M16 Request: One Free FULL race/class change per account please.

dread4moor

Mod16 Should include 1 free FULL change (race, class) per account.

Why should players want this?
1) Class roles have dramatically changed from when you came to the game.
Perhaps you do not want to play a dedicated healer DC or DPS DC. Without losing level or boons, this allows you to explore a new class under the new Mod16 system. Therefore, your enjoyment of the game may be increased.

Why should Cryptic want this?
1) Retention of player base.
Your greatest fear is not getting new players.
Your second greatest should be defection of loyal players to newer games due to frustration.

Without a free taste of change option, many will stay with their class and make it work.
Some will stay and be frustrated.
Some will switch their main to an alt, but be less then happy.
Some will leave the game.
Make it easier for them to stay AND be happy.
The "keeping my class" majority will be happy with the ability to adjust their race.
Those who cannot adjust to their new class role/mechanics will be happy to stay and change to a new class.
What do you care what class they are playing so long as they stay?

For example, 500 of 1000 Fighters change for free to happy [other class] are better then (200 happy Fighters + 300 disgruntled Fighters - 500 lost customers).

2) Driver of zen sales.
Should have put this first.
Once players get a taste of how fun Mod16 can be if their beloved main toon can change professions, expect a spike in Race/class change sales.
This will build enthusiasm for buying change for alts as well. A timely "race/class change sale" couldn't hurt.

In Conclusion/TLDR:
Mod 16 is a brand new game. Everything is different.
@asterdahl (et. al.) , please encourage us to stay, experiment and personalize our builds in the new system with a free character reroll.

[jazz hands]

"Discuss amongst yourselves."


Edit:
"reroll" is a common PnP/tabletop term meaning changing your character.
As has been pointed out, the stat rolls are preset and not a true "roll". That was not the point, but see how it can cause confusion.
Substituted race/class "change" for the term "reroll".
The message is the same.

kreatyve

I do not see a "class" reroll happening with this game, ever. Nearly all gear is class specific. It would be a technical nightmare on top of all the other work they are doing.

The rest of it, would be really nice.

frozenfirevr

If you didn't already know, the base attributes are no longer roll-able... Every class has it's own fixed base attributes and you'll get only those.

dread4moor

frozenfirevr said:

If you didn't already know, the base attributes are no longer roll-able... Every class has it's own fixed base attributes and you'll get only those.

Knew, forgotten. My emphasis was on class change. ty for reminder.
Error noted. Change edited.

grimah

It's a legit suggestion.

I choose to invest in my class because I loved how it played. Though I have stopped playing shortly after Acquisitions. If I don't enjoy my class I won't be back. Though I do find these changes interesting and fresh, it's all about how I feel with the class I am playing and GF has changed drastically (and the current Dig In mechanic is something I detest.)

I've heard alot of whining from guildies too, but I think most of it is melodramatic but no doubt there will be a bunch of players leaving over these changes, depending on how much different they make the class function. I remember leaving WoW when they changed the hunter mechanics from mana to energy because I did not like how it felt.

But this is how things go, and you can't please everyone.

vasiamen1

Totally agree!

romromero

They were also talking about weapon and armor exchange i believe (or i might be dreaming) It is just a logical request since they are changing the game so much...

dread4moor

romromero said:

They were also talking about weapon and armor exchange i believe (or i might be dreaming) It is just a logical request since they are changing the game so much...

I hope you are right.
Yes, if you change class there will be some starting over in gear... but we already have to do that in Mod16 anyway on many builds.
The initial quests of Mod16 drop armor better then Vistani, Barovian and crown seal armor. In a few hours you can be re-geared with near-endgame armor for free.

Quick Disclaimer: I do NOT plan to change my main. I'm gonna stick it out as long as I can.

But a few of my top alts, like my DC... I dunno.
I'd like the choice to change class without losing all of my investment. That's the point.

cdnbison

dread4moor said:

I'd like the choice to change class without losing all of my investment. That's the point.

So, level a new character. Problem solved. It's not like this is the first time a class has been changed, and players want to suddenly change out of it. The gear - well, that happens when 1. a new mod drops and 2. the level cap increases. Each new mod introduces new gear, a level cap increase means that end-game gear will be tuned for the new cap, not the old one.

fenrir4life

cdnbison said:

dread4moor said:

I'd like the choice to change class without losing all of my investment. That's the point.

So, level a new character. Problem solved. It's not like this is the first time a class has been changed, and players want to suddenly change out of it. The gear - well, that happens when 1. a new mod drops and 2. the level cap increases. Each new mod introduces new gear, a level cap increase means that end-game gear will be tuned for the new cap, not the old one.

