I really like the newly designed Freeport. It takes a bit of time to get used to it, especially since we’ve all gotten used to having to zone from one section to another, but the transition was smooth and it’s much easier to get around now.
The newly designed Qeynos is in the works and should be out when the next update goes live (I believe, I could be wrong). I don’t know that I have any characters who even live in Qeynos any more, but I’m sure I can find one or two to use to explore the area.
This weekend Sincor organized a mass casting of ‘Rite of Spring‘ ‘Holy Crop‘ and ‘Ritual of the Sun‘ on the Deliverance server. Each of these spells belongs to one of the three Freedom Gods, and requires 300 favor to cast which means a lot of linking. I was only too eager to help out in any way that I could and so I volunteered a priest of each deity, and helped out with a few gems.
One of the major benefits to casting these spells is that the players online who are followers / priests of that deity will gain 5h of sleep bonus when the spell goes off. The downside to this is that too many people want the sleep bonus but don’t want to help out with the cast. I was sad to see that a few of the ‘old timers’ were unwilling to come to Green Dog to help with the cast, giving some pretty feeble excuses. All community events like this only work if they have the help of the community behind it.
For those who did come out, I was thankful, and had fun. It was nice to see parts of the community come together to help benefit the entire server, although it did not help that the following day the servers all went down numerous times so everyone (online or not) was granted 5h of sleep bonus. Some players even went so far as to complain that they already had 5h sleep bonus so they didn’t personally benefit from the 5h that was granted from server issues. Really? We are so selfish that we have to complain when others benefit from something that we already have? Honestly, it just made my head hurt.
There are a few other community events scheduled for this summer, including a summer festival of sorts on the Independence server which I am looking forward to attending. There will be games and prizes given out as well as priests casting and other good things. I love these player run events, and I think they really add character to a game – as long as they can be managed well. It’s only too easy for one person to spoil it for a group and for arguments to follow. Thankfully we don’t see too much of that.
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
Between 35-40 I would say it is really hard to figure out where to level. Especially if you’re in a solo / duo in game. I had problems leveling my blood mage up past these levels, and now I’m finding I have the same problem with my shaman.
Hampooj and I decided to explore the first parts of Greystone, which is a dungeon suitable for level 40-45 characters. You can find it in Beranid Hills. The mobs along the bridge before the actual dungeon are level 40 and mostly 2 dots with a few 3 dots thrown in there. There is a tower on either side, with a named at the top (a 4 dot). Inside are quests, and some classes even have level 42 spells that they learn here.
The Telon Project and Silkyvenom both have partial write ups about the dungeon but one really annoying thing to note is that the quest components don’t drop from every encounter, and you need a LOT of them. They also won’t drop for every person in the group, so if you’re in a group completing the quests here you’re looking at spending a LOT of time in the area, killing thousands of mobs. I find that this is an issue with a lot of the dungeons in Vanguard, and it makes the content almost unplayable.We started to adventure here because we were just looking for something to do in between reaching 40 and moving on to newer zones. There’s a weapon quest located within the dungeon, and that would have been neat to complete.
These are the levels where dying starts becoming an issue. An issue because if you summon your corpse at an altar you lose a large chunk of xp (Hampooj died and lost roughly 25,000 experience) and if you are to wander back in to get your body you’ve quite a ways to go. Things respawn quickly depending on how long it takes your group (or duo) to kill, and it can get frustrating.
Despite all of that, it’s still why I love Vanguard. It’s complex, there are penalties, and it can be a cruel and unforgiving world. In a day where I feel that a lot of MMOs simply hand me rewards on a silver platter, it can be a pleasant change. Whether or not the game will keep this ‘charm’ when it goes free to play is something that players old and new debate on channels daily – myself, I stay out of the discussion. I’ll adapt with the changes because I see the game going free to play as a very good thing and in fact one of a few options. The other option of course being closing it down completely which is something I NEVER want to see for any video game. It’s astounding the number of times I hear “I’d rather see it closed down then see it get changed,” in local chat.
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
Yesterday on a bit of a whim I decided to log into EQ2 – and I found out that back in February my Norrathian Museum actually won an award for housing and made it into the hall of fame. I suppose that shows how often I log in, as I had no idea.
The reward for this is an achievement, a title, and a neat trophy that you can place in your house (pictured above). I was tickled that I made it, I didn’t expect it but it did make me happy to know that people have been visiting the museum. The most noticeable thing about this player created house is the 500+ player-written books I have collected and placed, some of them years old now.
A lot has changed in game since I last played. The level cap I believe is 92 instead of 90. There are other changes that I simply haven’t kept up to date with. It feels a bit sad, since this is a game I played as my ‘main’ game for many years.
Despite the fact that I logged each of my characters in and had a poke around – I didn’t actually sit down and PLAY the game. I wasn’t interested in adventuring or crafting or doing anything more than poking around. I had no inclination to play. I just wanted to visit for a few minutes.
Whether that’s because I’m enjoying myself in Vanguard these days, or because EQ2 has finally broken its long term hold on me, I’m not sure. Either way, it was still a nice surprise to log in and see.
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
I haven’t given up on Guild Wars, today is a stress test for Guild Wars 2, and I’ve decided to avoid it. I have already purchased the game and am just waiting for it to go live. So I’ve been completing the missions in Prophecy, and the further along I go the deeper into the story I get. My monk / warrior is sitting at a comfortable level 11, and items that drop in missions are starting to show higher powers and when I salvage them I have a chance to take these items and re-apply them onto other things. I think that’s neat.
SPOILERS:
I just finished completing ‘The Frost Gate‘ which included a dramatic ending where Prince Rurik ends up getting knocked down and then killed by Dagnar, something I really wasn’t expecting! The cut scenes are well done despite the age of this story, and I really enjoyed completing the mission. Me and Ninga even managed to complete the bonus stage, something I’ve been trying to do (but have missed one or two along the way). Bonus stages are great because they reward you with a large amount of experience and they also give you a skill point. I’m learning about the importance of these skill points as I level up.
I still need to continue trying to complete Hall of Monument achievements, but in the mean time while I wait for GW2 to release I’m finally enjoying myself in GW1. It feels a lot like my time in EVE Online, where it takes me a try or two (or three) before I find my ‘groove’ and can figure out what (or rather, how) to play the game so that I’m enjoying myself. I’m very glad that I decided to stick with things this time, and I think it will help me appreciate aspects of GW2 even more.
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
A Pixel Nomad 