After downloading the update, and making sure the handful of mods I use are updated, I started a new single player play through to try out the new journey system. As the title states, I think they’ve swung the pendulum from one side to the other. Where before it was freeform and you could do journey stems in any order and there was very little hand holding, now it is very linear and you must do things in a specific order in order to get credit for the step. Or at least, that’s been my experience after about an hour playing.
The other thing that surprised me is that when you complete a journey, you have to manually activate a new one, otherwise you can run around and do things without a journey step active. I feel like auto switching to the next unlocked journey step would have been a good idea here.
I’ll keep moving through the new system on this new character/playthrough, but I seriously doubt I’ll engage with it at all on my already established characters, most of whom are already 60 or close to it. The rewards don’t look like anything I’ll really miss.
the old journey system was so much better, this new one feels like the devs are telling us “your playing the game wrong!”, “you must play it our way!”.
the old system felt more organic, this new one is linear and clunky.
Ummmm too many people have asked for this exact thing. Every complaint about PVP combat or PVE monsters or base building or nerf this or boost that ultimately stems from a demand to FC to tell us how they envisioned the game to be played. Sounds like they delivered there.
Also I would like to point out that these are absolutely unnecessary to the game itself and completely voluntary to do. IOW, if you don’t agree with how they are doing it, you can choose to ignore it and it won’t affect your game play one bit.
I seriously doubt not having the improved Tanner’s Table or the Improved Dismantling bench are going to be something that will break your gameplay if you don’t have them. If you think it will, I’d be interested in hearing why you think so.
Guys relax all new journey stuff is additional… i just got pet rat! lel
But i agree… linear strict progression is very non-intuitive, in order to complete journey block you must do many unnecessary steps once again (you done it just 5 sec before and it wouldn’t count for some reason).
Climb Kick Eat Drink
? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? Something you did out of order ? ? ? ? ?
etc.
I’m not certain how that was less clunky when you didn’t know what you had to do unless you’ve done it before or looked it up.
The new system is linear because the steps require previous steps. I mean to mine iron you need a tool. To make an iron tool you need to mine iron. The later steps require previous steps as a matter of course.
Which is great for those players who need a bit of guidance especially for some of the more later steps. One of the complaints the new system helps fix is the fact that there is 6 years of features added with systems building on previous systems. We have the advantage of being here for that entire time.
Players who just start or have come back in periodic spurts of game time don’t have that luxury. I’ve had to explain to people about a dozen times on how to craft epic armor and other things because of sub combines on 4-5 tables. This system lets them learn it on their own.
For the rest of us who know everything. We can do it for the rewards and think of it as another task or whatever. Or not.
I agree - for new players this system will feel different and be much more helpful than the old one, which tbh I wasn’t a fan of. I’ve only been playing CE since this past fall, after the release of the Age of Sorcery, and I’ve established habits already for leveling a character that makes the current journey system feel like it’s in the way or hindering that process. That said, I’m not saying it sucks or that Funcom should have left the old system in place. Just offering my $0.02 on how it feels to me, for whatever that’s ultimately worth.
This. Any journey introduction for us vets will not be needed as much or as fun BUT there have been content providers surprised by some stuff in the journey system that they never knew. (like melting ice in a cooking station to fill a water orb).
Ya I didn’t put 10, TEN attribute points in to strength before I did the heavy attack or put on heavy armor.
Same with agility. Attribute points should not, in any way, have been tied to the journey steps. Just whom’s absurd idea was that?
I’m sure I’ll hit others that are ludicrous, but most of it looks like it’s just pick up put down a work bench, make another yahaho. do something I’ve done 50times already.
I’m finding the new system a little clunky. I only started playing CE a few months ago, and I really would have liked the detailed descriptions of how to do things when I started out. However, this feels very restrictive and there seems to be quite a bit of redunancy, eg, how many different journal categories start with skinning an animal to obtain a hide. When I did the furniture maker, why do I have to make a table before I can make a chair? It feels very arbitary.
While I disliked all the ??? of the old system, I did like how passive it was and wish the new system was the same. I’m running round skinning things anyway? Great, I’ve filled in the first step of 3 different journey categories. What can I use hides for? Look at the journey categories - tanning, armorer, etc. It feels too rigid as it is. Some things are linear, eg, you have to make a pick to obtain iron, but some things aren’t and it feels counter-intuitive to make the player do things in a certain order.
