New grab bag is out, and it contains information about a large range of topics.  It includes a very nice guide regarding tome tactics, so be sure to check it out if you have any questions!

Q. Will there ever be any rare/exclusive mounts in WAR (i.e. career-specific rares from City Siege PQs)?

A. Yes, we do plan to introduce more rare/exclusive mounts into WAR. Keep an eye out for future patches containing improved mounts from RvR, Dungeons, etc.

Q. I was wondering if you could explain more about the topic of diminishing returns on stats. From the most recent patch notes, we were made aware of diminishing returns starting to take effect after a certain number, but we aren't told what number exactly.

A. The stat cap scales, based on the player’s level. The higher the player’s level, the higher the stat cap. This is to ensure that players are always staying within reasonable ranges for stats based on their current level. The cap for players at level 40 is currently 1,050.

See the full Grab Bag after the jump.

Welcome to Grab Bag Number 15! Our latest Grab Bag covers a plethora of topics, as presented by the WAR Community on the Official Forums. We’ve got gems of info for you on everything from Tome Tactics to Renown Rewards. Thank you everyone for your contributions. Without further ado, on with the questions!

Q. The iron spikes Mohawk for slayers—I want one bad. Is there going to be another way for us to get one?

A. We’ll be giving out the iron spikes Mohawk (Snorri’s Spikes) at all of the Games Day events we’ll be attending (Baltimore, Toronto, and Chicago). We’ll be handing out exclusive in-game items at all of the tradeshows we attend this year, so keep an eye on the Herald and Newsletter for where we’ll be next!

Q. Are there any plans on reworking skills (group heals come to mind) that cause frame-rate slowdown on slower computers to make it more possible to function in high-latency combat situations without lowering the settings?

A. Our number one priority currently is server performance. As such, we are looking at the entire combat system (not just individual abilities) very closely in order to improve and optimize server performance.

Q. When might we see improvements to the Keep contribution/loot roll systems? I would love to get my final Devastator piece (chest) but I have done about 40 Keep attacks in T3 now, and I have yet to get it. I got the hat for coming in second, but I cannot for the life of me come in first.

A. With Patch 1.2.1, we introduced the RvR token system, which provides players an alternate way to earn RvR set pieces beyond the original Keep or Fortress capture Gold Loot Bag. We have also made improvements to the Keep and Fortress contribution mechanics in the past few months and plan to continue improving upon these encounters across the board.

Q. From the 1.2 patch notes, we know exactly what soil, water, and nutrients do for plants. What, exactly, do curios, gold dust, and essence do for talismans?

A. All three items add to the “potency” of the talisman. The higher the potency, the higher the bonus can be. Only by using the best ingredients can you reach very high potency levels and gain the best bonuses.

Q. Plants produce resins when converted (reaped?) as well as a single seed. Since all plants can be converted into Resins, which are stabilizers, then what is the purpose of plants that they themselves are stabilizers? Are their effects stronger?

A. Currently, there is no difference between Goldweed and Arboreal Resin, both of which are stabilizers, but we’re looking into improvements for Goldweed.

Q. Could you elaborate on the purpose of killing the opposing realm's King (other than gear that lets us kill said King better next time)?

A. As you mentioned, defeating the opposing realm’s King is the only way to obtain Sovereign set gear, but there are other benefits too! When you capture the opposing realm’s King, every player who participated in the encounter receives a powerful viral buff that makes them more effective in battle against the opposing realm’s players. The buff lasts 24 hours, and as with all other viral buffs, players can pass this along to other players in their realm so everyone can benefit! Last, but not least, the opposing realm’s King will remain imprisoned in your realm’s capital city, on display, and available for all your taunting, jeering, tomato-tossing pleasure for as long as you hold the enemy’s capital.

Q. Can you explain the entire process of getting a Tome Tactic (from the unlock to slotting it) more clearly?

A. Each Tome Tactic is associated with a specific monster or monster type, and each monster type has three possible Tome Tactics that you can unlock. If you click on your Tome’s Bestiary tab, you can view each monster-type’s individual page, and on that page you will see any unlocks you’ve received for that particular monster.

To unlock a Tome Tactic, you must obtain a specific number of Tactical Fragments by completing tasks associated with that specific Tactic. Once you are eligible for a Tome Tactic (you can check this by looking under your Tome’s “Rewards” tab), simply speak to the Tome Tactic Librarian in your capital city’s library, purchase your newly acquired Tome Tactic, slot it and you’re ready for action!

