Xelgad Spills the Beans on Focus Effect GU64 Changes
From the EQ2 Forums:
Hey all, Xelgad here! I wanted to explain some of the improvements to our Character Development window that you will be seeing on Test Server soon.
The biggest change is that class foci from armor will instead be granted through the Character Development window. Carried over from tier to tier for years, these foci have become part of the standard class more than a reward for acquiring high end gear. You can choose one bonus every nine levels, starting at level nine.
(Do you really want this? Of course you do!)
To select a specific focus effect, you must first have access to the ability being modified. For example, an assassin will not be able to select Focus: Assassinate until they are level 50. They would be able to use the level 54 selection to choose Focus: Assassinate or they can save their level 45 selection until level 50 and access it immediately. In the case of foci that modify Alternate Advancement abilities, such as Focus: Noxious Enfeeblement, you will have access to the focus effect as soon as your character’s adventure level is high enough to access the ability in the Alternate Advancement tree – regardless of if you have purchased it or have enough points to buy it. You can also change your selections by visiting the Advancement Counsel NPCs located in the main cities.
Additionally, almost everyone was choosing the same health and power, attribute, and mitigation traits. These traits were functioning like simple stat bonuses as you leveled, so we decided to consolidate these traits into the bonuses based on class foci. Now, every time you select a new focus effect, you will gain increases to both health and power, health and power regeneration, your primary attribute and stamina, along with noxious, elemental and arcane mitigation. An adornment refund system is in place to return the currency spent on foci adornments you may have already purchased, to make sure you don’t lose out on the currency you have already spent on them.
There are also five generic choices that can be selected instead of class abilities. All of these generic options have no level restrictions. They include Potency, Crit Bonus, Stun Resistance, Snare Resistance and In-Combat Movement Speed.
We look forward to reading about your impressions of these changes on the Test Server!
Michael “Xelgad” Ganz
Tags: game update 64
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Comments (26)
Likars
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Looks good with the exception that I think nearly every 92 out there is at 75% ele/nox/arcane and unless I am mistaken that is the cap on it…sop why not put it on physical, at least that would be my choice at least for my bruiser and dirge…
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Sole
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im note sure if this is good or bad….
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Edoo
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It’s being done for the developers, not us. Makes their job more simple.
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Feldon
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Bingo.
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Kauko
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“Now, every time you select a new focus effect, you will gain increases to both health and power, health and power regeneration, your primary attribute and stamina, along with noxious, elemental and arcane mitigation.”
So, those of us who currently have chosen the physical mitigation options under character traits will lose them and not have any way of getting that back?
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Faelen
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I actually like the idea of the foci on the character development page, but I do not like the fusion of the rest of the character traits with them at all
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Kruzzen
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increase in combat regen. 2. ROFLMAO. If that is not useless I don’t know what is. The rest I am fine with.
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Nyna
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I think it would be more interesting to develop differend kinds of focus effects and leave them on the armor. So people might be interested in trying out new stuff..
Putting them on the char-page kinda makes them obsolete – why put them there anyway, they could just change the abilities to include the foci effect after all.
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Koinoo
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Is it just me or is physical mitigation missing?
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Grughar
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I understand why they did this change, so i fully support it. I’m also excited, since this means my low level alts will have access to improved abilities. The game currently is balanced around being max level and having access to this stuff. Atm its kinda boring to level sometimes, all content is centralised around max level. I do have max level characters though. I just think that if new players are going to come into the game, they need to do a bit of spring cleaning and fix those stuff that have been on their table for years.
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Mermut
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I hope they put the physical mitigation boost back before this idea goes live.. but other then that I like the idea of the foci being character choice not gear dictated. Especially since some of them (like the casting speed reductions) are useless at top tier.
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McVet81
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Honestly I like where the game is going with GU64, and I can honestly say I do anticipate this entire game update….
Honestly to me the thing that stands out the most, and is Potentially (mmorpg genre)revolutionary is the idea of agnostic leveling (it removes the need for *levels* instead making character maturation/improvement is done through essentially AA points/trees and gear)….were seeing it more or less to an extent in a current variety of games, but not to a complete pure level of it. I think that first mmorpg that is able to utilize agnostic leveling effectively will have the potential to be the most (mechanics wise)popluar game out there, but of course I suppose thats just my opinion. (magine if in eq2 all zones/expacs prior to Skyshrine still had revelance, while continueing to get new content/expacs!)
