Chains of Promathia Areas Unfettered! (05/24/2010)

[Tagus]

Dude, there are people who started playing yesterday!

And we won't have to help them with CoP now. Thank fucking god.

[Corrderio]

This has more to do with time passing and players finding workable strats and posting them while others follow instructions blindly, like most things in this game (or any MMO for that matter).

The problem wasn't with the expansion. It was with people who wanted a free ride. If you weren't one of the players pioneering the missions with friends back when CoP first came out, you probably didn't get as much enjoyment or satisfaction (or rage, pick your posion) when you ended up finally completing it.

Oh god I remember doing Omega on PLD when "PLD couldn't tank Omega" became a popular term.

My god I thought I was going to have a heart attack at some point during that fight with how fast my heart was beating.

[ringthree]

Is there any chance that after 8 pages of nostalgia we can talk about the potential these zones might or might not have?

Starter Promyvions: All are pretty easy to get around in. All have tiers/level that could have mobs of increasing levels. These could be a good place to have some decent leveling areas. They have decreased the numbers of mobs and made navigation easier in these zones, and now they will probably have to undo that. Also, I believe these zones are considered "inside" zones and thus have the generally triple respawn timers which could be a big problem unless you plan on changing floors. Strays have major XP exploit potential.

Promyvion-Vahzl: If the starter promyvions are going to be leveling areas what is Vahzl going to be? Not only that but Vahzl is only accessed through another area that is having it's level cap removed, though the trip to Vahzl is not really far even if there are more mobs and the trip is more difficult. The areas are a bit bigger in Vahzl, and you can get to each level easily from the entrance to the zone. There are more of the mini-NM Empty mobs in this zone, so the going might be a little more rough. This might be one of the merit places at 80, if the other Promyvions are leveling areas. Oh, and remember when the "hall of death" was there, before they moved the mobs around to make it slightly less deathy? I wonder if they will be returning those mobs to their original position? That would be merit central if the levels are right.

Pso'Xja: This one is going to be interesting. This zone is already broken up over a wide area. Most of the zones are decently sized, but some are just fractional areas and probably will still be of limited use. The weird thing is that some of them are already uncapped, so will SE just leave these as they are? While it might be interesting to see what happens, I think these zones will still largely be under-utilized.

Phomiuna Aquaducts and Sacrarium: Here is an illustration of the problems with just opening up these CoP zones. What are we going to do with mobs that cast Doom? People want to XP on pretty pink and ultimately defenseless birds. They don't want to XP on mobs that could kill them if they don't turn away fast enough. Don't get me wrong. I like this zone. The maze is really cool, the rest of the area is great and well designed. Fomors aren't even that bad, but it's going to be hard to put together a bones party again. You just can't go back. Maybe you can if SE completely reinvents the entire zone, but I just don't see that happening.

Riverne - Site #B01 and Riverne - Site #A01: God I love these zones. They are gorgeous, bright and thrilling. You actually get the feeling you are high up in the sky. Problem is that no one wants to XP on Hippogryphs and Wyverns. Nihility Song and Fang Rush over Pecking Flurry and Feather Tickle is never going to cut it. Bombs? Marlboro? Even having to get the Wyvern scales is just going to be too annoying. I want these zones to work. I really, really, really do, but it's going to take some effort on SE's part.

[Corrderio]

Phomiuna Aquaducts and Sacrarium: Here is an illustration of the problems with just opening up these CoP zones. What are we going to do with mobs that cast Doom? People want to XP on pretty pink and ultimately defenseless birds. They don't want to XP on mobs that could kill them if they don't turn away fast enough. Don't get me wrong. I like this zone. The maze is really cool, the rest of the area is great and well designed. Fomors aren't even that bad, but it's going to be hard to put together a bones party again. You just can't go back. Maybe you can if SE completely reinvents the entire zone, but I just don't see that happening.

Aquaducts I can see them changing around a bit. However I don't see them doing anything to Sacraium due to the size.

[ronin sparthos]

Did this in another thread but the bottom tier Empty would not be terribly bad EXP mobs as they largely either single-target attack or have weak AOEs.

An entire floor of these at VT would be enough to feed a merit party.

Sacrarium/Aqueducts are probably just being uncapped to be easier to deal with as I doubt anything of EXP worth will happen in those cramped areas.

Id like to see more blunt/slash weak mobs like Hounds and Pixies as EXP mobs. Spirits and Imps are also possible targets.

Actually regarding Riverne Birds (not Colibri) were present in one zone and those fall under the ideal EXP targets. The main problem with Riverne is the lack of transportation to get out there. SE really needs to throw us a bone with some of these places via a teleport directly to Monarch Linn or something.

[Priran]

Riverne also contains flytraps, crows, and flies.

I could see them bringing back Bibiki Bay and Uleguerand, and maybe making EXP areas in Sea.

[BRP]

Is there any indication that non-capped areas will be changed? Would be cool.

[ronin sparthos]

SE stated that it might happen around Vanafest but what zones are basically speculation based on Abyssea requiring WOTG and Zilart.

