Producer Responds to Crypt Key Loot Card Concerns

The EverQuest dev blog has been updated for the first time since July 2 to give players some information on the Dragon Brood Crypt Key loot card from Legends of Norrath that grants a player and his or her party access to a small, private instance zone in EQ. According to Producer Thom Terrazas, the loot card allows you to get a key on one character that will open the dungeon. "The zone is designed for a group of Level 85 characters, and the items are roughly equivalent power to items that can be found in Korafax group encounters," he said.

Once the boss is defeated and the rewards are claimed, the key is consumed. Many players aren't happy that they'll need to obtain a Legends of Norrath card to access the dungeon. "While many of you have expressed concern, creating this encounter didn’t take away from developing the expansion, or other live content we have planned," Terrazas said.

You can read the full dev blog entry after the jump. So what do you think about the situation?

Here’s some more detailed information about the Dragon Brood Crypt Key that people have been curious about.

The Dragon Brood Crypt Key Loot Card will allow you to redeem the Dragon Brood Crypt key on one character which will offer a quest that tells them where to go and what to do in order to gain access to the dragon’s crypt. For each person that has the key they will be able to bring 5 other players with them to participate.

While in the zone the group will be able to complete the quest that is triggered by this item that concludes with unique rewards for defeating the boss.  In addition to the items dropped by the boss, the holder of the key will also be able to choose any item they want from the same loot table.  The zone is designed for a group of Level 85 characters, and the items are roughly equivalent power to items that can be found in Korafax group encounters.

Provided that the last steps in this zone are not completed, the key holder can access the zone multiple times with anyone they are grouped with. Individual group members do not have to have a copy of the key to go in with a friend who does.

Once the last step is completed and the final rewards are claimed, the key is consumed and the zone will be inaccessible to the key holder.  However, obtaining another key will once again allow the player access to the zone in the same fashion as it was the first time.

While many of you have expressed concern, creating this encounter didn’t take away from developing the expansion, or other live content we have planned.  Legends of Norrath is popular with many players, and we’re able to use the resources dedicated to LoN to create extra things like this encounter – things we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to make.

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Coersion
# Oct 07 2009 at 2:03 AM Rating: Decent
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this is getting annoying.
i play EQ to play EQ - not some other built in, tag-a-long game they came up with along the way. if they want to set LoN up as a stand alone game and charge for it, more power to them, but to start sticking stuff into EQ that requires me to play this mindless card game to get the full experience out of the game i pay for, then they can kiss my fluffy white fanny. while i have sold my share of booster packs for stupid amounts of PP in the bazaar, i can't say i've ever talked to anyone in person that even plays this game.
i'm getting pretty tired of these /dev/nullbrains trying to jam the eq themed version of magic: the gathering down my throat. i do not play it. i have never played it. i will never played it, and i am offended by the idea of being forced to play it to access content within the game i do play. if the only way to get to this special ' zone ' is to buy 'special' card packs and play the LoN game, then i'm never going to be there - even if they annouce that there are nude posters of jessica alba and eliza dushku on the walls of the zone.
if LoN is SO great, why do they keep needing to bribe and blackmail us into playing it?

i repeat: my pale fanny + your lips.
Pucker up, LoN Design Team and Producer Thom Terrazas

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LoN
# Oct 06 2009 at 6:25 PM Rating: Decent
I myself and several friends can't log into LoN without crashing to desk top. There is no help for this no one i've talked to has given me a fix.
LoN
# Oct 06 2009 at 7:14 PM Rating: Default
just download the stand alone client from the LoN website. No need to be logged into EQ
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Obvious
# Oct 06 2009 at 2:15 PM Rating: Default
It's pretty clear that LunarO is a paladin because his knowledge of EQ is as low as his dps. Feel free to head over to the sk forums for a lengthy discussion as to why this is bad but I'll summarize: this opens the door for Pay Content. Remember when LoN started and people were concerned? This is why: illusions... all harmless and fun... then hp familiars... clicky heals... now zones and rewards... next more zones and more items. Not everyone plays LoN--if you want to play cards go to solitare.com. It's pretty clear this is going to progress to you need the cards to play or your toon sucks by comparison to everyone else. Players like LunarO probably were PLd anyway and spent plenty of cash buying plat so it's no big deal to them. But the rest of us like EQ and don't want to pay more and more in an obvious scam.
Obvious
# Oct 06 2009 at 10:56 PM Rating: Decent
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It's pretty clear this is going to progress to you need the cards to play or your toon sucks by comparison to everyone else.

