Will some one please tear these ideas all apart.

[Zenako]

Hmm.. I've always jumped down to it. Never tried to see if you can jump up the slope.

One can easily (assuming you have feather fall) jump from the top of that pillar ove to the Lone Tree site. What I was also considering was leaping down and across from a lower ledge, but the gap/angle of descent seemed to wide and or shallow. Actually the jump was only the reason I was bringing it up. Getting to that high spot was essentially impossible via sneaking. If you clear out the defenders, usually about 4 melee and 4-6 caster types (mixed clerics and arcanes) the high spot is clear, but going up solo against that many casters using Holds, Scorching Rays, etc, is vedy vedy hard. With some diligence you can pull some and spread them out. Duck into the cave for a few moments to regroup and sneak back out. Pick off the stragler and rinse and repeat until you clear them. Doable, just not very sneaky.

[Arianrhod]

Too many people don't effectively alter their tactics out there, I know, I have seen how some people play in explorer areas and in quests and they do the same thing all the time. You can brute force the issue, it works, and it will be a bit of a resource hog if you do not have spells available. It is also real easy to recall to the Phoenix Tavern and recharge and run back in once all your clickes or spell points are dry and the shrine has not reset yet.

Sigh...try it with a first character on a new server, with no one to hand you down stuff, no large cash reserves to get wands, clickies, etc, and a character who can't cast resist elements. That's what I mean. Not that it's too hard for ANY character to handle, just that it's not really suitable for the specific characters it's supposedly intended for.

[moorewr]

Sigh...try it with a first character on a new server, with no one to hand you down stuff, no large cash reserves to get wands, clickies, etc, and a character who can't cast resist elements. That's what I mean. Not that it's too hard for ANY character to handle, just that it's not really suitable for the specific characters it's supposedly intended for.

A part of level 2s could stick to the easier sections near the gate.. no need for elemental resists.. just a shield spell or three...

A balanced 4-6 person 4th level party, including an arcane or divine caster, would have access to elemental resists and shields to stop those magic missiles. A balanced party of level 7 characters should tear that place apart. I'm rarely in there past level 5 because I'm looking for bigger xp return, not because I'm afraid I wont clear the place out. Sounds prefect to me.

I hardly count as uber. Just ask my guild.

[Arianrhod]

A part of level 2s could stick to the easier sections near the gate.. no need for elemental resists.. just a shield spell or three...

A balanced 4-6 person 4th level party, including an arcane or divine caster, would have access to elemental resists and shields to stop those magic missiles. A balanced party of level 7 characters should tear that place apart. I'm rarely in there past level 5 because I'm looking for bigger xp return, not because I'm afraid I wont clear the place out. Sounds prefect to me.

I hardly count as uber. Just ask my guild.

This is part of my point. These explorer areas aren't intended as the place to go with a full group to get the best xp at level. There are quests for that, with better rewards. The outdoor zones are, presumably, for those who, for whatever reason, don't have the option of putting together a full group, or can't solo level-appropriate quests. They're to give people something to do who would otherwise just log out and go look for a more solo-friendly game. If you've ever gone back & forth between Tangleroot & Searing Heights, you can see the difference. Tangleroot is easily soloable (except for the names) by any level 7 character, with or without resists, special equipment, or superb tactics. Searing Heights just sits there gathering virtual dust for lack of use by most players, because it turns into an unrewarding deathtrap far too easily.

[kingfisher]

Searing heights is perfect! dont change anything with the mobs but feel free to add a few quests out there and add a low-level raid for noobs to get a taste of the flagging/raiding concept. imo this area is underrated and very enjoyable. tactics are key out there.

[Vardak]

Problem is, that's a public area for many players. Those who have finished the quest and are back in the tavern would still see jacoby and be able to speak to him. We've got the ability to have him say different stuff based off of your state, but not have him show up or not based off of your state. The disadvantages of a multiplayer game and area.

I've always considered Jacoby a wasted opportunity! If instead of killing him we were forced to evade him then he could be a fun reoccurring villain, sorta like wisperdoom. There are several of these kinds of characters running around stormreach.

[maddmatt70]

The better solution is to make the landscapes that are level appropriate more solo friendly, so you get full rewards and benefits at the right level and appropriate challenge in a newer space to you. This is something that we're looking at as an ongoing polish pass, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the drow in searing heights unlearn some spells at some point.



