Its Time to Update Everfrost, Lavastorm and Rivervale

[Griffinclaw]

Okay, I do realize that this post is going to attract a TON of oppostion about how the game is to easy as it is, and cries of,"Don't Nerf it Anymore" but the following is my opinion and only my opinion.  That being said, I believe they need to update Everfrost, Lavastorm and Rivervale with Solo Timelines that cover and progress one thru the entire Zone. I Solo entirely, thats the just the way I play, and I have no problems with the fact that All Dungeons require a group.  Its just something I will never be able to experience and I'm perfectly alright with that.  However I would like to open up the 40-50 level range with a few more options for the soloing character.  At this point in the game there is very little choice in this area and the above 3 zones are rarely used except in the rare instance a group is passing thru to get to a dungeon.  I hate see these awesome outdoor zones not utilized more.  Thanks  Butternut

[nam]

I would not oppose the introduction of solo timelines in these zones...under one condition...that these involve additional solo content....and not nerfed present content. Im my view the devs have already ruined antonica, commonlands, and Nek by turning them into kiddie Disney Parks, with virtually zero challenge. If that trend continues into higher zones, then it will spell the end of the game for me. Id rather play scrabble.

[Finora]

IF they want to add solo timelines to those zones, it should definately be via NEW stuff added not old stuff nerfed to oblivion.

Believe it or not some people ENJOY grouping with one or 2 other people in these outdoor zones doing quests and things. Taking away all challenge and making everything solo mobs does NOT help the game overall. (Even Commonlands still has the occassional herioc/epic mobs, I assume there are a couple left in Antonica as well though I haven't had a newbie coming up through that area lately).

[Articulas]

These zones are so packed with mobs, you add anything solo your going to have to make concessions to take out some of the group content currently place. I'd love to see quests put into Everfrost and Lavastorm (plus a redoing of the music there) that have timelines like the ones put into Feerott. that zone is done incredibly well quest wise, and i think other zones should mirror it in number of quests. not exactly like those quests, but similar in number. as it stands right now Lavastorm and Everfrost are mostly dead unless your looking for something specific or working on an HQ. So nerfing them doesn't matter much.

[Illmarr]

There is a lot of solo content in EF. The whole canyon, most of the The whole perimiter of the Monitor/Minotaur area is solo or non-aggro Ice Maidens, In the tunnel leading the other direction the Ice Frights are all solo aside from the random Nightmares spawn, the ice golems are all easily avoidable. Spiders aren't heroic I don't think, you can easily move through the Numbfoot area and avoid aggro from Heroics if you just keep your eyes open. Aside from Terrors most of the huge basin with Tundra Jack is solo. The Ice Giant cave is all solo.

Make a solo questline involving existing creatures, please. Don't change what exists to create it though. Norrath should not be a place you can run around with a no sense of danger.

[Articulas]

Ilmaaaaah@Lucan DLere wrote:

There is a lot of solo content in EF. The whole canyon, most of the The whole perimiter of the Monitor/Minotaur area is solo or non-aggro Ice Maidens, In the tunnel leading the other direction the Ice Frights are all solo aside from the random Nightmares spawn, the ice golems are all easily avoidable. Spiders aren't heroic I don't think, you can easily move through the Numbfoot area and avoid aggro from Heroics if you just keep your eyes open. Aside from Terrors most of the huge basin with Tundra Jack is solo. The Ice Giant cave is all solo.

Make a solo questline involving existing creatures, please. Don't change what exists to create it though. Norrath should not be a place you can run around with a no sense of danger.

why shouldn't creatures change from time to time? why couldn't the giants, or some other creature take over another area? one of the weird parts about MMO's is sometimes zones get a little to stagnant when things stay the same on a consistent basis. i beleive  alot of Feerotts mobs stayed the same, so i'm sure they could do that here, but something needs to be done with quests lines in these zones. everfrost is a total yawn when it comes to game play and needs a shake up.

