What is the point of buffs?

[handyschlumpf]

* 120 seconds duration only my ***, drinking animation takes like 5 seconds off of that, so ~-5%; you can't even harvest 24 slots with one dose
* farming&crafting takes longer than duration
* they require 1 inv slot, so 5% more exp on 23 items or 0% on 24 is about the same and surely not worth the micro managing

[Omega Haxors]

The XP potions are mainly used for turning in KP and bounties, though if you're racing to get to 500 or are doing an expensive recipe it can be worth using them. Generally speaking if you don't like using them, don't and you won't really miss out on much.

I personally use the 10% ones on cooldown (when I have enough inventory space to do the whole duration) because I enjoy the gameplay of collecting and making them, as well as figuring out how to best route things to maximize their bonus.

[ap10]

There really should be a 3rd potions slot for buffs so they don't take up an inventory slot.

[Robique]

Originally posted by ap10:

There really should be a 3rd potions slot for buffs so they don't take up an inventory slot.

This.
Many more people would be actually using the XP potions if it didn't take a slot in inventory.
For some professions, like Merchant, these potions take up much more than just one slot out of 24. Who in their right mind would use 10% XP potion while being 25% less efficient?

[Greb]

Originally posted by ap10:

There really should be a 3rd potions slot for buffs so they don't take up an inventory slot.

I feel like this would turn potions straight from being an optional bonus thing you can use if you want to (sacrificing a perfectly empty inventory and all of that stuff in exchange for some bonus XP here and there) into being something absolutely mandatory that you'd be griefing yourself personally if you didn't use.

You can hold like 999 XP potions in your inventory, so even if they balanced it by only letting you equip like 30 at once or something you'd still just be able to load up on them as you went about your business.

I'm too lazy to use XP potions 24/7 I prefer using them for KP if I'm doing something that doesn't fill up an entire inventory with its loop. Like store two KP and then chug a potion and pop both KP points for the bonus XP or something.

It'd be nice to carry some potions in my toolbelt so I could always do this wherever I go, save up two KP and chug + pop, without messing with my inventory...but yeah, if they let us put potions in our back pocket then they become 110% mandatory for everyone to always use, instead of somewhat of a cross you have to bear if you want to use them.

Everything should be balanced with pros and cons, and not just pros, right? For getting access to essentially +1 tool tier (+5% XP at minimum) for the low price of 1 silver pretty much, juggling your inventory and them having limited time active effects makes sense to me.

I do think they should add another type of XP potion that gives you XP bonus on actions, and doesn't tick down over time but instead based on how many actions you perform, just for longer and more annoying forms of skilling though.

Made a joke suggestion once about having a potion beer hat you could wear which you automatically chug from when the potion effect wears out, and can hold like 50 doses of potion in it. A wearable item for utility from a quest, which also needs a special station in the Alchemy store to refill, which kept your XP potions or whatever on a constant uptime would be cool I think though. Just maybe not a beer hat, lol.

[ap10]

Someone somewhere might get all hot and sweaty behind a keyboard because they ran out of buff potions? What game breaking horror.

[XJ9]

They are pretty awful. The 10% ones would be a lot better.

One thing that annoys me about them is that if you are training watchwomen and drink a crenopolis potion, you are "encouraged" to use the knowledge into a Crenopolis skill. It just feels bad.

I would much rather have the potion last longer and just have it not work with knowledge. The ability to drink 12x 5% exp potions for a 60 minute buff would be nice.

The time to drink for the short duration makes it hardly worth it. I remember seeing the number 1 watchwomen when they were 490~ watchwomen. They didn't drink exp potions. They are a waste of time.

[Greb]

Originally posted by XJ9:

The time to drink for the short duration makes it hardly worth it. I remember seeing the number 1 watchwomen when they were 490~ watchwomen. They didn't drink exp potions. They are a waste of time.

Yeah they seem like they'd more fit for constant uptime, consistent use. Not something I have the motivation to bother with.

Even for KP they're kind of not worth it, unless you're really XP hungry. Or Ventures.

My current Mining venture gives like 900,000 XP, say. Drinking a 5% or even a 10% would give 45,000 - 90,000 bonus XP.

I get 12,000 XP per stone I mine though. So like, yeah. I struggle to motivate myself to use them. I'm going to use them from 403 - 419 Miner probably, but then not touch them again, not even for KP stacking. I just don't care to care that much really.

If it was like a worn item charged with potions that kept the XP flow going for 20 minutes at a time or something, without being something I need to drink or inventory shuffle, or annoy me at the riftstones, then yeah, I'd probably use it. +5% is like a whole new tool or potentially 20+ gold in enchantments.

Might be a bit OP though if it was like that. I don't really know.

[XJ9]

@greb - I only use them during crime den raids sometimes. Because I am afking them anyways so I drink it inbetween a kill, so that I finish drinking it before the next mob attacks me.

I don't think exp pots would be "OP" if they were able to be stacked for up to 20-60 minutes. Maybe if they worked with knowledge points exp.

I personally dislike XP buff mechanics in games, as I feel the base game should just be that much faster by default. I dislike the amount of buffs in games where you need to constantly re-up things and buy more potions and even time the potions. I just remember runescape back in the day, log in, do fletching, log out. Now a days it's get a pulse core buff, use a portable fletcher... It is just annoying imo.

