Guild Wars 2 Warrior

As you know both WOW and Sony were down yesterday and I had a few spare moments so I took a look at my Guild Wars 2 characters. I had created but not played one of several classes. The Warrior character is just gorgeous, had the ever desirable long hair and she is a monster in combat so far. She has just the right feel that you would want from a sword wielding character, she feels very powerful.

Her in game “voice” is really deep and she sounds like what I might call a “butt buster” girl. You know? “I’m a brute and my foot is coming your way”. I’d rather she had a less monstrous tone. I want elegance and power not Ye Butt Babe.

Here she is rough talking Ido the Tanner.

EQ2 Another Ratonga Is Born, We’re Off To Be The Wizard

Ready to rumble. I bought “Silver” membership sometime in the dim past so I have five character slots. I killed off my old and very odd looking level 32 Templar and was able to create her anew as a mage with the same name on the same server as my other characters.

I chose Ratonga again as I just can’t resist those little mousies now that I have had one. So adorable.

The way I play is that I play all of the characters without a particular main character. I have them specialize in different crafts so they can send each other needed parts. Although it looks like I don’t have any mail access without buying the All Access Pass (just reimagined yesterday by Sony). I do have a few shared bank slots though so I am hoping I can swap materials that way.

I started her in the town of Darklight which is small and…dark. It helps me not to get stuck or bored with any character to be able to switch between skills and areas and crafts. I am finding already that what I’m learning/relearning with my new characters is helping me with my level 19 and level 11 (whoo whoo).

It’s a nice break from World of Warcraft which is where I spend most of my play time happily in the company of my beloved peeps.

Maraudon the Wicked Grotto

I’ll fix this post from my PC, but I wanted to say we had an awesome guild run for Tuesday nite.

I switched to feral cat DPS and another guildie healed with his excellent priest. One DPS player ( Fire Mage) stayed in that role while a new to the group player was in a hunter role.

The Grotto is much longer than most people play because you get “dungeon completion” about halfway through. I’ve been in very few groups who went further and I think each ended the run as you go around the corner and run into those green globs.

We just plowed through everything. Then who knew, it ran into the next level of Maraudon– Earthsong Falls? We were all level 31, 32 and the creatures there were 38, 39. Our healer is actually at 36.

We all thought we’d die but nooo we plowed through it as well. Got the guild run achievement for it so we can check it off of our list.

It turns out that my nearest and dearest are a spectacular team 🙂

Everquest 2: Adventures of a Tiny Paladin

I thought I might go five levels a week with this character and write up her adventures. She is in the Greater Faydark area, Kelethin, which is a nice change from the Frostfang Sea (New Halas) beginner area my Froglok is eternally (it seems) trapped in. Although there are fairies and a sort of sickly sweet nature vibe to the area, it is a nice change. There is also a bank and a mender and a merchant in a sweet little hut right there, very convenient.

Paladin

I tried to do my homework on this class a bit ahead of time so I could make choices wisely. As with other game guides, all of the advice seems aimed at how you can be da bomb at max level. Also, most of the “beginner’s guides” were very old. 2008 old. I’m sure there have been changes since then.

I’m looking carefully at the tooltips for each skill to see how operate.

They go from simple…

Judgement Target: Enemy Inflicts 5-8 Divine Damage Interrupts target

…to mind bogglingly fullsome…

Knight’s Stance

Target: Self
Duration: Until cancelled
Reduces physical damage done to caster by 5%
Adds 2.8% to base avoidance
Decreases Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing of caster by 1.4%
Increases Aggression and Defense of caster by 1.6%
Increases mitigation of caster vs arcane damage by 138
Increases the casters effectiveness of worn armor vs physical damage by 15%

TMI?

From what I’ve read, it appears paladins in EQ2 are tanks or healers, and perhaps “squishy” ones, and they are not DPS. Could be wrong. Where’s my WOW retribution paladin type option? I already have my Cat Defiler healer so wouldn’t want to do that really. Maybe. I am comfortable enough off spec tanking in WOW because I’ve done the dungeons so many times with so many characters that I know them well and can step in when the tank leaves (as they so often do). I don’t know… Well, I’ll decide when I need to. I’m not killing off my little girl.

