Celtic Heroes

... it wasn't the lix that allowed that rogue (in my case, it was a DPS warrior) to decimate the wisps. It's the lux gear s/he was wearing, lol.

It was never about the use of the exp elixer, that's a whole separate issue. The crux of the issue is a triad of conditions and encompasses multiple aspects of what's 'broken'.
1) luxury gear like regen items and insanely powerful weapons are commonplace, with a little discretionary income spent. This speaks to the 2-class system, The Haves and Have-Nots that was outlined in the original post.
2) mobs die very quickly and at not much cost to the solo player, with a small monetary investment to buy the luxury items described in #1. Still possible without real money spent, but less likely and requires having a previous high level character to funnel gold down. Either way, low enemy difficulty offers little incentive to group until well into Otherworld.
3) there are simply not enough mobs to 'go around' for everyone.

Fix #1, and it's a level playing field, negating #'s 2 and 3. Soloing is less appealing due to inefficiency.
Fix #2 and solo super geared players can't kill on an endless streak, making grouping much more appealing. Diminishes the impact of #3.
EDIT: Fix #2 and it lessens the dramatic effect of #1, further encouraging grouping.
Fix#3 and it doesn't matter if #'2 exists.

OK, had to double check to make sure I was reading the poster name correctly lol, as I thought you were Marco.

Pt#1: How exactly do you fix this, and again I ask, what is a "level playing field"? I come from a monthly/subscription model MMO back ground. Even with Absolutely No RMTs, there is still no level playing field. Someone who plays 60-80 hours a week will simply be more powerful than someone who plays 6-8 hours a week; and IMO as it should be.

Pt#2: I will hazard a guess at this point that you haven't been a low level/new player in a while. Either that, or the magnitude of change you're talking about is Much bigger than what I'm thinking. Without a friend who loaned me 70K to help by my first lux (heroic ammy), and a great clan that geared me with most of the Warden stuff, those eyes in OW would have been Much Much harder for my ranger (first one to get there) than it is for my mage (2nd), who now has the "backing" of said ranger. If it's an issue of magnitude, then I go back to the issue of "not what's wrong with the game, but of a totally different game". I simply don't believe CH, as it is without a Major revision, cannot support a more group centric play style. I shudder to think of the hours wasted shouting just to get in a group just so I can level. Can't do that if Im logging on for 20 mins for a quick play.

Pt#3: Agreed.

OK, had to double check to make sure I was reading the poster name correctly lol, as I thought you were Marco.

Pt#1: How exactly do you fix this, and again I ask, what is a "level playing field"? I come from a monthly/subscription model MMO back ground. Even with Absolutely No RMTs, there is still no level playing field. Someone who plays 60-80 hours a week will simply be more powerful than someone who plays 6-8 hours a week; and IMO as it should be.

In short: you can't fix Lux. It is what it is. But the ability of new/low level players with a couple of iTunes giftcards to by 1600 plat and turn it into half a million gold in a day and still factors heavily into the state of the game.

Pt#2: I will hazard a guess at this point that you haven't been a low level/new player in a while. Either that, or the magnitude of change you're talking about is Much bigger than what I'm thinking. Without a friend who loaned me 70K to help by my first lux (heroic ammy), and a great clan that geared me with most of the Warden stuff, those eyes in OW would have been Much Much harder for my ranger (first one to get there) than it is for my mage (2nd), who now has the "backing" of said ranger. If it's an issue of magnitude, then I go back to the issue of "not what's wrong with the game, but of a totally different game". I simply don't believe CH, as it is without a Major revision, cannot support a more group centric play style. I shudder to think of the hours wasted shouting just to get in a group just so I can level. Can't do that if I'm logging on for 20 mins for a quick play.

I don't think the magnitude of change needed is nearly as large as you think I think we need. I'm actually advocating only a subtle shift in difficulty to bring killing pace in line with DPS druids and mages. I'm talking long term rates like mobs per hour, not per kill. It's pretty frustrating to be grinding away killing a mob with my low DPS, and a rogue/DPS war/Ranger runs by and kills 3 of the same mob in the time it took me to kill one, then tap recup and first aid, and be back in business in 30 secs. Where's his incentive to do anything but solo, or if he does, he finds another DPS? Caster classes may have great burst DPS, but after a few kills, they gotta rest and refill that huge energy pool. This slows their overall mobs per hour rate. I just don't see the equivalent in the physical attack based classes. They just keep banging away.
I too, played the original EQ, and while I loved how hard it was then, as a college freshmen, in 1999, I don't want a group-only mentality now. I like being able to play for 15 or 20 minutes and make some progress. But in 20 minutes, some people will kill 6 mobs, and some will kill 30. And it all comes back to the triad: melee-based lux, low enemy difficulty, and low enemy volume.
Alot of people are going to scream that I want a nerf to DPS classes. I don't. I DON'T. I just want to feel like I'm not being punished because I chose a support class that doesn't shine until level 120. That's a long, lonely road. Ask any Druid.

