July 24, 2010

Where To Level (10-15)

stargrace July 24, 2010 5Comments

Just off the island, maybe you’ve gained a few levels and you’re wondering where to go. Well, Telon is HUGE. A few tips. Number one, Qalia and Thestra are far more populated then Kojan. The third continent was never really finished and it lacks content. It’s one of my favorite places so I still hang out there quite a bit. You can level from 1-20 on the content that is there, but it runs out and isn’t nearly as reward heavy as some of the other areas. There is the URT (united races of thestra) quest chain in Thestra, which starts at Veskal’s Exchange (more about that later) and then a slightly higher / better version called Hunter’s League that starts in Qalia.

At level 15 I have a huge selection of zones listed to me by the rift keeper. There is:

• Blighted Lands – in Kojan, this area gives you the 5 brothers cloak quest, and you spend a lot of time fighting the evil Ulvari.
• Jalen’s Crossing – never really quested here, but it’s also in Kojan
• Kaon’s Rush – in Thestra, some great group quests here, this is one of the lower level open dungeons
• Qa Riverbank – in Qalia, this area is where you begin working on Hunter’s League quests
• Renton Keep – a fantastic quest hub, URT leads you here, it’s also in Thestra
• Sundering – never been here, and no idea where it is, but it’s on my list!
• Temple of Dailuk – never been here either, but temples are always neat
• Wildgrowth Forest – also in kojan, this leads you towards the eventual Tomb of Lord Tsang quests (group quests)

Each of these locations was marked to me by the rift keeper in game. They’re easy to get to, and each one is a low level quest hub. I of course also highly recommend Veskal’s Exchange. In fact if you’re a new player in Telon there are “newbie nights” that take place in Veskals, one is this Wednesday at 8pm EST. The guild Impact will be handing out buffs, low level gear, and bags (always a must have).

Most hubs do include a fair number of group quests later on in their chains but there’s more then enough solo content. With the recent merges there’s also a high population of mid level characters roaming Telon, and I hear people LFG often. Don’t be afraid to form a group, even if you’re new. Chances are so is everyone else in the group and you just need to explore together.

Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself, I’ll see you in Telon.

Exploring

stargrace July 24, 2010 1Comment

Why is it that one of the shortest races in all of Telon (or everywhere for that matter) require one of the most elaborate and over the top homes I have ever seen? Pictured above is Bordinar’s Cleft, the mountain home of the Dwarves. I had to go here to learn my amateur Thestra  crafting style last night. After doing a good amount of crafting my Outfitter (tailor) reached level 18, and is now mid way through. As I’ve mentioned in previous crafting posts, there are three styles, one per continent. To unlock recipes you need to complete a different quest on each continent. For each tier. Yes, it’s quite involved. You also need faction to unlock all of these though you don’t need nearly as much as is required for crafting boat and house parts.

Unlike a lot of games these days, crafting in Vanguard still requires a material or two from a school outside of your own. That is to say if you wish to upgrade a common piece of gear you require one rare (or ultra rare) from within your craft, and one processed rare from outside. For the tailor this happens to be gems from the artificer. Artificers in turn use a number of rares, for stone foci it’s a rare sheet from a blacksmith. That’s why I have three ‘main’ crafters. Although each main class subclasses into two archtypes, each one can craft the basics. I have a blacksmith, outfitter, and artificer in order for them to craft for one another. Granted, my blacksmith and outfitter are not that high of level yet, but they’ll get there eventually.

I was also lucky enough to be out exploring with the blood mage when I stumbled across a named. This was a four dot mob, made for groups. I was two levels higher, but in Vanguard that doesn’t automatically mean you can defeat the encounter. I decided to give it a go. I decided to give up trying to kite the mob or trying to root it (root breaks far too easily) so I tanked it with my cloth healer outright. Much to my surprise, I defeated the named and managed to get my swamp armor shoulders to drop.

If this were the only piece I needed to complete the set I would have been happy, but alas I still require three storm particles which also drop from random three and four dot named in the Deadbogs. I could purchase them from the broker, but at 15g+ a piece, it’s a little out of my range. Still, I’m incredibly happy to have the base, and even happier that I managed to defeat the encounter.

I imagine most of this weekend will be spent working on crafting and diplomacy, as always I tend to hop from alt to alt, never really too certain where I’ll land. If you’re in Vanguard let me know your character name and I’ll be sure you look you up and say hello.

In the mean time, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself, I’ll see you in Telon!

Oh, also. Be sure to check out the handy links section I’ve added to the site. Some time early next week I’ll also be adding a page of Vanguard commands for people to make use of. If you have a suggestion for a link please let me know!