A picture speaks a thousand words, a sequence of pictures speaks more than that (but I finally gave up)

I find it very excruciating in doing screengrabs and upping them in my blog. Perhaps it's down to my tendency to switch off. Then again, I've already given up hope that I was actually born normal. With that being said, there have been rumors of a new class possibly coming out this year. Going by the way Cryptic does things atm, it seems that we will be seeing 3 mods per year instead of the customary 2 mods per year. At the same time, perhaps the devs need to freshen things up with new patron deities and playable races. Below are my preferred options.

Classes: Wild Druid, Harper Bard, Arcane Sorcerer
Races: Gold Dwarf (under the Dwarf race), Gnome (Deep Gnome and Svirfneblin), Wild Elf (under the Elf race)
Patron deities: Mystra (because she's officially back), Finder Wyvernspur (because every bard needs a god), Eilistraee (because she's also officially back)

Because I discovered I enjoy messing around with things yet to be created by others, I decided that Crazy Tenser as a label/tag will be used for my random moments of insane brilliance. Also, it's not my fault that Tenser was crazy enough to research a magic potion for Harkle Harpell.

Note: Because I enjoy the feeling of hiding an ace or two in my hand, I'll only add in the Crazy Tenser tag as a statement of intent.

Add note: I never watched the latest Terminator movie, but I'll have to admit Emilia "it makes romance absolutely IMPOSSIBRU!!!!" Clarke didn't look the part of Sarah Connor. In Game of Thrones, she looks like a monarch. Alongside the Terminator and co, she looked like a sweet girl recently graduated from Trauma Center London. At least Gal "Wonder Gal" Gadot had to serve mandatory military service in the name of defending Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah.

Yep, this face truly makes romance absolutely impossible.
Any association with House Targaryen is deeply regrettable and purely accidental.

So what am I gonna do with this post?

Basically, I'm gonna share a few things concerning my reworked characters.

Because Arylos will always be the hero of Neverwinter no matter what others say, he remains as my main character. And besides, how many hunter ranger users are actually crazy enough to use the combat tree? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one, but I'm also very damn sure that I'm one of the very few sons of a gun choosing this high-risk option.

For Myrreas, I'm currently doing the scoundrel tree for his solo PvE and executioner tree for his raiding game.

As for Cyrea Durothil, I did a Total Recall by opting for divine oracle instead of staying put as an anointed champion. It was a blast and it still is, I'll give myself that. I swear I think like a German Löwe instead of a Singaporean lion.

Arylos: Why you should be using Skirmisher's Gambit in the first place

I'll have to admit Skirmisher's Gambit is deceptively good. This is especially so if you're going stormwarden with Clear the Ground as your staple at-will. In fact, plenty of the hunter ranger encounter powers carries the burst property. Which means bonus critical chance upon execution and hit. So long your artifact weapon set bonus involves above decent damage increment, climbing the dps ladder shouldn't be a problem. I won't say Drizzt Do'Urden would be able to out-dps Wulfgar, but at least you'll see the numbers getting decently high.

Crit happens

(provided you have a vorpal)

In order to make the damage increment count, however, I'll need to get his crit as high as possible. This is where the lack of jailbreak options comes in. The final boons for the Maze Engine campaign has to be the best ones so far alongside the final boons for Dread Ring. For starters, you have Baphomet's Might which has a chance to increase your crit by 2000 upon hit. And to think the devs have to nerf it shortly after the module came out. As for the aforementioned jailbreak tactic, I chose to eschew Displace Fate in favor of Baphomet's Might.

At the same time, I ended focusing on the offensive boons. If there's any boon adding numbers to crit and crit severity, that boon would be my first choice. Problem is, recovery boons are hard to come by with only Elemental Evil and Icewind Dale offering such boons. For Elemental Evil, I ended up choosing crit (Searing Aggression) above recovery (Blazing Resilience) for obvious reasons. The same goes for the final EE boon where I opted for Gale of Retribution (chance to heal up to 2.4K hit points and gain 1000 crit when getting hit) over Wall of Wind (chance to heal up to 2.4K hit points and gain 1000 recovery). For Icewind Dale, it's Sleet Skills (+2% crit severity) over Rapid Thaw (+400 recovery). Between defense and power, I'll always opt power. Between Reliquary Keeper's Strenght and Conjurer's Gambit, however, I chose the latter (any association with Archer is purely coincidental despite Arylos being based off him).