[Illmarr]

Articulas@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Ilmaaaaah@Lucan DLere wrote:

There is a lot of solo content in EF. The whole canyon, most of the The whole perimiter of the Monitor/Minotaur area is solo or non-aggro Ice Maidens, In the tunnel leading the other direction the Ice Frights are all solo aside from the random Nightmares spawn, the ice golems are all easily avoidable. Spiders aren't heroic I don't think, you can easily move through the Numbfoot area and avoid aggro from Heroics if you just keep your eyes open. Aside from Terrors most of the huge basin with Tundra Jack is solo. The Ice Giant cave is all solo.

Make a solo questline involving existing creatures, please. Don't change what exists to create it though. Norrath should not be a place you can run around with a no sense of danger.

why shouldn't creatures change from time to time? why couldn't the giants, or some other creature take over another area? one of the weird parts about MMO's is sometimes zones get a little to stagnant when things stay the same on a consistent basis. i beleive  alot of Feerotts mobs stayed the same, so i'm sure they could do that here, but something needs to be done with quests lines in these zones. everfrost is a total yawn when it comes to game play and needs a shake up.

Fine, let me clarify by saying the heroic/solo ratio of content should not change.

There needs to be challenge as you level up, even if the challenge is merely learning to avoid things. And I am talking about stuff all players will experience, not just tucked away in little corners and dungeons. I know that most EQ2 players that played EQ1 left either at PoP, or when EQ2 released. You people never had to deal with the reality of the skill level of the player that has never had challenge as they level. You never met a Monster Mission baby. Level 70 toon, 300 AA and had no idea how to play their class once they got out into Norrath. While not as drastic, making the overland world full of blue V mobs has the same effect. You'll get people at level 70 with zero group skills. You get it even now, but why make it easier?

[Talonmare]

There is a solo book timeline which goes through Rivervale.  It continues from the EL timeline through a couple of books (?The Leatherfoot Stocking tales?) and is generally kill XX mobs.  The first book in the chain is obtained from one of the halflings in the EL, I *think* the one who gives you the "I hate xxx" quests.

If you work through Zek and EL completely, however, you should be following the solo timelines into Feerrott next, which should take you to at least 45 when you can start the DoF / SS timelines.

 If you don't have DoF, then you really arent going to go much farther soloing.

[Drager]

ok i dont disagry with but i might even saport it if they change the zone around make it tougher. cause norath is saposed to be ever changing right so why is it these places have stayed the same since launch? i say add a few more epics give the zone a differnt flavor so higher up players can go back to these zones seemingly easy zones and go "oh [Removed for Content]" out of fear and ecitment.

[Articulas]

Mike8 wrote:

ok i dont disagry with but i might even saport it if they change the zone around make it tougher. cause norath is saposed to be ever changing right so why is it these places have stayed the same since launch? i say add a few more epics give the zone a differnt flavor so higher up players can go back to these zones seemingly easy zones and go "oh [I cannot control my vocabulary]" out of fear and ecitment.

i would definatly be up of a change in level. i'd love to see it go T7 or T8.

[Drager]

oh ya this would be something intresting to add... zone progresion lets say a zone is really low in population and people arent going there shouldent the npcs gain lvl and the zone gain dificalty.. because no one is going there and clearing them away like new nameds apear and new defense are put up i think that would be really cool.. if ant turned into a 60 zone cause no one ever went there so that means after so many raids the place would finally gget back in check? what do you think

[Guy De Alsace]

I would have agreed wholeheartedly with you until I saw what they did to Antonica. *Shudder*

No thanks.

[Crib92]

You can almost guarantee that they will nerf these overland zones after what was said at FF.  It's a given and only a matter of time.

It makes me sad as leveling up Lavastorm was seen as the place you went to as a group for a challenge.

The only criticism I had for Lava, and lots of folks did at the time, was the actual layout of the zone sucked to the point that most people hated trying to get to Sol eye or the temple.

