Lukenbach made great strides this past weekend. My dwarf minstrel not only blew past level 58, well on his way to 59, he also accrued enough miner reputation to get the entry level Moria mount, the Red-horned mountain goat. It's slower than U.S. economic recovery, but still faster than walking. The next goat travels as fast as a normal horse, but takes the top miner reputation, kindred, so I won't see that goodly beast for a long time.
Showing posts with label MMO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMO. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Lukenbach, Post Book 7
I took my minstrel, Lukenbach, for a spin this morning and indeed he benefits greatly from LotRO's most recent patch. I was most pleased to find that Turbine switched Call of Fate from a level 60 skill to 56, making Lukenbach an instant qualifier. Call of Fate is a more robust version of Piercing cry, with high crit potential and the highest raw damage in a minstrel's arsenal.
So after training the Call of Fate, I took Lukenbach down to Gazatu-ru, the scene of much fleeing and death before Book 7. Deep in the central halls of Moria, Gazatu-ru crams mobs within feet of each other. Smart pulls are a must, without which soloing is impossible. Lukenbach needed to kill eighteen orcs in Gazatu-ru and before Book 7, he couldn't do it. Most pulls involve two mobs and frequently incur a third patroller. And as tight as space is in Moria, fleeing almost never succeeded.
This time around, however, Lukenbach easily dispatched two mobs at time. He even fended off ganks of a third mob, though often just barely. This patch bodes well, I think, for my bard. Couple that with the easement of xp restrictions and I'm getting even more inspired to level up Kammris and then work on my hobbit warden, Smaur.
So after training the Call of Fate, I took Lukenbach down to Gazatu-ru, the scene of much fleeing and death before Book 7. Deep in the central halls of Moria, Gazatu-ru crams mobs within feet of each other. Smart pulls are a must, without which soloing is impossible. Lukenbach needed to kill eighteen orcs in Gazatu-ru and before Book 7, he couldn't do it. Most pulls involve two mobs and frequently incur a third patroller. And as tight as space is in Moria, fleeing almost never succeeded.
This time around, however, Lukenbach easily dispatched two mobs at time. He even fended off ganks of a third mob, though often just barely. This patch bodes well, I think, for my bard. Couple that with the easement of xp restrictions and I'm getting even more inspired to level up Kammris and then work on my hobbit warden, Smaur.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Arrrggghhh Virtues!
I did a bit of research on Champions and it turns out I’ve assigned Kammris all the wrong virtues. Well, not all. I’ve got him slotted with Justice and Valour, but all classes seem to take those two. But the other three were totally wrong and too my complete dismay, the other three traits he needs are all bottomed out at one. That’s right, Kammris did not follow Lukenbach’s policy of clean up a zone’s deeds. As a result, I have my level 47 toon running around lowbie areas beating the hell out of level five mobs.
/sigh
The good news is that the earliest deed requirements start with 30 mobs for the title, 60 for the virtue. Those requirements tend to double as you venture farther out into higher level zones. The highest I’ve seen so far is Angmar, 150 for the title, 300 for the virtue.
Luckily, Kammris is a champion and he chews through stuff pretty quickly. The biggest barrier is finding an area with a high concentration of the needed mobs. The higher the density, the faster the grinding goes as you don’t waste as much time waiting for respawns. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an onerous process. It’s fine when you grind these things as you level, but most painful when you don’t. Kammris was my first toon, however, and at the time, I underestimated the importance of virtue selection.
I’ll be paying for my naiveté with a few weeks of mindless grinding.
/sigh
The good news is that the earliest deed requirements start with 30 mobs for the title, 60 for the virtue. Those requirements tend to double as you venture farther out into higher level zones. The highest I’ve seen so far is Angmar, 150 for the title, 300 for the virtue.
Luckily, Kammris is a champion and he chews through stuff pretty quickly. The biggest barrier is finding an area with a high concentration of the needed mobs. The higher the density, the faster the grinding goes as you don’t waste as much time waiting for respawns. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an onerous process. It’s fine when you grind these things as you level, but most painful when you don’t. Kammris was my first toon, however, and at the time, I underestimated the importance of virtue selection.
I’ll be paying for my naiveté with a few weeks of mindless grinding.
