I keep seeing everyone mention getting 51 points per adventure. I'm assuming two things here: Avg level of group member is 65, and it's a normal difficulty mission.

Are there other common factors here? Is it 51 regardless of the mission type? Does successfully openning all chests affect the total? Is the time taken to complete the mission a factor?

The reason I ask is, I did a mission last night, we were all 61-65 (avg probably 62). it was normal difficulty, and we got 30 points each for completing it. Now, I find it hard to believe that just being and average of 3 levels higher would net 66% more points.

This was a "collect" X items mission, and we completed it WAY before the alloted time (30 minutes left), and stayed in the dungeon to kill everything left (completed with 5 minutes left). Nobody died during the mission. We saw 3 chests, and two blew up on us (and we had a rogue, too). The third one didn't have any real loot, just vendor trash as far as I could figure.

So why a 21 point difference with the normal AP rewards others are seeing?

Tat

I guess difficulty levels come in bands, based on average level in group, and you just happened to drop down to a level 60 mission instead of level 65.

I can see we are all gonna have to get used to averaging 6 numbers in our head in order to get full reward.

soru

Weird... no idea.

We had a chest blow on us too. I think someone else clicked on it before I got a chance to disarm it.

Group average level 53, successfully completed, we received between 12 and 15 adventure points each. Quite a dramatic drop down from teh 30 or 60 points others have claimed for some reason.

On another adventure we failed (kill 55 mobs, we got 20. Bad wipes). We got 0 points for that. Was hoping we wold get somehting.

Place this in the jumping to conclusions category, but if a spell cost 500 points at 15 points per success @ ~ 53:

33 successfull missions

Hope I read or the number were given wrong. Likely as I can't imagine getting a spell that useful.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Hope I read or the number were given wrong. Likely as I can't imagine getting a spell that useful.[/quote]

Those are the kind of point-buy costs for spells I have seen on several class boards so far. I don't mind spending points on augmentations and gear, but these kind of prices for spells is insane, particularly given the paultry awards for the sub-65 crowd. With rewards and spell costs what they currently are, one would be better off leveling up to 65 and then doing LDoN.

I know other disagree, but, as I've suggested elsewhere, the spells should have just been put on the vendors for plat (like the Magus that port you around and sell portal fragments), but in order to buy from the vendor, you have to have LDoN that your account. (Note to SOE beancounters - such an implementation would have the added benefit of getting more of the hardcore soloers to buy LDoN: they might not be able to use the content or get the loot, but they would at least get the spells out of it and SOE would get the soloers' money.)

I would like someone to confirm or deny the following for me, as I've been told that the following is how things operate:

Let's say you find a mission type and location that you really like. You do the mission over and over, banking points and building faction with that theme's vendor. Let say, however, that you know from the boards that the spell you want is on a vendor for another theme. You can have a ton of banked points, but if you haven't adventured in that theme, they won't reveal their inventory to you. Is that the way it works, or have I been misled?

If I haven't been misinformed, I can see the luster wearing off LDoN fairly quickly as it turns into a monster-sized timesink getting both points and faction with the various "theme" vendors.

I'm not condemning the expansion at this point. I'm reserving my judgement until the initial positive buzz at release has worn off. I have this gnawing fear that, after the newness has worn off, it will be considerably more difficult to get a pick-up group than it was on release day, but time will tell if that fear is rational or not.

Aldane Aglond
Ayonae Ro

No instant gratification for joo!

Look, in what expansion has SOE ever devised a fairer way of distributing spells?

In Kunark, ungodly rare drops. It wasn't until just before PoP came out, and all those Kunark spells were obsoleted anyway, I was able to complete my Kunark spells for some of my toons.

In Velious, again rare drops. Some long-ass quests for some Wizard spells.

In Luclin, even worse! Some spells only drop off some rare boss mobs, like Remove Greater Curse and the componentless lev. The absolutely worst expansion for spells, IMHO. I still don't have RGC for any of my 3 priests.

In PoP, rare drops for parchments. Lots of doubles. Sure you can buy them for 10's of, and sometimes 100's of thousands of plat. But still, almost a year since PoP has been out and a lot of casters haven't filled their spell books with PoP spells yet.

Now we're in a new expansion. It'll be a few weeks, but eventually you'll know which merchant has which spells and how much they will cost. There is absolutely nothing in your way from earning them. You won't get them all at once, but you will get them.

Far, far better than having them do something bone-headed like make them only drop on raids or in the Hard level dungeons on mobs that quad for 6000.

Group of five did a 'rescue' mission in one of Miragul's dungeons. Did not succeed in allotted time, but was able to complete in the 30 minutes overtime.

Level 60 got 11 points.
Level 64 got 12 points.
Level 65 got 13 points.

Thicket

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>No instant gratification for joo![/quote]

Who's wanting instant gratification? Not me; I just don't find repeatedly doing content I'd rather not do very gratifying, just because I have to build enough points at that camp to buy what I want from there.

But, I'm flexible. I'll accept having to do the new content repeated to buy the spells, but the costs right now are completely out of line, as far as I'm concerned. The spells should be relatively cheap. I think no spell should cost more than a couple of normal successful missions.

