Blight comments

[Guaran]

Drain Strike VIII is normally awarded during the Rift part of the AROP.

Completed the new quest from Severant and it appears it is awarding the same ability.

Has the award for the AROP been changed as well?

Thank you for the reminder. Those quests will be removed from the ARoP for the next patch. Further changes to the ARoP will come when that quest line is fully revamped.

Removing it from AROP? Sounds like a bad idea.

Wouldn't it be easier to make the (new) Drain strike quest for DS9 require level 95, as well as the presence of DS8? Leave DS8 as part of AROP. It would basically require AROP to be completed before the DS9 could be done. But I don't see that as a bad thing in any event, since they are the high end versions anyway.

If you remove this from Arop, which currently grants 1 reward per rift guardian kill, will there be any rewards for the rift guardian kills anymore?

Currently:
Mind Guardian - Dragon Fear
Bones Guardian - Spiked Scales 8
Heart Guardian - Primal Rebirth
Blood Guardian - Drain Strike 8

Or removing it from just the Blood Guardian?

[LOVWYRM]

I agree with Guaran, and I would support his suggestion.
The reward system for killing the guardians should not be changed.

As Chib already mentioned :
What applies for drain strike , applies for spiked scales too.

There are more rewards for visiting Drulkar`s cave/ using rune of ascension:

- Dimensional pocket (passive)
- Drulkar`s wings (pasive)
- The Lunus/Helian crystal
- Flame burst

Maybe one of those can take the place of drain strike/spiked scales,
if its not possible to install Guaran`s suggestion.

[Thicklesip]

I assume, because they're doing this with Spiked Scales as well, that they'll remove those two at minimum, possibly all four. Obviously I can't read the dev's minds and we'd need them to come out and say what they're doing, but my assumption is they'll either offer some other goodies for the Guardians or else remove the subrewards altogether.

The whole thing doesn't sound like a bad idea to me, though. Why should Ancients be entitled to one rank higher of a basic combat skill any ol' Adult already had seven ranks of? Ancients are supposed to be the pinnacle of awesome, but we're not talking about an exciting new ability that screams "pinnacle of excellence." We're talking about a slight increase to the numbers a fodder ability already produced. It's a boring reward for (near) Ancients, and there's no interesting reason it should only be available to them. Especially compared to the other things you get. Primal Rebirth? Awesome. It changes things, it's great to have, you notice it. Dragon Fear? Similarly awesome. It's a new toy that's worth using-- not all the time, not as a core ability, but nonetheless worthwhile and interesting. In contrast: Spiked Scales does a little more damage. Is it BETTER than my old version? Yes. Does it change how I play, improve combat, or create any more fun? Nope. Drain Strike has the same thing: it hits a smidgen harder, but it's still the same Drain Strike I've been using since level 10. Amidst the smorgasbord of toys Ancients get it's just so very, very underwhelming.

So the offer to make these quested abilities makes me happy. I LIKED questing for those abilities. It got me out into the big wide world, it made me practice things I wouldn't otherwise, and it just generally broke up the monotony that is otherwise "kill ___ for 15 levels, turn in the trophies for five, rinse-repeat next tier up." Not to mention the quest text was often interesting or funny. It wasn't perfect, but it felt appropriate: I go out and do a fairly basic task, and earn a fairly basic reward. The various Rites are the opposite: I go out and do something complex, frequently crazy, and sometimes amazing-- stands to reason I should get all the awesome things for doing that.

In short: I am sooooo glad they're moving our basic "better rank of ___" rewards back to the basic "earn a better rank of ___" quests like they should. If they keep the current style of 1 Guardian = 1 reward, my personal vote would be Flame Burst and Drulkar's Wings as the replacements, since they strike me as appropriately interesting for the insanity you're participating in.

[Thicklesip]

Wouldn't it be easier to make the (new) Drain strike quest for DS9 require level 95, as well as the presence of DS8? Leave DS8 as part of AROP. It would basically require AROP to be completed before the DS9 could be done. But I don't see that as a bad thing in any event, since they are the high end versions anyway.

Totally missed this in my first pass, so:

No, no, no, no no NO no no no no no, N-O. NO.

Making ancienthood a prerequisite for a new rank of <insert core quested ability here> is just an appallingly bad idea. All this does is flip level 100 hatchies and non-ARoP'd adults the bird. Tying a couple abilities to "age" is ok-- fancy breath choices, for instance. Tying the better ranks of quested abilities that have nothing to do with age to age is just... why would you hate on non-Ancients like that? It doesn't make ancients more fun. It's just a nuisance and one more unnecessary penalty on anyone who doesn't want to be an Ancient.

[Raptress]

Hnnng. Please, please do not make people who choose to have characters stay at adult suffer for it more than they already do. I'm with Thicklesip on this.

[Akrion]

I agree with the above two posts. I like the diversity of people who choose to remain hatchlings, or Adults. It's hard enough for them to play like that as is. And I can certainly understand some people not wanting to ascend because of how the dragon heads look. I really really don't like the way the Ancient crown of horns head looks, for example, but I love the hatchling and adult heads.

