Test / Beta Update Notes: Friday, April 3, 2015

Normally we don’t list complete Test / Beta Update Notes so as to avoid confusion with Live notes, but in this case, we’re going to make an exception as players have been clamoring for signs that development continues on EQ2 from bug fixes to performance tweaks to mechanics and class balance changes, and this update has all of that!

From the EQ2 Forums:

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

• Reduced frequency of UI updates being sent to clients from the server lowering server/client and bandwidth load, specifically during combat.
• Improved server memory use.
• Various client crash fixes.
• Several minor performance improvements on nearly every system in game.
• Lowered server/client and bandwidth load for the warder and construct windows.
• Lowered the server load caused by player pets in and out of combat.
• Made improvements to performance hits caused by census exports.

GENERAL

• Guildhall Harvesters have had their dialog list shortened.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• The triumphs for Drunder have been reset to clear any issues with them not updating. Some players will be granted this automatically upon logging in.
• Achievements related to Sevelak of Storms have been fixed.
• Achievements related to youtube uploads have been removed as this feature is no longer available.

ABILITIES / ALTERNATE ADVANCEMENT
General

• All classes now have a new spell called Strike of Consistency or Smite of Consistency that has no low damage but no damage variance.

Fighters

• Recklessness has been removed from all fighters.
• Fighter Offensive Stance’s now grant potency.
• Fighter Offensive Stance’s increase the amount of Potency gained by 20%.
• While in an Offensive Stance the fighter may not benefit from any stoneskin, death prevent, or 100% avoidance abilities. This restriction will persist for for 5 seconds after the offensive stance has been removed.
• Forward Stance will now grant 2% crit bonus and strikethrough per tier.

Berserker

• Battle Frenzy may now only trigger once every .5 seconds.
• Blood Rage may now only trigger once every .2 seconds.
• The stoneskin portion of Perseverance may now only trigger once a second.

Shadowknight

• Bloodletter may now be recast in combat.
• The base reuse on Bloodletter is now 8 minutes.

Scouts

• Level 91+ Scout offensive stances will now increase the base damage of all scout spells.

Beastlord

• Warder auto-attack and abilities should now hit more reliably.

Swashbuckler

• Marauders Vaunt will now grant final ability damage and has been changed to a temporary raid buff with an 8 second duration and 1 minute reuse.

Summoners

• Summoners can now right click their pet and use the “Change Appearance” functionality. The summoner and their pet must be out of combat. The appearance list is generated based upon the caster’s knowledge book.
• Possession is now Flash Cast. For a short duration, the summoner’s next primary pet spell will have no cast time, reuse time or recovery time. The second pet summoned will have a reduced cast time. Flash Cast itself has no cast time or recovery time and has a 120 second reuse. It terminates after two pets are summoned.
• Summoner Pets now use a new AI system and cast their spells more reliably.
• All Summoner Pets now gain the effects of Doublecast.
• Summoner Scout pets now are immune to AE Auto Attack.
• Summoner Fighter pets now hold agro more reliably off of the summoner. They are also focused exclusively on encounter damage and effects.
• Summoner Mage pets now focus exclusively on encounter damage.
• Summoner Alternate Advancement priest pets are now single target pets that function similarly to scout pets. They have longer range, reduced damage and heal the group.
• Necromancer Undead Knights can no longer ride horses due to systematic changes to how pet appearances work.
• Removed power cost for all spells cast by the summoner pet.
• Elemental Toxicity has been changed to be a targeted AE.
• Enhance: Elemental Toxicity has been changed to increase the duration of the debuff component per point and grant an additional tick on the 10th point.

TRADESKILLS

• Ammo has been added to Weaponsmith Essentials Volume 100.
• Tradeskillers that have finished Final Assessment in the Altar of Malice tradeskill questline can now fly near Malvonicus’ tower.
• Far Seas Innovation will now drop level appropriate rares for level 90-95 or level 96+ tradeskillers.
• Pack Pony, Gathering Goblin, and Guildhall harvesters will now return less fish, more roots.
• Tradeskill progress required for recipes completion has been equalized in most cases.

ITEMS

• Added potency to Altar of Malice mitigation armor.
• Fighters may purchase a Potent Converter from Khadra in North Seas to convert their current block armor into fighter only block+potency armor.
• Far Seas “Return to X” baubles have been made stackable.
• Transmuting skill has been added to the Earring of the Solstice.
• A small scroll depot is now available for level 50 guilds.
• No-Trade Far Seas Supply Division tradeskill gear is now Heirloom.
• Trophy: Arch Lich Rhag’Zadune – Item description now correctly identifies itself.
• “Brilliant Bristlebanesque Streamer” recipe is now accurately named.
• crystal of sky viewing – Item description is now a full sentence.
• relic of the desert tribes – Item description now has proper punctuation.

QUESTS

• Londiar Inygad now offers daily transmuting and tinkering quests.
• Once you have completed Ratcheting Up the Danger and Locating the Lost within Cobalt Scar, Acting Supplymaster Grant will allow you to repeat Fuel for the Fire for Mysterious Blue Coins.
• Those Who Were Lost – Triggering the Lamias is much easier now for those on a mount.
• Those Who Were Lost – The final lamia will now update the quest, even if you accomplish the task within one or two hits.
• They Have Searched an Age for a Dark Champion – Yeal Jouse now gives a clue to those players that do not have enough faction with the Residents of Teren’s Grasp.
• A Martyr’s Tale – Quest completion no longer results in “[DEVL] INVALID – No progress texts specified” error.
• Saelir’s Plan: The Sul Spheres – The desired Sul Spheres are now more easily seen.
• Plucked from the Source – The shroomba budlings respawn faster.
• None Shall Pass – The “box full of coins” is now removed if the quest is deleted, and is now a quest bauble in the shortcut journal window.
• A Thorn of Old – Those that have lost the “Formed Wurmslayer” before crafting the “Blood-Imbued Wurmslayer” can now get a replacement from the Weaponsmith Master.
• Endangered species – Nests where you have already placed eggs (and defeated the attacking droags) now give an error message stating as such.
• A Stone Like Stars – The star limestone near the Cloister of Growth is no longer floating above the ground.
• Building a Fire – The leaves no longer spawn below ground.
• A Rat’s a Rat’s a Rat – The Sir Gnawser Chow is now removed if the quest is deleted, and is now a quest bauble in the shortcut window.
• A Rat’s a Rat’s a Rat – Rat Charm now specifies it is required by the quest.