2009

I still Enjoy going Back – Do You?

I wanted a way to relax last night, in preparation for a huge winter storm that’s hitting us today and so I decided to play EQ for a while. You know that feeling you get, where you’re restless with the characters you have and want to play someone new? Well that’s what I had. I decided to start over with a new beastlord, and was working my way through the tutorial. The early access to Underfoot began yesterday, and channels were active with everyone LFG and searching for people to gather with. It was nice to see.

I started thinking about all those posts people make about how you can never go back to your first MMO and capture the same feeling you had the first time around. I think that’s incorrect. I think it really depends on the person, and their play style.

I think perhaps we as writers and bloggers are more jaded then your average player who is just gaming and not telling the world about it. I know a good number of people who don’t write what so ever, game hop moderately, and still return to their first love (in this case, a game) without issue, and happily continue playing it, pondering all the while why they left to begin with. I love to see this.

With so much competition out there between video games, we expect more and more from what we’re playing. Understandable I suppose, but I like to think that I still can just simply enjoy a game for it’s very basic offerings. I don’t need to pick a game apart and find each of its flaws before deciding if I enjoy it or not.

Anyhow, the little beastlord made her way through the tutorial without too much issue. It wasn’t that long ago that I was doing them, so it was still fresh in my mind. I also had the pleasure of running through Plane of Mischief looking for Brisbane earlier in the evening with two friends of mine. He wasn’t up, nor was Innoruuk (disappointing!) and so we decided to go check in on Grieg in Griegs End. He wasn’t up either, sadly. I did take a LOT of video of the adventures though, which I’ll put together later on today and post. Such great memories of that zone.

I play on the Drinal server, so if you happen to be making your way to EQ for any reason be sure to say hello! I did also check out Brell’s Rest in Underfoot, but I was starting to fall asleep, so I called it an early night.

Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself! I’ll see you in Norrath.

An Evening of Fun and Games

I did it. Yesterday thanks to the help of Kanad and Wpus, I managed to reach 200 alternate advancement points on my very first character in EQ2 (Ellithia, the mystic on Antonia Bayle). It was a really great feeling, to know that in February when Sentinel’s Fate comes out I’ll be working on the appropriate aa. When TSO came out I wasn’t even close to the maximum number of aa, so I wasn’t working on those chains until much later. It’s refreshing to be finished (for now).

As my previous post mentioned, that brings into debate who to play next. The one real problem I have with so many level 80 characters, and playing on so many servers. I think I’ve knocked it down to 1 character per server, and then play on whichever server my mood suits. I’m leaning towards the Dirge on Lucan D’Lere (thanks Amnerys for the suggestion), the Troubador on Oasis, and the .. well, undecided on Antonia Bayle. On that server I have the 80 mystic (who I consider completed), 80 templar, 80 illusionist, 80 swashbuckler, 20 shadowknight (quest character), and 1 bruiser. Any suggestions on who I should play? I realize that most people say “play what you like the most” or “play whatever makes you happy” – my problem is that I enjoy all of my characters on pretty much the same level. I love playing them all, if I didn’t I wouldn’t even have the character to begin with.

In lieu of having completed my main goal in game, I decided to log the dirge over on Lucan D’Lere and pick up a new craft for her. She was a provisioner, but my illusionist Seduisant is already one, and I don’t want two. I decided to respec her and took her to West Freeport to speak with the career counselor. I decided to go with a weaponsmith instead, and spent a few hours working my way back up to level 30. I wanted to use up all of that craft vitality before the new 6 year anniversary rewards come into game and I can replenish it.

I also checked in on my Troubador on Oasis, and Paradise Lost happened to be making their way through Miraguls. I’ve only seen the first two named in this zone, being unable to really commit myself to their raid hours, but it was a blast. As luck would have it some troubador bracers dropped and I was able to pick up the pattern (thank you for that, Shadowgeist!) so the little troubador is now sporting her first piece of T4 gear. Pennie (fantastic healer might I add, one of the best out there, after myeslf, of course, teehee) sent me some tells as we calculated how many deaths I had knocked off of my Varsoon run by adding another piece of pretty good gear to the list. I figured one piece only knocks .5 of a death off, three pieces will raise that count by 2-3. We’ll see!

The troubador (and all of my other characters actually) need a LOT of alternate advancement points before Sentinel’s Fate comes out in February, but it gives me something to do, and I’m looking forward to it. Will I manage to get a second character to 200aa? Not sure. It took me so long (in my game hopping ways) to reach 200 on one character. We’ll just have to see!

Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself, see you in Norrath!

Nearing the End

It’s almost that time, the time when I feel as though I have ‘beaten’ EQ2. Thankfully this comes slightly before the next expansion, due out in February. I realize that a lot of people feel as though you can never ‘beat’ an MMO because of it’s ever evolving nature, but I certainly think that we all have personal goals and once we’ve accomplished them we’ve felt as though we’ve beaten the game.

For me, this list is quite short. 200 achievements, level 80/80 (that means maxed out crafting as well as adventuring) my mythical weapon, the best gear I personally can get (in my ‘mains’ case this happens to be T4 and instance jewelry), T7 mastered (spells), and that’s about it. As of last night, I am sitting on 199aa, and I’ve already got the other smaller goals taken care of.

