U50 Changes in this Preview: Misc Notes

[Artos_Fabril]

This one was more or less a player request, see details here:
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post6428097

The Stone of Change holds a massive number of recipes, almost 2/3 of which are Guild Augment recipes. While we understand that some users still use this system that hasn't been available broadly in close to a decade, the performance hits and negative user experience to all players of keeping this system around, in this case, outweighs the benefits for the exceptionally small number of users still using the system.

Does this mean the Stone of Change is getting a barter interface, or is this just in pursuit of cleaning up unsupported systems? The former is a QoL fix. The latter is housekeeping (at the expense of some few players).

[droid327]

Thats fine, Then just say you fixed an exploit.

the way it is worded is so ambiguous it could mean almost anything.

The players already have to cobble together all the info they can (Wiki/compendium/ETC) because You devs do not provide it. It would be nice if you would at least not obfuscate information in such a way that would require testing if one did not know there was an exploit previously.

Yeah I kinda tend to agree with that thought...

Players look to the patch notes for information, and vagueness like that just makes for confusion. They make players run over to the Abbey and try to figure out what changed, and probably waste their time looking for something new that isnt there. Just tell us what we need to know, so that we know it.

The one exception is probably if you actually ARE introducing some new content and we ARE supposed to go start checking something out and figure out what's going on...ie with the Dull Dagger

[MacDubh]

THIS KIND OF NOTE IS NOT HELPFUL.

Please use the release notes for their intended purpose, to inform the player-base.

The kind of players that want a sense of exploration with stuff like this are not scouring the Lamania notes.

The rest of us are frustrated that you make us do homework every update to figure out *** is going on.

If this is fixing an exploit, just say you fixed an exploit or removed a perch spot...stop trying to be "tongue in cheek"

THIS IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING

but everyone knows about this, so why don't you?

[Madja]

Miscellaneous

• Changes have been made to the spellcasting system that make casting spells more reliably. This may prevent dry firing of spells in certain situations.

Now this is extremely interesting! Very much looking forward to seeing if it'll work.

[TedSandyman]

Aren't guild augments gimp anyway?

A few of them could still be useful, especially at low level since they were tied to guild level not item level.

Most were make irrelevant by guild ship updates, but a few, attack bonus on swords or search or spot could bump you a point or three. Which was helpful if you were taking some thief levels as a fighter.

I used them a lot, even after they were discontinued, but they are more hassle than they are worth, since they expire.

I haven't actually slotted one in a while. I would be interested to know if anyone is still using them at all.

I must say, I like the way this was handled. Leave the old thing in place until nearly everyone who uses it quits using it on their own.

I would have been angry at the time if they had just taken it away. But now, its meh.

I don't always trust them when they say "the new thing is better" and then they yank the old thing away. But given time to come to the conclusion on my own saved some flame posts probably.

[TedSandyman]

THIS KIND OF NOTE IS NOT HELPFUL.

Please use the release notes for their intended purpose, to inform the player-base.

The kind of players that want a sense of exploration with stuff like this are not scouring the Lamania notes.

The rest of us are frustrated that you make us do homework every update to figure out *** is going on.

If this is fixing an exploit, just say you fixed an exploit or removed a perch spot...stop trying to be "tongue in cheek"

THIS IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest of men.”–Willy Wonka

[beta1]

[*]Trap the Soul now requires a standalone special component, called a Khyber Dragonshard, that is found in shops wherever high quality spell components may be found. This component works for all variations of Trap the Soul.

So what will happen when I shoot someone (with a crossbow) while wearing my necronimicannon if I don't have any khyber dragonshards when the Trap the Soul procs? Do I still do the crossbow damage? Do the dragonshards have to be in my inventory, or can they be in my ingredients bag?

[Zafaron]

I've noticed a general lack of +stats for all of the tree revamps. Even adding like 7-10 casting stat from the epic trees currently and 6-10 from heroic trees you have a hard time reaching levels where spells land reliably. Even with completionist/racial completionist its not super great. I think you need a lot more +DC and/or +stat bonuses somewhere.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

This one was more or less a player request, see details here:
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post6428097

The Stone of Change holds a massive number of recipes, almost 2/3 of which are Guild Augment recipes. While we understand that some users still use this system that hasn't been available broadly in close to a decade, the performance hits and negative user experience to all players of keeping this system around, in this case, outweighs the benefits for the exceptionally small number of users still using the system.

Well, I think that current ("modern") augments might be good for that, too.
However, I wonder (simply because I don't know it much better) whether the current augments are able to do 1:1 the same as guild augments did.

There are - at least according to the Wiki - a LOT of Guild Augments which are not available as current augments : https://ddowiki.com/page/Guild_Crafting

Plus, current augments are rare as drops - but I do understand that they can be bought from Collectable Vendors.

[kentos]

[*]Burst of Glacial wrath now works on everything, rather than erroneously excluding certain monsters.

I have tested BoGW on different mob types on Lammania today.
It seems to be working on many more enemy types, however still not on everything

It did not work on any plant creature in Eveningstar Druid's chain - Overgrowth quest.
It also did not work on Vine Horrors (Plants) in Thralls of the Fungus Lord in Cogs, even though it worked on Needles and Red Musk Zombies (which are also Plants) in there.
What's interesting, there are extremely similar plants and plant zombies in Overgrowth as well, and these were immune.

