First, this might be old news, but I'll pass it along in case it is news here.

I've been concerned that spells would be obtained via drops or excessively time-consuming quests yet again, so I've been scouring the boards trying to see if any information was available as to how spells would be distributed. I came across the following thread on the mage boards:

<a href="http://forum.magecompendium.com/tower/viewtopic.php?t=7103" target="top">Any LDON Questions?</a>

Aside from other tidbits to be gleaned, I found the quote which led me to relay what seemed to me to be happy news.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>
Tennor 2 wrote:
1.How are the new spells going to be distrubuted? Spell vendors, Turn ins, rewards from adventures etc?

2. Any chances for appearance by the erudite Miragul?[/quote]
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>
Absor replied:

Can't answer the second one, except to say that he's a legend, and should probably remain so.

The first one, they'll be purchasable from the Wayfarer vendors.[/quote]

As a spell collector who even wants the spells he'll never use, this is a big relief to me. As someone who doesn't want to do the same mission a thousand times just to get a spell drop or quest drop, I'm even more relieved. :)

If this was already widely known, I apologize. I've been in and out of the loop for the past month due problems with my ISP.

Aldane Aglond
Ayonae Ro

They may mean purchaseable using adventure points (or whatever it's called, the points you get for completing adventures)...

Either way though it's good to hear, since you'd always be making measureable progress towards getting a particular spell, rather than hoping for random drops and such.

I got the impression reading an interview a while back (can't remember where I saw it) that all things the wayfarer sells would be requiring adventure points, so the spells being that way would make sense.

Absor clarified this on the Safehouse:
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>
Expansions are not about class balance. Issues of that nature should not be addressed with an expansion, but outside the expansions. <strong>And you misunderstood, they will be able to purchase spells at the same place and in the same way that everyone else purchases items from the Wayfarers, using their adventure points.</strong>[/quote]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>And you misunderstood, they will be able to purchase spells at the same place and in the same way that everyone else purchases items from the Wayfarers, using their adventure points.[/quote]

/sigh

That's what I was afraid of, but I guess I should have known better than to think something silly like there would be vendors that would just sell the spells for plat (there's a novel concept).

So, in other words, instead of spending several hours killing a particular spawn several times for a spell or spell-quest drop, I am going to be consigned to going through LDoN missions repeatedly just to purchase spells with points. Not only that, but I have to make sure I have at least three other people with me just to be able to earn the points to buy even low level spells, whereas I could at least solo the LoY quest spell components or buy dropped spells in the bazaar if I didn't want to chase them down myself.

<strong>Question for Absor/SOE:</strong> what is so wrong with having most -- if not all -- of the spells available on vendors for platinum, at least the low level spells? That system seemed to work nicely for a while. :mad:

Sorry for the rant, but most of my alts are casters. With the "point buy" arrangement, it looks like I'm going to be spending way more time in those dungeons than I could ever want, if I expect them to have full spellbooks.

Aldane Aglond
Ayonae Ro

I think part of the idea for the adventure point spell purchasing, might be to avoid the price gougers out there, and yet put some effort into actually getting your spells.

This will make people think twice about getting particular spells, and then selling them in the bazaar for insane amounts of money (if they're droppable, or even able to be purchased by a different class).

This may also be a means to allow everyone to avoid random drop issues, and also loot whoring, where members of a group might not have been able to get their hands on funding for their spells, due to other players.

Its annoying to have to group for adventures just to earn them, but considering they're most likely going to be group-related spells anyway (to fit the expansion), I guess it's reasonable.

"So, in other words, instead of spending several hours killing a particular spawn several times for a spell or spell-quest drop, I am going to be consigned to going through LDoN missions repeatedly just to purchase spells with points. Not only that, but I have to make sure I have at least three other people with me just to be able to earn the points to buy even low level spells, whereas I could at least solo the LoY quest spell components or buy dropped spells in the bazaar if I didn't want to chase them down myself."

Ya, and I am sure all the pure melee classes will be crying you a river.

You act like the other classes are going to install LDoN and suddenly recieve power beyong imagination just for logging in.

Cily

The whole point of this expansion is to go crawl dungeon, I would not have thought about someone complaining that he must have to go crawl them after buying it.

I'm pretty excited about that too. I don't have to worry about my alts competing with mains for spells and all the weirdness that entails. If I take any of my toons on adventure, they get credits same as anyone. Yay!

This is a great way to distribute spells. Huge improvement over all the other releases.

It will be great, provided the spells cost no more than 1 dungeon trip for the low level spells, and 2 or 3 trips worth of points for the higher level spells.

