Epic Sands of Menechetarun landscape

[Angelus_dead]

There are four components needed to build an epic magic item: items, seals, shards, and scrolls. The scrolls are obtained by killing epic-mod monsters, and have prehaps a 1% drop rate. Unlike other things which randomly drop from, these scrolls are rivalrous and can only be picked up by the first party member who reaches it. For multiple reasons, the process of obtaining epic scrolls is not really fun, so here is a suggestion to improve it.

Suggestion
When a level 20 character clicks on the gateway to enter the Sands of Menechetarun zone, a dialog menu appears allowing him to choose either the normal zone or an Epic version, where all monsters have been replaced with dangerous epic variants. Obviously, these creatures would have the same chance of dropping an epic scroll as any other epic monster.

In addition, any rare named monster in the Epic Sands of Menechetarun has 10 times the normal chance to drop an epic scroll.

[Sirea]

Not a bad idea.

Would also be nice if seals dropped for "Epic Landscape" chests too.

[Shade]

I'd like to see all new epic named mobs in the epic sands. Also make it a 12 man zone with truely epic encounters.
One being a very rare sand dragon.

Rarer then other mobs and sorta ambushes you when you don't expect it... Make him the most difficult boss of any epic quest yet, harder then lailat. He drops an epic chests when defeated. So you can get shards out there too.

[shenthing]

treasure bags

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

it's a good idea, but I'm not sure what justifies making the drop rate 10x

Garth

[Hendrik]

Make it easier to farm Epic loot?!?!?!

Not an idea I can get behind.

[Aspenor]

First of all, great idea!!!

Secondly:

Make it easier to farm Epic loot?!?!?!

Not an idea I can get behind.

Why? Considering the uselessness of ~1/2 the items, why would it be such a big deal? The benefits are extremely marginal, at best.

[Angelus_dead]

it's a good idea, but I'm not sure what justifies making the drop rate 10x

So that there is an incentive to hunt and kill named enemies. If they have only the same 1% drop chance as any other epic monster, then why spend the time and resources to fight it?

Without some incentive to kill epic names, then players will gravitate towards whatever bundle of monsters is weakest, and kill it again and again. (Note that players who are trying to get epic scrolls currently do that already)

[Angelus_dead]

Make it easier to farm Epic loot?!?!?!

The actual goal is to add variety to the existing process of farming epic scrolls. It'll also give an epic party something to do when they don't have time to commit to an entire epic dungeon.

[Aspenor]

The actual goal is to add variety to the existing process of farming epic scrolls. It'll also give an epic party something to do when they don't have time to commit to an entire epic dungeon.

Very true.

I like this idea, a lot.

I've got another one: in the epic explorer area, epic Antique Bronze tokens may also drop. Turn in 5000 (or whatever the number of tokens was for the turn in) for a list of epic crafting ingredients.

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

How about making it that in order to get to an epic dungeon you have to go through the epic landscape.

That should make those runs to Chains and Offering more interesting.

Garth

[Hendrik]

First of all, great idea!!!

Secondly:



Why? Considering the uselessness of ~1/2 the items, why would it be such a big deal? The benefits are extremely marginal, at best.

I would argue instead of making them easier to farm in the Landscape, keep them in the Quests where they belong. Instead of making everything easier to farm, why not make some of those less desirable items more desirable?

Odd that you would want to go the route of making it easier to farm those more desirable items vs upgrading those that are not.

When will the request come down the pipe to add Epic Tokens to Landscape chests? That Gimpsters next idea?

What about balance? Furthering gap 'tween the have's and have not's? JUST have to be L20 to farm the Landscape under this idea? What about preventative measures taken to end recalling for mana in Epic Quests? How is that to be delt with here?

[Angelus_dead]

How about making it that in order to get to an epic dungeon you have to go through the epic landscape.
That should make those runs to Chains and Offering more interesting.

