Author: Stargrace

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with myself before RoK (rise of Kunark) releases. Since I’ve got so many characters already, leveling them up isn’t really a huge concern of mine. Although I did make myself a new goal to only have ONE main in RoK. A distinct main. I’ve actually never had one before. I want one. I figure if I dedicate as much time to one character as I do to 10 characters, I can make them pretty nice. We’ll see how that goal goes. No decision on it yet either, I’ve got no idea who I want to be playing. Go figure. Anyhow.

There’s a bonus to experience coming this Sunday, and next Sunday (right before the RoK release) that I’m looking forward to. Not because I want to adventure, but because it gives me some time to get my crafters up there before the expansion comes out and I’m left wondering why I didn’t level them up sooner. As you can see by the screen shot above, I’ve been busy. I used up all of Arysh’ tradeskill vitality yesterday and managed to get her three levels working away on those writs. I adore them, it’s one of the best things they implemented. I decided to do some harvesting after grinding out all those levels, and stock piled to get 70 on her this weekend. By then I’ll have saved up vitality again (I hope) and it won’t be too much of a push.

Next I started on Goudia, who hit 51 weaponsmith. The tailor is also sitting at 50. The alchemist is 60, the sage, provisioner, and jeweler are all sitting comfortably at 70. The armorer and carpenter are way behind but hey I need projects when I hit 80 too, right? Sales are exceptionally slow in game, so aside from doing writs, I’m not wasting my rares. I’ll save them for all the crazy Sarnak who come wandering through in November and then maybe make some good sales. I’ve stashed aside 100p in the guild bank for RoK, funds for whatever character I end up working to 80 first, and I’ve got about 100-200 rares sitting in the guild bank waiting for use. I’ve also stashed aside a huge amount of transmuting items so that Arysh can work the skill up for components, and tinkering.. well that one’s on the back burner for a bit I think. I haven’t decided yet. It honestly depends on who I’m bringing to 80. We’ll just have to see.

I’d been pondering what to work on in game while I wait (like everyone else) for RoK to release. We’re all frantically counting down the days and weeks until new content. Excited? Yes, quite a bit. I’ve been doing older quests on Dasie lately, trying to clear them from her journal while having things still be interesting for me at the same time. Easier said then done on occasion. Out of all the expansions out there I’ve probably leveled up the least amount in DoF. I did do the Godking chain of quests but that’s about it. I’d never worked on the Ring of Fate, or did much with factions (there are three, Coin, Truth, and Blades). While I did have 20,000 with coin on Dasie (just enough to get her call of ro quest completed) that was about as far as I took it.

So yesterday for the majority of the day I wandered around Maj’Dul completing various quests for faction, some coin, and finally after some time the “vindicator of the coin” title that I’ve never actually had before. It felt good to get it done. That leaves two more factions to complete since I’m pretty sure to start the ring of fates quests someone mentioned you need to have worked all three up. Hrms. I’ll have to look up the quest and see, since I’ve really got no experience with it.

Bought Dasie a new outfit last night as well. All she’s missing is the rice bowl hat (rockpounder is one that all priests can wear) and she’s transformed from a templar to a monk class. She’s also got a handy dandy two handed hammer for just such occasions. I enjoy having “fluff” armor slots, but wish there were more of a selection of things to wear. I feel sorry for those people who wear cloth, since Dasie wears plate she has a great choice of armor. She’s of course also wearing her LoN burning fists item that I claimed. I found a booster pack and decided to trade it, I managed to get my Three Warriors painting, as well as those fists. Worth it? Matter of opinion honestly. There could have been a better loot card in that booster deck, but it doesn’t really matter to me.

I’m pretty set on making a new dirge when RoK comes out – yes I realize everyone and their dog has a dirge and they’re the new flavour of the month, but oh well. I have a few (three?) character creation slots left on the two accounts, and I may as well use them up.

Other then that, just counting down the days….

Worked on a signature tonight for Woof, hopefully he likes it. Decided to post the one I made for Shadowgeist as well. I’m working on one for Gothun which is a bit more difficult because he has no preferences at all as to what he wants. I’m still learning the ins and outs of photoshop, and have very little patience when I get to a hard part. Eventually with time though I’m hoping to improve.

