EverQuest: Chainbreaker launches April 1st, 2023

[Secrets]

Hi folks,

I'd like to announce that Chainbreaker, a new server by the Classless developers, is set to launch on April 1st, 2023.

Chainbreaker is a server we theorycrafted after running EQ Classless. We had various iterations between now and then, and the one we currently have is the one we're going to settle on. We've been working on this project off and on with hiatuses over the last few years, and we've finally got the core gameplay in a state which we find acceptable to launch.

The core features of the server revolve around multiclassing, but with a twist: you 'reincarnate' from specific level thresholds to get additional classes to use. Additionally, you can multi-race, and there are new major racials that each class can have.

This solves a major issue from EQ Classless where you simply ran out of content at a specific level, or ended up having the content become trivial.

I will warn you: there will likely be bugs and unpolished, rough-around-the-edges content. What we're doing with this server is unprecedented, and we've had to trick the game client into doing a LOT of what we want it to do. We also are employed people with jobs. This is our hobby, so keep that in mind.

CORE TENANTS
- A custom stat based system that allows you to increase your effective power by spending alternate advancement points.

- Reincarnate your character to get additional class and races on the same character.

- Inventory is shared throughout your account.

- Create up to three characters per account. Your three characters level together at the same rate.

- Personal loot. Every player ingame gets their own pool of items to loot from.

- Raiding has been condensed into 6-man content. We will be balancing every challenging encounter around 6 players. We will also be adding the custom fight mechanics that were present in Classless 2.0 - though with brand-new twists.

- Notable, challenging targets are subject to loot lockouts.

- Every equippable item in the game is flagged attunable, and in addition to being attunable, they will also auto-attune on trading, picking up a dropped item, or selling an item in the bazaar.

- All spells, skills, abilities, combat arts, and disciplines have been merged into the spellbook. This includes Kick.

- All damaging spells and skills have been converted to endurance-based spells. Depending on how much endurance you have, your attacks may deal more damage. Endurance will regenerate to 50%. The only way to increase your endurance further is by using regeneration spells. All former mana regens are now endurance regens.

- Heals are still mana-based, and mana no longer regenerates in combat - even through buffs. Your ability to succeed depends on your healers not being OOM.

- We created an entirely new mercenary system that lets you use your alternate characters as mercenaries, and you can swap to them without having to log out, as long as you are outside combat. Mercenaries contain their own AI and will use spells at their leisure, and can join your group.

- Lore and nodrop have been stripped from all items! However, all items are also now lore equip, in that you cannot equip two of the same item.

- Utility spells exist, such as the ability to summon your entire party to your location, provided you are not in combat, and the ability to return to the area where you last died.
- The bazaar has changed in functionality - you no longer have to visit the player you wish to buy items from, and you can simply just click buy to buy items from players on the /bazaar window, provided you are in the hub zone.

- Content will scale upwards in difficulty by increasing mob levels. Our systems allow us to do so without having to modify the content directly. Velious will increase by 10 levels, Luclin will increase by 20, and Planes of Power will be increased by 30.

- There is no effective level cap. However, it will take higher level requirements to reincarnate on each subsequent reincarnation.

- Planes of Power Era content available, with custom content added in the future.

- No multiboxing. 1 IP limit per player.

- No MacroQuest or other third party cheat tools allowed.

If you're interested in reading the full design document, it's located here:
Chainbreaker Server Features / Design

We'll be launching on April 1st, 2023! Looking forward to seeing you there.

You can click here to join our Discord to discuss and find out more information about the server.

[J3wish]

Question;

With creating 3 characters per account and no multiboxing; do your alts keep the same level as the highest level character on the account? Or do they only gain experience if they are "mercenaried"?

Always a fan of your content Secrets. This looks fucking awesome.

[Secrets]

Originally Posted by J3wish

Question;

With creating 3 characters per account and no multiboxing; do your alts keep the same level as the highest level character on the account? Or do they only gain experience if they are "mercenaried"?

Always a fan of your content Secrets. This looks fucking awesome.

They level identically. If you decide, at level 20, you want to replace one for your setup, you can delete one and it'll be remade at the same level as your other characters.

The downside is that deleting a character will nuke its reincarnation points to base (1 extra class, 1 extra race). So, make sure that your 3 characters are how you'd like them /before/ you reincarnate for the first time.