/agree

The cards and items from lon(notice the lowercase...that's how much I care)will get more and more powerful as more players are forced to play to keep up with Joneses. The EQ devs are going down a rabbit hole that they won't be able to climb out of easily...
Diapers for the babies?
# Oct 06 2009 at 12:55 PM Rating: Decent
Why is it you guys always moan and groan when something doesn't go your way?

LoN is a fun game, and in no way does it give a player an unfair advantage over another.

* Ornamentations do not increase your dps.
* Healing potions might keep you going a little while longer but you can buy those in bazaar.
* EXP Potions are SWEET, but I can buy those in /market or pop a Lesson of Devoted.
* The exp inside the mystery zone and inside Korafax I am sure are the same.
* And if the "Rare Loot" items are Korafax (Group) Equivalent, then you can farm those in your free time.

So to summarize what the Dev-Team tried to explain, "There is NO unfair advantages in the Dragon Brood Crypt Key loot card." I for one only hope I get lucky enough to get a few. The Dragon Brood Crypt Key card provides an experience I would love to share with others.
On the plus side, I can see this loot card being a big hit. It gives you access to a zone that few others will get to see. Upon completion it gives the card holder and a guest in the group some good loot. I like it. And whine all you want, once you find out that one of your buddies has one of these cards I am sure you will be kissing a little butt to get into his group.

Just play the game and have fun.



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Lunaro Colonius
Drinal, "Cats in Hats"
Aerospace Engineer by day,
85 Paladin by Knight.
____________________________________________


Diapers for the babies?
# Oct 07 2009 at 5:10 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:

Why is it you guys always moan and groan when something doesn't go your way?

LoN is a fun game, and in no way does it give a player an unfair advantage over another.

* Ornamentations do not increase your dps.
* Healing potions might keep you going a little while longer but you can buy those in bazaar.
* EXP Potions are SWEET, but I can buy those in /market or pop a Lesson of Devoted.
* The exp inside the mystery zone and inside Korafax I am sure are the same.
* And if the "Rare Loot" items are Korafax (Group) Equivalent, then you can farm those in your free time.

So to summarize what the Dev-Team tried to explain, "There is NO unfair advantages in the Dragon Brood Crypt Key loot card." I for one only hope I get lucky enough to get a few. The Dragon Brood Crypt Key card provides an experience I would love to share with others.
On the plus side, I can see this loot card being a big hit. It gives you access to a zone that few others will get to see. Upon completion it gives the card holder and a guest in the group some good loot. I like it. And whine all you want, once you find out that one of your buddies has one of these cards I am sure you will be kissing a little butt to get into his group.

Just play the game and have fun.


____________________________________________

Lunaro Colonius
Drinal, "Cats in Hats"
Aerospace Engineer by day,
85 Paladin by Knight.
____________________________________________


I am curious to know what you would consider "unfair advantage".

1. Correct, ornamentation does not add stats, however, the only way one may obtain a different look to a weapon is through the use of RMT. SoE has chosen NOT to upgrade the appearance if in-game dropped weapons nor to make such ornamentation available via any means other than through the use if RMT. Neglecting the majority of players other than those with "deep pockets" is a poor business decision.

2. Healing potions purchased through the Marketplace are functionally better than those one may find in the bazaar or on NPC vendors and, again, can only be obtained via the avenue of RMT's.

3. Experience potions, other than those offered during those rare special events, again may only be obtained via the use of RMT's and are, assuredly, not to be compared to the use of Lesson of the Devoted not to those which drop in-game.

