Total Recall?

Don't we all love Arnold "will he be back?" Schwarzenegger? With the prospect of Donald "yes, I know Jews are (technically) Asians just like the Chinese and Japanese" Trump becoming *gasp!* the new president of United States (provided he manage to win over the blokes and lassies of Texas since Ted "not the talking bear" Cruz doesn't like him and we all know Texas is massive political goldmine for every Republican), perhaps Arnie will really be back. Until then, I may end up doing this prior to my birthday month of November.

Com spec anyone?

With the advent of Mod 10, many questions will be asked at the expense of the trapper hunter ranger spec. We all know that most likely nothing will be touched for this particular paragon tree. As for archery and combat, what is it that we may expect? Firstly and foremost, let me just say that I may really revert Arylos back to the combat tree (after all, Mod 10 will most likely give me 3 free respec tokens. 1 for Kariss, 1 for Arylos, and 1 for Korey). Tbh, the main reason why I chose trapper in the first place was due to a sense of frustration that the com spec wasn't dealing enough damage to be deemed useful. For a trapper, it's more straightforward as I knew I was actually doing something. After all, I still can spend 7 Savras tokens in the event things go terribly pear shaped like a butt job gone terribly wrong.

Expectations

Basically, I'm expecting a massive buff in 99% of the hunter ranger's gameplay with the remaining 1% staying untouched (okay, that's technically a lie since I actually expect Swiftness of the Fox to be slightly nerfed together with Deft Strike as there needs to be some slight balancing done. After all, nerfing is basically a simple case of plus and minus sum). Firstly, I don't expect the cooldown aspect to be improved. If what the devs said was right, then all they need is to buff the damage output of encounters and at-wills (however, it seems that the only buff Aimed Shot will be having is a non-interruptible startup). As for the buffs, it seems that Fox's Cunning will be the only thing left untouched (Longstrider's Shot has its damage increased by a whopping 45%. Which means more value for damage no matter whether it's within or beyond the 30 ft range).

As for the class features, I don't expect any major changes. The most straightforward part mainly lies in damage and (to a lesser extent) the buffing. When it comes to CC and class features, the last thing the devs ever want to see is a repeat of pre-Mod 4 great weapon fighter (not to mention this current mod as well).

On the DDR side (read: NOT the Dept of Diagnostic Radiology, but rather Dept of Damage Revolution), I firmly believe that the devs will do two things:

1. To up the damage output for the ranged attacks.

2. To further up the damage output for the melee attacks so that the overall dps game between the melee spec and archery tree will be effectively narrowed.

The trickiest part, quite obviously, lies in making the combat ranger usable in team tactics. To do so, it's pointless to up the dps stakes since only a moron will expect a com spec to out-dps an archery spec. This comes to the survival aspect where the ranger would be more than able to hold his/her own ground. Apart from any great weapon fighter build, the combat hunter ranger should be your next best bet in the off tank dept.

Things to note (if you want to respec into a com spec)

Forget abt the dps side. The rest will win you hands down (even with a big nerf on the GWF's buffing game, you'll most likely get out-dps'ed anyway). Your role is to support the rest doing the melee damage with you. Any increment in damage merely means your team has a better chance of finishing a fight. You'll most likely need two things, if not at least either.

1. An effective mass buff game

2. An effective CC game

In the event of scenario 2, it means you'll have a higher chance to proc a Blade Hurricane. Come Mod 10, you'll effectively be given 4 at-will attacks for free (whether this will translate into 4 targets getting marked by Careful Attack remains to be seen albeit I truly doubt the devs will want to broke the game). The choice should be quite straightforward. Slot in Aimed Strike and Clear the Ground (if you're a stormwarden) or Split Strike and Rapid Strike (if you're a pathfinder).

For the former, it's all abt creating an effective balance between AoE dps and single target DoT. Aimed Strike will proc twice per hit, which means adding that much desired 2 stacks of bleeding to any one target. Clear the Ground is a burst attack. Which means you'll have a higher chance to deal critical damage per attack (read: effectively twice the normal chance so as to speak).

For the latter, it's a straightforward balance between single target dps and AoE dps. Rapid Strike may stay as the most damaging at-will (since it's non-burst) while blast damage most likely means a higher crit severity (i.e. Split Strike).

Another thing to note is that very few people actually uses Rain of Arrows/Swords so far. The reason why lies in a high chance of whiffing the attack. For Rain of Arrows, it's not so bad so long you launch it after Constricting Shot or Binding Arrow. Rain of Swords is more problematic as the only way for you to nail it cleanly is to do so at close melee range. The damage for RoS is quite astounding given that it actually gives 150% bleeding damage on top of a base 5K damage. Again, the problem lies in the 50-50 call in terms of nailing that decisive moment. This may seem a pittance of annoyance at first. That is until you realize that the lag in Icewind Dale is anything but sane.

In the event where you'll want to respec into a combat spec, please remember to have an effective means of holding the mob before contemplating whether to use RoS as your staple dps tactic (in other words, Plant Growth). At the same time, adopt an effective DoT game up close and personal as well.

If you're not into DoT, then you may want to try other options. Namely, whether the combat tree is suited for you. I'm not saying that DoT is the only way for you play a melee ranger. Rather, this is likely the most straightforward route in creating a standard dps melee ranger (alternatively, you can try Fox's Shift as the starter for RoS. However, the so-called landing point of this encounter move has gone totally random. Which means you may need to move a bit instead of doing a hit confirm like Umehara Daigo. Not that it's にんむインポシブル in this context quite obviously).

Assuming that I'll be doing an Arnie...

(not that I'll score a date with Emilia "You Before Me" Clarke anyway...)

...I may really end up doing a build with RoS as my dps staple. Tymora has a funny way of one-upping her wicked sister. They say the Nine Hells have no fury like a goddess scorned, I'm referring to Arylos spurning Beshaba's offer to be her consort. As a gamer in Neverwinter, I'm used to having a Rank E in luck (basically, that makes me both/either Archer and/or Lancer). In other words, all the good loot goes to others instead of me. Nevertheless, I'm still running around gimping opponents 99% of the time with the remaining 1% being defeat (note that I don't do PvP because of my traumatic past in dealing with people).

