I was thinking. It is true that PoP, among other things has lessened the Druid's utility value where porting is concerned. So, there are all these Druid Rings that are tumbled down, destroyed, or otherwise useless. (ie: the Rings in LFAY, GFAY, OOT, etc.) Would it not stand to reason that Druids would, over time, have fixed these Rings? Doing so (and getting ports to go with them) would give us back some of that mobility that has been nullified by things like the PoP expansion.

Can't see where this would be unbalancing. It's not even particularly useful given PoK, and thus, should not be seen as threatening by other classes. But, it would be a small bone in our direction. Would be totally in keeping with RPG concepts.

I realize our major concerns are with big things like Big Heals and Big Nukes, and we must continue the drive to keep our class balanced. In the meantime, since we aren't getting the big things. maybe we can get this little thing? Whatcha all think?

Really the ports we do get are dam close to those zones.

BB , Steamfront.

Really the only place i would want another ring is Western Waste. But i just solo ice burrowers alot when i am bored.

Umbrial Plains might be a nice one save the stupid rin through ME trains of hell.

Would it not stand to reason that Druids would, over time, have fixed these Rings?Actually, I think a few expansions back druids DID try to get the rings fixed but the Dev's wouldn't! Tough to even RP that one without a willing dev group.

But I think the main one there was OoT that people wanted. It would have made druids too powerful because people could have skipped the endless waiting for broken boats. So the NPC little people got the job. Overshadowed by short wizzies again...

I think they'd be more of a fun feature than any real use, as Regnon has just mentioned due to their being so close to the zones. Still, with all the Druids running around you'd think they would have managed to get them working again. Hell, they got the Spires working to transport everyone up to Luclin didn't they?!

Yeah the devs way back then didnt want to give us more ports. First cause they wanted to be able to have some thing to attach the landing spot to, like a ring or some other monument. That kinda fell by the wayside, then they just didnt want to do it for fear of shrinking the world.

Well, PoP came out and a different set of Devs joined... we havent asked since then, and not much point in doing so now. Personally, I'm now opposed to any more ports... the PoK books damaged the game in a fundamental way, and there's no reason to compound the error in a "just cause they screwed up means we can screw up too" way.

i always wanted to be able to port home, without a 2 zone run to get there... =( damn human & halfling druds! damn elf & erudite wizards! ok, i suppose erudites have a decent run... but it's principle, demmit!

/cackle

And now sow is irreversilbly foobard.

So lets see, the expansion that came out for EQ druids lost tehir nich in porting, in sowing people, and what do we get?

-****ty druid only effect in PoTime that nobody wants.. another DoT
-****ty spells in LDoN
-Bad aa's for GoD, considering what other classes are getting
-And our healing ability is still terrible at best.

Everytime I visit these boards, they remind me how druids have been treated in EQ, and I feel like quitting. And I remind myself that it's a GOOD idea if I quit. Last time I didn't play for a whole week, coming off a 3month hiatus from travelling... Doesn't look good for Sony. And Lineage II is looking really good, not to mention FFXI, and WoW.

we should get ports to

OOT Druid ring (the boat dont work anyway)

Kelethin Druid ring (ffs this is a home city)

Timourous Deep Elf Camp (another ocean that is unaccessable)

Plane of Fear Druid Ring !!! = ) (just for those fun days when your LDON group has pissed you off)

the wizzies should get nothing
they still have hate and sky

I know it is not my choice, and there is no chance something like this would ever be implemented by the current development staff, but this is what I would do.

First of all I would restrict access to the Plane of Knowledge to those of 40 seasons and older. Perhaps even 45 seasons and older. Before that players really have no business going there, seeing that it is the stepping stone to areas that you can't access anyway until you are well advanced in seasons. In addition I would keep the same number of entrance points (though perhaps with more interesting graphics than a silly book), but I would make only a single return portal, that would function much like a gate.

Next I would give druids some more circles and rings to the new lands. Not everywhere, but enough to make it reasonably convenient to go most places.

Wizards would lose most of their current porting spells, but would gain a few to go to places where there is no good IC reason to have a druid ring. In exchange however, they would get a series of "blink" spells that are short distance, line of sight ports. As they grow more powerful with advanced seasons the wizard can learn to not only blink himself to some other place he can see, but he can also learn to blink other to him, blink group members to a different place and eventually blink strangers (after confirmation) and even monsters around for short distances either towards him or away from him.
Mages would get access to the same spells but at a later age, and not the most powerful ones.

Shamans, and possibly some other classes, would also get access to teleport rings so that no single class can have a monopoly on teleporting others. The idea is that even if druids can go to the most places of all classes, they can not go everywhere and for every place there are at least two classes that can teleport there. If we do not want a single class to monopolise healing we can not allow it for transporting either.

All this hopefully will encourage players to stay close to their starting locations and move through the progression of quests, rather than zipping around the world for the most convenient place to powerlevel. However, to help out the players creating their 50th character I would also give them the opportunity to create characters at 60 pct of the levels of their oldest character on the same server. Those characters would start with a reasonable learning for their age. I.e. as if they had been progressed normally, if quickly, through the seasons that got skipped. Probably even given a focus on certain skills over others so that not all have been maxed out for the level.
That would remove the need for much of the powerleveling that is both mindboringly numb and detrimental to the players who want to progress their characters normally. These characters would not get appropriate equipment since they would get twinked regardless, and we might as well prevent even more items and money from entering the game. Given that Sony seems so intent on trivialising the game for all but the most powerful characters they migh as well go the whole way and entirely remove the low end game for those so inclined.

One last thing I would do, though that has even less to do with teleporting, is to remove the experience bonus from all zones. If a zone can not attract players on its own merit then it is time to reevaluate the content, not to artificially make it more attractive in a way that only attracts powerlevelers and actually devaluates the game for other players.


Eri

It would be nice to have OoT fixed, the other day I was there and some ogre mob was standing next to the circle and I killed him. but anyway Oot and some circles in plains zones would be nice.

Kelethin, OoT and WK would be my picks.

Kelethin, OoT and WK would be my picks.


Butcherblock is just a zone away.

NK too is just a zone away.

Also, there is a NPC on East Freeport docks that port you instantly to OOT (used it just 10 days ago). I dont know if there isnt one too on BBM docks but wouldnt be surprised if too.

There is an NPC at BB docks that will port you to OOT

What annoys me is that druids can't get the GFay rings fixxed but those damned rangers can go there with a click of a BP.

Last time I clicked a ranger bp (was a loooong time ago) took me to Lfay by the steamfont zone.