A disperate Officer. Problems with leveling speed and campaign.

faldaril · March 2021

After five years of playing and maybe three years as an officer, I would like to make a personal plea for you to resolve two very serious problems that are making this game very difficult for me as officer to play.
The first is the absurd speed with which the maximum level is reached, I often read the phrase "the real game starts at level 80", but it is absolutely not true. The part where the character is leveling is very important and is used to learn how to play it and get to know it, to understand if it is the character we really want to play and also to understand how the game itself works.
The second serious problem is the total lack of interest that many have towards campaigns. Many do not make them thinking that the 0.1% added for each boon spent is not significant, but if that percentage were higher and recoverable only from the boons, maybe people would start making them again.
To say, if the 5 points spent on a boon gave 5% (it's just an example) that you can't take in any other way, I think things would get better.
Please, do something to stem this drift, slow down the level speed of the characters, allow new players to learn how everything works before launching them like crazy meteors to make dungeons of every degree and level, perhaps granting a higher level speed to subsequent characters in an account, but not to the first.
It is not possible to see people who at level 80 have a lot of 20k, who don't know what boons are, who don't know what lot is, who don't know how to use a retrain, who believe whatever is told by another player (I witness it, one of my guild mate leave the guild because another player told him that this was the way to retrain his char. We laught at him a lot but this is a serius problem).
I'm not talking about the inevitable human cases, those will always be there, I'm talking about people more than experts, even coming from other games, but who here for some reason suddenly seem lost chicks who are desperately looking for someone to make Zariel, because they have found a green sword +2 somewhere. Save us officers and their players, please. Thanks.

callumf · March 2021

faldaril#4027 said:
After five years of playing and maybe three years as an officer, I would like to make a personal plea for you to resolve two very serious problems that are making this game very difficult for me as officer to play.
The first is the absurd speed with which the maximum level is reached, I often read the phrase "the real game starts at level 80", but it is absolutely not true. The part where the character is leveling is very important and is used to learn how to play it and get to know it, to understand if it is the character we really want to play and also to understand how the game itself works.
The second serious problem is the total lack of interest that many have towards campaigns. Many do not make them thinking that the 0.1% added for each boon spent is not significant, but if that percentage were higher and recoverable only from the boons, maybe people would start making them again.
To say, if the 5 points spent on a boon gave 5% (it's just an example) that you can't take in any other way, I think things would get better.
Please, do something to stem this drift, slow down the level speed of the characters, allow new players to learn how everything works before launching them like crazy meteors to make dungeons of every degree and level, perhaps granting a higher level speed to subsequent characters in an account, but not to the first.
It is not possible to see people who at level 80 have a lot of 20k, who don't know what boons are, who don't know what lot is, who don't know how to use a retrain, who believe whatever is told by another player (I witness it, one of my guild mate leave the guild because another player told him that this was the way to retrain his char. We laught at him a lot but this is a serius problem).
I'm not talking about the inevitable human cases, those will always be there, I'm talking about people more than experts, even coming from other games, but who here for some reason suddenly seem lost chicks who are desperately looking for someone to make Zariel, because they have found a green sword +2 somewhere. Save us officers and their players, please. Thanks.

I have been saying for years that BOONS should be more relevant. I do like the idea of 1% per point spent rather than 0.1%. it would give old timers an edge currently lacking.

plasticbat · March 2021

Yes, the leveling is too fast IMO. Personally, I consider the journey from beginning to level 70 is the best. However, new player does not care and does not slow down to check the detail. In my time, people slow down and check everything. Solve the problem themselves. It may take a long while. Trying to solve, trying to learn was the norm. These days, people wants to skip them all. Hence, a level 70 character is available in Zen store. May be they are too busy for day to day life. I suspect no matter how Cryptic changes it, most new player will just rush them through regardless.

kemnimtarkas · March 2021

I'm sure there are spreadsheets and trend data somewhere within the Cryptic bean counter division that shows the vast majority of actual $$$ is spent in game after a player reaches level 80.

Hence the desire on the part of the devs to get you there as fast as possible. The OG campaign story (and some of the best OG dungeons) has been a casualty as a result.

faldaril · March 2021

kemnimtarkas said:
I'm sure there are spreadsheets and trend data somewhere within the Cryptic bean counter division that shows the vast majority of actual $$$ is spent in game after a player reaches level 80.

Hence the desire on the part of the devs to get you there as fast as possible. The OG campaign story (and some of the best OG dungeons) has been a casualty as a result.