Currently, my active class feature bonus in my artifact weapon is Crushing Roots. Basically, it gives Arylos a 15% control bonus. Prior to rolling my much-wanted choice, I got myself a Blade Storm. Which means I can easily use 5K astral diamonds to do a switch. Because I'll most likely get a free respec anyway, I don't really need that 15% control bonus. The reason being that the devs have fixed Skirmisher's Gambit nicely. Even with 1 pt dumped into that paragon feat, it means I'd end up having 10% bonus in crit severity at the cost of 2% crit chance. Since I'm pretty much of a crit player (hence my cat named Crytt), it means I only need to decide where the remaining 4 points will go. At the same time, I'm more of a tactical gamer than the simple run-and-gun type. Therefore, I won't be surprised at myself if I end up dumping 5 feat points into Keen Eye and Stormcaller's Arrow for the archery tree. Because I'm using Lostmauth set atm (not to mention I'm not gonna barter it in the long run at least), it also means I don't need Lucky Blades at all. Which means I'll most likely dump the 4 points into Serpent Weave or Bloodletting. I'm still a regen gamer rather than doing lifesteal, so a synergy of Aspect of the Lone Wolf with Survivor's Gift and Wilds Medicine may suit me better with Oak Skin thrown into the fray as well. At the same time, my recovery stat is quite okay for me. At least I got no problem with a 4K+ recovery score (that's basically given the fact my choice of Dragonflight arms slot is recovery and crit). In other words, a grand total of 19% to 20% lifesteal on a base value basis is more of a bonus to me.

As for boons, I'll most likely do a few major changes. Firstly, I'm not gonna dump my boon pts into armor penetration. This is due to the presence of Piercing Blades where ignoring the enemy's damage resistance to a certain extent is an offer too good to pass up (note that both this feat and Scything Blades will be buffed in the next mod come 16th Aug 2016). Below is most likely how I'll prioritize my boons in descending order.

1. Defense, HP, Stamina, Combat Advantage

2. Critical and Regeneration

3. Deflection and Power

5. Recovery

6. Lifesteal and Armor Penetration

Above list may not be exhaustive in terms of what all the in-game boons can offer, but you get the drift.

The reason why I decide to go for a more defensive option lies in the nature of my gear. Pretty much 99% of the gear stats are offensive oriented (think the only notable defensive slot comes from the Elven Ward Ring worn by my cat Crytt).

Control bonus or dps?

I doubt I'll be spoilt for choice here. Assuming that I'll choose Blade Storm over Crushing Roots, what this means is that my new choice of Tyranny of Dragons 4th boon will be Dragon's Grip. While Dragon's Fury is nice (it confers you 5% crit severity bonus), CC still remains the mainstay of Arylos' (or just about any HR build) defensive game. If I choose to stick with my current guns though, it means Dragon's Fury. Being a melee spec should mean that you'd have a decent, if not superior, defensive game for a melee dps build. With or without control bonus amounting to 15%.

At the same time, Blade Storm is capped at 25% chance to proc with 5% damage bonus per rank up (think it should be like that, will need to check back again though). In other words, not every aspect of the melee ranger was brutally shafted. Just those which truly matters at the end of the day.

Note: Apparently, you'll be able to proc Blade Storm with Plant Growth come Mod 10. 

Universal language

Don't we all love universal language? As early as my ITE days, I knew exactly what that means. At this point of time, I'm actually referring to the New Jersey salute (just don't ask me how Chris "the Governator of New Jersey" Christie would react to such a culture). In the current context though, I'm referring to whether I should have a change in epic armor enchantment. Because I'm more comfortable in using a one-size-fits-all approach, I find that Soulforged won't be good enough to bail me out. It's too much of a lottery in a sense that there's a 50-50 chance of things going terribly wrong (read: getting the sledgehammer after you auto-revive). This will be very problematic once I slot in that same enchantment for Kariss and Sheallyn in particular. Hence, I upped my Soulforged in the auction house. I've checked the pricing. Assuming I can fetch around 700K worth of astral diamonds in this way, I can easily do a buyout  for a Negation of the same rank with a profit of 100K. Yes, there will be no auto-revive, but something needs to give. As for Lightning, Holy Avenger, and Lifedrinker, I'm currently fine with them.

Possible skill set

At-will:

Clear the Ground/Electric Shot; Aimed Strike/Aimed Shot

Encounter:

Plant Growth/Cordon of Arrows; Rain of Swords/Rain of Arrows; Oak Skin/Binding Arrow

Daily:

Forest Ghost; Cold Steel Hurricane

Class:

Aspect of the Lone Wolf; Blade Storm/Crushing Roots

A/N: I may substitute RoS with Gushing Wound for team tactics. This is to give me more tactical options in the event where I need to disengage and/or play support behind the forward line. At the same time, I'll definitely replace Oak Skin with Throw Caution for the same reason as well. Hence my decision to don Negation instead of Soulforged. I really need to know when to use TC instead of just spamming it against random mobs.

P.S: Increment of the HR dodge frames may seem like good news to all. That is until you realize something most likely has to give. I call it the stamina meter.

Hmmm...

Around 24 hrs ago, I saw something which triggered the Fa Zheng in me. Thankfully, I realized that not every leader in such orientation camps is considered "that lawless Indian chief" in the same way not every American is an idiot. Plenty, maybe. But all? I doubt so. Either way, it's up to the relevant authorities to ensure the universities in my country don't come from India. If I've offended any Indians, I apologize. Blame the Dalits, not me.

To those who don't follow the rules set by the majority...

Let me just encourage you not to be an idiot. The problem with democracy is that there's a risk of having too many morons populating your surroundings. Outstanding individuals like Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, and Fa Zheng were known as outcasts in this sense. I myself had a history of being one. People called me siao, but they didn't know Vincent van Gogh and H.P Lovecraft were also siao. It wasn't until years later that I discovered my love for writing. It wasn't until a few more years later that I realized it's possible to be the first G.R.R Martin of Singapore. At this point of time, I've already done half of my rewrite for Requiem of Winter Past. No hard feat since I only had to alter the wording and such. Hopefully, this will be the start instead of another case of procrastination.

