May 2011

From 0 to 135 #EQ2 #EverQuest2

stargrace May 23, 2011 1 Comment

This weekend found me (much to my surprise) in EQ2 when I wasn’t out enjoying the Tulip Festival and gallivanting around the city with the other half. After exploring a little DoV (I’ve barely set foot into this expansion) and doing enough quests to be on the daily portion of my flying mount, I decided that I wanted to play a lower level character. I really enjoying older content in EQ2 and I had a level 6 Freeblood character that I had created some time ago. Myself and Ibeogur teamed up (while chattering to Ultann in guild) and headed first to Wailing Caverns. Because this weekend was double experience the levels came incredibly quickly (not to mention I have 120% bonus due to max level characters, and I used a potion, and I had vitality). Before too long the ranger was level 35 – and I had gone from 0 aa to 135. I’ve spent what I can in the first two trees until level 70 (50 points in each), and made my way down the Shadows tree. I didn’t want to level too fast, because there are a lot of quests I enjoy doing. 35 is a comfortable level, and I’ve set myself to 100% aa for the next little while. I’ve played a few rangers before – one all the way to levle 90 but I ended up deleting her because she didn’t have the aa and I didn’t feel like grinding them at end game. Looking back I suppose it’s a little foolish of me to constantly delete my levle 90 characters, but I only get rid of those that I feel no emotional ties to – my main characters I try to keep around.

I actually had a lot of fun playing – a lot more then I thought I would. It’s been ages since I’ve played EQ2 on a serious level and having guild mates around made an enormous difference. Of course it also took some getting used to as well. I barely remember how to get from one place to another or what any of the acronyms mean in game. Channels were bustling (at least on the Antonia Bayle server) and I managed to pick up 10 (that’s right, TEN!) new player-written books to add to my museum. That brings my total up to around 433 player-written books. I’m pretty proud of that fact.

I hope everyone else had an amazing weekend no matter where you spent it. It’s a long weekend here in Ottawa (Victoria Day is today) so I’m going to spend it indoors gaming after spending most of my weekend outside in the sun (plus it’s cloudy and just gross outside today). As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

Paladin Adventures

stargrace May 22, 2011 No Comments

The paladin is 61 (closing in on 62) and experience has slowed down some what. At least as much as experience ever slows down in WoW when you’re wearing heirloom gear for experience bonuses. Being this level means a few (wonderful) things for me. First of all, I can finally fly. This makes questing and harvesting SO much easier. I am now in Outlands, exploring (once more) Hellfire Peninsula, but I’m on the alliance side for the first time and so things are at least a little different. Ok not so different that I can’t tell the exact horde counterpart, but different enough. I’ve still been tanking for pick up groups, and they’ve gone slightly better then the pre-60 dungeons. I disliked 55+ so much that I avoided doing dungeons all together and decided to quest my way to Outlands. It was simple, and quick. I think it was even faster then if I had of queued. I’ve tanked Hellfire Ramparts twice now, and both times the group moved smoothly, with only one (or two) mage deaths (ahem, Detch) from adds. The only down side I’ve really found with the paladin is that because my cool downs tend to be a little lengthly, it can some times be difficult to catch adds if I’m not expecting them. See, the problem is that everyone else has their AoE’s going off, and then more mobs add to the bunch, while those AoE’s go off – meaning that I barely have time to taunt or take aggro myself before the mobs are on someone else. When this happens I do my best to pull them off, but if my own AoE’s happen to be down for a moment it can get a bit hairy. I’m working on timing things better, and I know it will come with experience.

On the plus side most groups now have been patient enough to let me handle pulling, which is a huge relief. I was beginning to think that every single PUG in WoW was a hopeless cause, and I’m always eager to be proven wrong. Now that I’m 60+ I’ve slowed things down, prepared to take my time and enjoy my character while learning how to play her properly.

Although I’ll want to level up past 65 sooner rather then later, because my crafting (and harvesting) are capped at 375 until then. I’ve taken up alchemy and herbalism, the herbs come in handy for my inscription character (shaman). I had worked inscription to the cap once before but then (foolishly) dropped it for mining. After thinking about it I decided I really did want to keep inscription, and picked it back up. I’ve also maxed out my jewel crafting on the shaman, who is 78, and I’ve been busy doing dailies on her so she can purchase recipes and cut more gems.

