Test Update #13e - August 26, 2005

[Debillus]

*** Headlines ***

- Encounter locking restrictions have been relaxed.
- You can now resurrect players that are outside of your group!
- Roleplayers rejoice! You can now use a ` or ' in your last name!


*** Encounter Locking Changes ***

- Encounter locking restrictions have been relaxed for non-raid encounters.
- Raid encounters should continue to behave exactly as before with the previous encounter locking rules.
- Non-raid encounters have been changed as follows:
- There are no longer lock icons on you or your enemies.
- The first group or person to attack a creature will receive any reward it grants upon death, including loot and experience.
- Other players can assist in your fight by damaging your enemies or healing you.
- You will receive a reduced XP reward if your group contributes less than 50% of the damage needed to kill something.
- You can change group options and add/remove people from groups while fighting (note that fighting raid encounters still prevents this).
- Damage credit is correctly tracked if you add people helping you to the group before something dies.
- Any faction increase or decrease the creature grants will be applied to everyone the creature hates when it dies.
- If you prefer to keep outside players from assisting or interfering with the fight, you can use the /lock command. /lock will lock the targeted encounter if the user of the /lock command is a member of the group that first engaged the encounter.


*** Resurrection Changes ***

- Resurrection can now be cast on a player who is not a member of your group.
- If someone attempts to resurrect you, a dialog box will appear and requires confirmation before you are resurrected.


*** Last Name Changes ***

- Your last name can now be divided into two parts using either a ` or a '. Roleplayers rejoice!
- Any letter you put after the ` or ' will be capitalized automatically.
- You can now clear your last name using the /lastname command with no arguments.


*** Gameplay ***

- Players in groups will no longer be prevented from harvesting if their group is in combat. Characters will not be able to start a harvesting attempt if they are currently the main target of an aggressive creature.


*** Zones and Population ***

- A portion of the downtiered content in Antonica and the Enchanted Lands modified for both soloers and groups. For example, there is a new area in the Enchanted Lands with downtiered Briarpaw bears, a new soloable route to Blackburrow has been uncovered in Antonica, and some solo encounters have been moved from around Caltorsis in Antonica to a nearby location.


*** Quests ***

- Leelee Brewbubble has found the remnants of an apothecary's recipe book. Help her collect the components she now needs in Zek, the Orcish Wastes.


*** Items ***

- Mounts are now lore items, so you can only have one of each type of mount.


*** Tradeskills ***

- Rare Legendary harvested items will now be obtained much more frequently.


*** Housing ***

- You must now type in your character's name to relinquish a home.


*** Commands, Controls, and User Interface ***

- A new tooltip system has been introduced that provides more pertinent information to you at-a-glance.
- Tooltips can be adjusted via Options > User Interface > Tooltips
- When using a skin without the new tooltip controls, the game will open a dialog box to let you know what's wrong and will no longer crash the client.
- Quests now indicate if they are epic or heroic.
- Mitigation in the Persona window now shows a value instead of a percent.
- A clock window has been added that displays both Norrathian and real-world time when moused over. It can be toggled open and closed with by typing Alt+C.
- Factions names are once again visible on the Factions tab of the Persona window.
- Abilities sent via chat links will now work correctly.
- Books can now contain more text.


*** UI Files Updated ***

eq2ui_mainhud_person.xml
eq2ui_popup_book.xml
eq2ui_mainhud_persona.xml
eq2ui_specialelements.xml
eq2ui_windowelements.xml


*** Combat Changes ***

- Common NPCs should be less likely to use spells and arts that incapacitate the player (i.e. stuns, interrupts, stifles).
- You can now stand up to recover after feigning death using either the /stand command or hotkey.
- NPCs will now space their spells and combat arts out more evenly, making it so the beginning of the fight will not be considerably more difficult than the remainder of it. Previously, a creature would often use all of its power very early on during combat.
- The way stamina and other attributes affect max health and power has been adjusted for both PCs and NPCs. In some cases they went up slightly, some stayed the same, and some went down slightly. Player characters will not notice as much of an effect as NPCs. Most NPCs, especially those above level 30, decreased in hitpoints.
- The power costs of spells and arts have been adjusted so that higher-level spells will provide more efficient damage, taunting, and healing than lower-level spells in the same line.
- Buffs should once again remain correctly after zoning.
- The number of levels your target will fall within a given con color range have been adjusted.
- Levels 1 to 19: 2 levels per color
- Levels 20 to 29: 3 levels per color
- Levels 30 to 39: 4 levels per color
- Levels 40 and higher: 5 levels per color
- Note: At levels 10 and below, there is only 1 level of green con.
- The challenge presented by an opponent should scale more smoothly from one con color to another. The difference between an opponent that is white con and one that is blue or yellow should no longer be as drastic.
- New spells and arts will no longer be awarded at mini-dings (10% XP points within a level). Instead, all spells and arts for a given level will be granted at the beginning of that level.
- Healing spells have been rebalanced. Direct heals (both single-target and group) now have more differentiation among subclasses. Each subclass of Priest has different advantages:
- Inquisitor: Slightly higher efficiency than most instant heals, best repeat spell healing amount for instant heals, fastest reuse timers.
- Templar: Larger heal for increased power cost, less time consumed spent casting heals.
- Warden: Highest efficiency of all heals, best repeat spell healing amount (regen effects from all lines stack).
- Fury: Fastest healer, strong initial burst healing.
- Mystic: Same efficiency as the Inquisitor but slightly longer reuse timers; each heal adds a minor max health increase which allows "overflow" health for the target (health increase from all lines stack).
- Defiler: Matches the potency of Templar heals, but sacrifices some health to defray the overall power cost.
- Summoned pets should once again follow the caster when he or she zones.
- Bard and Enchanter power regeneration songs and spells will now stack with each other.
- When a spell chains to another spell that uses special casting conditions, they should no longer show as "Under Certain Conditions" in the spell examine window. Some conditions have had details added, and others have temporarily been replaced with "Special: See Description."
- Aggressive creatures that disengage while chasing a player should not immediately re-aggro that player.
- Racial vision modes no longer consume power when used.
- Spells that cause damage upon power use (e.g. Despotic Mind) should now correctly report damage caused by the spell.
- You will no longer run faster than normal if encumbered and invisible or sneaking.
- If you use an area-of-effect spell or combat art on a mesmerized NPC, it will now affect it appropriately.
- Charmed NPCs who normally patrol an area should now correctly follow their master.

