25 replies to this topic

[havocstopper]

I don't know if this fits here, but I thought I'd share a little "experiment" I'm doing to see what the "new player" experience is like.

The goal is to hit max level without ocp or any cash shop assistance, log "fun" moments, as well as "quit" moments. I also won't buy any items from players that are from the cash shop, or use manuals that aren't provided by an npc. Parties are okay, but leeches aren't allowed. I don't think I'll use the Premium Service since it gives a lot of perks besides an xp boost. Even though I'm doing this on the new server, this won't be a booster character.

I know im not the first to do this, but I havent seen anyone really chronicle their time finding their way through iRO completely naked in recent time. I think the experience would be great to have on record for both players and staff. I'll use this area as a diary, and may occasionally stream my progress.

If there's anything else I should or shouldn't do to make it more "pure" let me know. I'll also take suggestions for what class to do this on. I don't want to play something just because it's easy, but something that a newbie is likely to pick.

Thoughts?

[Zoltor]

Getting to lv 130 should be pretty effortless(especially as a sin/rogue char), but to get to lv cap is a nightmare even with all the OCP items in the world.  There aren't really good maps past that, that are actually not a hassle

 

Well for more pure, make it so gramps Isn't allowed(unless I'm mistaken, that's like the only way people can really get past lv 150, unless they added a new map in the past few years I don't know about to help with that).

 

We really need high lv maps that aren't counterproductive(like the lv 130 GH nightmare map due to cursed boxes, so annoying), and have bounty boards.

[ChakriGuard]

Looking forward to reading it. I wouldnt be able to survive without swipping at current state of iRO. And im too nub for this hahaha

[havocstopper]

Getting to lv 130 should be pretty effortless(especially as a sin/rogue char), but to get to lv cap is a nightmare even with all the OCP items in the world. There aren't really good maps past that, that are actually not a hassle

Well for more pure, make it so gramps Isn't allowed(unless I'm mistaken, that's like the only way people can really get past lv 150, unless they added a new map in the past few years I don't know about to help with that).

We really need high lv maps that aren't counterproductive(like the lv 130 GH nightmare map due to cursed boxes, so annoying), and have bounty boards.

I was on the fence about gramps because while that'd naturally what people are encouraged to do, it sort of feels like a cop-out leveling technique. I'll probably do bounty boards at the most.

I was considering sin as a starter since using enforcers is off the table, and a new person who sees footage of the cool sprite dealing huge numbers is probably what would draw someone to the game, thus fueling the "new player perspective".

Looking forward to reading it. I wouldnt be able to survive without swipping at current state of iRO. And im too nub for this hahaha

Lol nah I think you could do this. It's more of a battle of willpower. Like Zoltor said the worst of it will be after 130 or so. There's still lots of content I haven't done because of my sporadic binging on this game, so I'm also counting on that to keep me motivated.

[Zoltor]

I was on the fence about gramps because while that'd naturally what people are encouraged to do, it sort of feels like a cop-out leveling technique. I'll probably do bounty boards at the most.

I was considering sin as a starter since using enforcers is off the table, and a new person who sees footage of the cool sprite dealing huge numbers is probably what would draw someone to the game, thus fueling the "new player perspective".


Lol nah I think you could do this. It's more of a battle of willpower. Like Zoltor said the worst of it will be after 130 or so. There's still lots of content I haven't done because of my sporadic binging on this game, so I'm also counting on that to keep me motivated.

 

 

It is a cop-out that's why it feels like that lol, It's like many of the abusable oversights that ended up in RO, the only difference is that the developers sadly intended this one.  I think bounty boards are fine, as they are legitimate quests, and It's more of a bonus for your grind, and  by no means a replacement for such.

 

 

Yea no OCP means no MA ingeneral(although Thieves Guide is shockingly so cheap, it would be hard to restrain yourself in such a challenge. Lol I guess another reason to go sin rather then SC, even though the SC would make you so much zeny)

Edited by Zoltor, 28 October 2022 - 11:40 AM.

