Forces say Hai (aka Faerûn's Next Top Guts)

My brain is currently bursting. Well sorta since the weather here in S'pore has always been humid and dodgy at times. At the same time, I need to clear quite a lot stuff in my FB profile. After all, it's never a great idea to have near 400 targets on your like list.

Note: Above statement was done two nights ago. I realised it's already post-midnight. Either way, this post title is never meant as a misogynistic answer to the Next Top Model franchise. Trust me when I say badassery is temporary, character is permanent.

Moral of the story? Behind every Guts is a human being of flesh and blood.

Learn to be great, live with your mistake

We all will end up doing stupid things in life. Thing is, what do we do with the mess we created? Recently, I burnt like near 300K astral diamonds buying an Enchanted Courser (which tbh wasn't a big deal since the auction house market is currently hitting a massive reform). The reason why being that I thought this beast can confer that insignia bonus known as Combatant's Maneuver. Wrong. Enchanted Courser confers either Artificer's Persuasion, Shepherd's Devotion, or Berserker's Rage.

Artificer's Persuasion is out of question because Arylos doesn't do artifact spam.

Ditto for Shepherd's Devotion as well because that one is no good for going solo.

Which means Berserker's Rage is the only option.

Firstly, I have to admit I could have chosen to place that magic horse into the stable. However, that'd be a waste of resources. If I must live with my mistake, why should I just stop at there? Therefore, I decided to test run Berserker's Rage.

To maximize this insignia bonus, you'll most likely want to choose boons like Elven Haste and Demonic Swiftness. Basically, stuff that gives either a direct AP boost or at least a recovery buff. The main problem here? Arylos opted for Feywild Fortitude and Demonic Endurance. To offset the handicap caused by this, I changed his final Dread Ring boon to Rampaging Madness (okay, that's a lie. The reason why I did that was because Endless Consumption has been proven a failure for any build with less than 20% lifesteal chance).

Basically, what happened was that I accidentally (and by accidentally, I mean it) created a power hitter with a Berserker's Rage bonus of 400+ power. Coupled with a Sigil of the Devoted and we may have gotten Faerûn's Next Top Guts.

Things to note if you want to emulate Arylos (or Guts if you like to)

You have to make a decision: Do you want to opt for an AP friendly build or a build high on power and damage? The former will proc Guts mode faster while the latter basically reduces the need to wear the Berserker Armor (in case you don't know what that thing looks like...).

Next, you'll need to set down strict requirements for daily power usage since this stunner will only proc at 100% AP. This is definitely the most difficult part. Period. Currently, I'm still trying to get the hang of this (mainly because I'm still too used to doing Forest Ghost 4 teh lolz instead of strictly as a jailbreak tactic). Unless there's an absolute need to, don't use your daily powers once every 1-2 minutes (Disruptive Shot is the exception to this rule due to its 25% AP usage instead of 50% and beyond).

Note: Another alternative strategy is using Berserker's Rage during a specific interval (i.e. either in the early, middle or later stage of any fight). I'd say this would be a more pragmatic approach since it's easier to manage your AP gauge this way.

Thirdly, don't (and I really mean DON'T) use neck slot items like Greater Cloak of Seldarine or Cloak of Valhalla. Don't opt for the AC option, opt for the AP increase ones like Amulet of Valindra's Favor and Amulet of Tiamat's Demise. If you can get a Lostmauth's Hoard Necklace, it's for the best due to the armor penetration stat.

Fourth, please ensure your build has a high survival game instead of just another hdps. The reason why I say that is very simple. Firstly, hdps builds tend to depend more on daily powers. Secondly, the survival dps build will definitely last long enough to proc the Berserker's Arm... erm, I mean Berserker's Rage.

Lastly, it's actually possible to do a Tenser with this one. All you need is maxing out your AP in a matter of minutes, after which you just use your daily power sparingly. Trust me, I happen to be one of those control wizard users who doesn't know what to do with a full AP gauge unless it's push coming to shove.

Momentum and AP building

Berserker's Rage is not about brainless bashing like your stereotypical machismo caveman. In Berserk, Guts proved himself through tactical awareness more often than we'd like to think otherwise. Yes, we all know his ability to do a mental shutdown in order to initiate a complete wipeout. However, you don't expect a dumb idiot like Adon Coborlwitz to hold the post of a raid commander.

In other words, you'll need to take note of how much AP you have in the tank before the fight. If it's near 100%, then you can afford to charge headlong into battle. Otherwise, you'll need to devise an efficient defensive strategy so that you can stage a mass wipeout asap (either that or you can just save your rage for the next round of unfortunate victims). Believe it or not, Berserker's Rage is far more tank friendly and less dps friendly than you'd like to think otherwise.

Also, please take careful note on which mob you're dealing with. Depending on the area (or the digsite rng for that matter), you'll have to fight the Nashers. This faction may read like "fighters in the fight club" logic, but I find Nashers to be the most problematic faction in-game (apart from any Kabal's mooks led by a flaming head dreadnought. Now I really hate that one).

Unlike the other factions, the Nashers have, by far, the most dangerous mages. In Ember Hollow, Kabal's casters are all evokers. Drifting backwards is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. In the Realm's Edge, it's teleporting and more teleporting from magic users who may have harbored twisted feelings for Ciri (after all, anyone associated with the Far Realm should be considered physically abnormal and mentally insane). That one is basically more of an annoyance than anything else. As for the Tainted Grove, the green chick holding a staff is all about summoning a stag party (stag party as in quite "literally" one). Which means you'll have to deal with the summoner instead of the summoned if you want the party to end prematurely.

