Make HP Washing Optional

I understand HP washing is a contentious topic and has been talked to death, but I still think it's an issue.

Current situation:

HP washing is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Unless a player doesn't want to do HT until level 180, then they're going to have to invest into HP washing somehow. Whether this means putting points into base INT and hindering their damage, spending millions on INT gear, or putting all their stats into base INT and leeching their way up. That's not even counting the months of voting for AP resets. Either way there's a lot of planning required and it ruins the natural progression of the game. It's not as simple as creating a new character and leveling up. I don't think it's very enjoyable either.


My suggestion:

I think a fair compromise is to reduce the damage that bosses do to compensate for low HP players. This implementation doesn't remove HP washing from the server, and it doesn't throw away the hard work of those that have already HP washed. People who have already washed will have even more of a damage cushion, and will still have an advantage over those who have not HP washed. But more importantly it will remove the barrier of entry. Players can join this server without having to plan out the most optimal way to gain HP from level one. It makes character progression more organic and much less stressful.

If you agree or disagree with this suggestion, let me know why.

 

I understand that and agree with you.

Although I mentioned mobs, my suggestion was mainly aimed toward bosses. At the bare minimum I think bosses could have their damage reduced so that a non-HP washed character could participate without 1HKO. Mobs could be done on a case by case basis.

EDIT: Also I'm not sure why you implied this change would only be for a small minority of players.

It would add the option of whether to HP wash or to not HP wash. If given the choice, I think many players would choose not to.

 

It might require some thinking, but I don't think it'd be tremendously difficult.

The reference level would have to be determined by the staff, but thieves and archers have the lowest HP. So for example take the minimum HP of a level 155 archer/thief (whichever has lowest HP), subtract a couple hundred and apply that number to the boss' high damage attack.

 

That'd be an easier fix, but what about the players who are already at a high level? They would have missed out on a huge chunk of hp. Wouldn't be fair to implement without a wipe.

 

Woops meant HP, not exp.

The "not 1HKO" was what I meant by subtract a couple hundred HP from the minimum HP to determine the boss dmg. The player would be left with 100-200 HP if they have the minimum required HP.

The level for the minimum hp would have to be determined by the staff. I just used 155 as an example for HT. They could do 140, 150, 160, doesn't matter. Up to them. If a player wanted to HT before that level, they could HP wash to accelerate the process. But having the minimum level at the 150 range is better than 180 or 190.

There is already a survivability disparity between classes. Shads can already start earlier than NLs because of meso guard. Just like warriors can start earlier due to their high base HP. This wouldn't change anything.

 

Not really the same comparison since the player would still have the same weapon as everyone else.

In this case, vets would be screwed because there's no way for them to gain that lost HP that all of the new players are getting.

Some servers use the method you're talking about, but it doesn't work on an already existing server. That's why I'm suggesting the boss damage be reduced instead.

 

Ok but then how are ranged attackers going to survive when bossing? It stops HP washing but it doesn't solve anything.

 

Making HP washing optional isn't making the game easy. It's making it playable.

Being able to access HT prior to level 180 shouldn't be a pro or con for a class. I'm not asking to make every class an absolute tank. Just make it so that they can take one hit from HT and other bosses. Warriors will still have the advantage of being able to tank multiple hits.

Everyone should be able to access all of the bosses at a reasonable level. I don't think this should be gated behind an exploit such as HP washing. It's a huge turnoff to an otherwise great server.