[havocstopper]

I guess the next question is does Eden Gear count? If we don't do Eden Gear then essentially I'll be playing renewal as if it were classic, which is basically what we all did when renewal first launched.

Still, that idea is kind of interesting because it'll help speak to map/instance design in modern ro. Before I was driven by curiosity and "science", but now I'm kinda pumped xD. I'm sure that'll end in my early 100s when I realize I'm stuck swatting things with a boring durga. I'm hoping I luck out and can farm a hunter fly card and just spin-2-win to 150 at least.

[FishDeity]

The no cash shop playstyle has been done before by several people, like @Captain Sunbear. There was also a forum post about it before but I cannot find it now. Your journey would be valuable info to help newbies.

 

For gearing, you can basically use the welfare equipment (Eden -> Noblesse -> Imperial -> Grace) set most of the way. I do think you should include the welfare equips since they are official content (not even iRO custom). The Eden Equipment page links to all of them in the intro section. 

[Zoltor]

I guess the next question is does Eden Gear count? If we don't do Eden Gear then essentially I'll be playing renewal as if it were classic, which is basically what we all did when renewal first launched.

Still, that idea is kind of interesting because it'll help speak to map/instance design in modern ro. Before I was driven by curiosity and "science", but now I'm kinda pumped xD. I'm sure that'll end in my early 100s when I realize I'm stuck swatting things with a boring durga. I'm hoping I luck out and can farm a hunter fly card and just spin-2-win to 150 at least.

 

 

I don't see why not, they're just cheap stand ins to hold you over, until you can afford proper gear, and there's better non-OCP items then them.

[Biosphia]

Now you are talking my language. As long as you don't touch cash shop it will be fine for a newbie leveling experience. I would even allow myself to get a rideword hat.

 

 

 

I my experience, getting 175 can be done in almost any class with just freebies, just need patience. Noblesse>Imperial>Grace will be always a good option. We have 17.1 weapons that can be enchanted with ease, same for acessories.

 

For leveling there's plenty of options to grind without touching gramps. Level 130 to 140 i call it a dead space because we have no good options, if the class is naturally strong we can go straight to Dragon Nest. At 140+ we unlock Dragon Nest bounty then just grind till 160. Along that we have NCT bounty, Verus dailies, or Illusion Turtle to grind as a last resort.

 

After 175 i really don't know how is the leveling with those itens, maybe now with this new balance patch is easier to do, but i can't share any experience in that regard.

[havocstopper]

Good points! Alright, Eden Gear is in unless someone has a persuasive argument against it.

I'll take a peek at some of the guides people that others on this quest have made. I'm very much learning towards gx still, though part of me wished someone would justify ranger since it's a really straight forward class >_< I think p. melee exposes one to most of the "elements" of RO though.

I'm curious how people will feel about the game's "highlights" and "quit" points. I wonder if they'll resonate with things others have felt, including longtime veterans.

Edited by havocstopper, 28 October 2022 - 03:13 PM.

[havocstopper]

Leveling to max level without OCP gears is hardly a challenge, imo. What about only use items that drop from your own playthrough (including items from quests). Don't play the economy metagame and skip certain contents. Play the game at face value like a true casual. RO has many maps to explore.

 

You can use battle manual and bubble gum since they don't let you skip any content they just make it less grindy.

 

I wonder if I'll find it easy too...

 

Now playing the game living off of whatever I find myself would be a true Extreme Mode. I think I'll actually do this with just the one character; no merch or priest for support since multiclienting isn't as needed for mmo's these days, and that's what a modern newbie would expect.

 

I'll start this adventure tonight ^^ Thanks for everyone's input!

Edited by havocstopper, 29 October 2022 - 10:39 AM.

[havocstopper]

Day 1!

 

First of all, a big thanks to those who poked their head in for the stream. It was a good time (Our pet poring Harold thanks you too).

 

There's a lot of stuff with the game that I overlook because I simply love RO and don't see many issues because I've played it for so long, but actually reading text out loud and going through a lot of the newbie quests made me see plenty of "quit" moments. Before I go on, I must acknowledge that a lot of these are more of a 'Gravity' issue than a WP issue, but it's all worth mentioning.

