Posted by Bearclaw on August 22, 2000 at 17:42:15:
When I first started playing, in the first age I don't think anyone (that I know of) bothered to sit spamming spells or tanking 20 mobs to perfect skills and after a long break over two years it seems as if everyone was doing it and in fact it is even part of cabal requirements now, master defenses for battle etc. I realise masters has changed but back when Serafim was leader it was required that invokers learn 5 of their shields by a certain rank. Yet when invokers first came out as a new class I remember Nepenthe saying that most would only take the path of three or four elements but am I wrong in saying most spam for all six now? Is there any way to go back and people will just let skills/spells improve with age and use? Perhaps give a learning bonus at level 51 so that it's easier to learn a skill or a spell at least that way you won't get a list of 15 players in range who can't group because they are sitting in a forest somewhere blocking the attacks of 20 blood beasts or something.
It's not the time it takes to learn shapeshift that bothers me or how long you need to spam for all six shields but why do people do this? I suppose it was originally so they could have an advantage over other players and now it's more of a requirement to even be on par with other characters.