Varlyndria: Ascension - Official Loadscreen. (Files will be available through the
launcher, including new epic music from two steps from hell and more)
Varlyndria: Ascension will have 300-500+ possible item drops in most custom zones on launch but they do not drop often,
making them very valuable to other players seeking a certain type of item out. Overall, increasing the economy seven fold
which Varlyndria was drastically missing before. Overall, the item creation process has been accelerated to legendary
levels due to some new tech we are using.
(Special thanks to my good friend Natedog for all his innovation and additions to this project.)
I've decided to increase the drop rate for stronger mobs but in return have given them some place holders so they don't
always spawn every 5 minutes. Below is a list of the drop rate % and amount of items certain mobs drop.
MPR or Minion Power Rank: 6.25% chance to drop a single item out of the hundreds available in the zone.
(Very common mob in zones and spawns everywhere frequently)
LPR or Lieutenant Power Rank: 50% chance to drop two items out of the hundreds available in the zone.
(25% chance to spawn at their spawn point every 5 minutes.)
BPR or Boss Power Rank: 75% chance to drop three items out of the hundreds available in the zone.
(20% chance to spawn at their spawn point every 5 minutes.)
OPR or Overlord Power Rank: 100% chance to drop four items out of the hundreds available in the zone.
(10% chance to spawn at their spawn point every 5 minutes)
All custom zones are going to be dynamic so they are always up no matter if a player is in them or not, meaning you can't
run in and out and spawn bosses. You'll need to take the place holder out and get lucky for a shot at one. Also, you'll need
to share spawns because instancing in Ascension is something I want to try and stay away from, giving the server an old
school feel but with rules and laws of where players can go depending on how strong they are to keep things balanced.
Zone creation is rather fast now so I'll be constantly adding more and more to each rank for newer players or older ones
alike. The server on launch will have a handful of zones to explore and more will be added weekly. There should be enough
content to keep you occupied for years to come as I work on it, along with the 64 path choices, things are looking rather good.
Also, the way AA vendors work now makes 100% sense as you progress instead of just throwing them some random strong
item that puts you ahead of anything. AA vendors work off of your gearscore now just like the custom dungeons and sell
some nice items of that tier to get you started for AA points and also sell augment upgrades as well. Each vendor will have
different things and upgrades as you progress.
QUESTION: Is this going to be like Diablo?
ANSWER: Somewhat. There are tasks in all the custom zones where you need to kill the bosses and get rewarded but the loot
system is designed around the bases of you're not going to get whatever you want when you want like the old server.
I wanted things to be a lot more sporadic so the zones have more longevity and you'll almost always find something new you never saw before.
QUESTION: Will each zone have their own items?
ANSWER: Each zone of that specific power rank will reward you with a huge variety of items from a list of that type but each zone is
worth visiting because of the quests as well. Example: Cinderfrost: Gear is dropped in both Nagafen's Lair: Rise of the Red Dragon
and Permafrost: The Lady Dragon's Revenge but players can also get special items from completing the quests in those zones as
well which are unique and more powerful than anything that drops.
QUESTION: How custom are these zones?
ANSWER: Every single mob that used to be in there has changed and drops new things and new quest mobs. It's literally nothing like
Old EQ for that specific zone and all of these special zones have had their zone points gutted. Though, some places might lead to
another sub-dungeon of the same place. Like Emerald Jungle -> City of Mist. I do this so players can't just walk in to the zones
without earning their way in first. Progression has always been a fun and challenging aspect of any video game and
Varlyndria: Ascension executes it well.
QUESTION: How will we know which is solo/group content and raid content?
ANSWER: The Rift Keeper will say things like this when your gearscore accesses new options. Nagafen's Lair: Rise of the Red Dragon
(Power Rank 4, Solo/Single Group) or this Veksar: The Wrath of Squilox (Power Rank 5, Raid/Two Groups+)
QUESTION: Are you taking out the walking/porting and adventuring of Everquest completely?
ANSWER: It's not my goal to make everything like this with the gearscore and I might add some random zones you can freely explore with quests.
The main thing is to make sure there is a major balance to progression. I see it like this: You're level 70 and that won't raise so levels mean nothing,
this means there has to be a way to control the flow of content and this system does a good job so far and makes sense which is the most important thing.
QUESTION: What about player vs player gear?
ANSWER: Player vs Player gear will have THREE times the hit points of normal gear and less in the other stat department. This makes it where PVP
gear is an absolute must over PVE and even donator items because the more HP you have the better chance you have to take your enemy out before
they get you. Nothing in pve or donator will even come close to the HP given on player vs player items and I will deny donation item creation requesting x3 hp on
their item. Donator items are designed to help players in PVE.
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