Monday, February 16, 2009
A Minstrel's Best Spell Rotation
Perusing the Lord of the Rings Online forum boards, I stumbled upon a thread entitled “Solo Mob Spell Rotation,” or something to that effect. Curious, I took a gander and got quite an eyeful. Turns out (surprise, surprise) I have not been soloing with Lukenbach my minstrel as effectively as I could be. But first, here’s the general consensus among minstrel players of the best solo mob spell rotation:
1) Call of echoes – DoT, but more importantly lowers the mobs resistance
2) Ballad of Resonance – Buffs light damage
3) Call of Erome – AoE, but more importantly significantly lowers mob’s resistance to light damage
4) Piercing Cry – Best minstrel damage spell, best applied after Call of Erome
5) Noble Cause – Melee attack
6) Call of Second Age – AoE. Almost everyone includes this spell in the rotation, but it gobbles up a lot of power.
7) At this point, mob should be dead or close to it. Rinse and Repeat.
I tried this rotation and noticed immediate improvement in raw dps. I started seeing Piercing Cry crits in the 700s, where previously I had them peaking at no higher than 500. My old rotation included getting my three tier one ballads up and running, followed by Piercing Cry and Noble Cause. I only used Call of Erome and Call of Second Age for multiple mobs.
Big mistake.
Even though it’s an AoE attack, Call of Erome significantly decreases the chance a mob will resist a light based spell attack. Since mob resistance got jacked up for Mines of Moria, spells fizzling harmlessly of monsters emerged as one of the biggest new challenges facing minstrels in the expansion; it’s especially heartbreaking and frustrating when the best crit and damage spell a minstrel has, Piercing Cry, bounces off a mob’s hide.
But it need not be that way if the minstrel properly employs everything in his arsenal in the most advantageous order.
So I’ve got Lukenbach following this new solo spell rotation and really like his newly discovered killing efficiency. Even so, I’ve gone back to playing Kammris, my champion. Kam is almost 47, which puts him at the minimum level requirement for the teal one-handed swords I made months ago. I can’t wait to see Kammris turns into a human chainsaw with a pair of those beauties equipped.
1) Call of echoes – DoT, but more importantly lowers the mobs resistance
2) Ballad of Resonance – Buffs light damage
3) Call of Erome – AoE, but more importantly significantly lowers mob’s resistance to light damage
4) Piercing Cry – Best minstrel damage spell, best applied after Call of Erome
5) Noble Cause – Melee attack
6) Call of Second Age – AoE. Almost everyone includes this spell in the rotation, but it gobbles up a lot of power.
7) At this point, mob should be dead or close to it. Rinse and Repeat.
I tried this rotation and noticed immediate improvement in raw dps. I started seeing Piercing Cry crits in the 700s, where previously I had them peaking at no higher than 500. My old rotation included getting my three tier one ballads up and running, followed by Piercing Cry and Noble Cause. I only used Call of Erome and Call of Second Age for multiple mobs.
Big mistake.
Even though it’s an AoE attack, Call of Erome significantly decreases the chance a mob will resist a light based spell attack. Since mob resistance got jacked up for Mines of Moria, spells fizzling harmlessly of monsters emerged as one of the biggest new challenges facing minstrels in the expansion; it’s especially heartbreaking and frustrating when the best crit and damage spell a minstrel has, Piercing Cry, bounces off a mob’s hide.
But it need not be that way if the minstrel properly employs everything in his arsenal in the most advantageous order.
So I’ve got Lukenbach following this new solo spell rotation and really like his newly discovered killing efficiency. Even so, I’ve gone back to playing Kammris, my champion. Kam is almost 47, which puts him at the minimum level requirement for the teal one-handed swords I made months ago. I can’t wait to see Kammris turns into a human chainsaw with a pair of those beauties equipped.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Grind the Good Grind
After feasting at the tables of Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, I've once again returned to some MMO fare, namely Lord of the Rings Online. I spent a good chunk of Saturday splitting my time between Kammris and Lukenbach, both of whom are sliver close to leveling, 46 and 56 respectively.
I've learned something valuable from this past month's MMO respite. Right before I took a break from LotRO, I had been grinding Lukenbach's traits. Early in my minstrel's career, I had done a remarkable job of keeping his traits up to date. I had a zone-clear policy whereby Lukenbach wasn't allowed to exit a zone until he had completed every trait that region offered. With that policy in place, Lukenbach's traits scaled right along with his leveling.
