whats the point of ransack and =< 1% drop rates?

[Godfeast]

Ive gone vip, played for two months, bought your expacs (and spent over $100 on a game that is most def not f2p), only to see bugs, unforgiving mechanics, and bad game designs enough to make me wonder why I bothered, but the worst is this inane drop rate on named items with a 7 time ransack timer that blocks you from even trying again for a full week.

I cannot be the only one who thinks this is utter garbage; No other game I can even think of has such a bad system in play for items that are crucial to so many builds and basic game play.

I see now why new players are in rare supply here.

If you've been at the game for years, you have your stuff and its no big deal, but for a new player to need some of these items, it's just mind boggling.

Let's add to it that the fact that a lot of those items are in early raids that are simply never EVER played by anyone and impossible to solo, well, is it any wonder that Turbine is having money issues and DDO heading on a downward slope?

I'm putting this out here so maybe someone somewhere will wake up and actually fix an issue thats obviously long been overlooked.

I love AD&D, but theres only so much I can take and still call what I'm doing fun.

[Kompera_Oberon]

If you've been at the game for years, you have your stuff and its no big deal, but for a new player to need some of these items, it's just mind boggling.

I hear your frustration, but I think you're making one mistake. You, or any new player, does not need any particular item. You may want it, but you certainly do not need it. Use what you've found and you should do fine. And as a VIP you can always use a few TP to buy some shards and surf the shard exchange for items. Or even the regular AH.

I'm a fairly new player, and I've "farmed" for exactly one item. The Xoriat Forged Blade. I ran that dungeon at least 15 times and it never, ever dropped for me. But that didn't change the fact that the game is really quite easy on Normal and Hard heroic difficulty. Elite runs I avoid unless I'm grouped because trap damage can just kill me outright, and that isn't a lot of fun. But that experience taught me that just because an item is an upgrade to what I'm using that I don't really have to have it to be successful. I expect the next time I have to farm for things might be for Greensteel components or maybe once I hit 20th and start running raids.

Let's add to it that the fact that a lot of those items are in early raids that are simply never EVER played by anyone and impossible to solo [...]

And again I have to disagree with you. If you really mean "raids" then I can't speak to that, because I'm only at 16th level. But if you just mean regular heroic dungeons as your context suggests then again, the game is pretty easy.

But if you are finding it to be difficult you can try to get into a Guild or try to build a list of people who you can run with and beat these places as a team. Decide which dungeons you'd like to run with the time you have for a play session and set up a LFG. There's no guarantee you'll find someone to run it with you, but the odds will never go above 0% if you don't make any effort at all.

[Godfeast]

To say that you dont need the named gear is the same as saying that you dont "need" to pay for premium/vip content in this game; that's at best a half truth.

I sure could go ahead and replay the same boring ten quests fifty times to level up, but would I really enjoy that?

Nope - I have to pay a subscription or I cant level.

I could go ahead and not be able to post more than a handful of auction transactions, keep more than a handful of money on me, or have any inventory / bank space at all, but would I enjoy that?

Nope - again I have to pay to be able to enjoy the game.

I could go ahead and make the best character possible and not use named gear, but would I be able to do nearly anything worth doing in this game?

Again no.

If you dont have +stat tomes (which anyone not having played for years wont), then your going to need the named items to boost yourself enough to be able to even have a chance (even a small one) of not only getting into any kind of decent group, but most def of being able to take your character anywhere post 20, or even accomplish basic things in game.

This is one game where the difference in having or not having a single point in something will make or break entire builds, the ability to complete questlines, or in general, to be able to play and have fun at ALL.

That's the god's truth, and anyone familiar with this game would be lying to deny it.

In this day and age, having a system setup like DDO is called crippleware - if you dont pay you really dont play.

I got that - I paid.

The fact that in having paid, I am still not able to have even a remotely fair chance at being able to get items that enable REAL play to happen - even though I am MORE than willing to put the time and effort in is what rubs me raw.