If you still think you're worthless just because it's the majority and you don't belong to them, then I've got a few vids for ya to cheer you up.

Below vid is strictly for NUS only...


Enough about being special, let's move on

Come Aug 16 of 2016, Storm King's Thunder will be officially outed. While there's nothing much being stated so far (apart from the customary posts from the devs), there's pretty much enough reason to believe a 2.5K TIL dungeon will be full of AoE smackdown.

Firstly, let's speculate how many giants will appear.

By my own estimation, fire giants won't be featured here. Bryn Shander is part of Icewind Dale and they're anything but natives there. In the freak event where you get to fight them at Fangbreaker Island, please note a few things.

1. They have the ability to pull you back and stun the Nine Hells out of you. Given that certain moves are being highly spammable by the AI, this has to be a major problem.

2. They have the ability to create multiple minefields which will erupt beneath you. Once you get hit, either it's a one-shot fatality or you'll most likely go down prone.

3. I won't be surprised if they retained the defensive minefield move. Once you get hit by that, you're most definitely dead.

My advice in dealing with them is very simple. Play Caverns of Karrundax more. If not, try hunting fire giants in the Fiery Pit. At least do something to familiarize yourself with their tactics. If you can get Halamvir the Smith quest from the Builder at your guild stronghold, even better.

Now onto the hill giants. Previously, Moven the Slothful was a cakewalk. All I need to do is to stun-lock him. While I do not know whether the absence of a Feytouched enchantment will nullify this tacitc, it must be stated that his knockdown attacks will create a state of invincibility. You can try trading hits with him, but he'll win at the end of the day (i.e. he'll most likely take damag per normal, just that he'll knock you down all the same).

Next up, the reghedmen. Otherwise known as the barbarians you ended up fighting in Mod 3, should it be surprising that they might ally themselves with the giants? It's been a long time since I played Icewind Dale though, so I'll need to refresh my memory. One thing I'm pretty sure though is this: those damn shamans.

Critters wise, there are yetis and winter wolves to contend with. The yetis are reasonably easy to deal with so long they don't bring other BFFs along as well (read: even critters in Faerûn understands multiculturalism like my nation). Which is something Fangbreaker Island will definitely do (i.e. they will never walk alone). The winter wolves can be very annoying at a higher level (i.e. at Icewind Dale). The problem doesn't lie so much in their breathing cannon (albeit getting frozen really sucks once the mob proceeds to ganks you), but rather that occasional fast hitting bite which will interrupt you 100% of the time (i.e. add this bs to the breathing cannon). As if this is not enough, you'll also be given a Stone Cold Stunner. A couple of yetis may be nothing, but add a few winter wolves into the mix and you'll be in for a power trip.

Then we have other giants. In Spinward Rise, you'd most likely have dealt with cloud giants. Like the fire giants, they have a high tendency to create all sorts of minefields with the only difference being the damage type. Instead of being a cowboy, they decided to throw rocks like a bunch of civilized cavemen. More than their fiery brethren, the cloud giants actually enjoy doing the minefield spam (last time I checked, they ended up creating 1 minefield per minute or so. Utterly absurd).

At Icewind Dale, you'd most likely have dealt with frost giants. Rushdown and knockdown, this is basically their ability in a nutshell.

At the end of the day, the toughest part about Fangbreaker Island may not be the insane level of the AI (albeit this will definitely be factored in). Rather, it's the combination of the mob. Lest we forget, giants are most likely immune to CC (or at least most of them anyway).

Let's come to this guy below...

It's no longer a secret that Arylos is inspired by Archer on a level more than just one. Looks wise, I decided to try making him look like the correct Emiya. Capability-wise, it's actually provoked by my sis whenever she started streaming this show on her laptop.

Funnily enough, it also gave me some inspiration on Korey's supernatural side. Needless to say, she's now running around with her artillery plus augmentation. Kuok Mingsi, you should be proud of your brother.

As for the alter ego of Kuok Mingsi's brother, I don't think much needs to be said.

Below are the screen captures of Arylos

Above two images are Arylos in default garb.

These two images are Arylos in the wild noble costume

Initially, I intended Arylos to be a looker. After all, who wouldn't want his/her alter-ego to be good looking? After using that free appearance change token (not so) recently, I realized I should have gone for a more rugged (and as a result less handsome) look. In the character creation template, there's this option for a rugged look. Come to think of it, the rugged look should have been done since day 1.

As for the hair, the powers that be dictated that wood elves do not spot grayish hair during their youth. Arylos, however, should be seen as young by elven standards. Because I'm afflicted with OCDP, I decided to find a reason behind this. Hopefully not this manner of reason though.

Formal description

Bearing the visage of a hawk and the soul of a wolf, Arylos is considered average looking by elven standards. He has grayish hair and amber eyes, features never associated with the Or-tel-quessir. At the same time, his complexion is fairer than his kindred, something which never went unnoticed by those who know him.

Always aloof, Arylos nevertheless is capable of showing respect should the occasion call for it. In combat, he has displayed both sides of the same coin. Namely the mind of a shrewd tactician and the fury of a fighter pursuing death at every turn.

Ladies in his life

Think I might have done this before, but meh. They say there's always a woman behind every successful man. While this may be true for plenty of heroes, it shouldn't be said the same for Arylos. After all, he's no Drizzt Do'Urden. Below is a recap.

Korey

Not to be confused with that other Korey in my current Neverwinter PC roster, Korey had (note the usage of the tense) always been the only woman capable of portraying the other side of Arylos. Since the incident involving a cult devoted to Shar (i.e. a lifechanging moment for Arylos where his only family member died to protect him), Korey was always there for Arry (i.e her nickname for Arylos). Ever uncomfortable in expressing himself (most likely due to trauma and a blatant lack of emotions), Korey was constantly a source of both challenge and solace for someone no different an orphan.
From that point of time onwards, I believe we all can guess what happened verily soon.

