124577-morning-coffee-49-the-completionist-edition

== Content ==
			
 
I ain't sure what these little gems are, but I wanna stuff four or five into my face hole at once!
 
So last night, I was playing Sharice the Granok Warrior. When I logged in, I was two bricks from level 21 and still had a few quests left in Galeras, even though I had the breadcrumb quest to leave for Whitevale.
 
I spent a few minutes waffling back and forth between wrapping up everything in one zone (where I would not be getting maximized XP) and leaving for a new zone with better XP. I have never been one who liked "going backward" unless it's for farming mats, so I bit the bullet and got the Quest Finder achievement for Galeras. Then finished the night scooting around to do the Soldier missions I'd missed.
 
How do y'all handle that part of leveling/questing? Do you stick around a zone until you've done everything or do you bail for greener pastures as soon as you can? Are you a "completionist" or do you just wanna make level cap as fast as possible?	
----
			
 
I am a completionist and dislike going backwards as well. I don't do *all* my path quests unless it's in my...well...path as I'm questing. I tend to go and complete my map, pick up any mats, grab missing lore and do any missing path quests before heading into the new area.	
----
			
I do everything. Everything. EVERYTHING. Something in my brain just won't let me move unless the to-do list is wiped completely clean. What if I forget what I haven't done? What if I miss something?? @.@
 
This is a rather annoying part of my brain in WildStar, where I already saw everything the game has to offer leveling-wise the first time around and yet my brain still insists on completing all the zones. Sigh. WTB more varied leveling paths.
 
It's crunch time at work now. I have 6 different final exams to pull together within a couple weeks. @.@ Oof. Cannot wait for summer. Thankfully I have WildStar (and Rift, which the SO, myself, and our friends have picked back up as a group thing; it's been a constant for the two of us since 2011) to occasionally distract me with. Yesterday it was to do the daily shiphand and then fail at trying to find a queue for the daily vet adventure. xD
 
I also learned about "weeklies" and picked up the group PvE one, but it's objective is very confusing to me.	
----
			I am this way too. I'll finish as much as possible and come back later for achievements. I usually finish all of the quests I have and all path missions. Last night in Whitevale though, I had to get out of there. That place was making me stir crazy.	
----
			
Good Morning Everyone!
 
Those look yummy! I will have to come up with a recipe for them to try out this weekend. :)
 
 
I'm the type of gamer that will get the whole map open and will do all the quests I can that are solo. If I don't do the group quests, no big deal. I take my time in each area/zone to see everything I can. I love exploring to see how far I can go up that mountain, just to see the scenery below.
 
{| class="blockquote"
I also learned about "weeklies" and picked up the group PvE one, but it's objective is very confusing to me.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I am this way too. I'll finish as much as possible and come back later for achievements. I usually finish all of the quests I have and all path missions. Last night in Whitevale though, I had to get out of there. That place was making me stir crazy.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
The group PvE one is for all the dungeons, adventures, group content things. I always pick up the PvE quest one, cause that one I can do on my own with dailies or any level 50 quest. No group needed.
 
Hope you all have a great day!
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Sigh. WTB more varied leveling paths.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
The quest objective said something about going to special ops and reviewing a simulation or somesuch. Can't remember, and I'm at work right now so can't check. But it definitely didn't just say "do dungeons" or whathaveyou. xD Unless I picked up another one by mistake. Possibly. I got dragged into rifting by the SO before I could go check it out yesterday haha.
----
			
Oh it sort of depends.  I've done it enough now that I know what I'm missing if I skip.  I do try to hit most of the quest hubs though.  Path stuff gets a miss.  I'll totally go out of my way while questing to do it, but if it's way off the beaten track and I'm bored with the zone, I'll just make a mental note to come back later for it.  (I still have Malgrave stuff on my scientist main to finish -- but have maxed out the path experience so it's one of those "maybe if I really have nothing else to do one of these days.")
 
