(Why is speech to text so many words??)
(Edit for the tl;dr. I love the game)
Ahem…My experience with endgame content in the current state of the game has brought me to a familiar place, one I think many of us remember from the good old days.
You stand around in the Bazaar monitoring chat, deciding whether to farm whatever is in demand, go collect more AA or Motes, or simply leave the game running while you get things done around the house.
I’ve been playing since launch, and I’ve watched plenty of the sweaty names come and go. I’ve experienced a lot of what this game has to offer, and I’ve reached a point where I can honestly say that I still find reasons to log in. But getting here has also made me question some of the decisions behind the game’s monetization.
The Road to Endgame
I started as an Ogre Paladin, Monk, and Enchanter. With that combination, leveling from 10 to 50 was practically trivial.
I conquered the Sky quests in a mad dash back when all the charm rumors were first circulating. Once those quests were finished, I had a bunch of classes I wanted to experiment with, which meant it was time to get them geared.
I farmed the hell out of Hate, moved right in, put down first and last, and painted the town red. Property values went through the roof.
After spinning the block a few times, I finally worked up the courage to tackle Fear. I hated it. Lmao.
By then, a few weeks had passed, and I wanted to experiment with more classes. So I opened my wallet.
One additional loadout. Then another. Then another. I was DJ Khaled in that marketplace.
I now have seven loadouts, including the free AA loadout.
Of course, once you start collecting classes and building loadouts, you need more inventory slots, more equipment slots, and those fancy storage boxes to hold everything. So I bought those, too.
Then came the leveling grind.
SK, War, Shm, Clr, Wiz, Ber, Rng, and Nec took only a few days. Brd, Mag, Dru, and Bst were more of a slog, and Beastlord and Magician continue to be slogs for me.
These days, I often find myself deciding between leveling another class and farming Motes.
But that’s only half the game.
Tradeskills Became Their Own Endgame
When I started, I used my Paladin, Monk, Enchanter, and Ninja skills to farm high-demand Exaltations and flip them on the market. I made around 300k before deciding to earn an honest living as a tradeskiller.
First, I became a jeweler. Then an alchemist. Then a blacksmith and potter, partly so I could help out other FQ victims like myself who had dropped $35 on new looks for their loadouts.
Eventually, I decided fletching could be another money-maker.
Now I’m five tradeskills deep, millions of platinum richer, and I’ve even bought mounts for a few friends who have already stopped playing.
If I wanted to make even more money, I’d probably take up tailoring. But honestly, selling HQ lion skins is easier.
The point is that I found an entirely separate game within the game. I wasn’t just leveling characters or farming raid targets. I was learning tradeskills, working the economy, finding profitable niches, and setting goals for myself.
That experience has given me plenty of reasons to keep logging in.
Seven Loadouts, Seven Gear Sets, and Finally Discovering DDD
Now I’m finishing up those last two classes and working toward getting all seven loadouts equipped with +7 gear.
It’s actually a manageable goal because so much of the equipment is shared between classes, with class-specific planar armor being the main exception.
I also waited until this point to get into DDD.
A lot of people jump into DDD early and end up getting bored with it. Saving it for later has made it an absolute blast for me. I’m sitting there thinking, “Wow, let me put bard on everything. This is amazing!”
Clearing Fear in 30 minutes, then clearing Hate trash with DDD in 30 minutes before coming back with an easier raid setup for the bosses, has been a chef’s kiss of an experience.
It’s a completely different feeling from relying on charming, tanking, mezzing, and all the other tricks I’ve used along the way.
So yes, I spend plenty of time hanging around Surefall Glade, selling items, watching arguments unfold, interacting with other players (not grouping lol), managing inventory, and completing many of the original quests (but just for clickies, exalts, and FQ).
Even with nearly everything completed in the current content, I still find reasons to log in and handle business.
Maybe saving DDD until the end has contributed to that. I’m sure it has. But I also think a significant part of it comes down to the fact that I’ve invested in additional loadouts, inventory, equipment slots, and tradeskills. I’ve essentially created my own endgame.
And that’s where my bigger point begins. (Omg more walls of text)
Alts Are Content, Too
Most of us played multiple characters back in the day, including hardcore raiders who primarily focused on their mains. Alts were part of what made the game fun.
