IC - it's fine to play if you ignore the whole TV thing

medieval_TOG · September 2015

After spending a bit of time in IC (as a largely PvE player - almost have the fishing accomplishment), I've come to the realisation that I don't really care how many TV Stones I have, whether I accumulate them or even lose them when I get ganked/zerged/jumped on, etc.

I have managed to get the TV Baron achieve (so I have a few in the bank), but then realised that these weren't really much of interest to me (as a player) to warrant worrying about them.

And ever since then I don't worry about dying.

So I solo run around, slowly acquire Trophies (which in my opinion are much more valuable) and V16 gear to melt down. And when I get ganked I try and die to the NPC's (so as to rob the PvP guys of any TV as they seem to like those), I bank whatever TV I have, do some melting, pay the repair fees and go back out there again. I sneak and hide where possible, often find a group of PvPers and tag behind them 3 or 4 rooms and clean up the respawns. Mostly though I just find a quiet corner and farm for trophies and gear with a quick trip back to the bank courtesy of the PvPers.

My bank is looking healthier, I can now craft v16 items from the loot and writ I am picking up and if cornered by a PvPer I normally just type /sitchair (unless there is a roaming boss I can run too) and wait for the trip back to the bank.

As a PvE'er, I'm starting to like IC.

EnglishDragon17 · September 2015

cool story bro

UltimaJoe777 · September 2015

medieval_TOG wrote: »

After spending a bit of time in IC (as a largely PvE player - almost have the fishing accomplishment), I've come to the realisation that I don't really care how many TV Stones I have, whether I accumulate them or even lose them when I get ganked/zerged/jumped on, etc.

I have managed to get the TV Baron achieve (so I have a few in the bank), but then realised that these weren't really much of interest to me (as a player) to warrant worrying about them.

And ever since then I don't worry about dying.

So I solo run around, slowly acquire Trophies (which in my opinion are much more valuable) and V16 gear to melt down. And when I get ganked I try and die to the NPC's (so as to rob the PvP guys of any TV as they seem to like those), I bank whatever TV I have, do some melting, pay the repair fees and go back out there again. I sneak and hide where possible, often find a group of PvPers and tag behind them 3 or 4 rooms and clean up the respawns. Mostly though I just find a quiet corner and farm for trophies and gear with a quick trip back to the bank courtesy of the PvPers.

My bank is looking healthier, I can now craft v16 items from the loot and writ I am picking up and if cornered by a PvPer I normally just type /sitchair (unless there is a roaming boss I can run too) and wait for the trip back to the bank.

As a PvE'er, I'm starting to like IC.

Once the IC hype dies down PvEers may actually have less PvPers to contend with. If they spent less time complaining about the presence of PvPers and actually trying to get by in there perhaps they'd see it a bit more like you.

AlienSlof · September 2015

I agree.

Although I'm primarily a PvE player, I ventured in there myself with a group of guildies to do a boss run through the sewers. I really wanted that shiny purple dye! For the most part we were left alone, and when we did clash with enemy players, we ganked them or they ganked us - it was still a huge amount of fun and I got my purple! I hadn't even thought about the stones until a guildie told me to bank them whenever I ended up back at base.

I still ended up gaining more than I lost, but for me, the bosses were what I went for. (And my purple!)

Nifty2g · September 2015

What is ruining IC is the zerging. Close combat game design and people still bring 24 people in a group. Not only that you got raids farming for trophies. All IC is right now is grinding and farming, it needs addressing.

Wolfenbelle · September 2015

I finally gave up on TV stones last night. Had finally accumulated enough stones to buy the necessary mats to craft new gear. After crafting some vr15 Hunding's Rage pieces and comparing them to my vr14 pieces, I noticed the stat differences were very small. The stats on legendary vr14 were actually better than on purple vr15. And if I had improved the vr15 to legendary, the stats would have been only minimally better.

The sets you can buy in IC with stones aren't very good either. Possibly the dropped sets from dungeons and the trophy rooms are better, but it's a pure grind fest to try to get that stuff, let alone get what you might actually want.

Last night I went up to the Nobles District to try to figure out the quest step where you have to protect the doors. I can kill most NPCs 1 vs. 2, so acquired exactly 50 stones while making no progress on the quest. Went to the trouble of sneaking back to the Temple district (closest to home base), getting safely back into the sewers and all the way to the last tunnel before reaching the base door when a "blue" faction player who'd been stealthed there jumped me from behind, killed me before I could react, and took those measly 50 stones. The whole exercise of trying to do that quest step was pointless, and the stones don't seem to buy much of value. Maybe the stuff to make vr15 enchants and pots, I suppose.

Oh_Skrivva · September 2015

I agree TV stones are not as important to me as gear drops and trophies. You can get decent amount of mats from decon loot from mobs. Since it's gonna take a ton of grinding/farming in ic to get what we need. You'll have plenty of mats from decon. If I happen to collect a good amount of TV stones while grinding, cool. If I lose it, it's no big deal.

Kuroinu · September 2015

I've yet to buy this DLC, but I am curious as I seem to have also misinterpreted the value of these Tel Var stones. So, what can you actually buy with these stones that you can't if you are just running around farming Mobs? Simply put, what items are unique to the Tel Var stones? If any.

Wolfenbelle · September 2015

Riko_Futatabi wrote: »

I've yet to buy this DLC, but I am curious as I seem to have also misinterpreted the value of these Tel Var stones. So, what can you actually buy with these stones that you can't if you are just running around farming Mobs? Simply put, what items are unique to the Tel Var stones? If any.

You can buy:

VR15 and 16 sets that are only sold by vendors in IC. (None particularly special, in my opinion.)
Mats to craft gear.
Stuff you need to craft vr15 enchantments and alchemy pots.
Some other odds and ends that are only found in IC.
Some things, such as soul gems, that you can buy elsewhere.

freespirit · September 2015

Wolfenbelle wrote: »

Riko_Futatabi wrote: »

I've yet to buy this DLC, but I am curious as I seem to have also misinterpreted the value of these Tel Var stones. So, what can you actually buy with these stones that you can't if you are just running around farming Mobs? Simply put, what items are unique to the Tel Var stones? If any.

You can buy:

VR15 and 16 sets that are only sold by vendors in IC. (None particularly special, in my opinion.)
Mats to craft gear.
Stuff you need to craft vr15 enchantments and alchemy pots.
Some other odds and ends that are only found in IC.
Some things, such as soul gems, that you can buy elsewhere.

Don't forget the VR16 Potency runes.

krees28b14_ESO · September 2015

Have to agree with others here. The only reason to worry about TV stones is for the tears and potency runes. Worry more about getting the achievements and quests done as the day will come when no one wants to run IC anymore and you may have a hard time finding a group. Course you may be able to solo everything when the day comes. The biggest reason I even bother with IC is for the trophies. Get the right drop in a vault and you make a lot of gold and simply buy whatever else you want.

TequilaFire · September 2015

I am just sad I can't get those sneaky Nightblades to 1v1 after they gank me from behind. lmfao

Faulgor · September 2015

Nifty2g wrote: »

What is ruining IC is the zerging. Close combat game design and people still bring 24 people in a group. Not only that you got raids farming for trophies. All IC is right now is grinding and farming, it needs addressing.

Even the zergs were fine for me initially, because the campaigns I played in were quite balanced. Even if you know there was a larger party of the opposite faciton in the sewers, you could get more people to group together and take them on. Now it seems every campaign is absolutely dominated by one faction, and it usually isn't mine.
When you have a hard time getting a group together for Molag Bal, and when you finally get there with your 12-man group you just get roflstomped by a zerg blazing through, there is no fun in any of that.