Map Drops in The Awakening

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TheAnuhart wrote:

Map boss could drop a +2 once in 20 kills as opposed to once in 40 kills on live, while no other mob in the map can drop a +2, that's very probably a nerf.

I'd rather have greater consistency in +2 drops, still.

We'll have to see what the results are, I guess.

Just wanted to say that I disagree with this change. Sustaining maps is not fun, it's frustrating. This news post honestly makes me not want to play anymore. Also as a solo player I feel that you should not have to have a massive group of people to help sustain high level maps.

Well, I am glad that we got official word on the direction this is going.

But I was also worried this is the direction that this is going.

There are so much better ways you guys can do this than making it even harder to find maps, which I am sure is going to be the result of this.

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For players to find the highest tiers of maps challenging to complete and to sustain

seems pretty clear and horribly demotivating for anyone that isn't in part of the tiny percentage that makes up the elite tier.

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While there are several mapping groups in Beta happily sustaining the highest tiers of maps, it took them a lot more effort to get there than it normally does. We want to bring this experience to more players

@GGG

Stop balancing the experience game around grouped mapping, gating content behind chaos-spamming and even divining maps (I've seen this happen on double beyond to reroll the packsize in the 1m hc) with a group of people is just cutting off the rest of the playerbase from doing maps higher than 74-77, if even that.

Stop thinking of lvl 95-100 as something holy and unatainable, all it takes is time spent and nothing else. In both bloodlines and the 1MHC I got to 96 and top 10 to just quit because school/life > grinding a thousand academies/shipyards/courtyards. It isnt fun, interesting or challenging with the right builds, all you do is increase the grind for the people that were already grinding 10-16 hours a day and make everyone else not want to bother.

Experience being gated behind a currency grind and map pool grind is the most stupid mechanic in the game and you want to make it even harder by nerfing maps overall? I expect an increase in IIQ from the tough mods and maybe a negatice IIQ associated with packsize/magic size.

Also, good luck convincing me to do the new labyrinth and orchard bosses.

But seriously, the game cant stop people from racing to 100, all changes to make this harder will only affect everyone else as the racers will only need a bit more grind which doesnt cost them anything as they do whatever they do for a living or are fine being unemployed.

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Chris wrote:

On the Closed Beta, the drop rate for higher maps that we've been testing recently is lower than the live realm. While there are several mapping groups in Beta happily sustaining the highest tiers of maps, it took them a lot more effort to get there than it normally does. We want to bring this experience to more players.

Sorry, Chris, but this is BS. Have the courage to call it what it is - not "experience" but "increased time-sink".

Not too worried about the +2 thing imo. The majority of my map drops mostly come as +1's from blue monsters anyway. However, I am very excited about increased map/loot from bosses! I feel as of now, I am just killing map bosses for the challenge regardless of reward. Also, have you guys considered maybe giving the +2 to other unique mobs in the area (exiles,invasion)?

While I agree with incentivizing boss kills in maps, the rest of this is horribly demotivating.

...and I mean that. Horribly demotivating.

I play solo, because I utterly despise the hyperspeed epilepsy that is grouping. I can sustain maps, but I'm not chaining 78s all day, and I certainly don't play them unless they are ridiculously modded (talking 100% IIQ and up).

I am doing it right, by any reasonable definition. I spend shittons of currency to roll dangerous, yet lucrative maps. Risk. Reward.

Are you saying that soloing through maps is so offensive that it can't be allowed to happen? I genuinely do not understand, Chris, why you feel the need to push the multiplayer angle so hard. It almost feels like you're being insecure; that the game can't possibly be good enough to enjoy solo. It fucking is.

Mapping is my favorite part of the game, and yet I'm about to be cut off from any meaningful progression unless I play the game in a way that I patently do not enjoy. I want to climb-- by myself-- as I always have.

Please do not forget that there are solo players. We are here, we are here, we are here!

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Aleehuk wrote:

Stop thinking of lvl 95-100 as something holy and unatainable, all it takes is time spent and nothing else. In both bloodlines and the 1MHC I got to 96 and top 10 to just quit because school/life > grinding a thousand academies/shipyards/courtyards. It isnt fun, interesting or challenging with the right builds, all you do is increase the grind for the people that were already grinding 10-16 hours a day and make everyone else not want to bother.

the game is about grinding. grinding is = spending a lot of time on a repetitive task.
if the game wasnt about grinding, it'd be a different kind of game.

I do not think this is a good idea and will make things less fun.