I get what your post was about. I'm not here trying to get someone to tell me its ok when it isnt.

I simply posted because I'm hoping that someone in this company might actually look at this and say, "here's a real problem and we need to finally get around to fixing it after all these years or we arent going to keep new players and new cash flow coming in".

Gamers deal with a lot of **** - bugs can be overlooked and other issues ignored, but something this fundamental to being able to have a fair shot at playing after paying is just intolerable; if it wasnt, then why is the majority of the rather small player base composed of long time veterans?

Why arent the new players staying?

Why is someone like me, who has dropped over a hundred bucks (not easily come by) into this game andmonths of playtime about to walk away?

The frustration is there for a reason. It really is.

[blerkington]

Hi,

Sorry to hear that you are finding this frustrating.

The solution to your problem is to make some friends and have them help you get these items. Working this way multiplies your chances of getting what you want, and then you can help them in return.

I didn't see you mention which items you want or which server you're on. If you can provide that information, the community might be able to help you.

For example, we may be able to help you set up groups for the quest where the item drops, pass it to you if it drops, just give it to you if it's not crazily valuable and/or bound, or suggest alternative gear if there is something as good or better that you don't know about.

Take care.

[AlcoArgo]

OP,

Named items are supposed to be rare and special. THAT is why they have the ransack mechanic, so that you can't endlessly farm until you get what you want. As a new player, you need to ask yourself why you should be entitled to all of the gear that the vets have accumulated over the years with hours and hours of game playing.

I have been playing since 2006 and I FINALLY managed to put all the ingredients together for an ESOS about 4 months ago. I really wanted one, butI didn't need one and even managed to enjoy the game without it. What's even worse is that I had pulled an SOS before TRing became available and since I was on a wizard and obviously couldn't use it I gave it away. It took me 4 years to find another. What is even worser (yes, worser) is that by the time I completed my ESOS it had been outstripped by thunderforged weapons. Still useful, but no longer the king DPS weapon.

I also have a mule with a cache of +n stat tomes. I will use them if I ever decide to TR one of my parked characters. Then again, I may not, because, unlike your assertion, one point very rarely will make or break a build. If you know you need 17 DEX for TWF, then make sure you have it. If that means giving something up, well, that is life and that is DDO - you can't have everything.

Sometimes you get lucky and pull good loot. Sometimes you don't. There is nothing in this game that is essential to have. Deal with it and stop whining on the forums.

[dunklezhan]

... ok, so I agree with you for the most part that frustrating grinds are frustrating. I get that. But I found that was the case with every other MMO I've played too, especially WoW, so I'm not really sure what the problem is with DDO. I mean, the mechanics are different but the grind is present in every MMO if you want to take part in it. But DDO, and every other MMO I've played, can be played perfectly well without playing the grind for loot game. I long ago decided to stop caring one iota about named loot and I get by in DDO just fine. Can I solo EE? No idea, I don't even try. I doubt it, though I seem to do alright in groups. Does this mean I can't play and have fun? Well... not that I've noticed. So i'm not sure where you're coming from there unless your definition of fun is 'anything less than the hardest content on the hardest setting is not fun'. In which case... well ok, yeah, you're probably going to need to grind like you've never ground before or have some mad skills.

I'm pretty sure doing top level EE without having done the grind first is intentionally contra-indicated. But everything else below 20? It can be done with old lootgen, never mind the new stuff, because they've never been back and rebalanced - that stuff was doable with a 1d8 screaming of 1d6 bleeding back in the day and its doable with a 1d6 screaming* of 1d6 bleeding from Cannith Crafting now. Over 20, Epic lootgen is better than plenty of high-teens named items.

As for 1 point being able to make or break a build... that really is absolute nonsense, even at EE sorts of levels.

