Have fun damnit!

[MetallicSlime]

I'd say that instead of removing Withering, it should be simply exploration that is rewarded more - more lore finds (I know there's already a lot, but still), more treasure from random spawns, more random treasure coves (and treasure coves that'd perhaps "resupply " each time a new group enters an area, instead of the "first come first served", that enforces a bit of "let's not bother exploring until the reset" mentality, and the rush of the exploration in early hours after reset).

Agreed, The loot from random spawns was absent to my knowlege, mostly because it was possible to stockpile massive amounts of potions and gold by spending all of your time in the wilds knocking back random spawns. This is no longer as much of a problem, as staying indefinitely in the untamed areas of the server is not possible without incurring either an XP or Money drain (Withering, death to BAMF spawns). I wouldn't advocate a huge boost, but perhaps enough to make it so rather than being excited you found a potion of Cure moderate wounds on the orc you killed, something abit more useful?

[I_need_a_haircut]

At the risk of being shot down, perhaps throw in a quest where the reward is some alleviation of the curse?

[The Crimson Magician]

trolls on the low road brewing potions of remove curse //4-9

[The Old Hack]

At the risk of being shot down, perhaps throw in a quest where the reward is some alleviation of the curse?

Hm. This is not the worst idea. Possibly give it something to not just make it spammable, such as a payment of gold in order to start it, or needing a drop of some sort.

[Nihm]

There are too many factions with too little consistency in them.
 
Too many means too few players in each and less attention given by the dm team to each, leading to less consistency.
 
When I look there are around fifteen people usually on, compare that to nine factions or so.

[sylvyrdragon]

so to continue:

I also find getting a group of people together that makes sense rather difficult, at least when I was playing.

Between the (what seems like) forced conflict between the factions it's rather tough to find people you would work with.  The conclave pretty much is stuck alone, or maybe with Cameryn.  The Order is left without the Watchers or Nature, the Cameryn no Aberdeen which should then also leave out the Watchers.  The Watchers no Order, cameryn or conclave.  So, you need to know who the 'players' are in each faction.

I've seen some groups that I go "What the heck are they doing... oh, must be power questing time" because IC'ly it would make no sense for those groups to aid each other.

I haven't played in about a month now.. so much could have changed.  The Withering I don't so much mind, my last character couldn't enter Mistlocke for fear of death, and she only got to the Second stage (Maybe it's third).. no flies yet.  Granted getting a reduction was getting difficult as having the coin for the NPC was tough.

[Ebok]

There isn't enough gray area in alignments, deities, and factions for the size of the player base. This means that your inherent choice of allies is few, and of those that are skilled enough to face the challenges of efu DM quests and high-end quests are even more limited.

If you cant rely on someone to handle a role, high end quests are stupid to attempt. Then you add on additional punishment by giving a timer on how long a pc can spend not questing in the withered land. There is no reward for killing the minions of Hbala. There is no potential to alter the landscape (Hbala or otherwise) without DM involvement, and no DM involvement that doesn't come with the super fun but hard quest that requires the well formed teams that are already rare.

EFU survives on player vs player conflict. That means well formed teams killing each other in interesting ways for interesting reasons. This means there is a relatively small length of time any solid team is formed for any faction. It is a pain in the ass to survive those conflicts too, because everyone is making fresh characters with no connections to the previous one.

The only faction that never stops is Mistlocke, it just changes hands. It is the plot everyone plays in, and the one that keeps everyone nearby. Everything else is background noise. Why wither?

I've been gone awhile and haven't felt the love for a long time. So I might be entirely dated.

Sidenote:  High level quests controlled by specific factions is a horrendous idea.  It just makes them that much more rare and unappealing for anyone that  might otherwise want to do it. Kant's being foremost on my mind.

P.S. If your base withering which takes place over a single 5 hour quest costs 3 uses of NPC remove curse to heal, and the quest gives you 400 gold as a reward, you've lost 500gp for the fun of questing. How else can you pay for that besides running the same dozen easy ones in the mist?

P.P.S. Why do player and item casting of remove curse do nothing without using dozens of them? If your 5 hour quest gives you 400 exp at level 9, but you'd need 8-10 remove curses cast to get back to where you started, you're at -900 exp. How many other quests must you do?

[shadesofblack]

I always thought the complaints about the Withering were exaggerated until I played a PC who was around long enough to get heavily afflicted. I reached a certain point where literally all of my gold was going into treatments, leaving my inventory to dwindle away slowly. After I was able to go back down to moderate affliction (at heavy cost), I thought I'd be fine for a while. Not a day or so later, I was back to being heavily afflicted.

This leaves my character in a stalemate. He has no supplies or gold to pursue his goals. He cannot quest in the shroud because he is high level. He cannot leave the shroud for long because he will begin to attract flies (not too many PCs would be okay with walking around at that stage).

Something is definitely wrong. It might help if the visually noticeable effects of the Withering didn't emerge until much later.

[SN]

Or turn ON Withering in the Shroud/Mistlocke.

Now it gets fun.