The finer details:
One problem in dishing out revenge against those who did you wrong lies in killing the wrong people on top of killing the correct ones. If you're out to deal with a mob instead of a 3 man gang, it's even more problematic. One thing which the Jang Ja-yeon scandal had taught me is the fact that justice is a form of parallel to humanity. There are times where it's incomplete (e.g. the West Memphis Three). There are times where it may have come more than a little too late (e.g. Jang Ja-yeon). Yes, justice is a must like how human beings are needed to define humanity. In the same manner, justice is flawed in a helpless way like us human beings. For Arylos, what is the definition of justice? It must be stated that as both a god and a judge, Kelemvor chooses to distance himself from the emotions defining us all. Does that mean Kelemvor has literally become just Kelemvor instead of the Kelemvor Lyonsbane from the past? While I'm still in no man's land in deciding whether Arylos should be classified under chaotic good or neutral good (definitely he's no lawful good because he doesn't think like a conventional S'porean), it must be stated that Arylos is intended to be that very coin called Kelemvor. On one side, we have Kelemvor the immortal judge. On the other end, we have Kelemvor Lyonsbane. In the sense of inner conflict, one can even say Kelemvor, Arylos, and Archer are the same concept (i.e. warring against their own sense of humanity). Dare we hope for this by the way?

A/N: To further justify my point that justice in this world is like humanity utterly flawed, I give you this.

Bellyn
She's basically a random creation in the sense that I could easily create another manner of plot-line. Originally, she didn't figure in my plans because I tend to be a helmsman rather than an architect. While I pride myself in terms of understanding strategy, there are times where I see myself as more of a tactician (read: my looks may remind others of Zhang Liang, but my brain works more like Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Fa Zheng, or Chen Ping). In a story telling sense, you can say that I think less like J.R.R Tolkien and more like G.R.R Martin. However, I'm not interestes in creating so-called an ad-hoc character for sake of ad-hoc purposes. Of course there will be moments where things will hit a give and take. Unless I can help it, that is.

The finer details:
The problem Bellyn had to face is the same challenge every counsellor is facing in reality. Namely changing the other fellow for the better. One thing I've felt very strongly about is the dire consequences caused by counsellors and therapists in the event where they're unable to communicate with those who really need help. There are times where committing suicide has got nothing to do with the lack of help. Rather, it may easily be due to a lack in the quality of help (read: either ineptitude or just plainly can't be bothered). Whenever people talk about quality control, what is exactly quality control? Is it only in the SGH where I'm working at right now? Is it only in the DDR section of SGH where the technicians have to ensure nothing will screw up for the CT-MRI hardware? Or perhaps to understand quality control, all we need to do is to truly know basic English. Whether Bellyn was able to reform Arylos in the name of love, I leave the verdict to you all (and hopefully Ed "not Miliband" Greenwood as well).

Purk
Same as Bellyn, but perhaps having a more profound impact. The conceiving of Purk as a character was during a random "daydreaming session" where my brain started wandering like that of Vincent van Gogh and H.P Lovecraft. The trickiest part initially concerning Arylos wasn't so much on his personality (trust me when I say I'm very damn good in this aspect of stort telling). Instead, it's all about justifying who his real father is.

The finer details:
When it comes to this trope, the greatest challenge is never about how/where/when the cold hard truth is revealed. Rather, it may easily be a question of justifying it. Case in point: we tend to take for granted that Darth Vader was indeed Luke Skywalker's father without taking into serious consideration on how it actually happened. When I first devised Purk as a character, the first name coming to mind has never been Park "not the president" Shin-hye (let alone the real 대통령). Instead, Purk is quintessentially a female version of Puck. If you do not know who is Puck, please go read some Shakespearean works. Yes, William Shakespeare was known to be a jerk at times (i.e. works like King Lear and Hamlet). However, there were times when he's actually in a far better mood (i.e. works like The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing). Puck, as a character, belongs to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The story actually belongs to the latter case of Shakespearean creativity. There are two directions which Purk may be going in terms of her racial identity. The first is a pixie, the other that of an aranea. While Purk is intended to be a fey, it must also be stated that the aranea reside in the Feywild as well. Due to the complicated factors surrounding Arylos' birth, identity, and perhaps even a certain hidden power (hopefully I won't have to do this), it's actually quite logical to throw an aranea into the mix. I still remember a female doctor in the SGH (disclaimer: not that I know her in any way or form). One thing which caught my attention was the fact that she's the first (so far that is) female doctor to do herself a gothic look. However, it must also be stated that she chose a deep red lipstick colour instead of something much darker (after all, she's a doctor above everything else during work). Due to her petite build, however, her freedom of choice also made look quite a bit like Rachel Alucard of the BlazBlue series (read: a gothic loli despite not being truly one). This may be where I'll be taking Purk in terms of looks at the very least. Unless of course I choose not to use the aranea idea on her.

A/N: In order to prevent myself from kenna buah by my future girlfriend's family members and BFFs, let me say that personal creativity shouldn't be seen as something quite literally personal.

Above song is merely an expression of Arylos' tactical mastery. That's all. Period.

Finally got a bit of time...

Been quite a long time since I last updated this blog. Hope you all have fun with this year's Summer Festival event.

Note: Something went dodgy just now, accidentally uploaded an incomplete post. Apparently, there's a hacker who got personal issues with yours truly.

Not a great plan...

This year's Summer Festival is a hit and miss. Hit because of a brand new segment involving a sport inspired by the Anglo-Saxons.

Miss because of this.

I've been lucky enough to get a server timeout every 1-2 days on average, but others may not be that lucky. No thanks to the lag, misunderstandings aplenty had been wreaked so far. Imagine seeing a member gone missing. Then wondering wth. Then kicking that poor fellow out just because circumstances ended up conspiring against you. To set the record straight, there's only one Arylos. After all, he did spurn Beshaba's offer of love.

Inspired by Singaporean culture...

Not only are we local guys suckers for all the pretty SPGs, the same goes for the devs at Cryptic as well. This year's Summer Festival introduces a brand new set of couture. You have a classy bikini top (something unlike the mainstream bra version), then you got the sarong. Why the Amnians are intelligent enough to understand Singaporean culture, I do not know. I only know one thing: Kwok isn't the only local talent made famous.

