Feldon Perhaps coincidence, or perhaps in line with the Plat distribution changes currently on Beta, here is an interesting tweet from Holly “Windstalker” Longdale:
With tomorrow’s hotfix, mercenaries are less…mercenary…and will stop taking a cut of the coin loot! #EQ2
— Holly Longdale (@WindstalkerEQ2) April 9, 2013
Another horrible change to further isolate players in the game and do more to discourage grouping. Of course no consideration is given for the fact they don’t take loot.
Do people really decide one way or another on running content with a merc vs. another player based on the coin split?
@Feldon I seriously doubt it. However, now that Lord Lempo has spoken peeps will come out of the basements shouting in agreement that they truly determine running content based on coin split.
No one that I play with chooses to merc or not to merc based on a split. I happily choose my merc for the independence it allows me when I want it. The end of the coin split is a welcomed bonus. I never felt that the merc that I am paying should get more money with the box but it wasn’t the end of the world.
Betony, Lempo can’t help it, he must disagree with the topic it is in his nature. In his defense it makes for good reading and at least he’s passionate about it.
So there is now no longer an in-game cost for use of mercs if you are solo? That does make them strangely mis-named, but I guess I shouldn’t complain about more plat for me. 🙂
(There’s a $40 out of game cost for the “optional” expansion that lets you use mercs unless they’ve put the thing on sale more recently.)
I believe the hire cost and hourly fee is still there. They just won’t take a split of your loot.
@Filly67 You are right. It is Lempo’s nature. I’ll remember to cut him/her some slack )
just going off the coin split i would rather have another player over a merc so that someone else can gain money over it just disappearing before its looted. in general i would rather have another player for anything 80+ but you cant always find a needed class/good combo thats why mercs exist.
but mercs are terrible in current content anyway, even solo content. someone who doesnt know how to play, or doesnt have gear is still a step up from a great deal of the mercs.
lol, only use a merc for when I don’t have time to group. just disband the merc to loot the chests. never been an issue. LOL at Lempo for even thinking that it changes grouping.
No need to cut Lempo any slack, he’s a boob =p
I would imagine they have to do this with the upcoming plat changes. So you can’t use a merc to count towards the plat total with leader looting set. This would keep you from double the plat you would get in an old zone such as PR.
I’ed box another toon over given bounty to a merc.
Well that only one plat sink that needs to go, they need to adjust the maintenance on guild halls and amenities, and repair bills.
I would rather hive live players in a group than a merc any day, however a lot of the times when I am not in a group and i need to do something hard a least I have a merc available to me. The split on the merc never bothered me much.
There are other plat since well that need to be adjusted as well.
People paid for guild halls before PR was farmable for plat. Why should people suddenly be unable to pay for them now?
@Lempo
You do realize you could disband your merc before looting a chest making the entire split utterly moot right?
Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but still showing a split with the merc
I only really use a merc when I am out soloing stuff, or if we need it because we can’t get a tank/healer for something. I do alot of leveling/writ grinding with my wife (we are leveling a guild ourselves currently at 52. trying to get to 70 so she can get her T3 GH). I have an SK for powerleveling her toon and she has a Zerker to powerlevel mine, because lets face it, no one wants to quest for hours when you already have 2/3 92/95’s already. so for us, the mercs are really to help solo and get stuff done quicker
I just suspend my merc before looting the final box…… Then no split, no prob.