Saltmarsh details from today's live stream.

[Carpone]

The 'The Archons' Trial' DCs aren't particularly high.

Thanks for the hireling level info.

Hrm, maybe I'm confusing Archons with Shroud flaggers? One of them had ridiculously high DCs when it was released, so it seemed apropos to use that as a yardstick.

[Redtalktree]

As title says what does "UNLIMITED" mean?

[Deadlock]

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh content OK
Monster Manual 8 Free to VIP, worth 595 points
Epic Destinies I already paid for this with MOTU (and turns out Feywild too) worth 995 points
Horizon Walker enhancements 400 Gatekeeper favour, worth 495 points
Smuggler's cosmetics Don't have inventory space for more cosmetic gear and don't care about pets
Rogue hireling Rogue hires are historically useless in Reaper, I don't use the gold seals I currently have so not sure another 2 will see the light of day
Unlimited Spark of Logic Saga reward? I'll just run the saga
Sentient Jewel: Lizardfolk I already have sentient jewels, and can get more for free every life from Ravenloft any reason I need another one apart from audio flavour?
Dimensional Hireling Folder Probably save me 1 inventory slot for the 2 folders I have now
Instant teleport item Useful, I use the others so would use this one, but now you've taken up the inventory slot I saved with the hireling folder ...

So $19.99 for the content
or $59.99 for the content + Enhancement tree
or $99.99 for the content + Enhancement tree + Saga reward Spark + Teleport item

As a VIP, why don't I get additional points to my account for the stuff I've already paid for like the ED's and MM?

Also, cosmetics are great for those who are interested in them. Just add them to the store and let people pay for them. Keep adding more and let people keep on paying for them. Don't use them to pad out your packs.

[Chai]

So tell me again, what exactly did they learn from the LotRO debacle mini-expansion pricing again.....

That people will rage, but once the rage wears off they will buy it.

The "sunk cost" syndrome in gaming runs deep.

[GramercyRiff]

This is expected aka really bad. That's the extent of my feedback. I'm mailing it in like SSG has been doing for some time.

[Carpone]

Release is one week from today.

If you buy any level of Saltmarsh bundle (and are VIP) between aug 4 and sept 4, you get a 15% Saltmarsh discovery elixir on all toons.

I don't understand why Epic Destiny access is included in all the bundles. EDs came out 8 years ago with MOTU, and aren't a consideration for long time players.

[droid327]

Eh...I'm not VIP but I also dont really bother with cosmetics and anything I can unlock in-game...

So apparently the difference between an Adventure Pack and a Mini-Expansion is...it comes bundled with a Monster Manual?

I mean for $20, what's the difference between Saltmarsh and Keep? Keep came with 8 quests (albeit bite-size ones, which I actually like) and a wilderness area, PLUS it introduced Mounts, which was a huge new feature for the game. Saltmarsh is basically the same thing, except no new mechanics - it just offers you, I suppose, the new SSS upgrade, but that only matters at L30+, and is really just a tax to keep access to existing game mechanics.

TBF, Saltmarsh does have a Saga that Keep did not, and that's meaningful. I'm just not sure its enough to justify $20 cash-only pricing.

[ShifterThePirate]

Release is one week from today.

If you buy any level of Saltmarsh bundle (and are VIP) between aug 4 and sept 4, you get a 15% Saltmarsh discovery elixir on all toons.

I don't understand why Epic Destiny access is included in all the bundles. EDs came out 8 years ago with MOTU, and aren't a consideration for long time players.

Because they needed a less expensive alternative for new players to the $59.99 Expansion Trove.

[droid327]

I don't understand why Epic Destiny access is included in all the bundles. EDs came out 8 years ago with MOTU, and aren't a consideration for long time players.

Well exactly - its targeted towards new players; ones, apparently, that didnt buy Feywild already

I guess they just want to make sure everyone has the chance to get ready for the ED revamp in U51, especially since Saltmarsh is the first set of quests designed specifically with L31+ characters in mind.

[Chai]

I don't understand why Epic Destiny access is included in all the bundles. EDs came out 8 years ago with MOTU, and aren't a consideration for long time players.

It appears to be a redundancy / catch all for newer players, which might have to do with the possibility that someone could join DDO while not owning any other expansions and buy Saltmarsh first. They would get EDs with it and not have to buy MOTU or separately purchase it to get it.

[Deadlock]

That people will rage, but once the rage wears off they will buy it.

The "sunk cost" syndrome in gaming runs deep.

Can't see it on this one. I've been able to happily buy the Ultimate bundles previously, happy to support the dev's etc etc etc.

If they'd sneaked in a Lizardman race with this one, might have helped increase the value.

I'll buy the basic pack for sure, but an extra $80 just for a teleport item I'm struggling with. Maybe I'm missing something?

[Dandonk]

I wonder what they "learned" from the LOTRO debacle?