Now, that plan is all well and good for those early zones; entry level traits have modest grinding requirements, 60 mobs for the title, another 60 for the trait. But later zones grow just shy of exponentially, 150 for the title and300 for the trait. Such numbers track well past my MMO gaming patience and faced with such daunting numbers, Lukenbach quickly abandoned his high horse policy and placed trait grinding on the back burner at every opportunity.
That catches up with you at higher levels. And after the recent expansion, along with new content, Turbine applied some different mathematics to Mines of Moria. It's beyond the scope of this entry to outline the changes. Suffice to say, every class got a dose of nerf, made even more painful by those players who had neglected their traits.
So in the late days of December 2008, Lukenbach reluctantly turned his attention back to trait grinding only after getting his ass kicked over and over again in the Mines. The problem is that trait grinding always precipitates me dropping the game for extended periods of times. Which is too bad because when I played again last Saturday, I marveled anew at the scale, detail, and fun inside Moria.
I have more trait work to do (like the slaying of 200 more hillman in Angmar). But that will have to wait else I stop playing again. I'm not sure how or when I'm going to get those 200 savaged killed. Maybe when minstrel's get the new skill, Nuclear Chord.
I've learned something valuable from this past month's MMO respite. Right before I took a break from LotRO, I had been grinding Lukenbach's traits. Early in my minstrel's career, I had done a remarkable job of keeping his traits up to date. I had a zone-clear policy whereby Lukenbach wasn't allowed to exit a zone until he had completed every trait that region offered. With that policy in place, Lukenbach's traits scaled right along with his leveling.
Now, that plan is all well and good for those early zones; entry level traits have modest grinding requirements, 60 mobs for the title, another 60 for the trait. But later zones grow just shy of exponentially, 150 for the title and
That catches up with you at higher levels. And after the recent expansion, along with new content, Turbine applied some different mathematics to Mines of Moria. It's beyond the scope of this entry to outline the changes. Suffice to say, every class got a dose of nerf, made even more painful by those players who had neglected their traits.
So in the late days of December 2008, Lukenbach reluctantly turned his attention back to trait grinding only after getting his ass kicked over and over again in the Mines. The problem is that trait grinding always precipitates me dropping the game for extended periods of times. Which is too bad because when I played again last Saturday, I marveled anew at the scale, detail, and fun inside Moria.
I have more trait work to do (like the slaying of 200 more hillman in Angmar). But that will have to wait else I stop playing again. I'm not sure how or when I'm going to get those 200 savaged killed. Maybe when minstrel's get the new skill, Nuclear Chord.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Slash and Burn
Coming off the news that Funcom is consolidating its Age of Conan servers from 40 some down to 18, I pondered the status of the few people I personally know who still play a MMO. Two friends strike me in particular, a (now) married couple whom I met back when I played Everquest II. Around the time I quit EQII, they did too. Whilst I wandered back to World of Warcraft, they cranked up the then recently released Lord of the Rings Online. Some months later, I read of their heroic antics on the old EQII guild board and got inspired to try the game. At that time, both had toons in the low 40s, some ten levels shy of the cap. I ran with them and their tiny guild for a couple of weeks, but it turned out their interest was waning just as mine waxed. One day I noticed neither had logged in for a days. Days turned to weeks. Weeks to months. They never did return.
I kept following their exploits though. They continued posting on the same forum board, this time under the then newly released MMO Tabulas Rosa. They chewed through that Sci-Fi game pretty quickly, moving on to Pirates of the Burning Sea. And then Age of Conan. And then Warhammer. They threw in some WoW somewhere in the middle of that mix, I couldn't honestly tell you when. Or how. And with each new MMO, they created a matching guild or clan.
I kept following their exploits though. They continued posting on the same forum board, this time under the then newly released MMO Tabulas Rosa. They chewed through that Sci-Fi game pretty quickly, moving on to Pirates of the Burning Sea. And then Age of Conan. And then Warhammer. They threw in some WoW somewhere in the middle of that mix, I couldn't honestly tell you when. Or how. And with each new MMO, they created a matching guild or clan.
I'm not sure what my point is here. I'm not criticising them for playing multiple MMOs because I do the same thing. The difference, I guess, is I don't continually form and reform guilds. Guild management, everything from formation to maintenance, smacks too closely to that of a real world job. It puzzles me to no end that the couple never seems weary of the chore.