Training changes:
- Every ten levels (level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60) you can now choose from a list of four spells or arts to upgrade to Master II quality.
- This replaces the previous Training abilities, which have been removed from your Knowledge book.

Feign Death changes:
- Maintained spells and pets are no longer cancelled on a successful feign.
- You cannot issue commands to your pet while feigned, though you can still bring up a list of commands.
- You cannot gain adventure experience while successfully feigned.
- If feign fails, you now receive a "fallen to the ground" message.

Bard changes:
- Bards now receive the following upgrades to Pathfinding: Selo's Accelerando (level 13), Selo's Rhythm of Speed (level 27), and Selo's Accelerating Chorus (level 41). Each song upgrades the run speed granted, but the songs do not stack.

Berserker changes:
- Screaming Fury and Destructive Rage can be toggled on and off.

Bruiser changes:
- Bruisers no longer need to be weaponless to use Storming Fists.
- Fire Stance can once again be canceled via the maintained spell window.
- The level 50 Training choice for Ignore Agony should now scribe properly.

Coercer changes:
- Discomfiting Gaze is now granted at level 36 instead of level 33.
- Ravaged Psyche is now granted at level 50 instead of level 45.

Defiler changes:
- Devitalizing Chant can once again be cast on encounters.

Fury changes:
- The proc portion of Bloodlust should once again land on the recipient of the buff.

Guardian changes:
- Ferocious Charge should no longer heal the guardian's target.
- Do or Die and Return to Battle can now be toggled on and off.

Illusionist changes:
- Dynamism should now have a 20% chance to proc.

Monk changes:
- Monks no longer need to be weaponless to use Shocking Hand.

Mystic changes:
- The target of the Path of the Grey resurrection spell is now summoned to the Mystic.

Necromancer changes:
- Siphon Vitae has been removed.

Paladin changes:
- The upgrade to Devout Sacrament received at level 54 is now named Ardent Sacrament.
- Crusade can now be toggled.
- Unflinching Conviction is now a more appropriate upgrade to the spell line.
- Unyielding Convention and Ancient Wrath are now classified as Combat Arts.
- Celestial Judgement is now classified as a Spell.

Shadowknight changes:
- Insidious Whisper should no longer heal the shadowknight's target.
- Destructive Slam will now appear in the maintained spells window.

Templar changes:
- Salvation will once again heal and increase physical resistance of an ally when they receive a killing blow.

Troubador changes:
- Selo's Song of Travel has been removed.

Warden changes:
- Essence of the Kodiak can now be toggled.
- Nature's Reprieve will once again heal and increase the wisdom of an ally when they receive a killing blow.
- Silver Slyph can now be upgraded properly.

Warrior changes:
- Battle Tactics can be toggled on and off.

The level at which you gain the following spells has been corrected:
- Coercer: Mesmerize
- Defiler: Baleful Efflux
- Defiler: Abominus
- Defiler: Ruinous Imprecation
- Fury: Retaliate Arcana
- Fury: Predatory Salve
- Fury: Fierce Rousing
- Fury: Bristlepelt
- Fury: Ferine Elixir
- Fury: Ferocity of the Eel
- Fury: Dooming Swarm
- Inquisitor: Faithful Ministration
- Inquisitor: Zealot's Conviction
- Inquisitor: Stinging Penance
- Inquisitor: Digression
- Inquisitor: Purifying Flames
- Inquisitor: Resurgence
- Inquisitor: Condemn
- Mystic: Spiritist's Salve
- Mystic: Rejuvenating Chant
- Mystic: Accordant Spirits
- Mystic: Howl of the Ancients
- Mystic: Ancestral Aegis
- Shaman: Grey Wind
- Shaman: Totemic Aid
- Shaman: Cold Wind
- Warden: Sylph

[Gninja]

*** Gameplay ***

- Players in groups will no longer be prevented from harvesting if their group is in combat. Characters will not be able to start a harvesting attempt if they are currently the main target of an aggressive creature.

NOOOOO! there goes my Ninja-shiny grabbing!

[Debillus]

*** Tradeskills ***

- Rare Legendary harvested items will now be obtained much more frequently.

Hoooray I say... Hoooray!

Training changes:
- Every ten levels (level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60) you can now choose from a list of four spells or arts to upgrade to Master II quality.
- This replaces the previous Training abilities, which have been removed from your Knowledge book.

This one's kind of big as well I think.

[Gninja]

oh so they are gonna get rid of my out of combat regen... If its out of combat what good is ti to me lol

[Debillus]

Yeah, but it effectively removes my group cure arcane as well =(