Severe penalty of hybrids exp is causing unintended shortage class of tanks!

[Copout]

Ranger tanks are indistinguishable from any other tank. If you aren't regarding them as a dedicated tank class right now then you're doing yourself a disservice.

[Roth]

Originally Posted by Lamil [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Shocker: people need to be aware and let tanks establish aggro even at lvl 9. The amount of nuking on incoming and just lack of general awareness is pretty amazing but I'm still having a great time.

I'm gonna present the sad reality that I've realized here - if you have a 15 shaman, and a 15 warrior, it's simply easier to just let the shaman tank with drowsy. It gets way better agro and they can tank almost as well in banded. That's just the mechanics of the game.

Also as mentioned, clerics tank fine also.

[TheRusty]

Originally Posted by Roth [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I'm gonna present the sad reality that I've realized here - if you have a 15 shaman, and a 15 warrior, it's simply easier to just let the shaman tank with drowsy. It gets way better agro and they can tank almost as well in banded. That's just the mechanics of the game.

Also as mentioned, clerics tank fine also.

That's not a "sad reality." That's just how the game has always functioned. The "sad reality" would be if groups were forced to be idle while they wait for the least common class to appear in level range and want to group with them. You know, like in Velious.

[Deathrydar]

Originally Posted by TheRusty [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

That's not a "sad reality." That's just how the game has always functioned. The "sad reality" would be if groups were forced to be idle while they wait for the least common class to appear in level range and want to group with them. You know, like in Velious.

They wouldn't be the least common class if people would get their panties out of a bunch about the experience penalty.

[TheRusty]

Originally Posted by Deathrydar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

They wouldn't be the least common class if people would get their panties out of a bunch about the experience penalty.

I think it has more to do with their gear dependence. At a bare minimum a melee class requires the 80+ plat investment of banded armor. Where's that going to come from? Gotta have a higher-level caster class to farm the money or drops for that.

[Deathrydar]

Originally Posted by TheRusty [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think it has more to do with their gear dependence. At a bare minimum a melee class requires the 80+ plat investment of banded armor. Where's that going to come from? Gotta have a higher-level caster class to farm the money or drops for that.

That's the easy way, sure. But nothing that is worth is comes easy and no one did that back in 1999.

[Snagglepuss]

My SK is brutal to level on green. The exp loss on death is painful too. Even at level 9 there's a certain feeling of accomplishment. There's definitely gonna be some respect given when you see a 50 hybrid.

Once more platinum enters the economy and gear starts flowing (class specific weapons such as Ebony Bladed Sword too and rotting no drops, e.g. painbringer), you'll see all these mages and shamans farming some guards / hill giants to twink out their new warriors and paladins with PGTs and banded / bronze. At least that's how a lot of people approached blue. Plenty of tanks in the future.

[cd288]

Originally Posted by Deathrydar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

They wouldn't be the least common class if people would get their panties out of a bunch about the experience penalty.

Are we talking about Warriors here?

[Clang]

The problem with "classic" is it isn't classic. As much as we might try to re-create the experience, this isn't 1999 and we aren't naive about the Everquest experience. We know *every* class, quest, statistic, and expansion that is to come.

In 1999, although we knew there was some kind of penalty for hybrids - people were fine inviting them to the group as a tank. People were naive enough to think that these classes were offset with sufficient bonuses so the penalty wasn't a big deal. And as tanks these classes were fine, it wasn't until Kunark that warriors really came into there own.

The real "stigma" these classes started to carry later on for the experience penalty became part of a larger internal debate about class balance within the community and Everquest developers to re balance the classes - and remove penalties which eventually happened.

That's the real problem. As much as we strive for the "classic" experience. We aren't going to get it anymore - because of the knowledge we have of the game and that attitudes that generates. When I said that there was real *hate* about my Troll/SK in groups - I'm not kidding. But that *hate* isn't classic. That *hate* is about a penalty and a stigma that didn't exist in 1999 (or 2000 for that matter).

Anyways, I'm not going to really argue for the removal of the penalty until the "correct" time on the timeline. But I will argue that the penalty and the attitudes have regarding it at this point are not classic at all.

[Deathrydar]

Originally Posted by Clang [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

But I will argue that the penalty and the attitudes have regarding it at this point are not classic at all.