Scratch that.
They do weary of it, but then turn around and start the whole process anew with a brand new shiny MMO. I'm guessing they crave character creation and early leveling over end-game content; they have a blast at early to mid levels, but then grow jaded with the game (or MMO gameplay in general) toward the cap. Which is fine in and of itself. It's perfectly natural, even healthy, to play a variety of games. But constantly hammering together guilds with each flavor of the month MMO? That's not so good.
As often as they've created and abandoned guilds, I guess my advice to couple would be to continue trying the latest and greatest of the MMO genre, but forgo founding their own guilds and instead join something already established. There are plenty of casual guilds across all MMOs and most don't mind adding anonymous folk to their ranks. A fan of early to midland MMO content could play to their heart's content and then walk away when the experience sours, all without one single drop of sweat devoted to guild creation. It could be they get satisfaction from creating and running guilds, but I'll bet my highest level WoW toon that their membership likely tires of their inevitable abandonment.
Which makes MMOs some of the strangest, most frustrating social experiments of the last decade. I'd advise a budding sociologist biding to make a name for themselves to tackle this topic; I think it's ripe with critical analysis.
Monday, December 22, 2008
10 Day Free Trial of Wrath of the Lich King
Watching X-Play the other day, I observed scrolling across their news ticker that Blizzard was offering a free 10 day trial to Wrath of the Lich King. Up till now, I haven't been motivated to buy and play the new expansion. But I am curious enough to try it for free.
After I downloaded all the necessary files and updates (which went flawlessly, by the way), I immediately logged in my mage, headed for Undercity, and took the zeppelin to Northrend. I grabbed some quests and completed them and then . . . got bored, logged out, and played Lord of the Rings Online.
The next day, I spurned Scepter my mage and rolled a death knight, the new hero class. I played all through the death knight story, right up to the last quest that sends you to Orgrimmar to throw yourself on Thrall's mercies. As you walk through Orgrimmar (you can't ride because you've been mysteriously silenced), the denizens of the city throw rotten fruit, spit, and shout out insults until you finally reach Thrall. The orc leader sympathizes with you, however, and commands the Horde to accept you into their fold.
All that was a lot of fun, but when I then made my way to Hellfire Peninsula, my interest faltered again. Not to mention that the death knight absolutely chews through mobs. I can see the nerf bat coming down on this class hard from a mile away. My mage can't kill stuff as fast as my dk can, and the latter is clad in plate and can heal himself!
I've got seven more days to play for free. I'll decide after break if I want to actually buy the game. It seems doubtful though. For every hour I play of WoW, I quit and play two of LotRO. We'll see though.
After I downloaded all the necessary files and updates (which went flawlessly, by the way), I immediately logged in my mage, headed for Undercity, and took the zeppelin to Northrend. I grabbed some quests and completed them and then . . . got bored, logged out, and played Lord of the Rings Online.
The next day, I spurned Scepter my mage and rolled a death knight, the new hero class. I played all through the death knight story, right up to the last quest that sends you to Orgrimmar to throw yourself on Thrall's mercies. As you walk through Orgrimmar (you can't ride because you've been mysteriously silenced), the denizens of the city throw rotten fruit, spit, and shout out insults until you finally reach Thrall. The orc leader sympathizes with you, however, and commands the Horde to accept you into their fold.
All that was a lot of fun, but when I then made my way to Hellfire Peninsula, my interest faltered again. Not to mention that the death knight absolutely chews through mobs. I can see the nerf bat coming down on this class hard from a mile away. My mage can't kill stuff as fast as my dk can, and the latter is clad in plate and can heal himself!
I've got seven more days to play for free. I'll decide after break if I want to actually buy the game. It seems doubtful though. For every hour I play of WoW, I quit and play two of LotRO. We'll see though.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
WTB More Will and Fate
Lukenbach fought off the Watcher in the Black Pool last night. Upon finishing the Book, I got a minstrel class slot item, a teal medium armor headpiece, and access to the Mines of Moria. I spent just enough time in Moria to tag the stable hand before exiting immediately; I’ve got a ton left to do Eregion before I’ll return to Moria.