 

Moment 1: Lack of direction. While I think games have way too much hand-holding these days, I think the arrows to the Academy should be always present after you arrive in Izlude. Using the navigation menu and other "newer" systems feels like trying to run a program on DOS; it works but it's not very fun.

 

Moment 2: Engrish. I was shocked at how much hasn't been fixed over the years. While humorous, it looks very sloppy to a newcomer and could turn someone off before they even hit job 10.

 

 

 

Moment 3: Walls of text. So much text. Maybe add some effects or more character portraits here and there?

 

Moment 4: Slow leveling. I think the exp table needs to be adjusted. Most of us are vets and can breeze through earlier levels because we know where to go and the new skills around the corner, but again, from newbie eyes this could scare people away. 1st classes don't have the most exciting skills, but they should be able to get those skills as quick as possible and be able to reach job 40 or 50 in a session or 2's playtime. Afterall, they're going to have to repeat the process over again when rebirthing, right? That handy little ring in the booster pack should come standard, and the actual booster pack should give a 200% exp perk. Now that's what I call a boost!

 

Moment 5: Pets. Giving you a pet through the Academy quests is nice, but you should get way more apple juice. When starting out it's impossible to determine where the quest is to make more. If you can buy it, my poring Harold would love to know where.

 

 But this session wasn't without it's joys! Some Highlights were...

 

Highlight 1: This is more incidental, but the monsters are freakin' adorable. I think a lot of people especially now dig the whole retro-pixel style

 

Highlight 2: Eden Quests. They made me feel like I was getting something done in a sea of slowness. As a scrub with no money or gear to his name, every turn in quest, plus the gear quests, made me smile with accomplishment.

 

Highlight 3: Concentration Pots/Agi+Bless Scrolls. These made the game infinitely more enjoyable. Fighting is too slow at the start of the game. I understand Warpportal can't adjust table parameters without consent, but perhaps think about getting permission to give newbies more of these things at the start of the game, including say 10-15 con pots and at least 1000 zeny. It'll also teach new players more about the benefits of the game's buffs and what consumables they should keep an eye out for.

 

 

LEVELING!

If you're a newbie or old school returning player, call your map using ctrl+` as I'll be using the shorthand field names from time to time.

 

1-10

I went the usual route and did the freebie quests in Izlude; basically, anyone with a "!" above their heads. I also talked to the herbalist then the knight in the kitchen to learn about status effects for additional 3 free levels, then poked a couple porings outside town. The red pots and fly wings you get from the npcs are a must if you're starting out, so do those quests even if they're pretty silly (sidenote: the first aid quest gives exp, but the play dead one doesn't. I honestly felt pretty cheated )

 

10-15

I wandered around Prt_fild08 (one south of Prontera, one west of Izlude) battling lunatics and poring. When I had 15-20 dex I moved onto hornets at Prt_fild05 (one east of Prontera). I tried thief bugs, but they hit a little too hard until I went back to the Eden Group to complete the gear quest. After that I hung out in culverts

 

15-25

Things began to snowball here. With concentration pots and buff scrolls active, I gained level after level. It's not flashy looking, but Familiars kept me on my toes, and the rewards were great. After a while I decided to move onto the payon area and attempt some poporings (moc_fild02) then payon dungeon 01.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: After looking this over, I think this would be a better fit for the guide section. If it doesn't get auto-moved before the next update, look for more over there. 

 

Our little thief Lighthalz is growing little by little. If you see him, come say hi or feel free to party up! See you in the next update.

Edited by havocstopper, 30 October 2022 - 06:06 AM.

