EQ1 AA changes

[ruination]

Originally Posted by AladainAF

This has been in the game forever. Epic 2.0s give 10AAs, and Epic 1.0 give 5AAs.

What? When? When I did my war and clerics epics on progression about a year ago, all they got were the fancy titles of Champion and Curate. Was there someone else they had to talk to?
Edit: On second thought, you're right, I think I do remember getting them; it's just been so long since I've even touched the characters that my memory failed me ;(

As for this AA change, a much needed change, and just in time for AA grind for my FV chars. The only thing more boring to me than grinding AA's in EQ is grinding rep in WoW.

Exp. Pot + multiplier = Profit.

[Regime]

Originally Posted by ruination

What? When? When I did my war and clerics epics on progression about a year ago, all they got were the fancy titles of Champion and Curate. Was there someone else they had to talk to?
Edit: On second thought, you're right, I think I do remember getting them; it's just been so long since I've even touched the characters that my memory failed me ;(

As for this AA change, a much needed change, and just in time for AA grind for my FV chars. The only thing more boring to me than grinding AA's in EQ is grinding rep in WoW.

Exp. Pot + multiplier = Profit.

Exactly what the crew is thinking

uh when you jumping in game brother! waiting on that guild!

[Lucifar]

I haven't played in about 4 years, so I may be missing something, but if you get a multiplier for earning AA when you don't have as many, wont that be unfair on the high AA guys when it comes to the AA's that are expended by use.

Kinda sucks that the 50aa guy can blow 1aa for some useful ability and earn it back 5x as fast as the guy with 2000aa

[ruination]

Originally Posted by Regime

Exactly what the crew is thinking

uh when you jumping in game brother! waiting on that guild!

My cleric is 67 and my berserker is 68. I'm waiting for the froglok trio to get 50ish and then we're AE-raping droga. Javvo (Jargen/Ziggz in game) and I are pretty busy and usually only have enough time to make raids/arena's in WoW before having to log. We try to make it on every other day though. I think his trio is like 47ish or so, we haven't heard anything about the guild yet--it usually takes a few weeks or more for guild applications to pass anyway, so it might be another week or two before we hear anything.

[Saban]

Originally Posted by Lucifar

I haven't played in about 4 years, so I may be missing something, but if you get a multiplier for earning AA when you don't have as many, wont that be unfair on the high AA guys when it comes to the AA's that are expended by use.

Kinda sucks that the 50aa guy can blow 1aa for some useful ability and earn it back 5x as fast as the guy with 2000aa

proof that expendable AAs was a stupid fucking idea.

[FulorianC]

Originally Posted by jayrebb

The majority of the peanut gallery has a different definition than you of "in an evening". To yourself that probably means between 6-12 hour shifts.

People just simply don't have time to go LFG for 2-3 hours, group for a few hours, and get a few AAs that get them nowhere. EQ1 has other roadblocks besides AAXP values. LFG time and group consistency is incredible.

EQ1 is still a very elitist game. And this modifier better be HUGE, or else dont bother doing it.

Fulorian is one of such elitists.

Yeah, I'll admit that 50 AA in a session will take 4+ hours. I wasn't suggesting you max your AA out in 10 days, either. Nobody said it's a quick game to max your character out on - but nobody said it's unfeasible, either. 20 AA an evening (2-3 hours with a random guild or high quality pickup group) for a month will have you in perfect shape for raiding with a midrange guild - and they'll probably pick you up long before you hit that point, on the assumption you'll get there.

And I have to say, if you have >200 AA and a max level character and you can't get a group in under an hour, then you are an antisocial retard that is too stupid, stubborn, or casual to join a reasonable raiding guild. And by casual, I mean so casual that you really shouldn't be playing an MMO.

I'm not going to throw names of actual examples into this discussion, but the #2 guild on Xegony has a warrior with 500 AA and >20k hp unbuffed. They will beg non-max level <300 AA clerics to join them, and will take <500 AA dps classes, or really anything they need at the time. There's at least 6 guilds beneath them... one of which raids the Demiplane of Blood and recently accepted a friend of mine, who has less than 100 AA and was 5+ levels under the level cap. A PALADIN.

Guilds that aren't at the absolute bleeding edge (the guild in question just beat Solteris, which is the previous expansion's top content, and was tuned for 5 levels lower) still need less-than-perfect characters. EQ has bled out a lot of players over the years and a lot of what remains don't have the time commitment.

My point is, if you want to play EQ and are willing to dedicate yourself to SOME kind of raid schedule - some guilds are as little as 1 day a week raiding - you can easily find a raid guild to accommodate you and NEVER, EVER spend more than an hour looking for a group. When you do find a group, it will likely be fairly effective at boosting your AA.

