November 2006

The anticipation of EoF

stargrace November 7, 2006 0Comment

Silverstep, standing in Lesser Faydark

I was accepted into EoF beta about a month ago, but honestly, I played very little. I perfer to leave most quests / zones a surprise, and just wanted to know a little about what to expect with my characters. I think I spent more time looking at fae and exploring the lowbie zones and Gods then doing much of anything else. Since the NDA has been lifted, I can post a few screen shots of the expansion and ramble a bit. It’s an absolutely BEAUTIFUL expansion, despite what bugs may be around currently. There is literally something for everyone, from level 1-70. There are new raid zones, new instances, new regular zones, a new obelisk even. New lore, a new race. Two new crafting subclasses, new aa’s, a second earring slot, a new cloak slot, new guild levels.. it’s quite amazing.

Some people are of course upset that there is no level cap increase. I can see why SoE did this though. The one thought on everyone’s mind is whether or not there is enough content to last until the next expansion comes out. With Vanguard coming out in January (unless it’s been pushed back, I never know) there’s lots of competition around.

Standing outside Castle Mistmoore

Contested mobs should keep raiders interested, along with the new raid zones. The fact that there’s a new race is appealing to those who have wanted to start a new class and had no motivation. Not to mention there are new starting zones, and you could level from 1-70 in EoF zones alone and never leave. It’s certainly one expansion I’m really looking forward to.

QoTW: The Battle of Cauldron Hollow (Tunare Quest revealed)

stargrace November 3, 2006 0Comment

The prophets foretold of two more Gods who would soon be walking the lands of Norrath this day. One was Tunare, and while some may consider this an obvious choice due to the fact that I am a druid, it is not so. None the less I listened to their woes and eagerly aided them in their trials, but do not doubt for a second that it was because of my own selfish curiosity rather then a desire to walk along the path of Growth.

I was told not to question their methods, and that I would be able to inhabit the body of Gandari for this battle. I rode astride a mount so glorious. I could smell the fear in the air. We rode and the calls of battle echoed through the air. It was glorious.

The reward for aiding them was a small fountain for my home, which has a spot in the back yard. It may look slightly out of place amongst some of the other… pieces.. I have out there, but it looks wonderful none the less.

(( Absolutely *amazing* quest, very fun to do, and a new turn on things here in eq2. Those who have done the monster missions in eq1 will be very familiar with this form of quest, and I have to say it’s sort of fun to see it here too. I would certainly recommend this quest for anyone who enjoys questing or house items or both! The starter can be found in Antonica, by the druid rings just past the wizard spires. The evil version is found by the priest guild in NFP ))

Happy Halloween and all the rest

stargrace November 1, 2006 0Comment

Silverstep, standing in her spooky backyard

Halloween in Norrath would have been slightly more entertaining if they did not just repeat the two quests we had last year. They compromised of a haunted house (with different rewards this time I suppose it should be added) and trick ‘n treating, with a few new face masks as rewards. I still found it slightly disappointing. However with the 2 year anniversary of the game on the 9th of this month, along with the newest expansion upcoming (which I have been off beta testing) I don’t really blame them for not putting much effort into the newest holiday.

I’ve sequestered myself to the crafting tables for the past few days, on various characters while I prepare for the two new sub-classes, tinkering and transmuting. The sage reached level 45 (finally) the jeweler 65, and Silverstep herself managed to level to 56 woodworker. I really do hate woodworking might I add. I get on average 1-2 new recipes a level. So in order to work this skill I’ve resorted to grinding out guild writs, which seem to be the only way I can handle the monotonous grinding. Granted, with the guild at level 50 even that seems to have little point, but the personal status is good and the faction is not too bad. I’m saving up for (another) 5 room house, and there are some Qeynos faction items I’d like to be able to purchase such as vendor stands.

Of course there are always the usual raids, last night was Vyemm, nothing of any significance happened there though, a few guild members played alts and we cleared it with three groups in less then two hours. I think pretty much everyone is looking forward to EoF just simply for a little new content, even if there is no level increase. Hopefully the expansion gives everyone something to do. I certainly can’t complain.