Diplomacy is one of the three spheres in Vanguard, and if you’ve played any card games like Legends of Norrath and have a particular fondness for them, you’re really going to enjoy this sphere. When I’m tired of running around Telon killing things and am frustrated (or bored) with crafting, diplomacy is the perfect ‘cool down’ sphere. It allows you to hear some amazing stories, as well as simply relax. Not to mention it hands out some pretty neat rewards.
My blood mage has been sitting at level 10 in diplomacy for years now. When the game first came out there were very few ways to level this sphere, and while there were quests I found them confusing and difficult to obtain because I never had the presence required. Things have changed a little, with the Isle of Dawn granting some amazing diplomacy rewards, as well as the “new” (to me) diplomacy saga. Since I missed out on the Isle of Dawn I didn’t have any of the amazing gear that comes from it (including a charm that levels up as you do) but I was still of a level high enough to begin the saga.
It wasn’t long before I was closing in on level 14, had obtained a mount (which gets upgraded, twice) and had a full set of sparkling new diplomacy gear that is far better then anything I was wearing before. It was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday evening, and I really had a lot of fun. Besides the coin that you can make (it’s not a huge amount) from doing diplomacy, you can affect the world of Telon by moving the city levers through civic diplomacy. You can put up buffs in outposts and cities by moving these levers from your parles, and it’s a great thing to be able to do. Everyone loves it when there are adventure buffs up before they head to raids, not to mention the crafters seem to rejoice when ever anything is put up for them (I know I do at least).
Diplomacy is also a requirement for purchasing a guild plot, although obtaining this requires a LOT of plots and information (little bits of paper that you win from beating parles) it’s still well worth it.
For once I did not spend the night killing mobs, but instead battled with flattery (which is how my diplomacy deck is built). I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of the saga, and seeing how far I can manage to inch my diplomacy levels this time.
Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself, I’ll see you in Telon!
I agree about having multiple decks. Especially if the particular parle I’m involved with doesn’t allow for flattery to begin with. It seems to be a lot better now, I haven’t had any issues at least – but maybe that will change as I get higher then level 13, lol.
I love how at 25 you can start working for different houses, and obtain neat items like barding. One day I’ll get there!
I love Diplomacy, it’s such a cool system and does a lot for the lore. But I really wish they would introduce the ability to keep many decks at the same time. One single focus, like flattery or reason, won’t cut it all the time and as one progresses through the levels the deck has to change depending on the circumstances. I did one of the really long Diplomacy-chains on an old character, and constantly shifting cards in and out got to be a bit of a pain after a while.
Other than that, it’s great. :)