Couture Culture

Due to a vast difference in the cost of individual couture set, I decided to gun for the Sunite couture. Because Cyrea is officially dressed like a Waterhavian lady, I decided that Korey should dress like Park "not the president" Shin-hye. I've done the preview for the Sunite couture. Suffice to say, I'm never a fan of every couture set. Some of them are just meh, then we have some others not worth gunning for. The Sunite couture belongs to neither. Absolute good news for all you registered members of SHyn Corp, for Sune is indeed the goddess of love and beauty. Unfortunately (for her, that is), Arylos gave her the same treatment which earned the ire of Beshaba (and no, Sune isn't gutted to the extent of Nine Hells having no fury like a goddess scorned).

So what about the SPG couture fashioned by those Amnian fashionistas? If possible at all, I'd get the full set for Cyrea. If not, then a mix of Sunite and the bikini top. Just don't ask me whether this idea is inspired by a local beauty spotted at the Sapphire Pavilion in Siloso Beach.

Note: Bhaasmond has to be content with peasant garb for now. Suits his down to earth character anyway...

Speaking of Cyrea Durothil and Bhaasmond Taran...

Let's talk a bit abt how the implemented changes have affected the way I approach my tactics so far. Firstly on Bhaasmond. In case any of you have yet to try it out, life steal is absurdly effective if your paladin decided to slot Templar's Wrath as his/her staple encounter. Per proven by yours truly, it's possible to trigger a life steal via TW. With 200% HP and a 3 hit Shielding Strike combo, it means your oathbound paladin is on his/her way to the namesake abbreviation. Namely OP. In fact, I may end up experimenting with a Protection-Justice spec in the near run. After all, my gaming brain works like how Joachim "der Löwe" Löw sees his football.

On the daily powers, I don't work well in terms of pulling off situation specific stunts. This includes Heroism and Divine Protector. The rule of thumb should be something like this: Heroism/Divine Judgement and whichever daily power that suits your play. iirc Heroism is a less risky prospect than Divine Protector as it doesn't give you a real chance of becoming a martyr minus the rez pls request. In fact, Divine Protector is better used post-nuke. In other words, better to use it after the boss pulls off a North Korea, not before.

If you think like me, then it means you're better off sustaining the fight with anything and everything at your disposal. No Divine Protector for me, Heroism has officially made way to Divine Judgement. Unless something catastrophic happens at Castle Never, I'll most likely stick with Divine Judgement and Shield of Faith (note: unless your team is doing a no-heal run, SoF should be your staple daily no matter what. If it's really a no-heal run, then better use Heroism and Divine Protector).

On the encounter side, I find it easier to adopt a three-way approach. The strength of the OP lies mostly in the same strength as the hunter ranger. However, it must also be added that the utility aspect has always been better defined for the paladin since 99% of the gameplay is truly damn straightforward. Therefore, it's actually very easy to slot 1 healing encounter, 1 buff encounter, and 1 damage encounter. If you're really into Circle of Power (like pretty much 99% of the OP gamers out there), then you only need to develop an effective button mashing game. In fact, Neverwinter has always been known for its easy as ABC/123 learning curve when it comes to execution. In fact, I realised what I've been missing out once I started messing around with Absolution. Absurdly effective in open PvE, the only question now lies in how effective it can be in team tactics compared to other encounter powers like Vow of Enmity and Binding Oath.

As for at-will powers, it's all abt my bread and butter.

Note: Above analysis is based on the Oath of Protection path, not Oath of Devotion.

Add note: Half orcs do make incredibly good OP. I may have said it before, I'll say it again. You have that run speed bonus at every fixed interval, that one is good for setting up the aggro trap. Then you have that 5% bonus in crit severity. I don't have to further elaborate on Divine Judgement at this point of time.

On Cyrea Durothil, I find the racial choice of sun elf to be underwhelmingly used and overwhelmingly good. Traditionally the best choice for a control wizard, the racial traits of Ar-tel-quessir works absurdly well for any cleric of Corellon as well. The 10% control resistance means less time being interrupted and more time to do your stuff. As for the 1% AP generation increment, it means a higher frequency of spamming daily powers. Something which Hallowed Ground is still famous for. In addition to the two racial traits, the sun elf has a choice of either +2 to Intellect and Wisdom or +2 to Intellect and Dexterity. Charisma for every devoted cleric affects recovery, Intellect basically does the same. Because you'll be rolling a higher score for any given key stat (both primary and secondary), what it means is a case of encounter powers recharging absurdly fast.

Due to the not-so-recent changes done to the virtuous clerics, Gift of Haste has been officially nerfed. However, there's a way to circumvent it. It's called Bastion of Health. Widely regarded as an overkill healing power, the massive AoE means a much higher chance of generating AP for just about every ally without relying on Hastening Light. In addition, pulling off BoH on a Divinity/Empowered basis means you can easily keep everybody alive even with a mediocre TIL during normal Demogorgon raids (Cyrea's TIL is only like 2.2K).

For team tactics, I prefer to do a normal Astral Shield (since Divinity version lasts significantly shorter with temp HP as the only positive trade-off) with Bastion of Health to build everyone's AP meter. Primary usage wise though, I stick with Forgemaster's Flame. However, I may switch to Break the Spirit for two reasons:

1. BtS is a better defensive option since I can just wait and aim (note; BtS has a crappy to nothing stacking game).

2. As BtS is a more effective option in the wait and aim dept, this also means an easier time pulling off an Empowered version worth a whopping 30% bonus in mass damage buffing.

Also against targets with control immunity, pulling off 3 shots in a row can go a long way as the damage dealt is higher than FF. On the flip side, however, BtS has a longer casting time. Which basically means a lot as any control wizard and scourge warlock can testify.

On class features, I decided to go direct with Anointed Armor and Light of Divinity. Not only does this combo boosts Cyrea's survivability, it also does the same for every team member within 50 ft as well. Also, this means I can just focus all her boons on HP and power instead of pumping for defense. Because I also opted for the Cleansing Fire feat, this strategy also allows me to focus more effort on the critical stat as well (those who know my style can attest to the fact that I'm more of a crit player than the power-arpen type).

