The Ghosts at Peak of Storms

[Dracaena]

Yesterday I attended an ascension. As one of the elder dragons I went ahead to ensure the path was safe for the younger guests. To my surprise I was unable to find a single ghost.

This troubles me. I could find no patch notes about them. I am even unsure what forum is best, is this a dragon issue, a bug issue, a lore issue?

The ghosts are as much a part of the Peak of Storms as the time ripples. It is a part of why we don't grow naturally and the rite is even required to become adult. The events that transformed Sleeper's Peak into the Peak of Storms is a part of all dragons now.

To remove the ghosts is to lose a part of who we are. It has been some time since I saw the ghost of Elial, as I look for him from time to time. I think he has been missing longer then the other ghosts who are now absent. There should be ghosts at the Peak of Storms lest we forget that which has happened.


Dracaena

[Nayuaka]

Dracaena said it well. I have a lot more to say about this, and recent changes other than this, but it would simply sound like an angry rant, so I will not. I do hope this is a glitch though. To loose some of the lore and story simply because the management feels the need to dumb it down to new players would be sad to me.

[awdz]

I think they were taken out because of the old loot drops/confectioner quest stuff associated with them.
I always kind of wondered why they were there; with the lore it makes sense to me now.

[LOVWYRM]

give us back the ghosts please.

It looks aseptic and artificial without them.
They`ve always been part of RoP- guarding lower levels there was like taking part at a RoP- even it it was the last step.

Thy Dracaena for bringing this up!

[Nayuaka]

I think they were taken out because of the old loot drops/confectioner quest stuff associated with them.
I always kind of wondered why they were there; with the lore it makes sense to me now.

If that be the case, then why not simply remove the conflicting items from their loot tables?

[Shian]

I remember my first trip to the Peak at level 5 on Shian, a true noob, thinking the Sslisk protecting me was a dragon in Khutit. The thrill of running up the peak, dodging creatures 25 levels higher than I to attend the ascension of some unknown dragon just to see an ascension... to hear that that thrill is gone.. it's quite saddening.

[velveeta]

i hear ya, shian - i remember much the same from my first trip - i think vel died at least twice.....i kept running away from my protectors in the wrong directions! hehee ah the good ole days...

[Guaran]

Elial is in the Rift now, and I think the ARoP lore talks about that.

Probably wouldn't hurt having him on the peak as the old smaller ghost self, players do those quests in order (so the lore should stay good).

Can't see any reason the other ghosts are missing.

[AguaRush]

i wish the ghosts were back too, i enjoyed being lead there by elders and i shared that joy leading little wons and yes showing off my strength to keep others safe

[Frith-Rae]

Well since players/we figurd out you don't even have to ascend at the Peak anyway they probably thought the removal of them (which I think has been the case for at least a few months if not years - I honestly don't know when they went poof) was no thang - since now it seems more like a "hassle run-pickup" step while the hatchling goes elsewhere to fly .

I too think the ghosts should be there, it was part of the event - and part of the reason to have friends go up with you - to fight up to that one last step. Course, I also think the Adult RoP should be limited to Ascending on the Peak, and only the AROP should grant the reward of ascending anywhere you want.

[Shinkuu]

Quite honestly having recently done the RoP I am GLAD the ghosts are gone. I had enough fun dying to the wolves at the Tower of Magery. There are far too many high level swarming evil things trying to kill you as it is. To have another group waiting to annihilate you in the last stretch is like adding insult to injury.

You have FINALLY done all the other BS to get the right to have your wings. You have fought hard, crafted like mad, and ran all over the world a few times over...You are looking to finally be rewarded...To have that reward turn out to be dying again would be a serious kick to the family jewels.

Also it feels like you are a worthless loser for the entire rest of the RoP contributing nothing much more than your crafting skill (which for a non-crafting heavy Dragon is probably just more of an insult than an accomplishment) at the end you finally have ONE thing you can do all by yourself without needing some old players hand-holding you. It is the only real thing of consequence you get to do and I for one would prefer to saver that one tiny accomplishment by myself. That last run was like prolonging a visit to the dentists office but at least I knew that it was a clear run to the top and then I would have FINALLY done it...If I had to be scared of dying the whole way up I would have probably been an emotional wreck considering all the adrenaline already surging through my veins at the ungodly hour it was.

[Thicklesip]

I cannot remember what level the ghosts were (since I have only the dimmest memories of them in the first place) but I suspect that they were just an indication of your situation for dealing with the Rites in the first place.

If you were so massively underleveled that you needed people to do your Rites for you, people needed to do this part for you too.
If you did them the "intended" way-- as a group of hatchlings scattered around level 50-- your group needed to work together for this last part.
If you massively outleveled your Rites, you could walk straight to the top with relatively few difficulties.
Tell me if I'm horribly wrong, old-timers!

