Expanded Start

Q: What is Expanded Start? 
A: Expanded Start is a new ruleset that combines lower than normal level caps with multiple unlocked expansions at launch. For Fangbreaker, we're launching with Ruins of Kunark, Scars of Velious, and Shadows of Luclin unlocked and level-locked to level 50.

Q: What is the unlock schedule? 
A: The current unlock schedule is: 

• The Shadows of Luclin unlocks at Level 50 at Launch
• The Shadows of Luclin continues at Level 51 on July 24, 2025
• The Shadows of Luclin continues at Level 55 on September 18, 2025
• The Shadows of Luclin continues at Level 60 on November 13, 2025
• The Planes of Power unlocks on February 5, 2026
• The Legacy of Ykesha unlocks on February 5, 2026
• Lost Dungeons of Norrath unlocks on April 30, 2026
• Gates of Discord unlocks on May 28, 2026
• Omens of War unlocks on July 23, 2026
• Dragons of Norrath unlocks on July 23, 2026
• Depths of Darkhollow unlocks on October 15, 2026
• Prophecy of Ro unlocks on December 10, 2026
• The Serpent's Spine unlocks on February 4, 2027
• The Buried Sea unlocks on April 29, 2027
• Secrets of Faydwer unlocks on June 24, 2027
• Seeds of Destruction unlocks on September 16, 2027
• Underfoot unlocks on December 9, 2027
• House of Thule unlocks on February 3, 2028
• Veil of Alaris unlocks on April 27, 2028
• Rain of Fear unlocks on July 20, 2028
• Call of the Forsaken unlocks on October 12, 2028
• The Darkened Sea unlocks on December 7, 2028
• The Broken Mirror unlocks on March 1, 2029
• Empires of Kunark unlocks on April 26, 2029
• Ring of Scale unlocks on June 21, 2029
• The Burning Lands unlocks on September 13, 2029
• Torment of Velious unlocks on November 8, 2029
• Claws of Veeshan unlocks on January 31, 2030
• Terror of Luclin unlocks on March 28, 2030
• Night of Shadows unlocks on June 20, 2030
• Laurion's Song unlocks on August 15, 2030
• The Outer Brood unlocks on November 7, 2030

Q: What is the experience rate on this server?
A: The experience rate is the same as standard progression servers, which receive a bump to experience when Gates of Discord opens. But many zones will periodically receive experience bonuses due to the Resource Hunter ruleset. 
 
Q: What are the level requirements for gear? 
A: As with the previously introduced Level Locked ruleset, the required level to equip an item on Expanded Start servers will instead function as a recommended level. If an item has both required and recommended levels, it will use the highest as the recommended level. However, the required level to activate spells on items will not be lower than on standard progression servers. Additionally, this feature will only be active until the Expanded Start period ends at the unlock of Planes of Power on Fangbreaker. 
 
Q: Will spells be able to land on anything if we’re multiple levels behind? 
A: Yes. During the Expanded Start period, the spell resist system previously introduced for the Level Locked ruleset will be active. While active, NPCs who are hit by a PC spell on this server will not have a resist bonus based on level differences, as they do on standard progression servers. 
 
Q: Will stuns, mesmerization, charm, and similarly level limited spells be uncapped? 
A: No. Crowd control spell effects will be level limited like normal. 
 
Q: Are there adjustments to zone requirements? 
A: No. Zone requirements will not be adjusted. 
 
Q: Are there adjustments to quest level requirements, including epics? 
A: No. Old quests, tasks, and missions will not be adjusted. 
 
Q: Will the server increase the amount of loot coming into the world? 
A: No. All non-scripted, non-global loot drops will not be adjusted. But the scripted keys given in later expansions will use the standard progression server acceleration and many zones will periodically receive loot bonuses due to the Resource Hunter ruleset. 
 
Q: Are there any changes to how or at what level Alternate Abilities are acquired? 
A: No. Alternate abilities will be acquired as normal. But many zones will periodically receive AA experience bonuses due to the Resource Hunter ruleset. 
 
Q: Will Plane of Fear be in the Shadows of Luclin state at launch? 
A: No. Plane of Fear will be held in its original state until Planes of Power unlocks. 
 
Q: Will the Gloomingdeep tutorial be available at launch? 
A: No. The Mines of Gloomingdeep won't be accessible until Gates of Discord unlocks. 
 
Q: Will keying and flagging still be required? 
A: Yes. 
 
Q: Will Mitigation of the Mighty be in effect? 
A: Yes. 
 
Q: Will the Challenger’s Perk that prevents you from losing levels work on this server? 
A: Yes. There are currently no plans to disable this perk on Expanded Start servers. 
 
Q: Will out of combat regen be active on this server? 
A: Yes.

Resource Hunter

Q: What is the concept behind the Resource Hunter feature?  
A: The concept behind this ruleset is to expand the experience of hot zones to a new daily method. We hope that it will not only bring the thrill of finding new special areas but also bring the community together in the hunt. The Resource Hunter ruleset of random daily bonuses should not only encourage playing in a variety of zones and exploring more of Norrath but also make it more rewarding to roam in different zones than you might normally on a TLP.  