On open PvE, I'm currently experimenting with Astral Shield, Searing Light, and Divine Glow. Not only does this increase the feasibility of Cleansing Fire, Cyrea can also spam Searing Light on Divinity mode in the name of her people's god (i.e. just about everyone apart from her Arylos since we all know he actually emulates his god like a real Chosen). One fun thing I realised about spamming SL is the fact that Cyrea can afford to play a back-dodge game. In other words, dodge>fire>dodge>fire>dodge>fire>Empowered Divine Glow. If I decided to use this as Cyrea's bread and butter tactic, then I'll need to think hard on where to plant her Astral Shield.

On the at-will powers, I'm now gravitating towards Lance of Faith and Blessing of Battle. The latter has a long casting time, but it's def good enough to sustain survivability both on open PvE and team tactics. You don't have to spam it. Just pull it off every now and then because you'll have other means to keep everyone (and yourself) alive (righteous spec being the obvious exception to the rule). As for LoF, it's all abt damage. One thing every gamer needs to know is the fact that radiant damage is quite literally foolproof. No one is resistant to it. Either it's taking damage per normal or taking more damage than per normal. In fact, this is the only source of foolproof damage since resistance (i.e. specific enemy types) exists in any other form of damage. Of course, the good thing about any DC build is being spoilt for choice when it comes to at-will powers.

Note: Due to the foolproof nature of radiant damage stated, it also means that the offensive guild boon via stables is a good option for both DC and OP. Please note, however, that the DC heroic feats do have a 5 pointer in the form of Templar's Domain.

Coming up next: My take on the official changes in hunter rangers and scourge warlocks respectively. Also some of my views on the upcoming Mod 10 where we will know what happened to Wulfgar and Catti-brie so far.

P.S: No, I'm not gonna answer whether Cyrea Durothil is inspired by my dream girl. I admit Arylos is my alter-ego, best of luck in doing conspiracy theories.

Some thoughts on my Neverwinter Six [plus 1]...

Firstly and foremost, I decided that any personal creativity when it comes to the Neverwinter Six gaming concepts will be classified under The Skald and His Goddess. Perhaps I may end up doing 2 posts in one day, who knows?

In other news, I decided to spend the weekend doing my knockout round analysis for this year's Euro.*
*This statement was actually written N weeks ago. Which says a lot on my ability to procrastinate.

And in the last news, I decided to do a rewrite of A Requiem from Winter Past first. This is my own attempt to challenge myself. If things go well (or even better than expected), then I may end up scrapping my current plans in order to refocus. Yeah, I know my statement sounds like an American politician...

It's either that or I'll really jump straight into Dusk and Steel. :o Coming across a recent article on IS really gave some ideas (and it doesn't really "help" that Flayne Iceburn will most likely be [technically] orang melayu).

My response to the Protector's Jubilee

Somehow or another, it seems that the last Respen Portobello event may have created an absolute monster. The Siege of Neverwinter this time round was actually better than the previous ones, ditto for this year's Protector's Jubilee. However, my vote still goes to Respen Portobello. Granted the difficulty may have increased slightly, but the variation of the Respen Portobello dungeons is better (the only bummer lies in the Drizzt bug in Strange Things at the Burrow Dawn Inn). And that's not to mention as well a French speaking drider (note that I didn't say French drider because I'm sure there are plenty of my fellow local S'poreans who know how to speak French).

Personally, the only challenging aspect lies in protecting the foreign merchant in the stronghold map. And trust me when I say it's quite hard if you play your cards wrong. One thing I noticed is that even with T1 gear, your lvl 70 character may not be good enough to last the distance. Unless you have an effective way to do AoE offense, you better not try this solo next year lest you end up looking like Han Sulu instead of Han Solo.

Basically, nothing changed apart from how the currency is distributed (i.e. you may not even earn enough to get a Travelling Entertainer for 10 Commemorative Figurines). If you wanted to get additional Protector's Bounty, Whispering Caverns would be the way to go (i.e. the drop rate was absurdly high). However, your chances of scoring high-end loot can be quite dodgy. Not to mention as well that whatever you get is bind on pick up.

Until last night or so, I only realized that it's possible to get a coalescent ward this way (needless to say, my Feytouched enchantment is currently on greater).*

*This final statement is terribly outdated. I accidentally burned my rank 10 Brutal and greater Feytouched no thanks to my own lapse of memory. As it turned out, my overall item lvl got nerfed. Actual gameplay wise though, it doesn't affect me much since epic enchantments don't really affect the game on a major scale unless you get them beyond the perfect rank (preferably transcendent).

Celebration of Lliira

Basically, nothing has changed since the last edition. Get fireworks, plant fireworks, set off fireworks. Same old SOP, pretty much the same old reward. For those out to get a Starry Panther mount, you all may need to get Lliira's Bell first. That's the only high-end practical item available in the event. While the bell may not be really useful for tanks and healers, it's def useful for dps characters. If you can do the dailies without missing a day, then you'll def have at least enough Lliira's Favor for a bell. Currently, I'm farming the Favors for Arylos and Korey. If I can get 2 of those, most likely it will mean I'm gonna give them to Korey and Sheallyn. Tbh, the Starry Panther mount is mainly for cosmetic purposes (just like pretty much all the uncommon mounts since they can only run at 50% speed bonus like the common ones).

Correction: The damn bell costs 25 favors. Wow. Just wow.

2 x Enchantment/Runestone event

This is basically my best chance to try maxing out Arylos' Lantern of Revelation to legendary status. For the entire event, you'll most likely see him at Spinward Rise. And speaking of Spinward Rise, I'm already more than halfway done to get the Howling Weapon set. The only tricky part? Air Cult Assault may have been upped in terms of difficulty.

You see, the good thing about using a Seeker's Wand in the relevant zone lies in having a damage boost. Without the wand,  not only is it more difficult to get a mote, basically the fight will be far tougher as well. I actually tried the difference between using a wand and not using one. I ended wiping Elemental Assault with both eyes closed, I also ended up having a consistent win rate for Air Cult Assault. Not anymore now.

