The hting all of you guys have to remember is your on a mature server and
you started a lot later then most people. I see level 10's not twinked
walking around in bronze armor. I remember when it was rare to see a level
20 in bronze. You guys don't have anything to upgrade is becausey ou have
good stuff a bit earlier then you were ment to. There is nothing you can do
about that.

Naeeldar

-----Original Message-----
From: Kimes, Dean W. <Dean_Kimes@...>
To: 'eqbards@onelist.com' <eqbards@onelist.com>
Date: Monday, November 29, 1999 3:36 PM
Subject: RE: [eqbards] Great post on item balancing (Long)

>From: "Kimes, Dean W." <Dean_Kimes@...>
>
>Preach on! I have the same weapons I had in what, June I think. 5months,
>with no upgrade in sight. I lose half a stamina bar in a fight with two
>blues now, if I used a PGT I'd fall over. I'd use a BLW if I could stand
>walking around with a pool rack, or listening to that never ending crack,

>if it really was a good deal better than my dirk, but I can't, I can't, and
>it isn't. I have to date done 3 armor quests on my own without help except
>for being in an experience gaining group and non of them were bard quests.
>The crafted quests and totemic quests are far easier. Heck, one of the
>cleric quests merely requires sitting around and travelling. I really
>should do that one now that I think of it our cleric needs better armor. I
>have obtained 5 different weapons from quests, plus one more I cannot
>remember, that bards could not use. Didn't know that when I started

though,

>just kept hoping each time that this one would be different. I have all
>magic armor now of various sorts, mostly from selling those weapons I could
>not use, so at least weight is no longer a great struggle. With each patch
>I hope we will someday get a weapon quest we can use, other than that
>special bardic one in ToSR. No doubt that will require we kill a dragon or
>some equally ridiculous critter.
>
> Kitasi ForlornSong?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kirk Baptista [mailto:dopey@...]
>Sent: Monday, November 29, 1999 5:28 AM
>To: ''eqbards@onelist.com' '
>Subject: RE: [eqbards] Great post on item balancing (Long)
>
>
>From: Kirk Baptista <dopey@...>
>
>I will have to agree on items available for bards at 20th level or so. I
>would love to get rid of my Barbed Leather Whip, but to replace it with
>what? If I could dual wield PGTs, that would be good, but they are still
>relatively slow, heavy, and only do 6 damage. The only viable replacements
>that I know of are way too expensive/hard to get. (Kilij, Crystalline

Blade,

>Runed Falchion, etc.
>
>The same goes for armor. I have been wearing bronze for quite awhile, and

>is a strain for this little wood elf, but to upgrade to steel is cost
>prohibitive, and lambent is way too hard for me, yet.
>
>So, I have had basically the same equipment for months, and with nothing to
>look forward to for another few months. *sigh*
>
>If I am overlooking something, I would love to hear about it. I would

