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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
An Important Perspective on Grinding in MMOs
Cold 0ne FTB
Member, Alpha One, Adventurer, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
I have seen a few discussions here and there talking about the grindier elements in Ashes. I wanted to add in an important point to the discussion and this is how variety and complexity to mundane tasks can make them very taxing on players. Take for instance the Antiquity System in ESO for those of you not familiar with the system I have attached a video with a basic overview (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWP4yB2qp4E). This system provides some of the best items in the game. The process of unearthing an antiquity requires the completion of two puzzle mini-games and because of the tedious nature of these mini games grinding this system is widely accepted as being one of the most painful parts of playing ESO. So when we look at providing feedback on the elements of this game where we have to grind, it is important to not just to think of what would be cool to do the first time you do it but to think about if you would enjoy doing this if you needed one item and had been grinding hard for it over the past week or two.
When it comes to grinding progression efficiency is important, especially for those that aren't committed to quest-lines or stories. Grinding should exist but it shouldn't make you feel like you want to drive your head through a concrete wall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWP4yB2qp4E). This system provides some of the best items in the game. The process of unearthing an antiquity requires the completion of two puzzle mini-games and because of the tedious nature of these mini games grinding this system is widely accepted as being one of the most painful parts of playing ESO. So when we look at providing feedback on the elements of this game where we have to grind, it is important to not just to think of what would be cool to do the first time you do it but to think about if you would enjoy doing this if you needed one item and had been grinding hard for it over the past week or two.When it comes to grinding progression efficiency is important, especially for those that aren't committed to quest-lines or stories. Grinding should exist but it shouldn't make you feel like you want to drive your head through a concrete wall.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
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Comments
I think anything to mix up the path to "POWER!" from simple "kill 10 of these, then go kill 100 of these, then go mine 100 ore nodes, and press "craft" 100 times here", is a great step forward towards getting away from a simple repetitive grind.
You are a minority amongst the veteran player base then. It was far worse than the Psjijic or Mage Guild's guild grind.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
I think I was just happy that it was 1: different and 2: had puzzles (very simple, but still puzzles).
I'm at the point where anything different from grinding mobs/material, going from location 1 to location 2, is a nice change of pace.
Hoping AoC also finds different ways to have progression not be a repetitive task that has been done in every prior MMO. Things like kill quests, or gather X items quest, drive me crazy.
Idk, I prefer the mob method. I just want to get in and get max level and start to play competitively. The puzzles might have been simple but they were mind numbingly boring. Atleast with mobs you can level up other aspects of your build and practice.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
Hopefully a mix of different activities that all contribute to character progression will help keep a wider player base engaged.
I love this. if there was a tagline for MMOs I wish this was it. I love grinding for no reason other then turning off my brain from time to time to kill stuff and relax (sounds morbid). Then other times i want to explore and just walk around doing random stuff, and finally I'm feeling froggy and want some pvp shenanigans. Only played ESO for a brief time and this systems sounds fun. Put it all in AoC. Give me all the content please