p>Message Edited by Kwoung on <span class=date_text>02-28-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:36 AM</span><hr></blockquote>Could you link this information..or quote it from somewhere...k thx

[Kwoung]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Melampus wrote:<BR><BR>Could you link this information..or quote it from somewhere...k thx<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Well, since the original EQ2 boards were wiped with release, thats pretty hard. However, the Game FAQ touches on it by saying EQ2 is not an expansion of EQ, it is a new and different game experience and it exists as a parallel storyline driven game to its EQ counterpart, all of which are pretty good hints still, that this isn't EQ. </P> <P><A href="http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/faq.vm#Expanded%20FAQ" target=_blank>http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/faq.vm#Expanded%20FAQ</A></P>

[Melamp]

Well, this touches on it as well<A HREF = "http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=glass&message.id=4999&highlight=power+gamer#M4999/ target=_blank></A><p>Message Edited by Melampus on <span class=date_text>02-28-2005</span> <span class=time_text>01:41 PM</span>

[Kwoung]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Melampus wrote:<BR>Well, this touches on it as well <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV>You are correct, it does... Moorgard states the game was made for "everyone". Which to me means, not a hardcore raid game like EQ, but a game that appeals to a much broader audience and allows all players to experience the game regardless of preferred playstyle. Expect loot and encounters to reflect that, and not be as varied between normal and raid play like it was in EQ.</DIV>

[Melamp]

<blockquote><hr>Kwoung wrote:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE><HR>Melampus wrote:<BR>Well, this touches on it as well<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV>You are correct, it does... Moorgard states the game was made for "everyone". Which to me means, not a hardcore raid game like EQ, but a game that appeals to a much broader audience and allows all players to experience the game regardless of preferred playstyle. Expect loot and encounters to reflect that, and not be as varied between normal and raid play like it was in EQ.</DIV><hr></blockquote>hmm, Im not understanding you completely, when he says made for "Everyone" I take that as solo lvl 12 - grpped lvl 30's - raid size lvl 50's. Is this not a correct assumption of everyone?I absolutely wholeheartedly think that a duo grp should be able to obtain rewards, and those rewards should be better than a mob that one person instead of two should get. and a mob that takes a grp as opposed to 2 ppl should scale as well..but do you not agree that that a mob that takes 24 ppl to kill instead of 2 should have a better reward?

[antigravi]

<DIV>I been saying this for  a month, sony dos'nt care about the people who lead the game, Us the lvl 50's.  We are like the senior's in high school and everyone else is just noobs to us. We worked hard to do heritage quest and grind to lvl 50. Then post what we know to help the lil guys. We kill very very hard monsters that kill us a few times before we win and what do we get for our effort>? nothing I have seen nothing drop that a lvl 50 can wear at all. This must be changed and i see more and more Big guilds complaining about this. If this keeps up those senior guilds are gonna leave and noobies lvl 30-40's will follow because thats what followers do. Keep us happy if you want a successful game and Put us some real Loot for our effort in game!!!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>antigravity</DIV><p>Message Edited by antigravity on <span class=date_text>02-28-2005</span> <span class=time_text>02:58 PM</span>

[Big Da]

<DIV>I hope the above post was meant to be a slightly odd joke. If you rush to the limit of a game, of course it may be the case, for now, that you can not go any further. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If the power gamers are allowed to lead the game then it may not suit the casual players Sony wanted to attract.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Casual players are all going to kill the monsters the power gamers are killing at the moment; they are just taking their time at getting there.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It seems to me if Sony did add new items and content for the power gamers they would spend every free second getting it all, then complain again because they have nothing to do.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Give it a few months and we will all have some level 50 characters! Sony will have to do something then! :smileyhappy:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[A]