The one thing agnostic leveling does is it keeps a games older content from become irrelevant (or as quicly irrelevant) to an extent. Another benefit is regardless if you’ve been playing a game for 8 years or joined yesterday, you can in theory begin have both players (veteran and new) group up and play instantaneously.
We’ll see I suppose, but regardless I must say, my hats off to SOE on this one.
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Dedith
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While it is being done for developers instead of us, it’s to make itemization easier to deal with. Now they dont have to worry about carrying through all these foci and can start adding others for the high end gear as the bonus for getting em.
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JesDyr
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I bet coercers will get a Focus : Amnesia
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bob0builder
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There are some Foci that are ‘necessary’ and really put a damper on playing at low levels without them. Anything that takes a concentration slot and doesn’t go on group (single without the Foci and takes concentration).
Foci should be given to all levels; this is a good change/
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Beefeater
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The lack of physical mitigation worries me as well. The other resists get pumped high enough with gear; physical mitigation is very important these days for every class, and is only found on tank gear and some scout gear. Every one of my characters has taken physical mitigation for all of their leveled mitigation choices.
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camelotcrusade
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Sounds good to me! This will be another change to enjoy when I start playing again.
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Anaogi
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Yeah, odd they should omit the one mitigation everyone takes, and pile on the ones we don’t really bother with…
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clownshoe
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GUYS! the underlying benefit of this MAY be the addition of ‘newer’ foci or the return of ‘set bonuses’ to gear now that foci have been removed =D they gotta give something to the gear other than stats amirite?!
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Karsten
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@Clownshoe: Not necessarily. Sony already has the ability to create items with multiple focus effects and other effects built-in. (See as an example: EoW wrists, Skyshrine raid-crafted shoulders, gloves, hats.) This change does not present an opportunity to remove the focus effects and add other stuff- that other stuff could have been there already.
Rather, this is Sony’s way of addressing future itemization without the need to put those darn focus effects on every single scrap of armor that drops anywhere, and then update those focus effects with each level cap increase. I approve of the idea, absolutely. My newbie chars will love it.
I do worry, greatly, about the physical mitigation loss. As Beefeater said, EVERY character of mine specs for that line. Losing 1500+ mit will knock a major hole in my tank’s survivability, and force a significant change in the way we raid.
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Forgetful Fawn
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@karsten “My newbie chars will love it.”
–definitely the real beneficiaries to this change! Think all of us are ‘meh’ about it. Srsly who doesn’t have WL armor yet? Unless they offer some different foci like clown stated I can’t really see a benefit.
Also, will that 1500 mit will really affect you?With the amount of +%mit on the jewelry and items my semi-raid tank sits around the 75% cap solo, not sure in raid i will have to check tonight for def numbers. But we are in agreement it is a disheartening; Sony giveth and sony taketh away 🙁 for the ‘lulz’ ?
here’s to optimism!
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Marr
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It also nicely gets them out of the ‘which focus should be on armor cause its vital’ loop.
The phys mit part sucks bad, esp for a squishy mage players, tanks yea lose some but % wise its not nearly as bad.
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melpheos
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If this can make the weapon description more easily readable that’s a plus
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Vortix
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@Melpheos, not likely. When an item description says: On a healing spell cast… It is usually duplicated below it with: On a combat or spell hit… Removing the focus effect may remove some text, but items that have procs on it will still suffer from the unnecessary duplication of information. All devs need to do is change the behavior of the tick boxes when creating an item, to evaluate whether both healing cast and combat hit are checked in order to simply merge their descriptions.
@JesDyr – Dude, didn’t you know Amnesia is like the Coercer’s best spell? I cast that at least 3 times a year whether I need to or not! Fo’ Sho!
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Anaogi
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Dude, didn’t you know Amnesia is like the Coercer’s best spell? I cast that at least 3 times a year whether I need to or not!
I have a similar one called ‘Pour Tequila In Blender’. It gets heavy use whenever a fighter revamp is announced. 🙄
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Atan
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The lack of physical mit is a huge gap. One I’m sure was intentional given how they crafted the announcement.
Scouts and mages are going to be thrilled when we tell them sorry, you need to run mit chest adorns now to raid.
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