Why Scry?
In my post on the Arena system, I questioned taking the time to implement content systems without adding the proper rewards (for more ideas on revitalizing the Arena check out this thread). It struck me as a waste of the time and creativity put into creating fun content.
Another such system is the scrying stone system. It's cool to find those scrying spots and the sound and graphics for the scrying are great. There's always a feeling of suspense as you're wondering whether a monster or an item will appear.
Someone took the time to create this great little minigame and it's not really being utilized. The rewards are just not effective. If there was just a tiny (I'm talking way less than one percent) chance to get a really useful, even fabled item, people would definitely be into it. Think of it as another form of the goblin gambling game. It would serve to take money out of the economy because the total rewards would still not add up to the expense put in. But you would have the slight chance to get really lucky and win a fabulous item. And the level of that item should vary based on the level of the zone the scrying spot is in.
As it is now, even the best items you can find are only marginally useful. And the tomes you receive give you quests which result in only a minimal amount of xp and nothing more. If I'm wrong and you've found something great while scrying, please say so in the comments.
The scrying system also appears to have been abandoned in the expansion. I have yet to see a scrying location in any of the new zones. Maybe SOE felt people were not using it. But I think that's due to the rewards factor.
I've had ten scrying stones in my inventory for probably the last four months. I hope someday there will be a reason for me to use them.
I realize this post wasn't the most topical of subjects, especially with Live Update 17 just having been released. But I want to check out Update 17 for myself and I expect to have some comments on it by Monday.
posted by Aggro Me at 8:00 AM
10 Comments:
I'm with you on the whole scrying thing. After meeting Tish Ticker in Thundering Steppes, I messed around with scrying and actually had fun for a while. That was until I realized that I just kept digging up crap loot, and pissed off ghosts in the process.
I haven't touched at scrying stone since. =/
I always thought it might be cool to have the chance to have to summon/disturbe a creature that's not... grey.
And if you managed to beat that, you'd get something worthwhile.
Imagine scrying and having a 20ft tall decaying giant pull itself from the ground underfoot. Make it a tough fight, something you just might have to run away from, and if its not beaten down by you, then it moves on rampaging through the area in the zone until someone does.
Would be cool.
P.S. - Best thing I dug up was a pair of broken glasses. Worth something like *cough* 60s of so.
For some time i tried to figure out the system behind scrying, but I never found any theories that would work. When I scryed alot, I one day found A Magnificent Treasure!! (yes with exclamation marks) It was 50 ancient silver coins worth total 5 gold.
Oh to be in the 20-30's scrying. I swear I spent way over 50 gold in that time just on scrying stones. Had a blast with it. Got the occasional useful piece of jewelry, but once you top 35, nothing worth anything. 5g just does not seem like alot when you are in your 50's.
Yes bring them back, they were a lot of fun.
Thanks for the comments - I'm glad I'm not the only one who liked scrying.
Karnatos, that's a great idea: if you're going to up the reward as I suggested, you should up the risk as well.
Sometimes I think I imagined it, but the very first time I used a scrying stone I pulled up a magnificent treasure as well - some chain armor restricted to level ~40. It looked cool but then I was only 20 something so who knows, could have been junk :P. I sold it then.
I still have a small bundle of them that I carry around, but I can't remember the last time I bought them. Just use them now when I'm bored.
I was doing something this morning, when the following analogy popped into my head.
"Currently, scrying is very similar to cleaning a cat litter box. No matter how much digging you do, you're just going to find shit."
I'm sure you can guess what I was doing.
~Juliux
I hear ya, they need to add better rewards to it but there is (or at least was) a very very nice robe that you used to be able to find for T4 I believe. One day a guildy and good friend of mine came to join me in rivervale she was wearing it and told me she got it about an hour earlier from Scyring, I'll see if I can find the link to the item....
I would like to state that I have found a "Perfectly preserved lobster" while searching for scrying stones. I found the item so odd that I keep it in my inventory in permenance, as it is always a great thing to link up and show through the various channels.
I got a level 40 chainmail coif from scrying once. Sold it on the broker for 4 gold, so I guess it was decent. Other than that, just vendor junk. I haven't scryed on any of my characters in some months now.
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