I saw a marked increase in quantity and quality of reward with each level, when getting crafting materials.
Level 1 & 2, I rarely got better than copper ingots/stone, and less than 100.
At level 5, I routinely get Valorite ingots/stone, barbed leather, and Bloodwood/Heartwood/Frostwood, in quantities up to 180 if I go overland/sail (100 if I use a moongate).
And the rare stuff (books and signs) didn't even START dropping for me until the 4th level. (8 books, 9 signs - none at 3rd or lower).
As for scales, I plan on taking them to the library and getting a couple talismans (they add up quick, especially when you also fish, and skin every sea serpent and dragon-kin you kill while hunting).
Things that need tweaking:
- The Pinks are currently random 0.1 to 1.0 value. The minimum really needs to raise as the level of the order does, to where the pinks from a level 5 should be at minimum 0.5 or 0.6 value.
- I'd like to see the ML gems/plants rewards bumped up to the same numbers as the ingots/stone/leather/wood. After all, it is far harder to get them than anything else, and you need obscene amounts of them for Alchemy & other crafting skills (especially with those skills now having BODs).
- I can live with scales, because of their Library value - but for the love of Gwenno get rid of the pathetic Residue/Essence/Relic Fragment rewards. The new loot system makes them an insult as a reward.
- Something needs to be done regarding the Britain guard zone. Currently, stuff can spawn well inside the Britain GZ, where casters can't summon (and direct damage is not all that useful, from the Ambushers' amped-up HP). Was there a time where the GZ stopped above the (empty on many shards) open field at 22[sup]o[/sup] South, 1[sup]o[/sup] East, and about half-way from the corral and the pass to Skara? Because, that's where the Ambushes start, and the GZ currently extends to the last turn from W to S on the road, just north of the moongate, and (amazingly) over HALF-WAY through the mountain range between Britain & Skara.
- Isn't it about time to have Rowboats for sale at places other than the Floating Emporium? Having the ability to buy these, even if still limited to High Seas accounts, would be nice, as you need a boat to cross to Skara (the ferry won't work, as it's coded as a teleport instead of being a real ferry), and one can actually make the jaunt to Jhelom in about a minute with a rowboat from the beach south of Honor, without having to drag a full-size ship around.
- Speaking of ships, the Kraken Ambushers are a joke. They can easily 1-hit kill someone aboard a ship before that person can sic a pet on it or cast a spell (and, of course, death ends the contract, and you're stuck with a bunch of junk from the chest). The only defense is to precast invis and leave a pet/summon up, before issuing the movement command (or drink an invis pot), or take a rowboat (where you get land spawn, not sea spawn). Seriously? A kraken that can outlast THREE successive Rising Colossi, sometimes killing them before the expire? And can one-shot any character with a water ball if it attacks before it gets beaten down?