I have particular quest chains I always do, just because they're fun, even if I'm over leveled for it.  I like the midnight squirg valley in Farside for example.  I actually like the story end quests in Wilderrun with the lore of Tresayne.  That sort of thing.
 
Anyhow, headed through another day.  We burned through a silver Skullcano and a bronze Protogames and then launched into raid and almost got 5/6 done in one night, except that Frog bugged and disappeared.  We probably should have tried to reset but we've never seen this before and thought maybe if he got a teleport phase he might come back, but he never did.  We killed the other three and it triggered the final kill trap, so we bailed out and called it a night.  Finally replaced the Dustwalker Overpants on my tank set.  Those blues were really great, but more armor and better rune slots I will take.  Also some shoes for the dps set so that was nice.  Getting to the point where inequity in loot randomness is causing some friction.  We've had heavy armor tokens drop like rain -- to the point where we are now having them go to offspecs -- while our light armor wearers still are missing a lot of gear.  I don't know if there's a good solution to this aside from putting in a glory path or a way to trade armor type tokens for different types.  The purchase path does provide a "well if I never see that gear drop, at least I know over time I can buy it" but at the same time, then the rest of us can just bank it.  And if the price is too low, then there's not necessarily any "ooh!" when it does drop.  I dunno.  I just know there are a lot of light armor wearers and some medium armor wearers frustrated while our heavies are more or less decked.
 
Maybe guild influence could be used to alter an armor type.  If raid leadership decides that a token is going to offspec when there are mains desperately needing kit, that provides an administrative way to switch it.  I can see a lot of butthurt and monkeyshines possibilities there too, but it's a thought.
 
Anyway, I'm tired, feel bleh and am rambling, so I'm going to go back and study the Exception Syndrome Register and try to stay awake.	
----
			
Hmmm, good question...
 
Completionism varies for me. Some days I get in the mood to slowly go through everything (including lore), other days I just want to hit cap. However, this does vary according to game as well.
 
WS's leveling experience wasn't my favourite so I basically tried to speed run to 50. I like the environments and the combat is usually fun, but two things tripped me up and have mostly prevented me from leisure playing this game pre-50:
 
1. Primals (I'd much rather see these as boss fights to finish certain quests, than the 'oops I pulled a Primal time to run* time-wasters I feel they are now. Majority of my deaths while leveling were accidental Primal pulls and I frequently didn't notice the creatures were Primals until it was too late.)
 
2. Any and all platforming aspects. I just suck at these and don't like them, it's not Wildstar's fault. :P
 
Comparatively I'd say WS's leveling experience was better for me than RIFT (I like RIFT but found the world somewhat generic and the enemies a little bland); not as good as WoW (the combat is better in WS but I prefer WoW's more coherent and playful quest system as it evolved for MOP; I don't like high 'difficulty' while leveling because I find it's often more grindy than strategic to surpass, WS also suffers from this IMO); and pretty much equivalent to FFARR (I like ARR's world more in a few ways, the people and places felt more 'real' to me— though there's a lot of nostalgia there— but I strongly disliked ARR's combat while leveling, it bored me senseless).
 
All told, I really hope MMOs focus on making the quest experience a more light-hearted thing that emphasizes ARPG combat, immersive environments, and fun rewards that aren't replaced 30 minutes later. At this point I feel most MMOs have turned their worlds into task-heavy gauntlets with forgettable gains that funnel you into endgame.	
----
			
Well, taking a break from the add on, and just enjoying playing the game. Gonna hold off on updating the UI until I see there's a demand for it (that is, that the grouping features are actually being used). That said, I've thought a lot about how to do it and I think it won't be too challenging if it needs to happen.
 
