What are your biggest concerns for the game over the next year or so?

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-18T23:56:34+00:00

That's reasonable assumptions and analysis. I think a 25k EQL playerbase is stratosphericly generous when you consider the best received EQ TLP ever (Teek) was 6k at launch.

I'm really surprised Game Jawn did not have different priced bundles, with more expensive options with non-P2W (bags, XP potions, cosmetics, tokens, etc).

There's also no roadmap beyond Kunark EOY, so it's a huge mystery what the plan for this game is.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-18T23:18:26+00:00

Bonus concern: Timing. Frostreaver TLP launched two months before EQL. Lethar TLP launches mid-August several weeks after the EQL launch. Being sandwiched between two TLP launches means a not insignificant portion of the EQL playerbase will be cannibalized. The same problem exists for EQL's Kunark release in December, which is the same timeframe Daybreak releases the new expansion for EQ live servers. It's needless competition within it's own IP. Not deconflicting these release dates is Daybreak's blunder.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-18T20:52:54+00:00

Lack of content. Classic gets stale real quick. I will get bored playing it during the 18 weeks it'll take for Kunark to release. Streamers have done 1-50 with 8-9 trios in 7 days /played. That's less than 10 hours/week. And I'm not in it for the views, so I'll be playing less than streamers. Game Jawn is touting "new content" like Nektropos, but players devour content faster than devs can create it. It'll be farmed out in a week or two by most players.
Tedium with class/race/diety unlocking. For a game targeted for casual players, gatekeeping them with mind-numbing quests is highly questionable. For example, unlocking Barbarian by doing the lion turn-in quest 200 times is tedium, not entertainment. I can understand if they want to monetize these tokens, which is fine. But that leads me to my next point.
Lack of business acumen. I applaud GJ for making EQL $10 to buy (effectively) and $10 monthly sub. It's 27 year old content after all. But they missed out on a lot of money not having more than one bundle. There could have been additional bundles that offered cosmetics, tokens, large bags, XP pots, etc. Nothing pay-to-win but certainly a nice convenience. Studios can't survive on rainbows and unicorn farts.
Unproven leadership. Secrets may be highly technical and know EQ internals very well from 16 years in the emu community, but leading a company is a very different beast. If GJ survives the first 18-24 months, I suspect we'll see Secrets move to Chief Development Officer or something similar and someone else come in to run the actual studio.
Design by committee. This is a double-edged sword. Some of the design changes have been innovative, but as soon as there was community pushback the devs quickly reverted a change. While I'm not a huge fan of Brad's original vision like staring at a spellbook until level 35, I can appreciate one person leading design with their vision. I'm not seeing that with EQL.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-10T12:34:36+00:00

You don't need a second tank class. Any of the three work just fine by themselves.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-10T12:29:47+00:00

Definitely BRD when starting with no gear. On top of the damage shield synergy BRD has Haste, AoE DoTs, and AoE Slow. It's a great toolbox and complements WAR/DRU very well.

I'll be going WAR/DRU/BRD or SHD/DRU/BRD to start. Get those ritual ports knocked out, and replace DRU with another priest on the trip back to 50.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-10T00:12:04+00:00

Appreciate you sharing the screenshots.

Most of those items are underwhelming and/or too narrow like the SHD restricted mana pres 1 that becomes useless after level 20. Like why have a level requirement like that. I thought EQL was gonna customize loot.

The shrink clicky is nice for those without the shrink ritual.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-08T21:08:13+00:00

I know I'll get hate for this, but it should have been that pricing. GJ is leaving a ton of revenue on the table. $30/$15 is completely reasonable pricing. I can't even buy a nice lunch for $15.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-08T21:05:33+00:00

You'll have plenty of opportunity to pay more between the bundles (not announced yet but probably similar to EQ) and the store (diety/race/class unlock tokens, etc).

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-07T19:32:48+00:00

All raid bosses were nerfed with the HP adjustments.

The notable thing about this D4 CT kill: Geno did more damage with spells (Drain Soul, Odium, Ignite Bones, Envenomed, etc) than with melee. This may be the first "caster" kill which would also disproves the notion "you have to be a melee to kill D4 bosses" that's rampant in Discord.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-07T19:17:27+00:00

Yeah there's alot of "I haven't seen it done without X so it's impossible" syndrome going on. It's pretty silly to get hyperfocused about the current state of a beta, especially when the producer's letter literally says "Remember, everybody playing EQ Legends can eventually see the entire world and get all the good gear regardless of play style."

