Yes, I'm aware, this should be obvious to anyone that has used the set before, but thank you for your insight. lol

If you haven't already found your answer, yes it does stack. I have two sets that I still use when leveling during this time.

Only going to highlight this part of your post because of how accurate it is, not that the rest it isn't, but this stands out. I've been here since beta, played the first nine years, and now I come and go. What is mentioned in this quote is exactly why I sub when I do decide to play. Anyone here, knowing the history of this game, should have known a patch like this was coming. To see so many people up in arms over something like this is laughable. The game was passed off to a company whose claim to fame is UO, the game also has a skeleton crew now. Anyone expecting any major content release is naive or has not been around this game long enough to see what has slowly happened. I'll mention it again, as I've mentioned so many times over the last few years, if you're not happy with the game, then simply move on. This is entertainment, not some life altering experience, it's a video game. lol Assuming this game lives on for another year, two, maybe five, who knows, don't expect any major expansion to hit again, it will be small patch releases with CM purchases, something that helped to save this game.

First thing that I thought of after reading the header. lol I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't at least looked at, that was a decent addition to that game, especially if you're able to create Familiars with a small stat bonus, but I seriously doubt they're going that route. If they did, then yeah, definitely borrowed it. All games should borrow from other studios, which most of them do already, it's good for the consumer.

This has been a question going back as far as launch. Over twelve years later, still waiting on a Mon Cal, which is already in the game, just not playable. At this point, it's probably never happening. lol So I play human or Chiss.

A sale of some kind from the Cartel Market. lol I chuckle, but odds are high that's exactly what will happen. As others have mentioned, usually a pet and/or double xp.

FF14 is the only game I've played where the toleration level is different than most. There you will be warned, then banned, in game or on their forums. I would suggest playing that game if this is something that people have a hard time with. The obvious answers are to simply block the person in game and/or report them, turn your chat off, etc. There is only so much staff can do with this game and their limited overhead. As someone that's been around long before the internet became a part of our every day life, we live in a different world now. There's only so much that can be done on any online platform, although entities such as Yahoo, Youtube etc., you're very limited with what you can post. Some won't allow the message to be posted at all, others it will appear your statement was posted, but after waiting a minute or so, and refreshing the page, your post is gone. I would imagine at some point, most platforms will adhere to this, but this game also started development in the late 2000's, and how a modern game would handle current chat systems might be a little more intricate than a post on a social media platform. The gist of this is, exercise the block option and report, or simply turn the chat off, there's only so much staff can do. Regarding DK, it's been the same since the very beginning of the game, it hasn't changed.

This was predictable. Unfortunately this game isn't as busy as it once was. Opening a new server, as good of an idea as it seems on the surface, those net results were to be expected. This has been discussed for a few years now and some of us mentioned that it wouldn't be wise, but hey, at least the opportunity finally arrived. Take that for what it's worth.

^ The fact people don't know that, only displays what I already know about our current education system. People actually thinking they have free speech on a private entity is laughable. Has no one noticed the threads that have been removed over the years on this platform? Including one recently about people unsubscribing? The three no-no's, politics, sex and religion being against the rules? How limited on what you can show on Youtube, including what you post? FB as well? Some of you thinking you actually have free speech in game or on the forums really need to educate yourself. The reason it's not enforced more in game should be obvious, but in case it's not, I'll point it out, there's too many people to watch over, so you have block and/or report functions in games. On the forums it's much easier to observe, peruse and remove threads as necessary. America is still one of the best country's in the world when it comes to free speech, but you signed up to this game and upon doing so, you agreed to terms. This sort of stuff really shouldn't have to be explained, but apparently when you have a bunch of armchair quarterbacks who weren't properly educated, someone has to set others straight. Read up on the Rules of Conduct if you still think you have anything close to free speech. On the thread title itself, yeah, it's unfortunate that people behave the way they do, but when you have anonymity and the repercussions are typically a slap on the wrist, it's much harder for things to change. FF14 is a great example of, you get out of line in game or on their forums, you're gone. This forum is actually fairly lackadaisical when it comes to enforcing their rules and it's undoubtedly a staffing issue, but you can always test it by starting a thread about the three no-no's mentioned previously and see how far that gets you. lol

See my previous reply.

It's not a gray area, here or any other place that decides to enforce their own rules. Take Blizzard for example, now when you sign up, you have to check off a box. Take Twitter as another example from a few years ago when they removed a certain high profile person from their platform. The owner of the Cowboys who clearly stated, you sit during a specific time during the game, you're off the team, they all stood. There are plenty of examples, it's whether or not a company wants to enforce their rules or not.

Those rights don't apply to private entities.

As mentioned previously, anonymity. The repurcussions for poor behavior is usually a slap on the wrist, temporary or permanent ban, that's it. Before the internet was around, if people decided to act up, which rarely happened, it was handled outside, not hiding behind a keyboard. These forums or even in game, aren't bad at all. Check out the WoW forums, this is nothing. If people can't handle what happens on the internet, you might want to consider not perusing forums or world/general chats at all, it's never going to change. It's mostly a parental issue in today's world and you're seeing first hand the lack of good parenting.

The joke obviously went over your head, which isn't surprising.

Create more end game content, that's what attracts more players. Not the constant treadmill of grinding the same content some of us have been running for years. Most people aleady know this though, it's why the population has continued to decrease over the years, people move on. Don't need five things, create quality content, it really is that simple. Unfortunately, this game no longer has the overhead to accomplish those goals.