Planar Ceramic Focus Items

[kumgum]

I dont see anything in that link where they say that they are not going to add lvl 5 focus. It talks about current focus effects, and the reasoning for the scaleing is because we need a way to upgrade (I read that as saying they are adding new focus effects) gear.

More on topic, if they did make new focus effects that are player made I think it would be better to have them made with different skills, maybe some jewelry with some focus. Some smithing items maybe, after all wouldnt it be nicer to have a shield made out of a nice sturdy steel then one made of ceramic?

[Maevenniia]

Official confirmation re: the sept 7th changes to high-end Time & GoD focii, courtesy of the EQstratics dev chat:

Brekkee - *Izu* As we understand it all current focuses will scale based on every level over the focus cap level. Does this apply the same to PoP focus as it does GoD focus? Or will high end GoD focus actually be useful in OoW?

Rytan - The scaling of the focus effects past 65 will effect all of the existing foci, although generally the higher end focus items have a higher max level then the lower tier focus effects. Generally the Elemental and time foci are capped at level 67, and the high end gates foci are capped at level 68.

[Soriano]

I know there are many of you that want most of the high level foci to extend all the way to 70, but this is not feasible for several reasons.

A focus Item that extend up to level 70 would be Focus V...

[Fluteria]

In order to allow an upgrade path for focus effects, there needs to be a reason to get the new focus effects

From the SOE link on Focus items. There will be focus item that cap at level 70. The tapering is the incentive to get these new items, i.e. give people something to work to attain or another goal.

As to the pottery issue, the items themselves will not entirely lose their market. Although their value may decrease a little bit but unless the new focus items, assuming they're all drops and not another player-made pottery item, become easily attainable for the average casual player, there will still be a market for these items. It just may not be as lucrative as it appears at the moment (in terms of some of the pricier ceramic items, such as the incense burner of ro which is still around 60k to 80k on my server).

/goes and hides before people throw rotten tomatos at her.

[Zephaus]

Soriano, you are totally mis-reading the August 27 post.

I know there are many of you that want most of the high level foci to extend all the way to 70, but this is not feasible for several reasons.

What he is talking about is everyone hoping that Focus IV and the PoP/GoD armor effects working all the way up to 70. Not new Focus V-type effects. In fact, he goes on to say...

The need for upgrades as the game progresses is obvious... Two things primarily dictate a casting class's spell power: their spells, and their focus effects. In order to allow an upgrade path for focus effects, there needs to be a reason to get the new focus effects.

This clearly is discussing allowing players to get new focus effects.

He then goes on in the following paragraphs to address the question of why they couldn't just continue to scale focus effects upward -- i.e., why not make the upgrade path be adding a 50% extended range item instead of resetting Extended Range to 10% on 66+ spells. That's why he says:

If Focus effects were to increase in % over each consecutive iteration, spells would not be able to continue to upgrade at anywhere near the rate they currently do.

The chosen result being that there will be new focus effects starting over again at a 10% bump for level 66-70 spells.

Hope this helps,

Zep

[splunge]

If OOW spells are anything like GoD spells, people will be getting lvl 70 long before anyone sees lvl 66+ spells and lvl 66+ focus items.. which both will probably be dropping at around the same time, in the same zones.

I severely doubt anyone will have a full spellbook of 66-70 spells without ever seeing any Improved Whatever V focus items drop.

So just relax.

[Obina]

I hope this does not seem like a primal scream, but I suggest you sell PoP pottery items now. The prices will drop. Not because of focus 5 items, nor folks using lvl 67 spells, but because of mastery. Today we fail perhaps 1 in 3 since the triv is 295. This failure rate will drop for all those that have AA points ready to go into mastery. So the cost of making will drop. If it costs me 15k to make a ceramic shield of Valor, it will cost a potter with mastery about 10k. He/she will sell at 14k and I am out of business.

Any JC items that are over 255 trivial are priced like this - so only those that have mastery can make pp. The same will soon be true of all skills. There is still pp to be made on some things (good old GIoT) , just not for things with high trivials, unless we have the Mastery.

Grand Master Potter temporarily out of business.

[Zephaus]

Cleared mine out a couple weeks ago in anticipation of this, and haven't made any more.

I don't think the market for these will be very strong, but who knows, maybe people will want to buy items that are only reach their full potential for 5 levels.

[Kudikai]

I put up 8 Shields of Valor on my trader the week before OoW. 1 Sold before the patch, and 2 more after the patch. I asked the last two people who purchased one what they intended to use it for, and both of their responses were "guild tribute".


Now for my opinion:
I don't think the PoP Pottery market is going to die. The items are just shifting in the target customers. Instead of the upper-end individual casual players, now the guild's and the mid-to-upper-end individuals will be purchasing the items. Sure the price may drop a few thousand plat, but the profits will still be there.

I don't have the AAs for the new abilities, but then I've always had a 95% or higher success rate. I don't think my sales will suffer since I sell at 25% profit margin and still net 150k/month in profits. You don't need to go out of business, just adapt to the new economy.