Chris and I discussed the current planar attunement system that is slated for Rift patch 1.5 on this week’s Multiverse. He thinks it is dull and boring. I think it is amazing and applaud Trion for, so far, sticking to their guns on the plan. There seems to be a big divided between players who get what the company is trying to achieve and those that are more interested in chasing the next set of stats. I want to explain why I think this system is so great and what I think the intent of it is.
Optional means optional
The most important aspect of this system is that it is optional. The rewards you receive as a player are very minimal. On an individual, per point level they’re basically pointless. The advancement through each point is not overly quick and to grind through them all would not be fun. It has to be this way. The risk and reward here is suppose to be skewed against grinding these out. None of the current content is balanced around having these points and, given that they seem to be on the right page here, Trion will likely not balance any future content on having a “complete” planar attunement. They might not balance against it at all. This truly makes it an optional system that comes organically from play.
You’re wrong Ferrel, if it is there, I have to get it!
And if I have to get it, it has to be worthwhile!
No, you don’t and no it doesn’t. Trion is making a statement here. This system is a bonus, not a requirement. As long as they do not balance around having it there will simply never be truth to the statement “I have to have it.” Now, will there be hardcore min/max players that will grind out this system? Yes, of course. I am one of them because I recognize that even though 1 Wisdom seems useless, if I grind everything, I’ll end up with what amounts to an entire extra equipment slot. That gives me an edge against content that isn’t balanced with this in mind. That is my choice. I am choosing to utilize the system in a way it wasn’t intended. That does not give me the right to demand it be more rewarding or less grindy. I represent a minority of players. The rest of the world will probably use the system as intended.
Do things you normally do for extra rewards
Trion has made this system to reward max level players for doing the things they already do. Are you running daily quests for money and faction? Now you’ll get a bonus to that in the form of planar attunement points. Do you love to close rifts? Now you get a bonus to that too. Everyone wants to take this system and put it in a vacuum. They see it as an island of character improvement and that is just missing the point. Planar attunement is an enhancement to the activities you are already doing. Don’t look at it as a way of presenting the next form of character advancement. It isn’t that! It is a bonus, nothing more.
That is why I applaud Trion so much with this choice. I hope and pray that they stick with it for Rift. I love the fact that I can get a bonus for doing what I already do day in and day out. When it comes to true character progression I’ll look at the expansion. Until then, I just want a little bit of extra depth on the side.
All characters are © 2007 - 2012
I haven’t been on the PTS to look at it, but I’m kind of excited to see what happens on live. Must drag warrior to 50….
Soon, soon! You’re close!
I like the planar atunement, I like that they didn’t make it a have to like eq or eq2. However, that being said I think they could have done more fluff things with it. If I’m picking stuff in the fire plane I’d like to start looking the part…maybe some flame effects, an illusion, something…just to make my character look more unique. Guess I’m pulling from the old Planescape world of DnD. However that aside I think it’s a great system.
As for an expansion, I was told as PAX by Hal Hanlin that an expansion isn’t even on the table at this point that they are continuing with the quick 30-60 day updates, and not going to do a money grab for an expansion box price. So I’m not going to even expect an expansion at the year mark since they’d already be talking about it if so.
Chris mentioned wanting more fluff as well. That makes perfect sense to me.
The concern with this system is less about what the system is than about what it might become.
No one needs to balance an encounter around 1 wisdom, especially early on when few players have even earned that 1 wisdom. It’s possible to decline to balance an encounter around a possible “extra equipment slot” worth of stats, bearing in mind that the “extra” slot is per player times 20 players in the raid, which adds up to the same effect as if you had one or more completely naked players in the group. Over time, though, a larger and larger portion of the players who do not re-roll will acquire the “extra” slot whether they intended to or not, simply because they will be earning AA’s for stuff they are already doing in game.
I don’t know exactly when this becomes something that the developer must balance encounters around, but my gut says that it has to happen eventually. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my EQ2 main first hit the level cap in late 2009, and I’m in a race to see whether I’ll get her to the current AA cap in the two months before it rises again (for the third time in that two year stretch). Another dozen or so and I will hit what’s considered the minimum for current raid content.
I don’t think so Green, you have to see the additional benefits in a percentage of the total wisdom a player has. So maybe in 1 year or so when he managed to gather 5 extra wisdom through planar atunement, he won’t go raiding greenscale anymore, there will be new raids, new items tiers and of course more total wisdom, so the bonus will stay marginal.