<DIV> Along the lines of my previous post, I think SOE may have made a calculated choice on this matter to affect future gameplay.   I do believe that exponentially inflated items is what made EQ1 the mess it is today as far as the difference between casual/power gamers.  Perhaps SOE has decided to keep that difference to a minimum in EQ2.  Also you guys at 50 obviously are already able to defeat the toughest encounters currently in the game, so having them drop super uber drops will only accomplish two things imho.  1) After a time completely trivialize the current content to where you can walk in and farm it all day long without thinking twice.  Something I am sure the devs dont want.  2)  Make the upcoming expansion a cake walk for these people.  Again something they dont want.   The later was also a big problem for SOE while making EQ1 expansions.  How do you balance the majority of content for the majority of players that are average lvl with average gear versus the top 5-10% that had gear that made all but the final zone of a new expansion trivial...   I am not sure what all the answers should be, but making the rift between those with huge amounts of time and those without as large as it is in EQ1 is something, again imho, that should be avoided.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Aaz</DIV>

[Namil]

<DIV>Had I known that EQ2 was intended to be this sissy, namby pamby, you all get trophies cause your all winners type of game. I may have chosen differently. At least thats how some of you make it sound.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>However, Many many people came from EQ1 not knowing or expecting the above kind of game that many of you say it is. I for one hope that this is not intended.  Guess only time will tell.</DIV>

[A]

<DIV> <DIV>Namilla:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Had I known that EQ2 was intended to be this sissy, namby pamby, you all get trophies cause your all winners type of game. I may have chosen differently. At least thats how some of you make it sound.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>However, Many many people came from EQ1 not knowing or expecting the above kind of game that many of you say it is. I for one hope that this is not intended.  Guess only time will tell.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>  I would assume this was meant for me.  Just so you know I was in a highend guild in eq1, played since release in march of 99.   I know exactly what happens when devs go the route you want them too.  It really began with SoV.  Progress through content, sit in ToV.  Then when all upper end guilds had done this it changed with SoL.  Fly through content, sit in VT.  Fly through content, sit in PoT.  Went slower with GoD since it was such a mess but basically the same thing just a little slower getting to Tacvi.  Fly through content, sit in Anguish.  And Im sure it wont be long till some guilds are sitting in whatever zone is end game for DoN.   This is my point, SOE catered to us highend gamers and the 90% of the game between the end zones were lost.  I finally got tired of it and so far have found eq2 to be a much better game in design and content.  Maybe I would have thought better of eq1s content had I taken the time to play it...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Aaz</DIV></DIV>

[Big Da]

<DIV>There should be some unique items reserved for the exceptional players, the problem with this is that playing a lot does not make you a good player it makes you a persistent one.<BR> <BR>The worst of players can reach level 50 quickly if he/she spends all day trying. Reaching level 50 ties directly in to how long you play the game not how well you play the game.</DIV> <DIV>Rewarding the best players and rewarding the power gamers may not always be the same thing.</DIV> <DIV>The first to defeat a new raid mob should get a unique reward; this does not mean the raid mob should be level 50 however. This would only reward people for having a lot of free time.</DIV> <DIV>Catering for level 50 players and catering for skilled players are different topics.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Nuvi]

<DIV>i do agree both need 2 be worked on,but asking why changing loot for lower level mobs i just dont get,most of the players XP off those lower level mobs your talking about not the high level,so both should be focused on.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Davish_Darkwolf]

<DIV>Amen!!!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Hope they increase loot quantity and quality at end levels.   Also i miss Epic class specific armor (perhaps even with different looking items like helms and weapons)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Im not against better loot on low level groups, but give the high end playing some high-end goals to achieve.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>And i hope if they introduce some good loot for high levels, its NOT limited to people having expansions only.</DIV>

[Dazzler_Twodir]

<DIV>Why the big focus on level 50?</DIV> <DIV>You're only a quarter way thru the level cap of 200 the game is suppossed to have.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you got everything you wanted at 50 what would be left to get at 200?</DIV>

[Lancealittle]

