Did AGS just significantly disrupt the in-game economy and make the game excessively grindy? I used to log in every day, place some buying orders for daily quests, craft the items, and sell them to gradually accumulate New World gold coins. Over time, this allowed me to amass a tidy sum, which I could then use to purchase items I needed, such as consumables, trophies, or quality ward/bane armor pieces.
However, following the recent update, it feels nearly impossible to make money. I attempt to set buying orders for both tier 5 and prismatic daily quests, and it seems like I'm either at a standstill or even losing money.
With the added costs of respecs and changing gems, I find myself forced to focus on a single activity, either PvP or a specific PvE mutation.
I've been playing New World since the beta, but now I'm at a loss on how to earn New World gold effectively.
Additionally, some crafting recipes appear outlandish, such as the prismatic block. Crafting the daily 10 prismatic blocks requires 50 runic voidstone, equivalent to 100 powerful gemstone dusts. Where can I possibly find the funds for this daily task?
Furthermore, upgrading the spore flask, which is essentially only beneficial for those min-maxing for savage divide mutations, demands petrified hearts, an exceedingly rare resource.
It's frustrating how AGS consistently introduces restrictions that make the game less enjoyable. It feels like they believe that by gatekeeping, they prevent players from becoming bored and leaving. However, this approach doesn't necessarily lead to a more enjoyable gaming experience.
Am I simply required to invest excessive hours into farming to overcome this grind? The current level of grind isn't particularly enjoyable.
This situation has arisen due to the introduction of an overwhelming daily gold sink while simultaneously tripling the cost of daily cooldowns, without any apparent justification.
Moreover, the rate of gold generation hasn't increased. The game has incorporated substantial gold sinks with enormous numbers, but these haven't been balanced with new gold-generating methods.
In fact, refining materials have become more scarce due to the extreme requirements for crafting T5.5 items (such as 2x orichalcum ingots and 12x mithril ore to produce just 1.14 mithril ingot, which is needed in quantities of 100 to make 1.1 prismatic ingot, resulting in zero headroom for the next tier - and the gemstone dust issue is another matter). This, in turn, has led to reduced gold generation because players are now spending more time harvesting raw materials, which don't contribute to their income (and are even subject to taxation when refined or sold).
The current state of the in-game economy resembles the early days of the game when things were extremely challenging. While some players may manage to cope, others are finding it difficult. Personally, I can generate some income by crafting weapon matrices to sell, but it's my primary income source alongside the gold I acquire through mutations. Nevertheless, I anticipate this income source will decrease soon. The daily routines for prismatics are exceedingly time-consuming, and I don't have the luxury of dedicating my entire day to them. Once we run out of asmodeum, we'll face further challenges. I'm also puzzled by the decision to intensify these mechanics, as I didn't perceive a significant demand for such changes. Before Season 3, the game already offered a substantial array of activities for players, so the intensity of these changes caught me off guard.