That would be more interesting in some ways, but not more fun- particularly because it would put great emphasis on Dungeon Alert levels, and carefully staying just below the threshold where they'll slow you down. And it would lengthen the time commitment required to do an epic dungeon, which is already pushing it.

[Hendrik]

That would be more interesting in some ways, but not more fun- particularly because it would put great emphasis on Dungeon Alert levels, and carefully staying just below the threshold where they'll slow you down. And it would lengthen the time commitment required to do an epic dungeon, which is already pushing it.

Going to be much more fun to go in, kill one or two MOBs, recall, reform, and repeat?

[Angelus_dead]

I would argue instead of making them easier to farm in the Landscape, keep them in the Quests where they belong. Instead of making everything easier to farm, why not make some of those less desirable items more desirable?

Do you know how epic scrolls are obtained presently? There are two methods:
1. You're doing an epic dungeon with the goal of obtaining shards and tokens, and along the way you happen to get a few scrolls as a side effect of killing monsters.
2. You specifically want scrolls, so you go into an epic dungeon and kill the first bunch of mobs, then recall, reset and go kill them again.

Neither of those scenarios is a highly desirable kind of gameplay, and neither has obtaining scrolls being a real challenge. It may take a long time, and not all characters might be able to do it, but it's not "hard" in the way that you'd be proud to overcome it. My suggestion would add a third way you can get them: by going out into the epic desert and killing as many enemies as you can handle. It wouldn't be easier than farming the first few mobs of a dungeon over and over, but it would be less cheesy.

Going to be much more fun to go in, kill one or two MOBs, recall, reform, and repeat?

Do you have any idea what you're talking about?

[Angelus_dead]

What about balance? Furthering gap 'tween the have's and have not's?

This suggestion reduces that gap.

JUST have to be L20 to farm the Landscape under this idea?

I have elsewhere suggested that characters below level 20 should be allowed to enter an "epic" area, but I didn't want to confuse this thread by bringing it up here. This suggestion was restricted to level 20 so as to be consistent with existing "epic" content.

What about preventative measures taken to end recalling for mana in Epic Quests? How is that to be delt with here?

There's nothing to deal with.

[DagazUlf]

Great idea A_D.

[Battleworm]

Going to be much more fun to go in, kill one or two MOBs, recall, reform, and repeat?

If you have nothing to contribute,then perhaps say nothing.

[ahpook]

There are four components needed to build an epic magic item: items, seals, shards, and scrolls. The scrolls are obtained by killing epic-mod monsters, and have prehaps a 1% drop rate. Unlike other things which randomly drop from, these scrolls are rivalrous and can only be picked up by the first party member who reaches it. For multiple reasons, the process of obtaining epic scrolls is not really fun, so here is a suggestion to improve it.

Suggestion
When a level 20 character clicks on the gateway to enter the Sands of Menechetarun zone, a dialog menu appears allowing him to choose either the normal zone or an Epic version, where all monsters have been replaced with dangerous epic variants. Obviously, these creatures would have the same chance of dropping an epic scroll as any other epic monster.

In addition, any rare named monster in the Epic Sands of Menechetarun has 10 times the normal chance to drop an epic scroll.

While this is an interesting idea, I would rather that they solve the bold-highlighted problem through the use of treasure bags which allows all players the chance to get the scroll. This was a good model and it pains me to see the devs once again go for a first looter wins model. Did they not learn enough lessons from Spawn of Whisperdoom ??

[sirgog]

I like the idea.

Remember, the limiting factor in producing Epic item upgrades is getting the Shard. The Seal is easy to get, the scroll can be bought on the AH (there's not many up there now, but over time there will be, once there's been time for more people to have all their frequently played toons capped)

Allowing another source of scrolls would remove the 'epic grind' of solo farming the first twenty foes in Wiz-King, or running no-completion runs of Offering of Blood to farm respawns, neither of which are fun or challenging at all, but are the best way to get these scrolls at the moment.