So we seem to agree that the loot hasn't really changed from then to now drastically (ie it wasn't made worse, the amount of items simply decreased). I understand you might not like the strategy I gave you to recall around and circle back, but it certifiably works so your argument about waiting to watch your fingernails grow is then simply because you don't feel like adapting...not because you have to do it. There is a way you don't need to fight any guardians, which I gave you, but you just don't want to do it... that's not the Devs fault; that is you being stubborn simply because you don't like the change.
So if that is the case, aside from not getting the essences (I agree we should still get those), what exactly changed from before to now to have you say they are pretty much a waste of time? Are the essences really what made T-maps make or break for you?
I won't go as far as saying the Tmaps are where I'd want them to be, but I honestly don't think they were that great before the changes either. They were just quicker to run through without recalling.
Why should I either have to wait 5 - 20 minutes or fight guardians with no loot? Explain that to me. It is not adapting, it is a downright major change that was pointless other than to try and revive a skill that gets little to no use. What other professions need to wait 5-20 minutes or kill a bunch of things without any loot for their trouble?
Old way:
1. FInd chest and digup
2. unlock chest and pop guardians
3. Kill guardians and loot them
4. Pull items from chest, taking what you want and dropping the rest into a bag next to it to pull more guardians. (rarely kept any armor/jewery/weapons)
5. Keep if you want (I did) regs, scrolls, gems, essences, level 6 or 7 marty.
6. Take gold and leave
New way:
1. Find chest and digup
2. unlock chest and fight guardians
3. Kill initial guardians and loot them.
4. Either run remove trap a bunch taking damage and fighting guardians with no loot or wait 5-20 minutes to be able to loot chest
5. Look over items, take gold, leave
I never used mining but now I need to add remove trap and remove points from something I needed or wait 5-20 minutes
It is the Devs fault, more people disliked the changes than liked them but they added them anyways. This whole thing is just rehashing old stuff because
@Lore decided to call people whiners because they stated that they disliked the changes. I honestly think many of you just argue this crap just to argue and because people need the last word. I am done responding. I simply stated my opinion very simply and politely until being called a whiner because I did not agree with the Allmighty LORE. I will save anyone time and this was my first statement from post #9
"I play and didn't like the change. It forced me to add extra points to my template and guardians don't give any loot. Why not? If I have to kill them, I should get something for it. I can still solo all of the map levels but no longer get the imbuing essences like I used to and rarely get anything worth keeping. " There is nothing whiny or attacking any side in that statement. I still play, I rarely do them anymore even though it use to be one of my favorite things in UO. I am down to one account because I didn't use my other for much other than treasure hunting and so no need to keep it open unless I really get the urge to do some. The Devs get an idea in mind, they run with it. They generally don't take the feedback from the many, just a few people. It has been this way many, many years.