Playing on a role play preferred server is a great thing. The population is high, the people are friendly. However, it does have a few draw backs. On Antonia Bayle I’d say that 70% of the raiding that takes place is through alliances. Not always a bad thing, but it certainly has some draw backs. People are comfortable in their little guilds, also not a bad thing. I’ve been a part of quite a few alliances on the server, and it can work, but over the last little while the alliance I’ve been in has pointed out all the reasons why they can also be frustrating.

Loyalty. There’s such a lack of loyalty to one another and to the “core” alliance group that it can become more of an issue then intended. Lets take last night for example. The alliance I raid with had scheduled MMIS (Mistmoore Inner Sanctum) for Monday. For some reason the main tank of said alliance, and one of the core healers, decided to go tank and heal for another raid guild in MMIS, and didn’t take into consideration the fact that 20+ other people had signed up for this raid for Monday. When I approached the tank about it, he basically shrugged, and said that they’d just move the raid to accommodate him having gone last night. He’s not an alliance leader, just another member, and didn’t talk to other members at all about this, just assumed that for him, it would be done. Of course I was fuming.

Attendance. People can pick and choose which raids they attend (for whatever reasons they have in mind, be it loot, or timing for that matter) and there’s no consequence for the actions. A great example of this is when an old KoS (Kingdom Of Sky) raid was scheduled and 12 people showed up (the “core” of this alliance, who pretty much attend every raid as scheduled, raids are four days a week) and completed the zone. The next week, on the exact same day, a Chel’Drak raid was scheduled, and 30 people showed up. You could think this is merely a coincidence and people simply were not around the previous week, but it’s not so. It happens all the time. Schedule a raid for a zone that the alliance can handle with quite a bit of ease, and where the loot is a significant upgrade, and people come out in droves. But schedule a zone where the alliance is still learning the encounters (such as the final fight in MMIS or Emerald Halls) and suddenly we’re struggling to put people together. You can’t prevent this from happening, because it is simply an alliance. If you push too hard for people to show up, they’ll simply move on, as their main interest is not raiding.

I’m all for smaller guilds, and the significant perks they come with (since I belong to my own guild myself) but I some times wish those who are in raid alliances out there would take into consideration the other 23 people who sign up and who enjoy raids, but don’t want to leave their families and friends in another guild. Alliances are looking for the same thing that full raid guilds are looking for. They’re looking for knowledgeable people who understand their class. Who work and strive for excellence in whatever means they can, and who are steady. Reliable. It is just as frustrating for an alliance raid leader to fill in the blank spots of a raid without knowing who is going to show up as it is for the every day raid guild. They want people to sign up, to show up on time, and all that good stuff. The only difference in fact is what happens when you’re not raiding. You still should come prepared. Know as much about the zone as possible. Just because the raid is tagged as “alliance” doesn’t suddenly give people the right to dumb it down.

I know there are exceptionally successful alliances out there on servers, there are some on AB who are taking down all EoF (Echoes of Faydwer)  content aside from perhaps the throne room and avatars. They can work beautifully — but last night and the past few weeks have just not been what I want out of any alliance and were only a constant reminder of how they can go wrong.

How many times, Arysh wondered, had the people of Freeport passed by the stones unaware. She knelt to the ground and dropped the flowers she carried as gentle tears trickled down her smooth cheeks, not ashamed in the least bit. This was after all, where her mother was buried. She sniffed back a sigh and tried to wipe the tears as best she could to no avail. Every day the people of Freeport walked by the statues and monuments with no idea what they represented, or who. They never gave anything a second glance. Too busy on their way to some store, or to shop for poisons and other personal items. It was the way Freeport worked, and most argued that this method was just fine. Arysh, however, thought differently. Even before she considered moving to Qeynos she thought differently. It wasn’t that the druid was soft, by any means. The dark elf was fiercely protective of those closer to her and even those she was not.

She sat herself down in the dirt, and spread the flowers along the base of the monument. She knew that it had probably been erected for some other reason besides the personal one that it held to her. After all Lucan D’Lere was not exactly a rising hero empathetic to the needs and concerns of his people, not enough to want to place a solo statue in his city at least. The reasons didn’t matter though. The fact that it was there was enough for Arysh.

The druid found herself day dreaming of her life over the past few years, since she found herself without family. She had moved to Qeynos, lost a few loved ones along the way, betrayed not only Tunare but also the Burning Prince in trying to find herself. And what had it gotten her? Nothing. She was just as alone as she was at the starting of the journey. Her own fault though as over time she had pushed everyone away from her.

Left with nothing but the memories of those she once cared for, she slowly stood and braced herself to face another day.