Elder Crystal Improvement

[brittle marlin]

Picture is self explanatory, but the TL;DR is just: glow into being ready to pop, and it takes 5 minutes to be ready.
Then the rest of the time that the crystal is fully glowed, it will then use the "existence" timer to wait for others to get there if they're a slow dragon or drake.
Possibly have particles rotating around it, to give the air that it's growing into the full glow. This gives a natural feel to Eldering, and a natural bit of lore how the Dragons and Drakes elder off of a sort of "firefly bug" that affects the crystals once they congregate on the geode.

[regal widget]

Im a little bit confused. Are you suggesting:

1. Crystals have 5 minutes before theycan be popped?

2. This adds to the lore?

[winter gorge]

This would ruin the competitive eldering system

[brittle marlin]

Yes, to both. Since currently the Crystals just glowing without any reason or rhyme does not work, in my view. Plus, @winter gorge Jao told us to be more of a team than toxic people (as said in a stream, but I don't remember which). PvE does not need to be competitive, but PvP does. In PvP it should act as "holding the zone to capture the flag."
Though, this suggestion, should it be implemented, will remove impatient people/toxic people, and train people to be more patient overtime. Currently, we know that Eldering is for everyone, and that harassing others is prohibited, as stated in the official rule here: #official-server-rules message
So the intention here is to help people be aware of a crystal, let others know it's up, go to the crystal, and the "existence timer" should help the late dragons (those who just logged in and need that crystal) to get there as well. In hindsight, we all share the ticks, so there's no need to be rude about it on a PvE server. PvP, that's fine, that's justified, and you want the ticks for your Clan and no one else.
Regardless of there being more crystals underway, there are times where people get so impatient that they don't even have the decency to let others (on a PvE server) elder. There's a pattern that people miss a whole whopping dozen of crystals because of those who are impatient. We know this is not against any rules, but at this point it is still uncalled for. A game like this is supposed to be more fair, especially a PvE server.
On PvP, DvE, or CvC servers those are meant to be hostile. But not PvE. It's Player Versus Environment, it's not Player Versus Everyone.

[tame hazel]

Crystals will never be made to have timers like this for the sole reason of it punishing solo players. They already said before there are no rules regarding popping a crystal before the players made up "timers" were up

[winter gorge]

While the proposed system promotes cooperation and patience among players, it may also introduce unintended drawbacks. Adding a crystal “existence timer” and coordination mechanic could slow down gameplay for players who prefer a faster, more self-paced experience. Some players might find the waiting aspect frustrating, especially those who have limited playtime or are simply farming for resources efficiently.

Additionally, enforcing or encouraging a more structured cooperative system in PvE could reduce the freedom that many players enjoy — the ability to play solo or engage with content at their own pace without needing to rely on others being present or waiting for a timer to align. This could make the game feel more restrictive or less dynamic.

Finally, systems designed to control player behavior (even positively) can sometimes create new social friction. For instance, players who misunderstand or disagree with the new mechanic might still express frustration, leading to different forms of toxicity or conflict. Balancing social expectations with individual playstyles can be difficult, and too much structure might discourage some players from participating altogether.

[brittle marlin]

@winter gorge @regal widget
Can't rule it out before trying it out, besides, there is no reason for PvE to be like this. PvP, DvE and CvC would be more understandable. And these "full glow" timers could be edited for private servers, but on an Official, it should help teach you the game, like Sanctuary or even the Unofficial server: Guardian Dragons (which is DvE, but still).
We know there's no "required time to wait for crystals," but there is no reason why we can't give suggestions to improve gameplay, even for new players who are just looking to learn, not get riled up from impatient people. This is a breeding ground for more toxicity.
Yes, it is better than the mushroom fiasco, but there is still more problems that needs to be remedied. Even though my main account is fully eldered, it's still upsetting to see others threaten "I'm gonna pop it once I get there" just because of those impatient people. It creates more, and there's nothing being done about it. Regardless of "they're not breaking rules." there is still unnecessary things happening, people saying things, and there are people who have actually sent death threats because of those who are impatient, wished uncalled for ailments (like pink-eye for example).

Also, the "existence timer" already exists. That's just how long the crystal stays alive from showing up on your compass until it fades. What I'm proposing is the grace period, before the initial timer that the crystal ultimately exists without anyone bothering it. (which is 10 minutes to 30 minutes total)

One more thing, it is abnormal to expect total silence from those who complain about things, but this should lessen it by 75%, the rest are just confused people and don't understand until the others explain it.

Optimus explained it better than myself, because as much as I like to yap I cannot explain very clearly due to how funny I speak. So thanks. ❤️ /gen