Thanks to a generous gift from a friend I’m also sitting at 72 pets on my ‘main’ (the 85 priest) only three pets away from an achievement I’ve been after for quite some time. When I don’t feel like doing dungeons or interacting with a lot of other people I tend to work on these achievements – it’s not player housing, but it fills in the blanks just nicely.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

It’s Pretty – But Is It Fun? #Rift

stargrace May 19, 2011 2 Comments

Servers are down right now for an update, and I’m backlogging a few days where I neglected to post (it’s actually the 25th, not the 19th) so I decided to upload a few more screen shots in my massive collection, and I’m struck by just how beautiful this game is. Screen shots are important to me in any game, I’m not sure why. I have folders upon folders of “memories” for the various games I’ve played. Those I’ve stuck with for years (EQ/EQ2) and those I’ve only played briefly (AoC). It doesn’t matter what the game, before I learn any of the commands for actual game play I want to know how to take screen shots. I’ve been that way for years now and I doubt it will change any time soon.

I was so frustrated with the lack of participation I found in Stonefields that I was ignoring the fact that the zone is incredibly pretty. Sure, the entrance is a desolate barren wasteland inhabited by trolls and other goon-like creatures but as soon as you hid the mid-way mark things brighten up considerably. There’s more population to speak of. One of the things holding me back slightly is that I prefer to do my zone quests in order and thus I didn’t even make my way to stonefields until I was well into 20, almost 21. Now I’m 26 and my quests are 21-22 which means there’s very little risk involved. Of course I did happen to stumble into a rift or two where I couldn’t defeat the bonus round by myself and limped away as fast as I could before I was smushed (or, after I was smushed as the case was a few times) but it was still pretty fun.

I’m having fun, which is important. Fun enough to grind by myself for hours in this little speck of land before I get bored? Probably not. But I don’t mind queuing while I quest, and at least then it’s broken up by a dungeon or two. I still think Rift really needs a mentor program so that you can play with your lower level friends without completely trivializing the content for them. I appreciate the fact that my level 50 friends can help me out with my quests, but when things die in one hit it makes me wonder what the point is, I may as well just be on auto follow and have them do everything for me.

A few things could be added to clinch this game for me. Number one would have to be player housing, objects crafted as well as quested and looted that could be placed in said homes. This gives players more ‘to do’ outside of slaughter. I enjoy working on achievements but I also enjoy just hanging out and talking to friends. Except I don’t want to just hang out, I want to do something that doesn’t require me worrying about whether or not I’m going to get killed while doing it. I also wish factions meant something besides just grinding for gear. I appreciate how factions work in EQ, they have meaning. You’re working on your faction for a greater purpose, and enchanters and their illusions become incredibly handy. I dislike the WoW faction grind, working away to a specific faction level in order to have a vendor item become available to you. Granted, I’m 26 and rarely (if ever) have come across this yet in my own travels in Rift, but I know it will come with time.

I enjoy crafting and doing my daily quests – but I think crafting is too easily accessible. It makes crafted items almost meaningless, and the market is so incredibly flooded with items that there’s no real point to them any longer. Harvested goods on the other hand can sell for a tidy profit, and I’m looking forward to doing some crafting rifts eventually. For now I’m content with my two dailies, and I’ve even gotten a few Artisan plaques from doing my dailies around Meridian.

Anyhow, enough of my rambling for now. Game should be back up, and I’m eager to try to reach the next tier so I can get a little closer to the rest of my friends who are playing. Despite the fact that this post sounds quite negative (well, for me in any case) I AM enjoying myself. It’s just a matter of finding my niche within the game. Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

Hardcore Heritage Coming to EverQuest! #EQ #EverQuest

stargrace May 18, 2011 No Comments

Thanks to the 45-day ‘welcome back’ program that SOE is currently running, a few of my friends (and I) have returned to our roots in EverQuest. It wasn’t that long ago that we were playing and doing the 12 year anniversary tasks, but we had taken a bit of a break (and then the nasty business happened with SOE being down for a few days). It feels good to be back, and as you can see by my screen shot above, there’s a lot of other players who feel exactly the same way. The screen shot is of the Drinal server, which is where I play.