<DIV>I think unique loot needs to be on the epic mobs. Not just the level 50 ones either. Raiding is not that same as EQ1, but it can still be a fun thing to do.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't know how much more video memory they can put in for new skins, but even if I don't do the raids myself, I like to say 'wow' when I see a new look.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The loot does not even need to be better than a piece of armor crafted from rare resource. It would give options for raid guilds and group players.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'd like to see it go back to 'no drop' items for raid mobs too. If you do the work, you get the reward. I don't want to see a Helm of Vox on a broker.</DIV>

[Melamp]

Yes LancealittleAll epic lvl mobs should drop something unique...I just said 50 because that's what I kill and I don't remember things in the lower lvls that took 24 ppl to kill.But it should be better than crafted...If not then why try to organize a lot of ppl and take many deaths to learn how to defeat an encounter...and what since of pride do you get from wearing something that not only took 24 ppl to kill but also you beat out 23 ppl to win the item.Crafted armor should be a viable option when wearing armor...rare crafted armor should be really nice..but don't make crafted items the end all be all of the game...other wise instead of seeing guilds getting together to kill a dragon they will all get together and harvest.But then again if they did do that you wouldn't have a reason to kill a dragonand for the person that wrote:Also you guys at 50 obviously are already able to defeat the toughest encounters currently in the game, so having them drop super uber drops will only accomplish two things imho. 1) After a time completely trivialize the current content to where you can walk in and farm it all day long without thinking twice. Something I am sure the devs dont want. 2) Make the upcoming expansion a cake walk for these people. Again something they dont want. Doesn't all drops do this?if you can defeat the encounter which you obviously did to get the chest drop...then getting loot from it that is an upgrade will only make you beat it easier next time..this doesn't go for lvl 50s it goes for all levels....and probably even more so at the lower end where they are increasing mob drops.If it takes 24 lvl 50's to kill a lvl 53^^^ mob then it will be the same encounter next time..where as a grp of 6 lvl 30's killing a mob may be a grp of lvl 31's next time they kill a mob

[Mezrin_Kort]

<DIV>I agree that the end game mobs (if there are any) need to be populated with loot.  That's only fair right?  They are there to be killed, they should have some goodies on them.  But the individuals at this level make up a ver usmall minority of hte game, and if SOE devotes the majority of their resources to this crowd then they will have fallen into the same trap which devastated EQ1 - bowing to the vocal MINORITY.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Let's hope the EQ2 team doesn't make the same mistake.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I do feel for you power gamers that are level 50 and yet are TS level 3-4.  You've missed a large portion of the game in terms of TSkills and quests and fun.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Being first to level 50 and a nickel will buy you a gum ball - FYI.  What did you expect?  Did you think SOE was kidding when they said EQ2 wasn't a raiding game and there wasn't an end game yet?</DIV>

[Jaffa Tamarin]

<DIV>Powergamers whining that they can't get their uber-loot fix should go back to playing EQ1 and leave EQ2 for those of us who realise that the fun is in the journey, not in sprinting through just to be first to get to some arbitrary destination.</DIV>

[Evyn]

Mezrin_Kortex said:"I do feel for you power gamers that are level 50 and yet are TS level 3-4. You've missed a large portion of the game in terms of TSkills and quests and fun"Just had to chime in here - Tradeskills are the antithesis of "fun" for many people. Unless by "fun" you mean poking yourself in the eye with a rusty knife =p

[Melamp]

<blockquote><hr>Mezrin_Kortex wrote:Being first to level 50 and a nickel will buy you a gum ball - FYI. What did you expect? Did you think SOE was kidding when they said EQ2 wasn't a raiding game and there wasn't an end game yet?</DIV><hr></blockquote>Where is this written? Who has said this.If you want I can quote many devs who say the game is built for ALL play styles...not the casual player that remains lvl 32 for 8 weeks..EVERYBODY.I do tradeskill...it's not fun...very boring....can't stand it...but when I determine to do something I don't lolley gag around with it.