In a nutshell, I bang my head against a wall, painfully grinding out solo exp because any DPS class in decent gear can sustainability kill mobs, at 3x my pace, with only the skills they have. Add in some lux gear and they lay waste to large swaths of an area. They don't need my help to maintain a killing pace. Support classes are unneeded in typical training groups. Lux items are invaluable for boss fights, but a Scavenger Lux caster offhand doesn't increase my mobs per hour like a golden blade of Ice does for a warrior.
The irony is that unless your clan is supportive and actively invites the mages and druids to ride the group exp wave, you have a pile of level 140 warriors and rogues, standing around a boss wondering why all the supports are lvl 100 (or lower! or switched to DPS classes!)

As far as level playing field, I mean that in a pay-to-play game, you can't 'buy your way to the top'. Here, there is an ever-widening in-game economic gap, buying enough plat to become a superstar is well within the realm of possibility. These are the "Haves". Those people buy say 1600 plat ($50), turn it into 400k+ gold selling elixers and idols, buy Lux items and dominate the whole area to the detriment of those that could probably afford to spend $5 a month on a game, but won't wait nearly a year until they have $50 set aside for a stupid video game. These are the 'Have-Nots' and they'll never succeed to the degree of the Haves, because they simply don't have as much fun money. I'm not advocating the everybody wins mentality either. I'm simply saying that Lux items create a snow-ball effect that those without have great difficulty overcoming. That's not fun.

Whew.

Ya I said elixirs contribute. Also my first point was put everyone on the same playing field which would help negate the rampant lux mob decimation. Yes, I do it too.

And I see what your saying but I do think these are problems with the game. Hence "what's wrong".

What, exactly, is a "plain playing field"?

If I wanted to spend $1K on this game, why should I be in the same "field" as someone who's playing it for free? This doesn't make sense. If we both paid a monthly, and nothing more, then Maybe there is such a thing as a "plain playing field", but then there's the issue of the guy who plays 12 hours a day, and the other that plays 8 hours a Week...

Yes a small monthly fee is what I'm saying.

And with your 12 hrs a day and 8 hr a week player example, the issue is now that many of those playing 12 hours a day do it ON elixers and lux lol, which really makes a huge divide.

OK, had to double check to make sure I was reading the poster name correctly lol, as I thought you were Marco.

Pt#1: How exactly do you fix this, and again I ask, what is a "level playing field"? I come from a monthly/subscription model MMO back ground. Even with Absolutely No RMTs, there is still no level playing field. Someone who plays 60-80 hours a week will simply be more powerful than someone who plays 6-8 hours a week; and IMO as it should be.

In short: you can't fix Lux. It is what it is. But the ability of new/low level players with a couple of iTunes giftcards to by 1600 plat and turn it into half a million gold in a day and still factors heavily into the state of the game.

Pt#2: I will hazard a guess at this point that you haven't been a low level/new player in a while. Either that, or the magnitude of change you're talking about is Much bigger than what I'm thinking. Without a friend who loaned me 70K to help by my first lux (heroic ammy), and a great clan that geared me with most of the Warden stuff, those eyes in OW would have been Much Much harder for my ranger (first one to get there) than it is for my mage (2nd), who now has the "backing" of said ranger. If it's an issue of magnitude, then I go back to the issue of "not what's wrong with the game, but of a totally different game". I simply don't believe CH, as it is without a Major revision, cannot support a more group centric play style. I shudder to think of the hours wasted shouting just to get in a group just so I can level. Can't do that if I'm logging on for 20 mins for a quick play.

I don't think the magnitude of change needed is nearly as large as you think I think we need. I'm actually advocating only a subtle shift in difficulty to bring killing pace in line with DPS druids and mages. I'm talking long term rates like mobs per hour, not per kill. It's pretty frustrating to be grinding away killing a mob with my low DPS, and a rogue/DPS war/Ranger runs by and kills 3 of the same mob in the time it took me to kill one, then tap recup and first aid, and be back in business in 30 secs. Where's his incentive to do anything but solo, or if he does, he finds another DPS? Caster classes may have great burst DPS, but after a few kills, they gotta rest and refill that huge energy pool. This slows their overall mobs per hour rate. I just don't see the equivalent in the physical attack based classes. They just keep banging away.
I too, played the original EQ, and while I loved how hard it was then, as a college freshmen, in 1999, I don't want a group-only mentality now. I like being able to play for 15 or 20 minutes and make some progress. But in 20 minutes, some people will kill 6 mobs, and some will kill 30. And it all comes back to the triad: melee-based lux, low enemy difficulty, and low enemy volume.
Alot of people are going to scream that I want a nerf to DPS classes. I don't. I DON'T. I just want to feel like I'm not being punished because I chose a support class that doesn't shine until level 120. That's a long, lonely road. Ask any Druid.

