New Content is a Good Thing BUT FTLOG Please Spread It Out Among More Levels

[noinfo]

AHHH, "To Reap or Not to Reap - That is the question"...

However, that is part of the problem, and I understand it will NEVER go away. The introduction of Reaper was not a bad thing; However, it was supposed to add challenge to the game. SSG never should have introduced Reaper trees, and running Reaper quests should give the same XP as Elite. Power creep has made Reaper not a challenge anymore and majority of people treat it as the norm.

That is not this topic though. This topic is the lack of content among certain levels as you level up (in heroic and epic); not for the purpose of maximizing reaper XP, and not to run "dailies," but to run different quests. Many people, myself included, run slayers though certain levels.

But here is the thing. There is no lack of normal xp for leveling. People have been blinded by the MUST do level+2 and on Elite or above. You simply don't.

Pick any of the level 30 content you want and run it... At a lower difficulty! The biggest disaster the game has ever had is catering for everyone to expect to do elite whether for favour or xp and people think they have to run the quest on those difficulties. What is more if you don't run those on reaper they are there for reaper xp later. People who choose other options are doing it to themselves. There will be those who will say that they can't do normal because it is too hard but they will complain about that on any of the quests anyway.

The only thing the level in front of the quest name does in level 20+ is provide a basic suggestion, loot level and impact on reaper xp. Thats it.

[Artos_Fabril]

What is more if you don't run those on reaper they are there for reaper xp later.

Here is another place where intentional game design choices have created a disincentive. RXP is a significant source of increased character power, and it is affected by first-time bonuses. So running those quests on normal or hard in the mid-20s vice running them on R4 at cap sacrifices a substantial amount of progression for newer characters who need it most.

[Annex]

Vexa wants me to start the new year right by whacking a hornet's nest so here I go...

I do not, under any circumstances, want to see any new quests added from levels 18 to 29.

Level 18, 19, and 20 quests have no reason to exist. Quests in the Level 16 and 17 range would serve players much better. A player seeking maximum Bravery Bonus runs level 17 quests with level 19 characters. Upon reaching level 20, that player jumps over all remaining level 18, 19, and 20 quests, going straight to Epic quests. More level 16 and 17 quests would facilitate that process. A player _not_ running for maximum Bravery Bonus will also have a much easier time running level 16 and 17 quests, at whatever difficulty works for the individual, than running level 18 to 20 quests. I suggest the developers run a query on their database to see how often players run level 18 to 20 quests versus those in the Level 15 to 17 range. I predict that query will demonstrate, beyond any reasonable doubt, that players vastly disfavor level 18 to 20 quests. The sole exception will be The Dreaming Dark, which players run for Pale Lavender Ioun Stones in third completion lists.

Level 20 to 29 quests are also useless. With a level 30/31/32 quest, I have the option to use it while leveling from 20 to 30 or saving it for level 30 runs. In other words, quests at those levels allow me the option of choosing when to burn the first time experience bonus. This helps everyone. In addition, level 30 to 32 quests drop equipment I can use at level 29. Such equipment also provides significantly more Sentient Experience which helps everyone.

Equipment that drops in Level 21 to 29 quests only serves as Sentient Weapon Experience. Sentient Experience from Level 20 equipment is terrible. Sentient Experience from level 21 to 26 equipment is poor. Level 20 equipment is plenty good enough to get to Level 30, a situation recently improved with Saltmarsh and Epic Crafting. I want a Level 20 equipment set and a Level 29 equipment set. I do not want to monkey with equipment sets between those numbers. Quests like The Promise of Fire and Epic Delara's Tomb drop some excellent and completely useless equipment. If that equipment were ML 20 or 29, I could use it.

The sole exception I will make to the assertions above is the addition of level 21 to 23 quests that drop level 20 equipment, especially level 20 equipment with set bonuses. The best possible solution would involve adding level 20 equipment with set bonuses with a level 29 upgrade system a la Saltmarsh. The Saltmarsh upgrade system is excellent and very helpful for those of us playing catch up. Again, the Saltmarsh upgrade system is excellent and very helpful for those of us playing catch up. A third time. The Saltmarsh upgrade system is awesome and and extremely helpful for those of us playing catch up.

Yeah.

Also, all quests are not created equal. Adding a new quest, at any level, helps no one if the quest sucks--the map sucks, the experience sucks, the equipment sucks, it is not fun. For years now, the quest designers spend too much time on gimmicks and no enough time delivering fun, kinetic quests. I am here to play an action game and kill bad guys. I want the next fight to begin 3 seconds after the last one. I want enemies that do interesting things. After I blow up a group of enemies, I want to know, by looking at the map, exactly where I need to go to hit the next group of enemies and blow them up. I do not want to explore the map or hunt for crests or solve puzzles. I want to kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, KILL. As far as I am concerned, you've lost focus on what makes DDO fun--the combat. Quests are not fun anymore. If you want to add a Diplomacy check or a bunch of dialog, put it to the side as an optional encounter, off the main path, so I can skip it. Optional encounter experience sucks anyway. I am here to lay waste, not chat with some idiot NPC.

Once upon a time, I wanted better stories and more interesting optional encounters. I do not want that anymore. Repeat, I do not want that anymore. I want easy to reach quest givers and entrances, long and very long quests with good experience payouts, easy to read maps, easy to find quest objectives, and constant mass murder of evil beings. Epic Catacombs is almost perfect. Epic Delara's Tomb is solid. Quests of that era were so much more gritty and serious and real.

Living with Vexa changes a person.

[noinfo]

Here is another place where intentional game design choices have created a disincentive. RXP is a significant source of increased character power, and it is affected by first-time bonuses. So running those quests on normal or hard in the mid-20s vice running them on R4 at cap sacrifices a substantial amount of progression for newer characters who need it most.

That shows a distinct lack of knowledge because it does NOT. To be clear you will get your first time reaper bonus for doing it first time on reaper.