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|  | Posted By: Sanya Thomas | 2003-08-08 19:23:58 |  |
| |  |  It's mighty mighty, it lets it all hang out:
Q: Does QUI affect run speed?
A: No. Run speed is a constant in our game, affected only by haste magic.
Q: Is it possible for a relic to be carried through Darkness Falls using the DF portal at the relic keep? What about through the RVR frontier dungeons?
A: You can't carry it through the DF portal located in the keep you got the relic from, because the portal only works for the relic's "home team." But it's quite possible to haul the relic into the RVR dungeons.
Q: I would like to know once and for all (to silence the debate) whether your torch (if on) can be seen by the enemy realm?
A: Yes. You're "lit up" if your torch is on.
Q: I just got done exploring Dartmoor on Pendragon, looking for named giants to kill to check out the new drops. I noticed that the named giants do not always drop items now. Is this intended? Or, put another way, are the named giants in Dartmoor supposed to drop items all the time as they used to, or has this changed with the new item drop list that they now utilize?
A: Well, this one engendered a two-part response from our friends on the world team. First, an excellent explanation of how we set drop rates for named mobs in Dark Age of Camelot emerged from the keyboard of the item princess. Read on:
"Drop rates for named mobs are determined by how often the mob can spawn, and to a lesser degree what level the mob is. A longer spawn rate means a higher chance at magic drops, while a shorter spawn rate means a lower chance at magic drops. Named mobs above level 50 will tend to have slightly higher drop rates than named mobs below level 50.
"The named mobs in Dartmoor, Sheeroe Hills, and Malmohus that received new items during 1.64 spawn frequently enough that they do not have a guaranteed 100% drop rate."
Great explanation – but does that mean the drop rates have been changed in 1.64 for these creatures? Short version – yes. The drop rates for the named mob encounters in the three zones listed above are incorrectly set on the live servers, and will change in 1.64. (You can't say we don't 'fess up when we did in fact make changes! ;) Thanks to the Pendragon tester for bringing this to my attention, so that I could make sure our whole player base was correctly informed.)
Q: I have a level 30 Paladin and he seems to parry better when he uses his slashing weapon more so that when he wields his war mace. Is the weapon type a modifier for the parry skill?
A: Certain weapon "styles" can give bonuses to parry/block/evade chance, but the weapons themselves don't.
Q: In the notes for 1.64D under the Items section you say, "Trophy items are no longer sellable." However, in another section of the notes you say that the items can now be searched for on the player consignment merchants. I'm confused.
A: Our content producer explains, "(As of 1.64) you can no longer accidentally sell trophies to a vendor for 2cp. You can still sell them through your merchant to other players."
Q: So, I was armor crafting, right? I bought 50 alloy bars to start with. I was crafting boned and llamar armor. After I was done salvaging the stuff I ended up with 70 alloy bars. I then made another full inventory and finally finished the night with 95 alloy bars. Is this right?
A: Sure looks good when you put it like that, eh? The fact of the matter is, though, while you came out of the deal with more alloy bars, you didn't get back any of your other components, so it's not quite the deal it first appears to be. The salvage system only returns one type of material to you.
Q: Which is better, 50 spec in weapon/offensive magic line XYZ or 39 (+11 item bonus points)?
A: I never answer these definitively, because that way lies madness. What's better? It's entirely subjective, and depends on you and your style of play. Do you solo or group? Do you prefer open field combat, or dungeon crawling? Are you into PVE or PVP? And if you picked PVP, do you enjoy mass combat or do you really like dueling? Are you going to make it all the way to fifty, or are you the type of player who actually prefers the thirties? Do you have a defensive or an offensive style?
Here's the thing. A "natural" 50, where you chose to put each of those points into the spec line, has some advantages. You get more spells and styles, obviously, and there are other formulas involving damage and skill that use your spec number. However, when we're talking about strictly base damage, 50 spec is equal to 39 plus 11 points in items. If you have that natural 50, plus 11 points in items, you will consistently hit things in your upper range because your base damage and your maximum damage are both high – in other words, low variance.
Many people choose to get to fifty with items, as opposed to going natural. They feel that the extra improvement and offensive prowess gained in one skill line going with spec points isn't equal to the value of getting a certain level of proficiency in another line with the points they "save."
The point is, it's about choices. You can be the best ever at one thing, or sacrifice a certain amount of your "perfection" to gain more coverage across your other lines. It's up to you, and no answer I can give you will be appropriate for all contexts.
Q: Is the Realm Ability "Second Wind" usable in combat?
A: Yes.
Q: What's the math for Mentalist's Level/Spec vs the level of pet you can charm?
A: I can't give out the formula, because it's too complicated, with too many factors playing a role. Roughly: The chance to charm a creature is a sliding scale. As the level of the potential pet exceeds the caster's level, your chance to charm greatly diminishes. Your spec in the pet line does play a part, however, so someone with specialization will consistently charm higher level pets.
Q: Insert necro question here.
A: Y'all, most of the necro questions I got this week got the response "currently under discussion and will be addressed in 1.65 if not sooner." Sorry to be so vague, but you are on the schedule.
Q: Is Shield damage (when using a bash intended to damage, for example) dependent on a primary weapon skill?
A: When using a shield bash, it's your shield skill that determines damage.
Q: Are monsters affected by acuity buffs?
A: Nope.
That's it for the column this week, thanks for all the questions. And thanks for the feedback on our new Herald design. Our programmer has been working on it for quite some time, and it's great having so many eyes on it helping us to put the final shine on everything.
If you're looking for opportunities to put your own shine on things a little more directly, don't forget to click the Team Lead Ticket and check out the volunteer opportunities.
Have a great weekend!
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