Good evening, SAO-RPG. As I'm sure most of you are aware, these appear to be uncertain times. As the onset of 3.0 grows nearer and nearer, there seems to be an ever growing arrangement of what-ifs and confusion regarding the impending conversion and transition into a completely different means of conducting operation on this website. Believe me, I understand everyone's concerns. This entry will serve as a consolidated assortment of 3.0 information, clarifications, and answers to various questions.

The most up-to-date information can be found within the Discord server, which is where the vast majority of out-of-character interaction and information sharing is conducted. While this entry is being forwarded with the intention of being accessible to people who do not use the Discord server, it should be noted that you will always have the most up-to-date information - the quickest - should you join and pay attention to the information shared within. If you haven't already, you can join the official SAO-RPG Discord server by following this link:
https://discord.gg/5ReXwRSNXb

If you have a question that is not answered by this entry, or in the 3.0 Info-Dump, please follow the link to the link to the question thread posted below.

Most updated 3.0 Info-Dump:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17v3SAR0cvER3eW6eb5QXwQiFA8vBtJ8ts_zD8vRAtwg/edit

Link to Question thread:
https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20759-30-question-thread/

Questing:
Players who have completed a quest are ineligible to receive SP/EXP rewards from that quest with the same character again.

Delayed Thread Closure:
Players will be given 90 days following the official release of 3.0 to complete threads for a case-by-case review, where fair and adequate EXP values will be issued for the completions. Any threads from 2.6 closed beyond this 90 day window will only be eligible for standard page completion / word count EXP rewards. The 90 day window for completing 2.6 threads after 3.0's release is intended to give Players the opportunity to finish up quests and gain rewards from existing threads that have not been closed yet. We feel 90 days is a generous allotment of time to complete any lingering threads. That being said, we are aware that looting becomes more difficult in 3.0, and this is by design. Something we want to avoid is Players stockpiling 2.6 grinding threads and using the 90 day window to grind as much loot under the 2.6 system as possible. As such, standard lootable mobs cannot be spawned in 2.6 threads following the official release of 3.0. Quest mobs and mobs found in dungeons may still be looted as normal, if they fall within the appropriate parameters.

Intent:
The original intent behind adding Paragon Levels was to provide additional content beyond a Floor-coordinated level cap, which we felt was necessary for Floor Boss balancing. There is no cap to Paragon Levels. We decided on a level-to-level conversion from 2.6 to 3.0 with the level cap in mind. We have been transparent about SP earned past 88 as early back as nine months ago. The official position has been, "This is TBD, but do not plan for SP accrued beyond level 88 to count toward 2.6 to 3.0 conversion." The potential harm to being amenable to the contrary is that the Paragon Benchmarks, which we designed with the current level cap of 88 and a conversion system of level-to-level in mind, would be disrupted. 3.0 content is designed to be interacted with in 3.0, not disproportionately completed upon release.

Effort vs Reward:
It has never been our intention to undermine the time, effort, and passion that the Players of our community put into this website, or their characters. That being said, it has been a longstanding understanding that anybody who accrued SP past level 88 did so purely to gain access to further Skills/Mods. That's it. People did so with the knowledge that it would not provide them with higher stats, or more levels, or any other sorts of rewards. There was never a demand for more until the concept of Paragon Levels was published. I will leave my personal theories as to why to myself for the time being, but the contrary to the original assumptions about SP beyond level 88 never should have become the baseline. That being said, we are willing to make some accommodations.

The Plan Moving Forward:
After discussing the matter with my team, the following conclusions have been drawn. 
Players with SP beyond level 88 in 2.6 will be given a choice when converting to 3.0. These are your options:

- Use their SP to purchase levels in 2.6 prior to conversion. Here are the prices.
-- Level 89: 20 SP (549 SP total)
-- Level 90: 25 SP (574 SP total)
-- Level 91: 30 SP (604 SP total)
-- Level 92: 35 SP (639 SP total)
-- Level 93: 40 SP (679 SP total)
-- Level 94: 45 SP (724 SP total)
-- Level 95: 50 SP (774 SP total)
-- Level 96: 55 SP (829 SP total)
-- Level 97: 60 SP (889 SP total)
-- Level 98: 65 SP (954 SP total)
-- Level 99: 70 SP (1024 SP total)
-- Level 100: 75 SP (1099 SP total)

OR

- Convert their SP earned beyond level 88 into a special currency that can be spent at the NPC Merchant to acquire exceedingly rare items. This currency can be traded or given to other Players.
Things that can be bought with this currency:
- Gleaming Scales
- Demonic Shards
- Enhancement Reroll Tickets
- Demonic Consumables
- Other goodies

Rolling for Unique Skills:
I have heard that there are people who are stockpiling threads in 2.6 without closing them with the intention of shelling them out once a week for chances at obtaining a Unique Skill. I am sorry to inform you all that this ploy will not work. In order for a thread to be eligible for a US roll upon closure, it must be interacted with purely using 3.0 content (or beyond) and its systems. This meaning that the first post in a thread submitted for a US roll must have an original post date that does not precede the official release of the 3.0 system.

Item Combination Clarification
There will be new distinctions of item classifications in 3.0. These item classifications are "Identified," "Quest," and "Crafted."

Only items with the "Identified" classification can undergo rerolls at Appraisers. "Quest" and "Crafted" items are ineligible for rerolls.

When considering combination of items, any time items of any classification are combined, the final result will be classified as "Crafted," regardless of the items consumed during combination. This is to say that combined crafts are ineligible for rerolls at Appraisers.

If items have been crafted, or have been interacted with by means of reroll tickets, Essence of Steel, Pheonix Feather, or anything that has otherwise adjusted the information of the item after having been Identified, they are classified as "Crafted." This convention remains true in 3.0, and for items converted to T4 during the 2.6 to 3.0 conversion.

Nature's Treasure & the Black Iron Dungeon
One of the problems we faced with 3.0 is the fact that, while Players may be of a certain Tier (such as Tier 4 at level 31), the current highest Floor unlocked may not be capable of producing loot of that Tier (as the unlocked Floors lag five levels behind the level cap). For example, when Floor 26 is unlocked, only T3 mobs will be available on that Floor, even though the level cap will leave many Players at level 31, and thus T4. There are two remedies to this. 

The first is the Nature's Treasure quest, which has been modified so that you are now always facing loot minimum mobs that will drop loot relative to the Tier of the Player that killed it. The catch is that "standard" loot minimum mobs cannot be faced during the quest. You will instead be provided with a list of possible mob types you can encounter, each with small variations that make them marginally more challenging than a standard loot minimum mob.

The second is the Black Iron Dungeon which, following the release of 3.0, will be revealed beneath the Town of Beginnings. Here, Players can descend into various sub-floors of the castle and face increasingly worrisome mobs. Within the Black Iron Dungeon, Players can square off against standard loot minimum mobs which match their Tier to their heart's content, provided they are on the appropriate sub-floor. However, every five posts a roll must be conducted that may place the Players in grave peril - or reveal to them the opportunity for rare fortune. 

For more information on the Black Iron Dungeon, follow this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uzim6IS8sxceikxMebajcRL2UL4O1JHBFkLtWlD_aNk/edit?usp=sharing

Information for the new Nature's Treasure quest will be unveiled with the official 3.0 release.

- - - - - - -

Didn't see your question answered? I again invite you to follow this link to ask your question in the appropriate section of the website. Thank you for your participation.