since i already paid for the year and am stuck here until july, i figured i would try taking one wizard through polaris.
while it hasn't been altogether dreadful, i noticed something strange... my crit block was at 56% when i started questing a couple of hours ago, but is now only 52% (my crit percentage is unchanged). i haven't changed my gear or made any other adjustments... is this a glitch, or am i missing some important part of this new system?
more importantly, why are we losing stats? was the original nerf not enough? now that we've lost everything that made us (as player characters) unique, shouldn't we be getting something to compensate for everything that was taken away?
if this is another one of your stealth nerfs, kingsisle, i am thoroughly unimpressed. this whole update was a disaster and you guys know it; stop messing with our stats (unless you're actually going to give us something that makes leveling up worth it) and leave us alone.
if this is supposed to happen, could someone please direct me to the source as i've only quested once since this mess went live.
What you are noticing is the stat decay that has been part of the critical system since it's inception. As you level up the same amount of rating translates to less percentage. It is a balancing mechanism to ensure wizards seek to upgrade their gear and to prevent stats from maxing out too quickly. The reason its more noticeable now is that Polaris significantly bumped the amount of decay we acquire level by level.
What you are noticing is the stat decay that has been part of the critical system since it's inception. As you level up the same amount of rating translates to less percentage. It is a balancing mechanism to ensure wizards seek to upgrade their gear and to prevent stats from maxing out too quickly. The reason its more noticeable now is that Polaris significantly bumped the amount of decay we acquire level by level.
thank you eric.
now i have even more questions; since polaris gear is inferior to even kh dropped gear, or requires an extreme sacrifice to all other stats in order to have survivable block, how is that an upgrade? and now we lose stats for not "upgrading" too?
i only have one wizard with darkmoor gear; the others are in ww/kh crafted combos. but i took one through darkmoor just to try it out (i heard it had been made less annoying, though i hadn't been back since my main wizard got her final piece of gear) and my poor necromancer did not block even once.
to have my 72% block nerfed to 56% and keep decreasing as i level up (if i ever see level 110, current patterns indicate that i might have around 30% block left) is completely unacceptable. why are we punished for leveling up, and how is it worth the cost?
now i have even more questions; since polaris gear is inferior to even kh dropped gear, or requires an extreme sacrifice to all other stats in order to have survivable block, how is that an upgrade? and now we lose stats for not "upgrading" too?
i only have one wizard with darkmoor gear; the others are in ww/kh crafted combos. but i took one through darkmoor just to try it out (i heard it had been made less annoying, though i hadn't been back since my main wizard got her final piece of gear) and my poor necromancer did not block even once.
to have my 72% block nerfed to 56% and keep decreasing as i level up (if i ever see level 110, current patterns indicate that i might have around 30% block left) is completely unacceptable. why are we punished for leveling up, and how is it worth the cost?
The reason stat decay is in place is because w101 was designed with a percent system. This means that there is an absolute max(100%) that a system can reach before it cannot be increased. This is why the pierce system was introduced (to counter ever rising percent based resist) and why the critical system was revamped. I suspect this current system is merely a stop gap measure until they can implement another system to counteract ever rising percent based critical and block.
As for gear; unlike other worlds there is no current best set to strive for. Instead you must mix and match gear from prior worlds and this world to acquire balanced stats. Your kh crafted gear will be more than suitable but you will need to acquire a few modifications:
Athame: tier one baba yaga athame which improves block
Amulet: tier one Rasputin amulet which improves block
Wand: DM or terrors hoard lvl 100 or 110. 100 for more pips 110 for pierce and damage.
Ring: Alpha and Omega will do or any ring with damage pips and block.
The reason stat decay is in place is because w101 was designed with a percent system. This means that there is an absolute max(100%) that a system can reach before it cannot be increased. This is why the pierce system was introduced (to counter ever rising percent based resist) and why the critical system was revamped. I suspect this current system is merely a stop gap measure until they can implement another system to counteract ever rising percent based critical and block.
As for gear; unlike other worlds there is no current best set to strive for. Instead you must mix and match gear from prior worlds and this world to acquire balanced stats. Your kh crafted gear will be more than suitable but you will need to acquire a few modifications:
Athame: tier one baba yaga athame which improves block
Amulet: tier one Rasputin amulet which improves block
Wand: DM or terrors hoard lvl 100 or 110. 100 for more pips 110 for pierce and damage.
Ring: Alpha and Omega will do or any ring with damage pips and block.
fortunately, i already have a couple of those; my 3 highest-level wizards (prodigious and 2 exalted) already have the 100+ terror's hoard wands, and my main wizard (balance) has the alpha & omega ring. not sure if i should throw it in the shared bank, since she's done with the game, or go farming for another one.
i have no idea what the other gear is called, so not quite sure what exactly i am farming for. i'll see if i can find those names somewhere.
fortunately, i already have a couple of those; my 3 highest-level wizards (prodigious and 2 exalted) already have the 100+ terror's hoard wands, and my main wizard (balance) has the alpha & omega ring. not sure if i should throw it in the shared bank, since she's done with the game, or go farming for another one.
i have no idea what the other gear is called, so not quite sure what exactly i am farming for. i'll see if i can find those names somewhere.
I forgot to mention in the prior post that Rasputin drops the best decks which also improve block.
Good luck with drops!
many thanks again!
i did get a deck drop from rasputin (assuming there's only one) on my first run, but the crit and block on it were the same as on the level 110 deck i already had. still, i'll have a look at those pages you posted and see what else turns up there.