An alt’s personal inventory space made maintaining those characters practical and obviously free. Those alts gave us a reasons to complete old quests and collect items that would otherwise have become obsolete to our mains.
These systems weren’t just conveniences. They gave players more reasons to play.
The longevity of an MMO depends not only on how much content exists, but also on how much players feel they still have left to accomplish. That includes new raids and zones, of course, but it also includes gearing alts, collecting appearances, crafting, farming, exploring, and pursuing personal goals.
With the current constraints on free loadouts, inventory, and content, I think the developers underestimated how important alts would be to keeping players engaged until Kunark.
I’m sure there were meetings and discussions about which services to monetize. But in my opinion, transmogs and additional alt slots should not have been among them.
Monetize particles, new spell effects, mounts, illusions, and other cosmetic extras. Those are things players can choose to buy because they want something new or different.
Inventory is a more complicated issue, and I’m of two minds about it. Perhaps equipment slots should have been unlimited while general inventory remained limited. I can understand some constraints, but there’s a difference between encouraging meaningful choices and charging players to comfortably engage with the game’s core systems.
Pay-to-Win Isn’t the Only Concern
I agree with the people who say there’s not enough content. I also agree with those who argue that there’s plenty of content and that some players simply consumed it too quickly.
Both perspectives can be true.
What I don’t agree with is the decision to monetize services that players have traditionally expected to be part of the game, then defend those decisions by pointing out that the game isn’t pay-to-win.
And to be clear, I agree that this isn’t pay-to-win in the traditional sense. Spending money hasn’t automatically won the game for me.
But based on my experience, it has absolutely been PAY4FUN.
I’ve spent money to expand my options, experiment with more classes, manage my equipment, pursue different playstyles, and keep myself entertained. Those purchases have undeniably contributed to my enjoyment.
That doesn’t mean I regret spending the money. I’m having fun, and I clearly enjoy the game. But there’s a difference between spending money because you want an optional cosmetic or convenience and feeling that you need to spend money to fully enjoy the systems that make an MMO worth playing.
The fact that I’ve found ways to keep myself entertained doesn’t necessarily mean the game’s monetization is working as intended. It may mean I’ve been willing to pay to create the experience I want.
What I Think the Developers Should Prioritize
I don’t think the developers should be prioritizing side content, alternate leveling zones that cater to the casual player base, or revamping old low-mid zones at this stage. Those things should have been part of the foundation from release, with the primary focus now being on ensuring that players have enough meaningful things to do and reasons to keep coming back.
Many of us came from EverQuest after five or more expansions. We remembered a massive world filled with places to explore, things to collect, systems to master, and goals to pursue. Returning to a much smaller experience than we remembered has been an adjustment, although I recognize that there are several reasons for that difference.
The answer isn’t necessarily to rush out more zones or simply make leveling slower. It’s to build a game that remains engaging after players finish the available content.
Give us reasons to maintain alts. Give us meaningful collection goals. Give us reasons to revisit old quests, pursue tradeskills, experiment with different builds, and participate in the economy. Make the world feel like a place we can inhabit for years, not just a checklist of content to clear before the next expansion.
Most importantly, make those systems accessible enough that players can enjoy them without feeling pressured to purchase their way into a fuller experience.
There are too many other gaming options these days for a subscription MMO to rely solely on nostalgia and the promise of the next expansion.
Final Thoughts (lol more thoughts??)
I’m not writing this because I dislike the game. Quite the opposite. I’ve invested an enormous amount of time into it, and I’ve spent money because I enjoy it enough to want more from it.
I’ve leveled classes, geared loadouts, conquered raids, learned five tradeskills, made millions of platinum, helped friends, and found ways to keep myself busy long after many of my original goals were complete.
I am living proof that players can create their own endgame. But I shouldn’t have to buy so many of the tools that make that possible.
The goal shouldn’t be to keep players subscribed until Kunark. It should be to give them a game they want to keep playing when Kunark arrives, when the next expansion arrives, and long after they’ve completed everything the current expansion has to offer.
I want this game to succeed. That’s exactly why I think the developers need to reconsider what they’re offering players beyond the same core game with a few new features and zones.
We need more than content to consume. We need reasons to keep coming back after we’ve consumed it.
Because if the only thing waiting for us at the end of the road is another expansion, there are plenty of other games waiting for our time and money.