For the Nasher mages, they're good at three things: Casting a silence spell (where you can only spam at-will powers and nothing else), doing a circular shockwave (those who have played through the Reclamation Rock will know what I'm talking about), and placing multiple minefields. The last part has the highest chance to happen. In fact, it will always happen. Against silence spells, it's not much of a problem so long you can narrow your focus to reading the situation. As for the shockwave, you can just either interrupt it or get away from the red zone. Against the AP drain, that's where the problem comes. Dodging the circles is nigh impossible, let alone staying put between the circles instead of within (unless it's through dumb luck or something insanely Japanese). This is not to say Berserker's Rage won't work against such a mob. Rather, you'll have to use daily powers whenever possible to take down the mages first. Fortunately, there will never be more than two mages per Nashers mob. The only catch? The aggro will follow you, no matter what, unless your companion is a non-augment type. In which this case, the companion will have a higher chance of getting the aggro. #2toomany

Note: Using the DC sigil before the fight also means proc'ing Guts mode right from the get go.

Add note: If you proc the DC sigil, the correct thing to do is to pull off a daily power first provided that power doesn't cost you a full AP gauge. Something which HR is known for. In fact, it's possible to pull off a 75% AP whopper if the AP gauge is at least half full. I'm not referring to Forest Meditation, but rather linking Disruptive Shot off Forest Ghost.

Basic demonstration (well, sorta)

For Arylos, defense is not an issue. This is due to three maxed out feats. Namely, Bloodletting, Wilds Medicine, and Battle Crazed. Bloodletting gives 5% lifesteal chance on melee stance. Add to it a rank 1 Dragon's Thirst and it's 8% lifesteal chance. For a melee HR, this is good enough so long you have that first line of defense. Namely deflection chance. This is where the combination of Wilds Medicine and Battle Crazed comes in.

The best thing about the reworked BC feat lies in taking away the original lifesteal property and giving a 3% deflection bonus per hit instead. Going by the maximum number of stacks and we're talking about a whopping 15% deflection bonus (and that's not taking into account melee damage increasing by the same percentage as well). The stupid thing about the melee HR before anema fixed the HR class was this: Unless you have Aspect of the Lone Wolf, your melee HR is most likely screwed. The lifesteal game was going nowhere after mod 5, it basically took Cryptic like 4 mods to do something about the whole damned skill tree.

To create a balance between the offensive and defensive, my current two final Tyranny of Dragon boons are Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Thirst. I decided to forgo Dragon's Grip because CC is no longer a top priority in the light of what I've observed in my first Nostura fight. As for my third final ToD boon, it should be a toss up between Dragon's Grip (because of Magistrate's Restraint) and Dragon's Revival (because of Arylos' strong incoming heal game). Most likely I'll take the latter since CC tends to affect the overall dps unless you have Combatant's Maneuver (and even then, you'll have to deal with an elite minority who are certified control immune).

In solo PvE, it's way harder to maintain Berserker's Rage than doing so in party instances. In fact, maintaining Guts mode is very easy in any fights involving not just you on the correct side. I've done the treasure ship BHE more than a few times with a full AP gauge intact for 90% of the fight (the remaining 10% being that moment where you'll have to deal with Kabal's flaming head boss. That plus fighting those AP leeching Nashers). The dps actually went better than I expected otherwise, believe it or not.

Note: Think I may want to do a post about Arylos' current build in the near future with the vital screengrabs.

Add note: Pretty sure Fey set would go well with Berserker's Rage due to the 10% AP gain per 30 secs. So much for being a living conduit of Feywild.

Special mention

Namely, the vorpal. When we talk about vorpal, a few words come to mind. Death is one of them. Which makes Kelemvor a patron deity somewhat associated with the vorpal. Recently, I sold a normal holy avenger enchantment for 3 million astral diamonds. What this means is very simple: I'm embarking on a risky venture where Cyrea is concerned.

Interestingly enough, vorpal enchantment can be quite good for a DC. This is due to the high crit severity game it offers. However, it doesn't have the mass buffing capability boasted by the holy avenger. Which means there has to be a sound strategy justifying such a decision.

When it comes to the AoE game, the DC is basically top tier. This helps a lot when it comes to the vorpal effect. Secondly, opting for Wis-Cha DC build may not be that dumb. Yes, Strength gives your DC additional crit chance. However, opting for a Wis-Str build means a lack of versatility due to lower recovery. To maximize the vorpal effect, chances are that you'll have to cast encounter powers on a consistent basis instead of just relying on at-will powers for the next 5 seconds or so. This is due to the DC encounter powers being the source of the AoE gameplay (not to mention as well a Wis-Cha DC is great for Hallowed Ground spammers).

To offset the disadvantage caused by the absence of defensive buff and incoming heal (not to mention as well adding a radiant damage buff on the allies), my personal recommendation would be using Astral Shield to provide defensive cover with Bastion of Health used as the main healing option. As for the third encounter power slot, I find Searing Light to be very good for any righteous DC (which Cyrea is one). The normal version is nothing to shout about, I'm not so impressed with the empowered version as well. The divinity version, however, is one of the best DC encounter powers usable. Not only will it heal allies around the target, it also damages surrounding enemies as well. If your righteous DC is all about stacking Burning Radiance with Engine Inspiration, then Searing Light should be the blue eyed boy (or girl depending on your personal creative preference). Alternatively, Forgemaster's Flame is also a nice option if you don't want to waste at least 2 seconds aiming at the correct target (not to mention as well enemies doing taunt will just mess things up at least a wee bit). Unlike Searing Light, Forgemaster's Flame is all about dealing the empowered version instead of the divinity one. Also, the normal version can chip in with the damage since it's counted as damage over time.

