A/N: Yes, I know that Yankee nuclear bomb being dropped. I don't have to up the link since there's only one other n-bomb and it's from the correct Kim. Either way, I've given up on politics in the same way politics gave up on me. Doesn't stop me from attending forum dialogues amounting to staring at the minister though.
Add A/N: Forgot to add something to this post. A little wonder why I ended remembering Shadowfell during work today.
Before I get started...
Let me just say that my last Tiamat run was a disaster. Normally (I say normally because it has yet to happen), I'll never get frustrated if any outcome of failure is a result of personal failure. It's only when external circumstances conspired against me would I get frustrated. To set the record straight, pretty much 99% of the content is lag-free. The only 1% of the deal? Tiamat. Perhaps it's because unwanted memories a freeze lag are being forgotten at a fast (or at least decent) pace. Perhaps it's because my last couple of Tiamat raids were successful. Either way, the 2nd half of the run was disastrous. It's like Middlesbrough losing to Man Utd 2-0 due to 3 players (from our side) sent off in a span of 5 mins. It's not my fault that that freeze lag was the cause of unnatural death where I'm concerned.
Credit to my guild alliance, they're pretty cool about the failure. In fact, I won't fault one of them saying our dps output was too damn low instead of too damn high. A disastrous 2nd half (at least for yours truly) really sealed it for me though. Throughout that disastrous period, I kept whiffing my Gushing Wound (against any Tiamat's head no less). 2-3 times, the cause of unnatural death was due to falling off the cliff. Again, freeze lag (ok, that's technically a lie. The first fall was due to my vision unable to discern where the cliff edge was. Standing within Hallowed Ground can be fun until this happens). I was actually lucky enough to escape the breathing cannon under such a severe handicap. There's only this much you can do even if you have the kind of tactical awareness like yours truly.
Credit goes to Nasu Kinoko for (accidentally) unlocking my gaming potential.
I was very damned frustrated. There was a clear strategy, so it's not as if the fault lies in my party. I've reached a certain level of technical and tactical excellence without the advantage of MasterCard, so it's not as if the fault lies in my part. It almost felt as if the devs were out to troll me. After all, Jarlaxle pulled off a similar stunt on Drizzt during that fateful duel in the Silent Blade (apparently, Artemis was angry like me, if not most likely worse).
Long story short, I needed to vent my frustration on something else. Not via PvP because there's not much reason for me to do that since mod 6. I had three choices. Namely, Phantasmal Fortress, Dread Spire, and Death Forge. First option was out because the Zulkir of Illusion was too damn easy for me. Not Dread Spire because I've already had a target in mind. Which left Death Forge and its Jawbone. The resultant curbstomping was quite therapeutic so as to speak. I was stance switching like a pro (not that I need to do so once every 30 secs or so like a trapper) and I was executing hits like Kiyomatsu (if you don't know who is Kiyomatsu, then please at least know his main). It was literally a session of curbstomping. Therapeutic, but could have been better. *shrugs*
A/N: Ironically, that failed attempt to take down Tiamat (or Tiamak if you're a Malay) earned me a consolation prize which is better than the ones I've got via a successful raid. Namely something worth more than 300K astral diamonds.
And now onto Nov 8th
Very little has been outed so far, but I'm pretty sure the Sea of Moving Ice will be exactly what Mod 10 has been intended for. Namely those who are really that damned good like the Game himself. The only notable change in the mob is looking like a good challenge to me. Already, fighting a trolling mob can be very challenging for a character with T1 gear. This is for Icewind Dale. In this current mod, it's a dps fight against time (that is if you're a dps character). These blue critters would adopt a zerg and surround strategy with the stoners stoning you behind the enemy line (I know it sounds funny. That is until you meet one of those mobs). Not a problem if you're a tank (then again, tanks are now much more open PvE solo friendly). It's about the dps classes that things may get sticky.
The modded trolls now have increased damage upon hitting low HP. What this means is that you'll have to off one of them asap and break out of the circle from there. Mod 11/10.5 has yet to reach Nov 8th, but it doesn't hurt for me to prepare you guys for what lies ahead across uncharted waters. Whatever you do, just don't get yourself between the main force and the stoners.
