Questions, Invites, Squads, Character Levels...

BabaORiley - Dreamweaver · March 2011

I am new to PW and am greatly enjoying leveling my Veno.

Why do people send me squad invites at places like the mines west of Arch when I am there killing x number of x mobs for the many low level quests there?

What advantage is there to be gained by being in a squad for those activities?

I can understand needing a squad to take on the few elite type mobs that pop up in a few of the low level quests, but is there something else going on.

Is experience awarded more generously when you in a squad?

With the exception of the elite mobs, my Veno can handle the quest objective mobs fine. Is this not the case for other classes?

Or are these invites coming from lower level characters looking to team with higher level/stronger players so they can level faster? Or is it the other way around, might these be higher level players with a different motivation? Side question: Is there any way to tell the level of other players short of asking?

The knock on wood sound and the question mark that signal a squad invite are a bit awkward. How can one intelligently reply, when you know nothing about the squad doing the invitation.

What is the norm for dealing with these. Is it ok to question the invitee about who else is on the squad and what objective if any they may have?

I am getting my first DBs 19 and 20 but I am confused at having read that higher level characters have something to gain by 'helping' lower level characters in dungeons. Can some one explain that or point me to a source that covers that how that motivation mechanism works?

Sorry for the brain dump and wall of text.

Thanks,
b:thanks

LenieClarke - Heavens Tear · March 2011

BabaORiley - Dreamweaver wrote: »

Why do people send me squad invites at places like the mines west of Arch when I am there killing x number of x mobs for the many low level quests there?

because they're there for the exact same reason, and don't want to have to compete with you for the kills. when you're in a squad, and not too far separated on the map, each squad member gets credit for every kill any squad member makes; accept those invites at the mines.

What advantage is there to be gained by being in a squad for those activities?

[...]

Is experience awarded more generously when you in a squad?

what you gain is, apart from the benefit of cooperation as opposed to competition for kills, also speed. much faster to get X kills when you only have to make X/2 of them yourself. experience is shared in a squad, so if anything you actually get less of it per kill --- but in terms of experience per unit time spent gaming, you win BIG.

With the exception of the elite mobs, my Veno can handle the quest objective mobs fine. Is this not the case for other classes?

it is, but folks get annoyed at having to compete for something they could cooperate for and get much faster and easier. especially with venos, who have a huge effective attack range thanks to our pets; we can be fighting two different mobs farther apart than even archers can attack, and many decent pets move fast to reach new mobs. we can cover an awful lot of land, denying other players in the area any kills at all through simply reaching and killing them first. meanwhile, melee classes have to run right up to each single mob they want to attack, only to half the time watch the mob kite them further away; it's frustrating.

Side question: Is there any way to tell the level of other players short of asking?

well, when you squad with someone, their level is shown in the squad pane. short of that, you can examine their equipment and make a guesstimate.

The knock on wood sound and the question mark that signal a squad invite are a bit awkward. How can one intelligently reply, when you know nothing about the squad doing the invitation.

What is the norm for dealing with these. Is it ok to question the invitee about who else is on the squad and what objective if any they may have?

perfectly acceptable. many people think it's polite to PM and ask if you'd like to squad before sending the invite; many others just invite straight off and expect to do the introductions in squad chat after you accept. making sure you know what your squadmates need and when they have it completed is polite, as is informing them of your needs and completions. sticking around a little after you're done to help them finish is a good deed.

I am getting my first DBs 19 and 20 but I am confused at having read that higher level characters have something to gain by 'helping' lower level characters in dungeons. Can some one explain that or point me to a source that covers that how that motivation mechanism works?

FB's --- the special quests you get roughly every ten levels --- are different from ordinary squadding. partly because you have little hope of completing them solo, and partly because the quest-giver NPC hands you a "tab".

this tab you use inside the dungeon, just before killing the boss. doing so gives every squad member a quest to kill the boss; completing the quest gives them extra XP, SP and reputation. this is their reward for helping you complete your FB quest. (you only need the boss to die, yourself; using the tab is, for you, only a way to reward your helpers.)

the way to use an FB tab is to (1) be squad leader (ask for lead in squad chat if you don't have it already), (2) talk to a pillar NPC that should be fairly obvious near where the boss hangs out, and (3) take the quest the pillar has to offer. your tab should disappear from your inventory, every squad member gets a kill-the-boss quest, and you should retain squad lead until that quest completes.

BabaORiley - Dreamweaver · March 2011

This game can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning, so I appreciate the help.

That is a really nice motivation mechanic on how the tabs work. It makes asking for help with the DB's NOT feel like asking for a handout, when you know the other players and higher players are getting a reward.

I will be more open to teaming 'in the wild' so to speak now that I see there are benefits for all concerned. I used to play Anarchy Online, where if a players are not within a certain range of each others level, one of the players got no experience, so knowing what each players level was important.

Thanks for your help.

b:thanks

sangodoc · March 2011

BabaORiley - Dreamweaver wrote: »

I will be more open to teaming 'in the wild' so to speak now that I see there are benefits for all concerned. I used to play ****, where if a players are not within a certain range of each others level, one of the players got no experience, so knowing what each players level was important.

Actually, in PWI working in a squad with a higher level player vs. one your level does affect the EXP and SP rewards, and it also affects the drop rate of items as well.

If you want to see how EXP works in a squad, see the "Experience Point Sharing" section of the Experience Points entry at the PWI wiki.

If you want to see how the drop rate is calculated, see the Drop Rate page at the PWDB.

So, the main advantage is getting the quest done more quickly, but the disadvantage is that you do get less EXP, SP, and drops from the mobs you kill.

P.S. You're not supposed to mention the names of other games in the forum. Make sure you read this thread.

Bluelita - Archosaur · March 2011

Questing can be boring, especially when you have to kill 60 mobs of one type. After killing 40, you just get bored to death if not making something else in the same time - and chatting is one of these things for me b:chuckle
Squadding permits you also to meet new people and make useful friendships - at level 40, while bounty hunter quests, you can always then call people for help in your daily boss killing. Works better than a completely random squad..
Theorically, the exp points for killing a mob is divided by all the squad, so you can tell you will get less exp. But in practice, during squad killing, you kill in total more mobs than you would do only questing alone. The exp gain is then less or more similar.
Generally, you have a lot of quests until some higher levels and it is difficult to make them all in the correct level (means you're not like 6 levels over the mob..) - squadding permits you to make all your quests faster and at a required level..
Also some areas, like the ones in earthguard territories, are full of very aggro mobs and it is really more easy and safe to make them in squad.

From personal experience : I have levelled my veno up to lvl 60 mainly questing alone (95%) and my cleric to lvl 47 (75% in duo - trio squad). Levelling in squad finally was faster and nicer, as long as now it is still more efficient for me also..

Questions, Invites, Squads, Character Levels...

Comments

Categories