The game is too complicated these days

[NorbertTheOpinionated]

I find that the game is too complex to be fun these days. It is too hard to know what you are supposed to do, and what you might be forgetting.

Let me illustrate how many different things you need to remember.

 

 

 

1) Level up to 60.

 

2) There are hongmoon levels on top of that. I don't even know how many anymore, and frankly it doesn't matter because you will never hit the cap unless you pay a ridiculous amount of money.

 

3) Go do tons of dungeons to earn the following items:

Weapon, Ring, Earring, Necklace, Bracelet, Belt, Gloves, Mystic Badge, Soul Badge, Soul, Heart, Pet Aura, Talisman. (Not mind, body, or pants. Certainly not pants. I guess we don't wear pants in blade and soul.) Which ones should you get? Which ones are best? I don't even know for sure. One of the ones highest on the list probably.

 

4) Now you have to upgrade each of these items. Just having the item isn't good enough. You need to go collect this ridiculous grocery list of items to sacrifice to the item you are upgrading to upgrade it to stage 2, then 3, then 4, and so on up to 10, and then maybe awaken it, which is basically just a stage 11 that is even more expensive. Each stage has a grocery list that is more ridiculous than the last. You have to do this for every item.

 

5) Also go get another soul badge and then slam the two you have together really hard plus another grocery list to combine them.

 

6) That's not good enough. Now level the badges up like you level up the other items. You have to do this for both the Mystic Badge and the combined double Soul badge that you made by slamming 2 soul badges together.

 

7) That't not good enough. Go do hard mode and get psyche drops, and sacrifice them to your items to further enhance the stats on your items.

 

8) Now your items are maxed, but there is more to do.

 

9) Go get enough legendary gem hammers, and open all the slots on your weapons. Fill it up with gems. Get more gems. More gems. No... more gems. I said MORE. MOAR! Sacrifice the gems to each other and combine them into more and more and more powerful gems. Upgrad all your gems to the max. Make sure you get the Obsidian gems and Garnet gem types because those are quite good. You get garnets by making sure you play this VIDEO GAME every day on NCsoft's schedule instead of your own, and Koldrak, which is a buggy, irritating quick time event filled boss that serves as a way for NCsoft to keep tabs on DPS checks for the average community. How do you get Obsidian gems? You run dungeons forever until your eyes bleed, and get really lucky to get drops that you then, turn in for Obsidian Gems.

 

10) Now you need 8 pieces of a soul shield. Go get them by running tons of dungeons.

 

11) Now get more of the same types of soul shield. Get the perfect stat arrangement. What stats appear on each soul shield is RNG. Just keep running dungeons forever until you get the perfect stat arrangement for all 8 soul shield pieces.

 

12) Now get more of the same type of soul shield pieces and sacrifice them to your perfect ones to increase the stats on the soul shields until they are maxed out.

 

13) Now go buy Masterwork Shield Bases. Use those to buy the Critical Soul Shield Primers that correspond to the soul shield 8 piece set you have. Sacrifice the Soul Shield Primers to your soul shield to increase its stats.

 

14) Now level up your crafting in the Soul Wardens and craft engravings, and sacrifice those to your soul shield too in order to power it up even more.

 

15) Be sure to distribute all your hongmoon points. You get more as you level up your hongmoon level. You can get 10 more by using clan crafting.

 

16) Choose your path for your character.

 

17) Choose your talents.

 

18) Alot your Skill Enhancement points. You can get a total of 15. How? I don't know. By doing things.

 

19) Get all the costumes. That gives you more power.

 

20) Go do a bunch of the dungeons 300 times each. I am not exaggerating. You get stats from earning achievements from doing this. Do this on every character. No achievements aren't account wide.

 

21) Don't forget to press your Hongmoon talisman button ever minute in combat. It can't be automatically built into the Simplified combat controls macro and activate automatically like the soul or based on some kind of trigger like the belt. No no. Absolutely not.

 

22) Eat food.

 

23) Drink a buff potion. (Probably Soju of some kind)

 

24) Use a charm.

 

25) Use Elixirs. 23-26 are consumables. You'll need to keep getting more of them.

 

26) Don't forget about your regular healing potions either. Keep those stocked.

 

27) Keep 500 different kinds of tokens and currencies that combine to turn into other currencies, half of which, you don't even know where to spend, but don't throw them away, or you might regret it one day when you need them. It is an inventory tax. Pay real dollars in a game that is advertised as being "Truly Free" for more inventory so you can function reasonably.

 

28) Go do pvp and get pvp currency to unlock all your Secret Hongmoon Techniques to improve your skills.