dearly

>love a quest that was long and arduous but possible for me to accomplish,
>that would result in a nice weapon or magic instrument.
>
>And speaking of instruments, if there were some better instruments around,
>maybe I wouldn't have to rely on my poor melee skills so much. I would love
>to sit back and play songs during melee, as I don't have the HPs to really
>mix it up anymore anyway, but it's just not quite enough for me as I don't
>seem to be able to weave 4 songs at once.
>
>And all these balance issues, while significant, don't take into account
>twinking, which is the biggest unbalancing factor, I think. Of course, with
>the scarcity of attainable items and the game bias against those of us who
>prefer to solo, I can see why eBay sales are so brisk.
>
>Aranlas Starchaser
>Master Bard
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kimes, Dean W.
>To: 'eqbards@onelist.com'
>Sent: 11/29/99 7:54 PM
>Subject: RE: [eqbards] Great post on item balancing (Long)
>
>From: "Kimes, Dean W." <Dean_Kimes@...>
>
>Brian's post is interesting, but I'm not sure it is all that accurate.
>Perhaps this is accurately what Verant wants to be true, but it is not
>what
>is true. Monks out damage warriors only until the warrior gains some
>good
>weapons around 15th level or so. After that the warrior often out
>damages
>the monk, but the monk takes less damage. The reason for this? The
>monk
>having no offensive items to spend money on is free to spend all his
>funds
>to acquire better defensive items. The two do seem to balance out with
>the
>warrior doing more damage but the monk taking less. Despite not being
>able
>to wear heavy armor our group monk who is 2 levels lower than me has
>nearly
>the same ac I do, and I have only one piece of armor with an AC below
>banded
>and several at plate or higher. He takes way less damage than I do and
>until he is 35th level will probably never die again except in very rare
>circumstances.
>
>My biggest laugh was at Brian's mention of Bard only items. That's a
>good
>one. Excepting the quest armor, there are what, two bard only items
>that
>you can get without taking on a dragon or going to the planes? A Shawl
>of
>the Wind Spirit and Mistmoore Battle Drums, that's it as far as I know.
>A
>piece of armor equal to cloth and a drum on a 35+ mob. To even mention
>bard
>only items was in my opinion a slap in the face. Considering one is
>useless
>after 3rd level and the other sells for 500pp+ that's a joke. What
>other
>class has so little equipment dedicated to it? There must be one but I
>don't know what it would be. Are there even any other items on mobs
>below
>30th that are bard plus a few others? Shimmering Orb, great for looks
>but
>with dual wield is it useful? Anyone know of anything else?
>
>My next point regards weapons. If they are trying to balance the items,
>why
>is it I am still using the same weapons at 21st level I used at 12th
>level?
>There really isn't anything much better than my dragoon dirk and
>screaming
>mace available for bards at my level. The only 1HS weapons available
>are a
>Polished Granite Tomahawk and a Barbed Leather Whip. They don't even
>begin
>to compare to our Shadowknight's Dark Reaver. The primary weapons
>carried
>by every member of our group is better than either the PGT or the BLW.
>Why?
>That's a good question. Since we don't have anybody near my level who
>is a
>melee class (or hybrid other than the SK) its really puzzling. Our
>mages
>carry Glowing Wooden Crooks or better, at 150pp not hard to see why.
>The
>shadowknight has a dark Reaver and I'm using the same primary as the 7th
>level ranger, a dragoon dirk. At 25pp who would blame him? A good 1HS
>weapon on the other hand cost 400pp+.
>Why does this inequity exist? Because in truth their are far more good
>piercing weapons per piercing user than 1HS per 1HS user. All the good
>1HS
>weapons at the mid-levels are either warrior or paladin or ranger only.
>I
>could currently get thru quests at least 6 weapons I cannot use. The
>quests
>are easily doable for a group of my level or close (21st). I can get no
>decent weapons via quest that I can use except the Screaming Mace that I
>did
>9 levels ago.
>
>Believe me if anyone can refute this and offer me a solution to where I
>might find a better weapon obtainable I'd be glad to hear it. I get
>really
>tired of having my own guild members laugh, "you still using that little
>sticker?" I suppose I could buy a PGT, but at the 250pp they go for on
>E'ci
>it hardly seems justifiable. Any suggestions out there? I currently
>own 4
>magical piercing weapons (don't ask), and 2 magical 1HB, but only a
>combine
>Scimitar for 1HS.
>
> Kitasi Ireallyshouldthinkupalastname of E'ci
> "materialistically inclined? not usually, but all those guild
>posts,
>sheesh!"
>
>From: Ryan Honeyman <honeyman@...>
>
>> CONCLUSION
>>
>> Hopefully this gives you some insight into how tricky designing some
>items
>
>> can be. It's both an art and a science -- you have to have an
>intuitive
>feel
>> for the interactions between everything (race, procs, stat bonuses,
>classes,
>> skill caps, etc.) and then you have to back up your gut instincts by
>running
>> simulations so that the numbers do, in fact, add up to what you
>expect.
>Then
>> you have to see how it all fits into the world with regards to real
>world
>> usefulness (is that proc really relevant? Do these races really use
>this?
>Is
>> there another weapon that's similar and easier to get?) and hope you
>made
>> the right decision.
>
>
> This guy is like a god. When I read his stuff, I get more
> insight, more information, and more chuckles than anything
> else Verant releases. I especially enjoyed reading his story
> about the GM event he ran a long time ago. I wish there were
> more of him running around at Verant. The game would
> probably be a lot more interesting.
>
> Harmonic.
>
>Please send submissions for the eqbards newsletter to lol@...
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>
>Please send submissions for the eqbards newsletter to lol@...
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>Please send submissions for the eqbards newsletter to lol@...
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>
>>Please send submissions for the eqbards newsletter to lol@...

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>