[bkovo]

One of the thing I have noticed on the beta boards is that people are talking a lot about stat and skill placement. While I certainly agree that character customization is a good thing to an extent, it can also be a game killer for a lot of people. In fact I would even that lack of customization actually HELPED Ever Quest become a long-term success. The problem is that unlimited customization can lead to gimped characters and ultimately to people quitting the game.

My friend and I often play MMORPGS together and have a blast when they are first relapsed. The problem is, that while I go online an research a class or skillet, he just jumps into the game and chooses whatever he thinks is good at the time. The end result is that when we get to the mid and end game content, he winds up with a character that has some serious shortcomings. My character will start outpace his character in levels and power, and he will start to get frustrated. When this happens he will usually roll up a new, non-gimped character and level that one up. By this time we both start to burn out, him because he has to remake his toon, and me because I don't really have anyone to play with. Ultimately, we both end up canceling our accounts.

One of the cool things about EQ is that you couldn't gimp your character. (Sony did that for you!) So you never had to start over unless you wanted to try another class. And if you did, your old class with still viable if you wanted to go back to it. Also, your viability as a tank, healer, or enchanter were based on player skill and not on the choices you made during the first few weeks you played the game.

I remember Blizzard saying in it's FAQ that you would not need to go to fan-sites to figure out how to play the game, and I wonder if that applies to building characters as well. So my questions to beta testers are: How dramatic is the effects of stats and talents on your character? Is it easy to gimp your character? Do stats and abilities that start out seeming really useful end up being gimped in the end game? Would a warrior, for example, that focused on damage output still be able to tank in the end game?

If anyone could shed some light on these issues it would be greatly appreciated.