Ironstand

Well well well... I finally got to the forums, and oh boy, do I have some complaints! Okay, if the bait title worked now I will continue to a constructive critique of some "systems" the game has to offer for a brand new player. I have joined warspear around 3 weeks ago, created my favorite fantasy class, and jumped right in. I've played a decent amount of mmorpgs in my life, so getting into WS was quite easy, a bit of unneeded annoyances (like bag space etc) but nothing too repeling, straight forward kill 8 of those, gather 5 of these, in return get xp and a few coins. Map1 (as it's called by everyone) is easy, learning basics and just seeing what the game has too offer, all good. Now the 1st thing that almost made me straight away just quit the game, is the weapon reward I received in town 3 of map1 I recall? That box also contained these new items I haven't seen before "Enchanting spheres". Wow! I tought for myself, not only a weapon, but a way to upgrade it! (Now if you are a new player, shortage on gold is felt, you barely make enough for repairs at that point) And what do we do? Of course we sell our old rusty club and shield(that's what I had) to a vendor, we equip this new shiny 2handed mace! Ready to do some real damage! And now we can enchant it! Nice eh? *Clink sound* New shiny mace +1 Okay, wowee! That's cool! And I still have 2 more of these spheres left! *Clink sound* New shiny mace +2 WOW! That's realy cool! And I see these stars, I assume If I had 10 of these spheres, I could go all the way to +10 or something? Okay last sphere and we good to go... *Clink sound* SNAP!! With confusion in my eyes, trying to realize what happened, why was the sound different? Oh no... Oh no no no... Brand new shiny mace... is no more. That weapon you worked several hours so hard for killing bears spiders and whatnot... is just dust. Your a lvl 6, standing there, no money... no old weapon cause you sold it already, and you didn't even try your new weapon... And now, you don't know what to do... (Yea, so at this point I was, na fk this, I'm not making a new character going those 2-3 hours throu same quests. And why was there no info , no obvious info, that you can straight up just loose your weapon/armor from doing this? As a new player, for me that was upsetting, cause game is kinda fun, but now I'm just stuck without an exit out of this "situation"). Because I was in a chatty mood, I started complaining about this in world chat, and was lucky, a person straight up teleported to me, and gave me some gold to buy a weapon and continue playing. (If mood was different I would of just exit+unninstall. Also I met a person in the same zone a few quests later, i assume also a newbie, who had the same thing happen, and person just said "this is dumb" and logged off.) So yea, a big red sign "DO NOT GO BEYOND +2 OR YOU WILL BREAK IT" Or something like that. Also coming from other games, this is not a "common" thing that gear break when enchanted. So that is NOT obvious. Fast forward. I'm lvl 15. With salty wind in the air, smell of fish, and new adventures, I arrive in this new port... Isrelnort - the ashen coast. Right away I see way more players then on map1 New vendors show me their vares, that I am instantly eager to buy once I earn the money. And several quests! Now the difficulty change is there, but it was a fun challenge, mobs I needed for quests are few lvls higher, died few times, but had fun! (Now also a thing new players are not aware of are the xp buffs, from pots, guilds , events and so on. While I barely hit lvl 15 and was on map2, players arriving there, that have knowledge of the game, were already 16-18, so yeah questing was way harder for me) Fast forward, it took me around 3-4 days to get from lvl1 to lvl 17 and get to last town on map2 By this time, I've already heard how cool it will be when I get to this "Ayvo, new map, new content" For a long time in games, I didn't feel this urge, intrigue , eagerness to get to new content. So definatly a big plus for that feeling. And here, is where my true problem begins. And if devs (gms) read thus, please do consider the perspective of a brand new player that WANTS to get into the game! Someone who already is hooked up. So, world chat community, most of wich are old players, they do tell you "do yellow quests and you will get ayvo quests" but it's pretty dull and I bet many of them don't even remember how where exactly. Like I only got obscure answers. Now you get to the end of the yellow quest chain, and (as it seems, or maybe as you were told by soneone) but you still have like 4-5 yellow quests mostly of them are elite bosses, that a new player... just no way to solo, like 0%. One of them beying Shadow of berengar(aka six shadows). So that one, people know that you "don't need". But you still have no quests in Ayvo. You start to ask around, being lvl 17, some say "Na just go ayvo, you should have quests" others say "Hmm I think too low lvl" and some say "Well, look around you should have lab quest" (Ofc I have no idea what lab is, for a long time I tought lab is short for the observatory dg in Narr-Shadar) So without knowing wtf to do, I kinda logged out that day. Next day, I tried to find a grp for those elites I still had. Out of 5 elite quests, I've done only 1, and that was pure luck, a lvl 24 was passing by, and he helped. So, no groups for that content or alts just solo everything and they don't take "lowbies" into consideration (I don't blame them, if u can solo, you just go solo it's normal) Did all blue quests from all towns before. Experience from those is ... 