 

29) Do it all again for PVP gear.

 

Am I missing anything? Probably.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

Do you see how absurd this is to have to remember all this? The game should really be more straightforward and intuitive. At this point, there are way too many separate systems all jumbled in random places implemented and applied differently. Imagine a new person or returning player coming into this game. Unless you have actually been with the game reading all the patch notes and are up to date, how would you know about something like... psyches for example? They just keep stacking more systems on to of other systems. There needs to be some sort of tutorial that explains all the stuff you need to do so your character isn't simply behind by effectively not having item slots filled without you even knowing. Ideally, the game should be simplified. This is ridiculous.

 

Whether or not it should be made easier is a totally separate issue that I am not even talking about today. I am only talking about at least having the knowledge of what to do to advance be clear what you should even be doing, and having the process of advancement be enjoyable, and not complicated in and of itself.

 

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by NorbertTheOpinionated

[scienceleponi]

Not complicated at all, what you actually complaining about is there is too much to do, the stuff itself has been overly dumbed down over the years. Theres just a lot of random ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ to do.

Edited March 27, 2019 by scienceleponi
typo

[Cor]

Just play the game normally then everything is fine, if you think you have to be aware of anything and everything from the start there is something wrong with you and not the game.

[JeyT]

server up? its already 2hrs and 52mins >.<

[ikkitosen]

i agree....there's tons of things eliminated for something else.....grinding has been moved to the high levels as to force players in those areas....RIP my lvl45 dungeon grinds that were called Big 4...now its Big 8 or something....weapons look good for below lvl50 and since i m a returning player i dont understand what to use....same with soul shields.....since almost noone runs the purple low dungeons have to make do with the blue crappy ones.....and the gems....ugh....i dont understand why is the ability to transmute square pentagonal etc gems via gem powder removed and why dont we get to buy them from the local merchants....i am still using the crap triangle gems given in lvl up rewards from BnS newsletter and gems on the F5 r freaking insane priced....sure penta gem can be made with few squares but where the f*** r the squares!!!!the only good gems i got is from the lvl60 creation reward even tho those r pentagonal gems but its still better than the triangles given.....surprisingly lvl50 reward too is a triangle.....what a surprising turn....yeah my rant is on the gems....i m thoroughly pissed at how they destroyed the gems for average joes.....and the worst part of it is majority of the daily/weekly is pvp and MSP.....so ginding solar energy is a no go here for me too.....

[Grimoir]

1 hour ago, ikkitosen said:

i agree....there's tons of things eliminated for something else.....grinding has been moved to the high levels as to force players in those areas....RIP my lvl45 dungeon grinds that were called Big 4...now its Big 8 or something....weapons look good for below lvl50 and since i m a returning player i dont understand what to use....same with soul shields.....since almost noone runs the purple low dungeons have to make do with the blue crappy ones.....and the gems....ugh....i dont understand why is the ability to transmute square pentagonal etc gems via gem powder removed and why dont we get to buy them from the local merchants....i am still using the crap triangle gems given in lvl up rewards from BnS newsletter and gems on the F5 r freaking insane priced....sure penta gem can be made with few squares but where the f*** r the squares!!!!the only good gems i got is from the lvl60 creation reward even tho those r pentagonal gems but its still better than the triangles given.....surprisingly lvl50 reward too is a triangle.....what a surprising turn....yeah my rant is on the gems....i m thoroughly pissed at how they destroyed the gems for average joes.....and the worst part of it is majority of the daily/weekly is pvp and MSP.....so ginding solar energy is a no go here for me too.....

You have to be kidding right? As a new player even you can farm octagonal gems and even gilded triangular gems in moon refuge. Given you can salvage or transmute them, but for a new player it wont matter since they are better than anything else he can get.

Same with soulshields....and weapons....everything is in game you just need to READ.

[Eckogen]

1. You do the main story line quests and you are level 60 with freebie gear.

 

2. HM levels aren't meant to be maxed out easily. It's not even something you need to focus and devote your energy towards. Just play and gain HM levels.

 

3. Essentially, the newest dungeons have the latest gen of gear. 

 

4. Don't worry about awakening stages (after stage 10). Upgrading is guaranteed and not RNG like other upgrade systems. For example, +10 a ring with a 20% chance to succeed, 80% chance to fail and within that 80% failure a 20% chance for it to downgrade or 10% it breaks. 

