Out With The New, In With The Old

Dire and I on our awesome RoF mounts! They're so 'handy', lol. Grab, em while you can, haha.

First post for the year, hope everyone had a great new year. Dire took off the weekend and ended up with a nice few days off. Which was really great, it is rare he gets that many days off. So we played EverQuest. Our Druid and Warrior combo is sitting at 75, working on AA currently. He's sitting on over 500 and I'm creeping closer to 400. They have helped immensely already. There was double xp which was awesome. Seems like a lot but if you know where to go and what to do, add in another player, and it just will fly by.

We also picked up the newest expansion, I can now set up an offline trader- WOOT! I also got the collectors edition of Rain of Fear. This came with a really cool 'tree' house. I puttered around decorating it and I really love it. I also worked on our guild hall and got it sorted out, since it was sent back to me. It had been quite awhile since I had logged in.... oops. Speaking of, the guild is currently just us and that is more than fine with me. I don't think I have it in me to entertain anyone more than Dire any myself, lol. 

I've thought about playing my main a bit, she is a 93 magician, but mostly I play with Dire. The game, for me, is much more fun when you have someone else to play with. I do on occasion log in by myself but mostly I'll goof off with housing, work on something besides grinding xp. Thus the Druid is great with any other class really, so I just stick with that for now.

When I haven't been playing EQ with him, well I haven't had time to play anything else really. Having both my guys off has kept me busy. I've been watching my son play Black Ops, the zombie mode. He got the new game for Christmas, he keeps trying to get me to play. Maybe I'll break down and try, I know I'll just end up being dead weight, haha. 

Still playing Rift, though I haven't had much time to. I have a years sub so I can pop in whenever I want. Over the weekend I logged in and ended up having to remove someone. It was an angry player who I had tried not give a chance but in the end: I don't have time to babysit idiots. I'm not here to hold anyone's hand and make them behave. Want to be a jerk, do it on your own time. They insisted on arguing and causing trouble with many other members, a very angry individual. I feel bad I let them stay as long as I did. There was a lot of drama that spun off from this, another member ended up ignoring half of the guild and I don't even want to think about that situation right now....  

I created the guild for a place to get away from drama. When I am on it really isn't a problem, but when I am gone for days it can get out of control, I don't really understand it. I promoted a couple of really solid members to take charge and do as they see fit when I am not on. This week I should be on more. In a way it sort of puts more weight on my shoulders. I'm not anyone to tell people what to do, but some people seem to like guidance. I have a short fuse so it is quite a job to remain calm and pause before acting but somehow I do it. I guess that is part of the reason I also needed a few days away, that and being very busy over the holidays. Good busy though! Hopefully things will settle down when I start logging in more. 

So what else did I do over the holidays? I did have a little time to play around on my own. I tried Wurm Online again. That game is very in-depth  It is lovely but playing in first person was very odd, the last time I did that was in the early years of EverQuest. I can't stand it. I guess you can get used to it. I might putter with it here and there but it requires far more time than I am willing to put into it, I can already see that. It also has a large margin for people to grief and that is another thing I do not have time for. But something to explore on and putter around, could be cool. I've read about people having to log in for 2-3 hours a day just to maintain their land, animals and so on, that is before you even do anything else. A bit too realistic? It was fun chopping down trees and stuff. I suppose one of these days I'll explore and try not to die.

I logged into GW2 for the finale of Winter's Day. Which I read about a nice bundle of gifts being given out to players, but I was bugged and this didn't happen. So I put in a ticket, get a reply, which basically was a generic 'Didn't read don't care!' reply. The general message was that: You (I) deleted items we cannot restore. Um, I didn't even get the items to delete. Replied to that, rather testily. I mean who wants to go in circles with customer service that: A. Has no reading comprehension, or B. Doesn't give a rat's ass? With that, I have to say, I wash my hands of GW2. ANet can kiss my grits, whatever. I don't even like the direction the game is going. To me it lacks depth and direction. It is easily picked up and just as easily forgotten as well. It takes a lot for ME to say that as well- I don't like to say I quit any game. But I'll say it would take a hell of a lot to get me to log in again. The fastest way to turn me away is crappy customer service/support. 