Given the frequency of people making their final ascension public and having a bunch of big strong friends show up, taking the ghosts out seems silly. Also makes me cry for all the wasted ambience-- that island is scary. Way spookier than any blight area I can think of offhand, but what good is that when there's nothing to jump out of the shadows at you?


(Full disclosure: I subscribe to the school of thought that says "if you're going to whine about how hard your Rites are, go level up some more. You're welcome to get carried, but you waive all rights to griping about how "hard" it is by doing so.")

[Shian]

I cannot remember what level the ghosts were (since I have only the dimmest memories of them in the first place) but I suspect that they were just an indication of your situation for dealing with the Rites in the first place.

If you were so massively underleveled that you needed people to do your Rites for you, people needed to do this part for you too.
If you did them the "intended" way-- as a group of hatchlings scattered around level 50-- your group needed to work together for this last part.
If you massively outleveled your Rites, you could walk straight to the top with relatively few difficulties.
Tell me if I'm horribly wrong, old-timers!

Given the frequency of people making their final ascension public and having a bunch of big strong friends show up, taking the ghosts out seems silly. Also makes me cry for all the wasted ambience-- that island is scary. Way spookier than any blight area I can think of offhand, but what good is that when there's nothing to jump out of the shadows at you?


(Full disclosure: I subscribe to the school of thought that says "if you're going to whine about how hard your Rites are, go level up some more. You're welcome to get carried, but you waive all rights to griping about how "hard" it is by doing so.")

This. The creatures on the Peak were 40-50, nothing special. No stun attacks and no cheap tricks.

I actually found it refreshing to finally be able to slaughter something my own level instead and fight my way to the top after having to run through level 80 wolves, 110 blight creatures, Ghost dragons that cheat and use higher tiers of your own abilities, etc. all things that kill you deader than dead and just start laughing at you. Things where I was generally just... running away or dodging.

To me, it made a nice end to the ROP, made me feel like my hatchling actually was stronger for all this nonsense he/she was put through.

[LOVWYRM]

*agrees with Thickle and Shian*

[velveeta]

ditto, lov, for me....
i had some of the best times running to the peak with a vastly mixed group of dragons and peds for someone's ascension. it was fun and scary and made the trip to the top more satisfying......
was kinda looking forward to running mw up the peak, bristling with arrows and stained with undead ichor, to stand triumphantly at the peak flush with accomplishment......
was planning on wiping out everything and clearing the way for anyone who wanted to watch the show....

[Shinkuu]

I cannot remember what level the ghosts were (since I have only the dimmest memories of them in the first place) but I suspect that they were just an indication of your situation for dealing with the Rites in the first place.

If you were so massively underleveled that you needed people to do your Rites for you, people needed to do this part for you too.
If you did them the "intended" way-- as a group of hatchlings scattered around level 50-- your group needed to work together for this last part.
If you massively outleveled your Rites, you could walk straight to the top with relatively few difficulties.
Tell me if I'm horribly wrong, old-timers!

Given the frequency of people making their final ascension public and having a bunch of big strong friends show up, taking the ghosts out seems silly. Also makes me cry for all the wasted ambience-- that island is scary. Way spookier than any blight area I can think of offhand, but what good is that when there's nothing to jump out of the shadows at you?


(Full disclosure: I subscribe to the school of thought that says "if you're going to whine about how hard your Rites are, go level up some more. You're welcome to get carried, but you waive all rights to griping about how "hard" it is by doing so.")

Then why have a group help you at all? If you have a group of hatchies and mutlispawn the bosses it is a major disadvantage (...*shivers in memory having done just that*). By your philosophy just work up to lvl 100/100 and take it all down on your own.

Quite frankly I found being a Hatchie miserable to begin with so I was quite eager to get that part over with ASAP. The RoP more than most dragon quests (and that is SAYING something) punishes you for not being able to Fly the whole way. You constantly are met with tons of barriers that flying would overcome and hordes of enemies that could have simply been avoided with some flight.

The truth is until you DO fly a Dragon character is not much more than a weaker version of a Biped which draws aggro a bit easier because you are larger. So if you do go all the way up before the RoP you may as well have rolled a Sslik or something instead and saved yourself a lot of pain.

Guess I am jut not as much of a Masochist as the rest of you. I put up with enough pain, grinding, and annoyance every day at work. I do not need more of it when I come home. There is some amount of it I am willing to handle and Istaria I think generally does pretty good on it. The speed you can level is actually pretty good IMO compared to other MMO's even if the craft grind is an utter pain. Adv leveling usually feels pretty rewarding and they did a VERY good job of giving you staggered rewards so that about every 2 levels you get something to reward you for your work. I want to say right now that that is AWESOME. Craft grinding is more dull and painful as you just end up digging things up and then destroying them repeatedly...Not exactly as rewarding really.

