Why Designing for the "Top Tier" Players is Bad for the Game

[slarden]

I would like to see the devs increase rewards at the lower end of the difficulty spectrum. Specifically people running on normal are going to have a real difficult time getting gear while people like me get significantly higher drop rates while completing the quest faster on a higher difficulty.

I understand the arguments against raising the normal/hard drop rates - I just think most of it's nonsense. People will run reaper or elite if they can handle it even if the reward drop rate is only 5% higher because they want their reaper and mythic bonuses.

You won't solve the power gap, but making the rewards better at the lower end will help quite a bit.

[Weemadarthur]

You won't solve the power gap, but making the rewards better at the lower end will help quite a bit.

It may not solve the power gap issue but at least it would be a start towards it. Add a few ideas to help new players (or alts) gain even a few past lives a bit quicker and I think you would be half way there.

One of the easiest things I think that could be done to help close the power gap a little more would be to add a few new tutorial quests that give players a ranged (ranger), melee (paladin) and caster (wiz) life as their reward. Have the 1st part of the quest play as a level 1 character of each archetype then boost them to 12 for the next part and 20 for the end. This would enable a new player to learn how each archtype plays, how feats work, would act as an introduction to spending your AP and at the end would give them an example of a fully powered heroic toon before guiding them through the TR process. Each character could then do the tutorials 1 time each to gain 3 PL's in an hour or so before heading to Korthos to start the game proper with a better understanding of how the archtypes work and with 3 useful PL's under their belt.

[magaiti]

I would like to see the devs increase rewards at the lower end of the difficulty spectrum. Specifically people running on normal are going to have a real difficult time getting gear while people like me get significantly higher drop rates while completing the quest faster on a higher difficulty.

I understand the arguments against raising the normal/hard drop rates - I just think most of it's nonsense. People will run reaper or elite if they can handle it even if the reward drop rate is only 5% higher because they want their reaper and mythic bonuses.

You won't solve the power gap, but making the rewards better at the lower end will help quite a bit.

There are quite a few quests/chains that have named items in end rewards, and the chance doesn't depend on difficulty.
So if you know someone who has difficulties with hard and/or elite, show them following quests/quest chains as accessible options:
Phiarlan Carnival, Sentinels of Stormreach, Red Fens, Ravenloft weapons, Gianthold Tor story arc reward, Wheloon, Stormhorns, King's Forest (Eveningstar Commendations), Borderlands weapons, Epic Necro 4.
Maybe I've missed some.
The items there are not that great compared to best loot out there, but at least it's a start that will help them to improve their toon.

[erethizon]

I would like to see the devs increase rewards at the lower end of the difficulty spectrum. Specifically people running on normal are going to have a real difficult time getting gear while people like me get significantly higher drop rates while completing the quest faster on a higher difficulty.

I understand the arguments against raising the normal/hard drop rates - I just think most of it's nonsense. People will run reaper or elite if they can handle it even if the reward drop rate is only 5% higher because they want their reaper and mythic bonuses.

You won't solve the power gap, but making the rewards better at the lower end will help quite a bit.

Yes, exactly. Casual, normal, hard, and elite could all give the exact same drop rate and exact same favor and we would still run Reaper because it gives more experience and reaper bonuses on the gear (plus reaper experience). If casual had the same drop rate and favor as hard people would still run hard for the extra experience. The idea that lower difficulties need less favor and drop rates is simply outdated. The days of only 3 difficulty levels (normal/hard/elite) are over.