Note  58  Osse         (06/18/09 22:29)  ER Improvement Overview

Because some people read the news but not the 'updates' list, I 
wanted to point out some improvements that we have been making to 
Far Harad and the Evil Race experience. Below is a summary of 
changes made in the last week or so. For fuller descriptions, 
check out 'updates'!
 
    * Reorganized grid mon distribution in Far Harad to be more
        newbie-friendly, tweaked populations upward, and added
        some loose gold to mons as needed. Also tweaked some
        weapons to be sheathable.
    * Removed dangerous hazards (sunburn, stinging sand) from the
        FAR HARAD desert, to make the area more friendly to our
        younger ERs. Near Harad desert is not affected by this.
    * (As of next reboot) The formerly very deadly Akhbar Qata
        Marshes in Far Harad will be MUCH safer for young players.
    * Caravan travel speed between Near and Far Harad has been
        substantially increased - it will now take less than a
        third of what it did.
    * The Tul-Tarzhayan bazaar is now open to the sky and mounts
        can be led into it, for ease in selling loot. Also, the
        Tul-Tarzhayan shopkeeper now gives much better prices.
    * ERs can now utilize a water route between Western Far Harad
        and Southern Umbar.
        
In addition to these changes, we are currently deliberating
improvements to the Near Harad grid to make your time there
much more worthwhile and profitable.         
 
We hope that these changes will help smooth out some of the
rougher spots of the overall ER system and help establish
a more comparable experience to the gameplay benefits enjoyed
by our Free Race players.
 
Osse