I am sure the vulnerability of SOLs to raking fire is an important subject for discussion. But to return to the subject of this thread I wish to voice my own concerns. This latest patch with its emphasis on player crafting and fine woods has had the effect of forcing me to PVE much more than I otherwise would. I play for the US and as you probably know our player population isn't what other nations have. The result being that when speaking to our crafters about obtaining a gold Bellona I am told I must provide 100 fine oak and 100 fine mahogany and 100 fine... oh heck I forget what all. My preferred playstyle is to donate crafting hours and quantities of raw materials. But I am NOT a PVE'er. Maybe 10% PVE and 90% PvP. This latest patch has the effect of FORCING me to PVE much more than I prefer. Not to mention the fact that with our low population we need all the PvP folk we can get to maintain some semblance of a balance of power. Which we ain't got with all y'all foreigners cruising our coast constantly. I don't know if the devs had in mind to dictate peeps to PVE so much but that is the situation I see.