While questing, the flow of new gear pieces has been steady. But in the process of replacing key pieces, I managed to gimp Lukenbach. Before, he had around 2.4k health, 2k power. I’ve been selecting pieces that favor morale and might over will and fate. As a result, my in-combat power regeneration went from healthy and robust, to almost non-existent. Somewhere along the line, I shed too much will and fate and now I’m running out of power towards the end of fights.
It’s a problem easily fixed as I haven’t sold any of the old gear for just such a contingency. My goal is to strike a balance between morale and in and out-combat regeneration. Ideally, I’d like to be left with at least half power left at the end of average fights. Otherwise, I spend too much time waiting for out-combat regeneration to fill before my next pull.
While questing, the flow of new gear pieces has been steady. But in the process of replacing key pieces, I managed to gimp Lukenbach. Before, he had around 2.4k health, 2k power. I’ve been selecting pieces that favor morale and might over will and fate. As a result, my in-combat power regeneration went from healthy and robust, to almost non-existent. Somewhere along the line, I shed too much will and fate and now I’m running out of power towards the end of fights.
It’s a problem easily fixed as I haven’t sold any of the old gear for just such a contingency. My goal is to strike a balance between morale and in and out-combat regeneration. Ideally, I’d like to be left with at least half power left at the end of average fights. Otherwise, I spend too much time waiting for out-combat regeneration to fill before my next pull.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I Am Legendary Weapon
Lukenbach got his first legendary weapon last night, a shimmering mace. I had a host of one-handed options, but unfortunately none of them an axe. I earned the mace after the thing in the Black Pool attacked the mining party of dwarves trying to unearth Durin’s collapsed door. The waters of the Black Pool were an eerie calm until they erupted violently and the tentacled thing lashed out, grabbed a dwarf, and ate him. Lukenbach fled the scene and reported back to the main encampment. The dwarf there speculated that only a weapon of the Old Age could possible defeat such evil. And so I quest on.
Before the incident at the Black Pool, I relived the Fall of Moria. Session play in Lord of the Rings Online involves taking over another avatar to tell a story. In this case, I assumed the role of Nafni, an assistant to King Durin VI. At this time, mithril was running scarce in Moria and the dwarves were mining ever deeper to find more. At the same time, King Durin received elven emissaries to discuss mithril trade. The session play outlined all of this, culminating in a sight-seeing tour of the latest mithril find, dug deep within Moria. I won’t spoil what happens next, other than to say the party finds both mithril and the Lord of Fire and Shadow, all 513,000 health of him.
I’m still not finished with Book 1, Volume 2. I have to level my legendary to 10 before I can proceed. I peeked ahead and can expect to add a legendary class slot item, a book of songs for minstrels. And a teal headpiece. I hope to wrap up the rest of the book tonight.
Huzzah!
Before the incident at the Black Pool, I relived the Fall of Moria. Session play in Lord of the Rings Online involves taking over another avatar to tell a story. In this case, I assumed the role of Nafni, an assistant to King Durin VI. At this time, mithril was running scarce in Moria and the dwarves were mining ever deeper to find more. At the same time, King Durin received elven emissaries to discuss mithril trade. The session play outlined all of this, culminating in a sight-seeing tour of the latest mithril find, dug deep within Moria. I won’t spoil what happens next, other than to say the party finds both mithril and the Lord of Fire and Shadow, all 513,000 health of him.
I’m still not finished with Book 1, Volume 2. I have to level my legendary to 10 before I can proceed. I peeked ahead and can expect to add a legendary class slot item, a book of songs for minstrels. And a teal headpiece. I hope to wrap up the rest of the book tonight.
Huzzah!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Dynamic Map of Lord of the Rings Online
And it's current! Just in time for new questing in Eregion and the Mines.
Check it out here:
http://dynmap.ruslotro.com/breeland.html
Check it out here:
http://dynmap.ruslotro.com/breeland.html
Call Me Ironsong
Yeah, I gave Lukenbach the surname “Ironsong.” Shut up, it’s cool.
When I hit level 50 last Friday, I steered Lukenbach towards Eregion, the entry zone of the Mines of Moria expansion. I forgot about levels and gear and gold for a time while I got consumed with questing. Before I knew it, I was level 51. I’m now at the gates of Moria and doing a ton of quests that are directly tied into following the wake of the traveling Fellowship. Turbine has done an absolutely stunning job of merging Tolkien’s main storyline into their game plot. One of my most favorite scenes so far has been circling the Black Pool toward a crumbled gate currently being excavated by dwarves. The dwarven miners even comment that the blocked door looks recently collapsed, forcing me to slowly peer back toward the ominous lake waters.
