by Moorgard on 2001-08-17
They're talking about it over at The Safe House message boards.With the patch on August 15, Verant saw fit to buff up Klandicar, a dragon of the First Brood that roams in Western Wastes.
Why are First Brood dragons significant? Because when killed, each of the five dragons drops a talisman that can be turned into a key to Sleeper's Tomb, home of Kerafyrm the Sleeper. As you know if you've been reading Mobhunter for very long, the awakening of The Sleeper was supposed to be a huge, game-changing event. The sole time it's been accomplished, however, nothing much happened.
What was changed about Klandicar? Well, the main change is that he now has an area of effect spell that is unresistable:
Silver Breath
Decrease Hit Points (HP) by 400 (L1)
Cancel Magic + 9 levels
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Classes: None
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Skill: Evocation
Allowable Targets: Point Blank AoE
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Area Effect Range: 300 feet
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Resistance Check: None
That's right, folks. A 400-point, unresistable AoE that dispells one buff.
Handling the dispelling part is no big deal, if you think about it for a second and have the right equipment. But that 400 points of damage adds up darn quickly.
Why was this change made? Well, compared to the other dragons that drop First Brood talismans, Klandicar was a big weenie. Okay, Zlandicar isn't exactly the toughest kid on the block either, but at least that resident of Dragon Necropolis has a couple tricks up his sleeve. And compared to Sontalak, who has a massive fire-based AoE that stips your buffs faster than an exotic dancer strips her schoolgirl outfit, Klandicar was a joke.
But the question remains, why do it now, months after Velious has gone live?
One obvious theory is that Verant is concerned with the number of keys to Sleeper's Tomb that have entered the world. ST was supposed to be the be-all, end-all of EverQuest zones, and instead it's become a primal weapon farm for uberguilds. And with all those people swarming the tomb, The Sleeper is bound to be awakened again sooner or later.
Or, maybe Verant will say Klandicar's previous, steal-my-lunch-money state was an "accident"--an "unintended bug."
In any case, the nerf stick just hit one out of the park, folks.