In a nutshell, I bang my head against a wall, painfully grinding out solo exp because any DPS class in decent gear can sustainability kill mobs, at 3x my pace, with only the skills they have. Add in some lux gear and they lay waste to large swaths of an area. They don't need my help to maintain a killing pace. Support classes are unneeded in typical training groups. Lux items are invaluable for boss fights, but a Scavenger Lux caster offhand doesn't increase my mobs per hour like a golden blade of Ice does for a warrior.
The irony is that unless your clan is supportive and actively invites the mages and druids to ride the group exp wave, you have a pile of level 140 warriors and rogues, standing around a boss wondering why all the supports are lvl 100 (or lower! or switched to DPS classes!)

As far as level playing field, I mean that in a pay-to-play game, you can't 'buy your way to the top'. Here, there is an ever-widening in-game economic gap, buying enough plat to become a superstar is well within the realm of possibility. These are the "Haves". Those people buy say 1600 plat ($50), turn it into 400k+ gold selling elixers and idols, buy Lux items and dominate the whole area to the detriment of those that could probably afford to spend $5 a month on a game, but won't wait nearly a year until they have $50 set aside for a stupid video game. These are the 'Have-Nots' and they'll never succeed to the degree of the Haves, because they simply don't have as much fun money. I'm not advocating the everybody wins mentality either. I'm simply saying that Lux items create a snow-ball effect that those without have great difficulty overcoming. That's not fun.

Whew.

Excellent. I agree. You have a clearer perspective on this than me and I totally agree. I am not advocating for super drastic change either. What I'm trying to do is to highlight the problems, and mabye suggest a few quick ideas that come to mind. But if OTM embraces a good understanding of the problems (not saying I have that exactly), they could come up with even better solutions than i could think up in a few seconds.

I actually strongly AGREE to this. Pretty much u can start on a new server tomorrow, but plat, and be lvl 120 in few days. Way to easy for some people. Yea i disagree that u should pay monthly few, will lose hundreds and hundreds of players. But rly yea i hate how unbalanced the skills and classes are. The reason why there's always been a shortage of Druids: to hard to lvl for some people and ur most likely just gonna heal others.

Half the skills people don't use. Rangers for example(since i am one) i don't use any of the new skills. Same as pre update skills. They need to incorporate all of them into the game more.

As for updates/patches, i for one hate how they have so many all the time.. Once someone gets high lvl where they can't lvl in a day the complain saying we need updates! I sorta miss before update 3. For like 8 months you had the same thing haha with holiday patches... That way when u take a week break u didnt miss everything and get behind.

Those r basic reasons as to why i lost alot of interest i this game, and the things that barely keep me going and playing.

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

I agree w all yer points Marco except the first one- this game is actually free to play so let it stay like that.

I agree w all yer points Marco except the first one- this game is actually free to play so let it stay like that.

Ya it is nice, but I think it causes more problems than it fixes. Like I said, one idea is those who don't have money can pay in gold, or if they aren't able to make payments, they could play a fun mini game (that should be open to all anyway) to make gold to get back in the game.

I actually think it would be exciting.

I agree w all yer points Marco except the first one- this game is actually free to play so let it stay like that.

Ya it is nice, but I think it causes more problems than it fixes. Like I said, one idea is those who don't have money can pay in gold, or if they aren't able to make payments, they could play a fun mini game (that should be open to all anyway) to make gold to get back in the game.

I actually think it would be exciting.

Well every1 has his own opinion

I agree w all yer points Marco except the first one- this game is actually free to play so let it stay like that.

Ya it is nice, but I think it causes more problems than it fixes. Like I said, one idea is those who don't have money can pay in gold, or if they aren't able to make payments, they could play a fun mini game (that should be open to all anyway) to make gold to get back in the game.

I actually think it would be exciting.

Ya like. Others say, it might be good it might be bad. Because it would make more people leave if we have to pay, but the paying gold thing is sorta interesting and different.

Positive side to this is dramatic drop in annoying noobs, scammers, and A-holes(:

So really both ways have their own positives and negatives.