LFG

Two words: "level lockers".

It is no longer possible to start on Nagafen as a bona-fide noob, without friends or twinking. Anyone who tries gets farmed non-stop by players who are also at very low levels, but who have maximized every conceivable advantage in game.

I'm talking about level 20's who have turned off adventure exp, yet play 12 hours a day for the sole purpose of farming noobs, and who have:

-full fabled gear or the best possible item in game in every slot,
-every item adorned
-full master spells
-mastercrafted potions
-mastercrafted ammo
-and up to 80 achievement points - yes, at level 20.

Your typical new player without existing contacts in this game, who was attracted to EQ2 by SoE marketing or the "Play the Fae" promotion, will at most be able to get low quality treasured items in some but not all slots and app 2 spells by level 20. These true noobs no longer have a snowball's chance in hell at grinding up on Nagafen because of level lockers.

When Nagafen was new, everyone had the same chance against everyone else. That is no longer the case. Since then, level lockers have focused all their attention and resources on gaining fame from the easiest targets possible. It is stupid for SoE to continue allowing this, because it is preventing "true noobs" from starting up in PvP, and is now restricting the growth of PvP in EQ2.

Sure, it is still *possible* to level a toon from scratch on Nagafen with no plat, friends or other resources going in - but why would anyone want to do anything that miserable?

It would now take a new player up to ten times longer to level on Nagafen than it did when the server was new, and all because SoE allows level lockers to farm noobs nonstop at the early levels of PvP.

Either SoE plans on phasing out PvP by keeping new players out of the PvP pipeline, or someone just doesn't have on their thinking cap. Without a new influx of players in PvP, things like server merges become necessary. Oh wait, that's already happening in PvP - so what do you think the next step is, now that further retraction is no longer possible?

Why not give things a chance to succeed in PvP instead?

To attract new subscribers to PvP in EQ2, SoE should do one or more of the following:

1. Disable the ability to turn off combat experience on PvP servers.
2. Add more non-pvp instances where noobs can go and just level without being ganked every 5 minutes by uber swashes who are 5 levels above them.
3. Allow players to turn off PvP in lower level zones, so they can't be attacked in Commonlands, for example - and that option should only be toggled through a city npc, so it can't be enabled and disabled in an opportunistic manner. Note I said lower level zones, and did not suggest that level 6's get free passage through the Bonemire.

I'm sure there are many other things that could be done to level the playing field for real noobs who'd like to get started on Nagafen. It's only a matter of time before PvP dies in EQ2 because there is no new "fresh blood" coming in, since level lockers are keeping it out.

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the topics above. Please discuss.

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Pinski

So basically PvP is dying because of PvP?

This is what PvP is. It's about having PvP the entire time you're playing. If you don't like being killed by somebody who has played longer/has better gear than you, maybe you shouldn't play PvP games?

PvP is broken because of game mechanics that don't include level locking. It's the whole resist/mitigation mechanic. But wow, you want to be able to disable PvP on a PvP server. I just want to say wow, expect this post to go nowhere because it's obvious you don't like getting ganked(nobody does, but oh well, that's PvP it's a game of ganking).

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LFG

What I'm saying is, it has become far too hard to level up to 50, based on people who play for the sole purpose of farming noobs.

If it were less ridiculous to try and get some levels in PvP, it would attract more new players, and that part of the game wouldn't be dying as fast as it is now.

All I'm saying is, give the noobs more opportunities to level up without being PvP'd, it that's what it will take to make this form of the game more successful.

I'm also saying, don't change the 50+ game at all.

It is ridiculous to give people an incentive to turn off exp at level 20, because it makes them feel uber and powerful to farm noobs.

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Lovelace

I want to add my own two cents. EQ2 has never really been THE place to be if you're into PvP. If people are so hell-bent on PvPing, they're going to be in a different game (read:WoW) where PvP has a huge build and system. Unless EQ2 decides to start their own battleground system or do away with the ability to turn off xp, there will always be issues. I have a druid on WoW that is level 19 that I solely play to PvP in battlegrounds, I don't do quests or kill actual creatures, and it is possible to stay at level 19 without locking xp (which isn't a possibility on WoW) because you can stay in town forever and just be a PvP twink, and nobody questions it.

I haven't actually played on a PvP server on EQ2 for quite some time, at one time I did have a monk on Vox, but none of my friends were there and I like being able to talk to people while I'm playing. Can't even send cross-server tells on PvP, so yes, it gets lonely! You have to be good to start there now, I'm sure. Lots of competition, and if people aren't looking for actual competition that requires skill, then a PvP server NOW is not the answer.

Snark

i do think level locking is going to slowly kill the game. because it severely limits the amount of new players who care to join. I would guess that now more people are quitting than can make it to even lvl 50 on pvp.

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Oopo

Everyone I know that played PvP in the higher levels said it was a lot more fun during levels 20-30. Fights actually last a reasonable amount of time at lower levels.

LFG

It's not fun at all when you can't compete as someone in treasured and not all equip slots filled against people in full fabled/mastercrafted with all masters who hunt you for sport because it's so easy, they really can't lose.

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LFG

I take that back, it's fun for those who are gear and spell maxed, but not for the noobs.

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Faabio

I wouldn't say PvP is dying, Nagafen has been fine, it's just the other servers.

I do agree with the level locking bullshit though.

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Pink Poodle

It's embarrassing when my level 70 necromancer is killed by level 45 level-lockers, too! Uh, yeah.

Leveling my froglok (since she has no access to Imtithal's stuff currently) is hard, though someone still offered to twink me out before I betray to Freeport. Of course I took the offer. They didn't mind either. They knew full well I was betraying.

I've known quite a lot of decent new PVP players that either quit EQ2 or switched to a PVE server due to level-locking gankers.

It's a double-edged sword, I think.

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