Pending level increase and focus effects

[Tineren]

[GheffGutterbrains]

[KB]

[Fandele Longtooth]

[Retron]

[Darkmourn]

[Brohg]

lower level augs work for larger spread of levels because people don't linger there. Those using level II foci will outgrow them far faster than someone in the IV range, and especially the V range. Do keep in mind that Everquest starts at level 11 now, not 1. From 1-11, your gear is fed to you on a charted series of quests through the Mines of the tutorial. The quests you're led to in PoK can take you to 20 within a week np, and there you go, you've already outgrown level I. You start playing around, and if you don't get terminally sidetracked on tradeskills or something , you're truckin' through to level 50 in another month, tops. In less than 60 days, you've gone from I to II to III, and if you spend any significant portion of your playtime on exp, you'd better start worrying about IV already. Meanwhile, Aruman is using the same mana pres focus he came out of Plane of Time with, over two years ago. That focus has lasted a long damned time, and he probably should be seeking replacement.

[jdthomas]

Yes, but at the same time, a melee could be using the same boots he looted from Veeshan's Peak. 41% haste is 41% haste, period. Would be nice if casters were playing with the same deck of cards here.
Change the focii so that each level is a different amount of effect instead of level cap. "Upgrading" from mana pres5 to mana pres6 does nothing but sustain exactly what you had. Going from fero5 to fero6 IS an upgrade.

[Ughbash]

[Scowls]

[shamuofxev]

[Ughbash]

[Slithor]

[belaar]

[Dakota]

[Cronikk]

[Tinici]

[Brohg]

[Finori]

The whole discussion is rather odd to me. On the day the expansion ships nothing will have changed. All your spells will work the same, all your foci will do their job, all the mobs you know and killed before - are still the same. Now there might be new content. In order to conquer this new content you might get the opportunity to gain more levels. You might get even new spells. And last but not least to cast these new spells more efficiently you might be able to aquire new foci items. What is wrong with more choices on what you can do?

[Ughbash]

Hmm not sure how this would work, but lets say they took the level limits off of all FOCI and the only thing to distinguish them would be the amount that they did. You would still need to upgrade foci after all who wnts a junk +50% healing foci when there is a +70% healing focus, or in three expansions a +125% focus. This would allow you to be mroe sleective and not need to upgrade a gear stricly because of focus when otehrwise it might be a lateral upgrade or a downgrade.

The problem I see with this is lets assume that foci get 20% better each expansion.
Lets also assume DPS and healing from spells gets 20% better each expansion.
Combing the two you get 44% better each expansion.

We all want the new goodies, we all want the new spells if levels are not used to distinguish foci they have to increase the raw power of the foci more to keep people coming back for more (or they coudl set an absolute cap on foci of say 35% like shielding spellshield etc) and then we will either get too much power, or more likley our spells wil be less effective because they will assume we are all using the best focus.

Their current means of giving slightly better foci but with the increased level limit may be a valid means of controllign mudflation. Yes by levle 80 you will need to replace all yoru focus, but by the time you are level 80 (and have been for a while wouldn't you want to replace all your gear? I know I don't wear anythign I wore at level 60).

Hmm one of the problems with a rambling thoguth process and thinkign as I type is while I originally intended this to be a hey lets throw out all the level limits, I am no longer sure thats for the best. SOE has to do a balancing act between all classes and find the point where FOCI work best. Throwing out the level limits MAY work, but they would then need to tighten down on both the amount the top FOCI was raised and the non foci part of spells. I am not sure if that is a worthwhile trade or not. I THINK that at level 80 with maxxed gear we woudl be better if they went with their current system, but getting to thatpoint we woudl be better if they threw out the level limits on foci.

Oh yeah and umm give monks an innate 10k AC/HP/END/REGEN and LASER BEAMS that shoot out of our heads.

[St_HotPants]

[Scowls]

[Tracor]

[Alaene]

[Cabe]

[Chutoi]

[Ughbash]