What else? I updated TSW. Since it is now B2P. Messed around a bit, got a haircut, woo new barbershop! I think I'll save it for a rainy day though. Was good to log in, I am very glad it is more accessible now. I love the feel of the game but it just is hard to slip out of the levels mentality! I like levels and them meaning something I guess I'm just old school, I crave the old ways. 

Which leads to what I've been playing this morning: Vanguard Saga of Heroes. I popped in over the holidays, got the reindeer mount didn't do much, but this morning I felt like just getting lost in the world of Telon. It is such an expanse and beautiful world. I wanted to play around on one of my higher chars, but I have no bag room, they are full and I cannot access my bank being free to play. Before I sub I always want to make sure I WILL play enough to warrant one, right now I just wanted to putter around with F2P. So I logged on my baby Shaman.... She is now 13. I think at 16 I get a pet, I sure hope it is 16! I remember reading how horrible the class was until the pet. While it isn't the greatest, it is not as bad as I remembered. I guess after playing EverQuest it does feel faster paced combat, even on the lower DPS classes, lol.

I mentioned in one of my last posts, or made a comment rather, how I really was worried about what would be there for end game for someone like me. I don't raid, don't want to raid much either. But it looks like good things are in store for Vanguard, check out this post to see what it on the horizon. It gives me something to look forward to. Solo content and group content, as well as raid content, that is awesome! Plus, there seems to be some interesting stuff ahead of Vanguard this month with the anniversary and all. I hope to hear more about that soon!

Yep, a lot of returning to OLD stuff. Not all this shiny new stuff. Jumping puzzles and dodging all over the 'forking' (forking is mah new word, get used to it) screen are not going to keep this ol' gamer. Games that offer depth and have a charm about them get me, not gimmicks that cause me wrist pain, heh.

Anyhow... Sounds like a lot but really I haven't done too much besides play EQ with Dire. Which is nice because he loves it when I play that with him. I enjoy it, especially spending time with him. We work well together and I don't mind playing something that makes him happy, he's followed me to many, many different games. So, that is it for today. Safe adventures and all that ;)

Guild hall entrance, though I've add more since the pic.

Decorating the guild hall. 

Front of guild hall.

Back of guild hall. My little pond with swans, awwww.

Decorating my front yard, behind me is my awesome tree house. I'll have to post n ewer pics of the yard.

Setting up the inside of my house.

Dire helping me get a few AA with his SK. I just stand there and soak up the xp, lol. 

Exploring in Vanguard. This mount is so wonderful for exploring!

12-12-12

I just love the armor in this game, all the detail. Robes actually feel like robes within this game as well, nice change after wearing some truly horrible robes in some of my games!

Rift!
I'm still here, I just have been busy. When I have some free time I pop into Rift instead of writing about it ;) Which always means a game has to be pretty engaging if it pulls me away from writing. I hit 54 this week. It is slow going but I also take time off to decorate and putter around.

Our guild is going quite well. We're small but we have some really cool people. I'm so glad I decided to go the route of creating my own. It has been a long time- too long- that I log in and really talk to people and get to know them. Sure, I have here and there in some guilds but this just feels different. It's quite nice, I enjoy the people and while the leveling of the guild is slow it is a great place to be nonetheless. Some people log in on an often basis, others once a week or so. I keep everyone in the roster, it is always nice to be able to come back and know you're not going to be kicked out because you don't play all the time. I know some m members were worried about that. I wanted this to be a place that people are happy to be, where they feel among friends and always welcome. We're growing, our little guild. I absolutely love it. Once again, if you're on Faeblight and need a home, we're a casual laid back guild who prides itself on quality over quantity. Our doors are always open and we welcome people wanting a family style guild. You can find me on as Belladahna.

We now have a guild hall as well! It is so lovely. Since the prices were dropped across the board for dimensions it was much easier to get that out of the way. Now we now have a place to hang out. Everyone can take part in decorating, I want everyone in the guild to enjoy it. Though I've been told by some members that they cannot access it without Storm Legion. Not sure what the deal is with that. I know you can have a starter dimension without having the expansion, so I don't know why one would not be able to visit a guild dimension.

