Maddux has the right idea about a points or time system so it would be like museum of vesper items. Also, how about a timer then that is linked to an account or player that will not let a person get another artie in XXX amount of time (depending on artie received) so people do not just live there all day farming arties. This will make people use another character or account or leave doom so another person would have a chance at an artie or maybe they will actually stay there to help someone out.

I don't like timers, on anything. I don't like accumulating points just to get an arty. Is it nice to have, sure, if you just want to sit in doom forever and every 20th dark father, poof, which one did I get this time. Bleh, sounds too boring.

I'd much rather just have a chance, I don't care how small, I don't care if I never get one, it's just a different feeling when you get something your not supposed to due to game mechanics.

IF they do something with the drops, I like Maddux's idea of a different list of arties you get to choose from, not the originals.

You remember what happened to Tokuno just recently? If they made it more available, doom would just become a huge farming spot. I gurantee you'd just end up more annoyed because those people who are walking away with 2-3 arties, are gonna be walking away with 6-7 instead.

Doom arties are rare, and they should remain that way. Why would you want to make them less rare? That makes no sense. What would be deemed rare after that? What would be the point in playing the game if everyone could just get doom arties left and right. There would be no challenge to the game if everyone had all the best gear. If I could readily get access to these items, I would quit the game. There would be no point in playing if I can get the best stuff and be great over night.

To me the whole point in playing a game, is to achieve a goal. In UO, my goal is to be the best I can be. If I can achieve that easily, well then, my time in UO will be short.

*nods* I agree with Merc

I'll be honest, I haven't been to the Gauntlet in a long time (before the Dark Fathers used necromancy spells, even) but you're missing a huge point:

The Gauntlet already is a farm. Or was, at least.

That's right. When I frequented the Gauntlet, people farmed it, despite the high difficulty of receiving an artifact, methodically going from room to room, killing each boss with ease and then luring the Dark Father to the slaughterhouse, AKA the moongate entrance to complete what can only be described as a process. I don't know the status of Doom now; obviously it's active on some shards, though I hear it's entirely vacant on other shards, but it became a farm even with the high difficulty of receiving an artifact.

The point I am making, is that the current "hard" system is not functioning as it really should: too many people walk out with multiple artifacts while too many walk out with nothing. I think it should be hard, but that system is flawed.

Personally, I'm with Dip in that I don't want to be receiving my "obligatory artifact". It's a lot more fun when the odds are against you.

Well I think that initially when the doom artifacts were introduced, people were farming like mad for that slight chance to get an artie. However, today it's as empty as Origin, haha *zing*. I mean, if you made the drop rate higher, there will be more interest in doom, but for the wrong reason.

People only do the gauntlet for the doom arties, just like people only farm in tokuno for the tok arties. Now that is over, and no one goes to tokuno. Greed is the biggest driving force for people to do anything in UO. That's human nature for ya.

I really dont' have a solution to the problem, if there really is a problem to begin with, because there are so many variables to take into context. All the duped arites being sold on vendors, the prices, and just human nature of greed, go into play in the deciding factor. Right now I think the best solution is to not do anything yet. Until more people start playin UO, I personally think you can't make Doom arites less rare. Cause if you started doing that now, the hoarders would just do what they do best, and hoarde.

Well here we have what I consider to be the problem: the Gauntlet rewards extremely powerful items that are "must-haves" in many suits. So, no matter how hard or easy you make it, it will be farmed (granted, more so if it were made easier). You also have items like the Ornament of the Magician that go for ridiculous amounts of gold.

There are indeed a lot of factors, but I truly believe the distribution system is out of whack. Whether it's too easy or too hard is entirely subjective. It should be a challenge but not a "cake-walk" for some and near-impossible for others.

No one does the gauntlet anymore so there really is no problem. If you went and did the gauntlet yourself, you'd be the only one doing it, so you'd technically be the only one getting the drops, cause no one would be with you. So there's your temporary solution right there.