Are you sure you're not mistaking your desire for named loot as a need? I've been there man. How many durks runs? Then I figured out that a plain old wooden club combined with an acid resist potion would let me take out just about any ooze in the game in only a marginally longer time... and entirely stopped fretting about named items in DDO on the understanding that over the course of many characters/lives the stuff would probably drop, and if it doesnt, oh well. Never looked back. Though I admit VoN is getting pretty frustrating. 6 years running it and not a single named item. All the scrolls and shards in the world though, so if that sword of shadows ever does drop... But in any case, I run VoN for XP, not loot. Loot is entirely incidental. Heh. That could be my motto for DDO.

*old lootgen screaming effect was 1d8. Cannith version is 1d6, the 1d8 version was nerfed when they brought in flaming 1, 2, etc.

[Kompera_Oberon]

To say that you dont need the named gear is the same as saying that you dont "need" to pay for premium/vip content in this game; that's at best a half truth.

No, it's actually the whole truth. Or at least that has been my experience. I told you I'd tried quite a few times for a new Long Sword, and I never got it. So there I was at 10th level using the L4 sword I'd been using for many levels. And a short while later I was running A Relic of a Sovereign Past and collected enough Adamantine Ore to have built for me a Nightforge Avenger Blade. And I'm still using that at L17. Socketed with a Ruby of Impulse 78 (which I did at L16) and with my +5 Enhancement Bonus from Righteous Weapons I also get a +30 Implement Bonus. So my Blade Barriers are really performing for me now.

But the point I'm making here is that I wasn't gimped from 6th through 16th just because I didn't manage to farm up the Xoriat Blade. Far from it.

I sure could go ahead and replay the same boring ten quests fifty times to level up, but would I really enjoy that?

And I'm telling you that you don't have to. It's a choice which is entirely up to you. Run ten different quests for the sheer fun of playing new content to level up, it's a perfectly valid option. I usually run a quest three times, once on Normal, then Hard, then an attempt at Elite. If I can't solo it at Elite I go somewhere else and maybe look for a group to complete the Favor run later.

But the key word here is "option." If you think that you're forced to run content over and over in order to play successfully, you are wrong. And nothing I've mentioned here is paid content*, it's all f2p. So your assertion that you need to be a VIP to play successfully is also wrong.


* Yes, I bought the red augment from the DDO store. I got the TP to pay for it from Favor, which is also free and trickles in over time. I think it cost me something like 140 TP, which is less than most (and maybe all) expansion packs. And it was worth every point!

[lyrecono]

As someone who spend 80+ runs to get an sos, 4,5 years to get the shard on his main i feel your pain.
One of the many reasons to tr is to bypass that painful grind of gearing up, only to replace it for a painful exp grind....
the thing is: you're playing with different expectations, i run this game with friends (guild) and pugs, i enjoy them for what they are, a waste of time, i picked everything up along the way, if i didn't: no problem, better luck next time.

Currently i'm finishing my third triple completionist and i enjoyed every minute of it but i have never forgotten where i came from all those years ago, washed up on the beach without gear or cash, the game was running for a few months already and people picked me up and dragged me through content, they handed me down some trash loot as they explained the game.
For the last 8 years i have helped newcomers with trash gear, explanations, crafted gear, and of course running quests with them.
The reception people got from other players wasn't always warm (bravery bonuses caused many lfm's to be about elite) and even the friendly ones keep linking loot that make newcomers feel underequipped, after a few months of grinding some feel like they are at the base of a mountain that never ends. And it doesn't.

Turbine however has noticed this (most likely the vip stop questionnaire, heaven forbids they read the forum XD) and has changed the drop rate recently of quest items, sadly not the raids.
Even with the best of gear you can and will die over and over when drunk. (looking at you Charles!), gear is no compensation for a bad play style.

