NEWS Empyrean Shadows: Item and Systems Preview

[Jack Valent]

Releasing new content with existing Bugs...

Well 1 server = dead soon though

 

I still getting fail to press 4 during 6v6 battleFIELD

 

then I get dc after pressing 4 cannot join back the battle

 

I got 1 PC and 1 Laptop both has same bug sometimes disconnected and crash when pressing 4 on 6v6

Been like this for 1 year...

Edited June 6, 2019 by Jack Valent

[SnakDaGak]

11 hours ago, Grimoir said:

If you mean the psyche stats those always stay they never get removed.

but from ru got info that now will be new soul upd line and u'll need to salvage your old one, got item for new, exchange it for 'new' soul and only then updgrade it

so u'll lost psythe stats, if no compensation for that

[Grimoir]

2 hours ago, SnakDaGak said:

but from ru got info that now will be new soul upd line and u'll need to salvage your old one, got item for new, exchange it for 'new' soul and only then updgrade it

so u'll lost psythe stats, if no compensation for that

IDK what the russians do, but for us, you will just continue upgrading the soul, you do not salvage anything/.

[Soragami]

@Cyan

I saw that Shadow-/Skyforge Stage 6 -> 7 uses the Murk Drake Weapon as an upgrade offering and I assume that this weapon will drop from the Murk Drake in Moon Refuge.

Is it correct that this will be a "new" weapon drop added to an "old" boss, so we can't farm it in advance and will have to wait for the patch?

 

Edit:

Why do the upgrades from Shadow-/Skyforge 7/8/9 to Grand Celestial 7/8/9 cost so many Steels? Each stage adds 24 Steels to the path-swich-cost, which is only 1 less than the raid-path. Meanwhile the path-swich at stage 6 only costs 24 steels, instead of the 45 steels the raid-path would cost (for GC 3-6).

In other words: Why did you decide to almost completely remove the steel discount for the upper stages (7-9)? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Soragami

[Grimoir]

1 hour ago, Soragami said:

Why do the upgrades from Shadow-/Skyforge 7/8/9 to Grand Celestial 7/8/9 cost so many Steels? Each stage adds 24 Steels to the path-swich-cost, which is only 1 less than the raid-path. Meanwhile the path-swich at stage 6 only costs 24 steels, instead of the 45 steels the raid-path would cost (for GC 3-6).

In other words: Why did you decide to almost completely remove the steel discount for the upper stages (7-9)? It doesn't make any sense to me.

It was always this way, the same was when swapping over to raven, aransu and now GC. The thing is they are making stage 6 more accessible but uppder stages still need to remain hard considering that GC7-9 is technically still best end game. people shouldnt  just get it as a "freebie" when a upgrade discount happens. it would completely devalue the worth of the weapon

Edited June 6, 2019 by Grimoir

[Soragami]

22 minutes ago, Grimoir said:

It was always this way, the same was when swapping over to raven, aransu and now GC.

It wasn't like this with Aransu. When Storm Dragon/Exalted 7-9 got released, the path-swap to Aransu cost way less Hive Queen Hearts than the raid-path. A few patches later, they changed it and added a ton of Hearts, making it similar to the upcoming Shadow-/Skyforge 7-9 -> GC 7-9 swap.

Fun fact: This was part of a so called "cost reduction" xD

 

Here's the Google Sheet from back then:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AU5CoIsMGLqvPW8x7cWZSVvUNl0Fxab0z0OX8UA9Hro/edit#gid=0

 

Sure, looking at the whole thing it IS a cost reduction. But changing the cost from 25 Hearts to 96 (for stage 9) was definitely not what people where hoping for.

[Onevirus]

@Cyan Hey Cyan ^-^.  Give the belt really 200% Attack Bonus or is this additional Damage?

[Soragami]

20 minutes ago, Onevirus said:

Give the belt really 200% Attack Bonus or is this additional Damage?

I'd expect it to work like the Earring. Whenever you crit, you deal 200% of your AP as extra damage.

