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Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Game has to get more solo friendly by design.
RedLeader1
Member, Alpha Two
The reasons why, and why on release particularly, the game will not lend itself to widespread group levelling, or gathering, at least for the vast majority of players, should be obvious to everyone. I started to articulate them all and it got TLDR too fast.
So, There are a few Christmas wishes I would appreciate being granted with levelling/Artisanship:
1. Node levelling is far too fast during testing. When we have 80 nodes this won't be a problem, but the min/maxers, just charge through zerging the content before the rest of us have had a chance to test what it will be like for 90% of players. Can we have a realm that is regularly wiped, so when we have a short amount of time to play, we can go somewhere to test and not see a world where everything is max level, and full of max level players, gathering all of the few accessible low-level resources. I think we may need that to test artisanship and levelling properly in a way you cant on the PTR, and then you won't need to wipe all the realms as frequently. Please could this at least be considered.
2. The resource item quality system, variety of gatherable items, pack system/size, widely distributed processors, and travel time to a bank is really a problem. It means that a general gathering run is very inefficient for larger things like minerals and lumber. Having everyone gathering everything is a massive traffic jam, while we are compressed in such a small space. The risk/reward for gathering, particularly the time investment risk, is really bad. You can gather for hours, and get nothing but worthless material, and only gain a few levels of artisanship. I think quantities, drop rates of higher qualities, pack design etc. need to be experimented with. Your pack can be full with very few materials if you get lucky/unlucky with quality rolls. If the artisanship gathering skill trees don't help this somehow, please can you think about making it so that they do?
3. There needs to be much better delineation between the POIs that are set up for group levelling, and the wider node environment that should be more for solo play. There must be a way to make the mobs in the nodes inefficient to farm in a group, but still rewarding to solo, even if you cheat and just make them grant no XP if you are grouped up and/or not doing a story arc or quest. I really don't think it is necessary to kill the gameplay of one group at the expense of the other. Separating them would help balance the time investment risk, and make the game holistically equally rewarding, no matter how you like to play it.
3 wishes is the norm, so I'll leave it there. As always, this may of course be where you are headed anyway, in which case, I'll try to be more patient.
So, There are a few Christmas wishes I would appreciate being granted with levelling/Artisanship:
1. Node levelling is far too fast during testing. When we have 80 nodes this won't be a problem, but the min/maxers, just charge through zerging the content before the rest of us have had a chance to test what it will be like for 90% of players. Can we have a realm that is regularly wiped, so when we have a short amount of time to play, we can go somewhere to test and not see a world where everything is max level, and full of max level players, gathering all of the few accessible low-level resources. I think we may need that to test artisanship and levelling properly in a way you cant on the PTR, and then you won't need to wipe all the realms as frequently. Please could this at least be considered.
2. The resource item quality system, variety of gatherable items, pack system/size, widely distributed processors, and travel time to a bank is really a problem. It means that a general gathering run is very inefficient for larger things like minerals and lumber. Having everyone gathering everything is a massive traffic jam, while we are compressed in such a small space. The risk/reward for gathering, particularly the time investment risk, is really bad. You can gather for hours, and get nothing but worthless material, and only gain a few levels of artisanship. I think quantities, drop rates of higher qualities, pack design etc. need to be experimented with. Your pack can be full with very few materials if you get lucky/unlucky with quality rolls. If the artisanship gathering skill trees don't help this somehow, please can you think about making it so that they do?
3. There needs to be much better delineation between the POIs that are set up for group levelling, and the wider node environment that should be more for solo play. There must be a way to make the mobs in the nodes inefficient to farm in a group, but still rewarding to solo, even if you cheat and just make them grant no XP if you are grouped up and/or not doing a story arc or quest. I really don't think it is necessary to kill the gameplay of one group at the expense of the other. Separating them would help balance the time investment risk, and make the game holistically equally rewarding, no matter how you like to play it.
3 wishes is the norm, so I'll leave it there. As always, this may of course be where you are headed anyway, in which case, I'll try to be more patient.
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Comments
And I don't see how the game is not solo friendly, I'm literally able to solo 2star and 3star NPCs, the biggest difference being that I get more XP per hour if I kill them faster in a group, because the system gives on average more XP that way than if you're solo.
How is this working out for you in Phase2?
About a third of my levels in P1/P2 came from grouping. I can earn far more XP per hour by pulling at my pace and keeping all the loot. (With the current high server populations.)
For example, you can target-farm something like droppings and max out tailoring/weaving while others waste time searching for the next open spot in a POI.
Right now, I only group up if my guild needs me and has a spot or if I want to socialize. Otherwise, I’m out there getting things done.
This is my personal feedback, shared to help the game thrive in its niche.
This depends on the class. Like Rangers and Fighters solo well. Tanks and Bards don't get much DPS till later on. I was shocked, I made a ranger this time round. Killing mobs 2 levels higher then myself I could two shot them when I crited. I do think there needs to be content designed for unbalanced groups. IMO that should be a thing.
I got nothing, but good things to say about solo leveling bard.
I would imagine it can be slow if you don't know how things work and you build it in a way that is not great for what you are doing.
I can maintain an extremely high XP per hour solo on bard.
It's my main now. Was ranger.
You are right though, I think Tank would be rough Solo.
This is my personal feedback, shared to help the game thrive in its niche.