You poor souls. We did not know any better a decade ago.
Best of luck,
: Zubon
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.Baby Warden
As implied, I am leveling up a Warden in The Lord of the Rings Online. My main has always been a Hunter, and there is something distinctly annoying about having the most common class in the game. There are things that Hunters do very well, and in LotRO it really matters that travel is one of them, but there are very few that require a Hunter. Most things require a tank, and a few things require a Warden (or perhaps a Captain).
A Warden is my kind of tank, more nimble, less getting hit in the face, with some self-healing and range. The Warden’s taunt mechanic is very different from the Guardian’s. Guardians have taunts that force a target to attack them for some number of seconds. The worst Guardian in the game can still keep the boss’s aggro for X seconds out of every Y, and if DPS pulls aggro in between, he will assume he over-nuked. Wardens instead increase their threat with damage, healing, abilities that directly increase threat, and others that transfer threat from allies. A mediocre Warden will never top the threat list and cannot tank anything; you cannot dislodge targets from a great Warden without a force-taunt.
What I really like about the Warden is the gambit system. My Hunter has bar after bar of abilities, plus a couple bars of teleports before you became able to use those from the skills menu. My Warden has four main buttons, plus a few stances, ranged attacks, and toys. 1 is the Spear (offense), 2 is the Shield (defense), 3 is the Fist (taunt), and 4 is the combo. 4 changes depending on which of 1-3 you use first and in what combination: 11 is a quick stab, 213 boosts all your defenses, and 32 is an area effect taunt/DoT with a self-heal. The most celebrated Warden gambit comes at level 58: Conviction, an area effect heal and threat transfer, letting you grab aggro on every add. There is something glorious about having access to 20+ skills using only a few buttons.
Plus, Wardens are the second-best travel class. I should get access to the “Muster in…” self-teleport line of skills soon.
: Zubon
[GW2] Preparing for Norn Week
I’ve been officially told, norn week starts next week (with norn-sized versions of the tasty snacks human week brought us), and that gives us all plenty of time to get prepared this weekend. These shape shifting half-giants want to live life to the fullest. Their goal in life is to live eternally in legend. A skaald telling tales of a norn’s life is one of the highest pinnacles of achievement for anybody. At least that’s what the norn think. Their tale is an interesting one. Are they fallen kodan or half-human? Are their totem spirits splinters of the same gods the human’s worship? Does it matter? They are norn. And that’s that.
Still, over this weekend, we can prep for the Viking-like Guild Wars 2 race. Here’s a list of movies to get started. Feel free to add your own movies, music, books, or games in the comments below.
Troy – while this movie has little do with Viking, the entire movie is based on the need for a hero to create a legend to the point of disaster. This might be a starting point for many norn characters, a great hero without a legend.
13th Warrior – keeps up the legend vibe of Troy, but it also has the much needed Viking vibe. Replace the Wendol with the icebrood, and Antonio with an asura, and it’s nearly Guild Wars 2 – Norn movie.
How to Train Your Dragon – mostly a kid’s movie, but their humorous take on stubborn, heroic Vikings can’t be beat. The Viking in the opening scenes picking his teeth while dragons attack all around him makes me think of the norn every time.
Erik the Viking – norn life is one of hardship and tragedy, and that’s why norn make such light of it. For every tear there is a joke. For every blood-stained burial there is a beer-stained party. For every Beowulf, there is an Erik.
–Ravious
the wind that smells fresh before the storm
Evade Not Block
I promised to have some comments about Batman: Arkham Asylum, but I find that Zero Punctuation covers everything I would want to say. Great fun, I should try more stealth-based games since I also enjoyed the alien in Alien vs. Predator.
I never especially got the hang of the combat. This stems from a tendency that applies to other games and metaphorically to real life: I do not tank. I will always always always choose evading over blocking. I use ranged attacks, I kite, I play high Dexterity characters, I CC, I do not take an axe to the face if I can at all help it. This is probably just misplaced meatspace instincts, but my immediate reaction to a troll is to dodge the club rather than parrying it with my hobbit’s dagger.
In some games, this provides a real benefit. Attacks will have secondary effects, so evading attacks also evades debuffs. Other games let blocks or parries also stop the debuff component, whether or not that makes any sense. Some games have shields/armor reduce damage rather than deflect attacks, which means you get the debuff. And did I mention the 100-stone troll with a similarly huge axe planting it in your skull? That could ruin your whole day.
In many games, the proper move is “block and counter.” My plan is closer to “dive and shoot from behind cover.”
: Zubon
[Rift] Starting Soul Guide
There is actually one little big issue with Rift that I believe could have been dealt with in a different way. The problem is that the soul system is shoved in player’s faces in full. Of the 4 classes (warrior, rogue, cleric, and mage) each has 7-9 souls, and for the first 13 levels, players will be locked in to their three first choices. The soul tree system makes it a little easier because players aren’t really given the ability to choose bad skills, but initial soul selection is meaningful.