4. Unless you happen to be one of the Developers, you cannot be sure that the experience within the RMT purchased zone will be the same.

5. The "special" items specifically made for the RMT instanced zone have, as yet, not been seen, however, the comment was that ONE item would be "roughly" equivalent to Korafax group items. "Roughly" equivalent does not equate to identical, therefore the item(s) cannot be "farmed" without the expenditure of cash with which to have a chance, mind you that is only a chance, to obtain a key to open the RMT zone.

6. According to the comments already posted, the "items" in this RMT zone, with the exception of ONE final item, are categorized as "trivial". So, let's see how many cards you have to acquire before you win a roll OR let's see how may level 85 characters you can entice into this instanced zone when you tell them that the single "equivalent to Korafax group gear" item goes to you because it's your key.

Bottom line is that, unless players of Everquest acquire something from another game entirely, they are barred from full access to the game of Everquest for which they are paying a full subscription price. That "business model" has already seen the exodus of a number of accounts from Evequest and is likely to see quite a few more.


Diapers for the babies?
# Oct 06 2009 at 6:50 PM Rating: Good
43 posts
"provides an experience I would love to share with others"? That's claque-speak :-)
Diapers for the babies?
# Oct 06 2009 at 6:18 PM Rating: Decent
LunarO wrote:
Why is it you guys always moan and groan when something doesn't go your way?

LoN is a fun game, and in no way does it give a player an unfair advantage over another.

* Ornamentations do not increase your dps.
* Healing potions might keep you going a little while longer but you can buy those in bazaar.
* EXP Potions are SWEET, but I can buy those in /market or pop a Lesson of Devoted.
* The exp inside the mystery zone and inside Korafax I am sure are the same.
* And if the "Rare Loot" items are Korafax (Group) Equivalent, then you can farm those in your free time.

So to summarize what the Dev-Team tried to explain, "There is NO unfair advantages in the Dragon Brood Crypt Key loot card." I for one only hope I get lucky enough to get a few. The Dragon Brood Crypt Key card provides an experience I would love to share with others.
On the plus side, I can see this loot card being a big hit. It gives you access to a zone that few others will get to see. Upon completion it gives the card holder and a guest in the group some good loot. I like it. And whine all you want, once you find out that one of your buddies has one of these cards I am sure you will be kissing a little butt to get into his group.

Just play the game and have fun.




Guess you never played EQ! And by the response, you haven't!

LoN items are slowly filtering into EQ that are slowly unbalancing the game. It may not be "stage critical" yet but I can name a few items now that unbalance the game and that's only with out going to the LoN loot card page. And I'll let you look up the items I'm talking about. And the only reason it isn't "Critical" is the dislike by the majority of players for the game. But once SoE makes it a requirement to play LoN, it will become more pronounced.
Diapers for the babies?
# Oct 06 2009 at 2:56 PM Rating: Default
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LoN is not fun (for everyone in the game). Personally I think it is one of the stupidest ideas for a MMO I have ever heard of.

Loot cards should not show favor over regular game play, for example.

"The zone is designed for a group of Level 85 characters, and the items are roughly equivalent power to items that can be found in Korafax group encounters,"


So, what if there is a nice Korafax 1hs item AND there is a nice instance zone item that is 1hs also from a LoN instance, the people that pay for boosters have the option to dual wield both said items from Korafax AND the instance.

My whole point is that there should not be gear specifically found in an instance that is only accessible via LoN.

I have never liked LoN and probably wont ever. Before you get your panties in a bunch about how I need to try it before saying that... I tried it and don't like it.


ehhh.
# Oct 06 2009 at 10:48 AM Rating: Decent
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If the card drops in game as a rare item, no biggie, but if you gotta buy card packs to get it. It's total crap.

EQ is dying anyhow . . . so sad
LoN BULL
# Oct 06 2009 at 10:24 AM Rating: Decent
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I'm Mad, Remember that they said at the start that LoN would not any direst effect on gameplay and that all the LoN items that would be available in game would be " Fluff" This is complete BULL!!!!!

Edited, Oct 7th 2009 8:45am by Tormentor
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