Q: How many zones will have a bonus at one time and how are those zones chosen?   
A: In general, each expansion's eligible zones within a similar level range will be grouped together. Up to three zones from each group will be assigned a random bonus from a predefined set of options. When the server launches, dozens of zones will have bonuses, and over time as more expansions unlock, that number will increase.   

Q: How often and when will the bonus randomization take place?  
A: The bonus randomization will take place daily at midnight Pacific Time. 

Q: Will the zones rotate on a set schedule or be random?  
A: The selection of which zones have a bonus is random, not on a rotating schedule. A  zone could have bonuses two days in a row or could go an extended time without receiving one.   

Q: How will I know the bonus randomization has taken place?  
A: When bonuses are randomized, everyone online will receive a chat and on-screen messages confirming that it has occurred.  

Q: Will all zones be eligible for having a bonus applied?   
A: No. Some zones will be excluded because they are non-combat, such as The Nexus or The Plane of Knowledge. Other zones may be excluded for other reasons. But in general, most zones will be eligible.  

Q: Will bonuses remain the same on days when a patch occurs in the middle of the day?
A: No. All bonuses will be randomized again after the patch happens and will be waiting for you once the servers unlock. 

Q: Will bonuses remain the same if a zone crashes?
A: Yes. Once the zone comes back up, it will have the same bonus applied.

Q: How will I know that a zone has a bonus applied?  
A: A short time after entering a zone with a bonus, you'll receive chat and on-screen messages hinting at which bonus type is active. The amount of the bonus will not be hinted at.   

Q: Will pick zones get a bonus if the base zone has one?   
A: Yes. Pick zones will receive the same bonuses as the base zone. This will affect those that are already active before bonuses are randomized and those that spawn afterwards.

Q: Will dynamic zones, such as those spawned for a raid or mission, get a bonus if the base zone has one?  
A: No. Dynamic zones will not receive bonuses.   

Q: Will zones that become accessible on days that expansions unlock have bonuses?  
A: Yes. New zones will have bonuses waiting for you to find when an expansion unlocks them.   

Q: What bonuses will be eligible for being applied to a zone?   
A: Possible bonuses include increased Experience, AA Experience, Loot, Coin Drops, Rare NPC Spawns, Reduced NPC Spawn Times, and more!  

Q: How large will the bonuses be?  
A: In general, the bonuses will be significant, often comparable to holiday bonuses and in some cases even larger. However, the size of the bonuses is random and can vary from zone to zone and bonus type to bonus type. Some zones have a larger bonus possible than others and some bonus types have a larger amount possible than others.  

Q: Will all zones be eligible for all bonuses?   
A: No. The bonuses are curated for each set of zones that it can apply to. For example, zones that a level 51 can't get experience in won't get an AA Experience bonus.  

Q: Are all bonuses equally likely to be used?  
A: No. Some sets of zones will be more likely to use certain bonus types than others.  

Q: Will the bonuses stack with holiday bonuses?  
A: Yes.   

Q: Will the experience bonuses stack with other experience bonuses, such as those from the Legacy Character system or potions?   
A: Yes.   

Q: Will the feature be testable before Fangbreaker launches?  
A: Yes, the feature will be enabled on the Test server temporarily prior to Fangbreaker's launch. Currently, we are targeting about two weeks before the server launch. This date is subject to change.

Legacy Characters

Q: What are Legacy Characters?
A: Legacy Characters allow your other characters (or personas) on the same account on the server to receive a semi-permanent experience bonus.

• When players reach max level (for the current era) with a character or alternate persona, their account receives an experience bonus for all characters and alternate personas on that server.
  • e.g., When a player has 1 max level character, their account receives a 10% bonus EXP buff. 
• When a player has 2 max-level characters, the buff stacks. They now get 20% bonus EXP.
• This bonus caps at a 100% bonus.
• When the server's level cap increases, players will lose the buff until they get one of their characters to max level again, and the bonus starts again at 10%. 

Q: Will the Legacy Character experience buffs only work on level experience, or will it also work on AA, evolving items, and mercenary experience? 
A: The bonus applies  to AA, quest, kill, and mercenary AA experience. 

Q: With the focus on alts on the same account, will there be any changes to the Agents of Change account-wide lockouts? 
A: Account-wide lockouts are treated as character-specific lockouts on servers with Legacy Characters activated. 

Q: Are there any other changes for Legacy Characters that we should know about? 
A: All "No Drop" items that are NOT "Free-Trade No Drop" are treated as Heirloom items on servers with Legacy Characters activated. This does not affect items that are already Heirloom; they will stay Heirloom. 

Encounter Locking

Q: What is Encounter Locking? What are the goals for Encounter Locking? 
A: The Encounter Locking feature will allow the first player who engages an NPC the ability to prevent others from interfering with the fight. A primary goal with adding this feature is to mitigate issues we've seen regarding kill-stealing and training in the early TLP experience before content becomes more instance based as the expansions unlock.  