Basically, my point is that you're using guildless LFG as a strawman for a game that no longer accommodates that - but does accommodate guild groups very easily. I don't know anyone who participates in a guild that has any problems finding a group, and when they do so, being able to accumulate AA quickly. Obviously some guilds will do so faster than others, but the investment is not what you're making it out to be.

[FulorianC]

Originally Posted by Saban

proof that expendable AAs was a stupid fucking idea.

You know, the entire concept that you would even discuss expendible AA accumulating faster on someone with <500 AA is... anyone who actually played this game would laugh at your face for the suggestion. That isn't unfair to anyone except the poor moron who buys expendibles when he's still in that low AA range.

BTW, you can't stack them. You can buy one use of each for 3-4 AA/per, and that's it. Can't buy more until you've used the one you bought. The effects from those AA's are minor compared to what 50 AA can give you at those levels.

Anyway, the 2000+ AA people using the glyphs are generally going to be so much better geared than the 200 AA people that they won't be getting their AA's any slower, most likely. This is a good change, but the system from before was hardly broken.

[Saban]

i noticed when i played on FV recently that AAs wasnt nearly as bad, seeing as how i had like 30 at level 54 with just a few hours in dragon necropolis. What really bothered me is how much levelling slowed down as soon as you hit 50. I mean, i could solo with my nice twink gear, but the exp sucked and took a long boring time for every level. I stopped at 54, might come back soon and push for 65 though.

[Gwen Rockpounder]

Originally Posted by Locithon

Did they say when their doing this? I just hit 50 on FV and have 0 AA's... was just about to start getting them too.

They are trying for next patch due in a few weeks, if it does it will also be in with a hotzone change which missed the last patch due to not being tested enough (??) The new hotzones will apparently have level 70 and 75 hotzones at last.

I've been farting around with a Beastlord on FV (level 65 and 60 or so AA) which has kept me entertained enough to not have been logging into WAR, this change is good timing for me!

[Saban]

new hotzones? no more nobles causeway? hell yes.

[Gnome Eater]

Originally Posted by FulorianC

Oh fuck you - free 1k AA? That covers almost every essential AA in the game. I know people that are near the top end right now with under 500 AA. Seeing as a really good group can get 50 AA in an evening, I don't know how much more coddling you want.

Everyone in the peanut gallery trying to diagnose the problems with a game they haven't played in half a decade. Wonderful.

Since until relatively recently I was in a high end EQ guild - which of those do you think is more important?

Your sense of earning your AA and your gear, and your feeling of smug superiority or having new blood flowing into the system, and being able to have multiple guilds tackling content instead of guilds cannibalizing themselves for the few remaining veterans?

EQ's main problem was that the game become completely inaccessible to anyone without a huge time investment due to the lack of gear resets and the need to max AA's. I quite enjoyed all my time in EQ, but now that I am used to WoW, I don't think I could go back without hating how slow paced the game is.

[pooch]

I <3 Fulorian Cavestomper you were badass tank during PoP for us during the alliance...anyways if they offer some AA bonus like everyone says 10x i would probably come back to catch up

[Trebla]

Originally Posted by ruination

What? When? When I did my war and clerics epics on progression about a year ago, all they got were the fancy titles of Champion and Curate. Was there someone else they had to talk to?
Edit: On second thought, you're right, I think I do remember getting them; it's just been so long since I've even touched the characters that my memory failed me ;(

I think he meant Epic 2.0 gives 10 AA and Epic 1.5 gives 5 AA, you don't get any AA for completing Epic 1.0 (unless this was added at some point).

Part of the reason "Required AA" numbers haven't ballooned as they did in the past is because the new AA are such minor increases.

First Tier of defensives you could spend 24 AA (Combat Agility + Combat Stability) to reduce roughly 15% of damage taken (give or take).

Next couple Tiers, you spend 100AA (enhance the same lines) and reduce roughly 7.5% of damage taken (again, roughly)... and those are some of the most valuable lines for tanks.

Most classes can be completely effective with around 400-500 AA. Some with more like 200-300, adding more on top of that gives you benefit, but not game changing like defensives.

I don't know what tanks and clerics got with SoF, but I'd wager they'd be quite effective with well less than 1000 AA. As a Bard with 600ish, I've been picking between marginal benefits for well over 200 AA now.

[Kreugen]

Now to make the first 60 levels or so optional.

[Fadaar]

Hah I just checked EQPlayers and apparently my old magician had been logged on up until October of last year. I quit playing EQ right around the time EQ2/WoW launched. Sadly he was level 68, was 70 when I quit. Guess he got used for necro rezes. No idea why the rangrang I sold him to paid so much for a character that appears to have never left the Bazaar.