Excited? Yes, I am.

On the other hand, that also means that all of the quests I do AFTER I hit that 200aa mark becoming a little less meaningful to me, because I won’t get any experience at all out of it. I’ve always hoped that EQ2 would adopt EQ’s method of alternate advancement, where you could dump points into personal run speed, food duration, and being able to train in more then one craft talent. I’d pay a good amount of aa in order to become a dual crafter, and not have to have a unique character for every craft available. I suppose my next ‘thing’ to do on the mystic would be tinkering, because it’s a pretty useful skill to have and I have guild harvesters who can take care of the basic ingredients for me. Aside from that, I think my mystic will be ‘done’. Which brings about the question – what next? Or rather, who next. I’ll still be playing EQ2 of course, I adore the game, but I’ll need to move on to a character who needs a little works. I’ve got lots of those (14 in fact, not including Ellithia) on multiple servers, so we’ll just have to see.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, no matter where you found yourself. Thankfully real life deadlines have come and gone for this month, and I have a little breathing room. I spent some time in WoW inching my priest to level 54, some time in Aion beginning the 20-30 grind, and a lot of time in EQ2 working on those achievements.

I decided to go LFG which is something I don’t typically do. As luck would have it, there was a Najena’s Hollow Tower group looking for more, I joined up and they had room for Hamal (assassin). I’m typically leery of PUGS, but I do like to meet new people.

This group was pretty amazing, we finished the entire zone within 15 minutes without any deaths. Hamal and I picked up the ‘sense of urgency’ achievement, and while we didn’t win any loot, it was still a fantastic clean fun run. Afterwards Hamal and I used the chronomagic feature to level to 50, and headed to Everfrost and Commonlands shard instances, not for the shards since I don’t really need any, but for the aa experience that came from completing the missions.

Over all, it was a great night. I also remembered that Maj’Dul has red shinies, and as I was on Lucan D’Lere running around working on my peacock quest I picked myeslf up a new house item. Couldn’t have asked for a better time in game!

Book of the Day – A Tonga’s Guide to not getting Eated

(( Book of the day, each weekend I try to take one book that I have in my Norrathian Library and write it out so others can enjoy it who may not be in game. Of course if you’d like to read it in person just head to the North Freeport mage tower, bottom floor, and look for the magical housing door. Name is under Ellithia. If you’d like to donate a book to my museum, please don’t hesitate to drop me a message, I’ll even send you blank books in return. Thanks! ))

A Tonga’s Guide to not getting Eated – by Valenoa

Getting eated am a serious problems among tonga todays. Dis book refers to being eated by other peoples not critterthings. There am several reasons that tonga have trouble wif getting eated.

– We am delicious. This am useful during dates but not as usefuls around hungrythings.

– We am very smallandcute and bigandugly things am jealous of that’s.

– Mousies love to wiggle. Dis am verycute too but unfortunatelies makes us goes down easiers.

Thankies to Linleezardshineybutt ((Linthel)) for helping me wif insides informations on thingies to puts in dis bookies and for not eatedings me and fors eateding dat one mans that kept bothering me’s.

There am manythings that yous should watches out fors.

– Trolls cause them eats anythings. While tongas will eats anything except other tongas and friends and stuffs, trolls will eats anythings. This am because their words for ‘cute’, ‘friend’ and ‘delicious’ am all the same so them gets confuseds.

– Leezards can sometimes eat smallthings. Them also has an additional reasons because them can be jealous of our fluffyfur. They eated us hoping to gain our powers of flufficute.

– Ogres can sometimes eated things too. Usually this will follows when them accidentally smushes someones. Then them mistakes them for puddings or applesauces.

– Kittehs can sometimes want to eat mousies cause it am thems instincts. Tries not to acts too cute or likes a mousie arounds them.

*crayon art of a kerra chasing a ratonga with a fork and knife across the commonlands. A speech bubbel reads “Oh noes!” above the ratonga and “Oh yeses!” above the kerra*

Even if yous watches out for these thingies, peoples can still surprises you. Watch out for these warning signs:

– Them keeps droolings on yous.

– Them tries to puts condiments on yous when yous not lookings. Even mores if its when you am lookings.

– Them am hiding split or fork or similar thingies behind backs.

– Them am reading recipe books and looking back and forths between yous and its.

– Yous see them eateding someone else.

– Them keep asking what yous eat. You am what yous eat after alls. It makes you taste differment.

– Them paws at yous or grabs yous tail when yous tries to walk. Them am playing wif food, be carefuls!

Even dates can turns out to be eateders. So ifs an date say you am delicious or them wants to eated yous or takes you homes for dinners make sure them means in goodway.

* crayon art of a drooling troll handing flowers to a suspicious looking ratonga*

There am many ways to avoids getting in this situations to begins wif thoughs.

– Avoids places where eateders congregates. Dis includes places they lives or like swamps and things.