100 dollars for...

Saltmarsh - check, basic.
MM - already get as VIP
ED - already bought several times with other expansions
Horizon Walker - hmm, never played a bow character for more than a few levels, but I suppose there's som value here
Cosmetics - don't have room for the ones I already have, let alone any more
Pets - never use any of them
Perma hires - more lever pullers, yay?
Sentient Jewel - meh, don't play with game sound on anyway
Mount - looks cool enough, but only cosmetic value, so meh
Hireling folder - already bought one for the permahires I already have, so kinda meh
Instant teleport - with the nerf to the speed of the Sharn one, and the general meh-ishness of them, this is not a great thing. Especially since it takes yet another precious TR cache slot...
Spark of Logic - have no idea what this is, but it better be really good to warrant the insane price.

They learned nothing, as expected. 10% off as VIP is insulting, the fluff is bad considering the lack of TR cache space, teleports are nerfed/meh...

[Deadlock]

It appears to be a redundancy / catch all for newer players, which might have to do with the possibility that someone could join DDO while not owning any other expansions and buy Saltmarsh first. They would get EDs with it and not have to buy MOTU or separately purchase it to get it.

Seems fair. So people don't feel they're paying for the same thing over and over, why not reduce the ultimate bundle price for any expansion by $10.00 for every other ultimate bundle you've previously purchased?

[Chai]

Seems fair. So people don't feel they're paying for the same thing over and over, why not reduce the ultimate bundle price for any expansion by $10.00 for every other pack you've previously purchased?

Probably because it looks better to add the same bullet point to multiple bundles over the years than it does to sell someone a non-MOTU expansion then tell them they have to buy MOTU or buy EDs to get them.

But hey, Im all down for paying less due to the same bullet point on multiple packs purchased. Can I get that t2 pack for like 9 bucks? /shrug.

[Chai]

Can't see it on this one. I've been able to happily buy the Ultimate bundles previously, happy to support the dev's etc etc etc.

If they'd sneaked in a Lizardman race with this one, might have helped increase the value.

I'll buy the basic pack for sure, but an extra $80 just for a teleport item I'm struggling with. Maybe I'm missing something?

There is a market audience who will pay inflated prices for fluff.

MMO history is kind of comical in this regard. Every game for ~12-15 years had forum ragers who hated the idea of paying 10-15 USD for playing a game after already having bought the game, but many of those same folks will spend multiple times that on cosmetics, pets, and mounts in the same game. Im surprised theres no super hyper omni global mega fluff bundle for like 200 USD. When people are happy to spend money on this kind of stuff that doesnt impact game balance, sell it to them by the truckload.

[Tyrande]

I asked in the Lam thread. No response.


Agreed.

Slight Saltmarsh spoiler ahead, beware!!!

I am indeed planning something super secret... but it won't be exactly the same secret that Feytwisted loot was

Lynnabel indicated in another thread that there is a super-secret thing in Saltmarsh as well. I have no clue what she meant.

Hopefully the slayer is standard 7500.

I think the limit of 3000 slayers or less for Feywild is because of the artificial limitation of the chance for people to obtain Feytwisted chests so that people are discourage to stay in the slayers area if they are getting 0xp.

[ShifterThePirate]

There is another live stream now btw with a lot of devs in it at DDOCast
https://www.twitch.tv/ddocast

[rabidfox]

There is a market audience who will pay inflated prices for fluff.

MMO history is kind of comical in this regard. Every game for ~12-15 years had forum ragers who hated the idea of paying 10-15 USD for playing a game after already having bought the game, but many of those same folks will spend multiple times that on cosmetics, pets, and mounts in the same game. Im surprised theres no super hyper omni global mega fluff bundle for like 200 USD. When people are happy to spend money on this kind of stuff that doesnt impact game balance, sell it to them by the truckload.

Fluff is great; makes money and doesn't throw balance off any. Like how many people will grab the big pack just to name their baby croc pet "Loki" or "Variant"...

[Tyrande]

Could you elaborate on the Spark of Logic - and what "unlimited access" means? I assume its another slot for sentient weapons (I still havent filled the 3 weapons I am using yet), but what does "unlimited" mean in that context?

[...].

The Spark of Logic according to @Cocomajabo is that it adds another level (slot) to beyond level 9 to your sentient weapon.

As for "unlimited', I guess it means you can obtain more than 1? i.e. found another one from Saga reward or chests and can pass to other characters?

Or does it stack with the existing sentient weapon, hmmm... curious.

[rabidfox]

As for "unlimited', I guess it means you can obtain more than 1? i.e. found another one from Saga reward or chests and can pass to other characters?

It's gonna be a saga reward option for anyone (maybe a drop too?); so my assumption is unlimited means you can just visit a vendor or something get a free one for every sentient weapon you own without having to grind out drops/rewards for them.