[nightro]

Instead of having people send tickets to get a revert on soul and weapon, why didn't you guys just compensate everyone with the materials that they would be saving from their respective gears? (Example: From Awakened Tiger Soul - Stage 1 to True Tiger Soul it costs 84 Sacred Vials and on the 19th it will be 42 instead so you're saving 42). It's really nice that people that are gearing up will have an easier time to upgrade but for us that played longer and upgraded before it feels like we are getting screwed up. We were compensated before with Gem powders for the gems before so why not do the same thing now for weapon and soul? Also some people might not know how to send a ticket or be aware of this and they could be saving materials if you guys compensated everyone equally.

 

sorry for my spanglish

[Sayahell]

how about the new spek `how it works without item ?  we need new items or we can switsch sec ? all raiditem got 2 spec ! get we new items for new classes?! 

 

or is it possible use -switch item for more spec skills ? 

[Deadly Intent]

32 minutes ago, Sayahell said:

how about the new spek `how it works without item ?  we need new items or we can switsch sec ? all raiditem got 2 spec ! get we new items for new classes?! 

 

or is it possible use -switch item for more spec skills ? 

It'll work exactly like it does now.  They will just open up the column that is currently grayed out in K.  If you use a skill now with the incorrect accessory equipped then that skill will not be optimally augmented.  The same will occur when the 3rd spec is released.  If you set the third spec and don't change your accessories (either lvl up to 10+ and switch or an entirely new set) the skill modifiers will not be optimal.

[Soragami]

8 hours ago, nightro said:

Instead of having people send tickets to get a revert on soul and weapon, why didn't you guys just compensate everyone with the materials that they would be saving from their respective gears? (Example: From Awakened Tiger Soul - Stage 1 to True Tiger Soul it costs 84 Sacred Vials and on the 19th it will be 42 instead so you're saving 42).

Sadly, it's not that simple (at least not in all cases).

The reason for that is, that they're not just reducing the upgrade costs. They're changing them.

So they can't just send everyone the materials they would've saved. They would also have to take all items that will be needed for the upgrade after the patch. And that's not possible, because not everyone will have those materials ready at that time. In your example, what if someone doesn't have enough SS/MS/SC/EC which will be needed to upgrade the Soul?

 

The only thing that would work for everyone would be a revert/downgrade. But not everyone would want that, so they can't do that either.

[Baskerville]

Hi all,

We have updated the evolution cost for the new Conflux/Impetus belts on the Gear Upgrade Costs document. One of the offering items for Stage 6 → 7 was swapped between the two and the Onyx Scales have been replaced with Bloodstones for the Conflux Belt since it is a PvP item.

[tribz]

hi with regards to pink fused badge, can any class switch pink fused badge to other specialization?

[NorbertTheOpinionated]

 

That. I want to talk about that. I think it is a bad idea, and I am going to explain why I think that:

 

I understand that NCsoft's reason, and concept for how this is SUPPOSED to work is for this change to be an attempt at a solution to queue time problems. Basically the pvp population is so low that if you sign up for pvp at certain times of the day, you don't get in, or you end up fighting the same person over and over. Stuff like that. This solution is designed to clump up everyone who would participate in pvp through the course of the week into a more narrow time frame, thus increasing the variety of opponents you will see as well as making the queue times more reasonable.

 

Well it isn't going to work. This is going to kill pvp even faster. Here is why:

 

We don't want to play NCsoft's game on NCsoft's schedule. We have jobs. We have lives. We have other stuff to do. What does NCsoft think we are? Whoever came up with this must think we are mind numbed robots who just obey orders from NCsoft. NCsoft must think that if they do this, we will all just say, "Oh! I understand. Yes master! I will now schedule my life around Blade and Soul." Blade and Soul is a form of entertainment. It is NOT priority one in life, and NO it isn't going to become priority one in life either just because NCsoft wants it to be.

 

This is what is ACTUALLY going to happen: Sure some people will do what NCsoft wants, but other people, will log on, and say, "Hmm. I'd like to do some pvp. Oh! It isn't available right now. Darn that makes me mad. When is it available? Let me look at the schedule. Hmm. Yeah that schedule doesn't work for me. Should I cancel that thing I was going to do so I can play Blade and Soul when NCsoft thinks I should? Nah. Not going to do that. This is a game. Hmm... but being a creature of habit, this time is not going to work for me very often. Guess pvp isn't an option for me anymore. Darn." And then if pvp was their favorite thing to do, they might just end up quitting a 1-3 months later if the other styles of combat don't appeal to them.

