#End-game PVE progression needed urgently

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

rotund wing
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I'm passionate about SoB's future and want to discuss its long-term health. Many veterans are hitting a wall after a year or so of play. Once geared with enough gold, the incentive for PVE content vanishes. Dungeons are empty because dedicated players have no tangible reason to be there. The game is at a critical stage, with the old guard leaving simply from a lack of things to do.

The core problem is the complete absence of a long-term PVE progression system. Once a character is skilled and geared, there is currently no path to become consistently stronger against monsters. This is the main reason the loot chase feels meaningless—drops are inferior to crafted gear, and there’s no underlying need for more power anyway. Creating a true progression system, where we could perpetually increase our strength in PVE, is fundamentally blocked by the unified damage between PVE and PVP. In order to add meaningful progression, PVE and PVP damage must be separated. Without that critical split, we can't have new, challenging content without completely destroying PVP balance.

We need a sustainable PVE progression path separate from PVP power. A great model is UO: Outlands, where players invest vast resources to increase their PVE-specific power. This creates a perpetual resource sink and a reason to always be farming and running dungeons. It provides a "forever goal" that keeps players invested and ensures all content remains relevant for its resources, which would keep dungeons full and the economy thriving.

This isn't a 'nice-to-have' feature; it's a critical necessity for the game's health right now. Many vets have been "done" with progression for years, which is reflected in the population. We need a robust endgame PVE flow to retain the player base and give everyone a reason to keep adventuring. I hope the devs can prioritize a system like this sooner rather than later.

visual vault
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I agree one thing holding SoB back is the lack of endgame grinds and rewarding endgame PvE Content. As it currently stands once you get to a certain point with your characters you are just able to grind gold faster but there is no real use for gold if you get the home you want or want to power level some BOD alts. The only "gold sinks" we have are for deco.

We have some decent endgame pve that has been added recently such as the masterwork catalyst, and t6 maps. If the Resource Map idea gets added as well that will help somewhat. But we are still missing some good ole fashion grinds to keep players engaged in dungeons and the world. I think if we added some gold sinks, grindable content and other features like Moose suggests it will help.

Gold Sinks
We all know SoB has a bit of an inflation issue and some players are sitting on tens of millions of gold with nothing to spend it on. So I will first suggest some ideas that will not just be for end game players but also newer players.

  1. Inventory Weight Increase - Can buy this player buff/item/whatever you want to call it. Each purchase increases the maximum weight your character can hold by 10. Can be purchased 10 times for 100k gold each time. Total weight increase of 100 and 1 mil out of the game. Can be purchased on each character.
  2. Bank Deposit Box - Can be purchased once per account for 1mil gold. Acts as a deposit box directly to a players secure bank allowing them to deposit and withdraw gold only from inside their home.
  3. Money Purse - A Blessed bag that can be purchased on each character for 1mil gold. This bag reduces the weight of all gold held by 25%.
  4. Resource Bag - A blessed bag that can be purchased on each character for 2mil gold. This bag reduces the weight of all resources gathered by 25%. (mining/lj etc)
  5. Slayer System - Pay 100k to unlock grindable slayer perks for each mobs type (repond, elemental, abyss etc.) What is this? This would be a new system that allows a player to spend 100,000 gold per mob/slayer type to unlock a grindable system. The system will have multiple categories the player has to grind for that increases their power against that particular mob. Each tier costs 10k gold. So you have to spend 100k to unlock say Repond slayer perks. Then another 250k to max each perk or 1mil total for all 4 perks.
    a. For every 100 mobs slayed in that category you can select one of the following perks:
    1. 1% increased damage to that monster (can be purchased 25 times, requiring you to kill 2,500 mobs)
    2. 1% decreased damage taken from that monster (can be purchased 25 times, requiring you to kill 2,500 mobs)
    3. 1% increased gold drop from that monster (can be purchased 25 times, requiring you to kill 2,500 mobs)
    4. 1% increased chance to spawn a Superior version of that monster on kill. At max rank this gives you a 25% chance to spawn a Paragon type mob of that version which drops large amount of gold, resources if applicable and high tier magic items such as "an eminently accurate WEAPON of Power etc. (can be purchased 25 times, requiring you to kill 2,500 mobs)
rotund wing
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the slayer system described above is more along the lines of what i'm after. although it's purely gold-based, it would still provide at least a sense of progression. i do think that idea needs tweaking though. the idea that at the end of your road, you're 25% stronger than starting doesn't exactly scream 'exciting' to me. i'd rather mob health and damage values are drastically tweaked where you CANNOT kill mobs in e.g. destard without hitting some kind of threshold of farming/powering up. that way there's an actual sense of "newb dungeon" vs. "end-game content"