Yeah, but most cosmetics and mounts are character-bound, not account bound, so it's not just a time, but a real money investment that's at stake on each character. I think it'd be a bit of a coding challenge, but I do endorse this idea. I've got a ranger that was always a barbarian in my head, for example.

bpstuart

Kinda thinking that there should be a level token that lets you go to 70 and gives you the expected number of boon points to unlock boons you want along with unbound copies of all the goodies on your account that you can pick for your new character. Cause i agree, it is sounding like a bunch of classes will have versatility gutted from them and you may not want to be stuck with a now anemic character

mithrosnomore

kreatyve said:

I do not see a "class" reroll happening with this game, ever. Nearly all gear is class specific. It would be a technical nightmare on top of all the other work they are doing.

The rest of it, would be really nice.

So can't the gear just remain as it is? Strip it off of the characters if it is equipped, but otherwise leave them with unusable gear to either sell or convert to refinement points?

Or maybe even set up an exchange of some sort where a character could exchange certain mission reward items for those usable by their new class? The EE gear, for example? Might not be the best gear in the game, but the player may like the look and so they could exchange the Paladin chest piece that they have for the Wizard chest piece that they now can use (or, Heaven forbid, make the gear reclaimable and so the characters that earned the gear with one class could "reclaim" the gear for the new class).

Even for characters not at the cap, they should be able to get at least some basic class gear easily enough, if not have a special vendor in the game ready to give everyone a set of basic gear for their new class (BoP white-quality gear scaled to level and with no vendor or refinement value).

dupeks

I worry a class reroll would be too difficult technically given the game functionality.

I would settle for a gear exchange for most of the legacy gear, including companion gear. Most of it will become outdated overnight anyway, so letting people have some flexibility in gearing for the leveling to 80 would be a nice gesture.

Enchants are already getting an exchange, they should do the same for pet gear.

rafaelda

100% agreed the changes are massive, if gear is the problem put a warning on getting your full gear before the use...

dread4moor

cdnbison said:

dread4moor said:

I'd like the choice to change class without losing all of my investment. That's the point.

So, level a new character. Problem solved. It's not like this is the first time a class has been changed, and players want to suddenly change out of it. The gear - well, that happens when 1. a new mod drops and 2. the level cap increases. Each new mod introduces new gear, a level cap increase means that end-game gear will be tuned for the new cap, not the old one.

Nope.
I spent nearly 5 1/2 years getting 5 toons through 15 campaigns, 15 mods of boons and exp.
I'm not changing my main.
But would like the option to keep all that hard work on an alt if Mod 16 drastically changes my enjoyment of that class.
I've earned it.

cdnbison

dread4moor said:

Nope.
I spent nearly 5 1/2 years getting 5 toons through 15 campaigns, 15 mods of boons and exp.
I'm not changing my main.
But would like the option to keep all that hard work on an alt if Mod 16 drastically changes my enjoyment of that class.
I've earned it.

That toon isn't going anywhere, so all that hard work is still there. I don't recall CWs getting a chance to reroll when they were changed to no longer be able to 4CW+GF through a dungeon (which, I'm sure drastically changed some players enjoyment of the game). Ditto when TRs got hit with the nerfhammer. Or any other time that classes have drastically changed.

As the saying goes - ya plays the game, ya takes yer chances.

What happens when, a patch or two from launch, said class is now FotM - are you going to want a class reroll then, too, because changes have made the class enjoyable again? Or a patch or two after that when it's suddenly no longer enjoyable?

Change is inevitable in an MMO. Accept it. Stop expecting to be compensated simply because something has changed.

shadoewrayth

cdnbison said:

dread4moor said:

Nope.
I spent nearly 5 1/2 years getting 5 toons through 15 campaigns, 15 mods of boons and exp.
I'm not changing my main.
But would like the option to keep all that hard work on an alt if Mod 16 drastically changes my enjoyment of that class.
I've earned it.

That toon isn't going anywhere, so all that hard work is still there. I don't recall CWs getting a chance to reroll when they were changed to no longer be able to 4CW+GF through a dungeon (which, I'm sure drastically changed some players enjoyment of the game). Ditto when TRs got hit with the nerfhammer. Or any other time that classes have drastically changed.

As the saying goes - ya plays the game, ya takes yer chances.

What happens when, a patch or two from launch, said class is now FotM - are you going to want a class reroll then, too, because changes have made the class enjoyable again? Or a patch or two after that when it's suddenly no longer enjoyable?

Change is inevitable in an MMO. Accept it. Stop expecting to be compensated simply because something has changed.

Also, a lot of players do not have extra slots for characters, since the game is a bit stingy with things like that. Forcing players to either buy more slots, delete characters they already spent tons of money and time on, etc, none of that is a good solution.