 

Additionally, it doesn't matter what times you pick. We have a 24 hour economy. If you gate an event behind certain times, SOMEONE is going to be inconvenienced by the schedule. For this reason, since B&S is a form of entertainment, it is important that it be available on demand when the player is ready for it, not when NCsoft THINKS the player should schedule their life for it. Video games are what you do when you don't have anything more important to do. That said, I do end up playing games a lot, but gating things behind times requires B&S to be put higher up on life's priorities list because it requires you to pencil in "B&S" on your calendar instead of other things.

 

Now I understand that there is some big wig at NCsoft wringing their hand saying "Yeah yeah yeah! Pencil in B&S every day on your calendar! In fact, use pen!" NO! It simply isn't going to happen! Not for me anyway. They need to accept that, know their place, and build a business model around that instead of trying to twist your arm into setting B&S higher on the priorities list in your life. NCsoft might think they are in charge, but they aren't. Ultimately, the customers are. If they want the your money, they will do what you want. If we stop paying, they stop eating. That makes you the boss, not them. Sure they can ban people if they want, but that is just biting the hand that feeds them. Is that smart? They are already down to 1 server. I remind you of Linxy and Babletron. Maybe they should consider getting their head out of their rear end. This time gating suggests a level of entitlement on NCsoft's part and that we will just play the game however they think we should that suggests that whoever thought of this is really out of touch.

 

 

 

 

 

SO THAT IS WHY THIS IS A BAD IDEA. NOW, HERE IS HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN A DIFFERENT WAY:

 

The first step in solving a problem is to recognize why it is happening. So why is it happening? Well in any MMO, the pvp community is always smaller than the pve community because pvp is inherently competitive, and people shy away from that, especially if it is non-equalized because no one wants to sign up for something where they have to pay money or smash their face against a brick wall repeatedly where they have almost not chance for literally the next year straight before they even have a competitive CHANCE. Not to win... to have a CHANCE.

 

Secondly, people don't do stuff in MMO's unless it is either 1) Fun, or 2) Rewarding. In terms of a very strict effort to reward ratio.

 

1v1 equalized pvp IS fun in my opinion, but that isn't enough for a lot of people. It also needs to have a sufficient effort to reward ratio. That means the reason why people don't pvp is because, for a lot of people, it isn't worth doing. What does that mean? Well, it means that if NCsoft wants more people to sign up for pvp, they need to make it worth our time. DON'T GATE PVP BEHIND A TIME WALL. THAT MAKES IT EVEN MORE RESTRICTIVE! Instead, use a carrot on a stick approach. Make it so that signing up for pvp is actually worth your time to do over and over all day long. Make it something that is worth grinding. In order to do that, the reward to effort ratio basically needs to translate into a sufficient amount of gold per hour for doing pvp that is at least equal to if not better than doing whatever else is the most efficient activity in the game. THAT IS HOW YOU GET PEOPLE TO DO PVP.

 

HOWEVER... the problem here is that if you make pvp one of the best things to do to advance your character, you will have tons more bots signing up for pvp again. NCsoft needs to get REAL strict about that. Even if you design it in such a way that the rewards can't be sold, the bot makers will just grind up a character to max through the pvp system, and then sell the account. So yes, if you want to save pvp, it does need to be rewarding in terms of character advancement, but it also needs to be equalized 1v1 and without bots.

 

Also, the game needs to be balanced for 1v1 combat. Don't hide behind a paper-rock-scissors argument. That is just an excuse. If the game isn't balanced for equalized 1v1 combat, it isn't balanced PERIOD.

 

Also, stop with this ridiculous concept of "Frenzy." If there are times when the rewards are amplified, people will ONLY sign up during those times. That is bad. The rewards need to be equal all the time, AND they need to be good ALL THE TIME.

 

6v6 is absurd and NCsoft knows it. I mean, people... beluga lagoon is literally whale themed. When NCsoft does the World Martial Arts Tournament on Twitch, is it like the olympics where they have multiple different types of events, and 6v6 is one of them? No. Is open world soul stone planes combat one of the events? No. Why not? It's because NCsoft is ashamed of it. When they hold up B&S pvp on a pedestal for the world to watch, they don't want to show off 6v6 and open world combat. What do they show? 1v1 equalized and 3v3 equalized pvp because they know that is real, actual pvp. 6v6 and open world nonsense isn't fair or what people want to watch.
 