I used to see a lot more friendly people in the harbor and market looking to help people, then again, many people have left and with so little people signing up, the few that do join aren't in the best of places, the reception of newer players could be nicer.

as for the older raids:
my guilds runs them at least once a week for fun and training (8 guildies, 4 pugs that want to learn and need the loot)
Tempest spine, von, DQ i always run each heroic life, the exp is good and (especially for tempest spine) newbie friendly.
the only raid i personally try to skip is CitW.

so raids(at least on the server i play on) are often run.
Why not find a group of like minded and do the raid to enjoy the raid itself instead of the loot?

Ive gone vip, played for two months, bought your expacs (and spent over $100 on a game that is most def not f2p), only to see bugs, unforgiving mechanics, and bad game designs enough to make me wonder why I bothered, but the worst is this inane drop rate on named items with a 7 time ransack timer that blocks you from even trying again for a full week.

I cannot be the only one who thinks this is utter garbage; No other game I can even think of has such a bad system in play for items that are crucial to so many builds and basic game play.

I see now why new players are in rare supply here.

If you've been at the game for years, you have your stuff and its no big deal, but for a new player to need some of these items, it's just mind boggling.

Let's add to it that the fact that a lot of those items are in early raids that are simply never EVER played by anyone and impossible to solo, well, is it any wonder that Turbine is having money issues and DDO heading on a downward slope?

I'm putting this out here so maybe someone somewhere will wake up and actually fix an issue thats obviously long been overlooked.

I love AD&D, but theres only so much I can take and still call what I'm doing fun.

[Bluegirl_Two]

I have been around this game since the very first year. I have been VIP, f2p and premium. I have run multiple accounts and have had as many as 30 characters at a time. I have run almost every quest and raid in the game multiple times and I have seen various top end loot items come and go.

I will say without reservation that the general perspective of the original post is right on target. In a game that is insanely Monty Haul the difficulty in getting premium items is ludicrous. Moreover, the difficulty level of the game is tipped in favor of those who have the premium gear and against those who do not.

Elsewhere is a thread on getting rid of old systems and old loot and I see that thread and this one as two parts of the same problem. Whether we are discussing crafting systems or named loot there is a total lack of consistency throughout DDO. It is irrational for a new player to invest in Cannith crafting because the momentary benefits of Cannith crafted gear is so fleeting that a player will scarcely notice that they do not have such equipment. Additionally, it is a dead end system. Rather than producing the base item for future upgrades as a player pursues the story lines it is simply abandoned and replaced by a different crafting activity.

We have greensteel (which technically pre-dates Cannith crafting even though the minimum level requirements are often higher), unraveling enchantments (from Sentinels of Stormreach), Cauldron of Sora Kell (Lordsmarch quest line), dragontouched (Reaver's Refuge), incredible potential (Amarath), alchemical crafting (Secrets of the Artificers), thunderforged.... And I have not named all of the different "collect and upgrade" systems, which are effectively crafting types and all of which are dead ends.

None of these tie into one another. The rate of character progression is so fast that none of them is really meaningful except the last to be introduced -- whatever that happens to be. Right now it is thunderforged but that will no doubt change just as soon as Elemental Evil is released or Vale is upgraded.

And, OP is correct, to keep up new players do need to acquire the top end loot items. Those items are difficult even for long time players due to the exceedingly small drop rates and excessively high ingredient requirements.

Players complain about the ease of the game but fail to recognize it is easy because the characters are so grossly over powered. Turbine responds by continuing to buff character classes (presumably in the name of balance) and respond to the complaints that the game is too easy by introducing added difficulties.

Lost in this dynamic is the impact on new players who walk into a high magic world with nothing, with access to nothing, and with the entire broken and inconsistent crafting system stacked against them.

For experienced and long time players it might not appear to be a problem. But, in a game where you can reincarnate every 3 days -- and for which by pass timers are available to allow you to reincarnate even more often -- the idea that there is any sort of beginning or middle game is patently false. DDO is all about the rush to the end game and the final, latest, highest level epic quests. Raid by passes, reincarnation by passes, experience stones, XP boosts -- all give lie to the idea that DDO is intended to be savored from beginning to end.