However, for the RoP I will just sum it up in the words of one of the new folks in our Guild who just went through it (and they have played a number of other MMORPG's including EQ and WoW): "it is the longest and worst quest I have ever had to do in any MMO." because that is about how I felt at the time. Though I would not have said "I" did it if it were me.

[Kulamata]

Some of my strongest and warmest memories are from being honored by a hatchling who requested my ROP assistance.

The group would set out, perhaps this time to fight our way down the spiral to Kaa, hatchling in the middle, surrounded by a palpable sense of solidarity of purpose and intent. Even so, in those days before the dragons found again their full powers, victory was not always assured. And so on occasion, the call of need would go echoing out, to be answered by a few more of the willing... perhaps to turn the tide this time.

We unite to fight the Blight; let that purpose imbue all our endeavors, and eschew not the strength and generosity of those who would be your comrades.

[Frith-Rae]

Heh, as for someone who has also played a number of MMORPGs including EQII and WoW and LOTR and..and...

I think its one of the best quests I've ever had the pleasure of doing. But not beause of the mechanics (I did it at level 35, back when it was first put in so I wasn't waiting any longer than I had since the game started for it lol), but because it REQUIRED that group participation. Everyone in the guild (all dragons) helped everyone else (and noone had waited till 50/60 or higher...unless they were already there when it launched lol) because it was such a joy to be able to do so; and that run up the Peak was part of that experience. And actually, heck I may have died on that run - I know I've run it with others who have died (or group members who died).

I don't remember the frustration now - but only the fun of my fellow hatchies and my Elder friends helping me and being happy to do so. Screenies I still have, of all the friends no longer here *sniffs*

Of course, game population was different back then - it was easier to find enough people online willing to help .

However, it is nice that they've tweaked it for a lower-populace (not as group necessary maybe?) and that you are advised at what level it would be preferential to doing it in (esp. if you want to more solo/duo it). Back then you just learned it from experience/everyone else telling you - its good to have such warnings built in the game.

[Dracaena]

Then why have a group help you at all? If you have a group of hatchies and mutlispawn the bosses it is a major disadvantage (...*shivers in memory having done just that*). By your philosophy just work up to lvl 100/100 and take it all down on your own.

Quite frankly I found being a Hatchie miserable to begin with so I was quite eager to get that part over with ASAP. The RoP more than most dragon quests (and that is SAYING something) punishes you for not being able to Fly the whole way. You constantly are met with tons of barriers that flying would overcome and hordes of enemies that could have simply been avoided with some flight.

The truth is until you DO fly a Dragon character is not much more than a weaker version of a Biped which draws aggro a bit easier because you are larger. So if you do go all the way up before the RoP you may as well have rolled a Sslik or something instead and saved yourself a lot of pain.

Guess I am jut not as much of a Masochist as the rest of you. I put up with enough pain, grinding, and annoyance every day at work. I do not need more of it when I come home. There is some amount of it I am willing to handle and Istaria I think generally does pretty good on it. The speed you can level is actually pretty good IMO compared to other MMO's even if the craft grind is an utter pain. Adv leveling usually feels pretty rewarding and they did a VERY good job of giving you staggered rewards so that about every 2 levels you get something to reward you for your work. I want to say right now that that is AWESOME. Craft grinding is more dull and painful as you just end up digging things up and then destroying them repeatedly...Not exactly as rewarding really.

However, for the RoP I will just sum it up in the words of one of the new folks in our Guild who just went through it (and they have played a number of other MMORPG's including EQ and WoW): "it is the longest and worst quest I have ever had to do in any MMO." because that is about how I felt at the time. Though I would not have said "I" did it if it were me.

The rites are an epic quest line. Since when did you expect to complete an epic quest line in a few days? It sure wasn't possible to get your epic weapon in EQ1 that quickly unless you had an ubar guild to back you (maybe). I know here many lv30 somethings rush through before their trial expires. If you were so miserable doing your rite then you were definitely doing something wrong.

I savored the quests when I did them. Had screen shots of everything until I had a computer melt down and lost them all. To me the worst memory was the week at the remote Dralk craft cave grinding out the hoard requirement to start. Hoard did not fall like manna from the sky then, you did craft grind for hoard. I think I gained about 6 adventure levels in the time I was working on my rites.

The wolves getting to the Tower of Magery? Learn the land, I ran both my bipeds (lv26 and lv31) up there last fall unassisted trying to get the beginner ice bolt formula. Dragons have too many quests? Ability quests are somewhat the definition of dragons. If you hate questing then you will never be happy playing a dragon. RoP isn't the "I Win" button so many seem to think it is. The stat bonuses you gain are minor and doesn't change combat significantly. The biggest change is you can fly. And you know what? The bipeds can still beat us to getting somewhere travel wise.

Back on topic, the ghosts are part of the victory charge finale. They would only be a problem if you were low level and alone. Who wants to be alone at their celebration party?


Dracaena