I don't see us raiding, I don't have that goal in mind. More of a place for us to gather, do five mans, hunt rifts and just help each other in general. Just hang out, talks, whatever. My raiding days are over, I don't have the pull or interest in that direction anymore. There is still plenty to do though.

I've also been visiting other dimensions and I've found some really fantastic designs. I'm also working on my own, which is always relaxing and fun, my favorite thing to do some nights. I've been excited about the holiday event coming this week- Fae Yule, more goodies to add to my house and guild hall. I can't wait to see what all will be available.

Leveling is sloooow. There, I said it. Sometimes that really deters my interest in playing but this far I just keep at it, enjoying my class. It hasn't really diminished my desire to play, even if it is a bit slow. I'm now playing with a strong Necro build, pulling on the warlock for a second tree, the dps is much better than my old spec and it is a lot of fun with many skills to fall back on if I get into trouble.

What Else?
On another note, Trion has done some 'downsizing'. From what I hear it is mostly QA and EQ, not too clear though. I hope this doesn't hurt development. I feel badly for those who lost their jobs, may they find work soon, such a terrible time of the year to be out of work! My heart goes out to those people.

Pay once, play forever? TSW has gone F2P it seems. It will be like GW2, Funcom claims, buy the box, play for free, with a subscription route as well. Subs will be awarded a type of rested xp bonus with costumes on top of that, as incentive. I thought this would be in the cards sooner than later. I suppose this gives me more of a chance to poke back in and check things out. There is a great interview here, with lots of good information. It seems the company has a good idea on direction, we'll just have to see if they stick by it. Thus far I like what I hear.

GW2 has Winter's Day heading our way this week as well. The art direction looks stunning, as always. The art is top notch and breathtaking. I'm sure I'll pop in just to admire that, if anything. The event looks fun and it lasts more than a weekend, heh. Nice to see a longer event heading our way.

And... if you want to check out Storm Legion, there will be free time this weekend, Dec 14-18. Former subscribers can try it out without limitations over this period. If you've been on the fence now is a great time. Don't have a 50 character? Still a nice time to try out the new souls!

Pics!
In closing I'll leave you with some pics from Rift. Some of our hall, some of the houses dimensions I've taken time to check out thus far. Enjoy!

This is one of my faves, I think it was Pyro's Fishing Hole. Lovely bunch of building this player as done, Faeblight server.

Love the Conquest Projectors. They really make the sky look awesome.

This was a very cool house, this dimension also had a huuuuge slide. Think it was called Eye Candy Slide, Faeblight server.

Pool table and bar, too cute!

Dive Bar. This is on Faeblight as well. 

Go up past the bar to take a dive!

Santa's workshop?!

I love how this player added in little carts of gifts under the tree! Great imagination. I think this was 'Home for the holidays' on Faeblight.

A lovely deck someone built with some chairs to sit among the tree tops.

More houses, these were really fantastic!

Beach houses a player built.

A player actually built this little house in the starter guardian dimension. Took me a moment to figure out which dimension I was in! Great work!

Our lovely guild hall! Work in progress but it's coming along nicely.

The back of the dimension. A guild member built that fantastic ramp leading up, behind me.

My own personal dimension, roots overhanging the path to the door there.

One of the rooms I am working on in my own dimension.

Objectives- Rift

It always seems there is some objective to go after in Rift. I decided to mess around with Ember Island some this week, since I didn't get a chance to previously. It was pretty tough, from what I've heard, when it was current. At 51 with gear upgrades it was cake. I decided to go through the Kelari Refuge line and see what it was about. There are some cosmetic rewards I want from the vendor also, I should have everything I want after doing about nine more days worth of dailies.

