I have a theory.

AsteIni - Heavens Tear
AsteIni - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
edited April 2012 in General Discussion
I was an active player back in 2008-2009.. then i was on/off in 2010-2011. There are all these new changes and people spending crazy amounts of money.. I'm wondering if you can even play the game without spending money.. When i came back i was so overwhelmed.

Its almost impossible to find low level gear in the auction house or in cat shops. How is a new comer with little to no money to spend going to do about gear? Everything is so expensive now too.

So i propose an idea. What if we make new characters and see how long we last without spending a dime on them? Kind of like in the old days when we met new friends doing quests, feeling amazing when you defeated a boss with skill not level.

I've put about $80 into the game. I'm more concerned about new players because this game is amazing. But if new players can't get past level 20 because there's no gear, no one to help them, can't afford anything, then they'll probably turn away and say this game is stupid and not recommend it to other people.

Lets see if it is possible :) My goal is to get to level 80.
Post edited by AsteIni - Heavens Tear on

Comments

  • Jhalil - Heavens Tear
    Jhalil - Heavens Tear Posts: 865 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    if you've put 80 dollars in to the game and you spend it on low level gear you're not doing the right thing.
    Leveling on here has become so incredibly easy, for example you can buy 5 hyper exp stones (Not with gold, you can make them with tokens. Tokens are sold by cat shops) and grind at 12x exp. You would be able to hit level 60 within a day in an hour grinding, easily.

    The easier alternative which is "frowned upon" if you're a new player is; pay one of the power levelers to power level you in frost. This will bump you up to level 80 in a matter of a day or two. Then buy some low level 8x mold items, and start doing regular FF it will take you less than a month to hit 100 if you just join squads and play casually.

    Then spend 72 gold on getting Rank 8, and you've got yourself a weapon, ring, top and pants.
    From there on you can figure out where to go/what to do by yourself I think.
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  • truekossy
    truekossy Posts: 7,021 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    It's easily possible In fact, with all the freebies and the like nowadays, it's pathetically easy to level too quickly for gear to catch up. Spending may be a bit rougher but once you get some experience with merching, that becomes less of a problem as well.
  • BerserkBeast - Sanctuary
    BerserkBeast - Sanctuary Posts: 1,417 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I was an active player back in 2008-2009.. then i was on/off in 2010-2011. There are all these new changes and people spending crazy amounts of money.. I'm wondering if you can even play the game without spending money.. When i came back i was so overwhelmed.

    Its almost impossible to find low level gear in the auction house or in cat shops. How is a new comer with little to no money to spend going to do about gear? Everything is so expensive now too.

    So i propose an idea. What if we make new characters and see how long we last without spending a dime on them? Kind of like in the old days when we met new friends doing quests, feeling amazing when you defeated a boss with skill not level.

    I've put about $80 into the game. I'm more concerned about new players because this game is amazing. But if new players can't get past level 20 because there's no gear, no one to help them, can't afford anything, then they'll probably turn away and say this game is stupid and not recommend it to other people.

    Lets see if it is possible :) My goal is to get to level 80.

    New players can't get past 20 roflmao b:laugh

    If you have troubles getting "past lv.20" with NPC gear till 60 you're probably have no skills as a player,maybe you should play an easier game.
    The only way to beat a troll is....to troll him back b:angry
  • AsteIni - Heavens Tear
    AsteIni - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I'm not having troubles getting to 20. I have several characters between level 50 to 80. Anyone who i get to play with me who doesn't want to put money on the game give up at level 20.

    The game used to be easier without money. They've only made it harder for new players.
  • BerserkBeast - Sanctuary
    BerserkBeast - Sanctuary Posts: 1,417 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Explain me how's harder since all the 5aps Farmers around that solo TTs makes all TT mats(And thus TT equips)as cheap as hell.
    I don't known when you're referring too but in the first year of PWI TT90 was considered endgame stuff and it was hella expensive,same goes with lower TT equipment.The only difference now is that its almost impossible to find a squad to do TTs since its not rewarding as it used to be,instead people make money in other ways and then purchase the mats farmed by someone else.
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  • AsteIni - Heavens Tear
    AsteIni - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about new players. Yeah you can use quest gear. Is it really the best gear in the game? No. Some pieces are pretty good.

    In my more recent plays Its harder to play at level 50-70 on your own because there is nothing in the auction house. Everyone is pumping money to get power leveled.
  • AsteIni - Heavens Tear
    AsteIni - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I was playing on archosaur and there was nothing. Just about everyone was 80+
    I'm starting over on harshlands.

    I have been on/off recently so i guess there are new opportunities. I don't know yet. I'm just trying to play through it like how i did and compare the difficulty.
  • BerserkBeast - Sanctuary
    BerserkBeast - Sanctuary Posts: 1,417 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about new players. Yeah you can use quest gear. Is it really the best gear in the game? No. Some pieces are pretty good.

