I rolled a Dark Elf Arcanist as a bank alt and ran some starter zone quests.

ImmortalCX · May 10

The beginning arcanist could basically waste any opponent without getting touched. I saw all the other beginning players hacking away with swords and taking a long time to kill things.

Yes, the green machine gun is powerful. So is the lazer.

Pew pew.

thegreeneso · May 10

And you could do this on ANY class, it's called LEVEL SCALING.

ImmortalCX · May 10

Yeah sure, but my lvl 3 arcanist killing things much faster than everyone else I saw.

tomofhyrule · May 10

Yes, level scaling is a thing. But I have a feeling that there's one major factor at play that a lot of the forumites don't consider when starting a baby alt that makes their experience so different from any other newbie.

We already know how to play the game.

Even if we don't have the gear or what have you, we still understand the fundamentals of combat. It's why you can take a bunch of experienced players on Lv 8 alts through a DLC group dungeon without problems (which I did with my friends just after Arc released). We already know the mechanics, we know about food and positioning, we know how to cast skills and have a good idea about avoiding red and keeping up DoTs. As such, of course it sounds super easy. You can't exactly turn off muscle memory.

Compare to someone coming fresh from Skyrim. They don't have to deal with gear sets there, you really only upgrade your armor if you find something with a higher number. They don't have to worry about food there, you just stuff your face to restore health. They don't have to worry about skills there, everything is based on left click (and hold left click for a power attack).

I've seen people say "I'm gonna prove how brain-dead this game is by wearing all purple gear and using only skills and no light attacks" as if that will prove anything. You want to know what it's like to play as a newbie with zero indication of how to build? Random mismatched found gear that's blue at best and probably only using 2 of the set bonuses. Light attacks only, unless you want to throw in a heavy every so often. Maybe one skill, but only one that looks really cool and doesn't really do much. No CP. 1st person.
And even then, an experienced player trying to do all of the above still won't have the full new player experience since you already have the muscle memory.

Pevey · May 10

Lvl 3 arcanist doesn't even have the signature skill yet, which is fatecarver.

Rungar · May 10

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Yes, level scaling is a thing. But I have a feeling that there's one major factor at play that a lot of the forumites don't consider when starting a baby alt that makes their experience so different from any other newbie.

We already know how to play the game.

Even if we don't have the gear or what have you, we still understand the fundamentals of combat. It's why you can take a bunch of experienced players on Lv 8 alts through a DLC group dungeon without problems (which I did with my friends just after Arc released). We already know the mechanics, we know about food and positioning, we know how to cast skills and have a good idea about avoiding red and keeping up DoTs. As such, of course it sounds super easy. You can't exactly turn off muscle memory.

Compare to someone coming fresh from Skyrim. They don't have to deal with gear sets there, you really only upgrade your armor if you find something with a higher number. They don't have to worry about food there, you just stuff your face to restore health. They don't have to worry about skills there, everything is based on left click (and hold left click for a power attack).

I've seen people say "I'm gonna prove how brain-dead this game is by wearing all purple gear and using only skills and no light attacks" as if that will prove anything. You want to know what it's like to play as a newbie with zero indication of how to build? Random mismatched found gear that's blue at best and probably only using 2 of the set bonuses. Light attacks only, unless you want to throw in a heavy every so often. Maybe one skill, but only one that looks really cool and doesn't really do much. No CP. 1st person.
And even then, an experienced player trying to do all of the above still won't have the full new player experience since you already have the muscle memory.

dont forget to resist any changes to the combat system that might make it more user friendly and then wonder why few stick around.

randconfig · May 10

thegreeneso wrote: »

And you could do this on ANY class, it's called LEVEL SCALING.

I had a level 18 Arcanist doing 15% of the entire normal trial group's DPS just spamming the beam and using banner bearer with class mastery.

No full sets, no mythic, just food, major sorcery, and major prophecy buffs and CP 600-ish

The problem is the beam or the ability to instantly recast it with full power because you can generate 3 crux during the channel.

thegreeneso · May 10

randconfig wrote: »

thegreeneso wrote: »

And you could do this on ANY class, it's called LEVEL SCALING.

I had a level 18 Arcanist doing 15% of the entire normal trial group's DPS just spamming the beam and using banner bearer with class mastery.

Don't know what to tell you other than to find some BETTER PARTY MEMBERS.

Tandor · May 10

Rungar wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Yes, level scaling is a thing. But I have a feeling that there's one major factor at play that a lot of the forumites don't consider when starting a baby alt that makes their experience so different from any other newbie.

We already know how to play the game.

Even if we don't have the gear or what have you, we still understand the fundamentals of combat. It's why you can take a bunch of experienced players on Lv 8 alts through a DLC group dungeon without problems (which I did with my friends just after Arc released). We already know the mechanics, we know about food and positioning, we know how to cast skills and have a good idea about avoiding red and keeping up DoTs. As such, of course it sounds super easy. You can't exactly turn off muscle memory.

Compare to someone coming fresh from Skyrim. They don't have to deal with gear sets there, you really only upgrade your armor if you find something with a higher number. They don't have to worry about food there, you just stuff your face to restore health. They don't have to worry about skills there, everything is based on left click (and hold left click for a power attack).

I've seen people say "I'm gonna prove how brain-dead this game is by wearing all purple gear and using only skills and no light attacks" as if that will prove anything. You want to know what it's like to play as a newbie with zero indication of how to build? Random mismatched found gear that's blue at best and probably only using 2 of the set bonuses. Light attacks only, unless you want to throw in a heavy every so often. Maybe one skill, but only one that looks really cool and doesn't really do much. No CP. 1st person.
And even then, an experienced player trying to do all of the above still won't have the full new player experience since you already have the muscle memory.

dont forget to resist any changes to the combat system that might make it more user friendly and then wonder why few stick around.

Don't forget that when the changes come and overland content has a much harder mode there won't be anyone bothering with "endgame" because they'll be grinding out the last couple of thousand CPs killing mud crabs in Khenarthi's Roost hard mode

!

ImmortalCX · May 10

tomofhyrule wrote: »

We already know how to play the game.
.

I didnt equip anything or assign any points. No food.

I just bought the first skill available, the shooting green beads, and mash the 1 button.

It kills everything 3x faster than the other noobs running around in the zone.

Desiato · May 10

While it's true every class can melt overland content as lowbies, Arcanists are next level ezmode. While levelling my arc, he could could top parse normal trial pugs at like level 30!

If you think it's easy now try a meta arc. You can top parse a raid while spending most of it literally spamming beam. It's not even flail flail beam like last year, it's like buff, flail beam beam beam beam repeat...

It's like, let's make one of the most complicated, convoluted game ever and then render that complexity completely meaningless via the easiest gameplay imaginable.

Blood_again · May 10

ImmortalCX wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

We already know how to play the game.
.

I didnt equip anything or assign any points. No food.

I just bought the first skill available, the shooting green beads, and mash the 1 button.

It kills everything 3x faster than the other noobs running around in the zone.

Sorry, your experiment shows only that you play better, than a random new player. Is it new for you?

Try to create one more character. Choose another class you have experience with. Play it in the same location. I bet you'll see that your results are better than other noobs... because, surprise, you're smurfing

Few years ago I created a nightblade (fresh account, no CP or things like that), worn white gear from tutorial and entered HoF quite after tutorial complete, lvl 3.
I killed 1st stack solo, didn't die. Got an achivement "Dungeon Damage Dealer" for 1mln damage done on level 4.
Does it mean NB are unkillable or imbalanced from lvl3? No, it means I had proper hands and I knew what to do with char and mobs