The Spirit Realm

Here's a sneak peek at the Game Update Notes for Wednesday December 12th (Please note that these notes may or may not be changed before the servers open back up):

*** Items ***

- Retuned portions of the "Tinmyn's Oil Can" task to be more in line with the reward.
- The enchant Palladium and Dwerium scrolls will do more checks before allowing you to scribe them.
- Increased the drop rates of the "global" Rank 2 spell drops in Secrets of Faydwer zones.
- Removed parry focus from several items when no classes could use it. It will remain on any items where some classes can use the effect.


*** Quests & Events ***

- Fixed an issue with the Golems in Crystallos that would sometimes have them hitting too hard.
- Increased the number of items that drop from the raids in Meldrath's Progression Quest from 6 to 12.
- Gridbar Galund will no longer eat items given to him allowing warriors to continue along their epic quest line.
- Fixed an issue with the Shaman Epic in West Freeport. Talking to the greater spirit should work now.


*** NPC ***

- The respawn time on Shei Vinitras has been changed to be persistent through server downs instead of having her spawn up to a day after the zone comes up.
- Increased the respawn time of Meldrath's Majestic Mansion's base population.
- The shadows created for the tradeskill quest in hills of shade should now be less dangerous to the rest of the zone.
- Increased the respawn time (time between NPC respawns) in many SoF zones.
- Merchant Sele has set up shop in Shar Vahl and sells some tailoring supplies found in other home cities.
- Increased the power of the pets summoned by the beastlord spell Howl at the Moon.


*** Tradeskills ***

- Cultural metal drops have been adjusted to drop in the proper content now.
- The level 60 to 64 spell parchments should now be properly dropping.
- Legacy Shimmering Nihilite will no longer twist the tools when it is cut.
- Eron now give the rewards for his quest in a less confusing manner.
- Elegant charms have had some mod effects added.
- Fixed a bug with the Elegant charm that prevented it from gaining stats properly from elegant armor.
- Fixed the naming issue with Legacy Pale Nihilite Recipes.
- The new shimmering Nihilite can now be used to make the old weapon components.
- Legacy pale nihilite can be cut the same way as crimson nihilite. This gemstone will undergo an odd transition from the cutting and turn crimson in color.
- The thickener needed to make enchant metal spells via spell research has been changed to invigorating thickener.
- High level humanoids no longer value tin and ruined pelts. Instead they value titanium and flawless animal pelts like they should have.


*** Tasks ***

- The quest to save the scout clockwork in the guardian has been updated to update the whole group. Because of this, the scout will now only repop at the rate of other NPC's in the zone, instead of the five minute repop he was on.


*** AA ***

- Removed the Mana cost from the Call Hither AA.
- Additional ranks of the Druid AA Nature's Boon should increase in healing as the description states.
- Origin and Silent Presence are no longer on the same timer.
- Fixed a number of text and description issues.
- Set all ranks of Steady Hands and Burst of Power to ignore delevel (IE: You keep the value of the AA if you lose the level you need to purchase the AA) to be consistent with other AAs that raise skill caps.
- Shaman were incorrectly left off the AA Hastened Call of the Wild and this has been fixed.
- The AA Foraging will now not be revoked if you fall below the level needed to purchase the AA.
- Modified the timers for Arcane Whisper and Fortify Companion so that they do not conflict

- The EverQuest Team

The Oil Can quest really had two options with regards to the reward. It was SO EASY to do that they either had to (1) make the quest harder but keep the item the same, or (2) nerf the item by reducing its stats but keep the quest to get it the same. As it was, the RvR was way out of whack.

I don't know what they've done to the quest. I hope it's not a huge knee jerk reaction. But I am glad they chose to make the quest harder, not nerf the item.

The item is very nice but also very hard to maintain. You loot one platinum piece and the stats plummet. For raiding, it's a great item since not a lot of looting goes on by all the members during raids. For grouping, where I don't really need the extra stats most of the time, I keep my previous charm item with me and swap them out so I can loot and not suffer a big penalty.

I often get a lag spike when first agroing mobs, its most notable when its more than one. I think its the same issue as when you come across a large clump of players for the first time. That happens in many zones, not just loping though. The problem there might be that the orcs are changing to a new mob type, and all the data from the old type is being copied to the new type. That would hit everyone in the zone since the zone presumably updates too, not just the client. Sort of the same thing but server side rather than client side.