 

5. The main material (Divine Grace Stone) drops from VT raid, or you can buy them from market.

 

6. Again, awakening is nothing you need to worry about. Awakening = end game whale with nothing else to upgrade.

 

7. Psyche is end game and not needed to do content.

 

8. There has to be that need of something to do, otherwise there's no play incentive for end game players with max gear.

 

9. You get lots of gems from completing the main story and Hepta/Octa gems are reasonable easy to obtain (Heptas drop in Cold Store for example). Max gems vs Hepta/Octa isn't a huge difference. Your gear contributes more to damage than your gems.

 

10. Multiple sources to get full 8 set soul shields, at least for BT and VT. 

 

11. Sure, RNG is a pain to get the "perfect" rolls.

 

12. Not hard to do.

 

13. I don't even use Masterwork grade. Artisan is just fine, till later.

 

14. Select the length of time, have the ingredients. Forget about it. Pick it up later. Crafting is so passive. 

 

15. You put HM points in Offense and HM Focus. That's the gist of it.

 

16. What's wrong with 2 paths for character builds? You pick one you enjoy and have fun playing with. You get choices.

 

17. Talent load out for different situations (pvp, pve). There are guides. 

 

18. Skill enhancement points earned by completing achievements (level 60, and unlocking HM skills). 

 

19. The costume bonuses collection is negligible. 

 

20. Sure, doing a dungeon 300 times can be mind numbing and achievements should be account wide.

 

21. The talisman at lower levels is a small boost. If you forget to trigger it, it won't hurt your DPS.

 

22. Eat food. What MMO/other games doesn't have some sort of healing/buffing system?

 

23. Same as #22.

 

24. Same as #22.

 

25. Same as #22.

 

26. There's combat regen (depending on gear/items).

 

27. The antique system tells you what can be "thrown away". It's an MMO, you're suppose to be grouped with people to chat with and share knowledge. 

 

28/29. You get bloodstones from non-pvp sources as well. For ex. do events and exchange the event currency for it.

 

Games are constantly adding new systems and mechanics. If everything was simple, it creates the problem of being too easy/boring. Yes, things can be streamlined and should be. It's like saying if you were to start playing WoW you should know how EVERYTHING works within your first hour of playing...

 

[Miyakoi]

I just have to shake my head in disbelief at the OP,  why is it that some players can not grasp the concept of what a mmorpg is meant to be.

It's bad enough the game has been dumbed down to the point it has right now, to many people trying to turn it into a moba style game that plays itself. I say bring back the fun co-op harder stuff. :D

Edited March 27, 2019 by Miyakoi

[Astarae]

5 hours ago, Grimoir said:

You have to be kidding right? As a new player even you can farm octagonal gems and even gilded triangular gems in moon refuge.

Yeah, and we can farm thousand dollar bills in a corn field.  I've spent quite a bit of time on 3 different character classes at 3 different skill levels and have not seen 1 octagonal or gilded gem.   I think I've gathered maybe 2 heptas in the many hours I've been there -- including in special areas.  Got nothing in a panda village even though I got half the loot.  Saw no special quests for bravery for premium members either.  

 

I love it when some people claim to be able to get xyz from some area or place, but when I go to see what's there ... its nothing like you claim.  About the panda place, you said:

 

On 3/26/2019 at 5:39 AM, Grimoir said:

You have to be kidding right? As a new player even you can farm octagonal gems and even gilded triangular gems in moon refuge.

Upgrade materials eh?...Like the 4 basic crystals: soul, moon, sacred and elysian.  almost 3 crystals in each chest!  WOW.  Super fast and super easy? Half the loot wouldn't be enough to raise an item 1 level and easy?  Not if you get killed 1st.  Hope you are luck enough to not be in with any psychos....  No...no exaggeration here, no hyperbole -- right....Not!    Nothing resembling reality either.

[Prototypemind]

Really there's just too much to manage because things are implemented poorly. Multiple badges, multiple weapons, new "skill trees", etc., and for every class and every build we have to look to outside resources to find out which direction to go. As the game has continued to run off content creators there are fewer and fewer sources of concise, clear information on the what and how of each update. Warframe, for instance, also requires a lot of tabbing out to find info, but most of what you need can easily be found soon after each update on the Wiki. For Blade and Soul it's generally a hunt across multiple forum, reddit, and YouTube posts to cobble together an answer for what to do next. There are so many different kinds of currencies and resources to manage efficiently that it definitely becomes tedious at times.

 

I play casually and do my best to enjoy the game for what it is, but I can't see investing serious time and energy into BnS with it's current design that expects it to be played as a part-time job if you want to stay relevant.