There’s also some exciting news for EverQuest in the future, as they prepare to start their ‘Hardcore heritage’ event once more this year. Basically this is where they take numerous old world zones of lower levels and adjust them to be end game zones with all new loot tables and mechanics. Here are the details to the event this year:

Are you ready to revisit some of your favorite classic zones and experience all new challenges? Well Hardcore Heritage is almost here!

Hardcore Heritage, one of our yearly events where we revisit some older zones and update them to provide a more challenging environment, is coming to a server near you soon! Spread over the months May to July, you’ll have an opportunity to visit the old stomping grounds with entirely new foes to battle.

The schedule for events is as follows:

5/23 – 6/12

Blackburrow (Level 80)

Cazic Thule (Level 80)

6/13-7/3

Lower Guk (Level 85)

Unrest (Level 85)

7/1-7/21

Crushbone (Level 90)

?????????? (Level 90)

This year we’re presenting two newly revamped zones, Crushbone and one other yet to be announced. Nostalgia and loot will abound, make sure you stop by and visit all the old spots from Trainer Hill to Emperor Crush’s throne room itself! There’s even a new challenge for two to three groups of players, can you defeat Emperor Crush and his stalwart allies?

I’m pretty excited, I have participated in the event previous years and it’s always a lot of fun. It’s also nice to see players gathered together in zones instead of always running missions which has been the fad as of late – especially with the bonus experience in place. Ultann has returned to the game and we’re currently attempting to help him level from 85-90 so he can partake in more of the House of Thule content. It’s a slow process, but at least he has bonus experience to make use of this week.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

It’s Good To Be Back (Online) #EQ2 #EverQuest2

stargrace May 17, 2011 No Comments

Ah, it’s good to be back. Things are slowly getting back to normal with SOE, and I managed to fit in a little time in EQ2 to go over my housing plans. Pictured above is the library of my Norrathian Museum (on the Antonia Bayle server, if you want to visit it’s a Mistmoore Craig Estate located in South Freeport under the name of Stargrace). I managed to track down five “new” (to me) player-written books, which puts my collection at 423 to date. I’m hoping that as things become even more settled players will find inspiration once again and I will be able to find even more books to add. Remember as always if you’d like to donate a book to my museum you can contact me directly in game and I will supply the blank books as well as some coin for your effort.

Most (but not all) SOE games are involved in a grand ‘welcome back’ program that is currently running. For EQ2 this includes the following for players:

From May 14th until May 23rd at 9am PDT players can enjoy double xp, double guild xp, a loot bonanza, all city festivals and moonlight enchantments, and the Aether races. Players will also get 45 days of free game time (for active and non-active subscriptions) and 500 station cash. They’ve extended any RAF accounts that were active during the outage, and are compensating any time that may have been lost from the research assistants. They’ve also covered rent for one month for guild homes and regular homes.

Some players are demanding more, and that this is not enough. Personally, I don’t blame SOE for the down time. Places get hacked and it was just incredibly unfortunate that this time it was a widely used platform. I think that they are taking a lot more heat for their lack of communication to players then anything else. For example we received no emails letting us know that things were back up and running. No explanation on what was really going on, or how long anything would take. I understand it’s a bit of a sensitive matter especially if there’s legalities involved with tracking down whoever did this – but alienating your customers just makes a sore spot even worse. You have to keep them as informed as you possibly can and I don’t feel that “sorry, we’re not coming back up today” is keeping anyone informed. Just my opinion, of course.

I am glad to see everyone back to their respective games, and incredibly thankful that I can get back to scratching that housing itch – especially since multi housing just released not that long ago.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

From 0 to 135 #EQ2 #EverQuest2

Paladin Adventures

It’s Pretty – But Is It Fun? #Rift

Hardcore Heritage Coming to EverQuest! #EQ #EverQuest

It’s Good To Be Back (Online) #EQ2 #EverQuest2

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