[The Old Hack]

I suspect that is coming eventually. Sooner or later. >.>

[SN]

Better sooner!

[Egon the Monkey]

As Ebok very effectively points out, Withering introduces a need to quest-grind in order to simply exist outside the Mists or low-curse areas. Players have done the maths for it and realised that if they want to actually have money to spend on plot, they're best off questing within the Mist. What I think we need are more passive or PC-led means of income, Withering reduction etc. If you are questing for supplies, money for Withering cures, and XP to afford Withering cures, your PC cannot do anything else at that time. You aren't pushing plots, exploring for information, or having them argue with rivals. If resources can be acquired while you're doing something interesting, or it's best to be cured by other PCs, there's more RP going on.

What I find particularly strange is that PCs are considered to be less effective than NPCs at Withering reduction. I've always thought that went against the general EfU ethos that PCs should sell better/cheaper stuff than NPCs because that way there's more PC interaction. On my PC, I'm barely going outside the mist because even questing regularly I can't scrape up the money to spam NPC cures. Compare that though to some of the epic PVP duels where the PCs have used all sorts of supplies. I'm feeling that the Withering as a "tax" on PCs and general fear are giving EfU even more of a supply gap between effective powergaming teams and PCs that cannot see the worth in going out of town. Paha Poika is of course right that there are means to reduce or remove Withering, but there's two problems. One is that these may not be available to all PCs. Two is that OOC knowledge of them stays with the player and helps their next PC know what to pursue, creating a group of players that can deal with it and a group that cannot. The first group can go out powergaming, the second desperately hits Mist area quests to afford relief.

What might help the Withering be less crushing to PC interaction:

• Some NPC-sold withering cures as an item, not an action. This item removes Withering points at a variable level based on a Heal check, similar to how Medicinal Herbs work. This means PCs go looking for another PC to administer it if they cannot.
• Some vague idea of how long Dryroots last so that PCs can dose themselves effectively and the item sees more use. For example if they added +1 Negative saves so you had some idea when they wore off, even if the duration was randomised slightly.
• Ways to trade alternative resources for Withering Reduction. Currently the main resource is Time Spent Questing, as you pay in Gold, XP or both. Perhaps some cures that either reward RP or discourage questing? For example a cure that applies a non-removable -1 penalty to all stats for a couple of hours? or a Ritual Focus that needs 4-5 PCs consent to the ritual to charge it up and then fires and AoE Withering Reduction? Even a medicine that removes Withering by X amount but applies +1 Level Adjustment to your PC each time you use it, making quests less efficient but not taking way what you already have. That would be an incentive to RP rather than quest, until it wears off.

[Organized_Chaos]

• Ways to trade alternative resources for Withering Reduction. Currently the main resource is Time Spent Questing, as you pay in Gold, XP or both. Perhaps some cures that either reward RP or discourage questing? For example a cure that applies a non-removable -1 penalty to all stats for a couple of hours? or a Ritual Focus that needs 4-5 PCs consent to the ritual to charge it up and then fires and AoE Withering Reduction? Even a medicine that removes Withering by X amount but applies +1 Level Adjustment to your PC each time you use it, making quests less efficient but not taking way what you already have. That would be an incentive to RP rather than quest, until it wears off.

Find a priest with an appropriate deity. I, personally love the small number of ways to reduce withering, because as a priest of Beshaba with appropriate feats and such... I have the ability to DRASTICALLY reduce your withering level. Yes, it costs me some XP - but that's nothing in the long term for the favors, prayers and conversions I can get out of people in return for this.

Think outside the box.

[TheBarmaid]

Seriously though, as someone who lived outside the shroud, the withering is not that bad at all. Yes there are some days you wake up and your like "I need to get my Rad-Away today" and that becomes your days mission, but honestly-

Withering is not that bad. Any stigma it applies until super advanced stages is purely social. As long as your not doing hours long social interaction out in the dangerous wilderness your fine.

Patrols by undead (especially when DM's spice you) are a -FAR- greater threat than the withering. Every once in a while a Raven will spot you and then you get zerg rushed until you flee back to the shroud - this is great stuff, btw - and that is a far more pressing threat when you leave the village than the withering.

And adventuring should be like that. You should feel like leaving the shroud is a dangerous occupation, only done by the prepared and the capable.

Edit: Now if your playing a character who it's IC for them to be terrified of the Withering, even tiny amounts (as I am right now) then thats cool. But seriously, the Withering is actually very -tame-. It's those Vein Vines you better watch out for

[xxWhisperingWindsxx]

I find it interesting in reading this thread, that as always there's two camps.

One that is trying to explain why they are feeling stifled to move beyond Mistlocke and the other that's saying basically "oh stop, it's not bad, suck it up and play".   Whether intended or not, that's how it comes across.   Seeing as how we were asked what was stopping us from exploring the server, I personally find that a less than helpful attitude and extremely condescending.  It's rather obvious that it's not just a few players that are feeling hampered for various reasons.  Which would suggest there is somewhat of an issue.

People have been giving reasons why they don't go beyond and suggestions on how to improve it.  It's worth listening to instead of blowing them off as nancies.