And, the complete and total failure to provide a consistent crafting system -- or even two or three parallel systems run by different entities each leading to end-game worthy gear -- only exacerbates the problem by making the latest top gear effectively compulsory for every character. Doubt this then check the auction house prices on thunderforged gear.

OP is correct and those suggesting that he is not are ignoring the realities of the game.

[Lonnbeimnech]

1.they do it to make rare items rare. If there was no ransack then the only way to achieve this would be to lower the drop rate even further.

2. raids have a mechanic where on the 20th completion you get a list of items from the raid, maybe not every item, but many of them. That has generally been the way that players get a specific item they were looking for.

3. there is not one named item that is essential for any build.

4. most named items, especially old raid items are outdated and weaker than lootgen of the same level. The few exceptions are items with unique abilities, like the royal guard mask.

5. you can make multiple characters and have each one of them ransack a chest, many named items are either bound to account, bound to character on equip, or not bound at all. Just pass them to the character you wanted to have them.

6. you can make multiple accounts, log in both (or 3 or 6) at once and ransack the chest with all characters, pass the item to the character you wanted to have it.

7. the old raids are not impossible to solo, other than von5 and the pre-raid for titan. A lvl 28 first lifer can easily solo hound or vod or reavers fate or demon queen. Shroud and tod might be a bit tougher, and more time consuming, but then again you can throw up an lfm, someone will want to run these.

8. they recently increased the drop rates on named items, consider yourself lucky.

[Bluegirl_Two]

1.they do it to make rare items rare. If there was no ransack then the only way to achieve this would be to lower the drop rate even further.

Legitimate point. I think it ignores something very important -- that there is, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, not a single item in that category currently worth grinding for. Thunderforged is for sale in both the regular and astral shard auction house, is better than every other item from every other system, and upgradeable T1 without ever having to own or run the quest. What is not available through Thunderforged crafting is to be had through 20th rewards with great frequency -- but only in the newer raids/quests.

[EllisDee37]

items that are crucial to so many builds
[...]
a lot of those items are in early raids that are simply never EVER played by anyone and impossible to solo

I can't think of any crucial items from early raids that aren't run anymore and can't be soloed. Could you give an example?

[Kompera_Oberon]

In a game that is insanely Monty Haul the difficulty in getting premium items is ludicrous. Moreover, the difficulty level of the game is tipped in favor of those who have the premium gear and against those who do not.

You contradict yourself. Which is it? Insanely Monty Haul, or too difficult in favor of people with premium gear?
Because Monty Haul has a meaning which is just about exactly the opposite of it being either difficult to get good gear, or being difficult in general.

[General complaints about the various crafting systems deleted for brevity]

None of these tie into one another. The rate of character progression is so fast that none of them is really meaningful except the last to be introduced -- whatever that happens to be.

Again you contradict yourself. So I feel compelled to ask: Which is it? Are the crafting systems unhelpful, or are they simply less useful than they might be because, in your own words, characters progress so fast and the loot they pick up while progressing so fast is so good that the crafting systems simply become much less meaningful?

And if you conclude, as it appears that you have, that the crafting systems are less meaningful than they could or should be, that pretty strongly points to a game where the loot from dungeon chests is better than what you can craft. Which is the exact opposite of an argument that players have to grind for the "top end loot" in order to play successfully.

And, OP is correct, to keep up new players do need to acquire the top end loot items. Those items are difficult even for long time players due to the exceedingly small drop rates and excessively high ingredient requirements.

And yet I'm running around doing at-level content with most of the items I'm wearing being a good 8+ levels below my own level. And I have no issues with Normal or Hard content, and the real challenge for me in Elite content isn't the monsters, although the casters can be brutal, it's the traps. I seem to be "keeping up", even with my sub-par gear. And I'm making no claims to be an awesome player. I learn new things almost daily about this game.