– If you has to go to place that am dangerous, tries to choose a traveling companion that am more delicious than yous. then you can runs when them am being eateden. Frogyloks and fairies make good choices.

– Yous can also travels in large groups or wif verybig peoples to guards yous. If you knows a leezard or kitteh or something that you know will not eated yous (but be sures!) yous could travels wif thems. Then peoples think ‘oh that am their food me not bothers it’.

– Yous can flavors youself wif something badtasting to eateders. Yous may say ‘but then that will be ew!’ but remembers things that am badtasting to trolls and ogres and things am still goodtasting to cutethings. So yous can protects youself and be perfumed for that hot dates tonights too!

– Get stripies. Eateders can no eat things wif stripies cause usually will chokes on thems. If you no have stripies you may considers fur dyes.

– Learns to runfast. Dis helps especiallies if in a groups. Remembers that yous no has to outruns the eateders, just everyone else also running from the eateder.

*crayon image of an iksar gagging up a ratonga, some of their stripes still stuck in their throat.*

But what if you does all these thingies and still gets in a bad situations? How am some ways to get out of its? Sometimes it am depend on who am trying to eated yous.

– There am first the obvious ones that you can stabbies or magics them to deaths. Some good places to hurts them am thems face so them no can eat goods or their happybits cause then they falls over. Cept then they am not really happybits anymores.

–  You can trap yous clothings. Most things will tries to take off yous clothings before eateding  you, and then the trap springs and you runs away! Running away nakeds am a small price to pays.

– Put lots of sharp thingies in pockets. If they bites you right offs to avoid the traps them will cuts them mouths. Poison candies in yous pockets also works and have other uses.

– Though it will not work on verymean peoples that am jealous of cutes, you can tries the cuteeyes. You can also tries to flirts wif them though this can be dangerous in its own ways.

*crayon art of a ratonga running away from a ogre who has a mouse trap clamped over his lips*

But oh noes! What if yous already got eated? If yous has, then yous better has a light on yous cause otherwise will be hards to reads this. If you was eated whole, yous still has a chance!

– Well if yous has a light and it am fire why you not burning thems instead of reading dis bookies dummys!

– You can stabs them from the insides and tries to cut yous way out. If no weapons, than just try scritchieclaws. Try to poke a hole in the bottoms of their tummy so all the juice flows out into thems.

– You may tries tickles. If yous can tickle them enough them will laugh verymuch and may vomits.

– If still on way down, wrap yous tail around thems tongue and pull it down wif yous. Then they will chokes on it.

– Yous can call homes and teleports. But that only works if yous has lots of concentrations. If you am a veryneatrogue like me’s, you can uses the escapes.

– Summon all the thingies and pets you has. It will fills up thems belly so muches that them will pop!

*crayon art of a ratonga in somethings belly, carefully holding this book up and shining a light on it.*

Even though them am verymean, eateders do has uses sometimes. Sometimes yous can finds one that am yous friend and knows difference between friends and foodstuff, but me cannot stress enoughs that yous must be carefuls. Watch for warning signs listed earlier in dis bookies.

Otherwise thems can serve a number of purposethings.

– Them can eated dates dat yous dided not has goodfun wif or that won’t stops bothering yous.

– Thems can gives you insides informations on hows to escapes.

– Them may gives you neatthings in exchanges for luring other peoples you no likes to dem.

Remembers dat being eated am a constant threats to tongakind and dat we must be constantly vigilants so we am not all eateden.

Me hopes dat dis book helps yous avoids or escapes being eated. If it no does, then goodbyes.

*crayon art of Valenoa laying on a pile of various carnivors with x’s over their eyes*

Grummus – Plane of Disease

I’ve obviously been having a lot of fun since I installed Game cam, creating numerous videos (some good, some bad) over the past few weeks. I absolutely love doing this, and I hope to have more coming in the future. One little ‘feature’ Kanad mentioned, was that I should try to film some of the old world fights in EverQuest, and post them here to my web site. I thought that was a fantastic idea, especially since I’ve already been taking screen shots for Underfoot, the 16th EverQuest expansion that is slated to go live (early access) on the 8th of December, with the full release coming the 15th.

Our first adventure was back to the Plane of Disease, to defeat Grummus. Back in the day Grummus was used in a quest for access to the Elemental Planes, he was needed for your Crypt of Decay flag. Today most of these flags are obsolete but you can still go back (as we did) and kill him for Nostalgia sake. Our ‘raid’ consisted of myself (minxes, 82 necromancer), Ninga (our tank, 84 monk), and Kanad (our slower / healer, 66 shaman) as well as two healer mercs, Journeyman tier II (just in case the AOE caused us issues).

If you take a look at the bestiary for Grummus, you can get a sense of just how difficult he was at one point in time. Sure these days we hear about people soloing him but it was a real not all that long ago. The AOE used to really hurt, and people used to actually need more then one group to clear him.

It was great to be able to defeat him again, and what do you know, my little necromancer actually needed the flag. We’ll be working our way through more old school planar progression as the days go on (and as we can find the mobs up, they’re still farmed pretty heavily) and I’ll be taking more videos of it all to post. Hope everyone enjoys this little walk down memory lane!