To use the vorpal enchantment properly for a DC, you'll need to decide which encounter power to use in divinity mode and which one to use in empowered mode. During divinity mode, cooldown for any encounter power is virtually nil. However, there will be moments where you'll get like 2-3 seconds of cooldown. What this means is very simple: You have 3 encounter powers slotted, reserve two for divinity mode and the third for empowered mode. Out of the former, designate 1 encounter power for your default divinity usage with the other placed in standby in case the cooldown hit home. If there is not enough in the divinity meter, try not to left click or right click unless someone (read: 1 person out of the rest) is dying or only the boss is left standing. The reason why being that vorpal is all about pulling off mass AoE powers in rapid succession more than a single target approach or using any AoE power with limited reach.

Note: Above part is only applicable to party warfare. If we're talking about solo... well, actually Cyrea with a vorpal did far better than I expected.

P.S: Ever wonder why Forces will always say Hai?

Okay, I know. That's a super lame joke. Pretty sure my super mignonne legal housebreaker and her BFFs won't find this funny.

Add P.S: Come to think of it, it's quite interesting to see that the lyrics of Forces I indicates the nature of Guts' relationship with Casca while Forces II took on a sinister turn via Guts' relationship with the Beast of Darkness. As for Hai Yo, the English translation "Oh Ashes" should be telling enough on Guts' life being synonymous with the harsh world he's living in.

Final P.S: Something crazy clicked in me days ago. Apparently, Kelemvor is the Skull Knight and Mystra is Flora while Arylos is Guts and Cyrea is Casca. Any literal connections shouldn't be drawn, however. Even more so for the last individual. I may be insane, but that doesn't mean I should demand the rest to be the same as well.

Ascendancy, Ascend! [It was an accident, I swear!]

Last night, I went random Google modal 4 teh lolz. Then I realized I may have put my country in the global radar for the wrong reason. It was an accident, I swear..

A/N: It feels absolutely surreal to see that one and only hit from the United Kingdom whenever I upped something in The Skald and His Goddess. Not to mention that very hit appearing at times for Tueur de roi and My girlfriend born in 1986. I'm not gonna speculate whether it's the same person, let alone entertaining stupid questions like this. It's not always fun and games to be mentally unhinged, be it Lovecraft, van Gogh, or just me.

Add A/N: On an unrelated note, I was too ill to focus on Boro's match against Stoke less than halfway through.  A good thing as well because we played like a Championship team against a Premiership team. Think I'm gonna avoid Facebook as much as possible until Boro starts winning matches instead of just a match. Also, it means I may have done this for nothing.

Final A/N: This entire post took me like a few days to edit and finish. Not because I was born to be meticulous, but because I was born this way below.

I need this song above to turn my mental screw back to normal. Period.

Okay, enough about my paranoia and a Cthulhu imagined

This post is all about how I may be planning the whole artifact weapons set allocation. Before I start, let me just say a few things concerning some of my observations so far.

Something about Throne of the Dwarven Gods and Prophecy of Madness first

Just now, I've had a go at both skirmishes. This was due to me wanting to cash in on the 2 x shards of power event that will run until next Monday (S'pore timezone). So far, I've only run the Corruption of the Throne (for Throne) and Demonic Incursion. My first impression is very simple. The devs seemed to have done something to the phase timer so that it felt as if it's running faster than usual. Which is nonsense of course since we're not talking about impressing the khaleesi by destroying the rival(s) to her three kids (unless the devs did something which I've yet to witness, the 10 second rule behind taking down Tiamat still applies. Also, someone mentioned it's NOT a bug unlike what others say).

Basically, this means either or both below.

1. The score meter is progressing at a slower rate while depleting at a faster rate.

2. AI has just gotten tougher.

Corruption of the Throne, in particular, seems to be a baiting game. In the early to mid stage of the first phase, the mob wave is quite okay. Nothing to make noise about. Once you reach the late stage of the first phase, that's where the mindflayers and their duergar BFFs start popping up at a faster rate.

On the Demonic Incursion, it seems that the only way to get gold is to have 4, if not all, party members to open the rifts. In round two, opening purple rifts 70% of the time will no longer work. I think only 3 party members or so of my team were in charge of opening the rifts. On the flip side, however, the demons now hit you at a lower dps. At least for now since we should already know that the devs have implemented a difficulty level review system (quite contrary to the common opinion that it's only been done recently, it has already been in place since mod 7).

Making legendary dragon keys 100% relevant?

It's a no-brainer that the lockbox keys made up of 90% of the in-game economy. Plenty of stuff purchased from the zen store can be sold at the auction house. The most in-demand stuff, however, were the lockbox keys. This is due to all the highest end rewards coming from there. Not to mention as well that the lockbox content is the only source of Tarmalune trade bars available (iirc it used to be worse, though. When I first played the game at mod 4, they actually put the trade bars in the zen store).

