Hi all, I skimmed thru forum posts, and could not find any recent relevant info on this topic, apologies if I missed it.
I was curious as to the time needed to get to one another when launch happens.
My friends and I have all pledged and there is a 5 person static group already ready to go when the time comes.
Now my question is this, do we really have to all make Elves at launch to play together ( elf is the only race with our class combo possible)
or, will there be a way to tell, who is near, who is far, and any sort of timetable for meeting up would entail?
I would love for us all to pick our ideal whatevers. but, we also really really want to play together, basically right off the bat type thing. curious as to the viability of us all picking our desired race. then being able to meet up that first day. or if it will take 10-15 levels and a week before we see each ot her in game.
Thank you kindly in advance for your feedback, I appreciate it!
Too early to tell what sort of time it would take for any given race to make it to each different racial starting area, let alone which factions might not allow certain races around. I imagine with a certain amount of determination and knowledge of the world it would be possible for everyone to meet up and bind in one specific starting area. Of course that would require knowing the way and avoiding the almost certain dangers along the path.
Personally I'd recommend each person picking which race they really want to play. The handful of potential hours it might take to get to a more comfortable level to all meet up will be absolutely dwarved by the rest of the journey. May as well be completely happy with what one picks.
(Also keep in mind groups are 6 players, so your 5 man will have a 6th wheel).
Suterian said:do we really have to all make Elves at launch to play together ( elf is the only race with our class combo possible)
or, will there be a way to tell, who is near, who is far, and any sort of timetable for meeting up would entail?
I would love for us all to pick our ideal whatevers. but, we also really really want to play together, basically right off the bat type thing. curious as to the viability of us all picking our desired race. then being able to meet up that first day. or if it will take 10-15 levels and a week before we see each ot her in game.
As Iksar said, we have no hard info yet about how easy it will be at release for friends to meet up, nor do we know if VR intends to make any special game mechanic to let friends get together early in their careers. I would agree with Iksar that picking the race you really want will be more enjoyable in the long run, though I'm less optimistic about how long it might take for everyone to get together. It might only be a few days, or it might take a few weeks (real time, not ingame time), depending on how far one has to travel and how dangerous it is.
I'll tell you a few bits of info that might make it easier for you to decide, in case you don't know them already.
1. Humans can be every class, so they are an option for you in addition to elves.
2. Picking among 3 races that are on the same continent should make it easier traveling to meet up than anyone having to travel to another continent. So chosing among Kingsreach -[Elf, Human, Halfling] or Reignfall -[Skar, Dark Myr, Ogre] or Whitethaw -[Gnome, Archai, Dwarf] would be a help.
3. The Gnome's floating, starter city is in the same zone as the Dwarves' starter city, so those 2 will have an easier time meeting up than any other 2 races.
4. For those who decide to leave their starting continent and travel to another one, when it comes to dealing with faction for them in their new starter area, the negative faction of NPCs - and hostility that comes from it - will be greatest between any of the races on Kingsreach and any of the races on Reignfall. Faction problems should be less pronounced for players traveling - in either direction - between those 2 continents and Whitethaw.
5. The last discussion about friends traveling to meet up at the start of their ingame lives was fairly recent, in this thread:
https://seforums.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/13818/continental-populations
6. The hardest it will be to travel when just starting out will be at release. The longer after release you wait, the more options you will have. First, there will be higher level characters who will be happy to help get you thru the dangerous areas. Second, the hazards of travel will become better known, and potentially safer paths may be learned. Third, and probably lastly, at some point there will be Wizards & Druids that can open a portal for you. I don't expect that option in the first week, but it might be available within a month. (we have no firm info on how high a level those classes can be before they can provide travel to others, plus they have to have physically travelled to a portal location before they can portal to it). But you could well have an easier time meeting up as soon as a week after release. Waiting that long could make a big difference to some, and no difference to others, but it is a consideration.
Good luck, hope to see you in alpha - if you're pledged for it - or at release.
WOW! WHat great info, yeah pretty much summed it up for us lol. thank you very very much for the prompt and detailed info.