Now, I say this is a small issue in one light because no matter which three souls are chosen, players will get to the point where they can freely build from all the souls without much difficulty. However, it can be frustrating to choose a soul that is more oriented towards heavy group content or PvP without even realizing it because the player didn’t spend a good hour looking at the various soul trees. The game gives some guidance with a brief description and a note on which other two souls have the most synergy with the chosen soul. Still, I think with a little more narrowed path, players will have a lot more fun playing a “good” build right away.
I am not playing RIFT…
…until the official launch. I’ve done my due diligence. Well, as much as time would allow while I try to shed a few pounds off my carcass. I’ve played at least 7 different builds to level 8. Two to 10. And one to 15. I love how smooth, playable and re-playable the game is at the lower levels.
During that time, I’ve evaluated my play style. As long as I can remember, a game hasn’t made me consider and reconsider how I want to play at launch like RIFT has. While I’ve come back around to my old standard of ranged DPS, it’s been fun getting a brief look at the mechanics of the other three class groups of souls.
I’ve been tired of the classic PvE questing that has become the staple of any modern MMO. I understand why it’s there. And like many developers and players…I still don’t like it. But it has become a necessary evil.
But Rift gives us an opportunity to bypass the normalcy of PvE questing with Rifts and invasions. I’ve seen great progress made in the game with this dynamic content. So much so, I’m going to spend much of my time closing RIFTS and fighting invasions when they pop up in Telera.
I’m also going to dabble in PvP. As I’ve aged like moldy cheese, I’m finding more and more that I like the realm of PvP in most games. I’m not sure the reward systems or even the point of PvP are all that well developed in RIFT. So I can live without it, too.
The main reasons I’m excited about the game and why I plan to play after beta have nothing to really do with sitting down and playing. They have to do with:
1. Â Great communication regarding development.
2. Excellent attention to player feedback.
3. Using beta for what it has been intended – making the game better.
But now I want to save that excitement and enthusiasm and energy for launch…or more specifically…the head start…which begins February 24…reportedly.
[RIFT] Faction Cool Factor
Open beta began yesterday with Rift. I am heading to the Guardian side initially at launch after I have spent most of the invitation-oriented beta on the Defiant side. The Defiant are a cool, god-forsaken magitech alliance. They comprise three different “new” races, lots of cool lasers and devices, and a total sense of independence. In their tutorial, the Defiant oppose fate and time by building a time machine to change the past for heaven’s sake. Then, we have the Guardians.
Having only experienced the Defiant side, I believed that the Guardians were going to be this boring vanilla faction. The Defiant have races with cool names I can’t even remember, and the Guardians have humans, elves, and dwarves. The Defiant are rebellious, and the Guardians are just part of the system… man. I also saw my prejudices confirmed in various forums on Rift. It seemed that everybody was excited about the Defiant, and “mature” guilds were considering rolling Guardian side just to get away from that immature crowd.
Ambush
He will never see this one coming … from five yards away, straight in front of him, on a flat stretch of dirt.
: Zubon
Update: no, that is not using stealth. You can Ambush from stealth, but there is no induction timer in that case. She just walked up to the guy, crouched down with a javelin for five seconds, and planted it in his forehead.
It’s Not You, It’s Me
City of Heroes is great as ever, and for those of you who like advancing one character rather than pursuing CoX’s altoholism, they have started adding alternative advancement. There is lots to do, and if you are an Achiever, the sky is the limit.
My problem is that I am an Explorer, and City of Heroes pre-dates World of Warcraft. “Been there, done that.” There are some things I have not tried, but the gameplay rarely differs all that much. It was good to come back after about a year off, but I do not have that drive to play. If my old group of friends were still there, I would enjoy the companionship amidst a familiar environment, but random people are insufficiently exciting even if I do remember some of them from back in the day. Maybe if the server were really hopping, and I could instantly get a group for anything, but that would likely mean lots of interest while I am in-game without the drive to log in.
But seriously, if you have not played, it is always a good time. Or to visit again. If you want one of those “15 days free with subscription/re-subscription” codes, I can have them send you one (or any current player can).
: Zubon
(Super)Men in Tights
Less than a week ago, I was forwarded a 10-day key for DCUO since I apparently mentioned that I’d not tried it. Having no new content in LoTRO to play with, I figured I’d give it a try. I posted about my first night’s comments, but I would be remiss if I did not post beyond that, because I feel it left an unfair sheen on the game, especially since no one else here has given it a review. I seem to be the beta/trial guinea pig. Maybe I should apply for hazard pay.
Anyway, I’ll get into my usual wordy, detailed review in a bit, but a quick summary for the skim readers: It’s a fun game. It’s the lovechild of World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. Actually, that’s not really true, but that’s a lie you can understand (/hattip Discworld). DCUO is faster paced than CoX, yet allows you to have the same type of fun that CoX does with being super. My main complaint is that it is a very fast burn – I hit max level on day 4 of my 10 day pass.