[Ashuckel]

sin/archer classes prob have the easier time early on, but when getting into the later 3rd lvls, geneticist has one of the best pool of available ingame items

[EdwardEG]

10-15
I wandered around Prt_fild08 (one south of Prontera, one west of Izlude) battling lunatics and poring. When I had 15-20 dex I moved onto hornets at Prt_fild05 (one east of Prontera). I tried thief bugs, but they hit a little too hard until I went back to the Eden Group to complete the gear quest. After that I hung out in culverts

15-25
Things began to snowball here. With concentration pots and buff scrolls active, I gained level after level. It's not flashy looking, but Familiars kept me on my toes, and the rewards were great. After a while I decided to move onto the payon area and attempt some poporings (moc_fild02) then payon dungeon 01.

During my experience from RO Trans server, alot of people were levelling and partying at these spots:

10-20: Spores
20-40: BigFoot
40-60: Outside Orc Dungeon
60-70: Hode
70-85: Petite
85-99: Glast Heim

I knew the difference was there was no Eden and bounty board quest back then in ROT, but monsters in these areas were not difficult and are listed in Bounty Boards which can be best spot for levelling to 99.

[Zoltor]

During my experience from RO Trans server, alot of people were levelling and partying at these spots:

10-20: Spores
20-40: BigFoot
40-60: Outside Orc Dungeon
60-70: Hode
70-85: Petite
85-99: Glast Heim

I knew the difference was there was no Eden and bounty board quest back then in ROT, but monsters in these areas were not difficult and are listed in Bounty Boards which can be best spot for levelling to 99.

 

 

To add to this, after that do Chiv 2 from 100-130... or so(Igot to 132 before it really began turning into a grind)

 

Also frankly, I would do Magma 1 from 80-100, a GX should have np, even without optimized gear.  If you can get a hold of a ice elemental weapon, and you can find a cheap non-slotted ice pick on the market, look for a Grimtooth on the market, that, and whatever should be enough to carry you through.

Edited by Zoltor, 30 October 2022 - 04:31 PM.

[havocstopper]

sin/archer classes prob have the easier time early on, but when getting into the later 3rd lvls, geneticist has one of the best pool of available ingame items

 

Yeah. This time around I found thief surprisingly annoying until I could afford con pots regularly. I'm anticipating early 100s as a nub gx to be pretty annoying until I can spin around

During my experience from RO Trans server, alot of people were levelling and partying at these spots:

10-20: Spores
20-40: BigFoot
40-60: Outside Orc Dungeon
60-70: Hode
70-85: Petite
85-99: Glast Heim

I knew the difference was there was no Eden and bounty board quest back then in ROT, but monsters in these areas were not difficult and are listed in Bounty Boards which can be best spot for levelling to 99.

 

I never thought of Hodes. Usually I go to Drillers, but I'll test that out!

To add to this, after that do Chiv 2 from 100-130... or so(Igot to 132 before it really began turning into a grind)

I'll try it out. I usually do Desert Wolf around then, but their earth attack hurts early in your early 100s

[Zoltor]

Yeah. This time around I found thief surprisingly annoying until I could afford con pots regularly. I'm anticipating early 100s as a nub gx to be pretty annoying until I can spin around

 

I never thought of Hodes. Usually I go to Drillers, but I'll test that out!

I'll try it out. I usually do Desert Wolf around then, but their earth attack hurts early in your early 100s

 

 

Yea I notice Desert Wolves aren't the weaklings they use to be, they're nasty if they gangup on you.

[evrensu]

I'm already doing what you've proposed lol 

 

Since I started 2 months ago, I had nothing and I didn't pay any cash on the game. The first few days were horrible 

 

I started with a Sin, but I think the first char should be a BS; even if it will be the main char or not. You have Adrenalin Rush, Power Thrust, Weapon Perfection and Maximize Power (+Crazy Uproar). You also have zeny skills like Vending, Overcharge and Discount. I started picking up everything on the ground (including jellopies). I was able to level easily with a bare Two Handed Axe from the weapon dealer NPC. Now it is Master Smith lvl 99.

 

Now I've returned to my main char SinX. Trying to complete his equip set.

 

I think that should be the way. If you have to choose and play one and only char, then I think it is supposed to be a BS. Otherwise how can you accumulate zeny? Also you need vending.

