AA StorageFollow

What is the max number of AA's you can accumulate and not allocate? I seem to remember it was somewhere around 30 or 31. Is that still true? I once lost a few AA's because of the cap and don't want to ever do that again.

30 is also the number that sticks in my head, it's used frequently at EGN and EQplayers.com

Maybe a silly question but why bank 20+ AAs? Buy something.

Why would you sit on AAs to the point where you lost some? I know people do it just before a new expansion with AAs comes out but that is in November.

" .. why bank 20+ AAs? Buy something."

AA have level restrictions. A lot of the better AA only become available at or after 65.

Let's say you level to the early 60s and start working on AA. You get to a point where you have the basics and look for the next good AA to get, but you see you have to be level 65 to get those. You continue to level AND build & bank AA so you can buy the new AA as soon as you hit the right level.

I was banking Aa's on my warrior at 52 cause the hot zone was getting me about two an hour, and I wanted quite a few of the Level 55 AA's. So now I am leveling again to be able to use them, but i had found a great spot to Aa level, so made sense to save them.

Kirby, this is not a flame, I just want to point out that your opinions and comments are based on a certain player-type's mindset. You sound more like the type that would say "The game doesn't start until 75" kinda player.

Well, it doesn't. Fun means different things to different people.

Raids and guilds are not the be-all end-all of EQ. We each pay our monthly fee and we all play the game our own way.

When you say "There are so many zones that are totally inappropriate or flat out prevent players of too low a level from even entering." well that argument can go the other way too. Someone who barrels straight to 75 will be totally innappropriate for any of the level 40-60'ish content that they blew right past now, except for PL'ing others. They would not have any challenge exploring the content they overlooked by levelling to the top immediately. I'm not saying you should stay a certain level until you have seen every level-appropriate zone, but many MANY people have a lot more fun challenging themselves with level-appropriate content than just "grind, grind, grind. Okay i'm 75 let's go raiding". These people that enjoy the challenge and are not just out to grind will probably be exploring some far away zone that today's breed of Monster Mission grinder wouldn't even consider joining if they couldn't get a port directly there.

Some people even like to get their old epic 1.0 still these days. Some people even like to get their epic while they are level-appropriate. Those people may be building AA while they stay in the low-mid 50's working on epic or other quests.

Basically I think there's plenty of reasons to spend your xp anyway you want and the high level raid content and guild pressure is a non-issue for many people. As I said before, we each play the game the way we want.

As for "PLEASE please get yourself to a higher level and be a contributor to the community" .. I have seen level 60 tanks that completely outtank level 70s, level really is the least important factor here. Gear and AA and knowing how to play your character help much more. There are also other ways to contribute to the community. I have a level 59 rogue tradeskiller that makes custom Omens augments for people and use him to help anyone needing a lock picked in Chardok or CoM or places like that.

Again it's about how you enjoy spending your time while playing EQ. One of my personal peeves is when people try to turn EQ into a high level only clique. I would actually support SOE in reducing xp gains in newer zones and removing hotzone xp modifiers to bring things back just a little bit towards the time when it actually required some effort and time to get your levels. Nowadays I hear things like "70-75 in 12 hours with double xp pots" and I am honestly more sickened than impressed. I know some of these people have likely leveled other toons the traditional way and want the fast track for their new main, but not everyone. Many characters these days seem to be rolled with a hidden "entitlement" stat that blinds you to anything but hotzones or dains, and causes you to not know how to use the Atlas or run anywhere more than 3 zones away.

Hmm, this was supposed to be about AA. Sorry for the rant.

Reading all the above brings up a point I have wondered about for years now:

At what level is it most experience efficient to level AA's rather than regular levels?

I hope the above question makes sense...is it more efficient, for instance, to put experience in AA's at level 52, 55 or 75, etc.?

Thanks,

Shogun

Edited, Jun 24th 2007 1:37am by Shogunman

Aye...I understand and agree with what you are saying, but my question was more of a ceteris paribus question...or "all other things being equal." So,:

Ceteris paribus, what level is most experience efficient to level AA's rather than regular levels?

I have just wondered this for years...I hope I am asking the question correctly now =)

Thanks,

Shogun

With the change of the AA mechanic that occurred with TSS, it's really up to the individual player whether to stop and AA or continue leveling. Used to be, when you were 52, and killed a mob, you got the same amount of AA or regular XP, whichever you had going. That made for a lot of people to just continue leveling and not hit AAs till max level or close to it, cause the AA came faster the higher level you were. Aint that way anymore. If you kill a white con mob at level 52, you will get roughly the same amount of AA percentage you would get at level 70 killing a white con mob. So if you find a "sweet spot" for AAs, at whatever level, stop and take advantage of it. I stayed at level 70 for a long time because I was wracking up the AAs in 69.1 with my necro. Once I finally had the ones I really wanted, I started leveling again. But I admit it was hard turning my back on level 70 and the mobs in 69.1. They died so fast and gave up such good xp.