The future of the game:

Overland zones - solo

Dungeons - heroic/raid

[Lakaah]

I like Everfrost as-is, its a nice mix of solo and heroic content. It just needs a decent questline to utilize all that solo content. Rivervale... perhaps change the western side of the map to be all solo, and add a dozen or so quests there .... then bump up the named/loot in the eastern half, which can then be treated as a level 40-45 'dungeon'. DFC and Runnyeye top out at lvl 40, CazicThule, Klakanon and Permafrost are pretty much lvl 45+, so this could fill a little gap. Lavastorm.. after putting a solo questline in Everfrost there would be more than enough in this level range. Perhaps just have a massive volcanic explosion sink the whole place to the bottom of the ocean, I doubt most of us would miss it. Adding a few passageways to make it less linear and turning it into a T7/T8 zone is also a cool idea

[Tae]

On Venekor, Everfrost and Lavastorm are utterly dead. There aren't many people at that tier and both zones offer very few quests other than irritating heritage ones. Everfrost isn't quite as bad as Lavastorm. Now people only go to Lavastorm to get the teleporter so they can get to Nagafen more easily.I find part of the problem with Lavastorm is the respawn points. One slight mistake can bring a few too many of the heroic mobs in and you find yourself having to start all over again. It makes the zone into a huge chore. Perhaps it'd be easier if there were more people at that tier, but 90% of the time it's just three people trying to claw their way through the place. Personally I'd like both zones totally revamped to be more like (for example) Steamfont. Make them useable so that Sinking Sands isn't such a deathtrap. People need to be funneled into these other zones because as it is you spend all your time in SS at that level being constantly ganked by level 59s who travel between there and The Lesser Faydark because they know nobody is ever in Everfrost/Lavastorm. Then again I'm not looking for challenge when it comes to my PvM. Overland areas shouldn't have heroic mobs, because that's what the Qs are there for. I'm looking for somewhere I can level and see the terrain, and perhaps escape the twinks for a little. It's a real shame, because both zones are really well designed considering they're original content but nobody ever sees it other than when they're rushing towards the dungeons there. Rivervale is also totally unused, but since it's at a lower tier I don't really notice it. You don't need to go there any longer anyway. Plus, I consider it a dungeon in the same way as New Tunaria is, so it being full of heroics and lacking quests is perfectly fine.

[Josgar]

Rivervale finally needs  to be cleansed and become a good starting town... with a level 1-20 starting area outside of it that leads into the t3 content outside *nods*

[Sassinak]

Rivervale's big enough to have 1-20 content inside it.  It's nearly as big as Darklight Wood.  Make Tower of the Drafling a newbie dungeon, and you have yourself a complete starting area. Here's a novel idea:  Add a "recently discovered" tunnel to Nektulos Forest at the east end of Rivervale.  People could start in Rivervale and do 1-20 there, then walk to Nektulos for 20-30, then walk to EL for 30-40.

[Kaiser Sigma]

When reading posts like the OP it's hard to blame SOE for dumbing the game down like they are. Clearly, the playerbase just wants to play an embelished version of WoW. What I will never get for the life of me is, why aren't you playing a console / PC rpg if all you want is freaking solo content.

[Drager]

 I know its terrible why dont these people just move over to WoW and save them selves the trouble so the people who want to play a group MMO will be able to with out people whining about how the game is too hard its not hard just get a group....

[Josgar]

Actually I have a better idea! Make rivervale a city. Make Enchanted lands a 1-20 zone and then add on kithicor forest as a t3 zone n_n

[Drager]

how about norath gets blown up by the US  and becomes the worlds largest mall

[Josgar]

Mike8 wrote:

how about norath gets blown up by the US  and becomes the worlds largest mall

Wah? Thats kinda political if you think about it... no politics! Anyways...

[Drager]

lol its a joke and im american anyway

[Typhonian]

Karel@Lucan DLere wrote:

When reading posts like the OP it's hard to blame SOE for dumbing the game down like they are. Clearly, the playerbase just wants to play an embelished version of WoW. What I will never get for the life of me is, why aren't you playing a console / PC rpg if all you want is freaking solo content.

Because not everyone is a willy-waving masochist like yourself?

I remember the "good old days" when you couldn't so much as step into Thundering Steppes or even the Commonlands without getting smooshed by a wandering triple-up. If that is what you call fun then you have serious problems.

The changes to Nektulos and other zones were solely needed. This is meant to be a GAME after all, you know, something that is FUN?

Lavastorm (and to a lesser extent Everfrost) need serious revamps.