Unfortunately I know you are right, but I had to try

franciscoperola · March 2021

Yes, I fully agree with what Faldaril says. I have 10 characters, 8 of advanced level, with almost all campaigns done, and 2 for pure fun and to test the successive changes in gameplay. I take them from level 1 to 80 in less than two weeks and play with both simultaneously . I agree with your point of view regarding the benefits of the campaigns, which are really ridiculously low. In fact, most players who reach level 80 are at a very low level, and are not up to the task of running any advanced level campaigns or dungeons. Partly the fault of the programmers, as the tutorial is very short and incomplete. Another problem is the abandonment of many players when they encounter the first obstacles in the game, shortly after level 20, when the difficulty increases dramatically. At level 20, novice players should already know the basic dynamics of the game, but for the reason already mentioned, they they still do not know how to act in situations of tightness, what artifacts to use, which companions are best suited, how to behave in a dungeon or the importance of belonging to a guild, and this is not just their fault. Another problem is the equipment that Criptic provides for free throughout the game, mainly at level 60 and 70, which was adequate before the recent changes, and is now clearly reduced. Criptic should provide complete equipment at level 20 and again at level 40, and provide a decent artifact at level 20. It may seem excessive and reduce the incentive to spend real money on the game, but in my experience, it is just the opposite. Players only spend money after testing the game, and find their money well spent, and this does not happen if they leave the game too early, disillusioned with the difficulty and because they do not understand the gameplay. I think that these measures, requested by you and me, would make all the difference, holding new players, attracting old veterans, and increasing cash flow. I just hope they see what we write here, because we love Neverwinter and didn't want the game to die.

Unknown · April 2021

This content has been removed.

crankedmonk · April 2021

I have no idea what it's like at 20k+, I started a week ago and seem to have already realised that leveling as a new player is not as rewarding as other games I have played. I also noticed you get pounded with half explained content which seems to be pounded by the next load before finishing the first.
I quest here and there do my random dungeon and am at 14k with level 67 what I don't understand is how the game pushed you in levels to only get to a point where you are overwhelmed by a hundred different mechanics, quests become impossible to do due to enemy being so overpowered.
Getting gear is sort of near to impossible it seems, apart from spending stupid amounts of money or spending weeks farming AD to buy in market. im surprised this game has survived for so many years.

franciscoperola · April 2021

The average player's experience level has dropped dramatically, falling after mod 16 and the departure of many veteran players, most of whom have not returned. Today any of us see level 80 players with 12 k or 14 k equipment, who make skyrmish's, which, in theory, require 20,000 k. I took some pictures, and I was going to post them here, but then I thought better of it and I don't want to harm anyone. The result of the lack of experience is disastrous and the ridiculous situations are repeated: the lower level random dungeon can only be completed if there are veteran players, and even then not always. Skirmish's like Throne of the Dwarven, Prophecy of Madness or The Merchant Prince's Folly are a real disaster, many leave the team immediately or leave them alone in the middle. So at the weekend it is total madness, it is no longer worth trying to do random's. Even at the epic level there are problems, especially if we go to Spellplague Caverns, Tomb of the Nine Gods or Lar of Mad Mag. Only the trial escapes, but because there are 10 players and the lack of experience is more easily compensated. Everything I say can be confirmed by the registered statistics, it just remains to be seen if these are consulted by the programmers. The solution to resolve this has already been pointed out by us, but it remains to be seen whether these facts come to the attention of Cryptic or whether there is even a desire to resolve them. One thing is certain, if the level of experience of the players does not rise quickly, more players leave the game early, without spending a cent on it.

faldaril · April 2021

Sure it's true that some of the problems arise from a certain carelessness of the devs, but many problems also arise from the fact that most new players have no idea how to play online.
You don't need much to have a decent lot, apart from equipment that isn't three or four years old, you need companions, mounts and enchantments at medium to high levels and can't be done in a day.
I had a guildmate who complained that his character didn't do any damage and I found that he didn't even put the enchantment on the weapon. When I pointed this out to him he said he didn't think it was needed.
When he tried to buy one he said it cost too much and he gave up, the idea of doing dungeons to accumulate diamonds didn't even touch him.
These people take the game the wrong way, thinking that the game is "going to Zariel", instead the game is first of all "getting to be able to go to Zariel" and this creates an endless series of problems, which I'm sorry to say, not it's the dev's fault but the gamers' fault.
We are not playing Windows Solitaire, where you finish a game in two minutes, but it seems that many do not understand and aim for "everything and now". Unfortunately I don't know how this can be solved.