Consider the PVE dungeon finder. You can sign up for any dungeon you want any time you want, and usually get in within a reasonable amount of time. This suggests that there ARE enough people. They don't need to be time-gated. What people need is to see a reason to sign up for pvp in the first place. If pvp were to be rewarded to a sufficient degree to make it worth grinding, then people would do it.

 

3v3 is annoying to me because if you lose, it can often times be your team's fault. 6v6 is annoying because you are constantly getting steam rolled by people who paid to have a competitive advantage over you, which NCsoft said they wouldn't allow, but you know... they outright lied.

 

 

Note that I don't have a problem with people having a competitive advantage over others. I have a problem with people with Incinerator 9 and a full set of pvp gear steam rolling you who PAID to have that. If they earned it, fine, but you CAN pay for it, and NCsoft said that they wouldn't sell power, and they absolutely are.

 

Therefore, what I recommend is that NCsoft re-balance the rewards for 1v1 equalized pvp. Make it worth grinding. Again the way you do this is to consider what the most efficient thing to do to grind in the game is. Figure out how much gold per hour grinding that is worth. Then make sure 1v1 equalized pvp is worth at least about that much +/-5%. Make pvp an actual way to advance your character solo at an effort to reward ratio that is competitive compared to pve, or better. Maybe reward pve gear for pvp? Maybe that is a bad idea though. Maybe reward pvp gear for 1v1 pvp, and then when people have max pvp gear from doing equalized pvp, THEN they can step into Beluga Lagoon, and actually be competitive because they earned the gear in 1v1 equalized?

 

Maybe award the moonstone boxes that they can sell for money in 1v1 or more non-bound soulstones they can sell for gold? Maybe pvp just awards gold or your choice of a legendary element, or jewel that you can use for pve OR pvp gear?

 

I am sure NCsoft is going to say, "Well you know. We need to just try this pvp time-gating thing and see how it goes." No you don't! You've already tried it. Just consider that data. You know how Koldrak is time gated? I WOULD run Koldrack every day, but I don't because I don't wait for it or schedule for it, and I refuse to. If it is available, I do it, but if I am not on, or in a raid or dungeon or something... oh well. I am not going to put one iota of thought into trying to make NCsoft's schedule for Koldrack. As a result I end up doing it maybe once a week instead of every day like I would it it were available on my time. That's what's going to happen for pvp if they time-gate pvp too.

 

NCsoft doesn't necessarily need to do exactly what I am suggesting, but if they did something LIKE what I am suggesting, then they wouldn't have to time-gate pvp, which will only kill it even faster by making it even more restrictive. Instead, they wouldn't need to time-gate it because people would actually sign up for it again because it is worth their while and not frustrating due to the ability to buy power like in 6v6. Again, careful for bots. They WILL try. Trust me. They WILL try. You need to have some system in place to prevent bots before it even launches, and it needs to be almost foolproof. Be ready for that. Maybe a CAPTCHA style gate to get into every match to prove a human is actually playing or something? You would need to prove your are a human somehow OFTEN. Not just once a day, or people would sign up and then activate the bot for the whole day. If there was a pattern, the botters WILL find it. Trust me.

 

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by NorbertTheOpinionated

[Astarae]

On 6/5/2019 at 12:19 PM, Grimoir said:

NA is PST if i am not mistaking, EU should be CET since the servers are in germany.

Why would it be in Pacific Standard?

1) why would it be on standard time when none of US is on standard time (is on Daylight Savings time now), and 2) servers are in central time zone (texas) (continental US is mostly on 4 time zones,

Eastern, Central (including Texas and Servers), Mountain and Pacific (up to pacific coast), so Pacific

is 2 hours later than Central).  I've seen most times given in server time, but don't know if that is true for new hours.  Nor do they say if times will change when NA moves clocks hour ahead (spring ~March) or an hour behind (1st weekend in November).

But none of the US is on Standard time rt now, so announcing times in standard time seems odd.