I think you are seeing what you want to see here.
I have setup a macro for push/move to auto rocks in crafting tables. I use this exploit. It is an exploit.
You don’t have to gather stone, you can just buy them…or people will give them to you. I have gone to miners and just asked for stone, they don’t see the benefit for getting the levels/or just don’t care and will give me stone. I got 50k stone from a miner that was mining and had a bunch extra in their inventory, and then later messaged me and gave me the rest…so their inventory wouldn’t fill out while gem mining.
Ignoring how easy it is to access, how easy it is to craft and focusing on one person showing their path doesn’t exclude others just because it fits a narrative.
Stone is a byproduct of mining…and it rewards more exp then everything else you gather while mining (especially if you refine it after which is also free).
A byproduct of an activity, shouldn’t be more rewarding then the actual items you are seeking. It is out of balance…and lifting up the other items would just throw the entire system out of balance.
It isn’t healthy for the game to have rock to stone be the best way to level a character in the entire game. It doesn’t even make sense.
It is like going on to World of Warcraft and being like “Well I could go to a dungeon or group…but if I stand here and kill this pig in Elwyn Forest for 3 hours, I will be max level…” It isn’t balanced and it isn’t healthy for the game.
It isn’t just an abstract idea that is unmarried from the other components of the game.
Stone is not meant to be more rewarding for exp then every other item in the game. More rewarding them gems, metal, all creature drops and every activity in the game.
If every other activity in the game is balanced on how they game arc is supposed to flow…then stone is outstanding and needs to be brought in line.
Leaving in a game breaking exploit like this makes it so it is the ONLY way to really level. I have seen in it chat…there are threads here on the forum…“Ohh your new and need levels?? Ohh no don’t hunt…just go grab rock and turn to stones…get mass craft you will be 50 in no time”
If we remove stone > rocks…and the next highest amount of exp the person can get is 1000k a day from other activities…it is clearly out of line. People feel like they need to use the process to move forward and stop doing other activities in the game.
I am not saying this randomly, we have had guildmates leave…because pressing their crafting tables over and over isn’t fun…but they want to grind out 60 levels and that is the fastest way. They would have been fine playing the game in different ways (hunting sometimes, building, crafting) and engaging in diverse activities which keeps players engaged. Little goals that add up over time.
But if you know the fastest way, it is hard to not do it.
League of Legends gets major flack for not having their URF mode which is a hyper fast, all abilities no Cool Down death match…because while players say “WE LOVE IT GIVE IT TO US!!” every-time they released it they watched people quit in droves by getting burned out…it is too much too fast. The pace of the game is what makes it.
We love to scream about how much we want cake…but too much and it makes us sick.
Rock to Stones is OP, Broken and an exploit. It needs to be nerfed.
I think the crafting to 0 EXP is fine (I hope they make it instant craft though since no EXP). And I used this method…we all know it is broken…we just don’t want to ‘loose’ something that is game breaking. But we need to give it up.