I am pro exp loss and develing, there is a simple truth in risk vs reward.
The fact is not everyone deserves to make it to end game , the entire point of exp loss is the reinforcement of the learning curve. There are too many people that simply do not understand the basic concepts of high end progressive content , and that is the reason levels NEED to matter and for them to matter it's a must.
I think everyone has ran into that cleric that does not understand curing mechanics , the tank that does not understand taunting or the over aggro dps.
These basic things are part of the learning curve , that if we allow anyone that just "plays" to reach max level with no real risk vs reward , no learning curve or a sense entitlement of being expected to see content the entire point of levels , end game , gear , risk vs reward and even the very meaning of progression is diminished without it.
I literally laughed out loud when i saw the ChatGPT code in it......
I dont see experience loss as outdated.
Look, something a lot of younger players seem eager to ignore is that the single best teacher you have is FAILURE. Nothing works better... no lesson lasts longer.
The biggest difference between people who are supposedly "lucky" and succeed long term, and people with "bad luck" who dont? How they look at failure! Without failure there IS no success... and without marked consequences for failure the lesson is meaningless.
Gold spent doesnt do a damned thing, since gold is easier and easier to get as you advance. Gear damage would work... only if you couldnt repair the damage in seconds with gold. Maybe make it that you need progressively harder to find no trade items to repair gear? I'd be ok with that... but to be honest making it cost experience and levels is quicker, easier and smarter. People stand up and pay attention to that. Without it you rapidly see players using death as a method of transportation, and that isnt what this game is going for.
Keep in mind: the game we were promised was a step back and away from "modern" MMOs... and it isnt for everyone. This is a very niche game, so it may not be for you. I can promise this, though: any attempts to turn this game into the boring easy mode garbage we've all become disillusioned with will cause most of us to point at that person and scornfully laugh... and they'd deserve such.
Disagree with OP. I like the exp penalty. I think the death penalty is actually right in line with making it punishing enough that you get a sense of anxiety when things go bad, but not bad enough that it's impossible to recover.
Also, equipment durability loss is terrible IMO.
Growing up playing Everquest, I don't mind the experience loss or even doing a corpse run really. There is a slight downside for me only because having kids and a full time job my playtime is very limited but I've been waiting for Pantheon for so long now I beginning to not care and just want to play the game at this point lol.
In EQ1, in the beginning, when you died you lost ten percent of the amount of XP it would take to reach the next level from the beginning of that level, and everything dropped to your corpse. Then, as expansions got harder and harder, sooo many people complained that they implemented many changes. Starting with allowing others who were not in your group to drag your corpse, and increasing the range at which you could latch onto it. Then they created guild halls where you could pay to have your corpse summoned. Then they gave the option of waiting, I think it was a week, and summon it for free. Each time they catered to the few and diminished the game fr the many. Personally, I think it would've been better the way pantheon is, with one exception. After failing twice to retrieve your corpse, it then is automatically moved to the road, or a place where it can be looted without aggro, at which time you will take an additional 10% xp hit.
I'm coming from P1999, and I still didn't get to test Pantheon, but I find it odd that some players are this much against a system that is already more forgiving than classic EQ. That is exactly how slippery slopes start and then we eventually end on modern AAA MMORPGs, with perspectives on convenience and atrition shifting over the years. I thought most people came to Pantheon for the EQ experience after all.
I also do not see this new system as "debt", but more like "support and funding" to help you getting back on track. It's like you gambled in a casino and lost, but now for every new win you also gain a bonus based on your previous loss. That's not a debt at all. A debt would be if you stopped progressing in your XP bar until you paid all your "XP debt". The SM does not act as debt, since it comes as a funding system to alleviate the loss of XP on death. This all might look like different implementations of the same thing, so what I am trying to say is that the debt system covers the loss and recover aspects of the Death Penalty, while the Soul Memory makes a system that already existed on EQ less inconvenient.
I guess to appreciate this new system is important to understand the context of where the death penalty comes from, otherwise it might just look strange and convoluted.
redman323 said: Gear durability is also antiquated approach. It isn't innovative...just a different timesink. Looking forward to pullers/tanks getting more hits and paying more than anyone else. Laugh in dps...especially those who can drop combat and disappear.
I agree. I hate gear durability far more than XP loss though. Gear durability makes everything you earn temporary. I'd rather XP loss and no gear durability.