And the loot! I’ve replaced numerous pieces, including a headpiece that not only thoroughly thrashed my old gear statistically speaking, but also looks damn taiiiiight. It’s got a Greek thing going on at the top, but I dig it. Plus, my beard shoots shoots out the bottom, giving me some Cousin It flair.
Volume 2, Book 1 is the quest line just outside the Mines. As I understand it, it’s the precursor to wielding a first legendary weapon. A kin gave me a legendary class slot item, but I can’t equip it until I finish the first Book. I think it’s largely soloable, but we’ll see soon enough.
I also received a quest to track down the most famous pony in fantasy literature, Bill. Seems the elves have caught sight of him wandering well west of the mountains. After I finish Book 1 and get my legendary item, I’ll head out and see about rescuing him.
When I hit level 50 last Friday, I steered Lukenbach towards Eregion, the entry zone of the Mines of Moria expansion. I forgot about levels and gear and gold for a time while I got consumed with questing. Before I knew it, I was level 51. I’m now at the gates of Moria and doing a ton of quests that are directly tied into following the wake of the traveling Fellowship. Turbine has done an absolutely stunning job of merging Tolkien’s main storyline into their game plot. One of my most favorite scenes so far has been circling the Black Pool toward a crumbled gate currently being excavated by dwarves. The dwarven miners even comment that the blocked door looks recently collapsed, forcing me to slowly peer back toward the ominous lake waters.
And the loot! I’ve replaced numerous pieces, including a headpiece that not only thoroughly thrashed my old gear statistically speaking, but also looks damn taiiiiight. It’s got a Greek thing going on at the top, but I dig it. Plus, my beard shoots shoots out the bottom, giving me some Cousin It flair.
Volume 2, Book 1 is the quest line just outside the Mines. As I understand it, it’s the precursor to wielding a first legendary weapon. A kin gave me a legendary class slot item, but I can’t equip it until I finish the first Book. I think it’s largely soloable, but we’ll see soon enough.
I also received a quest to track down the most famous pony in fantasy literature, Bill. Seems the elves have caught sight of him wandering well west of the mountains. After I finish Book 1 and get my legendary item, I’ll head out and see about rescuing him.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Agony of Defeat
Fresh off his successful crit of Lukenbach’s axe, Kammris dutifully gathered the crit mats for a shot at a sword for himself. Grand master weaponsmith recipes go for around 500 silver on the auction house. The accompanying beryl shard for around 200. I bought both and then grabbed another beryl shard in my bank for the sword’s recipe. I’ve got scholar kin that craft the journal for me. Everything else Kammris makes. With all the mats gathered, I made my way to Thorin Hall’s superior forge and made the attempt. With the grand master weaponsmith journal and scroll, I had a 62% chance of critting the sword.
I failed miserably.
The failure is purple stock, a shadow of its teal brother’s glory. Kammris duel wields, so I need to crit two of these swords eventually. I’m short on cash though, so it’s going to be a few days before I can try again.
Lukenbach hit 49 last night. He dinged with his polished ancient steel axe buried in an ice wyrm’s head. I think the balance of Forochel quests will propel him to 50, if not close to it. Pushing Lukenbach to 49 directly conflicted with watching TV with Wifezilla, so much so that upon hitting the level, I immediately logged out and hurtled down stairs. Wifezilla shows kind patience when it comes to MMOs, but even she has limits.
And she still hasn’t read my “moosey” comment.
I failed miserably.
The failure is purple stock, a shadow of its teal brother’s glory. Kammris duel wields, so I need to crit two of these swords eventually. I’m short on cash though, so it’s going to be a few days before I can try again.
Lukenbach hit 49 last night. He dinged with his polished ancient steel axe buried in an ice wyrm’s head. I think the balance of Forochel quests will propel him to 50, if not close to it. Pushing Lukenbach to 49 directly conflicted with watching TV with Wifezilla, so much so that upon hitting the level, I immediately logged out and hurtled down stairs. Wifezilla shows kind patience when it comes to MMOs, but even she has limits.
