Discussion - EQ instanced zone experience (1 Viewer)

[BigDorf]

Earlier I had read a comment from @william12 with regards the Hatchery, and the lack of quality experience from running his toons in there.

(For those not familiar, it's an instanced zone accessed in PoK, by the high elf stood outside the main bank. It level scales mobs up to the first character to zone in, and has been used by many in the levelling paths. Mega convenient being based in PoK.)

I've since found this thread on the DBG forums titled "Experience in instances (DZs) seems incorrect."

A number of comments have been made about a significant reduction in the experience gains from various instances since the February 15 patch. This gives further support to @william12 observation of Hatchery.
One post stood out as it contained some testing:

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Another thread they have here hasn't got the same traction but may also be related. It's titled "Gribble turn in xp nerfed?". Where the original posted suggests its impacted, and a responder thinks it hasn't been.

I've quite liked Gribbles as an experience route, although really only played it in 70s and 80s. The responders view of reduction in % of level exp progress much later in levels I can't comment on as haven't done it.

(Also for those not familiar, Gribble is the name of a gnome NPC in the Dead Hills, who offers 3 instances with 3 hour independent lock outs. The travel route is PoK - Gulf of Gunthak - Dulak's Harbor - Dead Hills, and he his quite near the zone in. They can be solo or group played, and scale from highest level character in the instance, starting at 75.)




Given that we have nothing in patch notes about intentional exp changes to instances, and there is strong indication that things have been changed, perhaps it will get addressed.

This is just something to keep in mind, as we plan our adventures in Norrath over the coming weeks.




Regards and Best Wishes

 

[BigDorf]

It's some time since I posted this original message.

Out of interest I've been back on the DBG forums and found one of the threads has been updated, and, that is by a dev.


This is the thread in question here, on the DBG forums.

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It's title has been amended, or classified, as 'not a bug'

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Perhaps like many of you who had noticed the exp drop since the patch, I also had fingers & toes crossed it would be picked up for correction in the March patch. But that developers response, doesn't fill much hope.


I've noticed on the forums, the issue has been raised again, here.
There is a bit of a debate between regular forum posters there, no dev input on it.

Another thread is also posted with discussion about changes to exp, since the February patch, here.


That's 4 threads on the DBG forums I could see, one of which a dev responded to.




Regards and Best Wishes.

 

[Kasino7]

So DZ experience is no longer a thing, and need to be out in the open

 

[Sifter228]

In to the Temple has been nerfed as well for EXP since Feb 15th and not retuned for melee since melee was increased on NPC's there, two or three years ago.
It's so difficult to complete at 75 now, that defiant max level 75 gear, isn't good enough to make doing the HA worthwhile at 75 for the gear or experience. An HA intended for group level 75 toons to gear and experience in, shouldn't be near impossible for a group of level 75 toons to do.

 

[Oldman66]

An HA intended for group level 75 toons to gear and experience in, shouldn't be near impossible for a group of level 75 toons to do.

Given the current situation, how in the hell can you expect to find 5 other lvl 75's to even run this? Good job DB

 

[william12]

In to the Temple has been nerfed as well for EXP since Feb 15th and not retuned for melee since melee was increased on NPC's there, two or three years ago.
It's so difficult to complete at 75 now, that defiant max level 75 gear, isn't good enough to make doing the HA worthwhile at 75 for the gear or experience. An HA intended for group level 75 toons to gear and experience in, shouldn't be near impossible for a group of level 75 toons to do.

It is not intended for a group of 75s actually. TBM was level 105. Heroics just scaled so in theory its possible to do with lower level groups. But this is daybreak here.

 

[Sifter228]

It is not intended for a group of 75s actually. TBM was level 105. Heroics just scaled so in theory its possible to do with lower level groups. But this is daybreak here.

I could slog through it before and get nearly 5% experience with completion. Now it's 1% and only because of the quest reward. Forgot to mention the 5% was correct for the number of deaths you take at 75 to complete this.

 

[Shadow]

I don't know about 75, I didn't start the TBM stuff until 79, but I had zero troubles 6 boxing it. Wasn't hard, but the exp was not good. My issue is no one selling remnants, and the exp/remnant risk vs reward is not there. I moved on pretty quickly.

 

[allandallis235]

I think TBM is similar to other xpacs... need to keep doing progression and get the big xp rewards to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, farm just enough to keep you in gear.

 

[Sifter228]

I don't know about 75, I didn't start the TBM stuff until 79, but I had zero troubles 6 boxing it. Wasn't hard, but the exp was not good. My issue is no one selling remnants, and the exp/remnant risk vs reward is not there. I moved on pretty quickly.

I'll try again at 80 here pretty soon.

 

[Shadow]

I'll try again at 80 here pretty soon.

Yea, gear is huge too. I had full lvl 75 gear from the Gribble HAs, plus whatever baz pieces I could find. Some augged. Group makeup counts. SK, bard, cleric, mage, monk, shaman. Well rounded buffs, slows, cc, heals. Pretty good comp.