    In my more recent plays Its harder to play at level 50-70 on your own because there is nothing in the auction house. Everyone is pumping money to get power leveled.

    Explain me how quest gear its supposed to be the best?
    Really, you want the "best" gear handed over for free?
    I repeat myself, you don't need 3-star gear to get to lv.60,NPC armor its good enough until you find something better either in AH or at 70 with TT set.

    "New" players get to lv.60/70 like a breeze nowdays,they don't need hypers or buying powerlevelling,they just need to do their freaking BHs.
    The only way to beat a troll is....to troll him back b:angry
  • miscraza
    miscraza Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    ^.^ I'm a new player and i have had no issues really getting to lvl 30. people seem to be really nice in this game and the armor you first get from the quest chests has lasted this long. I am not to sure about lvl 50 to 70 tho.
  • AsteIni - Heavens Tear
    AsteIni - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Hmm Alright i guess i'm wrong lol My apologies. Its just so different from 2008. Anyone playing on harshlands?
  • BerserkBeast - Sanctuary
    BerserkBeast - Sanctuary Posts: 1,417 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I used to level when there was only a single BH/day,now players gets 3 BHs/Day + Tideborn quest chain(About 8 levels handed over for free) + Public Quest at lv.60 and they say it was easier to level back then? idk what game they've been playing.
    The only way to beat a troll is....to troll him back b:angry
  • miscraza
    miscraza Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Now I'm just worried about having some ulgy stone face when I post.
  • ZetsumieX - Raging Tide
    ZetsumieX - Raging Tide Posts: 211 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about new players. Yeah you can use quest gear. Is it really the best gear in the game? No. Some pieces are pretty good.

    In my more recent plays Its harder to play at level 50-70 on your own because there is nothing in the auction house. Everyone is pumping money to get power leveled.

    you can always just go to a tailor / craftsman / blacksmith and make yourself armors with the mats that u got from mobs doing quests ijs.
  • AsteIni - Heavens Tear
    AsteIni - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Most people don't have all day to find a BH29-51 squad. When i was playing on archosaur i would sit there for an hour and nothing came up. Only posts for power level runs.

    I don't usually do tailoring or blacksmithing because it takes up too much inventory space. I'm considering trying it this time around.

    Maybe its just the server i was on. There are tons of alternatives but about 20% of the population is available and odds are they're not in the same level range. On the arch server just about everyone was in a power level run or doing their own runs.
  • Olbaze - Sanctuary
    Olbaze - Sanctuary Posts: 4,242 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Um... no.

    I've never spent a dime on this char. Instead, I'm a somewhat successful/lucky merchant.

    Merchanting does not depend on your level, nor your gear.

    So your argument is moot by default.

    There's plenty of low-ish stuff you can merchant: DQs for the bank quests are in the 20-30 range, then there's Element Fragments which you can sell for a high price at the Master Bladecraftsman. Those could easily be used to get you like 5-10 Gold. Then you could use that to buy Mysterious Chips or Wraith Officer's Badges and you'd quickly have doubled or triples your funds and you'd be well on your way into being a decent merchant.

    Also, getting to level X is easy nowadays, with all the 2x drops and such going on.
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  • _Ink_ - Raging Tide
    _Ink_ - Raging Tide Posts: 400 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Umm..I'm 101 and I don't spend money on the game..I've been on the game for over a year and a half and I've spent maybe $60 max on the game. And that was all spent on fashion, an account stash stone and an inventory stone. Without spending cash on the game I've managed to get a Herc, the Boreas Skylight untamed mount, R8, an untold amount of fashion, sage skills including Amp and by the end of this x2 I will have a Nix.

    And I might also add, I didn't step foot in FC until I was nearly 90. I also didn't get hypers until then. It's entirely possible to level purely through quests, grinding and BHs. However, I don't really care if other people cash shop or completely bankrupt themselves on this game. I play the game for me, to have fun. Actually playing the game, striving for goals and not power leveling is what's fun for me. Let everyone else do what they want and just do what's fun for you. That's the whole point of playing a game.
  • Quilue - Sanctuary
    Quilue - Sanctuary Posts: 5,787 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    In some sense, it is harder to get started than before. For example, a typical char by 4x should be able to accumulate 1m+ from quests and npcing DQs, that is including paying for skills and repairs.

    That would've been 10 gold back in the days.

