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With the depressing current state of the game, it's mind-boggling to me that Nexon doesn't fix one of the biggest reasons why new players and veterans alike quit: the god-awful enchanting and enhancing system. I personally feel like the drops and grinding in this game has improved since s3, but the RNG of breaking your hard-earned equips without possibly copious amounts of real $$ remains.
I think the AP restoration system is a step in the right direction, but only one restore per item? with how high ap costs are, shouldn't we get more?
Anyway I realize that as a non-domestic publisher, Nexon NA probably doesn't have much say in these mechanics, and probably can't do much even if they really wanted to. But since Vindictus is still doing pretty well (at least in comparison to NA) in KR, I was kinda wondering how the KR community feels about the enhancing and enchanting system of the game? Are they okay with spending a meal's worth on an enchant rune that has a 60% chance of not working?
Comments
Scroll change 1: http://forums.vindictus.nexon.net/discussion/62/kr-s-oct-19th-update/p1
Scroll change 2: http://forums.vindictus.nexon.net/discussion/1379/changes-to-enchant-scrolls/p1
About enhancement, they already easing out the process of going to +10 for non-end game gear in KR.
non-endgame is lvl 80 and below? how's the rate compare to current ?
Think about it. You are a new player. You work your way up to level 80 and get the free level 80 gear. At this point, practically all the drops you get are worthless with the exception of powders (which you need) and elixirs (which you also need). So you cant reliably get money unless you get lucky with an enthus ES from hero succubus or something (Yea right).
You might have 15-16k ATT or so, but how are you going to do s3 content? How are you even going to do level 80 s2 raids, given that they are balanced for people with +10 level 80 weapons? Even muir without a +10 and attack capped stats is annoying for most characters (sword vella, etc, need not apply). Your only options are basically to get carried hard...or get carried slightly less in s1 raids.
Most players are in end game and wont touch s1 raids. Most end game players also prefer s3 raids because they are more rewarding than s2 raids. Without IRL friends to help carry you for the approx 1 month you need to get 350 seals to NPC craft a OJ level 90 weapon, you are basically screwed.
This is currently the wall blocking new players. The free gear helps a lot, although it also has negative consequences (level 80 and below mats become worthless except to people leveling prof). The main issue is that to be useful in raids, you need a +10 weapon of the same level, which a new player has no ability of getting on their own, unless they are willing to spend a lot of NX (not likely). S3 quest bosses are all balanced for people with +10 level 90s and attack capped stats, even if you have 18-19k attack courtesy of the +9 event gear, some of them are very annoying to solo.
Technically a new player -might- be able to farm enough elixirs to make enough gold to buy a level 90 weapon...but they still wouldnt be able to get the stones to enhance it, and most new players would simply give up and quit instead of farming the same battle for ages. And most players in end game are hoarding gold for material synthesis and would rather farm elixirs themselves rather than spend gold buying it...
It honestly sounds to me like you're burnt out and should find a new game or take a break. If fighting a boss for longer than 3 minutes is annoying, and you're only playing to see loot drop, you aren't really enjoying yourself. Am I wrong?
Newer players will "get carried", if not due to gear, due to their lack of experience lest we forget our own early days in Vindictus with its huge learning curve. In a group of 8, 4 people will be doing less damage than average. Does that mean those 4 people are not "useful"? Would you be happier if the person who spent time and money on their gear doesn't get the satisfaction of helping, or as you put it "carrying", newbies?
We act like "getting carried" is this shameful thing. Maybe it used to be, and rightfully so, but the term itself has lost all meaning. These days getting carried doesn't mean putting in no effort and getting rewarded like everyone else, possibly with an entitled attitude all the while. These days people will say you're getting carried just for having the second highest stats, never mind having barely enough stats to be ABLE to do the content. And yes, having 14-16k att is enough for S3. Groups were clearing Regina with that at the start of S3. No, having those stats and putting in an honest effort doesn't mean you're "being carried" and is certainly not something to be ashamed of.
Anyway the point is there is nothing wrong with having a gear progression that starts low. The game has already given players a LOT more upward mobility in that regard, it doesn't need to start them off halfway to the finish line too.
All that said, I am in favor of infinite AP restoration. Just because of human nature and loss aversion, we attach extra value to what we already earned. So even though grinding AP is just as tedious as grinding gold or materials to make a new piece, people will be happier restoring what they already had. For this to work in the long term though, the first enhancement boom can't return materials, or we will quickly have materials inflation. Which is why most likely it wouldn't happen because it would either bring a bunch of other problems or make people upset. Maybe as a one-off event it could work. Other games handle this by making any decent gear permanently bound and having a hard reset every level cap increase by making old gear immediately obsolete. That's why they have huge spikes of prices and activity, with long recessions in between. Vindictus's current system actually makes for more gradual trends.
Tl;dr: for the game economy to have long term stability, we have to have gear being produced only slightly faster than it's being destroyed. The change to make low enhancement safer would make it less punishing for new players with little effect on this overall balance. Even though the change is largely unnecessary, as new players can get around it by asking for help and having a +8 is actually not terrible as people claim, people should be happy about the change. To go overboard to the other extreme would fundamentally alter the economy and the game.
+8 lvl 80 weapon or purple lvl 90 bought from mp, with impending/gallant and valor/bloodlust
Soap
Kitty potion
event accessories
Just this should put you at 19k. If you still can't get there, doing all s2 raids every day is already plenty to keep you busy while still offering a way forward.
And then lets say we have new ppl coming in because the game is so easy. What will make them feel proud "my things are better than your things" which is extremely important in an MMO? How long will they stay after getting everything they need, experienced all the raid the game has to offer, and old players are nowhere to be seen because they feel screwed up? I still remember 2014's free Armageddon weapon and the agitated feeling I had back then.
MMO need gear progression. And it's an MMO, not an offline game where someone can do everything by themselves. Interaction with ppl, helping and getting helped is a big part of it, amirite?