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Newly Created Character from Post-Mod 16 New Account Versus Old Characters from Pre-Mod 16 Account
caldochaud
Member Posts: 213 Arc User
Out of curiosity, after hearing some players praise mod 16 ( swearing that they weren't trolling) I created a new account with a new post-mod 16 character and compared game performance with my old characters created from a pre-mod 16 account.
My old level 70 characters from the pre-mod 16 account (with +12k IL, 5 mounts with full Insignia bonuses, and summoned fully equipped companions) were getting one-shot by mobs.
My new character from the post-mod 16 account (at level 4, wearing next to nothing and having no companion at all) was one-shoting whole mobs.
This may sound crazy but is it plausible that any new characters from newly created accounts are not negatively affected by the changes made in mod 16, but all existing characters created from all existing accounts prior to mod 16 are corrupted/broken somehow?
Are we players now looking at being forced to delete our pre-mod 16 characters and starting over with new characters (and possibly new accounts) to bypass this?
My old level 70 characters from the pre-mod 16 account (with +12k IL, 5 mounts with full Insignia bonuses, and summoned fully equipped companions) were getting one-shot by mobs.
My new character from the post-mod 16 account (at level 4, wearing next to nothing and having no companion at all) was one-shoting whole mobs.
This may sound crazy but is it plausible that any new characters from newly created accounts are not negatively affected by the changes made in mod 16, but all existing characters created from all existing accounts prior to mod 16 are corrupted/broken somehow?
Are we players now looking at being forced to delete our pre-mod 16 characters and starting over with new characters (and possibly new accounts) to bypass this?
"Talent is a flame. Genius is a fire." - Sir Bernard Williams
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Comments
But I have seen some odd behaviours that I haven’t been able to chase down/duplicate from time to time.
I certainly don’t have the problem with getting 1 shot with any of my toons.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
I will continue to level my new character and take note of any changes (good or bad) but so far I see no adverse effects from the scaling at all.
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If possible, can somebody out there create a new character and see if they are experiencing anything similar and can reproduce this?
(Much appreciated.)
So far, my new character is at level 14 wearing next to nothing and is still clearing mobs with one-shot.
I'll keep leveling and record what I see.
You really won't notice the scaling until you hit the higher levels and have more stats to scale. I mean, at 14 you are not scaled at all and the game is still in real easy mode.
It has been a long time, but exactly what level are you once you first get in the gate? Post again when you hit level 60, 70 and 80. I am sure you will find that your new character is in the same boat.
A very small leaky smelly boat.
Scaling makes it even smaller.
I can confirm that there now appears to be a difference game-wise when I am playing solo versus playing in a group. Solo, I am still clearing mobs with one shot, but when I am in a leveling dungeon group (or among other players in a Heroic instance like against a dragon in Siege of Neverwinter) I am literally tissue-paper doing next to no damage and dying with one shot.
My gear for my level 27 character is still below my level (but not insanely below - 23ish) and appears to have no real advantage to overall game play. I feel no character progression whatsoever. At this point, I could probably clear solo content in the nude.
(I wonder if there is an achievement or title for that ~ "Fully Buffed"?)
So that’s not a new thing.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
That being said. Having done the same recently (most of my post Mod 16s are lvl 20ish now), the changes to the mechanics of the game (add spawning, level scaling of the Mobs based on level 80 and how my characters have been adjusted to match) has made certain areas more difficult than they were before. Some was due to the change in mechanics/feats/powers but most seemed to be the changes to the mobs and the mechanics in the soloed mini-dungeons that are part of the area quest progression. In the leveling dungeons, there is still enough of a 'mix' of player levels that higher players with the ability to use powers not originally available for someone at the level of the dungeon (like Cordon of Arrows use in Cragmire Cripts) can offset the changes made to the original design.
Personally, the entire sequence of areas would be a lot more fun to play if you did the dungeons at the original item and enemy level (like putting on 345 level gear to do Sharandar, or buying the Dragonflight gear in the SH and actually be able to do the 4 dragons as a group). The mad rush to get BIS gear as fast as possible ignoring boons, equipment and much of the game quests in the process has paid it's toll on the long-term 'enjoyment' of the game, IMHO.
I regularly invoke, have a fully-geared healing companion summoned, use re-usable buffing items like the blue-quality battle horns, event foods and use healing potions. Enchantments, Enhancements and Runes range from level 8 to 9. Main-hand, Off-hand, Neck, Waist, and all slotted Artifacts are Purple. Armors range from blue 686s to purple 756s. I am using 5 mounts: 2 purple and 3 blue with healing insignia bonuses.
Almost all level 70 areas (excluding Chult ~ I haven't started that campaign) were played by my level 70 characters before and after mod 16. For example, Barovia was already challenging before mod 16. I can't do it at all now. The difference is like night and day (no pun intended). Before mod 16, I could successfully complete content. After mod 16, I can not. Areas in the game are simply unplayable. To make matters worse, lower level content hits harder to the point where I just avoid it, although it never occurred to me to remove gear or slot lower level gear. I'll certainly give that a try.
Conversely, with my new lowbie character (now 29) with next to nothing, I am literally Superman up until I enter group content or until I enter a Heroic instance with other players. Then the scaling penalty hits hard and I end up dying as easily as the level 70s... with just one shot.
(In many cases now, once the whole party wipes, I am seeing players just quitting in droves after the first party wipe and not bothering to summon reinforcements. This will make testing dungeons harder if it can't be completed or at least fought up to the last boss.)
With the last patch my level 70s are no longer being one-shot, and my new character appears to be behaving normally even in group content.
Whatever must have been happening behind the scenes has been dealt with. I'll keep playing and take note of anything out of the ordinary.
Getting the license to produce a D&D game must have seemed like a great catch due to its popularity. Yet something that has been going for as long as D&D and is as popular as it is, was always going to be a tall order to do it real justice in the eyes of the fans. Also, I don't think Cryptic realise that once a game is released and builds up a fan base, it no longer belongs to the company (obviously it technically does, but without players a game is just wasted disk space). To know they were going to make such big changes and choose not to involve the players in any way in that process and then expect it to role out without a hitch was a little naive (especially after it had gone to open testing). I'm not saying it would have been easy either way, but a little more openness can't have been any worse. As it has turned out, they have had to be a little more responsive to the player base in order to try and stem the number of people leaving.
At the end of the day, if you are going to write a game to appeal to thousands, if not potentially millions of people and those people need to be online in order to play it. You also need to remember that each and every one of those people has a voice, in forums and social media, and when they are not happy, will be willing to use that voice. Whether you feel that voice is justified or not, it's bound to have an affect on player numbers.