Da LEAP from tutorial to newbie hometownsFollow

The platinum rains in the tutorial, there is lots of help to level your character, the mobs are very easy to find, and it's pretty fun, overall.

So you level up and you want to go to your hometown and check it out. First off, odds are the zone in which you find your hometown, is EMPTY, that is, devoid of non-npc population.

The difference between tutorial and hometown newbie areas is ridiculous. SoE keeps pumping out expansions, but refuses to FIX things. It's like it's rocket science, this obvious NEED. Or perhaps, it is SoE's intention to slowly kill EQ. The latter seems quite possible due to major area dysfunction. The emptyness of hometown areas is due to the impossibility of surviving outside the tutorial. If you're new to EQ, you will find yourself constantly dead outside the tutorial.

Greater Faydark is home to Kelethin and the wood (& half) elves and has been for eight (8) years. I would think the elves would have much more of a clue about their area and would mark it on the Greater Faydark map. Mob pathways, quest NPCs, level areas defined, imformation overload would be A-ok.

I dare SoE to make all the managers start a toon in the hometown, NOT the tutorial, and work it up to level 15 and do ALL the armor quests. You think you're frustrated with your job? You ain't seen nothing.

Interesting thread.

There are many reasons why the hometowns are empty, I place blame on

a. The tutorial.

b. The plane of knowledge.

c. The player base that left for other mmorgs.


I realize I already touched on this in another thread, but I'd like to say again that much of the problem is the plane of knowledge, because

a. All necessary spell vendors are in one place.

b. Those knowledge portals dumb down the game and eliminate the challenge travel presents.

I actually kind of like the tutorial, as it makes leveling through the troublesome early levels (that everyone used to hate grinding anyway) much easier. However, IF S.O.E. is going to use a tutorial, then why in Solusek Ro's name are there still newbie areas outside the major cities?

I agree with the author of this thread - FIX these dysfunctional zones while there is still time!