And she still hasn’t read my “moosey” comment.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Requiem Moves in on Naxx
I’ve been monitoring my old guild’s website, but the members of Requiem haven’t been documenting their experience with Wrath of the Lich King. Could it be they’re too busy playing to wax poetic about their adventures? Hmmm? I could be wrong, but I think most of them view the leveling process a necessary inconvenience to their real goal, hard core raiding. Already a smattering of members has hit 80 and I know the guild is preparing for a 10 woman Naxx run this week.
Of course, WotLK now offers 10 and 25 woman versions of all its new dungeons. I surmise that Requiem’s strategy is to run the 10 womans to learn an instance’s boss strategies, and then later step up to the 25 to farm out the best loot. I’m not sure if strategies are the same for identical 10 and 25 woman dungeons. It could be the strategy remains the same, with boss statistics spiking to account for the fifteen extra people. It wouldn’t surprise me if Blizzard did design two different strategies for the identical dungeons, if only to prevent guilds from learning the ropes on the 10 woman and then using that experience to decimate the 25 version.
Either way, I’m looking forward to hearing how the run goes.
Of course, WotLK now offers 10 and 25 woman versions of all its new dungeons. I surmise that Requiem’s strategy is to run the 10 womans to learn an instance’s boss strategies, and then later step up to the 25 to farm out the best loot. I’m not sure if strategies are the same for identical 10 and 25 woman dungeons. It could be the strategy remains the same, with boss statistics spiking to account for the fifteen extra people. It wouldn’t surprise me if Blizzard did design two different strategies for the identical dungeons, if only to prevent guilds from learning the ropes on the 10 woman and then using that experience to decimate the 25 version.
Either way, I’m looking forward to hearing how the run goes.
You Say Mice, I Say Mouses
I’ve got Lukenbach nearly to level 49. Last night I did some further exploration of Forochel and discovered the biggest city in the zone, tucked neatly up in the northern part of the zone. It’s a massive city, with architecture inspired by arctic cultures like the Eskimos and Vikings. There’s a ton of quests up there too. I’ve got my log maxed out at 43, but Forochel might come close to sling-shotting me up to 50.
I’m hoping my kin rolls enough rune keepers and wardens to jumpstart early Book runs. I’m still stalled at Book 4.5 and plan on piggybacking off the lowbies working their way back through all the Books.
Now that Kammris is a grand master weaponsmith, I plan to focus on Lukenbach’s tailoring. He’s on tier 5 as well, but unlike Kammris, he doesn’t have a ton of resources squirreled away. A ton of furry beasties drop exceptional hides, but they don’t part with them willingly. I tried asking a cute little wolverine if he’d give me his coat and almost got my face gnawed off in response. So, beefing up my tailoring resources will involve hunting various wild critters like wolves, ornery wolverines, and mooses till Forochel’s forests run red with blood.
Or is it meese? Moosi? Just moose? I think I’ll stick with mooses.
While wandering the lands of Forochel and passing a gaggle of mooses, I made the mistake of pointing out to Wifezilla that she’s sometimes very “moosey.” I don’t know why I say these things, why I put my life at risk like that. I must have a death wish.
I’m hoping my kin rolls enough rune keepers and wardens to jumpstart early Book runs. I’m still stalled at Book 4.5 and plan on piggybacking off the lowbies working their way back through all the Books.
Now that Kammris is a grand master weaponsmith, I plan to focus on Lukenbach’s tailoring. He’s on tier 5 as well, but unlike Kammris, he doesn’t have a ton of resources squirreled away. A ton of furry beasties drop exceptional hides, but they don’t part with them willingly. I tried asking a cute little wolverine if he’d give me his coat and almost got my face gnawed off in response. So, beefing up my tailoring resources will involve hunting various wild critters like wolves, ornery wolverines, and mooses till Forochel’s forests run red with blood.
Or is it meese? Moosi? Just moose? I think I’ll stick with mooses.
While wandering the lands of Forochel and passing a gaggle of mooses, I made the mistake of pointing out to Wifezilla that she’s sometimes very “moosey.” I don’t know why I say these things, why I put my life at risk like that. I must have a death wish.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Behold Yon Shiny Axe!