I would've been 500 guard/detective a long time ago if I used knowledge into those skills instead of leveling my merchant and other skills with knowledge exp. I think knowledge can make the game feel like a grind if you do not put the exp into a skill you are training, which might be bad for players to get into the game and not see it as so grindy.

[Greb]

Originally posted by XJ9:

*stuff*

Yeah, I mean I kinda don't care much for timed XP boosts and things and wasn't too pleased to see them in the game, I wasn't sneering or griping about them I mean, I just mean I don't really like that stuff either, same as you. That RS stuff sounds lame, whatever a pulse core is and a portable fletcher, bleh. I didn't even like the Stealing Creation stuff and whatever else and I absolutely hated XP weekends even though I took full advantage of them anyway...I just like simple, standard and reliable stuff without chaotic deviation I guess.

I wouldn't shed any tears if XP potions got nixed, or enchantments, nor would I be upset if tool upgrades changed to just boost your speed when skilling like in RS, or if it even became a "gate" requirement (I.E Perfect ores can only be pierced by a Tier 6 Pick) etc. I'm not rolling around on the floor seething at the concept of bonus XP or anything, but I could easily adapt to it being gone.

Like at the moment I'm getting +35% XP when Mining because I have the top tier pickaxe, enchanted to level 25, and I'm chugging +5% XP potions. Seems like a lot of XP, which I guess makes the game less grindy and does serve to give you some feeling of reward for progressing I suppose, but still, I wouldn't miss it if the devs decided it no longer fit the scope of the game and removed it. I imagine plenty of people would be annoyed by that though.

Plus I guess it helps make this game stand apart from RS, which it obviously wants to do.

I tried to spread my KP around on other skills with the intention of getting them all to 100, but I hit a roadblock in Miner at around level 225+ and started dumping all of my KP into it instead, just so the levels came a little quicker. Been doing that ever since...my total level has suffered, but oh well.

Another thing that makes the game feel less of a grind (especially if you're not bothered by leaderboards and such) is just passive XP. It feels like it wouldn't even be that painful getting 500 in a skill if you just did long passive sessions for that one skill. You always seem to get at least 1 level if you're always on top of your best passive. It's not fastfast, but it's not terrible, for anti-grinding purposes or some such.

I like passive stuff quite a bit. It's better than those games which give a "Well Rested!" XP bonus which only regenerates while you are logged out too.

[handyschlumpf]

Originally posted by Omega Haxors:

The XP potions are mainly used for turning in KP and bounties

Even for chef bounties, they are a pain. You barely get a complete delivery run done, esp. not because devs think that mobs 30 levels below you should still aggro you.

[ap10]

Instead of XP potions working for a limited amount of time; working for a limited amount of XP may be preferable.

[XJ9]

Originally posted by ap10:

Instead of XP potions working for a limited amount of time; working for a limited amount of XP may be preferable.

Buff bar would be clogged with potion buffs that you might not want to do right away. I feel this is needlessly complicated.

I still think potions should just last longer or be able to be used multiple times. Drink X potions or something.

[ap10]

Originally posted by XJ9:

Originally posted by ap10:

Instead of XP potions working for a limited amount of time; working for a limited amount of XP may be preferable.

Buff bar would be clogged with potion buffs that you might not want to do right away. I feel this is needlessly complicated.

I still think potions should just last longer or be able to be used multiple times. Drink X potions or something.

I don't think you're envisioning what I'm trying to describe.

What I'm saying is, hypothetically you have an XP potion that is good for 10K extra XP (or whatever arbitrary amount) that gets used up as you gain XP by a predetermined percentage of the XP you are accumulating during each task.

I do suppose you would need some sort of buff bar, but we already have one; it's just a timer right now. You should also just lose whatever remains of your buff if you die or change regions. I personally don't see that as being needlessly complicated.

[XJ9]

Originally posted by ap10:

Originally posted by XJ9:

Buff bar would be clogged with potion buffs that you might not want to do right away. I feel this is needlessly complicated.

I still think potions should just last longer or be able to be used multiple times. Drink X potions or something.

I don't think you're envisioning what I'm trying to describe.

What I'm saying is, hypothetically you have an XP potion that is good for 10K extra XP (or whatever arbitrary amount) that gets used up as you gain XP by a predetermined percentage of the XP you are accumulating during each task.

I do suppose you would need some sort of buff bar, but we already have one; it's just a timer right now. You should also just lose whatever remains of your buff if you die or change regions. I personally don't see that as being needlessly complicated.

Idk man those are some huge words for something that should be complex. Predetermine percentage arbitary amount? Idk that gives me a headache thinking about it.

Solution is simple, drink X (up to 30 potions, up to 1 hour). Done. No more drinking every 2 minutes.

[Greb]

EXTREME POWER CHUG

The virgin sip VS the CHAD QUENCH

Little newbs sip a little bit of potion every two minutes, meanwhile MMOchads drink an entire water cooler bottle of potion by pouring it over their face while shaking their head left and right and yelling and screaming into the void.

Siplets be seething about chugchads