Suffice to say, this was not an effective business model. The reason why being that those who with good technique and equally exceptional tactical sense can make do without a legendary mount. On the other hand, Cryptic couldn't push the players' buttons by forcing us to get a legendary mount. Yes, the active power is a great bonus. But still, you can't deny the fact that an epic mount is all you need to gimp enemies of the highest end.

This current mod highlights a radical change in the business model. Yes, the lockbox keys are still very annoying when it comes to the rng. But rewards in the second chest of any instances have a higher chance to drop much better stuff. At the same time, normal instances with only one chest also have a chance to drop Waters of Elah'zad, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, or Lantern of Revelation. Yesterday, I actually scored an Apprentice Healer via Prophecy of Madness via a chest drop. Just now, I got a Lantern of Revelation via the Dread Legion skirmish.

Basically, the current mod is all about encouraging players to focus on more than just a specific range of party instances. At the same time, the devs are also out to make the legendary dragon keys relevant. Note that I never say "more relevant" because those keys are basically useless elephants in white prior to this mod.

So yes, the lockbox keys are still an integral part of the money making scheme. On top of that, we have the legendary dragon keys as well. However, it must also be stated that The Cloaked Ascendancy is 100% F2P. Which means there's nothing there related to the zen store. What this means is very simple: The gamers are no longer forced to throw a D20 in the vain hope of rolling a 20. Instead, we're now given another option. Namely another set of keys which have a higher rng when it comes to the better/best loot. Please note, however, that some of the better/best loot are bind to account or even bind on pickup. Julee happened to be one of such moments.

It remains to be seen how the new business model direction will pan out, but at least it's heartening to see Cryptic doing something drastic to address an otherwise problematic business model. Not that they're gonna take away their pay-to-win, though.

A wee bit on Baphomet

[The Prince of Beasts was deceptively fast, his attacks consisting only of simple thrusts and crude slashes. Yet, a cunning unmistakably true showed its hand. Baphomet exploited his greatest strengths. Bestial constitution, unholy strength, and the agility of a cat. No matter how hard Drizzt Do'Urden and Arylos tried, they could never cripple such a monstrous foe. As for the humming Maze Engine, it just kept churning out phenomena both natural and otherwise.]

Okay, I think it's official. Baphomet has gotten faster and hit faster. At the same time, Baphomet also hit harder. Which means Baphomet has gotten harder.

Currently, the Prince of Beasts has got two melee attacks on top of whatever abracadabra being done through the Maze Engine. Basically, it's just a simple thrust and a powerful slash. The former is used to either push back a melee opponent or as the primary tactic against ranged opposition. The later is all about high damage, high execution speed, and only a brief startup animation.

At the same time, Baphomet is now able to take it more while dishing out plenty more.

Apart from all of the above, however, I don't think the devs did much to up his challenge level. Whether it means a decent rise in the challenge level, you'll have to fight that thing yourself.

Note: One of, if not the most effective way to kill Baphomet is to have an effective damage over time game. It always works, trust me.

Add note: In case you're too dumb to realize what the first paragraph is all about, it means Baphomet's mobility has gotten a Korean treatment. If it doesn't look like a big deal to you, it means you need to start thinking like a play-to-win tactician instead of a pay-to-win gamer. Also, no offense intended to any Korean.

Pretty sure no plastic surgery was involved in the process of pwnage

And now on the main topic...

Let me just get the plain and simple out of the way first. Below are my current choices of Ascendancy weapons set for Arylos, Cyrea, and Myrreas.

Arylos: Fey

Cyrea Durothil: Lifeforged

Myrreas: Aboleth

Fey weapons set:
[The laughter resonating in Arylos' mind was anything but diabolical. It was the opposite of Nostura's mirth, one which defied the cruel barbs loosed by reality. It represented an innocence lost, the kind of joy separating the Or-tel-quessir from others. Something taken for granted by those around him, the very luxury he could never afford. Yet, he now held a power better suited for him than for Nostura. A force of nature which might provide answers to his future. Not what he should have been, for he already knew the answer to that. Rather, it was who he would eventually be.]

On the first glance, people would call me stupid and barking mad for making such a retarded decision. After all, the Fey set is for healers, right? Wrong. Yes, the 6% outgoing heal bonus is quite a big deal, but it's not the biggest deal. Let me first hammer home the fact that...

1. Aboleth set gives you +4% damage buff on top of its rng property.

2. Lifeforged won't give you any damage buff. Instead, it just adds a flat bonus to your power based on your defense rating.

3. Both Mirage and Fey sets give you +3% damage buff on top of their respective bonuses.

4. Unlike the other three, Fey set has three aspects of buffing instead of two.

The reason why the Fey set has three buffing aspects instead of two lies in the fact that the overcharge bonus for the Lightender set is nothing to shout about for healers. And that includes healadins on top of all the DC healers. In short, the Fey set is the only one out of the four Ascendancy sets having actual strategic value in the long run.

So does that mean anything for other builds? The most important aspect of the Fey set has got nothing to do with the 6% outgoing heal bonus. In fact, there's a reason why the devs gave Fey set three buffs instead of just two. It is to give every player the freedom to decide whether the 10% AP gain per second is worth it.

Because every Ascendancy set effect lasts for 10 seconds, what this means for the Fey set users is that the AP gain by end of effect would have hit 100% (albeit that's not considering any AP drain effect). Unless there's another way to calculate the mathematics, such AP buff is outright insane (then again, every Ascendancy set bonus is certified insane, which is why the devs have to give a lower-than-expected item level of 140-160. No pun intended towards the Far Realm btw).