[jabedoben]

Your creativity knows no bounds, sir. I am looking forward to this one.

[Sandysham]

Hi Secrets. I remember you from the Classless server and have been a fan. I was a former player in your classless server. However, I have several questions about this new approach:

1. I don't really understnd the mechanics of reincarnation, and I read what you wrote on discord. Can I use the spells from multi classes either normally or upon reincarnating simultaneously without having to switch classes? This would be a big deal. If we have to switch classes, reincarnating to other classes doesn't sound like such as good deal anymore. I also read on discord that we wipe all spells etc. and should have three slots filled.,which I don't understand. so, Please explain how reincarnation works and why we would want to wipe everything. Would we be better off waiting passed level 30?
2. Unlike that of the classless server, one thing I hated was that buffs had to stay on the buff bar in order to keep the buff. Did you get rid of this?.
3. What solo oriented features , especially for lower levels, have you implemented to make the game more accessable such as easier mobs or buff bots etc..
4. Will you implement more teleporters either in POK or in guild halls or through some other means. I really hate running over hill and dale, wasting a lot of time to get somewhere.
5. Will mercenaries echo that found in live servers? I really loved the mercenaries on live servers. I read where you said that alt classes will be our mercenaries. Will they function automatically without much input by us as with the normal eq mercenaries found in a live or test server.
6. Will all items be tradable? I wish they did this on all live servers beyond FV.
7. Will there be a tutorial area or will be all be starting in our home city? This will make a differences as to what races we pick if we start in our home city instead of say Crescent reach and/or the mines. I did see something about Purgatory,which seems like it is akin to POK and bazaar. What is this?
8. What experience rates will there be compared to the live servers?
9. Will you have events and bonus exp days/weekends/holidays? Will there be experience potions that we can either find, earn or even buy. I wouldn't mind a marketplace that could help you with this server. I wouldn't mind buying things to help you if I got something decent to help me. Obviously I don't want an overpowered pay to win server however.
10. I don't see any web site where we can get the client. Will you have instructions on downloading the correct client for installation? Just FYI: the website shown when I click to view your server doesn't work!!
11. Will you integrate any maps into the dlient so we don't need to download a map program especially since you have some new unique zones.

I should say that I am excited about what you are doing. I can't wait to see the result. I think you had the right idea on your classless server ,but you failed, in my opinion, to implement it correctly.

[Stoutbelly]

An honest review from a new player who gave Chainbreaker a try. I'm not familiar with Secrets or his previous work (though I take it as read that he's well known and highly regarded in the community).

The server has good bones. A great setup. You aren't confined to a class but you're under no obligation to reincarnate. There's a definite sweatiness and hardcore aspect -- folks grinding out epics x 10 -- but you're not required to adopt that behavior yourself. The sky really is the limit. And it has a lot of personality to it.

Perhaps MOST IMPORTANTLY, they've put a lot of work into taking the acrimony out of EverQuest (imagine that). Kill some rare NPC in a group and you at least tagged it? Everyone gets THEIR OWN loot. THERE IS NO NEED TO COMPETE. EVERYONE WINS.

Unfortunately, this latter aspect hasn't been driven home or is outright ignored. When I first logged in there was an argument occurring on OOC about training. Personally, in less a week, I was trained for an insignificant camp (pointless because I can just immediately return to the area), had people trying to sneak or run past me fighting my way to four different LGUK camps so they could snag it (while we were having an OOC conversation about the pointlessness of this behavior) -- each time me moving away to go somewhere else to respect their camp of an area, just for them to follow me to the next one, and one cat sent me heated tells that they had been "camping" some arbitrary NPC (that had been up for a while when I got there and the person was nowhere to be seen). Explaining the server rules and the pointlessness of competing fell on deaf ears each time. It's like folks can't help themselves.

It's a good server with a fantastic design populated by an unchecked or uninformed demographic (existing players would claim that these are "newer players" but I had to remind a couple of advanced players as well) that doesn't want to embrace that design. Like old, latent EQ traumas, a need to compete (even pointlessly) or troll other players holds sway, and they haven't found an appropriate rule to promulgate or mindset to promote. Maybe in time.

If you can take that in stride, this server is worth your time. Single toon experiences are rare. Good ones doubly-so.