So last night raided with a friend's guild on my alt. It was fun. They have a loot policy of not giving out tier tokens to non-guildies on initial kills of bosses, which made me a little sad. But I knew it going in and I don't do this stuff for the loot, so I didn't rage. I understand progression raiding is about stacking your team, but when I lead a raid I feel if someone takes a few hours to wipe with me on a boss, then I want to make sure they feel their time is rewarded. But I know there's are a million different ways to think about this and I'm not going to be bitter since I knew going in what the standard was and chose to go to play with my friend (and because I liked the fight they were working on). I had a good time and that's what the game is about- having fun, and I'll always stand by that.
 
Reminds me of another group I joined a few weeks ago and they had a similar rule- no tokens for PUGs, but I didn't know it going in. I helped them get their first kill on x-89, solo healed the last 5% of the fight, and was one of the last three remaining players (it got down to one tile and ONE person standing for the kill- I died when the second to last tile dropped). They accidentally let me roll and I ended up getting the token (I didn't know they weren't supposed to give it to me, and they decided in the end I earned it).  I was thankful, but am not running with that group ever again.
 
Ah, loot drama. Funny thing is that it all get replaced eventually . . .	
----
			
My personal policy (yeah, I'm not really studying the Exception Syndrome Register) is to not raid with groups that hold any loot in reserve.  My opinion is that for a kill, I participated just as much as anyone else and as a result, I should be just as eligible for whatever drops as any other member of the fight.  That's how I would want to be treated as a PUG member of a raid, and that's how we treat PUG members of our raid (of which we haven't had any for quite awhile, but when we did have to do that occasionally, that's how it worked).
 
I understand there's that sense that "we just gave away something valuable to someone not in the guild!" but... tough.  You apparently weren't going to raid without me as a PuG so you needed me.  All that being said, I'm sure I've just got high standards and my raiding appetite is more than adequately fulfilled so if my alt doesn't get into a raid because I dislike the loot rules, no biggie.
 
But if anyone joins FF as a PUG, you'll be treated fair and square :-)	
----
			
Well, like I said, I knew the rules going in, so I'm not going to be a pain about it, and I'm certainly not complaining about the guild. I feel like they treated me fairly- they were up front and even apologetic. I think if I'd made an issue out of it, they'd have relented, tbh. But I really wasn't there for the loot.
 
But no, I don't think you have high standards. If my friend hadn't been in the guild, I wouldn't have joined. This was clearly more of a "hey bud, can you come help us out?" than a "LF1M DPS for GA" situation. 
 
But if anyone ever raids with my circle as a pug, you get a shot at the loot along with everyone else.	
----
			
Sounds like a sketchy situation, Jeff.
 
I can undertand when guilds want to keep progression loot in the guild; it maintains the upward trajectory for members and also keeps the mood positive. A guild that has to fill spots is already taking a morale blow, but a guild that also loses progression loot to puggers is taking an even bigger morale hit, and that's not good.
 
That said, any group that intends to hold back loot has to be 100% transparent about it beforehand. And, personal opinion, I also wouldn't join a group that holds back, even if they had good reason (though I'd be open to 'replacement loot' like plat or rare items from the gbank).
 
If it were my choice I'd say equal opportunity for everyone... but then, running a guild puts a lot of burden on simple choices. Which is why I'll probably never run one again, haha.	
----
			I do every quest in the zone that isn't a group quest and unveil the whole map.  I'm really OCD about that stuff, I also try to do all the scientist quests.	
----
			
 
{| class="blockquote"
Sounds like a sketchy situation, Jeff.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
The quest objective said something about going to special ops and reviewing a simulation or somesuch.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Oh it sort of depends.  I've done it enough now that I know what I'm missing if I skip.  I do try to hit most of the quest hubs though.  Path stuff gets a miss.  I'll totally go out of my way while questing to do it, but if it's way off the beaten track and I'm bored with the zone, I'll just make a mental note to come back later for it.  (I still have Malgrave stuff on my scientist main to finish -- but have maxed out the path experience so it's one of those "maybe if I really have nothing else to do one of these days.")
 
