So, I know what the people reading this must be thinking reading the title of this suggestion.
Take out a whole feature of the game that changes the dynamics of every single server in current existence? That's crazy talk! However, I ask that you hear me out, and take everything I'm saying into consideration.
This is the want and desire of a large majority of the players of the game. And I don't say this just because it supports my personal opinion on the matter. I have genuinely taken the time to go around, asking players how they feel about it, voicing my opinions in faction, and seeing how others felt. The ones who refuse to join the player nations, and even some of the people in player nations agree with this sentiment.
The installment of player nations has not only rendered the pirate faction conceptually worthless, (since they are pirates without the disadvantages of inability to claim castles or go on mainland), it has ruined the west and east factions alike.
Any server with a player nation worth mentioning, is content blocked from all content worth doing.
Mistmerrow, Thunderwing titan, Leviathan, Kraken, Red Dragon, Even Halcyona and GR/CR, PN's show up to 'troll' and content block. Ect. They are not to blame. They are simply enjoying a game mechanic which is so readily available to them.
There will be those that claim west and east are free to ally and contest, however, this will still prove to fail. Player nations tend to absorb majority (not all) of the most geared and skilled players from both factions into their ranks. Numbers are unimportant when you take into consideration that one 6.5-7k+ GS player, can wipe at LEAST 10, usually more, 5k GS and below players. When you take majority of geared players from east and west, that is all that is left. People equipped with soulforged and celestial obsidian, sometimes a few divine pieces here and there.
Well, why don't they gear up? Some will ask that. Others know why.
Trade packs will not catch any player below 6k GS up to those who are already above that without it being supplemented with apex>gold>gear. And most people's GS's are stagnant if they are not in a player nation.
As larders are no longer profitable unless you are moving a massive amount of them, which most people are uncapable of, most are left to move basic packs. Basic packs which will likely never be more than same continent runs. Doomed to run Gweo to solz, ect ect. This is due to PN players camping housing zones/specific choke points in war zones picking off even raids of 10+ players trying to move packs. Even with a raid, you are almost never safe. Moving those basic packs, will only net around 15g max for ferts or any other high value packs you can for the most part, safely run. You regenerate 2500 labor every 24 hours. For anyone unable to afford patroning more than one account, this means a maximum of about 21 packs a day. Which means a maximum of 315 gold a day, assuming they are able to run the maximum value fert/basic pack, at least 21 a day.
315 gold a day, in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of gold player nations farm off of world bosses/end content/castle peace funds every week/other week, which is distributed among them, along with any cargo packs/trade packs they steal and or make and run. The free gliders and weapons/armor given to them from end content, which is completely unavailable to east and west.
Now sure, that 315 gold a day nets about 9,450 gold a month. 7,770 after you subtract the two apex needed to re-patron, as much of Archeage's player base, Is free to play. But that gold equates to no more than a divine piece and half the cost of a second one every month. That is assuming they run 21 highest value basic packs every day. Without fail. Which means it would take around 3 and a half months to get a full divine set, assuming each piece is around only 3.1k. This does not include the mats to tier the obsidian/ect pieces up. Then there are weapons/shields/bows/instruments/accessories/costumes/cloaks.
And while that person waits 3 and a half months to get a full divine set, there are player nations which give divine pieces of gear to a random member every week or less at random. Or who just evenly split gold in supplement to any gold they make on their own. That could be around 1.5k+ gold a day for each player nation member, counting their own gold made. Meaning they make more than double the average player, meaning since most of them already rest at 6.5k+ average gearscore, they have more than double the amount to sit on or advance with.
Because of this, it has made it easy for Playernations to wipe both east and west simultaneously. It allows player nations to capture and protect more than 1 castle at a time, (in my experience player nations tend to have around 3+ castles on average), even across servers. For example, KGB capturing most of Krakens castles, and having transferred off and been able to maintain those castles in their possession.
This would be a massive change to the game, and the dynamic of all servers, albeit, a necessary change.
Too many new players, and old player alike, have left, or are planning on leaving archeage, due to Player Nation imbalance in comparison to east/west/pirate factions. Many more say if the game doesn't improve or implement some sort of balance, they are sure to leave. Even player nation members have gotten bored at the lack of PvP, or the imbalance of. The inability to really fight the east and or west, because they get trampled with ease under the sheer numbers (normal west/east guilds are limited to 100 people per guild, while player nations have the ability to add a large sum more than that), and gear of player nations.
This game has become Playernation VS Playernation, unfortunately. And a lot of the time, even then, player nations avoid fighting other Player Nations, and go to servers they know they can freely farm on.
There will be people who say I'm whining,lazy,stupid,ect.
I do not mind the people who won't admit the imbalance this system brings. However, for the players who are here to really make this game last, keep it alive, and be apart of it's community, I ask for your support and or honest feedback, based as objectively as possible on the information we have.
Thank you for your time.