 

Good luck <3

[freddym]

Ouuuuufffff good luck.   

[havocstopper]

I'm already doing what you've proposed lol 

 

Since I started 2 months ago, I had nothing and I didn't pay any cash on the game. The first few days were horrible 

 

I started with a Sin, but I think the first char should be a BS; even if it will be the main char or not. You have Adrenalin Rush, Power Thrust, Weapon Perfection and Maximize Power (+Crazy Uproar). You also have zeny skills like Vending, Overcharge and Discount. I started picking up everything on the ground (including jellopies). I was able to level easily with a bare Two Handed Axe from the weapon dealer NPC. Now it is Master Smith lvl 99.

 

Now I've returned to my main char SinX. Trying to complete his equip set.

 

I think that should be the way. If you have to choose and play one and only char, then I think it is supposed to be a BS. Otherwise how can you accumulate zeny? Also you need vending.

 

Good luck <3

 

 

 

I thought about a smith, and it makes a lot of sense. The reason I went sin has to do with one thing you actually mentioned: you started with one.

 

Part of this lil personal quest was to pick something a new player would most likely choose as a new character. While my own personal bias is mixed in, I figured Knight, Assassin or Wizard would be the biggest draw for a new player, and most commentary from others ended up being around Assassin, so I rolled with it.

[havocstopper]

Entry 2 (20s-70)

 

I found that the game picked up a huge amount of momentum once my attack speed rose from cons/awake pots. I guess modern games spoil us with faster combat, but this change really helped keep me engaged. Levels came nice and easy; so often in fact that at one point I even forgot to pay attention to this critical analysis of the game. But that's a good thing!

 

After grabbing the Eden Gear for leve, I ran over to the northeast Geffen Field (mjolnir_06) and poked poison spores for some extra easy xp, and from there I travelled to everyone's favorite field of vouchers and cyfars: Orc Dungeon (gef_fild03)!

 

This is where I made my first 100k, and I started to feel like buying things from the super expensive player shops was somewhat possible (Remember, new player perspective!). In this regard I can say Freya is a little more newbie friendly. Even though you have folks trying to sell stuff for billions, I think inflation still down compared to Chaos, but time will tell how long that lasts.

 

It's at this point that I began wondering what things would have been like if Freya didn't have ocps/woe pot boxes and the like, and just sold cosmetics. I still believe that this coupled with some advertisement before the launch would have made this server a small but happy RO home for more people. but I digress...

 

Being an eager newbie, I made my way to the desert at job 40 to change into an assassin. I personally like this quest the most because it feels the most "immersive". Rather than being told to slay random monster A or B, I'm running a gauntlet of challenges to test my metal. After laughing at the ridiculous false-target names that those poor porings had, I job change.

 

I hung out at orcs until 60, where I got my next set of freebies after doing Urs quest. Personally, I haven't tried the Katar offerings from Eden Group before, so I was a little disappointed to find that the Eden Katar gave less damage than a basic Jamadhar, even after the 3% attack boost during the lvl 70 quest. Worth noting is that levels 50-80 usually have you fighting monsters that drop good resources such as Oridecon and Elunium, making the Eden Weapon feel even more of a letdown, so I felt kinda cheated.

 

Overall, I had a great time during these levels. It's only been a few 1-hour sessions, but I can say that the game's biggest barrier to entry is the beginning so far. It's easily fixable, but will anyone try to revamp things? Time will tell.

 

[Biosphia]

Now that u got sinx u can rush some "hard" maps like sidewinder be it with grimtooth or venom splasher.

 

My leveling route usually is like

 

10+ Spore - strawberries

25+ Coco - More strawberries

40+ Orcs (Sea Otter for newbies)

60+ Sidewinder, Geographer for mages

70+ any Juno monster that you can kill with ease

85~99 Roween or Stapo bounty spam

 

A good route to always say to newcomers is Sea Otter instead Orcs. Sure they would level faster on Orcs but Sea Otter will provide A LOT of zeny by the time they go past 60+ when the bounty end.