franciscoperola · April 2021

I agree that younger players are not used to difficult games like my generation, who played the very difficult games of the 80s and 90s. Today's online games, for the most part, do not require players to apply. However, if the programmers change the rules of the game in such a radical way, they have to help new players to adapt, remaking the tutorial in order to cover all aspects of the game, providing better equipment, especially from level 20 onwards, when the game starts to get more difficult, and reducing the speed with which level 80 is reached. I think that with these 3 measures players can successfully adapt to the increased difficulty of the game. Of course, there will always be players who leave after a week or two of play, but that was always there, even when the game was extremely easy.

arieswytch · April 2021

I thought it was a mistake when they drastically cut down the opening tutorial. And there's very little need to finish the SwordCoast Chronicles anymore. This causes many players to miss out on a lot of the story of Neverwinter. I know that many players don't care about story, but as an old school D&D player, I like story. Maybe if they added a boon point or two to each of the SwordCoast Chronicles areas more people would complete them.

crankedmonk · April 2021

> @faldaril#4027 said:
> Sure it's true that some of the problems arise from a certain carelessness of the devs, but many problems also arise from the fact that most new players have no idea how to play online.
> You don't need much to have a decent lot, apart from equipment that isn't three or four years old, you need companions, mounts and enchantments at medium to high levels and can't be done in a day.
> I had a guildmate who complained that his character didn't do any damage and I found that he didn't even put the enchantment on the weapon. When I pointed this out to him he said he didn't think it was needed.
> When he tried to buy one he said it cost too much and he gave up, the idea of doing dungeons to accumulate diamonds didn't even touch him.
> These people take the game the wrong way, thinking that the game is "going to Zariel", instead the game is first of all "getting to be able to go to Zariel" and this creates an endless series of problems, which I'm sorry to say, not it's the dev's fault but the gamers' fault.
> We are not playing Windows Solitaire, where you finish a game in two minutes, but it seems that many do not understand and aim for "everything and now". Unfortunately I don't know how this can be solved.

To a degree as a new player I totally agree, I come from an intensive mmorpg background playing last chaos, GW, Wow, Aion for many years.

The issues for new players are in fact mostly down to devs, neverwinter provides a level system where you hit 80 before finishing 60s campaigns.
Seeing how this game is based on stats and farming for getting stats to progress there is very little you can do as a new player apart from running random dungeons which items give very little reward, atm it's all chicken pvp to grind astral to spend on market to get stats as everything 20k power and above.
So new players are stuck doing same stuff over and over and over again for weeks to upgrade or obtain 1 item from market.
Upgrading items have a very high cost with no real way to obtain needed items from content as a new player. Enchanting stones, wards marks, companions, companion gear, seals and so forth are needed to get power to unlock content where you can farm them

armadeonx · April 2021

When you start the SOMI part of Storm King's Thunder - they make you spend 2 hours running every version of every quest they are going to give you in the area (for no reward). Now THAT is pointless.

Having compulsory 15 minute tutorials at key stages for someone who's there for the first time (optional for repeats) would be a much better use of a players time. Making some of it class specific would be excellent.

I totally agree that allowing players to rush to L80 for first characters is very very bad. I sometimes see new players asking how they can rush their levelling and I always tell them that it would be much better for them to run through all of the levelling campaigns as there's a lot to learn.

grogthemagnif · April 2021

Back in the 'Olden Days' (spring and summer 2013 aka Year 1) I had finished almost all the Quests and had ranked up to level 60 (2 Quests left from Hotenow and 6 from Whispering Caverns).. The leveling up was, for the last time so far, the levelling was about equal to the top level. 2016 we went to level 70. Unfortunately, the Devs forgot to calculate how much xp it took to complete the 8 mods at rank 60. Instead of starting the new mods (Elemental Evil) at level 70 they counted those mods as ZERO xp and started Elemental Evil beyond level 60. This gave the New Players 9 mods to go from level 60-70 (and a lot of stuff got skipped. 3 years later (2019) they did the same thing with the Undermountain, failed to count the intervening 8 mods and instead of starting Undermountain at level 80, they started it at level 70 and went to level 80. In 2022 we will probably go up to level 90 and start one of next year's mods at level 80 to go to level 90 instead of counting the xp of the preceding 8 mod as the starting point of going from level 90 to 100 (in 2025).

Now the problem will be 27 [26 because they got rid of Old Sharandar] Mods to go from level 60-90 and only one of the mods is counted in the cost to go to level 90. . Now you know why it is so much easier to get to level 70 or 80 and later to level 90 or 100 than it wasto get to level 60. Tyranny of Dragone/Rise of Tiamat made it easier to skip a lot of levels.

The fastest way to slow down the speed runners is to increase the level caps for each level by the expected xp needed to finish (PLUS 10 PERCENT) for each level

Armadeon, guys always throw away the instruction book.

A disperate Officer. Problems with leveling speed and campaign.

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