Q) If quality doesn't matter on spellcrafting gems. Can you just remove it all together or allow them to be stackable?

A) There is much debate on this issue. On the one hand making the items stackable would be convenient to some but would hamper others, because of the need to unstack them to use them.

Q) Do masterpiece player crafted items offer any sort of bonus over a 99% quality item anymore?

A) Indeed. As noted in another recent Grab Bag, quality affects the number of charges an item can hold if an Alchemist adds a charge tincture to it. Quality also has an impact on the effective DPS or AF of an item, as the base is multiplied by the quality, along with condition, to reach the final value used in combat. The only aspect of quality that has recently changed is its effect on spellcrafting. All other effects remain the same.

Q) I remember hearing once about a quest that you could only get once you have 10 bubbles of post level 50 experience. I've done tons of research, asked different people and I just can't seem to find anything on it. Am I going crazy or does this quest really exist, hidden some place beyond me?

A) There is no such quest. The closest thing would be specific quests that require higher champion levels to obtain and complete, however there isn't one that requires a full bar of normal experience at 50. Fifty is the highest level, and any normal experience beyond that has no added benefits - thought it's always been a valuable source of bragging rights.

Q) Alright, I've been playing my heretic for a very, very long time, and I still have no idea as to what the "Accursed Misery" line of spells does. The herald calls it a buff shear reactionary proc, but I have heard everything from it being an extra damage shield to it proccing a mez to the herald being right. What's the case? The in-game delve says nothing as to the effect of the spell, but lists the duration as 45 seconds...does this mean it shears a random buff for 45 seconds, or procs a 45 second mez, or what? Seeing as how it overrides the cleric's heal proc, I'm thinking it better be really good. Please tell me what my spell does!

A) The buff has a 5% chance to proc when hit by a target, which will remove one random buff from the attacker.

Q) Will dial-up work for DAoC (with Labyrinth) or does it have to be broadband? Your system requirements just say 'Internet connection'.

A) Based on average bandwidth considerations, dial up will work fine.

Q) For those of us who received and reported the bugged Bracer of the Deep drops in ToA Albion, will Mythic be replacing them? Not a lot of demand for that bracer with 80% durability and 70% quality.

A) Unfortunately, we have no way to tell if a Bracer of the Deep dropped during the time when it was 'bugged' as the item can decay on its own. Therefore a blanket replacement program is not something we can implement.

Q) In completing first-time encounters for credit for Alvarus' Leggings (Razorfin) and CB (in this case, the Skyros mob), I was surprised to find that the remains for both mobs did NOT drop.  Do the new leveled loot/drop list changes in ToA for ML and artifact mobs affect first encounters?  The patch notes seem pretty clearly to suggest that loot chances would be the same as pre-patch for FIRST encounters and only affect loot lists AFTER the first encounter (i.e., if you try farming the mobs).  Can you clarify please exactly how the leveled loot/drop changes work?

A) You are correct in how you read the patch notes. If someone in the group needs credit for the relevant encounter/artifact, then it would drop loot at the same chances as before the changes.  We'll look into both cases to make sure nothing strange is going on or was omitted.  If you have any more information on the encounter and how you did it, how many people, how many groups, etc. please forward it along with the basic issues as bug appeal in game (if you haven't done so already).  The more information we get on any issues that come up, the better we can track down any potential problems.  Also, please be very specific in the bug appeal with full names of mobs/encounters involved, that way we don't have to assume you mean one thing when you might have meant this another.

Q) I'm currently farming aurulite for my armor and weapons and find that the categories of aurulite are different but spend on a one-to-one basis.  If there is no difference in the spending, why not combine shards, fragments and chips all into one category.  The 3 names are misleading and confusing.  One would believe that each was or should be a % of the other either higher or lower.

A) This falls under a limitation of our code in regards to how we can give and collect items.  To allow Aurulite to drop in varying amounts like we do, we had to set them up as separate objects in our system.  I'll put the concern on our whiteboard though and see if we can come up with code or other solutions in the future to help alleviate some of the confusion.

Q) I was wondering why in the Power Strike line for Maulers, the spells "Perfection of Style" and "Pugnacious Blow" are on the same timer, or if this is a bug. Pugnacious Blow has a 8 second recast timer but if you put up the damage add Perfection of Style you can not cast Pugnacious Blow until the 1 minute recast timer is up from Perfection of Style. Since one is a DD and the other is a Damage add I do not understand.

A) This is intentional, as having the two on separate timers would allow too much damage output in a short burst. Both spells are different ways of adding damage. The DD bypasses all defense, and the DA does not. If the target has defenses, like spec shield, the DD is the way to go. However, if the target has no defenses, like a cloth caster, the DA will yield more damage. They're situationally different as far as use goes, and are not supposed to stack.

Q) When a caster nukes a mob and sees a damage msg like: "Bob hits the dragonfly for 500(+100) damage." What's the actual damage dealt to the mob? Is it 500 or 600? And is it the same with melee as well?

A) 500. The first number displayed is the only number you need to pay attention to if all you care about is how much damage you're doing.

A good tip to figure something like this out quickly and easily is to use the /duel command. Duel a friend, and see how much damage you do, and compare that to what you're seeing on the screen. It will help you determine what is happening and how to interpret it more easily.

Q) Is the Critical strike spec line dependent on anything else? Could I be a Shadowblade with 50 Critical strike and 0 in any weapon and use the CS abilities as effective if I had 50 Axe on top of that? I was told there is no impact on weapon spec except from auto-attack.

A) Speccing critical strikes gives you more style damage, and use of CS styles. You can use these styles without speccing any base weapon, but it is not recommended as you will do very poor and unreliable damage. Speccing a base weapon lowers your variance with that weapon, meaning your damage will be higher and more reliable. This also applies to Polearms and Albion 2handed weaponry.

Q) It had been said in a previous Grab Bag that Weaponskill was tricky in that it was not actually used in calculations, but used many of the same variables. This brings me to my question - What exactly IS weaponskill? What is it calculated from, and what similarities and differences does it share with the calculations from damage output?

A) Weaponskill is not actually used in calculations, this is true. It is heuristic, a number derived from a simplified formula that is used to aid you in determining how your damage output will be affected by changes in your character. It can not be used as an exact determination of how effective your damage or defense penetration is, but it will give you a ballpark idea. If you're looking to get in to the nitty gritty of how your character works, it is best to ignore weaponskill and focus on actual damage done.

*****

Don't forget, if you're in the Columbus, Ohio area, come on out to the Roundtable Road Trip. Jen, Howard, and myself will be there answering questions and handing out free food! Click here for the address and times: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/roadtrip/2007/July_07_columbus.php