A simple fix to revitalize older content

hastur905

To me one of the more simpler solutions that would improve QOL and at the same time encourage more activity in some of the older content is to rework some of the rewards being given in the content. When I say this I do not mean to imply that RNG on drops need to change etc. I will let other people and chat lines discuss that. I am specifically talking about the rewards that are given for completing specific content.
Examples of this content would include:
Demogorgon (master and reg)
Dragonflight
Svardborg (master and reg)
SH Marauders
FBI

Most of the content I am listing have one thing in common, they drop reagents that go into creating or buying or whatever, weapon sets for that module. As these sets drift into history the need to do this content decreases, why not replace these reagents with SH vouchers. In fact why not replace all unused items going forward with SH vouchers. FBI drops some potion that lessens voninblood use, useless now, replace it with SH vouchers.
Some of you are going to say, "hey Dragonflight and Marauders give vouchers!". That is true they do, Dragonflight was probably one of the most inclusive, guild building, bonding type activity that this game has offered. No one does it anymore, why? Because nobody needs Dragonflight gear anymore, and the amount of vouchers are not enough to justify the cost for bells and keys to open the boxes. Update the rewards, more vouchers, add influence, add a weekly quest like you did with Siege. Include some of the new currency needed to advance a current module like the totems in Siege as well. Marauders is the same, the 600 INF once a week is great, but there is no reward to continue past wave 5. Drop green SH vouchers, or Blue ones for higher levels?
Nobody is doing Demogorgan for the ichor, to farm for the Twisted Weapon set? Replace the reward with a weekly for INF or some other vouchers, make it a Guild event.
All of these are small things, easily implemented, QOL, Guild bonding exercises.

plasticbat

For many guilds that completed SH building, this new offer of getting voucher is also kind of 'useless now' besides getting Guild mark. The more SH being finished, the less effective this will be. To revitalize these content for everyone, it needs something for everyone.

hastur905

What if they were Saleable vouchers? on the AH market for example? I understand your point about guilds that have maxed, we have 4 in our Alliance, but we still have guilds that are at Rank 10. This would also encourage completed alliances, with all rank 20 to bring in smaller guilds to rank up, and maintain the flow of guild marks. The goal of Alliances was to help in the building of the community, not build Alliances full of GH 20 guilds.

plasticbat

hastur905 said:

What if they were Saleable vouchers? on the AH market for example? I understand your point about guilds that have maxed, we have 4 in our Alliance, but we still have guilds that are at Rank 10. This would also encourage completed alliances, with all rank 20 to bring in smaller guilds to rank up, and maintain the flow of guild marks. The goal of Alliances was to help in the building of the community, not build Alliances full of GH 20 guilds.

I think it needs decent incentive to make people to run those dungeon/event as using your word revitalize them.
The max'ed guild members can help its alliance guild and earn guild mark. However, what can you buy using Guild mark?
Sure, there is something but there is nothing that gives you worthy incentive for those who max'ed out long time ago.

I sure like the mentioned event to be 'great' again. However, the mentioned reward is not that attractive.
Voucher is good for Stronghold building (not exactly for the individual besides long term commitment to strengthen the boon).
Guild mark is 'good' for individual but what you can exchange for is not attractive.

If the Guild mark can be used to get (say) GMOP such as 10K GM for one GMoP, then, there is an incentive.

strathkin

Well I honestly think the Siege Event is the one truly remarkable event that helps especially smaller guilds grow; but that's also what makes it so special for those who organize and take advantage of it. It would be nice if dragon fights saw 'a few' more blue vouchers drop every now and then especially if you defeat four dragons. I'd be happy to see green stronghold vouchers sometimes get awarded from Stronghold HE's given many award but 3-25 guild marks on the higher end as common ones can drop just killing enemies.

Still a major concern around rewards is maintaining the correct balance which is a constantly changing. I don't know that expanding voucher's to dungeon's or skirmishes more than what you can get from Shard's would be appropriate. I do however have some alternate suggestions:

▪ Aside from Salvage, Very Rare Gear, Artifacts, - introduce more Dungeons/Skirms to award Black Pearl's or Aqua's.
▪ Like Greater Artifact Gear released (at 70 level cap) offer Exquisite Artifact Versions for older but still special content.
► So Exquisite Artifact Cloaks / Belts (500-520 item level) may not drop from Valindra's Tower but perhaps:
╘ TIA, Demogorgon, Dragon Flight, Svardborg, FBI, Spellplague to offer something new for T2/T3 Dungeons/Trials.