So your statement as a very experienced player that players must acquire the top end loot is so far from my own experience as a new player that I simply cannot compare it to how the game plays for me. At all.

Players complain about the ease of the game but fail to recognize it is easy because the characters are so grossly over powered.

More contradiction. -Either- the game is easy because characters are overpowered -or- the players need to acquire the top end loot items to keep up. You can't have it both ways.

Lost in this dynamic is the impact on new players who walk into a high magic world with nothing, with access to nothing, and with the entire broken and inconsistent crafting system stacked against them.

Access to nothing? Every chest drops magic items. Platinum comes so fast that I'm happily working on my Cannith Crafting even though I could sell the unneeded items I pick up from all those chests on the AH or even to a vendor. But I still get enough platinum from melting them that it just doesn't matter. If I need something a vendor sells, I buy it. If I decide that my Level 5 gloves are becoming an embarrassment (and really, that's only me deciding that I maybe ought to have gloves which aren't able to be worn by a character 12 levels below my own, it doesn't impact my play), I can buy a more level appropriate pair for about 10k plat on the AH. The only things outside of my reach are a very few things players set the prices for on the AH. And as I said if I chose to play the AH market I could have the coins for those items as well. So it's my choice which limits me there, not the game environment.

OP is correct and those suggesting that he is not are ignoring the realities of the game.

You contradict yourself on every single point you make and then state that others are ignoring realities? Those words you keep using, I do not think they mean what you think they mean.

[Faltout]

To say that you dont need the named gear is the same as saying that you dont "need" to pay for premium/vip content in this game; that's at best a half truth.

You don't "need" to pay for premium/vip content in this game. The number of things premiums and vips get compared to free accounts are very limited:
- ability to open elite on first and second life characters.
- Monster Manual I
- in game support
- Astral Shard Auction House
- multiple Auctions
- no platinum cap

Other than those things, free players can level as high as they want without grind and get any premium item they want. But I can see why that is a big problem for you. I've played the game for free for 3 years and I am fine with the content and gear I own. You, on the other hand, just started and want a specific item to drop for you NOW. Well, while it's your choice to pay for the game and get all those conveniences right now, gear does not work in this way. Otherwise, noone would play the game.

Finally, as others have stated, you don't need ANY item. You can play fine with what you get. That way, when you get something good you will rejoice and be happy. If you grind for all the best gear right away then you won't be happy when you get them (because grind) and then everything else will appear as vendor trash for you.

[Miow]

This statement is just incredible...just wow.

"If you've been at the game for years, you have your stuff and its no big deal, but for a new player to need some of these items, it's just mind boggling."

Btw you don't "need" anything these days character power is strong enough to play with random loot.

[Ausdoerrt]

And, OP is correct, to keep up new players do need to acquire the top end loot items. Those items are difficult even for long time players due to the exceedingly small drop rates and excessively high ingredient requirements.

Err, back when I was new (2011 or so), the game was much harder and less soloable, and the raid gear actually mattered. That's when high-end pugs were screened by gear and stats, too.

And oh yes I was frustrated because I wanted certain items but couldn't get them easily. But heh, I did just fine without, and eventually got some of the gear I wanted (and still lack the rest).

You don't get everything you want at once. That's the whole point of gear progression. Besides, game's much easier and less gear-dependent now. Try to compare to some games that actually screen by gear score and come back here again

[Impaqt]

Ive gone vip, played for two months, bought your expacs (and spent over $100 on a game that is most def not f2p), only to see bugs, unforgiving mechanics, and bad game designs enough to make me wonder why I bothered, but the worst is this inane drop rate on named items with a 7 time ransack timer that blocks you from even trying again for a full week.

I cannot be the only one who thinks this is utter garbage; No other game I can even think of has such a bad system in play for items that are crucial to so many builds and basic game play.

I see now why new players are in rare supply here.