While I still don't have any problem in wiping Elemental Assault (albeit the AI seems harder to kill compared to before), Air Cult Assault is where you'll have a great difficulty in doing it solo. Already, the Grand Hurricane was problematic enough due to high dps and defense. In fact, this hulk can just wipe off 80% of your HP with his own Falcon Punch. iirc it's very easy for him to kill you in a one-on-one. He's no ranged fighter, but his melee reach is nothing short of crazy. The first wave has never been a problem (just like other heroic encounters with more than one wave of enemies). Once the second wave arrives, that's where you'll most likely start to sweat over your chances of surviving. If you're playing a tank, then it may not be that bad. If you're using a dps character, you better start running around in circles once the boss comes out. The tricky thing about dealing with mobs at Spinward Rise lies in their overall mobility. They can cover ground in a matter of seconds, it's virtually impossible to pull apart the mob. The reason why is that the enemies will always converge into a group. Once they do so, it's nigh impossible to pull them apart. This is true for both Elemental and Air Cult heroic encounters. However, the air zephyrs do take a lot more damage than the average air cultist under this situation. In addition, the High Skyweaver is only capable throwing bolts, knocking you back, and teleporting himself backward. Basically, it means you can easily wipe the mob even after they managed to close ranks. It also means you won't have a problem dueling the High Skyweaver (i.e. his damage game sucks). As for the Grand Hurricane, let's just say that he enjoys ganking people.

Ideally, you should be having T2 Elemental gear instead of the normal T2 gear if you want to have a decent shot at Air Cult Assault. Period. Also, please use overload enchantments.

A few things learned so far against the Grand Hurricane

Firstly and foremost, be prepared to lose the dps fight. Unless you can effectively CC him on a consistent basis (i.e. 6 stacks of chill if you're a control wizard), there's no way you can win the dps game. While the trapper may be seen as the best CC build, it must be noted that there's only this much Crushing Roots can do. In fact, playing a trapper means your CC game is quite likely to be better within a party rather than running solo (after all, hunter rangers do have one of the best AoE game. CC duration, not so simple).

Secondly, you have the choice of taking out the mob or the skyweaver first. Because everyone will be chasing after you for the entire fight, it's far better for you to deal with whatever nearest to you. You'll need a good AoE game to deal with them. Another thing to note is the difference in terrain. This is very important because in Avia Landing, you'll have plenty of space to avoid getting ganked. In Thunderhead Reach, you'll run the risk of getting effectively screwed.

For Avia Landing ver, you'll need to do two things before engaging the fight. First is to get rid of the cultists near the entrance. Secondly, get rid of the axe beaks. The latter is definitely more important as these bloody diatrymas can destroy you in an instant if they gank you in the middle of the heroic encounter.

In Thunderhead Reach, everything will be about your gear. Due to you getting caught between a wall and a high place, you can only hope to run and snipe off the most convenient target(s) available. For me, that means spamming Forest Ghost. Alternatively (if you're using a stormwarden), you can just do a cluster CC and a Cold Steel Hurricane to end things off. Done correctly, it can incur massive casualties on those terrorists (c'mon, guys and gals. You think the Cult of the Dragon and Cult of Elemental Evil ain't terrorists? Get real). In fact, this is quite likely the most effective tactic if you're running the fight with a stormwarden trapper. I've yet to try Korey out for this fight in this particular terrain, but I suspect pulling off a Seismic Shot will help a lot.

A/N: Above tactic is effectively a case of boom or bust though. In other words, you better not whiff the attack lest you do this below minus the swag.

And speaking of respawn...

I may have made the wrong assumption about the revival effect once your Soulforged effect triggers. Originally, I assumed that there's an additional damage immunity during the 3 secs duration. This is caused by my previous fight against Baphomet where my Soulforged status actually brought me back to full health within that duration. I actually told a fellow guildie about my discovery. Only to find out later on that I've just unearthed my own Piltdown Man.

Cella, you're officially notified about my error.

So what does this mean for me apart from a blunder far greater than the Piltdown Man scandal? Basically, I discovered one thing.

Not so recently, I got myself a cat. I named it Crytt. Not because of Cryptic, but because I've seen too many (?) tasteless names inspired by the word crit. When I relegated Styvia to the bench, I was caught in a certain bind. Should I give Crytt that Ring of Loyal Commander? There's no way for me to test whether the 10% outgoing heal bonus will work on Arylos. In using an augment companion, there are two possibilities.

1. The outgoing heal bonus only works on other allies because augment companions are counted as part of your character instead of just a companion.

2. The outgoing heal bonus actually works on yourself and others since augment companions work exactly like leader companions in this context.

Scenario 2 is basically the reason why I stand up and fight again at full health against Baphomet. Those who are using Soulforged like yours truly, you're officially notified about my success.

A/N: I suddenly got a crazy idea concerning Ilyath Le'Quella. If you don't know who he is, he's basically Cyrea's ex.

Lifesteal and Bhaasmond Taran

As if the whole outgoing heal thing is not wacky enough, there's this effect of lifesteal on temp HP. I tried it before, only accidentally. It's actually possible for your character to proc lifesteal when executing attacks that will confer temp HP as well. As an oathbound paladin bulwark on an oath of protection (yes, I know this sounds cumbersome and pompous), I enjoy using Templar's Wrath. iirc it's very easy to see whether this tactic works or not. Whenever you hit with this move, you'll gain a certain amount of temp HP equivalent to 300% of the damage dealt. Mathematically, it's possible to get 200% HP in total. In reality, things don't work this way. Once you get the lifesteal guild boon, however, that's where the fun starts. In other words, it's actually possible to get a whopping 200% HP in total via a synergy of Templar's Wrath and the lifesteal boon. Utterly crazy if I say so myself. Unless it's possible for Bhaasmond to proc Soulforged beyond getting that one-shot fatality Valindra is so famous for (and I really hate her for that), I most likely won't change lifesteal boon for the defense boon.

Cyrea and her Bomb

This has got nothing to do with terrorism. After all, the Seldarine will never endorse terrorism (okay, not all since Fenmarel Mestarine and Shevarash don't believe in playing nice against Lolth). Cyrea's god is her people's god, this god goes by the name of Corellon Larethian.

Originally, her default companion is Aesir. However, the thing with leader companions is that they automatically confer combat advantage like augment companions (read: only specific leader companions have a decent to good damage game. Don't believe me, go ask Esmure). Only difference is that an augment companion counts as part of your character when it comes to getting hit.