It did work correctly on Scorpions and Spiders (Vermin), Scarecrows, Iron defenders and Worker constructs (Constructs) and Skeletons (Undead).
Wisps in Ravenloft and Magefire Cannons in Sharn were immune, but that looks like by design.

Thanks for the great work

[Bravosi]

*Shadar-Kai Iconic has been updated. They now get their first Chain Attack ability as an innate racial feat, and both Chain Attacks are now melee attacks requiring a light weapon in your Main hand. A more full explanation can be seen in this thread: Shadar Kai

Can't find the thread mentioned.

This seems to screw Ranged Shadar-Kai who use this when they get surrounded. Since it now requires a light weapon in your main hand, or am I misunderstanding this.

[shawnvw]

Can't find the thread mentioned.

This seems to screw Ranged Shadar-Kai who use this when they get surrounded. Since it now requires a light weapon in your main hand, or am I misunderstanding this.

The thread is here: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ai-Adjustments

And yes, you have to switch to a melee weapon when you want to use the Chain. I agree, it was nice to have a melee attack I could use while still holding my crossbow, but I'm looking forward to being able to move as soon as the targets are down (or even sooner, if necessary).

EDIT: Actually I just remembered an even better advantage: The Chain does the damage of the light weapon. You can choose whatever crazy DPS weapon is best for the situation -- if you're surrounded by undead, you can use Flotsam or your Barovian light mace or something

[shawnvw]

That all sounds like an amazing amount of QoL fixes to me. I have a question about the above^ however. Does this mean that all those pink-purple khyber dragonshards I crunched in the Stone of Change (Chompy Ted) for the appropriate size Soul Gem are now useless? I mean, I'm happy to spend less time with the Chompy Monster of Tedium but what do I do with the soul gem spell components I made? Are Khyber Dragonshard fragments only used for cannith crafting now?

I'm pretty sure Cannith Crafting uses only Siberys fragments, not Khyber.

The crunched Khyber Dragonshards of various sizes are still used in Stone of Change "binding" recipes, so they still have a use. If you're into that kind of thing.

And that implies that the KD fragments must still be dropping. So I request that we can continue to crunch them, all the way up into the new full-size Khyber Dragonshards. So we haven't wasted the ones we have. And gives us another way to acquire them for the spell.

[CaptainSpacePony]

This one was more or less a player request, see details here:
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post6428097

The Stone of Change holds a massive number of recipes, almost 2/3 of which are Guild Augment recipes. While we understand that some users still use this system that hasn't been available broadly in close to a decade, the performance hits and negative user experience to all players of keeping this system around, in this case, outweighs the benefits for the exceptionally small number of users still using the system.

What a terrific justification/explanation! TY!

Any reservations I may have had about this change have been soundly quashed by recognizing the greater benefit.

Regarding the trap the soul change: long over due! Now, how about getting that player's council cracking on some meaningful uses for sib and khy shards!

[Matuse]

The crunched Khyber Dragonshards of various sizes are still used in Stone of Change "binding" recipes, so they still have a use. If you're into that kind of thing.

The stone of binding only uses the smallest khyber fragments. While I like this change for trap the soul, it does mean that all the "upped" khyber types have no function at all.

And that implies that the KD fragments must still be dropping.

Uh...yes. How could you not notice this?

So I request that we can continue to crunch them, all the way up into the new full-size Khyber Dragonshards. So we haven't wasted the ones we have. And gives us another way to acquire them for the spell.

That's just silly. Unless these vendor sold shards are CRAZY expensive, it is far better to just vendor the fragments and buy the shards. Factoring in the sale price of khyber fragments (which is substantial) and the time required to use the stone of change, they are not viable at all as an alternate source to the vendor.

The other consideration of course is that people who want to use trap the soul a lot (and especially if they actually want soul gems and not just as an insta-kill) will use Warlocks who don't need to bother with the khyber shard ingredient at all - or is that changing with this update?

[carsonfball]

Aren't guild augments gimp anyway?

I thought so. I have a few items around just because I can't get them any longer, but I haven't used them since the (IMHO) much better augment system came out.

[shawnvw]

That's just silly.

Rude.

Unless these vendor sold shards are CRAZY expensive, it is far better to just vendor the fragments and buy the shards. Factoring in the sale price of khyber fragments (which is substantial) and the time required to use the stone of change, they are not viable at all as an alternate source to the vendor.

I checked the prices, and you're probably right - just sell your current Khybers and buy the new ones.

The other consideration of course is that people who want to use trap the soul a lot (and especially if they actually want soul gems and not just as an insta-kill) will use Warlocks who don't need to bother with the khyber shard ingredient at all - or is that changing with this update?

You're saying that people will choose a class based on one spell? Seems unlikely to me, but I created a character to use up a stash of ML 16 weapons.

[Evean]

Items that had Guild Augment slots now have a Colorless Augment Slot in its place.

How about colourless, red/yellow/blue, orange/green/purple? Large guild augment slots are a lot more rare and powerful than tiny.

[kpak01]

Aren't guild augments gimp anyway?

No. They are not OP, but they do give some small bonuses you can't get any other way. Just like the Cargo Hold NPCs did.

[kpak01]

This one was more or less a player request

A player request for a different UI is not a player request to nerf some nice minor bonuses on legacy items.

And you explicitly said you're not doing what the players in your linked thread are actually asking for, a "barter box" UI.

So don't pretend other players are clamoring to nerf my guild augments, when it's all you.