Quests

There are the usual types of quests, but the starter ones included how to harvest and at one point the very handy in game Tutorial page popped up. Maybe many of my questions will be answered here.

As you can see, there is this nice explanation of Heroic Opportunities, that odd combat mechanism that had me boggled. I shall now fight much more heroically.

Climbing Things

I’ve seen it before in other parts of the world, but there is this ability to climb ropes and trees and cliff faces that I really like. It makes things a bit more dimensional.

You get better at…

I like the ongoing feedback that you get while advancing in various skills that you see in the chat line. It makes you feel like you’re making progress.

You get better at…. Aggression 7/20 Ranged 13/20 (!! so odd to see a ranged skill with this class) Defense 20/20
It seems to me that Aggression is supposed to be key to this class so I need to work on that.

Guild Nite: Razorfen Kraul

For the first time we had all five dungeoneers in our run be guildies. What a different and fun experience. My Resto Druid did great (nobody died) despite a speedy run and tons of knock backs and stuns from bats and the pig like creatures in the fen.

Three of us do dungeons all the time and two play through in other ways. Everyone had a good time.

I made sure everyone had every bit of armor, potions, scrolls, glyphs, anything I can make to help things go more smoothly. Honestly it was the sort of preparation you do to have people over for dinner. Luckily it went well. Next week an all new dungeon.

To Adventure!

The best way to learn a game if you’re me is to be able to play all of the classes and starter areas. You can get a very different take on a game if you can try them all and see if one class suits your particular play style. Sometimes you just don’t like the starter area but you don’t know any better because you can’t try another, locked into one or two characters in a free to play game.

I found that I had created at least three Templars in EQ2 and since my Froglok is getting pounded to bits, maybe I should try something else. I’m also playing with the Tutorial on so everything I don’t know or recall I can pick up with this girl as I go along.

Look at my sweetie Paladin! I can tell there is nothing she won’t be able to do. Onward!

Remember Your Failure At The Cave: Scarlet Halls

After going through this dungeon 10 times or so, I got this. Still, I managed to get killed in the opening archery court on my last try. Some wit in the group goes “What a Healing Pro! Dies in the fire!” A “pro” anything at level 30? Is he munching rotted Easter eggs or what? Happy Easter, by the way.

This and Scarlet Monastery is where my Priest and our Tank came to a huge brouhaha. Never fear, I can now go through this one in my sleep.

Don’t pick up a shield in the courtyard if you’re healer, this keeps you from healing. Who knew?

Ideally the three DPS grab them and run up on the bad guys because as soon as someone is up there, the flame arrows end and it’s a regular fight. I saw one tank just barrel on up and that worked too. Walking carefully up is not a good strategy.

The rest is fine except for the pictured guy below who has some weirdo tunnel of something that grabs you in a vortex and you’re helpless and dead then everyone is dead. I found that out at one point. Heal from above.

The Pandaria Puny Meter

Coffee is kicking in…I have two 90 Druids who had a relatively easy time in Pandaria.

My Frost Mage is having a walk in the park.

My Hunter is surprisingly getting her crossbow handed to her by her often dead pet. I am really surprised by the puniness of my usually awesome Hunter.

FFS?

Tsk. I have the bizarre habit of my generation of spelling words out. Could not figure out what this meant, then realized it was a phrase my dad would use. Doink!

Restoring

Over the last day or so I’ve been leveling a Restoration Druid to see how she fares in dungeons as an alternative to Discipline Priest.

She is having no problem keeping everyone alive and I’m even able to get in some DPS shots on occasion. I’ll send her in on Dungeon Nite and let my Panda girl run wild, run free.

Now of course I have to do Mistweaver, Holy Paladin, Restoration Shaman to compare and contrast.