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like dragons having 5k HP and hitting for 90 on a tank at "rank 0" versus hitting for 5-10 on a tank at 'rank 25' where you can actually kill them provides more a sense of progression to me

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and it can be phased in slowly over time. maybe at the start it's spell and melee/ranged damage boosts, and mobs are tweaked to appropriate levels, but then things like "camping ranks" where regen and stat boosts are like 2-3x regular could be phased in later. PVE stealing could be another thing... at rank 0, you can successfully steal from harpies and below, and at rank x you can steal from greater dragons for much better rewards

visual vault
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It doesn’t necessarily have to have a gold cost associated with it. Could just be something you unlock and level as you kill monsters. Then they can add in tougher mobs where a 25% increased damage and 25% reduced damage taken from that mob is required to kill it

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Or just copy and paste the Outlands aspect system too

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rotund wing
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i know it's a big lift, and a big, drastic change, but i truly believe a restructure of PVE is required for the long-term draw of the server

supple stream
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I'll take a look.

rotund wing
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Also another point here... It's not just about making harder bosses. Bosses are fun and everything but they're one and done. If this is to pan out, it has to be mob difficulty in general

supple stream
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I have started working on something to address the above which will require harder mobs to be added to the game.....

supple stream
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So something im working on....this is NOT set in stone and many things could change.

Gem Mastery System – Detailed Overview

The Gem Mastery system is an advanced, account-wide progression feature that allows players to customize and enhance their characters through powerful mastery gems. As players adventure, they earn experience that unlocks slots for installing mastery gems, each providing unique bonuses tailored to different playstyles.

Key Features:

  • Account-Wide Progression: All experience earned towards Gem Mastery is shared across every character on your account, so all your gameplay contributes to unlocking new gem slots.
  • Gem Types: There are four types of mastery gems—Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, and Obsidian—each offering increasing bonus values. Higher-tier gems provide stronger effects.
  • Customizable Bonuses: Players can freely install, remove, and rearrange gems in their unlocked slots. Each gem grants a specific bonus, such as increased melee damage, spell power, swing speed, defense, poison effectiveness, or resource gathering yield.
  • PvE and PvP Integration: Most combat bonuses (melee, spell, poison) apply in both PvE and PvP, while slayer and protection bonuses are PvE-only. This ensures meaningful progression for all playstyles while maintaining PvP balance.
  • Stacking and Limits: Players can stack multiple gems of the same type, up to a configurable maximum per bonus. There is also a global cap on total bonus values to prevent excessive stacking.
  • Dynamic Scaling: Bonus values scale with both the gem’s tier and the number of gems installed, allowing for meaningful incremental upgrades as you collect and upgrade your gems.
  • Resource Cost: Installing a gem requires Arcane Essence, providing a gold/resource sink and making gem management a meaningful choice.
  • User Interface: Players can view, manage, and rearrange their gems through an intuitive UI, with clear displays of active bonuses and their effects.

Example Bonuses:

  • Melee Damage, Swing Speed, Ignore Armor Chance, Defense (PvE & PvP)
  • Spell Damage, Spell Resist Ignore, Spell Damage Ignore Resist (PvE & PvP)
  • Poison Damage, Poison Resist Ignore, Damage to Poisoned Creatures (PvE & PvP)
  • Slayer Bonuses (e.g., Damage to Undead, Elementals, etc.) and Protection Bonuses (PvE only)
  • Resource Gathering Bonuses (Mining, Lumberjacking, Fishing, Skinning) (PvE only)
  • Bard Skill Success/Duration, Gold Find, and more

How It Works:

  • Earn XP through gameplay to unlock gem slots.
  • Collect and upgrade mastery gems (Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, Obsidian).
  • Install gems into unlocked slots to activate their bonuses.
  • Mix and match gems to suit your build and playstyle.
  • Enjoy increased power and versatility in both PvE and PvP!

The Gem Mastery system rewards all types of play and provides long-term goals for character growth, letting you fine-tune your strengths and adapt to any challenge.

visual vault
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Yes please

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I will test this yesterday

rotund wing
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i'm absolutely all for this, aside from any impact in pvp

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sounds great though

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honestly i think it'll be way easier and make a lot less people pissed off in the long run if it's not a pvp feature

river temple
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Amazing...i've no other words.

ornate lake
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Amazing job Jim. PVE progression system at its finest. I tend to agree with Moose on making it PVE only. PvP would be too much for balance.

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