I still consider myself a newb (non-vet). I started the end of C2 (no newbie buffs and you dropped on death) but am still only 67.
Drop on death was among the reasons I quit back in C1 - well moreso the fact that you were punished so much for PvP'ing. I never understood why the developers decide to punish what was ostensibly the purpose of the game (at least according to their marketing).
And I would not have come back if they hadn't changed the PvP and item drop mechanics somewhat - honestly I think it was beyond insane the way this game was at launch.
As was pointed out, 40-61 there is little reason to play unless you're in the biggest of the clans or have a half dozen close friends at your same level. If you're casual or not in substantial clan or surrounded by friends you're going to find the game boring and slow-moving.
I really don't understand this point of view. I'm just blown away by how much they have added to the game since C1 - both in terms of additional game systems, which create complexity and interest, and also in terms of content - new maps, mobs, etc. In fact, I will throw this gauntlet down - I bet there are more places to hunt in that level range you mentioned than you would ever see on a single character going from 40 to 60. I'm 53 on my TH and go out of my way to explore new areas, and I do not feel as if I have scratched the surface. The game is so open ended. They have added a lot of quests and while the rewards aren't always great - as an oldschool pencil-and-paper rpg geek, I love to get the flavor of the backstory. And there is a lot of it.
And even setting content aside, I don't really see why someone who found levels 1 through 40 satisfying and fun would find levels 40 through 60 to be not worth playing, as someone else described them.
You don't need to be in one of the largest clans or surrounded by friends to get in a very effective duo or trio and have some fun. If I may say so, and not to rub a sore spot, but I think your viewpoint is somewhat shaded from having played on a nearly-dead server for some time.
This doesn't appear to be changing much. Sure you'll get newbie buffs a bit longer. If anything that means you'll be farther along before you realize you can't afford any gear and decide to cheat.
They aren't just extending newbie buffs. They are making herbs last longer. They are making normal xp rates higher. They are adding vitality. Those mechanics all extend past 62. However, what players who rocket to A-grade are going to get smacked with is a total inability to afford it, nor will they have any experience as to how to manage the brutal adena grind that is L2.
I've posted again and again--make instances (not just the stupid rift) for mid-grades.
This is coming in the next installment actually. ;)
Soften the raidbosses (a BIT) so it doesn't require 30 fools and 20 madmen to kill one at lvl 35.
??
I routintely joined mid 30's groups with no OOP buffs or heals that took down raid bosses - with just 9 people. And such groups form, several a night, every night on Bartz. Again I think this goes to your background on an extremely low-pop server, which has given you a different point of view.
Improve the payout of the quests and spend a few hours making them interesting and making them flow better.
Well they have done the first part of that in Gracia.
Fix the drop tables so you aren't getting "one stem" at level 78 and you don't have to be level 50 to collect D-grade items (okay--that's a bit of an exaggeration--but not much!).
No, it really isn't much of an exaggeration, and I've come to agree with you completely on this point. Just over the weekend I was hunting with a mid 50's party that decided to go to Antharas Lair for old times' sake. Every 10th mob or so dropped an Animal Bone. This didn't fully sink in until I logged onto my level 37 alt and went hunting with a clanmate in Death Pass - I was getting varnish often, and even got a durable metal plate. o.O
That's when I stopped and said - "The Devs COMPLETELY screwed this up." And it has been this way for so long that I think it is fair to say they do not understand this and never well. This point is not even about making the game faster or easier - but simply making it logical and offering some semblance of a risk/reward curve.
The only thing worse than taking 14 months to get to A-grade (where gear can easily cost 200 million+) is to get to A-grade in 3 months with no adena.
One thing that has changed with this game's community since launch is the perception of gear. These levels are the *minimum* at which you can wear that gear. But the way the game was designed at launch, it was clearly not NCsoft's intention that you would have such gear the instant you hit those levels. At launch the max level was 60, and VERY FEW players had top C grade. Most played in their high 50's with a mix of high D and low C. There were a very small number of players with some B grade armor. And there may have been one or two B grade weapons.
I don't think NCsoft intends for a first-time player to have A-grade the moment they turn 60. I think that is just a disconnect between player expectations and developers intention.
Might as well give the sites that sell adena a permanent shop in Giran if you're going to do that.
I think that's a legitimate point though.