What this means for Arylos (and pretty much every melee HR) is less to zero reliance on Marauder's Rush. So long there's a hantu slotted in your daily powers tray, you don't have to worry much about closing in. Yes, the great weapon fight will still be faster than you. But the AP increase should make your life easier, if not better.

As a result, I'm now weaning off Marauder's Rush in party instances. The reason why being that I'd want to get myself used to killing stuff without burning 1 encounter power slot for Marauder's Rush. After all, usage for MR is extremely limited. At the same time, Oak Skin can be a very useful encounter to use as it gives bonus defense on top of healing over time. And because Oak Skin is HoT effect, it means you can just execute it to proc Feytouched (i.e. the Fey set effect, not the epic enchantment) without compromising the healing aspect. And yes, I know the dps would be compromised. You think I'm really that stupid like those Fujiwara wannabes?

At the end of the day, using the HR is all about positioning and reading the situation in front of you. As such, a melee HR can be surprisingly good in assassinating a red wizard (that is provided there's no trickster rogue in the party). Not that it will be a one-shot fatality, but definitely good enough to prevent that Thayan baldhead from casting fireballs and nukes.

Add info: Using the Fey set for the 100% AP boost also means one thing. Namely, a two-hit combo involving Forest Ghost and Disruptive Shot. Don't trust me, try it out yourself. I don't profess to be a god of tactics and strategy, though.

Lifeforged set:
[A sudden warmth roared inside Cyrea, the Ar-tel-quessir taken aback by the sudden surge. Images of Ilyath's death and her family's callousness towards the dead invoked an inner fire unquenchable. Kavatos may have poured scorn on the master-apprentice romance between Kabal and Braga, but there was nothing worthy of scorn for a woman who was never forced to spend the remaining embers of her life in solitude. Some people have that second chance in life, but surely not all. Braga was right, that Cyrea was far more blessed than her.]

Lifeforged is definitely every tank's dream come true. In fact, I won't be surprised if Lifeforged is to be every oathbound paladin's BFF (not to mention the so-called off-tank guardian fighter build). However, it is also very useful for devoted clerics in an overall sense. If the Fey set is for the virtuous and faithful DCs, then Lifeforged is for every DC.

The thing with healers is this: Not only is healing important, surviving is even more important. Which means the impact of the Lifeforged set should not be ignored. For a righteous DC, this is even more important as this is a paragon tree focusing on offensive buffs and debuffs more than healing (read: both virtuous and faithful DCs have a better healing game than a righteous DC unless the Tiamat set bonus is being accounted for).

If you're out to play a dps DC (which means you're surely going to the right side), then you're better off using a Mirage set. If you're more of an all-rounder righteous DC, then go for Lifeforged.

Add info: DCs tend to rely more heavily on power than other classes. This is due to the power state affecting heals as well. And we all know Lifeforged effect increases power as well according to the defense rating. Not as good compared to healadins and tanks, but that's why I say it's more for righteous DCs.

Aboleth set:
[A sense of ominous purpose assaulted Myrreas' senses, the intent to annihilate every obstacle telling the Dalelander that it's the right thing to do. Only a strong will prevented that damning voice from dominating him. Drizzt Do'Urden once mentioned the debilitating impact of Baphomet's lingering influence concerning Arylos' emotional state. How ironic that such information was only leaked after Bruenor Battlehammer declared a day of feast and merrymaking in remembrance of a seemingly great victory over a demon lord. Then out of the nowhere, a name of an infamous figure whispered itself before the human rogue. It was a name countless years ago, yet it was also one he heard of during his years as a Harper. Minsc once mentioned that person before, it now seemed that Jon Irenicus was never truly dead.]

It's official. I respec'd Myrreas into an executioner TR. The reason why being that...

1. I wanted to experiment with a dps option rather than a defensive CC build. In this sense, I believe scoring goals win you games more than a goal or none conceded.

2. I don't profess to be some kind of tactical genius, but I like to mess around every once in a while.

First thing I did is to do away with Impossible to Catch because trying to do an executioner spec with that encounter power being slotted reads something like #IMPOSSIBRU for the most obvious reason (read; if you're going executioner, it means you're more likely to dodge 2-3 times in a row depending on the situation and your stamina). Secondly.... well, the aforementioned statement is considered moot since we should be talking about the Aboleth set.

Now the good thing about Aboleth set lies in the 4% damage bonus for the next 10 secs upon proc. Not only that, you'll also get to proc a rng. Either you get 2500 lifesteal bonus (which translates to slightly over 6% bonus lifesteal chance), a damage over time effect (which is the best option for any dps build), or making suicide bombers out of the dead (very good for any hdps build, best for any executioner TR). As such, it goes without saying that Aboleth set is my ideal choice for Myrreas. Or just about any executioner TR or thaumaturge control wizard for that matter.

Add info: Actually, Myrreas is currently only counted as mid-dps level due to a lack of level 140 gear. Once I get that part out of the way, it's possible that using the Seldarine set and a Ring of Vanishing Presence +4 may be nothing more than a moot issue. After all, this combination can easily reduce reliance on dodge while adding a stand-and-fight dimension to the dps.