I have particular quest chains I always do, just because they're fun, even if I'm over leveled for it.  I like the midnight squirg valley in Farside for example.  I actually like the story end quests in Wilderrun with the lore of Tresayne.  That sort of thing.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Path missions get done if they are convenient, but maxing my path is left until I'm 50. Since path missions give you appropriate XP for your path level, you can run back to the starter zones and do easy missions there for a lot of XP.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Well they almost got the token system right.  In TOR the tokens that drop are weight agnostic and specific bosses will drop specific slot tokens.  But no, can't suggest either of those because that would be dumbing down the #hardcore again.
 
----
			
I think that the rune system is an excellent example of the type of balance you are talking about. What they were trying for initially wasn't bad, but it horribly missed the mark leaving people frustrated and upset. I really like the way the system is now- the slots make gear interesting and a nice puzzle to solve for gear, and the ability to change slots for a few plat highetens the drama a little (and makes it nice when you get a good rune slot distribution).
 
Seems to me that a good answer might be to create something like runic flux that allows you to change the armor type of a token for a few plat. This puts something else in the economy for people to spend money on, it keeps you from having to roll against the entire raid (because most guilds would adopt a "natural armor class first" rule, I'd think), but it gives you an out when RNG really works against your raid.
 
BTW, we do our tokens in rounds. Every one of a class gets one, then they get to roll on their second, etc. Right now our lights are on round 2 and our medium isn't even halfway through round 1 :(
 
 
On a completely different note, I just joined a recently formed worship band that was looking for a name. I suggested "Ignited". The band is going with that idea.
 
My wife laughed at me and said "like the Spellslinger ability?"
 
I fear that WS is at work in my subconscious . . .	
----
			We use EPGP which is a pretty decent system for merit based priority lot distribution. Still had the warrior tank and myself (engineer tank) rolling on a heavy helm token for offspec last night. While getting loot is nice, I would have been happier personally if one of our lights had gotten it. It would benefit the raid more.	
----
			
I like EP/GP. Used it back in WoW.
 
For this group everyone links what they have and we just have em roll unless we see some issue (like once an esper with an 1800 weapon wanted a downgrade because he didn't realize it was worse). Once someone gets a piece of loot, they don't roll again for the evening (unless you are the only who who needs and item for main spec). Tokens are completely separate and handled in the manner I already mentioned (I actually got two upgrades on one fight last week because I was the only light person to have not gotten a token and I also won some pants).
 
This has worked out pretty well for us. Minimal drama and pretty chill. Probably better than EP/GP for this group, since my experience with casual groups is the sometimes people don't understand it and therefore don't trust it.	
----
			
The best part of the Wildstar Facebook page?
 
You can say whatever you want!	
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
That sounds like the Omnichore-1 solo-only mission.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I thought I picked up the group PvE weekly though. D: <will check>
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I don't know what the answer is.  It'd be nice to be able to take a token for heavy armor that's going to offspec to be able to be repurposed to people who need mainspec gear, make that a nontrivial operation, but one that a dedicated raid group could undertake for its own benefit.
----
			
Well, a good impartial loot system ameliorates much of that drama, and Wildstar's stat system largely makes it relatively obvious which bits of kit are for which class.  So there's not a lot of anyone getting particularly mad.  It's just the class tokens and you can hear the collective sigh "a heavy... again???".
 
But those are good ideas.  Guess I'm glad I'm not in charge of having to evaluate the problem (if there is indeed one) and come up with solutions that have a minimal chance of gaming shenanigans attached.  :-)
 
I had another thought that maybe just.. once per raid lockout, you can reroll a single token.  Free, but only once.  MIght be helpful.  I dunno.  We'll probably get into Datascape and it'll be nothing but light armor for months :-).  Loot karma.	
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
PS: Apologies for the wall of observation and analysis. I actually am an engineer; my brain works like this.
----
			I'll brew some coffee today	
----