On the new fishing system, I'm pretty sure there will be fears of grinding. After all, Neverwnter is all about grinding (unless ofc you have MasterCard). In fact, this is my chief concern. Already, the reward system for an otherwise good challenge is crap. The only reason why the relic gear is useful is for Fangbreaker Island (apparently, the chance of getting +4/+5 rings has been lowered quite a lot for either version of Demogorgon. Which left only Castle Never and Fangbreaker Island). Like the black ice gear in mod 3, the newly touted relic gear is nothing more than something with the shelf life of Taylor "gone (swiftly) in 60 secs" Swift's romance. More specifically Hiddleswift gone Hiddlesplit (yes, I know my future girlfriend may easily be a Hiddlestoner. Love your boyfriend=love his sense of humor).
Which now comes to a pair of level 145 (if my guess is correct) relic artifact weapons. The question now is this: Is there still a need for preservation? The timer for any piece of usable relic gear lasts only like 1 hr. Which is stupid. There's no point putting them on on a prolonged basis unless going to Fangbreaker Island is the only thing you'll do. Period. Take my advice, master only 1 character. Fangbreaker Island is the only place where you can get the best rings available in-game. Unlike the Underdark version, the Fangbreaker Island rings boast of actual stat parameters instead of increasing the numbers. If you're to ask me, 1 Underdark ring plus 1 Fangbreaker Island ring should be the way to go. After all, you're most likely guaranteed a +4 ring at the very least (hopefully). Back to the relic artifact weapons. I really hope it stays the same as the current relic gear. Now before you all start setting me on fire like Mr Trump, let me explain. If it's really a case of level 145 artifact weapons, how long do you think will be needed to get them? Unless the devs nerf the difficulty level of the new zone, the less proficient amigos will miss out on the best stuff! Already, grinding for the current artifact gear is a chore (this is not to mention epic Demogorgon being upgraded). The most straightforward way to get a level 140 artifact gear set would still be via the Drowned Shore. Period. So perhaps it's not that bad. However, what if the bonus lies in anti-giant warfare and nothing else? To quote that German Oddrun from The Fantasy Forums: "Yay! We're screwed! -.-'..."
Note: Above logic should only apply if the new relic artifact gear works like the current epic relic gear property wise. If we're looking at something identical with the Underdark system where the artifact gear doesn't give you any bonus against (very) specific enemies, then just skip my rant above.
Then we're coming to the treasure maps. It's quite an interesting concept to be honest. Done properly, plenty of gamers will be flocking to the Sea of Moving Ice like sheep to shepherd. However, this also depends solely on the quality of loot dropped. You can't expect us to play sheeple for the sake of some level 140 gear. I mean let's just face it. Playing the current campaign requires an average item level of 140 even though no requirements have been enforced. The only problem? That'd crash the gear market. The reason why being that the Dragonflight and Lionsmane gear are both at level 140. At the same time, the newly upgraded black ice forge system also allows the gamer to bake level 140 gear (which comes to the relevance of the current elven gear set come this next mod). Then we have the masterwork gear and relic gear, both which are at level 145. Ultimately, the alternative is for the loot to be fixed at level 140. The only catch? Loot dropped can be of any class and bind to account. By doing this, more alternate characters will be able to play Yoomes Bond/Kookules/the (Koryoan) disciple of Arylos in the Cold Run.
Lastly, the zones. Or rather, zone. The difference between the two lies in plural noun vs singular noun. Then again, I'm convinced that all you people are more intelligent than Matou Shinji.
Enough of the digressing. Let's get this over and done with. One thing I'm suspecting about this next mod lies in the possibility that we'll only get 1 zone. One big ocean with plenty of icebergs, one big map with plenty of places to run. Assuming that the conclusion to Storm King's Thunder lies in the Sea of Moving Ice, it means there's not much for the devs to work on when it comes to individual zones. Which basically makes the boating fun.
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| Just watch out for the dragon turtle below. Not every dragon goes by the surname Lee. |
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