Asheras wrote on Aug 16
th, 2016 at 4:32pm:
That's a weak argument.
If you want to help them, then give them a +3 Con, +3 (meaningful stat), +x(meaningful effect) ML 4 item. Don't give them UA and FF. That's like saying "welcome to the neighborhood. Here's a fruit loaf and some KY jelly". Maybe some of your home brewed beer (that tastes like piss. Because all home brews do. You know it's true.) Most likely, you are moving out of that neighborhood.
I'd argue there are a lot better things to whip up for a new player than UA and FF. There is nothing about them that is mandatory and "without them we can't do nice things for new players and improve retention.".
You may know that they don't need it, but it's not important what
you think they need, what's important is what
they think they need, and what makes them happy.
To a new player, always on FF is almost flying, and water is a frequently impassible barrier that they can't explore. It may be a useless optional, but they don't
know that. A skilled player can swim straight, and knows where the air pockets are. I've seen plenty of deaths in water, it's a barrier that is only trivial to better players.
Stat boosts, on the other hand, certainly help new players, but don't feel that special. Giving your Wizard a few more spell points and a +1 DC may allow you to skip a shrine and shave a few minutes off your completion, but new players will go back and wait at a rest shrine to use it again after the 15 minute timer, time isn't as important to them, and they mostly aren't in a rush to get past heroics.
You know most new players don't make it past 3 months or level 10 or 12, those levels are important. For you they are over in a few hours every life, for most new players they are their
entire DDO experience and what they'll tell their friends.