Balancing of Power

Interesting post up on the forums. You should take the time to read it and leave feedback, both positive and negative.

For all the bluster about “not being heard” … I think it’s clear that Mythic does, indeed, read the forums. Count your blessings as most games go deaf when it comes to player feedback. We’re on the verge of our first expansion-like content with more and more information coming to light that should excite both new and old WAR players alike.

I’ve been in a funk of late and my time in WAR has not been as abundant as it once was. It’s a conflagration of my frustration about reaching RR80, a desire to play some different games, but mostly it’s the state of Iron Rock. Its action and the hit or miss attendance my guild has exhibited makes for a mixed bag. The good news is many of my guildies are looking forward to the Verminous Horde expansion which should breathe new life and meaning into our toons and in turn a renewed excitement for me to play.

Tier Overlaps
An interesting change will be spreading out the rank restrictions for the lower tiers. We’ll see an overlap between Tiers 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 3 and 4. I especially love how the adjustment is a part of giving “twinks” a taste of their own medicine. How fun will it be to troll around New Emskrank with your R14 toons smacking around those freeloading trial griefers? Besides the joy that will bring, it will be nice to stick around Tier 1 a wee bit longer. Tier 1 flies by and if you don’t stop to enjoy … it’s gone. Also nice will be the ability to jump between tiers in search of action. Tier 3 isn’t hopping but Tier 2 is … go have some fun!

Matchmaker ❤
Folks should cheer as we will finally get a scenario queue that groups folks accordingly. What seems a bit wonky is how they will do so … it will be based on your skill and performance. How exactly will this be judged?

Is it based on a player’s win/loss percentage? I pug often and find I win as many as I lose, but when I’m in a pre-made, my winning percentage is higher.

Will your skill level be judged on your DPS or Healing output? Killing Blows? XP or renown gained? Have they been tracking this all along or will our grading start with 1.4? I’d like to know specifics on what they will be focusing to determine how good or bad players are. And hopefully they don’t post this list. Do we need to see who the “best” is or how “bad” we really are?

All said, it should make for more competitive fights but we’ll have to wait and see how this all unfolds. I’m skeptical.

Give Me the Gear!
With the addition of two new RvR armor sets (Doomflayer, Warpforged) it only makes sense that the other sets would be bumped down a notch. As I originally thought, Annihilator will be purchasable via gold and it seems Conqueror is now available via Officer Medallions.

Moving Invader and Warlord sets down to the RvR campaign will make them much more accessible than they currently stand. Gear should not be so unattainable as to frustrate players, but they also should not be handed out like candy. These changes with some slight reductions in price should make getting these sets an attainable yet challenging goal.

Opting Out of Kindness
The ability to opt of of gold bags only is a huge win! I’ve had my full Sovereign gear since February so I truly have no need for additional pieces (I will be running full offensive set once I hit RR80). That said, I admit to not opting out of Stage III in hopes of getting that elusive purple bag and the weapon it contains. I know, a dick move but this will now allow players like me to be kind enough to opt out of the gold while still having a shot at the weapon.

EZ Mode
Many lower renown ranked players in Tier 4 complain about the power gap. In the lower tiers it’s common to get stomped when you’re at the bottom and then dominate once you reach the top. It’s fun to be more powerful, have more abilities, and to be equipped with better gear. Winning is always more fun.

In a world where everything is “supposed” to be equal, that’s not how life really works. And in a PvP game that is definitely the case. Would players expect nothing for their efforts while leveling up? No. We expect to increase our power, abilities, gear, etc. That’s the point of MMO’s.

It’s no fun getting stomped. So I can feel for the lowbies but I was one once too. And I got stomped, call it taking my lumps. Heck … sometimes I still get stomped. So should a R40/RR40 toon be able to stand toe-to-toe with a R40/RR80? If that’s the expectation why would anyone take the time to get to RR80?

I guess this is a problem for all MMO’s as they mature. How do you keep the playing field somewhat close without making it too easy. We’ll have to see the renown boost in practice to know just how fast ranking up your renown will be. Those already RR80 will cry foul … but that’s the curse of being first. If you got to 80 in the first 6 months, you never got to enjoy the double renown weekends or the buffs players get in Weekend Warfronts. It was tough. Kind of like your parents’ walk to school up and down hill in the snow with no shoes. Kids these days have it too easy and new players to WAR will find their ascendancy to RR80 far easier than those who went before.

Once players do hit 80 we’ll all be in the same boat which should be quite a challenging climb to RR100. So looking at this from a more positive angle, if the boost helps to boost the number of players in these upper tiers and it makes for more fighting and fun, I’m in. At least I will enjoy the opportunity to rank up my ALTs at a quicker clip.

Exciting stuff!