[Guaran]

Totally missed this in my first pass, so:

No, no, no, no no NO no no no no no, N-O. NO.

Making ancienthood a prerequisite for a new rank of <insert core quested ability here> is just an appallingly bad idea. All this does is flip level 100 hatchies and non-ARoP'd adults the bird. Tying a couple abilities to "age" is ok-- fancy breath choices, for instance. Tying the better ranks of quested abilities that have nothing to do with age to age is just... why would you hate on non-Ancients like that? It doesn't make ancients more fun. It's just a nuisance and one more unnecessary penalty on anyone who doesn't want to be an Ancient.

For spiked scales and drain strike, I actually don't mind if those become sperated. Just seems easier to me to leave it as is. Primal Rebirth and Dragon fear should stay as rewards for doing AROP (they do not require ascention anyway).

You yourself have said, its "just a couple of ranks better". If someone chooses not to ascend, to stay a hatchie, that is their choice. It's not a huge difference. Howeverm a hatchie shouldn't expect to be as powerful as an ancient.

Therefore I have to disagree with the above three posts.

[meepsa]

For spiked scales and drain strike, I actually don't mind if those become sperated. Just seems easier to me to leave it as is. Primal Rebirth and Dragon fear should stay as rewards for doing AROP (they do not require ascention anyway).

You yourself have said, its "just a couple of ranks better". If someone chooses not to ascend, to stay a hatchie, that is their choice. It's not a huge difference. Howeverm a hatchie shouldn't expect to be as powerful as an ancient.

Therefore I have to disagree with the above three posts.

I agree with Gauran, mostly because the people go "well I don't want to go ancient because I don't like the looks", so a -point for ancienthood would be the looks in that case, and what would be +plus for ancienthood be if they were as they used to be? nothing, nada, face it, there is close to NOTHING which is ancient-endgame content (except Drulkar's Wrath...but I'm not going to go over that)

so, make dem quests ancient-only and boom, people have a reason to go ancient, now, ofcourse I don't want to FORCE people to go ancient, but really:
1) if you don't wanna go ancient then don't do it.
2) if you want the extra abilities then go ancient.

Howeverm a hatchie shouldn't expect to be as powerful as an ancient.


'nuf said

[Loc]

My opinion is leave AROP as it is; doesn't matter if a player wants to go Ancient or not.

[Raptress]

However a hatchie shouldn't expect to be as powerful as an ancient.


'nuf said

And they won't be. Nor will adults. Because you get (from memory) +500 capacity, +33% armor, and +15 fly speed. Those, Breath of Flame Burst, and Drulkar's Wrath are the things that I would have gone Ancient for.

You don't need to go all the way and actually use the rune to get most of the Ancient abilities, and that's fine. I'm willing to go through most of the quest line just to get Primal Rebirth, for example. (Which, by the way, if any devs are actually listening, I will be very, very disappointed if it's changed so that these abilities are no longer accessible to adults.)

But to require that people go Ancient just to complete the standard ability quests is not something I will ever agree with. It's not tiered by being adult, so why should it be tiered by being Ancient? Ancient already has enough perks (far, far more than going adult does).

[Firebrand]

I honestly don't see the problem to switch Spiked Scales and Draining Strike to regular trainers if we can have them up to lvl 100. That's the way it should have been set in the first place anyway.

Let Primal Rebirth and Dragon Fear as it currently is with Guardian of Heart and Guardian of Mind and add new rewards to Guardian of Bones and Gardian of Blood.

[Frith-Rae]

I agree wtih Firebrand and Raptress and others.

The standard dragon abilities should extend to 100 and be gotten by anyone who has the level.

Take those off the RIFT mob fights and out of the Ancient rewards. Replace the two you're removing with something more along the lines of an ANCIENT power/ability.

I've not gone ancient soley because I think the rewards aren't worth the effort. The nerf in ancient size makes that gain pointless. A 30 minute rez is a joke, the fear - meh gotten through the other 90 levels without one. Extension of already-have abilities is also a joke. Those shouild be seperated, and perhaps if a reward WORTHY of being ancient is put in their place people will feel actually motivated to get to 90 and comploete the AROP.

I've been 89 1/2 since the AROP was launched. I continue to wait to have a real reason to go any further, and "finish" the game. At least if I wait there's always new content I've not yet seen...lol

[Raptress]

The following quest lines in ranks 9 and 10 (generally level 90 and 100) will now properly require that the dragon be an Ancient Dragon before they will be offered the quest: Accurate Breath, Hardened Scales, Drain Strike, Spiked Scales, Dragon's Reach, Primal Instant Heal

Meh. :/ This is disappointing.

[walkerglassmire]

The following quest lines in ranks 9 and 10 (generally level 90 and 100) will now properly require that the dragon be an Ancient Dragon before they will be offered the quest: Accurate Breath, Hardened Scales, Drain Strike, Spiked Scales, Dragon's Reach, Primal Instant Heal

Any chance we can get a response as-to the reasoning behind making this decision? Being basic abilities, I can't fathom any reason why any lvl 90 or 100 dragon should not be able to get these.