Besides, I can get the gratification from gaining gear and augmentations, just like everyone else. And before anyone starts, I don't buy into the whole spells=gear argument that pure melees like to bandy about, so let's not further derail the thread in that direction. :)

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Look, in what expansion has SOE ever devised a fairer way of distributing spells?[/quote]

Hmm...original old-world EQ. Go up to a vendor, pull some money from your pocket, get what you need. :p

Aldane Aglond
Ayonae Ro

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>
Who's wanting instant gratification? Not me; I just don't find repeatedly doing content I'd rather not do very gratifying
[/quote]

Don't play it then, that's pretty simple.


As someone playing a 65 warrior and a 65 druid I think this is the fairest expansion ever. FINALLY pure melee's are on an even par with the casters. While casters have to split their points between spells and augments/equipment (and I am VERY happy to do so on my druid) my warrior can spend them all on augments/equipment.

That seems to me to be the way it should have been from April '99. All along its like everyone but the pure melee's gets 2 loot pools to draw from for upgrades while warriors, rogues and monks have just 1.

And if you think saving 500 for a spell is bad then be glad you're NOT a melee. The good proc augments cost 1100+. I'm really looking forward to doing 20+ Guk adventures to get Wrath of the Yksesha for my main weapon. I love this expansion to bits!!!

I only did 3 dungeons yesterday but after those we walked out with 120ish points (failed the first one but finished it in overtime) 5k or so in sellables to split to the group, an insanely nice mask (all/all probably worth 20-30k in Bazaar), a fantastic 1h-blunt weapon with a 320dd proc, some pretty decent leather boots, and a twink quality 2h-pierce. Oh and 2aa's each.


Back to the original topic, 51 points for an all 65 group win. 13 points if you win in overtime. Seems to be the same on normal or hard.

What about the more casual player? How many adventure points do the lvl 30-50 spells cost?

I've never been hardcore about this game at all. My highest character is a 53 druid, but one thing is for sure. I have always been able to get the majority of my spells. Now, even if the lower level LoDN spells are only 100 aventure points that is about 10 adventures for me! Considering that I will only have time/desire to do 1 adventure every other day it will take a very long time before I ever get any of these spells, let alone gear. Honestly, I would like someone to tell me what is so bad about buying spells from merchants for plat.

Also, I definately do not equate spells to melee gear. I think the equivalent thing for melees would be skillups, discs, etc. Imagine having to do 20 adventures for weaponshield :X

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Go up to a vendor, pull some money from your pocket, get what you need. [/quote]
Yeah that maybe true for priests, but pure casters had research which was another nightmare.

As to the cost I think some of the higher spells are too much (eg GRC which is not not even from this expansion), but the level 24 ones are cheap enough.

Currently I don't mind doing the content to get the spells at least I know that I can achieve the spells on my own, no need for my guild to raid a particular mob, and no competing with the other Druids/Priests for the spell when it does happen to drop.

I don't equate spells to be exactly equal to weapons/gear but they do come close and I think it is fair we buy them with points, its just the amount of points that worries me.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>As to the cost I think some of the higher spells are too much (eg GRC which is not not even from this expansion), but the level 24 ones are cheap enough.[/quote]

Aye, they are cheap enough when you're level 65 getting 51 points per successful normal completion. You can buy 2 at a pop. :)

However, it's my understanding that characters around level 24 aren't seeing nearly those kind of rewards. I've heard it's somewhere in the 2-5 point range, but those numbers could be wrong. However, assuming they're correct, a level 24 character has to go on five to twelve missions just to buy one spell, depending on which number in the stated point reward range is correct. For those of us with hours to burn, that might seem reasonable, but for many people, that's way more than a little excessive. That's why I say spell prices are out of line across the board, not just the high level spells.

Aldane Aglond
Ayonae Ro

<strong>has to go on five to twelve missions just to buy one spell,</strong>


I think that's the same ratio for higher level players to get higher level spells like GRC. Seems reasonable to me.

I know that at level 39 i was getting 4 points per adventure. Sub level 39 group mates were only seeing 3.

Thats a pretty pathetic number of points for lowbies. I noticed a steep dropoff in point rewards even for level 60's in a level 65 group.

It really seems too harsh... 3 points at level 39, you would indeed be better off skipping the expansion entirely until you get to level 60.

So much for the expansion with rewards for every level heh...

Tia

I have a level 35 sk that I enjoy playing a whole lot, and I don't think I'm going to skip the whole expansion at all. I agree, the number of points seems absurd, but they're easy to get to, have decent loot and xp, and I believe they have weaker augmentations for lower level players.

Seems like a dream come true to me, especially considering how spread out (few and far between) the pre-50s were during pop

my 2c

-Laniris

My twink BL lv 34 got 2 points for a sucessful mission.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>
It really seems too harsh... 3 points at level 39, you would indeed be better off skipping the expansion entirely until you get to level 60
[/quote]

This depends on how the exp is compared to the usual Paludal->DL gravy train.

If it turns out to take about the same time to level either way, and the player who mostly does LDoN gets a free piece or two of level 60 loot into the bargain, sounds like a good deal.

I can just see a generation of newbies who levelled in this way complaining 'man these old-timers suck. Don't know how to use /assist, pull in a dungeon, ...'.

soru

When I did the level 25 in beta we got 51 points, but they must've adjusted that downward. I can understand why, they can buy the same loot we can. I gained a level during our adventure as well.