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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.
Arena and Gear Equalization
Altodor
Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
I think gear should not matter.
Build Creativity
1. Give us all base stats and points to allocate into these stats. This replaces gear and allows flexibility in character builds.
2. Team Compositions
3. Personal Skill Tree Point Allocation
These are the only things that should matter in a ranked arena ladder. They allow for an equal playing field and enough creativity to have fun with different ideas.
Build Creativity
1. Give us all base stats and points to allocate into these stats. This replaces gear and allows flexibility in character builds.
2. Team Compositions
3. Personal Skill Tree Point Allocation
These are the only things that should matter in a ranked arena ladder. They allow for an equal playing field and enough creativity to have fun with different ideas.
0
Comments
Why do you think it should matter in PvP arenas
So I dont think the different stats on gear matters if a system where you allocate points into desired stats is available. It allows for creativity in that aspect.
The effects is something that I didnt give much too. A solution could be to provide a variety of effects through a system of blessing/buffs. Added variables is fun but Im not too worried if they cant bother to do it. It can be replaced with a system that doesnt need to be involved with gear
Gearing up is one of the most impactful and rewarding parts of an MMO. Removing that aspect to cater to, or specifically only for, arenas is not going to work out well. The game is being designed for a base team of 8 players and up for large group pvp.
Now if you strictly want to make this an arena only thing I feel you are asking too much for such a small part of the game. They would have to completely rebalance individual classes for arena play to give you that sense of "fairness". Otherwise there will be combinations that completely wipe the floor with others making most other combinations obsolete.
Ultimately, removing gear as a factor would neuter any attempt to play off-meta builds that require specific types of stats at high levels to be competitive.
It is as much part of PvP as it is a part of PvE. You get rewarded with better gear and that helps you fight others at the same level.
And your system would make arena PvP feel as if it was totally parted from the whole other PvX world.
I dont think, that Steven would give Arena players that much of a special place if raids dont get that.
I mean, hell, we could just as well say that all instanced raids give you the ability to get different stats and specific tree compositions. Do you see where I go here? It would set a precedent for such whishes from the community, and that would ruin Ashes.
Never set a precedent that could come back to haunt you.
I do want this stat allocation to be in place of gear. Its to not allow gear score to be the deciding factor in a fight. I dont want the game to be rebalanced for just arena. The way they are balancing it is fine. There might be some OP combinations so assuming there will be thats fine. The only thing that matters is that gear shouldnt be the deciding factor in a fight. Just those three points up there.
I dont think it would. What your saying is that gear should be the deciding factor for team comps that arent good. The only factor should be team comp, skill tree allocations, and stat allocation.
Hope this was constructive
I just dont think that gear should have a place in a setting where people are competing. At some point gear outweighs skill heavily and the players that have been progressing the most will have a clear cut advantage. To me that doesnt make sense if theres some of ranking system. You should get ranked in this instanced area base off of your skill. Just this part of the game though nowhere else. In the open world anything goes and your gear should benefit you.
The gear progression system works well in all other aspects of games except arena. I see arena as a way to measure skill and not gear progression. It works well hand in hand with other systems. But theres a ladder with rating. I mean just saying but IRL people got the same choice of weapons and armor for arena fights. Its all about skill.
Power progression through gear makes a lot more sense for challenging the dangerous monsters of Verra
Yeah kinda they are doing that so skill is reflected better I think
What specifically ruined your arena experience. How did they equalize stats. I always thought that bad balancing = not giving players options. Like bam all 100 stats yatayata
Also, certain Classes aren't tailored to fighting 1v1, so they've tried to level the playing field.
I can see what you're after. You're trying to boil it down to skill vs skill. Depending on the armour buffs/boosts/effects, I think the two might be heavily linked. If you've designed a good build around your gear & weapons, then you'll want to use that.
Its ok if the balancing isnt around arena. Things will be good and bad as usual. The way they are balancing it I think 5v5 will probably give way to a lot more creative team compositions and less super meta comps. But thats just a guess and another topic.
So the idea is to replicate what gear does through a stat allocation system. So if you had gear that focused on strength you would put points into strength. If you wanted to try out intelligence and reword your skill tree as well you could. Its all about removing the gear from being the deciding factor for performance.
I dont like the idea that newer players cant get into arena because they dont have good gear and get roflstomped. Or they cant climb the ladder because they get roflstomped.
Sounds like a perfect way to incentivise players to go out into the world and earn better gear.
If gear is equalised I'd be worried about a whole lot of players just playing arena with no reason to go out into the world.
Part of a build in any good MMO is the choices you make in regards to gear.
In a game like WoW that has a very linear structure for gear, it is understandable that some players may look at gear as being how far along a specific progression path a character is and has no real say as to how good the player is.
In good MMO's though, the gear you equip often says a lot about how good of a player you are. This is never more true than in an MMO with no class based item restrictions.
Good players equip gear that either compliments their strengths, or covers over some of their weaknesses. As such, gear is as important a part of your build - and as important a part of the creativity of that build - as where you allocate skill points, what skills you opt for and what augments you place on them.
Removing gear from the equation in arenas is stifling creativity in regards to builds, not encouraging it.
The progression you have should matter in an mmo.
Hence disagreed
incorrect. Its to eliminate the class balance. You still have a month-long grind to equip your champion with good gear for the election tournament.
If arenas worked that way, you'd bet I would avoid them. If you want a PvP where skill alone matters, that's what tavern games will do for you in AoC.
Ugh yeah. You perfect your build, and your next quest needs you to disguise as an enemy, where you suddenly have all of the enemy skills instead.....
Grrrrrrrrrr.......
Gear is part of the game.
If you want to compete on equal lv with people wearing better gear than you, put the effort in and get your self proper gear, there is no p2w
Give me this.
Because.
I like those quests tbh. xD
You got a lot of other places where you can use your gear for pvp where there is actual risk vs reward structures. Arena is a place for competing
Is this the structure I have with my argument? Is there a better way of writing this that im missing what do you think
I and everyone else doesnt compare a parlor game to playing your class in an arena. I totally agree with what you mean but not when it comes to arena. IMO it is not a place to measure gear score its a place to measure skill and compete for fun. It should be a separate part of the game.
I have always thought there are a lot ways to use your progression in this game. All with a risk vs reward structure. Doesnt need to involve Arena when the reward part of it isnt a big deal. Power stones at the end of you season wont be a big reason to grind Arena's all day. Thats another topic though I think
You still just try to push your opinion even though the majority of the people responding to you is against it.
Be that as it may, I personally was one of the people who have been against an instanced arena from the day they announced it. In my opinion, instanced arenas are a themepark feature that don't belong into an open world PvX game.
Either way, I came to accept it knowing that,
This provides the PvP Only / Arena community a place to compete within the game, while also forcing them to take part in the open world nature of the game. Forcing them to venture into the open world to get the gear makes sure of that. I don't think segregated PvP or PvE communities within the game should be a thing unless they are being tied into the core aspect of the game: The open world.
I understand why some Arena-only players don't like that, but then it simply might not be the game you are truely looking for. You could look into Zeal for that, which is pretty much an mmo-lite, focusing on balanced, instanced Arenas, Battlegrounds and Dungeons. without "annoying leveling and progressions" - just pure competition with the character building aspects of an MMO
This is an MMO not a console fighter game. Gear should matter.
Master Assassin
(Yes same Tyrantor from Shadowbane)
Book suggestions:
Galaxy Outlaws books 1-16.5, Metagamer Chronicles, The Land litrpg series, Ready Player One, Zen in the Martial Arts
I know want a bare-knuckle fight in the mmo with a fighting game announcer ^^