[Kaiser Sigma]

Typhonian wrote:

Because not everyone is a willy-waving masochist like yourself?

If getting a group is masochism for you then I'm afraid you need some serious help irl. MMOs are supposed to be group oriented games. EQ2 is a MMORPG, there needs to be a sense of immersion. Yes, stepping on TS or Nek alone should get you slaughtered, if you run through an ominous forest you don't expect to get jumped by skeletons that can be beaten with a toothpick. You expect your [Removed for Content] life to be in danger. Get out of your anti-social cocoon and group with people; who knows...you may even like chatting with somebody for a change rather than killing mobs like a drone over and over looting corpse garbage to sell to vendors until dinner is ready. It's people like you the ones who are killing this game. Let me say this again, if you want to play a solo game *with* the option of group content go play Phantasy Star Online, Word of Warcraft or Ragnarok Online.

[Rahatmattata]

Typhonian wrote:

I remember the "good old days" when you couldn't so much as step into Thundering Steppes or even the Commonlands without getting smooshed by a wandering triple-up. If that is what you call fun then you have serious problems.

Please... back around launch I ran my 15 predator as a total noob from Antonica to Commonlands to betray and had minimal problems. I didn't even know how to get there I had to explore. Commonlands was easy to survive in, and anyway back in the "good old days" as you put it, pretty much any class could train obscene amounts of heroic encounters and be perfectly fine.

---

"I find part of the problem with Lavastorm is the respawn points. One slight mistake can bring a few too many of the heroic mobs in and you find yourself having to start all over again. It makes the zone into a huge chore. Perhaps it'd be easier if there were more people at that tier, but 90% of the time it's just three people trying to claw their way through the place."

Lavastorm was basically meant to be a zone with challenge that required a group that doesn't suck. I understand how frustrating that can be to players these days.

[Sassinak]

Karel@Lucan DLere wrote:

Get out of your anti-social cocoon and group with people;

Give me a break.  When there are 15 people in EL, 4 in Rivervale, 3 in Everfrost and 2 in Lavastorm, then who do you expect me to group with?  These zones are littered with quests; it's not reasonable to expect a group to follow me around fulfilling my quest journal. Your argument made sense when there were 40+ people in each zone.  I remember those days, and I said "just get a group" a lot in those days.  Those days are gone.  There are no highly populated zones before Sinking Sands anymore.  Guilds don't have large populations of lower level characters anymore. All of the zones prior to Sinking Sands need to be updated so that people can work on the content alone and in pairs.  Everfrost and Lavastorm are the ones in greatest need.  Rivervale could be revamped in a variety of ways.  These three zones are a waste of good artwork in their current states.

[Rahatmattata]

The zonewide nerfing heroic mobs to solo needs to stop. I play on Antonia Bayle, arguable the most populated server in the game, so all my experiences are based on playing on a server with a healthy population. If your server is so underpopulated, or your guild so small, or your network of friends so limited you can't get group conent done, that is your problem. Don't push your problem onto those of us who enjoy grouping and enjoy the various content offered by asking SOE to nerf all content to solo-able so you can get it done. SOE has given us the option to chose which ever server we wish, mentoring, a flexible looking for group tool, and looking for members tool, friend lists, worldwide chat channels, as well as guilds. If you still can't get people to help you complete group content with all these tools, that is your problem.

There seems to be this mentality going around where if you don't see tons of groups in certain areas, then it should be made solo. First of all, I see groups all the time in Lavastorm and Rivervale. Maybe they are grinding xp, doing a quest, whatever they are there. I admit these zones are not as popular as Runnyeye, Cazic-Thule, and other dungeons, but groups still utilize this content every day. There is more than enough solo content in the game right now, than any one player will ever experience unless they keep the xp locked 1-70. There is absolutly no shortage of solo content.