[Sigi]

Any chance we can get a response as-to the reasoning behind making this decision? Being basic abilities, I can't fathom any reason why any lvl 90 or 100 dragon should not be able to get these.

Meh. :/ This is disappointing.

I totally agree!

[Akrion]

Meh. :/ This is disappointing.

Any chance we can get a response as-to the reasoning behind making this decision? Being basic abilities, I can't fathom any reason why any lvl 90 or 100 dragon should not be able to get these.

I totally agree!

As do I. A completely unnecessary change. What is this? Every single dragon in Istaria should now all be Ancients and only Ancients? (Ancient Melee Dragons, at that with casters considered). No diversity. Tough luck if you don't want to be Ancient, you're just going to have to deal with being significantly more inferior now. Direct and nudge everybody to the absolute endgame of content by making it increasingly pointless to try and remain unique. The WoW method. If you're not on the top of the tier and kitted out in *this exact way*, you're wasting your time.

I'm sorry, Amon, but changes like this make no sense.

[Guaran]

Blight Update 205 has been applied to the Blight Testing Shard on Friday, May 6th and includes the following additions, changes, and fixes...

Changes

• Drain Strike 8 and Spiked Scales 8 will no longer be awarded as part of the ARoP quest.

And

The following quest lines in ranks 9 and 10 (generally level 90 and 100) will now properly require that the dragon be an Ancient Dragon before they will be offered the quest: Accurate Breath, Hardened Scales, Drain Strike, Spiked Scales, Dragon's Reach, Primal Instant Heal

It sounds like they have compromised, making some of the arop abilities now obtainable even by hatchlings, yet others requiring arop to be completed.

Since spiked scales is mentioned twice, I am unsure if this one is still part of arop.

But honestly, I do not see a big problem with these changes. Ancients should be more powerful. You should want to complete it.

... Every single dragon in Istaria should now all be Ancients and only Ancients? (Ancient Melee Dragons, at that with casters considered). No diversity. Tough luck if you don't want to be Ancient, you're just going to have to deal with being significantly more inferior now. ...changes like this make no sense.

You do not have to deal with being inferior, finish arop! Also, hatchies as they currently are, are quite powerful. These changes ADD to ancients, and subtract nothing from hatchies.

Changes like this make perfect sense. It would be rediculous having hatchies run around with all the power of an ancient (or very near it).

[Velea]

The only lines which require you to be Ancient before you can begin the quests are ones which had previously stopped at level 70.

Nothing is being taken away, nerfed or otherwise making someone be "inferior" to what they were previously.

Yes, if you want to complete all the dragon ability quest lines to level 100, you are going to need to be an Ancient Dragon to obtain these new abilities. If you choose to remain as a hatchling dragon at level 100, you can still do so and obtain all the same abilities as you had been able to obtain prior to this change.

[Raptress]

I can understand the reasoning and I also understand that no one is being nerfed. That doesn't mean that I have to like that standard ability quests are getting tiered by whether a dragon is Ancient or not, which I still do not.

I've already made it known where I stand though, and I get the feeling trying to debate about this is going to be pointless. So I'll spare myself the grief.

[Akrion]

You do not have to deal with being inferior, finish arop! Also, hatchies as they currently are, are quite powerful. These changes ADD to ancients, and subtract nothing from hatchies.

Changes like this make perfect sense. It would be rediculous having hatchies run around with all the power of an ancient (or very near it).

Hatchlings as is are already nowhere near as powerful as Ancients. They can't fly, they don't have Shiled of Gold, they don't have the special breath attacks, they don't have Drulkar's Wrath, they don't have Breath of Flame Burst, they don't have +33% to their armor, they don't have the ARoP abilities.

So no, it doesn't make any sense at all. They're being disallowed from completing quests that are based on level and nothing more. Which up until level 70 doesn't require Adult. So please enlighten me as to how it could possibly make sense in the slightest if a hatchling can get the same base abilities as an Adult, and for them both to be suddenly cut off from the base ability quest lines.

And I can point out one thing that Hatchlings would be far better than Adults at, and Adults would be far better than Ancients at that would make sense:

Evasion. If anything you should have evasion bonuses as a hatchling, and lose them as you ascend to Adult, and lose them further as you ascend to Ancient.

But I doubt this will ever be implemented.

The only lines which require you to be Ancient before you can begin the quests are ones which had previously stopped at level 70.

Nothing is being taken away, nerfed or otherwise making someone be "inferior" to what they were previously.

Yes, if you want to complete all the dragon ability quest lines to level 100, you are going to need to be an Ancient Dragon to obtain these new abilities. If you choose to remain as a hatchling dragon at level 100, you can still do so and obtain all the same abilities as you had been able to obtain prior to this change.

This doesn't change the fact that it makes absolutely no sense. They start out as abilities that are completely unaffected by being Hatchling, or Adult, until they make a sudden change. It's honestly the same as being able to do the first 9 levels of Dimensional Pocket then suddenly having to be adult to get the last. There's no logic behind it other than pushing people to ascend.