Cannith is just swarming with new players now, even more so than the last time we were the default server (3? 4? 5 years ago?).  It's a stark contrast compared to when I first started playing again 6 months ago.  I haven't seen so many low level LFM for Korthos and the harbor (on freaking norm of all settings) in years (we actually occasionally have instances in the harbor and the market.  Instances!).

I know Turbine (SSG, whatever) isn't advertising, so where are the new players coming from (and who the hell decides to try out a decade old game?)?

It's been ages since I've seen so many 1st life, no guild having motherfuckers running around.  And they horrible.  I mean, beyond fucking clueless - far beyond not knowing where the water works are, they can't even get a hire to use a shrine level of horrible.

They're so bad and clueless about the game, the only thing I can think of is the devs and their families have finally started playing

Ya.. they will be gone again soon enough.. they dont hang around long after getting 1 shotted by champs and having to start a quest all over again..

Skoodge wrote on Jan 17^th, 2018 at 5:43pm:

Probably from vaginas.

crunch wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 5:34am:


Yeah...that's not really how that joke works.

Where were you born? A: A hospital.  Mildly amusing juvenile humor. 

Where are you from?  Where did you come from?  A: My mother's vagina.  Again, mildly amusing.

Where are you coming from?  (referring to a shorter and more immediate time period) A: My mother's vagina.  Possibly amusing in a David Lynchesque manner, if intentional - but more likely just a butchered joke accidentally made disturbing.

ZooperDooper wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 6:51am:


This, however, is perfectly acceptable.  But your ass-people can't play ddo worth a fuck.

Probably people who keep an eye on the gaming sites.  Massively and such.  Any game with a F2P entry point may be worth a look.  Despite the dated graphics, the game has a lot going for it.  A lot of vet players look mostly at what is wrong or understand the nuances of balance and the higher difficulty levels but, to a new player, on norm or hard, the game is an entirely different experience. 

I got wrecked on my first character going into the water works adventure area in 2008.  It took me several tries to get through STK Part 1.  That Skele Caster/locked gate with kobolds and the optional necromancer area (sleet storm was my bane) felt like the ultimate challenge.  I think vets get more pissed about dying than new players.  I expect to die a lot and trial and error a lot in a new game.  That might be frustrating for vets to watch, though. 

I still think that the numbers will hold out, though, and 80% or more will quit within 2-3 weeks of starting.   Hopefully some stick with it.

Scenario 1:
*new player joins Reaper party*
New player: Hi where to go
Party: There there and there...
5 minutes later
Party: Next quest/part!
*New player has left the party*

Scenario 2:
*new player joins Reaper party*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has died*
*new player has left the party*

Trollero wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 11:05am:



OP!!!! 

You don't need any of the grind stuff except epic past lives for TR'ing (AC, HP mostly)

The rest is literally just not important. Only exception at all is spell pen for casters with Sorc/Wiz PLs.

Racial PL's also do not make a big enough difference for a new play to need to give a shit about, and ditto reaper XP until they've gone through a couple lives, done some Epic TR's, and are ready to try and really learn the game and play reaper.

The steps for a new player are actually not that bad.

If you only want to run R1, you don't need PL's.  The first two, to get to 36 point builds is enough.  Gear is more important and the offshoot of invalidating the entire gear history with the recent Ran Gen update in 2015 and the Cannith Crafting last year and ravenloft/slavers is that you can catch up in what most gamers would continue a reasonable amount of time. 

Of course, this is very build dependent.  If you want to try to make an AC/PRR heavy armor tank, you probably want to grind out every possible source of AC and PRR and that is way more lives.  But assuming you aren't taking on that kind of pet build project, then you are fine with a much smaller number of lives.

Strake wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 3:47pm:




That seriously made me laugh.  Joking aside though, as much as I don't care for Creepy Uncle Plays-with-dolls, I'm pretty sure he's at least a slightly above average player.

