GameZ BD needs it's next update soon, here are two reasons why:

DISCLAIMER: This is not a rant about the lack of content.


Greetings,

I thought about posting something on the forums related to the current state of the game, specifically NA. I hope the GameZ admins will have a look trough and hopefully decide to do something about it in the next patch.

Since the last patch we lost about 300 players on NA, 300 more on EU as well from the looks of it. It might be true that some will come just to check on the next update, or some play BDO at the same time but at this specific point in time the server is giving it's playerbase 2 other reasons to do either of those:

Grinding: Sure x10 rates feel good. I like it, despite everyone who consitently grind would agree with me that the rates feel like 300% instead, I like it. What I don't like is the market prices, and I bet that everyone who grinds, buys or sells will agree with me. The current state of the marketplace is in a complete mess. We can't rely on farmed caphra to sell since their vendoring was completely removed (completely understandable change due to AFKers) nor on the black stones so we're left with the trash loot (identical to BDO) and RNG rare drops, which unfortunately can NET you less money than BDO would on a 3:1 ratio according to the state of the market. Not very encouraging, not very engaging (Layten is more of a pain to kill, doesn't reward anything useful as the chest drop is awful and is just a CC bot wasitng your time while grinding). Also Vell's drop is a joke, 16.5b price with 70 sold in total. For a x10 rates server, the world boss that only spawns once a week drops 1 bundle (on 3 servers ofc). Perhaps the next update will bring a marketplace price reset like the last one did and give the developers more time to work this issue out.

As for lifeskilling I personally find it boring and have not looked into it, so I cannot speak for it's current state in the server.

PvP: Most of y'all wouldn't be surprised of the crurrent 'ranged' meta. After all we had pre-nerfed succession Ninja for 7 months now. That's a big reason why there's so many ninjas around but all they had except the busted damage was 1 single protected CC, Smokescreen. Succession Wizard is a god right now. Will SA debuff you and with 305AP+ will 1 shot you with one follow-up skill, while of course being fully protected and having 2 dashes. One of the top guilds in NA probably has 80% of it's roster Wizards and the rest Sucession Rangers for obvious reasons. Playing a mele in the current meta is like waking up after a surgery in a wheelchair.
Siege is a joke at this point. Node wars can be fun altough guilds are dying slowly every week.
The update will bring the much needed balance changes and would improve the wealth of the combat in the server for PvP as well as PvE (awakening buffs).

 

I agree with your appointments. I just can't relate feeling grinding on a 300x server. I actually sometimes think I'm on a 2x or 3x pserver.
As I stated on my tread, which you even commented, I think the greatest issue right now is the lack of a good mechanical money making ratio. Although I still think drop rates should be a little higher, I do think enhancing rates should be a little higher, at least for accessories, I think most urgent problem to receive a look upon is the very low amount of mechanical money players manage to make ingame. I grinded approximately 15 to 20 hours on Basilisks and I gathered 110.000 trash pieces. That's worth 330.000.000 silver. In one hour, I grinded crescents, which is a considerably lower ap area, and made 1,9 billion silver by enhancing crescent rings. So, what encouragement should I have to aim for hard areas with arguably "high" valued trash loot, if I can just exploit rare drops from beginner regions to insufflate the market even more, relying on interactive money even more? We came to the point that all money in the server just rotates in the market, from the market, for the market, and that's the condition of the actual CM.
If we had proper income from mechanical grinding, or lifeskilling, or whatever, more money would circulate in the game, more time people would spent actually playing instead of just listing items for sale and sitting afk for pearls.
I use this opportunity of yours to recall my tread about this:

http://forum.gameznetwork.com/threa...stions-for-a-better-game.234815/#post-2199979

And yet again I say, DEVs would be able to heal the server just by raising trash loot income by, let's say, 4x or 6x, then, 20 hours of hard repetitive labor wouldn't be worth only 330 million (which is nothing), but 1,32 billion or even 1,98 billion, which would be a formidable help and actually fairly rewarding. Players would grind like this game properly deserves and would feel a lot better, knowing their time is being productive. The game would swarm with active people, and the market would receive the proper use.

 

Well at the moment there is a massive gap in the market since AFK'ers are left with no caphra income and caphra do not sell anymore. Grinding for money feels awful now, wherever you do that. The market prices did not drop because of the high demand and people selling minimum, it dropped because players were FORCED to sell minimum due to the lack of silver this change has brought.

Accessories enhancing is fine, the playerbase isn't grinding as much, if the PRI DUO and TRI rates were like retail then everyone would hit PEN on them since it's so easy and wouldn't buy base ones as they currently do. You'd have tons of listed but barely buying.

Troughout the lockdown I grinded over 200+ hours. Split in between Aakman, Stars End and Sycraia and I can honestly say the rare drops do not feel x9/x10. It only feels nice grinding on a drop rate weekend event. Honestly gringing on GameZ isn't much different in terms of profit than grinding on retail, despite the market change and the increased drop rates, there's nothing special, just additional crashes, less competition on the spot and the capability to tp with premium which can save a lot of travel time.

To reply to your comment about beginner spots, unfortunately this is true. You can NET more money at Aakman than Stars End. How? If you're over 301AP depening on the class you can pull over 11k trash. that's equivalent to pulling 4.5k (normal) in Stars End. on top of that you get 35 Pila Fe, more BMC's and a tiny bonus as Tungrads. Why would a 235 spot NET you more raw money than a 250 one? The simple answer is RNG but it's messed up when it comes to raw money and should be looked into.

At the end of the day, grinding does not feel rewarding for me and I doubt lifeskilling would make any difference. If you want money on this server just get 2b invest into enhancing materials and enhance accessories. You will not feel the progression and eventually be burned out when it comes to PvP.

 

You all hit the bulls eye!.