[NynJa]

Phomiuna Aquaducts and Sacrarium: Here is an illustration of the problems with just opening up these CoP zones. What are we going to do with mobs that cast Doom? People want to XP on pretty pink and ultimately defenseless birds. They don't want to XP on mobs that could kill them if they don't turn away fast enough. Don't get me wrong. I like this zone. The maze is really cool, the rest of the area is great and well designed. Fomors aren't even that bad, but it's going to be hard to put together a bones party again. You just can't go back. Maybe you can if SE completely reinvents the entire zone, but I just don't see that happening.

I heard Uleguerand was a good xp spot before Colibri existed, all the Ahriman, the demons, and that other mob there...Mo-le-mo-le-mo-le-mo-le...


Heres the biggest problem regarding ANY of these camps, and this is ultimately why my name got shitlisted on these forums 3 years ago (because someone couldnt duo pld af2 lulz) and why no ones going to xp there.

REPOP FUCKING TIMERS

It doesnt matter how many mobs are there, what abilities they do, how much xp they give, none of that doesnt mean a god damn thing. Heres why Caedarva, why Greater Colibri, why Ronfaure Colibri, why MMJSP, why Zhayolm have all destroyed Deco Weapons, Aura Stats, KRT...

5 minutes versus 16 minutes.


If SE wants to open up NEW camps to these areas, they're going to have to pack a shitload of mobs into those tiny spaces otherwise people are going to keep restarting at chain 0. Of course if they all link, no ones going to fight them to begin with. If people can take out 10 GC's in 5 minutes, you'll need a steady flow of ~30 mobs to counter the repop time.

[Apelila]

Oh god, I forgot about repop timers. No, no 2005, away with you! Bad memories!

[BRP]

The amount of viable camps would increase by 2-3 times if they got rid of the pointless dungeon repop timers. Well, at least it would a couple years ago. Nothing is going to beat colibri.

[Siatdiat]

The amount of viable camps would increase by 2-3 times if they got rid of the pointless dungeon repop timers. Well, at least it would a couple years ago. Nothing is going to beat colibri.

I'm starting to fear the level cap increase when I was excited. Replacing meriting on birds to level capping on birds for 24 levels... doesn't excite me. Guess I'm not tough enough for that job.

[Dooom]

Part of me doubts that they'll up the level of mobs in areas used for missions. While they could in some zones, like the Rivernes which have areas you don't pass through for missions, in others such as Sacrarium it could blow. I always figured that CoP was designed so you could progress through it while on the way to 75, rather than another expansion of "get 75, then start on it". Raising mob levels across the board just doesn't fit my perception of how CoP "worked", as the people who just dinged level 30 and are doing promys for the first time are gonna get fucked - whereas before they could deal with aggro as a party, if strays suddenly become merit level mobs then it's not gonna happen. It just doesn't "fit" for me, though I fully expect I'll be wrong and that SE moves CoP zones away from "mission areas" and into "merit areas".

edit - also, regarding colibri, one of the big big BIG things Aht Urghan camps have over others is how easy they are to reach. Ugly range is like a 20 minute run through a gauntlet of death to reach merit camps; MMJSP and Birds are two minutes walk from town, even Trolls and Mamook are like 5 minutes with minimal aggro possibilities. The idea of running all the way to promy-vazhl to merit doesn't get me excited.

[Fawkes]

They could make some mobs on the way to missions be level 99 and it wouldn't really change anything. Everyone tries to avoid regular mobs during the trek to missions anyway. They're just parts of an obstacle course at this point.

[Alkar]

Well if you like Colibri so much you can just find someone willing to stick into "limit points" mode and sync to him/her while you level up.
That is if they don't decide to raise the level needed to access the limit points option with each update (and I'm sure they won't do that).
Any area that's not ToAU is a candidate to receive exp camps. Honestly more camps in WotG areas wouldn't hurt considering they're all really easy to reach.

[rahskala]

Well if you like Colibri so much you can just find someone willing to stick into "limit points" mode and sync to him/her while you level up.

Hmm, has anyone ever tried this? I thought one of the requirements to be a sync target is that you're able to earn experience points.

[NynJa]

Hmm, has anyone ever tried this? I thought one of the requirements to be a sync target is that you're able to earn experience points.

It is, when I was lvling my second rdm mule, I tried to sync to it capped at 60, it doesnt let you. Says its in unacceptable sync target.

Me and Chiyio's plan was to PL a bard to 55, and keep it there.

[thetruepandagod]

My only question is this:

The stoneskin gorget NM will have his level raised with this right?

was planning on soloing him right as soon as the lvl cap for zones got taken off ;\

[Priran]

was planning on soloing him right as soon as the lvl cap for zones got taken off ;\

You and everyone else who ever leveled a job that can cast stoneskin.

Good luck with that clusterfuck.

[Alkar]

It is, when I was lvling my second rdm mule, I tried to sync to it capped at 60, it doesnt let you. Says its in unacceptable sync target.

Me and Chiyio's plan was to PL a bard to 55, and keep it there.

Guess that's already fixed then lol. Goodbye pink birds.

Edit: Level 60 is a bit different though. You're still earning points when you're in "limit" mode so after the update someone should give it a try.
If you sync to a 75 he wouldn't be capped on exp anyway after they lift it.