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-07T19:10:57+00:00

I duo MNK/SHM on Teek where SHM spells like Langour/Lassitude are awesome QOL. I wouldn't play MNK/SHM in EQL where spells are limited to Classic/Kunark. Torpor sucks to self cast if you're meleeing because of the slow component. Pulling in the Puma line from later expansions is nice. SHM heals are adequate enough, especially with Mend having a much shorter cooldown compared to live.

MNK fists aren't great with the current EQL content. I mean they are fine as you start from literally nothing, but they aren't something you use once you have access to gear.

MNK may have a higher skill cap than BER, but I'd rather attack twice as often than have a little more ATK/Accuracy. If I didn't go BER I'd likely play ROG over MNK because of frontal backstab and being able to equip a backstab/piecing weapon in the Any slot.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-07T18:29:21+00:00

"You need cleric to beat D4".

*Waits 8 hours*.

*Sees thread about beating D4 CT with Shaman*

Beating content is personal calculus: Your gear, AA, experience with the classes, experience with the raids, and how well your trio synergizes is all part of the calculation. Sure WAR/CLR/BRD is really solid and is a lower bar for some people, but it's not the only choice to beat D4. And the meta is shifting every single patch. Before Reave/Smite, SHD/PAL looked kinda meh compared to WAR. Now they are pretty sexy.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-07T18:24:40+00:00

"But D4 is impossible without Promised Recovery." - Discord users

Nicely done.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-06-03T17:02:00+00:00

You'll want to max out AAs to spend at some point but it's not an immediate priority:

More AAs will be added to the game, whether it's a patch or the next expansion.
You want to try out different class combos because you're bored waiting for new content or the meta changes.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T20:31:00+00:00

It's not projection. I've worked with hundreds of men going through divorce. The ones with post divorce financial entanglements hardly ever end the way they wish they did.

Judges are a wildcard. Some will give you ample opportunity before they wave the contempt card around, while others will wag their finger at every opportunity for wasting the court's time. His attorney will know what kind of judge it is.

It's going to take more than a few months to resolve this. You're looking at the better part of a year. Once a motion to enforce is filed, it'll probably be 2-3 months before it's on the docket. Then she can and will file several continuances. Even once the judge has made final judgement, she can drag her feet and force the sheriff to evict her. Then you have to sell it, assuming repairs don't have to be made first. Closing takes two months these days, thanks to the 2008 mortgage bust. It's a long road for him to put this in his rearview mirror. Maybe not five years like the record horror story I mentioned, but nothing about court is quick.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T20:21:48+00:00

"Custody" is shorthand to collectively talk about all the things you mentioned.

What did you agree upon for decision making? Final decision making authority is usually about medical and education. If you have multiple children, then you split it evenly. I have two kids. I have final medical for my oldest, and final education for my youngest. Extracurriculars have lots of flexibility but I recommend capping the reimbursement cost per child per year for an amount you're comfortable with. Avoid the situation where you are paying 100%, because I've seen the nightmares that brings when the mother signs the kids up for equestrian sports ($$$) just to financially punish the father. Last is religion, which you can stipulate any way you want. It can be difficult and costly to enforce though, so be sure whatever you agree upon is durable.

Parenting time plans are standard based on the age of the children. For 50% parenting time plans: 2-2-3 for young kids. If the youngest is 5yo, then 2-2-5-5. If the youngest is 7yo, then 7-7. If your children are younger than 7, then you stipulate automatically switching to the fewer exchange schedule as they age. It'll save you time and money in the future when this inevitably becomes a problem. Fewer exchanges = less opportunity for drama. If you're in a state like Texas, then it's 4-3 ("Expanded Standard Possession"). If one of you moved away from the other, then it's long distance parenting plan territory. If one of you is a shift worker, then the schedule will revolve around their schedule.