It seems however, heroic content is getting slimmer and slimmer as solo content saturates the game, forcing all group content into dungeons. The game needs variety. I get tired of grinding and killing the same crap for 10 levels in Runnyeye, sometimes I want to group in another place like Rivervale. It would be really fan-freakin-tastic if there were some heroics to xp/quest on in Rivervale and Lavastorm, and all these other zones that "never get used". Just because you play on a server so underpopulated you can't get a group to do anything besides Runnyeye/Cazic-Thule doesn't mean they need to game wide nerf all overland heroic content. If I am forced to go the same boring as hell dungeons every time I level an alt, while soloers have a vast world full of variety and virtually unlimited content to play in, I will be more than slightly [Removed for Content].

Lavastorm is fine. There is no need for a revamp. It is still to this day a great place for xp, a land of some core questlines of the game, and a dangerous and difficult obstacle to overcome on your way to see a legendary dragon resting deep within the core of a volcano. When in any fantasty/adventure story/lore has the adventurer's path to a dragon's lair deep in some secret location been full of solo non-aggro mobs and casual fun time quests along the way? (Oh Bilbo, while you're on your way to steal fat loots from some mythical dragon lost deep in the Midlands, would you mind slaying 10 Shire Beetles and deliver this cabbage to Nelsie?) Never. It's dangerous, and if you make it there you know you have achieved something.

Everfrost is perfectly fine in regards to mob con. You have epic, heroic, and solo all in plentiful supply. There is even a solo, heroic, and epic instance. Add more quests if you will to kill existing mobs (more quests are never a bad thing), but don't go nerfing the entire freakin zone because supposedly "noone goes there".

Rivervale is perfect the way it is. I can't think of a single thing they should change.

[Kaiser Sigma]

Sassinak wrote:

All of the zones prior to Sinking Sands need to be updated so that people can work on the content alone and in pairs.  Everfrost and Lavastorm are the ones in greatest need.  Rivervale could be revamped in a variety of ways.  These three zones are a waste of good artwork in their current states.

Give me a break. By your "logic" we may as well turn all T5 raid instances into heroic ones because you can't get 4 groups of the adecuate level to do them.

[Typhonian]

If getting a group is masochism for you then I'm afraid you need some serious help irl. MMOs are supposed to be  group oriented games. EQ2 is a MMORPG, there needs to be a sense of immersion. Yes, stepping on TS or Nek alone should  get you slaughtered, if you run through an ominous forest you don't expect to get jumped by skeletons that can be  beaten with a toothpick. You expect your [Removed for Content] life to be in danger. I also expect the game to be FUN. You know, fun, remember that concept? Getting mindlessly beaten down with spirit  shards, repair bills and xp debt isn't fun. Having to spend literally *hours* to get anywhere in a zone isn't fun for  man nor beast, apart from, as I said, willy-waving masochists like yourself. Some of us have lives, relationships and jobs, y'know - we can't spend all our time in our parent's basement. Get out of your anti-social cocoon and group with people; who knows...you may even like chatting with somebody for a  change rather than killing mobs like a drone over and over looting corpse garbage to sell to vendors until dinner is  ready. I've grouped with more people in more MMORPGs than you're had hot dinners, sunshine. I've made a massive number of friends through MMORPGs. Real friends. I was here at EQ2 launch, and the  game sucked big time, where to do the slighest little thing meant you had to group. It was dying on its feet. Now it  has both solo and group options, and it is much, much better. People play games in different ways, and people play to  have fun. Enforced grouping is not fun. Enforced unforgiving masochism where the slightest little mistake ruins hours of  work is not fun. It's people like you the ones who are killing this game. Let me say this again, if you want to play a solo game  *with* the option of group content go play Phantasy Star Online, Word of Warcraft or Ragnarok Online. I've been and done the whole WoW thing - including being part of a raiding guild and finding is NO solo PVE content  whatsoever after you've achieved 70 and maximised your factions, and got your epic mount and got your epic netherdrake  and so on, and it sucks, frankly. I came *back* to EQ2 because there was a mixture of solo AND group content - I enjoy duoing with my gf's necro, and I enjoy doing guild runs of dungeons and heritage quests with my guild, but I also enjoy  soloing as well. I have that *choice*, and that is what is important, and judging from the subscriber numbers and the people playing, so does the vast majority of people playing as well. It really sounds like you would be better off playing Vanguard or something. Certainly EQ2 would be better off without  your masochistic epeenery.