I know, there are lots of honing topics here and there, but I need to post this somewhere so that the Lost Ark team reads it (hopefully). So lets see, the issue now… we are a small guild, with around 14-16 active members which do daily content and try to push iLvL to do the highest content (i.e.: valtan nm and hm atm). Point is, around 60-75% of them are on the lucky side, whereas the rest of us are not (hitting pity with every single item every single time).
This creates extreme differences in iLvL between us (from 1460 to 1410 atm), which is leading to issues on how to create teams and not leaving people behind. Point is, those with higher iLvL want to, obviously, do higher content, whereas those with honing bad luck are getting behind further and further.
What I want to illustrate here is the extreme need to get the so needed honing buff now, not next week, next month or in Autumn. We need it now, as we have already seen people be less active 'cause they literally demoralize on this.
If you push content fast as you are doing in order to catch Korea, you need to understand that game systems need as well to be accomodated to this pace. Otherwise, demoralization, lose of willingness to play and such will arise.
Sorry for the long text, but it’s just hearthbreaking seen such a good game being this harsh on people with less alters (I currently play 4 chars at T3, and yes, 1410 atm) paired with bad luck. Please, listen to the community! We love the game, but we want to keep the game pace without having to spend hundreds of dollars.
Well, Lost Ark is a statistical game. Of course you can be extremely lucky and of coure you can also be unlucky. But I have never recognized such a difference between ilvls if all the people have started at the same tim, do the same amount of daily stuff, etc. If everything is the same, the ilvl variance should not be that high.
If there is such a high variance like you have described, I would suggest that the people who have already reached a higher ilvl, are playing more, have more alts and are using them to funnel into their main, have started to play earlier, are whaling, etc. All the game is based on statistics.
Of course there will be a playerbase which is extremely lucky and a playerbase which is extremely unlucky, but this will be around 1-5% at the top and 1-5% at the bottom of the ladder. The probability is not high, that in your guild consisting of 16 players you will have someone of the 2-10% playerbase affected by extreme unluck or extreme luck.
I see no issue with the honing as it is. The game gives a lot of ways to get materials. Your 1410 people will get there in a few weeks if they play the game. Alts really help funnel materials to mains. If some players dont have the time to invest in alts then they may fall behind those that do. Which is perfectly fine. Do the content you are able to do.
Dont be afraid to sell anything you can on the auction house, turn your gold into blue crystals and buy honers off mari’s shop.
Guys we realize the stronghold honing buff that were not getting is really only good for alts right? So if your main is stuck at 1410 you literally dont benefit from it anyway until hitting 1460. Get more t3 characters and funnel literally everything to your main. 3 alts is fine but they might have 5 or 6 alts. Double your material gain what do you expect lol more taps = better chance. Has nothing to do with luck lol.
I completely agree, my guild basically died months ago due to honing. The argument that “it will balance itself off over time” is only true over a large enough data set, a guild of fifteen people is not a large enough data set and therefore you should expect large variances in the item level as success chances dwindle.
Unfortunately it would require an overhaul of the honing system to fix this and I don’t see this coming. When I previously asked what the plan to help with honing was going forward I was told it was to inject more materials through the Ark Pass and events. However this doesn’t actually help as for some the additional materials will mean more item levels but for others it’s just more artisan energy.
So you have my commiserations as it seems as your guild will eventually pull itself apart as some hit content others cannot. In this regard Lost Ark is not a traditional MMO you can play with friends. The only solution I can think of is for the higher item level players to funnel materials to the lower level players, which is far from ideal.
I totally agree with you on this… This is how the games are build up…
But you can avoid this by having a good and strong mentality. I highly recommend to not invest money into the game just because you are falling behind from your guildmates.
They can tell you whatever they want. Every day I hear: I 1 tapped my weapon from +20 to +21
Obviously nobody will show a vid of this. I think the playerbase also lying to their own guild mates just because they dont want to admit they whaled, is not making the problem better…
That’s why: Build up a good mentality and do not trust in anything your hear even if it’s a good friend of yours. We are talking about a 0.5 to 3% rate of success (20++++). Do the maths and do not get under pressure!
i can agree with a 1460 research honing buff, but what they really need to do is bring in a 1415 express event or power pass, or combination of the two, the previous express is still running but only runs a character to 1302, like… wtf, valtan is out, valtan hm is out, vykas is on her way out within 3 weeks and ags/sg wants to hold players back still? game starts at valtan, get players there asap bc most players are definitely being left behind and don’t wanna take on this massive task of catching up.
it’s a nightmare for new players to start right now. the current express event doesn’t even help anyone in the long run because you still have to level up multiple other characters to t3 so you can actually progress at a reasonable pace.
i noticed myself wanting to play my alts less and less after playing valtan and having deskaluda as daily, it’s just so much more fun and relaxed, but no, we’re out here using 100% brain power on alts to do velganos or yoho. can’t do valtan and wont be doing valtan (on alts) in the near future most likely because there’s no research honing buff. stuck doing annoying guardians indefinitely on alts
He is probably talking about the overhauled honing rates which is a different patch from the stronghold research buff. The research buff is another 10% chance from 1370 to 1415 for alts. The honing rate change (in KR came near Brelshaza) makes all t1-t2 hones 100% and 1300 to 1415 it maintains chances around 40% which has the purpose of fast tracking new players and alts to Valtan. It’s the biggest QoL change in KR/RU. You still have the same honing chances as now after 1415 but getting to Valtan can be achieved in a few weeks whereas now you need months.
Indeed, this is what I am refering to, the overhauled honing rates that were applied “recently” in KR/RU. With those changes, the catching up would be far easier and far less dramatic if you can start doing legion raids early. I’m not refering to the stronghold ones 'cause as everyone knows, that applies to you when you reach a certain threshold with your main character.
Having the overhauled rates implemented would make everything easier. Please Amazong/SGR, make it happen soon.