Things are coming with 7 that you'll like.

I would say one gap is at about level 9-11ish.. Too low for the desert and araxtarians haven really and too high level for the greymoon/co6 area.. You should add an outdoor area for that level range. You could soup up the monsters in the pirate's cove and add to the pirate's cove area a bit and use that - that is one possiblity.

[KIELBASEE555]

Problem is, that's a public area for many players. Those who have finished the quest and are back in the tavern would still see jacoby and be able to speak to him. We've got the ability to have him say different stuff based off of your state, but not have him show up or not based off of your state. The disadvantages of a multiplayer game and area.



Again, he'd have to be there before you did butcher's path as well, which isn't a big deal. Main challenge here is the time it takes to get the entire tavern to behave that way, and the overall impact it makes, and the expectation it sets. If that happens here, it's expected that something scripted of the like in every tavern or setting with multiple NPC's. It's a cool thing, but the time it takes is prohibitive, I'd rather get another quest for another new dungeon done personally than have some NPC's cheer (and yes, that's literally the type of time choice that has to be made, there isn't time for both, and I haven't figured out how to clone myself yet).



The better solution is to make the landscapes that are level appropriate more solo friendly, so you get full rewards and benefits at the right level and appropriate challenge in a newer space to you. This is something that we're looking at as an ongoing polish pass, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the drow in searing heights unlearn some spells at some point.



Things are coming with 7 that you'll like.

5: i know.... I KNOW that i'm giving you this 6 some months way to late. WHY?? why was the collectables left OUT of the vale ingredients. will there be a day when you can take 20 sweet cap mushrooms to the 12, and imbune them into usable ingredients?

6: lets review this. i'm in House P, I goto the 9 set quest called threnial? I goto the WEST 3 set. while fighting flesh renderer's. NOTE: we are not lvl 3's and 4's at this point. while fighting flesh's kill one. at random you may have the chance to catch a plainer crystal collectable. after the quest take 3 plainers to House D and traide them in. and what do i get??? something a lvl 4 or 5 would want or need. the collector who takes the plainers I have never seen the rare (1) he is looking for. Please reset the items traided back to the player. you have many HIGH level items that can be rediemed, very very often the rewards are chump change. i do like house J's ogar who gives serious repair oils or heals. but the bug man ONLY gives +2 (JUST a +2) full plate for the (1) bug
this ----------is ------------evil------IF some of the high level collectors gave out vorpals, disruptors, tomes, or even vale ingredients E-V-E-R-Y
B-O-D-Y!!! would be doing the collectables. oh and those LARGE bags?? ARE NOT DROPPING enouph!!! yes i took advantage of the small bag bug where you could make a new alternate. send his two small bags to a old alt and then delite the new guy. could you make a special one use bag that can be used to send collectables or ingredients to a person all at once through the mail?

[jwbarry]

5: i know.... I KNOW that i'm giving you this 6 some months way to late. WHY?? why was the collectables left OUT of the vale ingredients. will there be a day when you can take 20 sweet cap mushrooms to the 12, and imbune them into usable ingredients?

Because The Shroud is raid loot crafting and not general crafting.

6: lets review this. i'm in House P, I goto the 9 set quest called threnial? I goto the WEST 3 set. while fighting flesh renderer's. NOTE: we are not lvl 3's and 4's at this point. while fighting flesh's kill one. at random you may have the chance to catch a plainer crystal collectable. after the quest take 3 plainers to House D and traide them in. and what do i get??? something a lvl 4 or 5 would want or need. the collector who takes the plainers I have never seen the rare (1) he is looking for. Please reset the items traided back to the player. you have many HIGH level items that can be rediemed, very very often the rewards are chump change. i do like house J's ogar who gives serious repair oils or heals. but the bug man ONLY gives +2 (JUST a +2) full plate for the (1) bug
this ----------is ------------evil------IF some of the high level collectors gave out vorpals, disruptors, tomes, or even vale ingredients E-V-E-R-Y
B-O-D-Y!!! would be doing the collectables. oh and those LARGE bags?? ARE NOT DROPPING enouph!!! yes i took advantage of the small bag bug where you could make a new alternate. send his two small bags to a old alt and then delite the new guy. could you make a special one use bag that can be used to send collectables or ingredients to a person all at once through the mail?

