New Player Experience - Some Feedback

[Sn4ke2346]

Hey guys,

I'm a seasoned mmorpg player, played Warhammer Online a small amount when it released back then and after years and years of roaming around through different mmorpgs I made my way into Return of Reckoning. First of all I have massive respect for the work that is put into this to keep this game alive. The game deserves it as it is something really special. So I want to leave some feedback how the game feels to me as a newbie. In my job I am always grateful for outside perspectives so maybe you like that too.

So the beginning of the game is insanely fun. Getting your feet wet in a little tutorial and then jumping right into tier 1 rvr is super fun. It's easy to get into. It's welcoming. The gear progression is beautiful and the rvr system feels like the sweet spot between instanced pvp like it is in most theme park mmorpgs and pvp only gank fests like Albion or Ashes (RIP). All rounded up with the great fantasy of Warhammer which still holds up in it's unique art style that is put into this game.

But then: Level 16. You now are somehow being pushed into the role of an outlaw. It feels like you are always in the wrong place trying to play rvr. As for tier 2,3 and 4 are merged together you have to play with the big boys now. I'm cool with that. But it is really hard to find a group that is actually welcoming. Most of the groups have +30 or +40 restrictions or are like "[random race] only". So you don't get in in the first place. When you finally make it into a group it always feels like being the weakest link despite bolstering. Not rarely wb members starting to moan about the amount of low levels when something goes wrong. And I understand high level players preferring to play with other high level players because it is more fun and it is more reliable. So the game system leads to this point of friction which is not ideal.

I would highly appreciate if tier 4 would be separated from the other tiers so you don't fall into a deep hole after reaching level 16. It doesn't feel great to be just merely tolerated as a low level character. It's a bit excluding. So I really think the society of RoR could be more lively if it was more welcoming on a structural level. Not meaning that there aren't a lot of welcoming players.
I know that you can't make every tier exclusive because population spikes around new players and high level players with not a lot of people in between. In my opinion it could be a good idea to combine tier 1,2 and 3 instead of 2,3 and 4.
Anyway, a good idea on how to close the gap between tier 1 and 4 could be very beneficial to the game I think.

[dreabo7155]

yes the bolstering is much to low ,then the heal pots you can use you have only 600 they have 3000 or more and you dont have all the skills
but the biggest problem is autoband it ruins the game

[notrandomatall]

yes the bolstering is much to low ,then the heal pots you can use you have only 600 they have 3000 or more and you dont have all the skills
but the biggest problem is autoband it ruins the game

I don't think the bolstering is too low. The real problem is that players, especially new ones don't know how to take full advantage of bolstering and if they do, they most likely can't afford something like +18 talismans.

Also regarding Autoband. Autoband is just a band aid to the real problem. Almost none wants to lead and everyone wants to win. If the game had an overabundance of leaders Autoband wouldn't be an issue.

[Bankei]

The game certainly does a poor job of telling you how to maximize your bolster.

I mean, these crashout posts are a dime a dozen with all the same feedback. Like when that rando streamer played for a couple of days and wanted fresh servers with faster leveling lol

I suspect that we're in a catch 22, dev time is limited, they can improve the new player onboarding OR create content at higher level, not both. So the question is: are we onboarding new players faster than bleeding away veterans who are quitting?

[yoluigi]

The bolster is garbage these days. If you watch my old Choopa lv 29 videos you could see it was like 3 times stronger it is now. It's a shame because it was a good way for people to experience invader + stats

[wiscel]

Also make the L38 mount available (and reduce the price, why 100 gold?) at Level 16 once you leave T1. This way you can keep up with the warbands.

[Kylashandra]

The Bolster, even optimized through stuff / talisman up to the player's lvl won't help against any vainq + player. It does not make up for the lack of tactic slots / skills / morales and gear. Low lvl players are rarely welcome in any form of warband, except the trash ones who don't get a single kill in an hour and get farmed by the BiS folks. Their only way to get through the intermediate tiers in a semi enjoyable way is through SCs / PQs / questing. Quite lacking when RvR is supposed to be the main focus of the game and after having fun in T1 oRvR.
I've said it countless times, but there are ways to bring back the lower tiers (or an unified T2+3 one), the player base is large enough for it, as long as you give veteran players reasons to play rerolls to go along with the new players (bring back lower tier contribution to T4 front locks for example).

[Wdova]

yes the bolstering is much to low ,then the heal pots you can use you have only 600 they have 3000 or more and you dont have all the skills
but the biggest problem is autoband it ruins the game

I don't think the bolstering is too low. The real problem is that players, especially new ones don't know how to take full advantage of bolstering and if they do, they most likely can't afford something like +18 talismans.

Also regarding Autoband. Autoband is just a band aid to the real problem. Almost none wants to lead and everyone wants to win. If the game had an overabundance of leaders Autoband wouldn't be an issue.

No bolster in the universe can save you when you: Get no usefull morals, lack of tactic slots, lack of defense because you cant use your renown points if it greatly surpas your XP level. I say it again, bolster is good thing, but does not fix the issue low levels have.