    Now that's not even 1 gold. However, a lot of boutique items are cheaper too. 1* Dorbs used to cost 1 gold right? Now it's 0.27 when not on sale. Who actually uses 1 star orbs tho? Maybe if you're making 11, 12 stars...because mirages are cheaper than ever before as well. With refining aids coming from event boutique, people can reach +7, +8 without ever using the regular boutique. It takes effort to accumulate mirages yeah...but you still win out than if you orbed. You can typically get about 5-10m by 6x, that is certainly enough to get you started on merchanting say...plat charms. This is talking about classic quests and gaining levels by grinding.

    Of course, it's more efficient to level quickly, in order to gain access to more opportunities (bigger DQ for one even if no one takes you to NV)

    Overall, I think you can get by in this game, just as before.
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  • Silmarill - Heavens Tear
    Silmarill - Heavens Tear Posts: 11 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    it is true that getting help is prety much hard to get on low lvl if you are new player but..from time to time on ht new guilds recruiting any class actually its prety much offten..in those faction chance to got help is much much bigger cause yea..bigger fac are mostly higher lvl...doing nirv..tw..tt...ff so adwice is check for fac that LF any lvl
  • Sarrafeline - Sanctuary
    Sarrafeline - Sanctuary Posts: 4,661 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Um... no.

    I've never spent a dime on this char. Instead, I'm a somewhat successful/lucky merchant.

    Merchanting does not depend on your level, nor your gear.

    So your argument is moot by default.

    There's plenty of low-ish stuff you can merchant: DQs for the bank quests are in the 20-30 range, then there's Element Fragments which you can sell for a high price at the Master Bladecraftsman. Those could easily be used to get you like 5-10 Gold. Then you could use that to buy Mysterious Chips or Wraith Officer's Badges and you'd quickly have doubled or triples your funds and you'd be well on your way into being a decent merchant.

    Also, getting to level X is easy nowadays, with all the 2x drops and such going on.

    I have had limited success as a Merchant in the past. However, right now I cannot move ANYTHING. I'm selling Hay for 11k a pop, and I've sold 2 in 3 weeks, and I sold a skill book for a 4 mil loss. Copy the shops around me, and still haven't moved an item in a month. Shop's up 24/7, nobody is buying or selling.

    Only thing I had any luck moving was tokens. When token market crashed, I ended up having 2k tokens that I had purchased at 9.5k a pop. I decided to not sell them at 14k a pop, and instead use them. That has saved me a ton of coin on having to re-buy them, but... I need something new i can move in and out of my shop. Even rareish FCC Gold weapons aren't moving. I have Pan Gu's Giant Axe in my shop for ****ing three mil, and nobody wants it.

    I tried to sell off my bank of TT mats before 2x a few weeks ago, and the mats, TT60-90, everything sat there and looked pretty. Undercut, match, overpriced, didn't matter. Nobody was buying, selling, or giving a ****.

    So, your argument isn't really valid either, because you can't just throw a bag of vomit in a catshop and instantly become rich.
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  • Altamiria - Heavens Tear
    Altamiria - Heavens Tear Posts: 19 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    New players can't get past 20 roflmao b:laugh

    If you have troubles getting "past lv.20" with NPC gear till 60 you're probably have no skills as a player,maybe you should play an easier game.

    I thought this was the easiest game in the universe was I mistaken because my sources tell me Hello Kitty Online is more of a challenge.
  • Jinxers - Dreamweaver
    Jinxers - Dreamweaver Posts: 199 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    Now days new players starting out get a decent full armor set just for being logged on for so long. For free. It's timed but it's plenty long enough to get what you need done and leveled.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • X_trigger_X - Heavens Tear
    X_trigger_X - Heavens Tear Posts: 1,301 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    People see an MMO as something they can play along with others, so when they join they expect to see people their level to play and chat to. If I was to join this game around now, I wouldn't play it long and find it difficult, simply because there is a very small pre 80 community and nobody to learn the ropes with so to speak.

    I'd quickly move onto another MMO that offers more to beginners. How would all you vets like it when you joined in 2008 if there was nobody to help with your fb19, nobody to help you with darkbreed wolfkins, nobody to kill spearmen with.
  • Yoyoki - Lost City
    Yoyoki - Lost City Posts: 62 Arc User
    edited April 2012
    People see an MMO as something they can play along with others, so when they join they expect to see people their level to play and chat to. If I was to join this game around now, I wouldn't play it long and find it difficult, simply because there is a very small pre 80 community and nobody to learn the ropes with so to speak.

    I'd quickly move onto another MMO that offers more to beginners. How would all you vets like it when you joined in 2008 if there was nobody to help with your fb19, nobody to help you with darkbreed wolfkins, nobody to kill spearmen with.

    Your right,I started a bm and am currently level 15 doing what the op said.seeing if I need to get money from my archer which I've spent some money on.It's lonely and boring,new players will quickly get bored of no players being around and not even replying to hello if they are around. :(