When I first got Wylson Bomb via last year's Simril, I orginally wanted to name him Wylson Bong. The reason why being that I suddenly felt like trolling anyone going by the name of Wilson Wong even though I know I'll end up stepping on more than just one Wilson Wong's toes. However, the profanity filter actually prevented me from using the B-word (if you don't know what is a bong, you're either blissfully ignorant or you actually buat bodoh after smoking your ganja). So there you have it. Wylson Bomb instead of Wylson Bong.

I'll be trying out how this experiment goes. Due to charisma being a secondary key stat for a devoted cleric, what it means is that combat advantage actually plays a major part in Cyrea's damage game (or just about any DC).

A/N: To demonstrate the prevalence of the FCC, the game actually lists the name of this person below as a form of profanity.

Running Man=Arcane Trickster

Thanks to Sheallyn Melarn, Myrreas has at last become an arcane trickster. All in all, I like what I'm seeing so far. Sigil of the Controller is absurdly effective for a trickster rogue. The stats are top tier for just about any TR build (i.e. critical hit, power, and control resist in that order). Even more so if your choice of paragon skill tree happened to be a scoundrel. The problem with using a scoundrel lies in dazing being the only form of CC available more than half of the time. With this magical gizmo, the frozen effect adds a whole new dimension to an otherwise one pattern CC game. Against dragons, this will maximize the scoundrel's dps game. Even if you're using a saboteur or executioner, this sigil can also go a long way in the form of that much-needed jailbreak (something which every whisperknife will want desperately unless they happen to be proficient in using Vicious Pursuit. Which is one of, if not the hardest move to master).

Defensively, the scoundrel is the closest thing to a tanking rogue. As such, it's only common sense to try upping lifesteal. In this sense, the Seldarine set can work a whole lot of wonder if you happen to choose Fey Thistle as your final Sharandar boon. As a result, I don't have to dodge spam. Something which quite obviously a TR has never been famous for.

A/N: The reason why I use Running Man as the title should be self-explanatory.

Proof that I think like an Italian?

One thing I realized abt the control wizard is this: I can't do without Shield. One of my greatest problems lies in the AoE strategy if I choose to slot Shield into Sheallyn's spell mastery. I tried Icy Terrain, it actually works much better than I expected. It's like playing Antonio "Il Bestia" Conte's Azzurri on PS4. You have an effective defense, you also have an effective counter-measure in order to nullify the greatest weakness known to every ranged dps. All that is left will be an effective outlet of lightning damage.

A/N: Okay, that last part has been fixed due to me fixing myself earlier on.

Add A/N: Chill Strike has to be the best encounter power I've ever messed around with.

More add A/N: Assuming I will stick with the lifesteal boon Bhaasmond is so good at currently, it means I may opt for Endless Consumption as Sheallyn's final Dread Ring boon.

MOM

Not the Ministry of Manpower, but rather the Mistress of Manipulation. Not only is this the personality of Kariss Locras, it's also reflected on the Magistrate's Patience insignia bonus. You have that damn psychic damage effect getting proc upon crit (assuming that you don't end up healing any ally that is), you also have insignias of mastery aplenty. Since scourge warlocks have the highest, if not at least one of the highest base crit game, it means an absurd amount of dps potential being added on someone with an absurd dps game to start with. This can be a life-saver for many a scourge warlock since the aggro monkey aspect has yet to be removed (and given the nature of synergy here, it's actually better for the devs not to do this).

With Esmure as her Battlefield Medic, it means a much higher survival game. However, there still has to be a defensive aspect to her gameplay in case things go awry. It's called Blades of the Vanquished Army and Hand of Blight.

A/N: Like Sheallyn, Endless Consumption is a viable option. Which also means I may opt for Rampaging Madness instead. *shrugs*

Currently in progress

Korey is still a work in progress as the title suggests blatantly. Concerning this character, I'm chuffed for two reasons. The first one is that I doubt I'll be served a lawyer's writ from Drew & Napier just because S.A.L.T Entertainment has gotten extremely salty over my insane antics. In other words, she looks nothing like the "real deal." The second reason is that she (i.e. Korey, not Park "not the president" Shin-hye) made me realized I'm more of a Xavi than a Messi in terms of gaming technique. Yes, I can adapt to circumstances. Let me see the situation from afar and I can cripple the entire army for you. Well, sorta anyway.

Already Thorn Ward is looking like a match winner for her. To add in more fun, my current plan for her dps game lies in a focus on critical hit. Unlike her mentor who is more into power, this Koryoan lass is all about azure enchantments (plus a rank 7 Brutal since I need to free up some much-needed inventory space). Originally, using Marauder's Escape was fun. Choosing the pathfinder paragon route turned out to be twice the fun. While I'm still coming to grips with using Hunter's Teamwork/Careful Attack, Ambush/Bear Trap has officially scored plenty of stars for me. The offensive setup is very simple, yet so deadly. I can just fire a Constricting Arrow with a Thorn Ward thrown in immediately afterward. The damage game has just gotten more insane. Just like how my brain works. Just don't ask me whether there are people worse than me.

A/N: I nearly forgot to mention the presence of Longstrider's Shot and Cordon of Arrows. Then again, Korey is still a long way from hitting lvl 60-65.

Add A/N: Got a War Dog, gave it to Korey. 6.5% threat reduction plus a maxed out Battlewise feat, 12.5% threat reduction in total. Stillness of the Forest anyone?

More add A/N: Nearly forgot to add in the fact (?) that I managed to create Korey as an actual Koryoan. President Park should just give Greenwood Ed some kind of national commendation. After all, he may have first made Koreans somewhat famous to all the white kids for all we know.

P.S: Seems that the spelling for Koryan has changed to Koryoan. Damn the wiki.

Add P.S: The fact that I gave a War Dog to Korey should never be seen as racism.

Final P.S: Because my creativity had hit a ceiling (most likely due to fatigue), said War Dog was named Lotte. Scarily enough, that's before I caught wind of this. I know Arylos was guilty of spurning Beshaba, but Sune never staged a reprisal just because she received the same rejected status as well.