(Preface: I know these questions probably get asked a lot, but I have trouble getting the search function on here to yield any actual results, and the AoC wiki didn't really answer my PvP questions, or maybe I searched using the wrong terms. )

I was one of the individuals who left AoC during that debacle known as "launch" amid a flurry of bugs and a serious lack of content, but I've been told by friends that the game has "changed" and that I should try it again, which I'm considering doing (it's either this or DDO, mosy likely), but I've been having a difficult time getting my exact questions answered (I've received varying conflicting answers), so I'm hoping that some of you here can clarify these things for me:

PvP:

Part of the reason that I left was that the best PvP (i.e. "siege" warfare) was reserved only for the elite guilds who were capable of dominating the battlefield, and due to my lack of commitment (I'm a college student with an odd schedule), I usually stick to small, casual guilds who don't have the resources to partake in such activities. My questions: Do PvP mini-games serve any functional purpose now, or are they as meaningless as ever? Is there an easier way for the solo/small guild player to participate in meaningful PvP these days, and if not, are there any plans to implement this  type of feature, or is being a merc still the way to go?

PvE:

Has any small group content been added (i.e. for about three-four player groups)? Or has any type of dungeon scaling been implemented to make some content doable by small groups? The game was very raid-oriented when I quit, so I was wondering if this is still the case is all. Don't turn this into a "u casualz just wnt phat lootz gib to u" thread, please, because that isn't true at all. I just want some content that I can engage in with a couple of friends without having to form a pick-up group. For example, games such as Lord of the Rings Online have three-man instances, which I really like.

Servers:

If my character was on a server that was merged, I'm assuming that I'll lose my  name if someone else had it before my character was  moved, right? (I think I was on Set -- PvE -- so I'm not sure if other servers were merged into that one or vice versa.)

Housing:

Was player housing ever added, and if so, is it only available to guilds?

Stability:

I was experiencing serious framerate issues and crashes when I shouldn't have been, and I just want to verify that most of these issues have been corrected, which I assume to be the case.

I appreciate any answers to my questions in advance. I know the opinions about this game are quite polarized, so please keep the needless flaming/trolling out of this thread and just answer the questions I posed. Thanks.

The type of meaningful pvp you seek does not yet exist. It will when the next major patch, 1.06, adds the long-awaited siege towers to the game.  I'm guessing that will happen later this summer.

As for PvE, there are 6-man dungeons, but I'm not aware of anything specifically for 3 or 4.

There is no player housing and little reason to think it will ever be added.

As for stability I've had one crash in the last ten hours of play and no frame-rate problems.  I do get frequent lag spikes, maybe 3 or 4 per hour which last about one or two seconds.  I rate this aspect as a very minor annoyance.

PVP:

The mini games help you increase in pvp rank which in turn allows access to pvp gear. The pvp gear and accessories are nice and helpful in pvp. Sieges while more common (I have been pugged into a couple) are a guild based activity. There are calls to join a siege group but atm being certain classes (healers and casters) helps to get into one were the attacker wants more peeps.

PVE:

There have been several dungeons added (and another coming in 1.06). However, the dungeon is best handled by a full group (unless you are just overgeared). There are solo instances as well. However, there is really nothing in the three player range other than outdoor elite quests.

Servers:

Active accounts during a merge had priority on names.

Originally posted by Corden

(Preface: I know these questions probably get asked a lot, but I have trouble getting the search function on here to yield any actual results, and the AoC wiki didn't really answer my PvP questions, or maybe I searched using the wrong terms. )

I was one of the individuals who left AoC during that debacle known as "launch" amid a flurry of bugs and a serious lack of content, but I've been told by friends that the game has "changed" and that I should try it again, which I'm considering doing (it's either this or DDO, mosy likely), but I've been having a difficult time getting my exact questions answered (I've received varying conflicting answers), so I'm hoping that some of you here can clarify these things for me:

 

PvP:

Part of the reason that I left was that the best PvP (i.e. "siege" warfare) was reserved only for the elite guilds who were capable of dominating the battlefield, and due to my lack of commitment (I'm a college student with an odd schedule), I usually stick to small, casual guilds who don't have the resources to partake in such activities. My questions: Do PvP mini-games serve any functional purpose now, or are they as meaningless as ever? Is there an easier way for the solo/small guild player to participate in meaningful PvP these days, and if not, are there any plans to implement this  type of feature, or is being a merc still the way to go?

PvE:

Has any small group content been added (i.e. for about three-four player groups)? Or has any type of dungeon scaling been implemented to make some content doable by small groups? The game was very raid-oriented when I quit, so I was wondering if this is still the case is all. Don't turn this into a "u casualz just wnt phat lootz gib to u" thread, please, because that isn't true at all. I just want some content that I can engage in with a couple of friends without having to form a pick-up group. For example, games such as Lord of the Rings Online have three-man instances, which I really like.

Servers:

If my character was on a server that was merged, I'm assuming that I'll lose my  name if someone else had it before my character was  moved, right? (I think I was on Set -- PvE -- so I'm not sure if other servers were merged into that one or vice versa.)

Housing:

Was player housing ever added, and if so, is it only available to guilds?

Stability:

I was experiencing serious framerate issues and crashes when I shouldn't have been, and I just want to verify that most of these issues have been corrected, which I assume to be the case.

I appreciate any answers to my questions in advance. I know the opinions about this game are quite polarized, so please keep the needless flaming/trolling out of this thread and just answer the questions I posed. Thanks.

 

The poster above coverd everything els,e but Stability is worlds better. There are hiccups like any other MMO, but 95% of the time, if your rig hits the reccomended specs, you shouldn't have any problems.

In about 30 hours a week I play, I run into maybe 1 stability issue or 1bug. And nothing gamebreaking thus far.

Aye, I can agree the stability is light years better in general. (apparently the sieges though have issues atm that Funcom have acknowledged)

PVP mini-games depend on the server and level range, at 80 on my sever, and the rank below where my characters are, the wait time isn't that long. The difference between a PUG and a preset in Conan is huge though, many just quit if they see they are up against a preset which I kinda think sucks. Personally I will try and watch and learn from the preset. PVP levels give rewards (armor and weapons) from grinding out the PVP levels, anything past the first couple of levels though takes some dedication.

PVE wise the new instances are great - Xibuluku is great fun, as is the Crow's Nest and Ymir's pass is a fantastic zone with a great dungeon encounter at the end of the playfield storyline. Depending on when you left as well they have also revamped most of the old launch dungeons - The Black castle and the Pyramid of the Ancients are fun play through now when they were a pain at launch.

PvP is the main reason I play this game, but expect the need to be close to the higher tier of the lvl range to get som killing blows. I.e. for the 20-39 minis, if you join as a lvl 20, expect to get killed a lot.