P.S: I know I may have made the whole post sound a wee bit like some advertisement for feminism. After all, it seems that Cyrea is the mentally/emotionally strongest out of the three listed. Let it be known to every feminist that I do think like a conservative when it comes to certain things. However, this doesn't include endorsing Brock "the slammer is for grown-up idiots instead of 12 yr old idiots fyi" Turner and M.C Babi.

Ascendancy, Ascend! [How to stone a nasty woman]

Firstly and foremost, this is not about American politics. Yes, I have my own opinions on what's going on. But it doesn't mean a thing here because this blog is anything but political. At most, I was only guilty of doing the now defunct Rogue Economist satire in my now defunct That Random Blade. Please note that I use past tense here for a very good reason.

Secondly, the Three Musketeers (plus d'Artagnan) of SMRT Feedback by The Vigilanteh seemed to have... well, renewed their beef with Xiaxue. Now let me just say a few things.

1. I do follow the online Three Musketeers (plus d'Artagnan) on FB.
2. I am never guilty of liking and sharing every post they upped.
3. Despite sometimes linking to Xiaxue's blog, I don't follow her because she's no Daenerys Targaryen.
4. I blame my super mignonne legal housebreaker for giving me the idea when it comes to the 3rd point.
5. Okay, that's a lie. It's Nasu's fault because someone mentioned rapist son and slut daughter. I don't have to up the more relevant link(s) because even someone like Guts does have a sense of honor. And I really like Guts for more than just his... well, guts.
6. I don't profess to have read the Berserk manga or seen the anime. I did, however, know about the series in a very special manner.

["Did you get her?"

Before Myrreas' question, Arylos merely gave a stare. Not one of disappointment, but rather that of anger. Despite Mystra's advice, the ranger of Kelemvor nonetheless went ahead in taking on Nostura with that golden belt looted from Lostmauth's hoard. Ironically, it was his seeming recklessness which brought about victory. Should he wear that other belt of twined ropes instead, Nostura would have detected a different nature of magic. The first time they faced off against each other in the vaults below the Hall of Justice, the Or-tel-quessir's link to the Feywild had told him much. By choosing not to arouse his enemy's wariness, Arylos had effectively put himself into a situation where the line between risk and prudence was blurred. Alas, Nostura of the Stone Eye made good her escape before the duel could be seen to its end.

That nasty woman... I swear I'll kill you...

"Ary's in no shape to say anything," snapped Cyrea, her glare invoking peals of laughter from the Dalelander.

"You call our hero what? Ary? That's so unlike a proper lady like you, Your Highness," chuckled the rogue as he gave a curtsy, "Then again, who am I to assume anything if even a prudent soul like Arylos of Neverwinter was crazy enough to trust a mimic?"

"Stop that, little boy! The three of you better come back now. I'm not interested in forcing myself to maintain the illusion spell just for this. You get me?"

"You don't have to threaten us, Kavatos," replied the hero of Neverwinter as he stood up with a wavering posture, the telepathic voice of Dagult Neverember's new chief adviser still reverberating in his head. Pushing Cyrea aside, a fatigued Arylos trudged forward. Only to behold a glimpse of Mystra smiling towards him. Before the wood elf could respond, a blinding flash enveloped the trio with words from the Lady of Mysteries supplanting the echoes of Kavatos' ire.

"Your life is truly a mirror of your god when he was still Kelemvor Lyonsbane. So soothing, yet so heartrending at the same time..."]

First boss done: First impression

There's one thing the good ppl of NWO forgot to mention concerning the army of Tainted Grove. The author was right in saying the dryads and nothics are quite easy (albeit for some funny reason, they seemed to have gotten some Korean treatment in terms of critical damage. No offense intended to Koreans btw). However, a few things seemed to have been left out.

1. The army of Tainted Grove are still the easiest enemies you get to fight in the River District.

2. You can try fighting the horde of Ember Hollow first before telling me how "easy" River District really is. At least try surviving the full onslaught of any dreadnought's 3 hit combo. And that's not taking into account that big damn thing's high mobility.

3. The Nashers' artillery seems to induce a slow effect. Arylos' movement was slowed significantly after getting shot. And that's not to mention the dryads' artillery as well. Either that or I'm actually fighting against fatigue in real life.

4. Nostura is a nasty woman. Period.

Entering Nostura's castle was quite a quirky experience. Firstly, you get to see a familiar face in the form of Alihan Duskflight. What's truly interesting is the impact Nostura may have created upon New Sharandar (since that place is situated in the Feywild as well). If you're a curious cat like yours truly, then you'd have sensed something amiss. By my own guess, it's only 20 years at most since the events in Fury of the Feywild (read: TCA most likely took place a few years after 1485 DR while the starting timeline surrounding the game was most likely around 1479-1480 DR). Let's see here...

1. Alihan is an elf.

2. This means he should have a memory surpassing an elephant.

3. Basically, this means his hazy memory (apparently, he only found you familiar despite being one of the quest givers during FotF) points to something more nefarious than that Stone woman becoming a turncoat (something archdruid Morningdawn uncovered during your trip back to the Lynching Tree in years).

4. His presence means New Sharandar is currently in trouble. And possibly the entire Feywild as well.

Apparently, Nostura is a feytouched (while this is a trait commonly associated with various types of warlocks, I won't be surprised if reality includes wizards, clerics, fighters, etc). At the same time, however, something went wrong and she betrayed the archfey (read: she terminated the pact on a unilateral basis). As a result, she pledged allegiance with another being in the Feywild. Quite possibly something way nastier than Valindra Shadowmantle herself (at least that crazy woman wasn't powerful enough to manipulate the inhabitants of New Sharandar).

