Nudge
The more missions and rewards pushed out of the realm of newcomers, the less newcomers...
The first suggestion was not to make the current Sage missions harder, but to change their rewards so that they are more appropriate to the level at which people usually finish them.
The next suggestion was to *ADD* higher level missions. This should, if done properly, encourage F2P to become subscribers and thus support the game in order to get the neat loot.
With respect to that, I cannot see Mara NPC armor as being a reasonable reward. It currently takes a full team (at least) to get access to a single piece of NPC armor. Solo? No way.
The possibility of access to unique armor that is not the level of the current NPC armor and which has a unique look (after completing all four (or five or six) Advanced Sage Missions would be super cool.
The current Sage missions are of highly variable quality (imnsho), but do have engagement of the player if the player has any interest in RP.
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Remembering Tyneetryk
Phaedreas Tears - 15 years old and first(*) of true neutral guilds in Atys.
(*) This statement is contested, but we are certainly the longest lasting.
<clowns | me & you | jokers>