All spells should require reagents

The higher level I get the more it becomes obvious that all spells should require reagents.

Both the economy and the power balance between players for PVE and PVP is greatly impacted by having lower spells (that are very effective) that do not require reagents.

 

Thumbs down on this. I think it's good the way it is.

 

If reagents are farmable or more plentiful nodes, then I could agree. Right now reagents cost too much.

 

Once again, think i agree with OP. They might be costly? But they arn't really. I spend more on arrows, then you will spend on regs. Also it encourages people to stop in towns outside of their comfort zone, even just for a reg run.
Currently, theres people that run 100% out of owls head or where ever, and people that had never even noticed the way the regional economies work and the like.
And lets be honest, they arnt that much, esepcially with the reg reducing chance gear =)

 

The only way I will support this is if a ring of reagents suddenly becomes a pledge reward for the expired pledges. I asked for this ring over 3 years now.

My vote is to keep the way it is with some free and some using reagents.

 

In one fantasy book that I read sorcerers used illusions and simple spells and powered these up by sheer will and their personal life force. Wizards use study , deep lore and extensive preparations (reagents included) to tap external sources of power in order to warp the very fabric of reality. Shapechanging and teleportation would be good examples.

Most hybrid SOTA Avatars are actually sorcerer-warriors, sorcerer-thieves or healers/rangers. This is realistic since hybrids need to be effective with both magical and physical combat in equal measure.

I think the current balance is correct - Focus to power tier1 & 2 spells. Reagents and Focus for anything higher.

 

It's already far too easy and people have gotten used to it. All spells in UO required reagents.. as did all modern Britannia magic. I've been saying this entire time.. make the reagents available and it won't be a problem.

 

Um, unless you had a 100% LRC suit, which pretty much everyone had....
So, that's really not a good point for comparison.

 

Don't include me in that you, MrBlight - I doubt that you spend more on arrows than I do on regs.

 

I agree with Lord Barugon here....

 

There are still many people who farm their way to pay taxes and many use non-reagent spells to save gold and time. I am against this idea, as it will place more of a burden on those barely getting by as it is. People are always talking about the economy,what about those who have little playing time, have to deal with taxes and now it's suggested we make it harder on them?
Just because I can afford to buy reagents and many others can, does not mean everyone can. And there are not enough places to farm that give reagents and then you want them to need reagents to farm for reagents. It will be a circle where the person with little time to play and little gold or IRL cash ends up being the loser. No thank you.

 

I'd rather see less reagent requirements than more. It makes is really hard to keep combat skills in balance when money, convenience, or other non combat things are balanced against combat effectiveness. It's especially problematic for PvP, boss fights, or anything that has higher risk/reward than normal grinding.

I'm okay without more drudgery anyway.

 

I have to disagree here. I have tried both archery and magery builds and the latter costs me a lot more even though I am already heavily utilizing the lesser reagent free spells. I can do a run with 2.4k arrows (200g) or kill the same amount of mobs using roughly 40 regs of each type (so 1400g if you buy the cheaper packages).

 

Yes, though Attunement should reduce reagent consumption... and perhaps more likely to consume on Fizzle. So if you're a mage going around with a staff boosting your Attunement wearing robes, you'd get a big benefit.

 

I have always been pretty much for spells using reagents as well. UO had it and we learned that this was just the way it was. After recently playing another game that is difficult and doesn't baby you, I am appreciating some things. So I vote yes to reagents and to notice and plan before you go out adventuring to make sure you have your reagents, your food, your weapons and armor are in good shape, do you have repair kits, perhaps potions be it strength potions or buff potions, and are you prepared and carrying only the minimum required of items to have a great time. Yep let the games begin and reward us for our pain too. I also say make it more fun, rewards us for our pain such as:

Let us get something for how we play the game, like a notification that says hey you have opened up a new skill

or you have learned a new recipe

or you have opened up a new talent that trainers don't have, and all from playing the game the way you play the game



Pain and challenges could be sometimes npc's won't talk to you, or we could be cursed or have an illness that keeps us under achieving due to stat reduction until we solve the mystery and a cure or way is found.

Give us choices that matter, like some quests have a time frame to do them to do, let us fail sometimes that changes the outcome, make it a mystery and challenging deadline, and include with the punishments and risks the satisfying rewards and achievements and bonuses

Ok ok, i'm sure the team knows all of this. I'm just reminiscing. *cheers*

 

Again I would like to remind some people here of a simple fact:
This is an RPG and not a survival game.

 

I would like to see the environment play a role on how much reagents you use (if any) . If you have a high fire attunement and are fighting near a volcano then your fire spells should hit harder and consume less reagents. Same for water mages living near the sea or by the ocean.

This will have the beneficial effect of motivating people to live in an NPC/POT/PRT town for reasons other than foot traffic.

The level of crafting that should also be influenced by where you live. Maybe the dreaded RNG bad roll for making enchanted gems or armor can be mitigated if you live near the appropriate mine or some locus of power.

Make the environment matter more than just being just candy - harvestable water sources is a step in the right direction.

 

I am struggling as is. I spend 20-30% of my in-game time scrounging for reagents. The day reagents are required for all spells is the day I will have to change my mage build to something else.

 

What's the point?

If you require reagents for all spells, then you will have to make reagents more plentiful then they are now. There is no economy....regional or otherwise in the game, so its not like you are going to magically summon one up by pissing off half of the remaining player base.

The game is what it is. I am sure LB spent some time thinking about this already...and this is what he came up with. Magic has evolved through his games....and this is just the newest evolution of it.

 

I know what you mean. I use a reagent free deck for all combat spells and defense spells. The only spell I use that uses reagents is resurrect creature.

I focused more xp into the taming tree and it has been worth it with my Obsidian Bear with his 445 hp and up to 50 points of damage per swing. Hunting with him has been a blast.

I cannot make 1,000,000 xp an hour but I do make maybe 20k - 30k xp an hour.