Next, yes, change is inevitable. That is obvious. But, aside from games who had nothing to lose (like DDO), and games that were yanked offline for long periods (FFXIV) - this level of change does not occur. These are HUGE changes that dramatically affect the entirety of playing a class (and even a race, Dwarf is way better than it is on live). This is like playing an entirely new MMO, but with the same maps and stuff.

I have tried being a Paladin Tank, and hate the changes, so, I would never want to play Paladin under the current plans for 16, simply due to lost powers, changed mechanics, methods of acquiring the ability to even use my powers, etc etc etc... the class is not the class I wanted to play anymore, and that isn't going to change with some buff or nerf or whatever, it is the entire class. Unless they do another massive overhaul like this one, the class is now off my list of stuff I want to play. So, your argument is absolutely invalid and misplaced. You are trying to make a mole hill out of a glacier. It isn't even attempting to just diminish, it is attempting to perform alchemy on it to change the entire substance at the same time.

Luckily, my warlock is still something I am interested in playing, despite the drastic changes. But, when I first made my warlock, I did so with full intentions of being a Necro with Puppet type build. Luckily, I fell in love with the Templock, and despite changes, it still functions, more or less, very similarly. If I had not done so, and only wanted to play the Damnlock puppet type, I would be absolutely upset, as that isn't even an option now. The entire Damnation line is gone, and puppets REALLY suck. If I had spent years playing that way, done all the campaigns, etc? I'd be 100% p*ssed right now, because my character got DESTROYED. It isn't a nerf, it is GONE - the entire line is POOF.

So, yeah, with these changes, we NEED a class reroll option somehow, because... otherwise, they are going to lose a lot of players, and they will probably want their money back on top of quitting. It is one thing to kill the game, and all that, players accept that sort of thing. But to do this sort of huge change, and not expect that a lot of players will not even like the classes they have been playing, irrevocably? Yeah... gotta have something, and they need to have some way of allowing it to happen multiple times, unless they allow a trial method, where players can try out playing the other classes at the high levels they are accustomed to, otherwise, players could pick a class, thinking they will like it, and end up making a mistake in doing so.

If the company wants to make huge changes, go for it, but, don't expect it to go over awesomely... there will need to be assurances of some sort, a way to ease transitions to the new system for old (and loyal) players.

lordtweety

Agreed, it would be nice but as others said, can't see it happening.

My whole playstyle is gone and replaced with a mechanic I deliberately never used on live. So a class reroll would probably get used. I'm already making new toons just in case it goes live as is. A Class reroll would be really nice.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

meirami

A class reroll would be welcome since cleric now plays so differently it might as well be another class. I don't think a class revamp should start from a point where you change everything at once because there are people who actually liked Devoted Clerics and most of them had invested a lot in it. Now we have this slow and clunky empowering mechanic that comes with one measly damage buff and we're pushed to use skills people didn't even enjoy in the first place (Searing Light, Sunburst, Hammer of Fate) because everything else is nerfed or just gone.

jambo117

I don't agree with any idea of a class reroll for the amount of work it would require, though due to some races slipping around i'd hope for some race rerolls

skuallpw

wouldnt be better to give a free char slot with a lvl 70 token?

dread4moor

> @skuallpw said:
> wouldnt be better to give a free char slot with a lvl 70 token?

That would be far less valuable, @skuallpw .
The point is to retain all the boons we earned through year of grinding.
Some of us are just plain losing our mains rather abruptly.
We don't want to start over from scratch ans grind those boons all over again.

davidmoki

Couldn't agree more, I dislike the changes to GWF and I'm really frustrated about it, I wanna play another class but all my pets, mounts and booms "/ I don't care about gear, you can leave naked, I would not be mad.

dread4moor

Honestly, now that I've spent over 100 hours on preview, leveled two mains to 80, completed the campaign...

Not sure I would even bother with a "class change" at this point.
If the major class mechanic problems for my main two classes are not improved by launch why would I have more fun on incomplete classes that I never wanted to play?
... if it launches like this...
Nah.
Too bad, really.
This use to be a great game.

mebengalsfan

Class reroll no. But race reroll for each character on the account should be given, not one per an account but one for each character.

kiraskytower

mebengalsfan#9264 said:

Class reroll no. But race reroll for each character on the account should be given, not one per an account but one for each character.

This isn't going to happen, but there is also no real reason for it to happen. You no longer get to roll your starting attributes and the stat differences between races in Mod 16 make so little difference (around 1%) that race is mostly a cosmetic choice.

A class re-roll might actually be useful for those who really dislike the direction Mod 16 is taking their class in ... but as there isn't such a thing in Neverwinter nor any time right now for the Devs to create one, this isn't happening either.