I don’t like having to switch between them and I don’t see why I have to claim the reward if it’s only knowledge. And that’s quite apart from the bugs!
the old system was more fluid and felt more like a tutorial for beginning players if they wanted it, the new system feels more too hand-holdy and invasive, especially for existing long-time players
New system is definitely clunky and way too hand-holdy.
I have a level 57 character. Had to go back to the Broken Highway to investigate smoke (okay, that’s fine) but I couldn’t get credit for collecting plant fiber unless I did that first. And I had to collect the plant fiber by hand, a hardened steel sickle was a no-go. Likewise, I had to craft rough clothing rather than just equipping the armor I already had. Still haven’t gotten credit for picking up stone (with either a pick/pickaxe/by hand) because I have to find survivors first.
There’s helpful well-thought-out prerequisites, and then there’s…this.
After playing since launch day on both PC and PS4/5, I actually really like this new journey system.
I just went at it as how would I teach a new player on my server to do this? What steps and direction would I give them? And by and large, so far agreed with most of it. Some stuff needing a little tuning, like getting heavy armor to finish soldier or poison to finish rouge. That said nothing too major there.
Vets complaining about the hand holding I am puzzled by. Yeah, it is hand holding, sure. But journey now seems best tuned toward do your own pace, as you want, in specific areas, to learn specific things. I just am finding the criticism of hand holding to be a tad out of touch with what the system is trying to do, be a tutorial for someone learning a thing, not new content.
Can say FC did a good job with it from what I am seeing.
Overall, this one mostly approves of the new system.
It is a bit linear, and it is extremely obnoxious for existing characters at times, what with the yellow lotus potion peril.
Also, completing the step only to find out it didn’t complete because it hadn’t been manually selected is… Not to this one’s liking.
Also, a few steps seem out of order or oddly place.
Mostly based on when we get access to the fluid press.
Not a breaker like the skill or attribute expenditures, but curious.
This one is most saddened that Valeria’s sword is a strength rather than agility weapon.
Almost as saddened as the brawlers wraps not enhancing punches.
As far as extremely impactful items…
Purple Lotus Gas and the Slaver Hood seem like the best utility for those looking to acquire property people.
The pry bars are extremely nice.
As is the improved dismantling bench.
Golden Stygian Raider is a paint job in existing armour. Which is… Ok? Good if one wants medium armour str weapon build and is on a budget. But the means to unlock it make it highly unlikely that it has much value by the time it is fully unlocked.
If one is extremely thrifty with skill points, the perfected armour sets as well as sharp iron weapons ect… May be helpful at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they require spending points on feats that often get skipped.
Meaty rewards on servers with slow xp gain, less so for rapid leveling.
TLDR; Other than a few wibbles, this one likes the system and believes the wibbles can easily be addressed within the existing framework with minor tweaks rather than needing a rip and rebuild.
Good start, looking forward to further refinement.
Question. My character is level 60 prior to this update. Ive unlocked a good potion of journey steps prior to as well. Some “completed” as I did them again, but there are some that i cannot do such as exploring areas or setting points that i mo longer can gain. Does anyone know how to navigate that so i can compkete the journeys without having to create new character? Ive been building an entire town and would hate to lose it. I admit i dont know a vast amount about the game yet. Thanks
I wouldn’t call myself a vet or long time player; only started the game in January.
Again, as I pointed out in my post, having well thought out prerequisites is great. Certain things DO need to be done before you can do something else (craft an axe to cut down a tree, for example). As you said, it’s similar to how a new player would be approaching things and makes sense.
However, locking one thing behind another where it doesn’t make sense is what I am not liking. Why do I need to craft clothing, spend an attribute point, and find survivors before I can gather stones? My first hour in game first day I grabbed plant fiber, stone, and branches before I ever made it off the Broken Highway. This is where I feel like the problem lies and could absolutely use some tweaking.
Yeah, after playing a bit this new Journey system is stupid. It is stupid that it has to be 100% linear among one Journey branch. It is stupid that you may do the thing that completes the first step of multiple branches, but since that branch wasn’t selected, you have to do it again. It is stupid that I have to reset my characters attribute points just so I can spend them again.
As others have also said, when you complete one Journey, it needs to automatically load the next most logical. Let you go back in the UI to claim rewards later.
I wonder just what I may eventually find that will be impossible on an existing character.
