Suggestions for Epic Leveling Areas

[Monkey]

One of the best things about this server is the wide range of places to explore and master. Unfortunately people tend to get stuck in the same leveling rut over and over:

Low 20s = Efreets, Ice Giants (Mid-20s CRs)
Mid-High 20s = Skara (CRs up to 31)
Low 30s = Dwarves Home or Forest Home (CRs around 33)
Mid 30s = Dragon Eyrie to Elysium (CRs up to 36)
Upper 30s = Dragonlands side of Dragon Eyrie (CRs up to 40 and 41)
40s gear runs = HoD, Demonweb Pits

Lots of other leveling places exist, and make up the most interesting and challenging areas on the server, but I rarely find parties willing to go to them. Some are underrated in terms of CRs others people just don't have a real incentive to travel to.

Also, leveling takes much too long and is too difficult in the upper 30s. This can be really frustrating and forces people to just grind on low CR mobs or wait for the big parties that just swarm over a map without much strategy. A party of 4 or 5 that has to play well to level in a challenging area is what I enjoy most.


So... my suggestion, if the developers are willing:

Each week, offer a special on a different, seldom-visited area. Bump up the CRs a couple points to encourage leveling there. Increase the drop rates there (tome drops included). Maybe even create a new item or two for people to try and collect in that area.

All these incentives would get people to play and analyze these areas more and we could make suggestions about how to improve them by adjusting CRs and mob abilities. Server wide we could focus on making each area better, one or two areas at a time. Some areas would keep the boosted CRs and/or increased drop rates. Other areas would be dropped back down after the special ends. Either way more balance and variety could be added to the server.

[Rufio]

Keep in mind that there are a lot of things changing right now, particularly at high levels. The new exp curve has forced people out of their comfort zones and have been pushing people to level in different spots.

For example, while dwarves has traditionally been a popular leveling spot, they have been tweaked and made stronger, forcing people to level in other areas in the early 30's. The new curve also limits the exp that you get from them past ~36, pushing people into high level places that weren't commonly visited before except when searching for gear. Leveling in DE, especially in the dragonlands, is a very new occurrence. The dragonlands have traditionally been a place to bring 40's to look for gear. I've been pleased to see more small groups leveling in posi in the mid to high 30's too.

Also, consider that your experiences might not be representative of the entire server. Forest home is a very popular place to bring low 30's for TC players because it is easily accessible, but it is not so popular among other factions because of how far away it is. Level 40 gear runs tend to be quite diverse, it sounds like you might have some limited experience with those. HoD is a very unpopular spot to bring 40s, the only incentive for a 40 is to kill the dracolich as the other drops there are intended for level 30's and are outpaced by level 35 gear in other areas later. DWP is popular for groups of 40's to go find gear, but no more so than DE, Elysium or the Abyss in my experience.

The best tip I have for getting groups into different areas is to slowly explore them solo to get a feel for the area and how to survive. It is comforting for a new player to know that they aren't going to be walking into a deathtrap if they know that your character can handle it.

I haven't leveled any low level stuff since the new exp curve, so I can't really comment on that.

[mining]

Hrmm.

Here's my present thoughts regarding level post 16 (before then is amazing, great, wonderful, etc. Loads of places, loads of options)

16-20 is normally Ice Trolls (if I must) or Faction Cities (5 / character) for me. I find these to be fun, build up a massive gold stockpile, and tend towards getting some great gear to use into your low 20s. Other than there, Mezzoloths are (iirc) still fine at 16-18 or so, but I tend not to go there.

20-25 is for me one of the most diverse parts of the game:
Efreets, Giants, Crypt (for certain builds), IoD (in the latter half) Nexus (21-23/24ish), Amazons (~23-28ish), Skara (ugh this one is like 23-30, lol)

25-30 seems to be largely IoD in the early parts, through Zons in the middle, and Skara throughout. Skara is probably a little too good..
The Elemental Planes are balanced at CRs ~30-32/33.

30-35 should look kind of like this:
30...............32............34...................................36ish
|Elemental Planes...|
.....................|Dwarves...|
................................|Dragon Eyrie Gated Community|
................................|Hall of the Dead..........|

35-40 seems generally reasonable, with Elysium slotting in about 36 (probably centred a CR too low), then Posi /Negi at ~37-38, then literally every epic area from 39-40. Your ease of doing those areas in a 39ish party may be rough, but it should feel like an achievement.


Anyway, I'm always interested on feedback for area CRs. It will never be perfect.
Thats because we'll always have builds which burst power, i.e. shifters who get epic shape at 24, are godlike 'til 40, or imploders who get implode at 17, easymode levelling to 40 on stuff which is appropriately CR'd and has fort that's reasonable by CR=Level, but your focused imploder has a DC around 3 more than someone his level would normally be. 21-40 only brings in 8 DC, or something like that.

[B.I.G.-=(SSDL)=-]

Lots of other leveling places exist, and make up the most interesting and challenging areas on the server, but I rarely find parties willing to go to them. Some are underrated in terms of CRs others people just don't have a real incentive to travel to.

Also, leveling takes much too long and is too difficult in the upper 30s. This can be really frustrating and forces people to just grind on low CR mobs or wait for the big parties that just swarm over a map without much strategy. A party of 4 or 5 that has to play well to level in a challenging area is what I enjoy most.