So what are the few possibilities surrounding that Stone woman?

1. Her willingness to let Neverember live while opting not to fight you (i.e. Chapter 2) implied she has no qualms in turning against Gyrion should the need arise. Basically, it means she might have her own agenda and it has got nothing to do with the rightful heir of Neverwinter, Myrreas or no Myrreas.

2. The astounding extent of her command over the power of Feywild might also indicate a third party force at work. A theory reinforced by Morningdawn's discovery before the Lynching Tree.

3. If so, then that very third party power is currently allied with the Far Realm for nefarious purposes yet to be revealed.

4. And that includes the whole of Feywild as part of the deal by my own guess.

Before I start my FAQ...

Let me just say that the term "Stone woman" is unrelated to Emma "not Watson, but still a talented Emma" Stone. The whole "Stone woman" term was a product of my warped creativity. Period.

The fight is separated into three phases. Namely, riding a stag, killing stuff, and that duel.

The first phase has to be the most surreal thing I've ever done as a Neverwinner. When you play Street Fighter, you don't expect yourself to annihilate a car first.

There's a reason why I upped the Final Fight version instead of the Street Fighter 2 version. It's called how we S'poreans tend to treat our cars.

Before the Nostura fight, however, you'll have to test your Daytona skill. Now let me just stress home the fact that it took me around 4 tries to reach the finishing point. If you think it's something like the Twilight Run in the yearly Simril event, you're wrong. The terrain is full of trees, roots, and uneven ground. There's no way you can go auto-pilot. Period (unless the level of your jump execution is too damn high).

The Feywild Daytona run requires you to navigate the purple balls of death and bomb tokens. Not only that, you have to jump over the cliff twice. Initially, the race was quite straightforward for me. Just dodge the bomb tokens. Period. Once the balls of purple death started coming out, this was where the tricky part arrived.

There are two ways to deal with it. Either you evade them or you really have to jump over them. Do NOT try running through them. You'll die. If you're not confident of dodging them on the ground, then just press spacebar. Yes, a large chunk of your HP will be gone. But at least healing potions are available. The first wave should be relatively easy to dodge on the ground since they're further apart from each other (if I can do this, so can you). The second wave is trickier because the balls actually covered pretty much most of the area in front of you. For me, the foolproof way is to run along the edge and jump. You really have to jump and keep your fingers crossed. If your timing is good enough (and I've done it once before), you can just jump over them without any HP loss.

On the bomb tokens, you have to press forward repeatedly instead of letting the mount run at auto-pilot. This because pressing W like the Mad Spammer (yes, I do have a childhood despite a broken past) is the only way for you not to get killed outright. The bomb token will just suck you in like a maelstrom once you touch that thing fyi.

To jump successfully, you'll need to start the run from the last bomb token. Once you reach the cliff, just press spacebar. You need to jump somewhere to the right. If you try this from the center (let alone the left), it means you'll have to respawn and restart. And that's for the first lap.

For the second lap, it's much more straightforward. You only need to dodge the tokens. Also, all you need to do when it comes to jumping is aiming properly. Unlike the first lap, the second landing point is pretty much in clear view.

The third lap is the most problematic one. This is where you need to pause and time your run. There's no way you can survive by running forward without stepping on the brake. It's like getting yourself into a traffic accident just because you think your grandfather owns the road (let alone being so self-delusional, you actually think the late Mr Lee was actually your grandfather).

Just run along the edge in a zig-zag manner while minding the bomb tokens. If you play this right, there's no way you can't survive the Feywild Daytona.

Also one more thing: There is no such thing as the third jump. Once you reach the end of the third lap, you don't try jumping like Super Mario. There's a narrow (and I mean very narrow) ledge connecting the third lap to the finishing point. You may not see it at first, but that's because the whole damn thing is too narrow. Remember, the camera view would always be at the front while the narrow path is somewhere towards the left side.

And now for that Stone woman

Before reaching Nostura, you have to clear 6 mob waves. The dps is slightly upped, but nothing of a big deal. At most, the final mob comprising of a fell troll and gorgon (among the rest, that is) is slightly harder. Nothing much to shout about since you're given one whole stretch of terrain to move about. If you don't even understand the tactical art of running about, it means there's something seriously wrong with you.

Once you reach Nostura's territory, that's where the hard part comes. Even with a total item level of 3.2K, Arylos still had a massive challenge up in his hands. Firstly, Nostura is no glass cannon. She will just troll you about with her high-end mobility while her dps game is no laughing matter (although I won't be surprised if Gyrion's dps is the highest in-game out of the three with Kabal's being the lowest. Yet to try the other two, though). The worst part of the deal, however, lies in her stoner gaze. Not the kind you may get to see when that unknown moron is speeding like a Mat (or Mak because I have to be impartial here) Rempit on four wheels. Rather, I'm referring to Greek mythology.