[Hanuku]

AT LEAST now the story puts your character in a better starting point towards end game. Also, the new Temple of succession quest gives a riftwalk/dawnforged stage 3 weapon, some upgraded accessories (the ones being sold at basin so you save ALL those peaches now), hex gems and 5 pieces of the raven soul shield. The rest? It solely depends on how high you want to go. I don't think you will need to min max 100% of everything just to be competent at end game. This game still requires some player skill (ahem! memorization and some hand eye coordination which I sadly lack) to do end game mechs. Just do what you can little by little and concentrate on one thing at a time. Not to max it, but to get it as good as you can without getting bored of it.

 

So yes, I do agree that the game has a LOT of things to do just to upgrade a character. But you don't need to complete each and every one of them to max. Just ask around or check guides to see where everyone else is in terms of gearing, and try to do what they did.

[Grimoir]

9 hours ago, Astarae said:

Yeah, and we can farm thousand dollar bills in a corn field.  I've spent quite a bit of time on 3 different character classes at 3 different skill levels and have not seen 1 octagonal or gilded gem.   I think I've gathered maybe 2 heptas in the many hours I've been there -- including in special areas.  Got nothing in a panda village even though I got half the loot.  Saw no special quests for bravery for premium members either.  

 

I love it when some people claim to be able to get xyz from some area or place, but when I go to see what's there ... its nothing like you claim.  About the panda place, you said:

You farm buds, and you buy the octagonal gem chest...its not hard o.o if you want higher you have to kill the boss when the portals open for the pouches and hope for rng. but octagonals is a guaranteed thing from the chests you buy.

 

9 hours ago, Astarae said:

Upgrade materials eh?...Like the 4 basic crystals: soul, moon, sacred and elysian.  almost 3 crystals in each chest!  WOW.  Super fast and super easy? Half the loot wouldn't be enough to raise an item 1 level and easy?  Not if you get killed 1st.  Hope you are luck enough to not be in with any psychos....  No...no exaggeration here, no hyperbole -- right....Not!    Nothing resembling reality either.

There is plenty of ways to get the materials, people are just to spoiled and expect everything handed down instead of grinding it out.

[Snowyamur]

I feel like nowadays with videogames, we get too focused on completion and PvP and less about enjoying the atmosphere, imagination, and creativity this game brings.

[Grimoir]

2 minutes ago, Snowyamur said:

I feel like nowadays with videogames, we get too focused on completion and PvP and less about enjoying the atmosphere, imagination, and creativity this game brings.

Well....people cant do a simple mechanic where all you need to do is jump.....what do you expect for the imagination and creativity part? LOL

[Snowyamur]

22 hours ago, Grimoir said:

Well....people cant do a simple mechanic where all you need to do is jump.....what do you expect for the imagination and creativity part? LOL

I'd say the story this game brings is interesting, and the culture represented in this game is done in a creative way. The combat and the characters are unique, and all the boss monsters in this game are pretty cool, each with their own animations, art style, mechanics, and appearance, all based on Chinese and Asian culture and mythology.

 

I guess if I wanted to aim strictly at creativity, it's the combat in Blade & Soul that I like the most. It's done in such a way that it's a flourish rather than a standstill, and as you progress through the game, unlocking all these neat combos and attacks, it really adds more flavor to the experience. Animations in this game exceed many MMORPGs to date, but from what I learned after seeing the downfall of The Order: 1886 is that graphics aren't everything. The game design for The Order: 1886 made no sense, enemy AI was wonky, and these boring cutscenes didn't anything cool.

 

That game and Blade & Soul are obviously part of different game genres, but both have equally bad design flaws in their own ways. I can't go much into the details for Blade & Soul since there are a lot, both from what I noticed playing the game and from others, but I will say that this game is unfortunately turning P2W, and that's a shame.

 

I'm getting off track here, but that's my take on it.

[LuIius]

things have been getting easier oevr the years to cater to the storyline gunners & wardens

[Showta]

OP I'M GONNA TELL YOU SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You're not wrong. Yah some people here are arguing-listen to me. You're not wrong.

That's a lot to do. and I'm gonna tell you what I did to get past all of it.

 

I stopped doing it.

 

THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're gearing super hard-for what. What is it all for. You get one gear set and what do you do next-you work on getting even more gear. What is it for. "w-well to do current conten-" YOU DO NOT NEED MAX GEAR TO DO CURRENT CONTENT!!! EVER!!!! EVER!!!!! 6v6?? Who cares, that's trash anyway. Raids??? It'll be hard for 2 weeks and then get nerfed into the ground so WHAT are you gearing for.

 

Nothing. The answer is nothing. So don't worry about gearing. Just make friends and have fun. If tagging along with friends gets you gear, then great.

But MMORPGS have never been all about gear. They're about the experiences, relationships, and memories you form and create with those around you in a big beautiful fake digital world with fantasy characters and pretty looking costumes.