10xp per quest, lol. I didn't even get half a lvl. (Reminding I have no buffs at all) About an hour I was looking for a grp for elites, but with 0 succes. Not a soul pmd me. So, 2nd day, I log off, with a bitter taste, that I am stuck... Day 3 , I did all the blue quests again, was STILL lvl17. (Ffs) And I decide to Google this issue. From 2011 to 2023 tens of posts about this, all say completely different things. Seems I need to kill that one elite, to progress... to play the game... Trying to find a grp, again with no result. Day4, I'm still 17, I'm pissed I wanna play the game!!wtf?! I start to actively state my inconvenience in world chat. Many tell me to "gtfo , just unninstall nub", completely understandable... At this point, I'm am just running in circles. Stuck, trying to find a grp, getting passed off even more. I log off. Day5 More Google, more whining in world chat, finally a person lvls 32, comes over, helps me kill some elites, quests that lead to killing even bigger elites. But now I've finally got a quest to go to this "swamp"... Oh boy, as a new player, swamp is NOT A FUN PLACE! ITS HORIBLE, THE SLIME ONE SHOTS YOU, TOWERS ONE SHOT YOU wtf is even going on?! Then I get told, I don't need to quest there, that's old content. Okay, phew, that's a relief. But what now? I guess I'll figure it out tommorow. Day 6. Google again. Complain IN CAPS IN WORLD CHAT, everyone has a different answer. People tell me I actually have to do swamp yellow quests. 3 hours I spend there, without any help. Without knowing what I am doing. 3 hours, with all equipment broken. I dont know how, but I manage to find the quest guy, and bam... Finally!!! AYVO!?! .......... New Enemyes. Lab... stands for labyrinth, now I know. Spending another hour trying to find a grp for lab... I log off. 7th day. One week I have been the same level. I cannot progress. I don't get new quests. I am frustrated. I don't want to play this game. This is just not fun... Oh, I see Finally someone is making a group for lab, I'll pm them right away!! "Sorry man, 17 too low for old new lab, no tank" Yep, last straw. Screw this game. 2 days I had no interest in losing in the game, then, said to myself "I'll give it 1 last chance" I logged in, and started complaining in world chat... How these things alienate new players from the game. "Then quit, unninstall" I get in response. Then a kind person, 32lvl , says that they will take me throu lab. 2 deaths and 1.5 hours later. Quest done! Omg , now I get ayvo?!?! ....... .......... No, I get a quest for berengar tower dungeoun... 2011 content, that no one absolutely does in a grp of 5 people, because there are no players that would need that content, and those who make alts just get carried. I've spent 4 hours asking, begging (pathetic) for someone to help me. A person wich earlier told me to "gtfo world chat". Now several hours later, agreed to take me there so I will just shut up. I'm already frustrated af, I don't like the game, I don't care what ayvo has to offer... So be do berengar tower easy. NOW DO I GET TO GO AYVO?! ..... ....... Na man... you need easy... normal AND HARD .... for some mysterious reason... You need 3 difficulties of a dungeoun That no one does on any difficulty... BUT WAIT!!! Remeber those few quests with elites? Quests like "Sea monster" Wich don't even give xp... They only give reputation... (but I guess that reputation is for older content, right?) ..... rep for older content right man?... Oh.... Oooh.... So to enter this God forgot dungeoun on normal difficulty I need 650 reputation, with a faction created in 2011?! That no one cares about...? Okay... this person helps me. We go into mc territory, we kill few these elites... NICE, I HAVE THE REP! The person who carries me, says they need to go , so we must hurry... We do normal... My carry goes ofline. But I still need hard mode of this crap dungeoun, gaaaaawd. For another hour I beg in chat. Another 32 agrees to help... We go to the dungeoun entrance.... BAM YOU NEED 1750 REPUTATION... This carry says "na sorry dude, gwg soon don't have time" Wow... great. What a great mechanic, to gatekeep new players... It's like big billboards saying "New players gtfo we don't like you, we don't want you. (c) Signed: Devs with love" 10 days of being lvl 17, not beying able to play the game, forced to beg others to get carried cause no one does that content... That's how I felt when I got to ayvo... My point is, I really think game would have A LOT more new players if not for gatekeeping things like that. There is no reason to force new players to "expirience" content from 2011. And hearing how cool is t4 t5 in ayvo, cause that's new content, and everyone there is having fun etc... I would like to make an analogy with a game I come from... That is world of warcraft. And for anyone who is familiar or played it... Imagine, everyone is questing/raiding in wrath of the lich king, while new players are forced to complete MoltenCore raid (wich no one ever does anymore ofc) otherwise they cannot progress further in-game. How many new players would that retain? So yea, that is the experience of a new player. Imho that should be cut out. Like no mandatory swamp/lab/berengar tower. Just end on six shadows , and next quest go ayvo... There is no reason to force anyone throu that. I am now lvl26 , ayvo t2. And still think that "old content" should be optional not mandatory and frustrating for newbies. (I mean I do lab everyday now, and it's fine, but I'm not forced to...) I hope devs take any of these in consideration. And I bet refreshing the leveling experience from 1-15 , with newer content (faster and modern) would attract more new players. Anyways. That's my exp so far :) See ya all in the underwater zone really soon xD