If you've been at the game for years, you have your stuff and its no big deal, but for a new player to need some of these items, it's just mind boggling.

Let's add to it that the fact that a lot of those items are in early raids that are simply never EVER played by anyone and impossible to solo, well, is it any wonder that Turbine is having money issues and DDO heading on a downward slope?

I'm putting this out here so maybe someone somewhere will wake up and actually fix an issue thats obviously long been overlooked.

I love AD&D, but theres only so much I can take and still call what I'm doing fun.

sorry, there are no "crucial to build" items.

Its WANT that drives people to grind items. not need.

[Bluegirl_Two]

Err, back when I was new (2011 or so), the game was much harder and less soloable, and the raid gear actually mattered.

It was not much harder and less soloable. The only reason you have that perception is because you did not have the gear and experience.

And oh yes I was frustrated because I wanted certain items but couldn't get them easily. But heh, I did just fine without, and eventually got some of the gear I wanted (and still lack the rest).

Please look at current end-game gear and tell me which items really fit this criteria today. For armor and weapons current top of the line is Thunderforged which anyone can own up to T1. For almost everything else it is a matter of getting to a 20th reward list. About the only things that really fit OP's initial observation are old crafted items that don't fit the 20th reward list model.

That's the whole point of gear progression.

There is no point to gear progression in the current game.

Besides, game's much easier and less gear-dependent now.

Not in epic elite -- which remains the definition of DDO end game since its introduction.

[Lonnbeimnech]

It was not much harder and less soloable. The only reason you have that perception is because you did not have the gear and experience.



Please look at current end-game gear and tell me which items really fit this criteria today. For armor and weapons current top of the line is Thunderforged which anyone can own up to T1. For almost everything else it is a matter of getting to a 20th reward list. About the only things that really fit OP's initial observation are old crafted items that don't fit the 20th reward list model.



There is no point to gear progression in the current game.



Not in epic elite -- which remains the definition of DDO end game since its introduction.

Sounds like he was talking about twink items. What other use could he have for old raid items? I mean the guy has been playing for 2 months, has he even capped yet? I don't know.

[Jiirix]

DDO's loot system is frustrating for new players; I learn that every time I start on a new server. There should be way more semi decent gear as static rewards like the eveningstar/wheelon/storm horn items on lower levels. I have no problems gearing a fresh epic level toon without any past live resources: Grind some commendations from the eveningstar forest, run a couple of epic vault of the artificers challenges, get some epic relicts from the giant hold for armors and done. After level 27 the high level static loot and epic necro4 items make my day.

But before that? A Pain in the *** if you don’t already have a crafter toon, can’t just buy the things you need from the AH and don’t have a TR cache full of greensteel and raid items. Crafting COULD have been a solution for low level gear if it worked the “strip of effect X from item Y and place it on item Z” way like advertised once. But the current cannith crafting is just mindboggling and grindy for new players. You can try to puzzle a working item setup from the random loot you got, but then the power gap to well geared players is huge. And if you finally found random items with the important major effects you hero needs a lot of secondary effects will be trash and/or double on several items. No fun at all.

For example: the Purple Vibrant Ion Stone has +200 (400 for sorcs and souls) SP on level 5. If you don’t already have one you can try to farm the “bracers of the glacier” on level 13 by running the VOD raid (good luck with that!) Or you have a min level 15 Archmagi item with no other affix.. oh wait.. those don’t drop anymore since the loot got ghostbaned and are pricy legacy items now. As a new player you get the Archmagi effect at level 17+ if you are lucky and probably as a “+1-3 to any junk ability of your choice of the Archmagi” item. Perhaps someone donates a peal of power X so you get at least half the spellpower bonus from level 9 on.

I would like to see static reward option from Krothos until the endgame. Make them similar to the set of items iconics get or the eveningstar sets. Not overpowered but a useful outfit for each combat class (melee, ranged, caster).