With Patch 1.3, we will also be making some changes to the Tome Tactics and Tactic Librarian NPCs to make the whole system even easier to use.

Q. Will there ever be any rare/exclusive mounts in WAR (i.e. career-specific rares from City Siege PQs)?

A. Yes, we do plan to introduce more rare/exclusive mounts into WAR. Keep an eye out for future patches containing improved mounts from RvR, Dungeons, etc.

Q. Are you looking into allowing free/paid transfers between any two servers? I have two Order servers with two Tier 3 chars on both and kind of wanted them to be on one server, since I no longer play on one server but would like access to all four of my characters.

A. We’re aware of the desire for more server transfer options, but we don’t have any plans at this time to implement them. Our top priorities right now are server performance and game balance. Once we feel these two priorities are less of a concern, we may explore more server transfer options for our players.

Q. I was wondering if you could explain more about the topic of diminishing returns on stats. From the most recent patch notes, we were made aware of diminishing returns starting to take effect after a certain number, but we aren't told what number exactly. Perhaps some more light needs to be shed so that the very best players can specialize accordingly!

A. The stat cap scales, based on the player’s level. The higher the player’s level, the higher the stat cap. This is to ensure that players are always staying within reasonable ranges for stats based on their current level. The cap for players at level 40 is currently 1,050.

Q. Are there ever plans to increase the amount of text you are able to put in the MOTD and the About Us section of the guild window, I know for a fact that the ability to put like 16-17 words is pretty much useless and it needs to have the amount increased.

A. This was changed in Patch 1.2.1. Now, guilds have ample room for their MOTD and About Us section!

Q. How about a heads-up for the RvR noobs about Renown and its gift of abilities and buffs above Rank 40?

A. We will be improving the UI for Renown Rewards/Buff soon, but below is the full list.

• Renown Rank 1 - Tactic Slot          
• Renown Rank 10 - Siege Ability
• Renown Rank 20 - Tactic Slot    
• Renown Rank 30 - Siege Ability
• Renown Rank 40 - 1 Mastery Point
• Renown Rank 45 - Siege Ability
• Renown Rank 50 - 1 Mastery Point
• Renown Rank 60 - 1 Mastery Point
• Renown Rank 65 - +25 AP    
• Renown Rank 70 - 1 Mastery Point
• Renown Rank 75 - +50 AP           
• Renown Rank 80 - +1 All Mastery Levels

Q. Are there any plans to allow warband raids of mobs, like the dragon raids we enjoyed in DAoC?  I find that a six-man group prevents the team-building that was possible with an eight-man or multiple-group raid.

A. Yes, we are going to continue making content for large and small groups alike. We have some great ideas we’re tossing around right now, and would love to see something to the level of a dragon raid find its way into WAR in some capacity.

Q. Will you change the resistance drop-off for Slayers/Choppas from the current 50% to something more realistic like 25% (like the damage increase from Furious to Beserk). When people hit Tier 4 and realize a 50% drop in magic resistance combined with a 40% resistance cap means Slayers and Choppas are Sorc/BW/Magus free RP farming fodder.

A. Slayers and Choppas are designed to take more damage from all sources when they are berserk. We do not plan on changing this at this time. This is primarily because each of the Slayer/Choppa play-styles make them effective against different types of targets. If you want to take out a caster, then path of Da’ Hitta, or Giantslayer is the way to go. Why? It provides no penalty and high spike damage/anti caster tools.

Q. It’s great that Mythic reads our feedback both in-game and on the forum, but I would like to know if the over-all context of the feedback is considered as thoroughly as the actual feedback itself. For instance, if there is a lot of feedback from one class (let's say Rune Priests, for the sake of example) saying that another class (again, for the sake of example, let's say Blackguards) is over-powered, is the source considered, or just the feedback text? For feedback garnered from unofficial forums, how does Mythic know what classes the feedback comes from? For example, if a Shadow Warrior using a sword and with zero resists gives negative feedback about being hit by Word of Pain for 2k, how does Mythic differentiate between "good feedback" and "bad players?"

A. We weigh all feedback very carefully and do take note of a player’s career, Rank, gear, game knowledge, etc. We value all feedback, of course, but someone who has been playing a career extensively usually provides much more informed feedback than someone who has only fought against the career and is not familiar with all of the career’s little nuances. We also compare feedback from all forums and look for a majority opinion. If we see something over and over again, on every forum we read, chances are it’s something that could use tweaking. It’s important to remember that feedback alone does not push a change. The Community Team gathers and forwards feedback to the appropriate development team. That team then assesses the feedback and gauges it against their own design goals.