The island is quite beautiful, the quests were fun, a bit bad for xp but these were not for leveling when they were current. I gained a ton of Planer Attunement points while I was here so that was a nice bonus. At the end I was rewarded with some epic pants, woot my first epic- which I will probably replace them tonight with another quest item within the week. I also got the cutest little pet- Embri, who is pictured up top. A little elemental fellow with rocks on his head. Sometimes a rock falls off and he picks it up and pops it back on, very cute. I was quite happy to get a new pet, especially him, I had been thinking what cool pets they would make and so I was surprised to get one! Upon entering the island one of these little guys ran up and attacked me, I suppose it is fitting, since he was with the welcoming party, lol.

I managed to cruise into level 52 yesterday. I would have much sooner if I hadn't taken the Ember Isle detour, but I am glad I did. I wanted to experience that content before I totally out leveled it, I could have mentored I suppose, but I decided not to wait. It was pretty rewarding IMO. Hopefully it won't take toooo much longer to hit 60. I want to finish leveling and explore, do collections and just catch up everything I've missed in my long absence.

I've been playing around with more DPS oriented specs and finding that I really like a heavy necro build along with the elemental build as well. Both builds have pets which take the hits for the mage, both have decent dps. The elementalist kills a tad faster but the necro is still pretty good, plus it has quite a few tricks up the sleeve when you get in a pinch, so that is probably how I'll level. I've been using a heavy chloro build with a decent amount into necro, which was great for healing and lasting but very, very slow with dps. I'm going to redo that soul to be for pure healing, for when I feel like doing some dungeons or healing with invasions and such. The other build did me quite well for leveling, it was very solid for staying power but with the amount of hit points mobs have in SL it is just too slow. Now things are moving at a better pace.

I also left my guild. I thought a bit on this, it was the right thing to do. It wasn't that I was attached. The guild was freaking huge. We always had about 100 members on at a time. When a guild is so massive it is hard to remember everyone, hard to get to know people. I prefer a smaller family type guild, even a medium sized guild. I miss those. Thus I decided to create my own. I was a bit dismayed to find out I had to have four other people to sign my charter but I actually ended up happy that I needed to, in the end. I actually met some great people. I sent them private messages, offering some coin, instead of spamming chat.

It turns out those were some really cool people. I wanted to try to create the type of guild I was looking for, since I am pretty invested in the game, I think it was a good choice. Just a small casual guild, it will be easier to do things together on a fun level with people as we get to know each other. If you're looking for a laid back family style guild, look us up- Stellar, we're on Faeblight. Looking for good friendly people. We already have some stellar peeps! Eventually I hope to have us a guild hall, all in due time!

That's all I have time for today. Hope everyone is having a great week! Enjoy the pics!

Face... Hands... come back! A graphic glitch I ran into, was quite funny.

Questing in Ember Isle.

A cool quest line scene.

Princess?? Is that you?!

The huge trees sort of remind me of Vanguard SoH. How I love beautiful trees within my games.

Crossing a bridge.

Getting to a good spot before server shut down! I'm NOT running all the way to hell, err, I mean this cave, and back

Always exciting to get into an invasion!

I've seen some hilarious fashion in this game, lol. 

One of my minions and I.

The Daily Pixel

The Daily Pixel

Ah the life of a gamer, always dreaming of things to come. Lots of really cool info recently, seems Guild Wars 2 is feeling closer with the pre-order announcement. I expected a cash shop there but I am not too worried about it, I actually like the things that the first Guild Wars offers in it's cash shop. I'm sure the successor will offer a more robust shop though.

Lots and lots of info on Cataclysm. It looks interesting. I like the idea of all dps groups, though I'm sure there will be lots of recount spam and annoyances. I was really surprised to hear about personal farms, while the idea is cool I'd rather have housing. It would be neat if they'd tack on houses to the farms in the future. I have a farm in Free Realms but it gets boring after awhile. I suppose for now I'll settle for a farm.

The removal of Have Group Will Travel seems a genuine trademark move of Blizzard. We want travel to be easy, we want it to be hard. Heroics are easy, heroics are hard. Will Blizzard ever make up their mind(s)? Even though I sound like I am complaining I still think there are some great things headed our way in MoP, the pandas are cute too!