 

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.

That is what you are playing. Not a gear treadmill simulator. Always remember that.

Don't ever let these companies or anyone else convince you that what you're playing is a gear contest game. You're not. You don't have to. That wasnt what this genre was intended for. Your fate and path in a digital world is entirely in your own hands, not theirs.

[Estellia]

What game doesn't have a lot to do? you just want to stroll in the park and get everything one day? That would be boring.

I think they should lighten up on some of the requirements and make it easier for all, instead of people who can afford the game but

still, you just want it to be less things to do?

[Arkdain]

the game is simple if you focus in what you can you do for example if you can manage only 1 or 2 character having more will only give you the ilusion that you dont progress at all because you dont have enough time to gear all of them.

But i must admit that the game could change and implement non upgradeable gears alredy for example:

upgradeable: weapon,soul,pet,glove,bracelet,badges,soulshield,talisman,heart

non upgradeable: ring,earring,belt,necklace

having at least 4 equipament pieces that you dont have to waste materials/gold on them seem pretty fair we dont used to haved glove,heart,talisman maybe is time to change the old ways

[Prototypemind]

23 hours ago, Showta said:

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.

That is what you are playing. Not a gear treadmill simulator. Always remember that.

Don't ever let these companies or anyone else convince you that what you're playing is a gear contest game. You're not. You don't have to. That wasnt what this genre was intended for. Your fate and path in a digital world is entirely in your own hands, not theirs.

Overall a very good outlook to have. The main issue is the experience of BnS as a whole negates a lot of those things =( We have PvP in a lot of forms that for a while was necessary to progress and made players adversarial, we have a loot system that even when content wasn't insane made players adversarial because people would bid on things they didn't need just to drive prices up, etc. We also now have tons and tons of content yet a much smaller active population so everyone is spread out and there aren't any good social hubs like their used to be earlier in the game.

 

Lastly, the way the content is designed pretty much means you either need geared groups who can faceroll everything and dps through mechanics, or you have to go with an experienced group if you want to do things at level. It's definitely more difficult to find random groups that you can just hop into, play with, and have fun in most content. The mechanics are waaay too tight when most groups aren't a few kilometers from servers the way they are in KR. Higher pings mean damage lost and lots of extra hits taken by the mess of AoE and multi-linear attacks that go out from some bosses. The requirements are too tight to really be taken on correctly and it takes way too long for fixes to be put into place, if every. Usually when they finally are, the nerfs are not just to the design, but also to the rewards, so everyone abandons that content and it'sstill hard to find people to do it will.

 

I do agree with you, though, that taking this game overly seriously is just a path to pain. Best to stress less and enjoy more as possible.

[Snowyamur]

7 hours ago, Prototypemind said:

I do agree with you, though, that taking this game overly seriously is just a path to pain. Best to stress less and enjoy more as possible.

It's also taking a game seriously that makes its community toxic and rude. Lots of players that rage on the Forums over certain mechanics take it too seriously, and these are the people that ultimately ruin the experience of the game for others.

 

I'm not saying names, but this is uncommon in a lot of games now, especially multiplayer games.

[i wanna die]

On 29/03/2019 at 3:49 PM, Showta said:

OP I'M GONNA TELL YOU SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You're not wrong. Yah some people here are arguing-listen to me. You're not wrong.

That's a lot to do. and I'm gonna tell you what I did to get past all of it.

 

I stopped doing it.

 

THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're gearing super hard-for what. What is it all for. You get one gear set and what do you do next-you work on getting even more gear. What is it for. "w-well to do current conten-" YOU DO NOT NEED MAX GEAR TO DO CURRENT CONTENT!!! EVER!!!! EVER!!!!! 6v6?? Who cares, that's trash anyway. Raids??? It'll be hard for 2 weeks and then get nerfed into the ground so WHAT are you gearing for.

 

Nothing. The answer is nothing. So don't worry about gearing. Just make friends and have fun. If tagging along with friends gets you gear, then great.

But MMORPGS have never been all about gear. They're about the experiences, relationships, and memories you form and create with those around you in a big beautiful fake digital world with fantasy characters and pretty looking costumes.

 

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.

That is what you are playing. Not a gear treadmill simulator. Always remember that.

Don't ever let these companies or anyone else convince you that what you're playing is a gear contest game. You're not. You don't have to. That wasnt what this genre was intended for. Your fate and path in a digital world is entirely in your own hands, not theirs.

words of wisdom  lots of people need to realise that they dont need max gear to do current content. just vt gear is enough to even clear dreamsong theatre!