Oh, and it is possible to get more than 30 AA banked. If you are PLing an alt, just shroud him and continue killing. The xp will only be added up when you un-shroud, thus making it very possible to store up more than 30. A lot of people I knew were doing this before TSS was released so they could have a truckload of AAs to spend on the new AAs that were released with that expansion.

I still stand by my original argument. This is based on reality.

Unless you exclusively solo, and that is what a significant portion of the community does, then Dont stop at lvl 52 to get 300 AA. Exploring Kunark era zones while lvl 52 is fine and you are very welcome to do that, BUT, you wont be able to find a group to go with you. There are just basically not enough ppl of that level of the appropriate classes to get a somewhat balanced pick-up group together to go and do that.

You either have to make extensive plans with close friends to schedule group play time to do something, OR, you work on levels and get up to lvl 75 the best way you know how and then are now able to find pick-up groups at almost every time of the day. I am talking mostly about ppl who are not 'Hard Core Raiders' but about ppl who prefer to group and be social. Those ppl who prefer to explore and do things on their own are best if they do rack up lots of AA at lvl 52. This helps them do their own thing, but they will never be a part of the community.

I mean community, by the vast majority of players looking for extra people to fill their groups to go and do things in all 13 expansions not just expansion number 1. Many ppl havent finished up their access to Theatre of Blood or have several steps for the POR/Relic group quests still to go. These missions are a far cry from tough and dont require raid-geared ppl, just ppl who are at the correct level. All those ppl wanting to do those missions are forced to ignore any lvl 52 person who has 300aa. Just making yourself available to be invited to a group or invited to participate in a pick-up raid for fun is what I mean. You dont have to belong to a guild that raids often. Heck not even ever. Just a social one that likes to invite its members to do things together so they dont have to sit LFG for hours or days.

I have seen many times, over and over these past 8 years, where the soloer who stays at a low level because they want to be better at killing low level mobs, ends up putting themselves out of the social aspect of EQ. Sure its fine for ppl who prefer it that way, but for any class who's contribution comes through group interaction, its the deathblow.

I dont even consider myself a 'Hard Core Raider' since I enjoy tradeskilling and quests and only spend a couple hours three days a week raiding with my guild. I would feel extreemly left out if all my friends always grouped together or raided together, and Every single time and every single day, I was always left out of almost EVERY thing they did. I would only be left to hear the congratulations and good job and yeah for so-n-so over the guild chat. Every one of those low level ppl would be invited on every one of our raids and most every group if they had just worked on leveling instead of stopping at lvl 52 to get 300aa's.

People in general love to be social, and for the most part, respect the preference of others to be, in reality, anti-social. Soloing is a way to accomplish something and a way to sit back and relax and have fun. Some ppl turn that into a life/play style and thats fine with me if thats what they really want to do. I am speaking to those ppl who want to be social, want to be in groups, want to enjoy an occasional raid with 40-50 ppl to beat some big bad monster they always considered unobtainable.

To those ppl I say, dont make yourself unavailable by forcing others to see your level and immediately ignore you as someone to group with or to help them do some quest or mission step. I have been in the US Army for 26 years now, and my way of thinking is to put yourself in line so that when opportunities come available, you can take advantage of it. At this day and age of EQ, remaining at lvl 52, (NOT 60-70 like ppl seem to think I implied in my other post,) so you can get 300aa, is in reality, a decision to NOT participate with the huge majority of players.

As for seeing a lvl 60 person tank better than a lvl 70 one. Well, OK. Everyone plays differently and everyone has different gear and aa's. Better to some ppl is different than "Better" to other ppl. If you are considering a level dependant instance for group content then lvl 60 will be TOTALLY unacceptable, simply because it will skew the instance down so that the incorrect level mobs will spawn instead of the ones that drop the quest item you need from that mission. At least if the person was 70, the correct mobs would spawn and you could accomplish the mission with your so called 'Worse' tank. Here is a case where a lvl 60 'Better' tank is flat out inappropriate due to the game mechanics of instance zone spawning based on group members average level. Try that thinking with a lvl 52 'Better' tank who has 300aa and the thought now becomes IMPOSSIBLE because you cant spawn an instance with that much of a difference in levels. You get an error message. You see how the game mechanics not only discourage, but PREVENT lower level characters from joining many groups.