Yeah, collectible rewards could be better, I grant you that. They were always meant to be a nice bonus in addition to whatever you got in the dungeons, but they could be a better bonus. I'm not sure how they'll factor into crafting, you'd have to bug Piloto/Eladrin on that, since the systems stuff is their turf, I'm just a quest dude.

[Kromize]

Things are coming with 7 that you'll like.

What about 6.1!?

[TechNoFear]

Because The Shroud is raid loot crafting and not general crafting.

Ummmmm....

Returning players will be expecting 'crafting', not 'raid loot crafting'.

Module 6: The Thirteenth Eclipse New

Crafting Comes to Eberron!

Are we getting 'general' crafting any time soon?

[winsom]

How about a quest revamp that is intended to be "replayed" on normal, hard and elite as part of complete story rather than the same exact adventure over again? Tie the adventures together with a new crafting senario that leads to a final match up where you use your new item to defeat an ultimate protagonist? Perhaps the normally difficult-but-isolated optional monster is now roaming about the dungeon? Or maybe you could come up with a new boss?

Instead of NPCs asking "Repeat this adventure?" (very un-D&D), he could tell you "Thank you but there is another problem" or "Could you do one more favor for me?" and so on. The adventure should change slightly. Have a couple different bosses and slightly differently monster placement, at least.

Each "repeat-but-not-really repeat" of the adventure (and nearby related quests) could have a different crafting component as a reward that can be combined to create then upgrade the quest story item. Im thinking of something like a lesser reptile bane that upgrades with x1 of Remove Curse, lesser acid or fire resist and then upgrades again as a full Reptile Bane then resist fire 10, etc.. Something like that. By the time you have crafted part of the upgrade, you could be clearing out the harbor quests on Hard and by the time you are at or near the fully-crafted you would be doing elite harbor quests.

[Drekisen]

I like Searing Heights, but it is labeled as lvl 2-7.......when it is really "lvl7, full elite group".......at least now the shrine resets.

full elite group. Nah.
I solo'ed all of SH with my bard at level 7.
Like the following post said...tactics...albeit, it is quite a challenge and the shadow will most likely take u more than one trip to defeat alone.
I love explorer for the main reason that at the max level allowed I will take all of my new rolls into it solo and see if I can defeat and sweep the whole area once by myself. It is great for finding your players strengths and weaknesses and really grants u the ability to fine tune them and find a way to fill in the things you may be missing.

[Delzon]

A little off subject, but since you were talking about collectibles being to low for the level, I have to ask about Ion Stones. I pulled one yesterday +2 Int but at level 9 you can get a +4 at level 9 or at level 7 if it is rr. Now if they would stack with other items but you have to fill up 2 slots, that might be worth it. Otherwise no one will ever use it.

[ArkoHighStar]

Ummmmm....

Returning players will be expecting 'crafting', not 'raid loot crafting'.



Are we getting 'general' crafting any time soon?

mod 7 will have general crafting

[Zenako]

One thing about Searing Heights I will agree on, is that the lower level minimum should be 3 and not 2. For one main reason, it gives most casters access to second level spells, including resists, which will be very useful in the back end of the area.

However, if you read the flavor text and listen to things in the game, it is clear that the Sulatar Elves are attuned to fire, are immune/highly resistent to fire and will thus likely have fire related allies. Going along the left side of the map as you enter, the first encounters are with a few Hell Hounds. First warning about needing fire resistence. Going up the right side, and if you hit the cave with the named Sulatar and the fire pits and mephits and elemental, you can another warning about needing fire. Long before you hit the main fire zone, you had better be aware of the nature of the upcoming mobs. EIther have some fire resist items or spells or pots, or suffer.

There is really only one named incorporeal mob in the area, so even without ghost touch weapons it can be defeated. You might need to recall or shrine after it, but that is the way things are.

Of all the explorer areas, it is actually one of my favorite ones. Nothing in there is really bugged or hard to explain. I mean Gnolls who can still hit you with arrows across half the map? Or UBER Dwarven Ranger Archers with Poison Bows that critical half the time (my elf ranger wants that prestige class!!!!) on the Island? Unlike some of the higher level areas, all classes have about the same prospects in here. Whlie almost anyone CAN do the Orchard or Vale, casters own them and would loot run them while melees often just tag along.