@Iksar: Yeah, we noly got 5 of us atm lol, room for 1 will be our /LFG note :) we will more than likely just pick what we wanna play, and at some point we will meet.
@Jothany: I like how #2 breaks down races per continent, making it even easier. appreciate that my friend.
and yeah we are all "Pathfinder" pledges, cept for one who wanted to be cooler so he went "Advisor" lol
so, there will be plenty of time to make different races and test running around type thing during alpha and beyond.
We are all beyond excited and stoke for even the chance of playing this game.
group so far
Druid: heals, ports.
Wizard: dps, ports
Enchanter: because duhh. this will be my main.
Summoner: dps , and summoning things. group members preferably.
tank of some sort. leaning towards Paladin though, for buffs/undead and back up rez's
1 open spot for anyone that wants in on
bunch of grown ass men. nerding out on paper already planning how our lives in game will be spent. ....so ....much ....fun!
Thanks again for everything! I look forward to seeing you all in game as well.
Yeah, I am also curious as to how early movement will work.
I also have a group of people that I want to play with when the game launches. However, I have a feeling that very few of us are going to end up starting in the same area, or even on the same continent. I am hoping that VR implements a way for early travel between the different continents. Like even if that travel is dangerous for whatever reason, there needs to be a way for group members to get to each other early on.
This is a speculative answer, but I have to assume that if you do not start on the same continent that you will not be playing together for several weeks at the earliest. If you were starting several months into the game's existence then it could be possible that you could find other players to escort/teleport your team to a centralized area. Its my speculation that intercontinental travel will likely be incredibly difficult when considering that a begining character, combined with a begining player, will be combined with the entire game population being begining characters.
With that said, your group composition sounds great, and depending on the tank you choose, you guys could all start on the same continent fairly easily.
Alpha will give us a good idea of how feasible it is to meet up at low levels. I strongly suspect that, should it be at least moderately difficult, there will be groups forming at launch with the express goal of changing areas and factions. So, if you want to play a Dark Myr and your friends are all Elves and Human, you find a group of Myr who have the same goal and group with them until you've arrived in the new area.
Suterian said:I would imagine we will end up playing all races starting points by the time the game is ready for release.
The first week may be spent alone , finding your way thru the world to each other.
I think it will turn into the first Great Quest that you and your group take on. Plenty of strategy to discuss on how to go about it. For example, there will inevitably be more than one of you on at least one continent, if not two. So, do they plan on meeting up in one starter town, to gain some levels before starting the 'great migration' to another continent? Do you gain a few levels and a fairly complete set of armor before you head out? Or do you all head off separately on the shortest/safest path to wherever the transport (probably a ship in a port) is to the other continent, at lvl 1, day 1?
Then there is the BIG qustion of which continent you all agree to be on to start the game together. If your group consists of races from all 3 continents, a 'functional' solution could be to chose Whitethaw - with the 'neutral' races - as your official home, due to the lessened faction challenge referenced in #4 in my above post. But from what VR has said, it seems likely that everyone would eventually be able to acquire enough faction on any continent to receive quests, access vendors & trainers and generally engage with the game. It just would take longer, the lower your faction standing with your new home is when you start. So... perhaps you'll all vote on which continent you most want to explore first, and everyone will go there.
I'll be curious to hear what you all decided, and how it went.
Please forgive my ignorance on the subject specifics that relate to Pantheon.
I can however tell you that where there is a will there is a way!
Even back in the day, Way back in the day.... two days after the launch of EQ, I played an Ogre SK, my Brother-in-Law played a Dark Elf Wizard, and our Best Friend played a Wood Elf Druid. We decided to find a way to Greater Faydark at levels 2 and 3 respectively we met up with our Wood Elf friend even though it took us like 6 hours and several attempts. I mean SEVERAL.. just finding our way back then was 90% of the battle. I remember having to make a Human in Freeport to learn the path so I could get my Ogre thru.
I also remember being stuck on the West side of High Hold Keep for like 3 days because I couldn't make it thru the pass without being killed.
Sometimes it's about the Journey more than it is about the restrictions and expectations of what can and can't be done.