The best people on P99...

[paulgiamatti]

Originally Posted by Tuljin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I will agree that Hole doesn't have a great exit system, but most players mid 50s on this server have an OT hammer and a WC cap so it shouldn't be a horrible deterrent. Evac is not entirely essential to navigate the zone but to those adventurers who are apprehensive about getting stuck deep in the zone you're just adding another criterion to the list of ridiculous "demands" that your average P99 player has before even considering joining a group rather than just saying "okay fine lets go kill some mobs." (Do you have an enc? Do you have a cle? Do you have a camp? What is the specific group composition? Can you wipe my ass for me? Nah man I'm ok I don't really wanna go)

This comes back to my previous point - if people aren't even willing to go to the Hole which is a less than 5 minute port then run (and the process to get to Seb takes 20-30 minutes easily) what is going to happen with deep Velious dungeons? Physically large, no quick exits, tons of dangerous mobs, traps, one-ways, confusing orientation (hmmm sounds a lot like the Hole already) Also, these dungeons will be an even LONGER run away than Seb sometimes. Even with Beta being around for a while, there will certainly be learning curve for those who go out and crawl and try to kill nameds which will inevitably result in inconvenient deaths.

When the SI patch was implemented a couple years ago Seb all of a sudden got a ton of SI mobs and it became far more difficult to reach the camps. There was also an FD nerf somewhere along the line that made spellcasters finish their spells even after an FD. The population of Seb went down DRAMATICALLY after the SI patch was implemented, and even though it has bounced back lately still either Chef or Disco camp is often open and you will see comical corpse runs regularly because of players' inability to properly deal with caster mobs. This is the zone policing itself.

Especially with the advent of the Chardok AOE machine at the beginning of 2014, the abundance of plat over the years of the server that has facilitated paid powerleveling, and the general "EZ mode" attitude of the server, many players are in for a rude awakening. (Especially when every pickup group I've been in in KC lately has wiped - doesn't matter the camp - and Warrior is completely useless when the 4 people in your group who have root don't even know how to use it) The mobs deep in Velious dungeons are Reet or Fungus Man level and players on this server can't even Root CC high 40s skeletons THAT DON'T EVEN CAST SPELLS successfully (in full groups mind you)

HS has had more traffic lately but still, its not super populated and a WAY easier run to get to than Seb. This zone also polices itself. There was a long period of time when Kunark was released where only a few people knew all the tips and tricks of the zone that were discovered by trial and error then this esoteric knowledge was spread over time. (not to mention the HS key bottleneck by people poopsocking quest mobs lol) Considering the awesome loots, great XP, and ease of access to HS it should have a much higher population, but it doesn't. Its a hammer and a 3 minute run away yet people are still apprehensive about it because of the difficulty. How are HARDER zones that are FARTHER away going to be MORE populated as the skill level of the average player on this server drops on a daily basis due to how easy it has become to get to 60?

Back to thread topic, the best people on P99 are the innocent nubs that bring a lot of the fun and sense of adventure back to the game that has been ruined by hardcore neckbeards that are completely jaded and go to new extremes daily for dopamine and serotonin delivery. Its just sad that people don't even understand the EQ 101 of parking mobs, root splitting, turning mobs, etc. As the server population grows and the difficulty of the dungeons increases, it will be very interesting to see how many of the 2000+ that will be logged on when Velious finally hits will be able to adventure and kill mobs successfully.

Good post, although I'd like to add that loot definitely plays a bigger role in all of this than you might suspect. It's always struck me as a bit confusing as to why people don't go to the Hole, or to Chardok and do regular non-AoE groups when these zones are obviously much more accessible than Sebilis. It just seemed strange to me; to get to Chardok, all you have to do is hammer and run for 10 minutes through Skyfire and Burning Wood. So strange, in fact, that one day I decided, "Screw the AoE group, I'm going to put together a good old-fashioned Chardok group."

And so I did. What I quickly found out is that Chardok is incredibly easy - mobs hardly hit you at all, though they have slightly more HP than Sebilis mobs of the same level, exp is great, pulling is really easy, and there's a convenient zone out if you don't have an evaccer and things go south. What I also found out, however, is that loot is virtually non-existent. This might not be the case in AoE groups, simply because of the sheer number of mobs being slain, but in your standard 5/6-man you'll be lucky to see a single gem.

The simple fact is, compared to Sebilis, loot in 50+ dungeons kinda sucks. Sure, in the Hole you'll see your odd piece of Loam or Withered, maybe some Imbued Granite Spauldors if you're lucky, but that's hardly anything - and the really rare pieces that actually sell for something are really rare. Howling Stones is practically the only place that can compete and, as you've elucidated, difficulty is usually enough to deter people. And you won't see Torpor in Howling Stones. You won't see a Runebranded Girdle, or a Siblisian Berserker Cloak either. Old Sebilis is simply leagues beyond these places when it comes to loot.

When Velious goes live, we'll probably see the true upgrade items - items that make former best-in-slots no longer best-in-slot - locked down by players who are willing to take risks, and who have the best knowledge and understanding of game mechanics. It will probably be quite similar to the Necklace of Superiority being locked down in Charasis when Kunark was first released. As far as I can tell, there won't really be much of a reason to go to the 50+ Velious dungeons except for these few boutique items, which of course will be outrageously priced by tunnel-dwellers in the initial weeks of launch.

For everyone else, there will still be Ol' Seb.