Kammris is already yielding bounty from the fruits of his weaponsmithing toil. After purchasing a grand master weaponsmithing journal from the ah and getting a kin to make some +10% weaponsmithing scrolls, Kammris successfully critted an axe for Luckenbach! I had around a 60% and luckily hit. Otherwise, a bunch of one-shot recipes would have gone to waste.
Kammris, Grand Master Weaponsmith
Whew! That was a slog. But he finally dinged it this morning. It's somewhat comical that I hit the former crafting cap a week after the expansion, but it's all good.
Kammris can now churn out some fairly decent weapons. Even better if he attains a one-shot recipe and some grand master weaponsmithing journals. My long term plan now is to work on Kammris' woodworking craft. He's only master journeyman at the moment, so barely started.
Kammris can now churn out some fairly decent weapons. Even better if he attains a one-shot recipe and some grand master weaponsmithing journals. My long term plan now is to work on Kammris' woodworking craft. He's only master journeyman at the moment, so barely started.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tabula Rasa Shutting Down
As reported by Gamespot, Tabula Rasa is shutting down for good. When February ends, so too does TR.
It's a real shame, truthfully, but a necessary part of the MMO free market. Not every game will survive, especially those that rely on monthly subscriptions. Still, it's troubling that a unique sci-fi setting couldn't endure in the sea of fantasy muck.
It's a real shame, truthfully, but a necessary part of the MMO free market. Not every game will survive, especially those that rely on monthly subscriptions. Still, it's troubling that a unique sci-fi setting couldn't endure in the sea of fantasy muck.
Boots on the Ground
A kin sent my hobbit warden a shiny new javelin via the mail, so I had to play the little blighter enough to get him out of the start zone where mail flows not. Wardens are really fun to play. They chain their attacks into “gambits,” even more special attacks that become available according to what two skills were used. At level 5, my wee hobbit has a boot, piercing, and shield gambits. The boot one is especially cool because it occasionally triggers a stun.
It’s almost comical to watch my hobbit whipping javelins from distance or stabbing with a spear. Comical, but fun. I’ll start playing him more when I have Lukenbach closer to the new level cap of 60.
Kammris made surprising headway yesterday in master weaponsmithing. He had stockpiled stacks and stacks of ancient iron ore. After farming some exceptional hides and dwarf iron, he was in business. He’s just 800 points short of grand master. Supreme master is the new tier, but he’ll make no headway there until visiting the new zones and harvesting their generous bounty of ore.
It’s almost comical to watch my hobbit whipping javelins from distance or stabbing with a spear. Comical, but fun. I’ll start playing him more when I have Lukenbach closer to the new level cap of 60.
Kammris made surprising headway yesterday in master weaponsmithing. He had stockpiled stacks and stacks of ancient iron ore. After farming some exceptional hides and dwarf iron, he was in business. He’s just 800 points short of grand master. Supreme master is the new tier, but he’ll make no headway there until visiting the new zones and harvesting their generous bounty of ore.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Playing with Hooky
The Man has been sticking it to me these past few weeks, so I broke out my best acting skills and feigned illness for a well deserved day off. I need only fool Wifezilla and she bought it hook, line, sinker. I have a co-worker who sends her daughter to the same school as Claire, so it was important that if Wifezilla bumped into her by happenstance, she relay my absence authentically.
It's a tangled web of lies I weave.
Lukenbach benefits most from my ill gotten day off. I've pushed him well into 48 and explored never before seen lands and adventure. Well, unexplored for me. I even got a quest leading to the new MoM zone, Etherion, but until reports die start pouring in that the crowds have subsided, I'll bide my time thank you very much.
Kammris also has begun his mastery of weaponsmithing. It's a grind of the grindiest kind, requiring a wide assortment of ores, jewels, and skins. He can gather most of it himself except for the polished beryls. I'm hoping some kin can craft a stack for him soon.
It's a tangled web of lies I weave.
Lukenbach benefits most from my ill gotten day off. I've pushed him well into 48 and explored never before seen lands and adventure. Well, unexplored for me. I even got a quest leading to the new MoM zone, Etherion, but until reports die start pouring in that the crowds have subsided, I'll bide my time thank you very much.
Kammris also has begun his mastery of weaponsmithing. It's a grind of the grindiest kind, requiring a wide assortment of ores, jewels, and skins. He can gather most of it himself except for the polished beryls. I'm hoping some kin can craft a stack for him soon.
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