I realize at least for Omu the only Artifact Cloaks / Belts at the 500 level will exist by adventuring there; allowing Mastercraft III to take the spotlight for awhile at least until MC IV gains the spotlight in 9 months to a year and a half down the road. Still it be nice to see older Artifact sets given new life (perhaps from Professions) perhaps upgraded, if people even hold on to them long enough to consider that.

hastur905

@plasticbat sure you make good points. I guess what I am trying to get at here is that even though some may count it as a failure, SH Siege. The weekly quest has added a different feeling around our Alliance. The rewards may not be for some, but I think it was headed in the right direction. The addition of Totems, with a blood ruby, AD, and some INF gets even the non-pvper's running it. My point if some of these rewards could be added to Dragonflight, Edemo, etc. You and I may be endgame, our needs are different. But this game is about the new people now, adding things from the new campaign to old content as a reward for doing it is a step in the right direction and I think they should do more of it. I don't agree that adding rewards to content that an endgamer can complete it 3 minutes to convert to AD is the kind of reward I was looking for.
So to use your language, incentive, they idea I am suggesting is not gonna be for the me first endgamer, in an Alliance that all rank 20. I thought what they did to Siege in adding the weekly and it rewards versus the effort was good, could they look at expanding that model to other dead content.

barbaraburns

hastur905 said:

Update the rewards, more vouchers, add influence, add a weekly quest like you did with Siege. Include some of the new currency needed to advance a current module like the totems in Siege as well. Marauders is the same, the 600 INF once a week is great, but there is no reward to continue past wave 5. Drop green SH vouchers, or Blue ones for higher levels? Nobody is doing Demogorgan for the ichor, to farm for the Twisted Weapon set? Replace the reward with a weekly for INF or some other vouchers, make it a Guild event. All of these are small things, easily implemented, QOL, Guild bonding exercises.

Personally I LOVE Dragonflight and Marauders - I miss doing them

.. but the rewards vs time spent to do them are just not there for me and many other mid-level players working non-stop trying to get to a point of being able to do end-game

.. if all the old content .. Dragonflight, Demogorgon, Marauders, etc were updated .. aimed directly at helping us mid-level players 10K to 15K who are not quite ready to be able to survive in end game [be it FBI, MSP or TONG] yet towards our goal of a gazillion marks and RP and p-wards .. with a weekly quest that gives us those desperately needed rewards .. we would all be running all of them a lot more!!!!!

I need really good reasons to make time to do older content no matter how fun it used to be!

AND we desperately need the refine cap raised higher .. 36K AD does NOT buy enuf gmops to upgrade a rank 8 to a rank 9 let alone enough gmops or smops & stones to upgrade weapon or armor enchants.

strathkin

Well I'd argue the REFINE CAP (Astral Diamonds) is actually in fact extremely generous! It used to be significantly less about 2/3rd less in fact. Yet the AD:ZEN exchange was consistently high for so long - it overly penalized F2P players who had to work so hard for the tiny bit of ZEN they did receive - so they increased the CAP which benefits everybody. Now realize this is in fact 4.5x more generous than Star Trek Online although it's DIL:ZEN exchange has been more consistent in the 125:1 - 300:1 range for 8 or more years. The developer is probably mostly happy with the balance on the ZEN Exchange now.

Still I can agree with you about seeing some older content from time to time being given new rewards. While the odd CSTORE item can drop in any Dungeon, Skirmish or Trial the chance is very remote and the quality or type of items are regularly changed. I've said a few times like you I'd love to see a bit more Refinement drop in all Dungeons / Skirmishes / Trials.

Slowly we've seen Refinement added to Demogorgon, then IG Skirmish, although Tiamat sometimes always offered it, but it's at least slowly been introduced to a few Dungeons / Skirmishes / Trials. A bit more refinement rewarding for some older content certainly be appropriate for helping grow Mid Level Players even today the refinement requirements take many players a long time to get artifacts to Mythic or Artifact Gear to Legendary.

It's a bit sad the design see's enough people trying to create 20 to 45 characters (max is 50) they don't even play except to Pray or do Leathership to earn Wards & Refinement. Often we loose many who've tried to do things this way often who burn out after a year o more even if they have 1-2 characters that made great progress in increasing their item level. Sadly it's just one of the few ways to earn refinement / wards required to grow 1- 3 characters; yet it has a negative side. So while I'd encourage more trying Leadership I have but 3 High General's now and two working their way up now with one almost at 24 and another almost 18. Perhaps in time my last two character will try advancing Leadership beyond Level 5 Sgt; yet it will take 5-6 months to get close.

Having 7 toons as High General's to me would be very NICE but I think I be really hesitate about creating an 8th character given most professions offer little to nothing now a days; especially since dragon egg's aren't easier to get. One thing that needs to occur is offer personalized gear for all professions with gear; then expand the item level for it in Mastercraft I to encourage more to start upgrading possibly engraved gear.

It's a double edge sword around refinement for sure - always has been and likely to remain - it's just sad most professions are effectively dead for the majority except leadership.