Oh, and yay on the note that item squishing won't happen. While stats are super inflated I don't want to revert, it would kill the one area of play that actually interests me in WoW- Running older content. Hopefully Blizzard gets a handle on how they work itemization one day, but today I'm glad I'm not paying for their mistakes. I'm excited for MoP, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. While we wait Blizzard has a list of things to keep you busy.

Probably the most interesting news for me would be Vanguard going Free to Play! Not because I want to play in Tealon free, which I am sure I will do from time to time, but this means game development! The game is already being assigned a team and good things seem to be in store for Vanguard. This is a wonderful game that has been neglected for far too long! This is probably the most exciting news out there for me this week. It looks like it will convert this summer, most excellent news! Check out the producer's letter here.

I'm still chugging along in EQ, I hit 80 this week with my Monk, hopefully I'll hit 85 in the next few days. I've had some interest in the guild but due to Rl play-time has been spotty so if you're looking to join- add me to friends I'll be on through the weekend.

Hunter Time

Terrorpene, you're mine, at last!

Last week I managed to hit 63 with my priest. Part of me was missing my hunter so on Friday I did a little PvP for kicks. I mostly got my behind handed to me but it was fun and we won TB. I decided to go ahead and switch Clo, the hunter, to the Alliance. Night elf!

I have a very nice guild who is very active with heroics and raids and so on, we're level 16 closing in on 17. A good place to jump back into the fray with the hunter. Good people to group with and get off on the right foot!

I really have enjoyed playing the hunter again, I've missed her. While I still plan to level the priest, its nice to change it up and just do whatever on my 85 sometimes. With my hunter I often run out to Hyjal and check, in vain, for the rare mob Terrorpene. I was kind of stunned when I saw him swimming around in the lava last night, I started muttering little sounds on the lines of: Oh... uh... um... Dire was like "Are you going to tame him or stare at him?!" I was so tired, and it was late! I got my wits about me and tamed him. He's so awesome! I wanted a flashy tank pet and he fills that role indeed.

Sambas <3

 I was looking back at some older blog posts and I noticed I didn't show where I tamed Sambas, I still get a lot of searches directing people here with that criteria. From what I noticed he seems to be on a twelve hour spawn cycle. He spawns in the Twilight Highlands. Many people seem to think he spawn in Uldum, nope. These are his spawn points. I've seen him two or three times in the same spot, pictured below.

One of Sambas' spawn points, I've mainly seen him here.

If you're after these lovely rares, it took me awhile, keep at it. Keep checking in and looking on and off. The biggest way to burn out on them is to camp them, which I did for Sambas. On every mob I was either too late or competing with a ton of other hunters. Most of my tames have been just checking in real fast and getting lucky enough to see them up.

Anyone have any good ideas for my turtle's name? I thought about Koopa but I don't know, still trying to decide something. Some humor would be nice but not all of my pets have silly names. Let me know if you have something good!

-kaozz

Walk the Plank!

*Swoon* Vroom Vroom....Vroom!!

Our new guild Walk the Plank is going quite well so far. If you have been following me for awhile then you know how much I wanted a good guild while being friends but getting things done. With our strong leadership, and good mix of great players/members, each one of us, it's really starting out great.

Last night was our first run which we knew we'd have to pug some people as we have not been recruiting yet. I finally worked on a recruiting space on our (lovely) website (thanks Dan!) earlier today and hope to post it up on the realm forums later on. As I was saying, it turned out to be a really awesome run!

We had our very own Screaming Monkey, Lono, leading us (he's really a teddy bear but don't say I told you!) Dire as dps on his Priest, Jervevicious and I healing and we pugged the rest. It really went smooth. Lono is a great leader and we all did our jobs exceptionally well. It's was *Bam* 6/12 done in a very short period of time. It was impressive and fun all around for our first run. While it wasn't all just us, it's good to have a strong foundation to start with.

Currently I am still healing with the Druid but we have enough healers so I hope to bring my Hunter next week. I suppose we shall see how things go then. A great start though, one we are all very happy with.

And Gratz to Dire (on his Priest) on his new Hog!! It's so hawt!!


-kaozz