Quick note before I get going: We had something weird going on with the log in servers a few hours ago, and I’m told the issue is resolved. The trouble is, if you tried to log in while things were squirrely, you might be getting the message that you’re still logged into the game. Step one: Wait 20 minutes and try again. Step two, assuming step one doesn’t solve your problem: Contact Customer Support through the phone or email, and we will reset you by hand. Sorry for the inconvenience, folks.

Now, on to the Bag:

Q: What is the maximum +skill bonus that you can get from items?

A: Your character level divided by five plus one rounded down.


Q: How did you choose the beta testers for the closed phase of Shrouded Isles?

A: The closed beta testers are currently team leads, and testers specifically recommended by our internal test team. These people aren’t actually testing the new zones and classes/races – the closed beta test is actually a test of the new engine and how it works as people go about their normal playtime. The next stage of beta is where we introduce the new content, and that stage of beta will be bigger, using players taken randomly from the community. Keep watching the Herald for details!


Q: Why are my appeals regarding the Skill Respec being deleted?

A: This answer is guest written by your friends in customer service:

“Customer Support is always here to help you with any problems you may have, but we will not be resetting skill respecs on an individual basis. Any appeals related to skill respecs will be closed, with an email sent to the customer telling them that this has occurred. We understand the serious nature of these appeals, and we wish we could assist you further; unfortunately, we are unable to do so. Please take a moment to review the contents of the previous post (reprinted below) on common respec mistakes, and please remember to take your time when respeccing your character.

1) Cost vs. Actual Skill – The training window shows you the cost to train in that particular skill; it is one level higher than what you currently have. If the training window says 50, you do not actually have 50 points in the skill, you have 49, and you need 50 more points to get to 50.

2) Double check your points. If you think you have extra points, recheck what you currently have. The chances are good you haven’t fully trained something you thought you had, as in the example above. Reread #1, and double check before you make a final decision.

3) Take your time! Don’t try to get ahead of yourself – you have put a lot of time into this character. Attempting to speed through your respec by clicking something rapidly may cause you to spend too many points.

Please remember that you have within two levels to complete the full respec. If you were level 44 when we put up the respec patch, you have the remainder of level 44, and all but the last pixel of level 45 to take the full respec. Once the odometer clicks over to level 46, the chance will be past.


Q: I have a set of +4 light gloves, and a set of +10 dex gloves. Which is better?

A: It depends. Dex helps your casting time, but the light bonus affects the damage variance (the size of the range between your minimum damage and your maximum damage) you’ll have – namely, it will raise the floor within that particular spell line. So, which is “better” depends on which aspect of your character you want to improve.


Q: Why do my emails to support@mythicentertainment.com not get answered?

A: The emails DO get answered – if they have anything to do with technical support or billing issues. If they don’t, you’d be better off filling out a feedback form.


Q: I was suspended for macroing – but I absolutely was not using a macro program. What gives?

A: Our EULA and our rules of conduct contain a little clause about hardware macroing, and that’s what you may have been suspended for. What’s hardware macroing? Sometimes called dime macroing, or lego macroing, it means doing something physical to your keyboard to cause your character to do something without you actually being at the keyboard.

How do we determine whether or not you’re doing that? Well, almost all of the time it’s because another player reported you. If your character or pet is killing something in an empty room, and you’re AFK, you might not realize it when another player or group enters the area, and therefore you won’t realize it if you end up killstealing from those other people. And if you’re AFK, you’re certainly not going to be able to answer when those people try to ask you to either join them, take turns, or stop! So it’s important that you physically be present while you are in solo combat. If you are alone and must go AFK, you need to stop fighting, and move your avatar to an out of the way location to keep from interfering with the play time of other people who ARE at their keyboards.

If you are interfering with or damaging someone else’s experience in the game, a CSR will contact you and politely ask what’s going on. If you don’t answer within a reasonable time frame (and meanwhile, your character or your pet continues to fight), we will need to take action. Since macroing is clearly labeled cheating, we respond as we do to other types of cheating.


Q: Okay, I know that when you guys change a quest item, you let us swap out the old item for the new. Do you do the same thing for dropped items?

A: No. Quest items are usually used for multiple levels, and can only be acquired once, so it’s only fair that we give you the new and improved version. Dropped items, however, are generally only useful for a certain level range, and if you can still use it, you can still get another one.


Q: How is the number of concentration points determined?

A: You get a set amount each time you level; it’s not based on any stat or skill.



And that’s it for this week. There were many Shrouded Isles questions that I DIDN’T answer, and hopefully the new website (click the link at the top of this page) will have more and more of the answers in the coming weeks.

By the way, several of you wrote to request that I give some publicity to a battlegrounds discussion site. It seems that the discussions there are terrific, and could only get better with more traffic. So, if you love fighting in the battlegrounds, check out Battlegrounds for more details.

Thanks for the wonderful questions, and y’all have a terrific weekend. I’ll see you in battle!