 

[Sifter228]

Yea, gear is huge too. I had full lvl 75 gear from the Gribble HAs, plus whatever baz pieces I could find. Some augged. Group makeup counts. SK, bard, cleric, mage, monk, shaman. Well rounded buffs, slows, cc, heals. Pretty good comp.

Utterly impossible at 80 to do with a full group, in Max defiant and the named dropped weapons of 80-85... Every single mob was white, yellow or red and it was instant death. Tried three times.

Holy crap my group wiped two more times on corpse recovery. I had to go to the guild lobby to summon and rez in the end.
No idea why but both times my cleric finished rezing every group member and then rezed themselves last, as soon as they rezed them self, two mobs would instantly charge in and attack the cleric from 50plus feet away. This is at level 80...

 

[allandallis235]

What I found for TBM is you need more than Defiant at levels > 75. Keep up with the TBM (or equiv) level armor, and get guild lobby buffs. Also had my tank gold (rest was green f2p). Keep watch on the mob levels w/ Enc CC spells too, sometimes there are gaps where the ENC cannot mez the red mobs.

Even with that, there are just some unlucky pulls and I'll have a toon go down. If it is the tank... depending on the HA I may proceed, otherwise I keep going. I think if the rest of the group were gold, it'd be a different story.

 

[Shadow]

Utterly impossible at 80 to do with a full group, in Max defiant and the named dropped weapons of 80-85... Every single mob was white, yellow or red and it was instant death. Tried three times.

Holy crap my group wiped two more times on corpse recovery. I had to go to the guild lobby to summon and rez in the end.
No idea why but both times my cleric finished rezing every group member and then rezed themselves last, as soon as they rezed them self, two mobs would instantly charge in and attack the cleric from 50plus feet away. This is at level 80...

Defiant won't cut it. Even Elegant Defiant gear, doesn't have the AC or just short of it, each piece of Defiant is SIGNIFICANTLY less in HP/Mana than Mark of Valor gear at 80. Plate boots for instance:

Elegant - AC 51, HP 250, Mana 261.
Valor - AC 84, HP 515, Mana 475.

Now spread that across every piece of gear. Huge difference. I did Gribbles almost the instant I turned 75. I think I had a buffer of maybe 15% into 75 when I started. This allowed me several pieces of gear at 80. I think it was 11 pieces? Plus bazaar for some non-visible pieces made it a breeze. I wiped a few times, healers summoned, bard couldn't mez, but overall it was a cake walk. All my toons are gold with autogrants, so that probably helped a lot too. Keep at it.

 

[Sifter228]

Defiant won't cut it. Even Elegant Defiant gear, doesn't have the AC or just short of it, each piece of Defiant is SIGNIFICANTLY less in HP/Mana than Mark of Valor gear at 80. Plate boots for instance:

Elegant - AC 51, HP 250, Mana 261.
Valor - AC 84, HP 515, Mana 475.

Now spread that across every piece of gear. Huge difference. I did Gribbles almost the instant I turned 75. I think I had a buffer of maybe 15% into 75 when I started. This allowed me several pieces of gear at 80. I think it was 11 pieces? Plus bazaar for some non-visible pieces made it a breeze. I wiped a few times, healers summoned, bard couldn't mez, but overall it was a cake walk. All my toons are gold with autogrants, so that probably helped a lot too. Keep at it.

I'm f2p can't swing a Krono yet. I hate gribbles. I've done them at least 10^5 times. Never again.
I'm not going to keep at it. I'm moving 5o light blue and green camps and farming plat.

TBM shit is all transient and pointless. I'll come back at 115 and farm it for AUGS and tranquility points to sell in bazaar once I get enough plat to krono an account.

 

[ToeJamSamy]

Defiant has always sucked at 65+ compared to the gear that dropped from the newest expansion that was live when defiant was added in the first place. Idk what gear is no prestige, but I would at least assume tier 1 SoF, which is only 65, and possibly the older glowing shit from like Blackburrow and Guk, and ..CT? it's been so many years but when THOSE also first came out iirc the same year, they were above and beyond everything but Crystallos for group, and lower level req. The level 71, and later 76 gear. Glowing Othni and Glowing Athlai I think but idk the order, are from handins of tradeable stuff from hardcore heritage(don't think originally they called it that but I'm senile) Also there's the Darkened this and that nonvisibles etc of the same levels like darkened flowing black silk sash, other stuff with other adjectives and adverbs I forget, you'll just have to check baz. I would THINK that stuff is nonprestige but can't remember. Almost positive all cultural is prestige and that's the next place I'd aim you. If you can at least get Into the temple done ONCE, then TBM stuff obviously, or Gribbles crap. But, defiant has never been appropriate at 65+ for anything that was created from SoF onward, and much from TSS and TBS of those levels as well. It's just a stopgap at 65+, not a gear solution.