[havocstopper]

Now that u got sinx u can rush some "hard" maps like sidewinder be it with grimtooth or venom splasher.

 

My leveling route usually is like

 

10+ Spore - strawberries

25+ Coco - More strawberries

40+ Orcs (Sea Otter for newbies)

60+ Sidewinder, Geographer for mages

70+ any Juno monster that you can kill with ease

85~99 Roween or Stapo bounty spam

 

A good route to always say to newcomers is Sea Otter instead Orcs. Sure they would level faster on Orcs but Sea Otter will provide A LOT of zeny by the time they go past 60+ when the bounty end.

Very insightful. I haven't tried Sea Otter as an alternative. I'll give it a go ^^

[havocstopper]

Entry 3 (70-90s)

 

Leveling got exponentially faster, then came to a "grinding" halt (Pun clearly intended). I spent a lot of time doing the mantis/driller/sidewinder/agropie board in Prontera (mjolnir_04/05), which was really enjoyable because of how easy it was to make 100k+ with all of the gemstones and such. Once I fell out of range for that, I switched it up and went to Petites outside of Glast (gef_fild06). While there I got my hands on Ori/Elu so I could finally start refining some of my gear.

 

Once I hit 90s I found the fun-factor started to drop, thus hitting another 'quit' moment.

 

 

The experience requirements to level up started to feel less consistent around this point, and after a jump of 25% to reach the next level at 92 (see https://irowiki.org/.../Base_EXP_Chart) slaying mobs felt more like a chore that didn't respect my time than fun. I went to do my final quest for Ur at the Eden Group around this time, but that was pretty difficult because of the low drop rate of Ice Cubes from Siroma, further adding to discouragement. What I found worked best was to stay at Petite or Glast.

 

 

Fun Moment: I decided I needed to switch up the monotony and started doing some of the old-skool 'story' quests for experience. Eye of Hellion gave me a free level, in fact! 

 

Advice to development staff: Highlight the npcs in the game who offer these kinds of quests!! This would be a dramatic quality of life improvement. You shouldn't have to go to iro wiki to find out who gives out these extremely useful and completely relevent quests to the leveling experience. They should be clearly marked within the game.

 

I'll finish out my 90s likely at roweens + petites for the zeny. 

 

Edited by havocstopper, 06 November 2022 - 05:39 AM.

[AngelCloud]

 

Entry 3 (70-90s)

 

Leveling got exponentially faster, then came to a "grinding" halt (Pun clearly intended). I spent a lot of time doing the mantis/driller/sidewinder/agropie board in Prontera (mjolnir_04/05), which was really enjoyable because of how easy it was to make 100k+ with all of the gemstones and such. Once I fell out of range for that, I switched it up and went to Petites outside of Glast (gef_fild06). While there I got my hands on Ori/Elu so I could finally start refining some of my gear.

 

Once I hit 90s I found the fun-factor started to drop, thus hitting another 'quit' moment.

 

 

The experience requirements to level up started to feel less consistent around this point, and after a jump of 25% to reach the next level at 92 (see https://irowiki.org/.../Base_EXP_Chart) slaying mobs felt more like a chore that didn't respect my time than fun. I went to do my final quest for Ur at the Eden Group around this time, but that was pretty difficult because of the low drop rate of Ice Cubes from Siroma, further adding to discouragement. What I found worked best was to stay at Petite or Glast.

 

 

Fun Moment: I decided I needed to switch up the monotony and started doing some of the old-skool 'story' quests for experience. Eye of Hellion gave me a free level, in fact! 

 

Advice to development staff: Highlight the npcs in the game who offer these kinds of quests!! This would be a dramatic quality of life improvement. You shouldn't have to go to iro wiki to find out who gives out these extremely useful and completely relevent quests to the leveling experience. They should be clearly marked within the game.

 

I'll finish out my 90s likely at roweens + petites for the zeny. 

 

II agree with the low drop rate of Ice Cubes from Siroma. I did halfway of killing 30 Siroma and I gave up cause of the low drop rate