Asheras wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 8:32am:


Haven't checked it out but probably should - maybe Ravenloft is actually causing a bit of a buzz and raising curiosity somewhere.

somenewnoob wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 9:40am:


I'm trying man, I'm really trying.  I'm trying so hard to be cool about it and not be that guy I hated when I first started playing...

...but when you think you can knock out a full chain before bed and 20 minutes later you're still half way through the 1st 5 minute quest, it's hard not to scream

"Just click the fucking button!  Are you a fucking 'tard?!"

Ravenloft was voted the #2 MMO expansion in 2017 by Massively readers.  Only GW2 beat it out: http://massivelyop.com/2017/12/27/massively-ops-best-of-2017-awards-best-expansi...

OldCoaly wrote on Jan 19^th, 2018 at 8:46am:


Nearly 20 years of supervisor experience, I am a firm believer in leading by example.  Not only do I refuse to ask anyone working for me to do something I'm not willing to do myself, I'm sure to do it the first time to show none of us should be above any type of work, no matter what our position.

That said, I fully support your decision to come to Cannith to help out the newbs.

If you're transferring a character, be sure to clean out your TR bank first otherwise you might find yourself spending a lot of money on a gearless toon.

Should you decide to not spend real world money on the transfer (and I can't say I'd blame you) I'll do everything I can to get your new toon up to speed.

PM me your new toons name and I'll send you

-2500 essences towards getting your crafting levels up (you'll have to make a few alts to run through the tutorial for the boosters, but that should be enough to hit level 100 using the XP/success booster method).
-At least a medium bag full collectables (not just crap, I'll try and get at least 5-15 of the good stuff in there too).
-and a full set of green slotted gear for crafting.  I keep a back stock and should have one of each piece.  I suggest waiting for level 10 to use it, you can grab cheap yellow ones from the AH for lower levels.
-If needed, I'll try and run the slavers chain with you at least once and pass the ings over to you.

I suggest joining the Hand of Death.  They're probably the largest, newb friendly guild on Cannith at the moment.

There's not enough vaulties on Cannith, so I look forward to joining your groups soon!*

*provided you're running reaper.  you can put "1st timers welcome" in the description, I don't mind.

Skoodge wrote on Jan 18^th, 2018 at 4:02pm:



I know. I think the amount of grind "required" helps make us all into "that guy I hated" sometimes.

And for every time over the last month or so or however long Cannith has been the default, for every guy who walks into a Wiz King daily and doesn't know the quest who I run around and show him where t1, t2, t3 is.......there is another who constantly dies during a r1 acid wit who I decide to just put in my backpack and finish it solo since it takes too long to constantly haul hius stone to a shrine. (That clicky is only one fucking use after all!)

That's the problem with hamster wheels, when you try to step off it to help someone, your immediate reaction is "OH FUCK THE WHEEL STOPPED TURNING!!"

And I honestly feel bad for new players, because it is probably damn near impossible to find anybody to play with who isn't running elite or r1 in heroic levels. Some guy had a heroic shroud flaggers up all day one day on normal (think it was a saturday afternoon, so pretty active population time)......I kept looking at the panel....not one guy joined him during the couple hours it was up as he went through them. Because who the fuck would want to run the coal chamber not once, but twice since you'll want to go back and get the favor.

And for veteran players, anything less that elite gets pretty fucking boring challenge wise. I was one of the people who said I would never set foot in reaper. Fuck that! But when I finally stopped grinding epls, and got back in heroics, I tried it. And, just like green eggs and kargons tasty ham.......I liked it when i did. Heroic elites (other than some of the newer content when they crank it up to fuck factor 5) had gotten a little too easy, and too easy = boring.

So now we've got a fairly veteran player  base, who is either spinning the wheel as fast as it will go, or who is bored by no challenge difficulty, or who don't want to repeat quests to pick up favor.
And then new players, who either die a lot during the content we like to play or play to maximize our wheel spinning velocity, or who put up lonely lfm's for lower difficulty that rarely get anyone to join them.

Tough to be a new dude!