Rock on:

EDITED: Saturday, 11:15 PM

Q: Some of my quest objects have delves, which really helps me to keep track of what these things are and what I should be doing with them. But some of my quest objects don't. Why?

A: We went through the quest objects in the game adding delve tags, but some escaped our grasp. If you would please send bug appeals with the name of any quest object that does not have a delve, we'll get one added ASAP. Thanks for the help.

Q: Heretics have staff abilities, but the only staves I have found to equip are the ones bought with aurolite. Will Heretics ever be allowed to equip drop and artifact saves?

A: The Mistress of Content gave me this response: "There are quite a few staves in the game that do not have class restrictions so they may be equipped by any class. You could also check with your local crafter to purchase one you can spellcraft to suit your heretic's needs. Many staves have spells that are not meant for use by any non-focus caster class so those do have class restrictions."

If you were specifically referring to artifact staves, you are correct, none of the artifact staves can be equipped by the Heretic at this time.

Q: I was wondering if we could get a definitive answer to this - do spread heals appear on /stats heal?

A: Nope.

Q: (Insert grammar/spelling correction for a bit of text from the game.)

A: We appreciate it very much when you bring these to our attention. These bugs are easy to fix and don't require an endless meeting about the ramifications of our actions.

Q: I have an arcanium Astral Divine Light (Mid), and I was wondering if it was possible to put an epic Weapon Enamel/use a Weapon Enamel Remover on it.

A: The Mistress of Content replied: "The weapon enamels and weapon enamel removers will not work on the Celestius or Legendary weapons. The colors and effects are built into these weapon models."

Q: This is a question regarding focus shield differences between Cabalists and Enchanters. Are there any?  I see that the duration for the Cabalist version is 6 seconds, and the Enchanter version is 5 Seconds.  Since the spell is active until focus is broken, what does this difference in time mean? Thanks.

A: I asked the Spell and Style Goddess (who has some good stuff cooking for the next patch), and she said: "That number is not exactly the duration of the spell; rather, it's the frequency (although the Herald lists it as duration).

"In other words, it's the amount of time between pulses of the focus spell. At each pulse, power is consumed for the spell."

The Herald is what's unclear here; sorry about that. It's a bit of a challenge coming up with the templates for the enormous variety of spell types in the game. Thanks for letting us clear that up.

Q: What exactly is the system for durability and condition, and how those two factors work together?

A: Those of you who have been reading the Grab Bag since the old days will find this familiar, but it's been years, so I figured we'd take this golden oldie back out for a ride. Remember, y'all - a MMORPG is a living, evolving creature. This answer is different in some small ways from past answers on the same topic. New information almost always overrides the old. Now, I'm going to get out of the way and give the floor to Code Ed.

"A level 50 item will take one point of durability loss per point of condition over 90%. It will take one point of durability loss for every two points of condition below 90%. These are rounded up, so the loss will always be at least one. Items, in general, start with durability above 100, hence the reason they stay at 100 for so long. Some items have a built in durability modifier that causes a slower rate of durability loss. Also, keep in mind that lower level items take higher durability hits due to their materials generally being weaker."

Astute readers will notice that I didn't post the exact system as requested. The reason for this is simple - the exact formula is long, complex, and uses parts of the code that players can't in any way see because we don't communicate that information to the player's interface.

So, please bear in mind that Code Ed described a standard level 50 item, and the basic system. You can't extrapolate that exact system to every item in the game, because some will lose durability slower and some will lose it faster. Having a system like this, where there are multiple categories, is a good thing - as you will see in the next patch or two.

Q: How do bonuses and condition work together?

A: (Edited reply) Generally, an item with a condition below 70% is not effective in terms of its armor value or its damage. Other item bonuses, as most people know, are not affected by condition. Items that follow this rule include armor, weapons, focus staffs, and instruments. Of course, as with everything else in a MMOG, there are exceptions.

*** 

The photos from the DC Roundtable are live! It was tough picking just a handful of photos, and even those don't fully describe what a good time it was. Now we've got to start planning for Vegas this fall…

Hey, but if you're on the West Coast and can't wait until this fall, why not stop by the Roundtable Roadtrip in Los Angeles on May 21?

E3 has me trying not to claw out my eyes with Excel spreadsheets, but I should be completely recovered in time to enjoy E3 itself. Going to the show? Want to hang out? Drop me a line. The address is my first name at MythicEntertainment.com.

Answered the poll yet? Why not?

It's time for me to go home, log in, and kill a few people. See you out in the Frontiers!