Q: How is the lock applied? 
A: The lock is applied to the first player who gets added to an NPC’s hate list. This could be via a player attacking the NPC directly or the NPC attacking a player.  

Q: How is the lock removed?  
A: The lock is removed a short time after the NPC leaves combat. If someone on the lock list attacks the NPC within the period before it unlocks, the countdown will be reset, and the NPC will remain locked.  

Q: Can members be added mid-fight to the group or raid?  
A: Yes. The lock is owned by an individual player. The group or raid that they currently belong to is the one that “owns” the lock. Players who are currently in the same group or raid as that player will be able to attack the locked NPC and those who are outside of the group or raid will not be able to.  

Q: Will this prevent assisting/helping other players?  
A: No. If a player would like aid from someone outside their group or raid, they can target the NPC and use /yell. This will semi-unlock the NPC and allow anyone to attack it. Once semi-unlocked using /yell, the NPC cannot be locked again until it leaves combat, and the original lock is removed. Rare or high difficulty NPCs can only be unlocked this way by the group or raid leader.  

Q: Will there be any changes with how loot or experience is awarded?  
A: No. Loot and experience will be awarded to the player, group, or raid that does the most damage to the NPC.  

Q: If a player dies while pulling an NPC, can it be locked by someone else immediately or does it need to return back to its spawn point? 
A: If an NPC no longer has anyone on its hate list and leaves combat, it will unlock in a short time whether it is at its spawn point or not. Once it is no longer locked, it can then be locked by anyone even if the NPC has not reached its spawn point.  

Q: How will I know if an NPC is locked to me or someone else?  
A: Once an NPC is locked, its name will show as green if you can attack it or grey if you are not. These colors will be player-editable if the default colors are not desired.  

Q: Will the Encounter Lock apply to all NPCs, or will there be exceptions?  
A: There will be exceptions, and some NPCs will be excluded from the Encounter Locking feature due to them requiring cooperation amongst different people or being part of events that would not be completable if the NPCs were locked to separate people. 

Q: Can a player lock an NPC indefinitely? 
A: No. NPCs will semi-unlock if they have been locked to someone for an extended period of time. 

Q: What will happen if an event with multiple NPCs is engaged by more than one group? (E.g. Rathe Council)  
A: This will depend on the event. For the example of the Rathe Council, the event is handled by NPCs that cannot be aggroed and do not care who killed each NPC in the event, just that the NPCs died. Therefore, the event will continue as if two groups without locks engaged the Rathe Council.  

Q: If an NPC is Encounter Locked and casts AoE spells, will they land on players out of the group/raid?  
A: Yes. 

Q: What will prevent players from instantly Encounter Locking an NPC the moment it spawns? 
A: When an NPC spawns, it will have a short random duration lock during which time it cannot be attacked. 

Q: If a healer leaves or is outside of a group, are they free from the risk of an Encounter Locked NPC attacking them? 
A: No. Someone leaving a group after having hate on an NPC will retain that hate. Someone outside of the group can still accrue hate by casting beneficial spells on someone on the NPC’s hate list. 

Q: Will there be a limit to the number of NPCs a player can have Encounter Locked at one time? 
A: No. 

Q: Will faction rewards work differently with Encounter Locked NPCs? 
A: There are no changes to how faction is awarded with the Encounter Lock system. Those who do damage or have enough hate on an NPC will continue to receive faction rewards when an NPC is killed. 

Q: How will crowd control abilities, such as mesmerize and Memory Blur, affect an NPC’s Encounter Lock status? 
A: A mesmerized NPC is still considered to be in combat and will remain locked. An NPC that is memory blurred and no longer in combat will start to count down its unlock timer and then unlock if it does not enter combat before the timer is up. 

True Box

Q: What is True Box? 
A: True Box means that only one account may be played from a computer at a time while connected to the same world server. You may play other accounts connected to the same server if you have a different computer for each account. 

Q: Will Fangbreaker have True Box?  
A: This server starts with Restricted True Box. Only two computers may be run by one person at the same time while connected to Fangbreaker. Boxing any more than two accounts at the same time will result in actions taken against your account.

Q: When will True Box end? 
A: True Box is removed when the Expanded Start period ends. On Fangbreaker, Expanded Start ends when Planes of Power unlocks. 

Other

Q: What are Agents of Change? 
A: Agents of Change make open world contested raid content accessible to any force capable of tackling it, instancing the event and applying account-wide lockouts for successfully completing the content. 
 
Q: What are Pick Zones? 
A: Once a zone reaches a specific threshold of players, it will spawn another instance of itself. The number of players needed to trigger a new load-balanced zone is relative to the amount of combatable population in that zone. Once zoned in, you will be able to use the /pickzone command to choose another version if there are other available instances. The goal of this is to let people group up with friends while reducing crowding, so players can try to find NPCs to kill and loot to obtain.