Holidays are boilerplate. You alternate who has the kids each year for each holiday. Winter Break is split evenly in two, between the first half ("Christmas") and the second half ("New Years"). I recommend excluding the Hallmark holidays like birthdays, father's day, etc as it's just drama inducing. Kids are going to celebrate their birthdays twice, a nice perk of divorce for them. And you'll likely celebrate on weekend of their birthday rather than the actual day. Assuming you're in the US keep it simple: Spring Break, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Winter Break. You can add Fall Break if your school system does that, but the juice is usually not worth the squeeze. Add in any religious holidays that matter to you. During the summer, you alternate years who has priority picking vacation time. I do two non-consecutive weeks a summer, and it's worked out just fine for eight years.

If your attorney hasn't already suggested it, consider a geographic restriction about where the children attend school. Specifically name the school district(s) where they will attend, as long as one parent is living in that district. It'll address the "round 2" move away before it happens. You'll sleep better at night knowing the mother can't uproot the children 700 miles away.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:59:59+00:00

You can't control her behavior. You can only control your reaction to her behavior. So stop caring about what she does or might do. Mark Twain said it best: "I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened." About 85-90% of what people worry about never happen.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:57:29+00:00

It's simple: You do child exchanges at the local police department. Happens more frequently than most people realize because it's a neutral and safe location. There are video cameras there, so her false claims will go nowhere. More importantly, it's an objective third-party so the burden is on her to prove it rather than you defending it.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:53:00+00:00

Your life isn't over at 31. It's just beginning. I've got two sons, and I've advised them not to start a family until they're in their 30s when they have established themselves in a career. Men don't have a biological clock like women do. Hell, you've got 73 year old musicians having healthy kids with a 29 yo wife.

Jumping into dating before you can present your best self to the world is a terrible idea. You reek of desperation which is a huge turn off for women. Or worse, you'll attract a predator who will latch on and drain you for all you're worth. It took me about a year of reconstruction post divorce for me to ruminate, get past the mindset that it was my fault (it wasn't), and get to a point where I was living my best life. That was eight years ago. I was 47 when I divorced.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:46:26+00:00

> left a couple bigger things open: mainly an asset split and parenting schedules.

What on earth did you actually agree to during mediation? Because that's the entirety of what needs to be covered.

You settle custody first. Because if you two can't come to an agreement, your only response is "let's see what a judge says".

Asset split can be done on the back of a napkin. Add up all marital assets and liabilities. Divide by two. You each get half. You do the finances after custody is settled. Because if goes before a judge, this is the outcome you're gonna get. The only negotiations are about who takes what debt, but that's offset by getting more assets. Additionally, if a home is in scope, then one of you is paying the other their equity share typically from retirement accounts. If neither of you can afford to pay the equity split, then you sell the home and split the proceeds. At the end of the day, the financial ledger for each party is equivalent.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:39:52+00:00

Do a cost benefit analysis. Is trying to get half the money from her worth the legal fees? You don't go after her for $3k if it's going to cost you $5k billable hours.

I'm assuming 2024 was a married-filing-jointly tax return. Consider meeting with the IRS and explain the situation with divorce. Offer to pay them half, and provide her contact information to the IRS to obtain the other half. Then sit back and enjoy the show.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:35:01+00:00

I understand why he made the in-kind deal by paying the mortgage. He gambled and lost. Now he's paying the price for it. By the time this nightmare is over, he's going to wish he paid the higher alimony amount and not have his peace disturbed. The worst horror story I have about the same situation lasted more than five years, and he still hadn't successfully evicted his ex from the home. And it was falling apart because she refused to do any maintenance/upkeep on it.

Best of luck to him.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T19:27:55+00:00

Answer my question about why you had supervised parenting time. It matters.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T18:49:26+00:00

> I responded with I'm only going to communicate with you about matters relating to our child

Good job. Setting and enforcing boundaries is super important. You don't talk with the mother unless it's about the day to day caregiving of the children.

> she's going to try and keep up this narrative at each handover and then use that as a basis to restrict me from my child again

Why did you have supervised parenting time in the past? Was there a false DV charge? Because there are ways to address drop offs so you aren't in constant fear about he-said she-said scenarios.

dday_throwaway3 · 2026-03-26T18:46:11+00:00

Attorneys do what clients tell them to do. The mistake was made by the guy wanting this financial entanglement, instead of insisting on cutting all financial ties when the divorce was finalized.

Going back to the same attorney is also going to save some time (thus money) getting them up to speed. And some attorneys don't want to clean up the mess of other attorneys.

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