+1
When I (40lvl monk) tried to get into NC:Nexus, I realized that few people want to get here - too long a path if u not NC.

PS: sorry my bad english

[Amoenotep]

also remember that as you gain lvls we want to funnel the whole server to just a few places....so you can fight over them.

[Daral0085]

also remember that as you gain lvls we want to funnel the whole server to just a few places....so you can fight over them.

Sorry, that only works in Efreets and molemen (if people still ever go there), maybe a handful of other places. Most realms are too large to really spark a conflict, unless you're looking for trouble.

[Amoenotep]

maybe your not looking for enough trouble?

[Midterm]

[Monkey]

Mezzoloths are (iirc) still fine at 16-18 or so, but I tend not to go there.

Mezos are probably my favorite place to level (13 to 16). If you play them well the xp is great. If you play poorly your party wipes.

1. The CRs are perfect at 18-20, which is 5 over the party level (if it's 13-15), and that maxes out xp.
2. The mobs die fast, but rogues, guardians and wizards can kill you fast too.
3. It takes good tactical play, knowing when you need to retreat and what to attack first.
4. You need the right gear on melee toons (slash and pierce +10 resist) to do well. No slash and the rogues can carve you up. No pierce and the archers can mow you down.
5. Clerics, Bards, Rogues, Mages, Hitters & Tanks all have different ways they can help a party, and a balanced party does best there.
6. The narrow hallways prevent really large parties from just rolling through for too-easy xp.
7. A good investment in Spot or Listen points helps with detecting rogues and TS helps with invisible wizards.
8. The boss room is a good finale and you have to lure mobs out carefully.

This is the way I wish most areas were. Spot, Listen, Search, Open Lock, Disable Trap, Hide/MS, Discipline & Taunt should give you a benefit if you take those skills. A good party playing well and carefully should be able to kill mobs 3 to 5 CR points above their level, but if they get careless the party should wipe.

Perhaps newbies, solo grinders, and lower skilled players should have areas where they're able safely grind from lvl 25 up, where mobs have +4 or +5 damage reduction (to prevent lower levels from doing well against them), are thinly spread, with lots of HP per creature, and rated a couple CRs below their target level range.


Back to my original suggestion...

Most players seem to just want to go where the easiest xp is most of the time. Sometimes they'll go where they can get good drops, but they'll usually take their 40s there to farm. I'd really like to see more leveling in good parties in a wider range of areas, but most people would need some official incentive to go to these places.

I think that devoting a week to one area at a time with increased CRs and/or increased drops would do that effectively and be good for the server in the long run.

[Ryddwillow]

Hrmm.

Here's my present thoughts regarding level post 16 (before then is amazing, great, wonderful, etc. Loads of places, loads of options)

16-20 is normally Ice Trolls (if I must) or Faction Cities (5 / character) for me. I find these to be fun, build up a massive gold stockpile, and tend towards getting some great gear to use into your low 20s. Other than there, Mezzoloths are (iirc) still fine at 16-18 or so, but I tend not to go there.

20-25 is for me one of the most diverse parts of the game:
Efreets, Giants, Crypt (for certain builds), IoD (in the latter half) Nexus (21-23/24ish), Amazons (~23-28ish), Skara (ugh this one is like 23-30, lol)

25-30 seems to be largely IoD in the early parts, through Zons in the middle, and Skara throughout. Skara is probably a little too good..
The Elemental Planes are balanced at CRs ~30-32/33.

30-35 should look kind of like this:
30...............32............34...................................36ish
|Elemental Planes...|
.....................|Dwarves...|
................................|Dragon Eyrie Gated Community|
................................|Hall of the Dead..........|

35-40 seems generally reasonable, with Elysium slotting in about 36 (probably centred a CR too low), then Posi /Negi at ~37-38, then literally every epic area from 39-40. Your ease of doing those areas in a 39ish party may be rough, but it should feel like an achievement.


Anyway, I'm always interested on feedback for area CRs. It will never be perfect.
Thats because we'll always have builds which burst power, i.e. shifters who get epic shape at 24, are godlike 'til 40, or imploders who get implode at 17, easymode levelling to 40 on stuff which is appropriately CR'd and has fort that's reasonable by CR=Level, but your focused imploder has a DC around 3 more than someone his level would normally be. 21-40 only brings in 8 DC, or something like that.

The experience above lvl 36 is really bad but on the other end as the beginning experience is great. Lvl's 1 to 36 is great but reading and applying knowledge and experience you suffer above lvl 36. We all cannot get on the happy train (TC and NC) and hope to get great gear. People here do have lives and when the areas get to hectic we tend to ponder. Years ago, a certain DM {Metis} constantly shouted a message on shout no more then 5 in a party due to lag. So we get on the happy train, so to speak, and we have like 20 ppl in party (exaggerating a bit but possible). We get tossed around and i am like why bother. the lag on my part and other players is a bit extreme.

This server is under pw action which is pvp. The server changed and it needs to go back. if you think raiding a relic cradle is pvp then this is not for you. I understand ppl here do not want to participate in pvp, I understand, but you will die and move on,

80 percent of us are here for pvp, lets make this so, well 95.9 percent and when it takes 20 of us a defeat a npc, Why bother.

Ao needs jobs and they are done but not implied.

[Ryddwillow]

also remember that as you gain lvls we want to funnel the whole server to just a few places....so you can fight over them.

Is that like a joke?