Melees get disciplines and better damage tables, etc. just for levelling. We have to go find/earn/buy our spells. Fine, but make it reasonable.

Tat

Melee have gotten dusted by leveling. We get the same things they do by simply leveling. Plus we get spells.

Also, spells used to come every 4 levels, now they come every single level and in a lot of cases several spells per level. Its another reason why pure melee arent doing so hot versus their Hybrid counterparts.

If the spells are too hard to earn they will get tuned. Just like they have on every other expansion to date. If they are too easy you can be damn sure they will get nerfed :P


Belkram

Blah! Pure melees get nothing in LDoN! Every new expansion spell casters get new spells, as do hybrids. Pure melees get nothing new that spell casters don't also get. We haven't had any disciplines since Kunark and they're old and sucky now.

And now we're hearing from Absor that melee balancing isn't going to entail much of anything... when they finally get around to it.

/grrr

Something that occurs to me about the argument about not having spells sold on vendors... If the spells were expensive say 200-500 plat for the higher level ones, then it might remove a considerable chunk of plat from the game which is something Sony's been trying to find a way to do for a while now. It might help balance the influx of cash that keeps flowing into the game...

My GOD!!! EQ's gone dkp!

So let me get this straight.

Casting classes get to purchase spells and item upgrades from these vendors, while non-casting classes only have to purchse item upgrades?

Do casting classes earn these points at a faster rate then non-casting?

Or are the non-casting classes going to be maxed out months before everybody else and stop playing.

Here's my very melee-biased opinion:

Every expansion casters have gotten upgraded spells (i.e. abilities). In no expansion have pure meleers gotten anything new that casters didn't get, except Kunark.

I'd think it'd be fair if, and it won't happen, meleers got some new ability, that it'd be purchasable in the same way.

Except that they've said repeatedly that class balance is not going to be sold as part of an expansion, and I agree with that.

So all arguments about benefits gained by way of an expansion, and comparing them to one another, are irrelevant. Class balance should, does and will come from other sources, be it new /discs, aa's, itemization, or encounter changes, each of which has indeed changed with each new expansion and inbetween them too.

I'll also point out that 90% of LDoN spells are trash, with only a couple of interesting lines (like the one that clerics/encs are getting) that will add anything new to the game.

I know I wont waste my eqlp on them!

Tia

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Except that they've said repeatedly that class balance is not going to be sold as part of an expansion, and I agree with that.[/quote]

Well, meleers say they're constantly balancing casters with new spells each expansion. So they're not buying into that statement from Absor.

I don't see much excitement from druids on their new spells, but clerics, enchanters and several other classes are getting new abilities that did not exist before this expansion.

So... saying that new expansion spells don't impact class balance is seriously wrong on a lot of levels.

I guess I'm getting lazy in my old Everquest age but I would rather just be able to buy the spells. Bleh. :mad:

Ah the old spells vs melee equipment argument rears its ugly head once more. Not like it happens every single expansion or anything.

I didnt say it doesnt have an impact. But you cant isolate new expansion spells having an impact from everything else in the expansion also having an impact, like encounter design, itemization, mob resist types, hp levels, a bazillion other things.

For example, there were some very fine spells released in Velious. But it was a hellish expansion for casters. Low mana regeneration, highly resistant mobs with oodles of hit points, melee range casting nerfs, etc. It was a very melee centric expansion, which also contained new spells.

So saying that spells are the only part of an expansion that affect class balance is narrow minded.

Tia

The other thing is that spells are new toys to play with. It's like xmas getting new spells and playing with them. Even if some of them are crappy, it's something to look forward to.

I just want toys too. /pout

Oh trust me Pan, I know the pain... my primary alt (from prekunark days no less) is a monk... I am unfortunately quite familiar with the problems pure melees face hehe...

Perhaps there will be fun toys for pure melees to buy instead of spells? Eye of zomm things!

Tia

Will this make it more difficult for people not buying the expansion to get expansion spells? Guess we better have friends willing to spend their points for us, or it's "No soup for you!"

Eredhel

I'm assuming anything bought from the wayfarers (incl spells) will be NODROP

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The other thing is that spells are new toys to play with. It's like xmas getting new spells and playing with them. Even if some of them are crappy, it's something to look forward to.

I just want toys too. /pout[/quote]

That's why I have a full spell book... :D It's fun to just mess around with them.

Anyone here ever go out and charm a treant just for the fun of it? ;)

The only toys I have come from the bazaar and run on batteries...