This is only one case but it is what I am talking about. DO NOT PREVENT yourself from being included with the majority of other players, UNLESS it is your choice, and you have made the conscious decision, to always do things solo on your own. OF COURSE you have your play style and I have mine. I am speaking advice to ppl who are thinking incorrectly and working against their own goals because they mis-understand the game mechanics.

I have been an advisor at the university for four years now, and have seen many many students who take their college career the same way. Choosing fun but the WRONG and unnecessary courses to graduate. Reality sets in at about their Junior year when they see they are three or more years from graduation and they come to see me to find out what happened. Their 'Play' style has now cost them not only time but extra semesters of tuition money. I spend a large amout of my time counseling these ppl to correct their path to be aligned with their goal of graduation.

Some ppl could care less about graduating on time, and NEED to take fun elective courses every semester in order to remain sane hehe. To those ppl, I always inform them of 'Reality' and make sure they know what their path is and where it will lead them. Once they are clear with that and they are happy with their progression, "All is well" so to speak.

Being informed and making the decision on what you want to do with your EQ play time is what it is all about. Being mis-informed and thinking that you MUST stop at lvl 52 in order to work on 300aa so that you will have a good character who can contribute to a group... IS WRONG! That path is for ppl who have decided to solo, so that they can solo better, and have more fun soloing.

You say I sound like the "game begins at 75" person. This is an incorrect statement. I say that I am two types of person.
1. The game begins when you can find other players to do things with.
2. The game begins when you can have fun and not frustration soloing.

The difference is the decision on which path you want to follow. Path one will always always allow you to solo depending on your preference and class. This can only happen if you put yourself in a 'groupable' situation meaning upper levels and NOT stuck at 52. Path two will be an amazingly difficult roadblock if you ever decide to find other players to group with on a regular basis but will be a great help if you always solo and explore zones by yourself.

Edited, Jul 5th 2007 2:29pm by kirbyramz

You need to listen to your own advice Kirby, particularly when you don't have your facts straight and put words into people's mouth. That's no way to argue in a friendly forum.



I'd say, this being a game, that ALL of us NEED to take the 'fun elective courses/path' through Norrath. And I'm not sure I care for your 'Reality'; to each his own, but don't expect to win too many fans to your view on 'reality' in a forum dedicated to a decidedly escapist activity.

There are a million perfectly valid reasons to take a slow route through Norrath - my favorite one is: I paid to see the show, why fast forward to the end?

You probably don't mean to, but you come off as someone who can really suck the fun out of playing.

Edited, Jul 6th 2007 10:58am by Whitman

Would you have a bard puller at 75 with no fade? A priest who blows through mana because they never crit heal? Caster who is always oom because they can barely nuke due to a lower mana pool because of unmaxxed int? Warrior who gets hits for so much because he had no def aa's?

Do you even play this game? I do not expect people to have max aa's by any means, but you can absolutely notice the difference even with an experienced player or non experienced if they have certain aa's to back them up.

I have many friends that lived in the 60's even with 75 as cap, because they wanted certain aa's. One warrior in particular comes to mind. I used to tank the groups I would do with him and I am a silk class. Now him at 71, I gladly invite him to tank things that are more towards my level and the time he spent doing the aa's on his way up, I have noticed the difference. If he was 75 and 0 aa's... I would still be the tank...

He also raids quite abit since he was in his upper 50's. Your arguments are so self centered and vision narrow it is a wonder if you have ever enjoyed a single thing in this game. I feel sorry for you as it sounds like you just have never experienced the actual magic of this game.

Kirby I didn't like your first post, came off as elite. However your correct on your second better worded post, way more than people are realizing. Read what he wrote people. He is on base more than you think he is. His advice is not for everyone, and he stated that clearly.

However, the rest of you are not wrong either, again it just comes down to how you want to play. BUT, you gotta live with those decisions, no ******** then, his points are valid. My L52 cleric is not wanted as much for grouping, outside of a rezz, or for temp., than my L62 cleric is for grouping, better rezz and virtue. And that 62 cleric, is going to be passsed over for a L70 cleric, and so on. Makes sense! Gets to a point for all classes to stop and do certain AA's at certain levels. Beastlord and pet hold at L59 comes to mind. So on and so forth.

Again, nobody is wrong here, everyone is right. But Kirby's second post makes more sense than your giving him credit for. And that includes the college off-topic, on topic analogy.

Debate is about getting ALL angles and making a decision. Not excluding them, in the least bit. Some of you don't operate on that principle, and it can, and will, cost you.