The first time I got myself stoned, I swore not to get myself into trouble again. The moment she starts screaming something coherent (plus that orange eye symbol lighting up if I recalled correctly), you get stoned come the next moment, And Nostura will just proceed to gimp you up close and personal like a woman scorned (this basically unlike the nothic stoner where it will just leave you stoned). The damage is quite high. I think it took off like around 60% of Arylos' HP (this is considering having a Brynnyr's Demise and the fact that combat hunter rangers have the 2nd best base defensive game out of all the melee dps apart from great weapon fighters). You only have like 1-2 seconds to react. Period. The problem in dealing with this attack (i.e. it's the same thing as that nothic stoner gaze) lies in an invisible AoE. Which means there's no red zone as an indicator. You have to fight blind. In fact, chances are that you'll have to shift forward instead of shifting sideways or backward. That's how I dodged every such stoner attack. And believe it or not, the only moment where I failed was when my dodge timing was off by 1-2 seconds.

At the same time, the terrain seems to have some kind of AP draining effect. I think I was only able to pull off Forest Ghost like 1-2 times. The rest of my daily power usage was focused on Disruptive Shot.

Note: If both your daily powers are that kind of 100% AP usage, it's better for you to use a tidespan potion. As for the defensive end, just use either a Steadfast Devotion, Foehammer's Favor, or potion of heroism. If your character's daily powers do not require 100% AP to pull off, then you may want to go with Corellon's Blood/Wild Storm with a fortification potion instead.

After a few rounds of trading hits, it became evident that either Nostura is a closet tank (which would have made far less sense than Harold & Kumar *insert your fave version here*) or she has some really high-end deflect+deflect severity game. Trading hits are not gonna work out. Given the fact that Kabal is most likely the only melee member out of the Ascending Four (including Lukan for convenience's sake), what it means is that Nostura's mobility was the reason why she's such a nasty woman.

And therein comes the key to winning: You really have to move about. I'm not joking here, that's basically what I did. And besides, I'm more interested in making Arylos as the next Perseus instead of some nameless victim petrified by an entity of raging feminism. If Nostura wants to play a game of mobility, it merely means Arylos can play this game equally well.

Ultimately, it's about timing your attacks so that you don't miss that floating target. This is a fight where fast hitting combos will win the duel, not some chargeable high damage tactic. If you do not have such an at-will power, then at least make sure your staple at-will power(s) won't take like 2-3 seconds to pull off. That'd be too late.

Planar shifting and all the blue bs

Once you reduce Nostura's HP to a certain level, she will go hibernating. I know it sounds like some kind of mama grizzly logic, but trust me when I say you really have to find a way to fight her again (read: Nostura will always claim immunity whenever her HP bar goes green instead of the customary red). To be honest, I'm not about to wait and see what would happen if Arylos tarried too long. See the Eye of Sauron somewhere at the center? Yes, that eye. Don't go past it because nothing will happen. You can try pressing F, but what if it fails? The answer is very simple: Just left click. That's what I do, that's where Nostura resumed her taunting of Arylos.

This so-called second phase will be that tactical doom-or-boom. And I say tactical because overcoming this part won't give you victory while failure to do so means #RESPAWNLOL for you.

Initially, I decided to end it once and for all. After all, it should be theoretically okay to do so in Nostura's (newly created) backyard, right? Wrong. This was when she aimed her Death Star at me! It's not funny, I swear. If I never triggered a Gondhammer as a counter-measure, that'd really be #RESPAWNLOL for all the wrong reasons!

Yes, that was a rant. So did I #RESPAWNLOL as a result? You may not believe it, but I don't spam my Gondhammer like the Mad Spammer for a reason. At the same time, I got like 20+ charges left for my Stone of Health. It's a good thing to see that thing being useful after 11 mods' worth of gaming. Period (and that's not to mention a blue Stone of Health still left untouched). Which means a combination of SoH and Insight of Gond(hammer) was the reason why Arylos survived Nostura's Death Star (and no, I didn't foresee Nostura having a Death Star. You don't expect the enemy to tell you whether it's a royal flush or two pair in his/her hand, tyvm).

Now let me just say that it's #IMPOSSIBRU to end the fight at this phase unless it's a #RESPAWNLOL for you. You really have to end the fight at the original territory. In order to phase Nostura back to reality (so as to speak), you need to attack all the blue flames at the edge and snuff them out. Yes, Nostura will come after you like your ax crazy ex. But hey, you really need to do it before she fires her Death Star at you the second time (and trust me, she's capable of doing that).

Once you snuffed out the blue flames (basically every flame snuffed will explode into a geyser as undeniable proof), Nostura will just scream Nine Hells and the Lord of Murder. After which she will proceed to attack you per normal (that is if someone like her can be considered normal). Please note that the reality phasing will take place twice. Also (if I remembered correctly), her Death Star will only be activated during the so-called phased reality part.

It's a tough fight for me, but believe it or not... Arylos actually pulled through the fight without a #RESPAWNLOL

Note: Apparently, the repeatable version of the fight only gives you XP. Something's not right, it's not as if we're talking about quest replay.

Add note: I don't know about Kabal and Gyrion, but it must be stated that the Nostura fight should be considered a party instance taking place in open world. You can try solo'ing her, but chances are that this will be another Vault of the Nine quest where the only way to survive is to play a tank. Maybe even worse for all I know.

P.S: I will be trying to write up my ideal Ascendancy artifact weapons set choice for Arylos, Cyrea, and Myrreas respectively. I'll be having the whole of Friday for myself since I'll be on leave.

Suddenly feel the need to pat myself on the back after pulling off a victory unthinkable...

Edit/P.S: Forgot to add this most important piece of info. Once Nostura fires her Death Star, it will definitely hit you. Only way to break out of jail? Just dps her until the Death Ray expires. Trust me, it's the only way out unless you want a #RESPAWNLOL