Ultimately, vorpal is absurdly useful when used in conjunction with Skirmisher's Gambit. The crit severity will just escalate like no tomorrow. Period. Alternatively, you can opt for either holy avenger or lightning. The former provides a much needed defensive game without compromising on the choice of gear and boons. For lightning, the cooldown reduction per hit is super useful. It's not just about maximizing your chances to proc Flurry. At the same time, the hunter ranger has the fastest hitting game due to the at-will powers. Not just range, but also melee. Also, Fox's Shift is a multi-hit move combined with invincibility during the moving animation.

If you're out to use vorpal, I strongly recommend Skirmisher's Gambit. Otherwise, you'll need to consider whether a reduction of 10% crit chance in exchange for 50% increased crit severity is truly worth it.

There's only this deep you need to penetrate

(no lewd jokes allowed here, Dany or no Dany)

As for armor penetration, it's a 50-50. For Dread Ring, I needed Illusion Shimmer. More than the trickster rogue, the melee hunter ranger is more reliant on deflection. And besides, 3% armor penetration bonus amounts to only 300 in armor penetration stat (note: unlike other stats, 100 armor penetration is equivalent to 1% damage resistance ignored). This was also the reason why I opted for Draconic Armorbreaker (400 armor penetration=4% damage resistance ignored) since Arylos would always be using the defensive stables guild boon (basically the rule of thumb for 90% of dps builds with the temple lifesteal boon more for exceptional cases).

Why you should be power hungry

That is so long you don't commit arson like a Targaryen tyrant...

For guild boon, it's barracks. In fact, the barracks boon building has to be every guild stronghold's bread-and-butter due to power being that only stat which matters on a universal basis. Come to think of it, I won't be surprised if there are guilds having more than one barracks in order to stack the power game. Unlike Westeros, being power hungry in Faerûn isn't that harmful so long no one worships Cyric.

Also, there's a need to create at least one source of direct boon damage. In other words, Elven Ferocity and Vengeful Heat.

Note: Combat advantage boons are a must for every melee hunter ranger.

Going defensive on defense

(because you don't expect Guts to survive an actual fight with Nosferatu Zodd without defense)

On the defensive end, it's stable for the guild boon. Unlike barracks, no sane guild would build two stables. Every guild stronghold can only hold up to 4 permanent boon buildings. Wasting a plot for another stable is nothing short of stupidity because armor penetration is basically useless once the damage resistance bypass breaks the 70% mark. In fact, any decent armor penetration based dps build should just cap it at 60+% with the rest being invested on power. Even for PvP, 80% damage resistance bypass is good enough, beyond that will just be overkill.

If it's possible to choose deflection, I'll take it. Illusion Shimmer is a classic example of that. Due having the worst dodge game (beyond the fact that dodging won't break the offensive momentum), melee hunter rangers need deflection to stay alive. In fact, this was the reason why I opted for Enraged Regrowth over Shadowtouch. I was focusing so much on the offensive boons that I need to something to fall back on constantly. Coupled with Gale of Retribution, it means a stacking game is quite possible. Also, Wilds Medicine is your only best bet of surviving a fight beyond the need to use Oak Skin. In fact, chances are that you won't survive a mid-damage hit without the latter.

Beyond defense and deflection, lifesteal is also a must. This is due to Assassin's Covenant, that mount insignia bonus most useful for mid to low tier dps. Thankfully, I don't have to worry much about regeneration because incoming healing tends to be the parallel boon to any lifesteal severity option. Coupled with the fact that I dropped 2 points into Dragon's Revival and I'm pretty much safe here.

As for control resistance, this is something vital. In raid instances, you'll never know when you'll get CC'd. Getting slowed or immobilised, in particular, can be a pain in the neck. Run through epic Temple of the Spider and you'll know what I'm talking about. And no, I'm not interested in getting a drow girlfriend. I value my sanity and life very much, tyvm.

On the stamina end, I threw in 5 feat points into Swift Footwork. This is because a change in gear means choosing Demonic Swiftness (+3% action points gain) over Demonic Endurance (+10% stamina regeneration during combat). In fact, the Sword of Kelemvor loadout here is not exactly known for excessive stamina.

Because Arylos has officially restored his full relic artifact weapon set, what it means is that incoming heal has become the core of his defensive game. This is also exactly why I chose Planar Vitality as the final Cloaked Ascendancy boon for this loadout. There's no point choosing Vision of Beyond due to Skirmisher's Gambit reducing the crit chance. Not to mention as well that as a melee hunter ranger, you're supposed to be stabbing the enemy from behind whenever possible (ironically, I never put a single point into Scoundrel Training due to all 3 points going to Disciple of Dexterity). Aberrant Power and Aberrant Slaughter are out of the picture for two reasons.

1. Aberrant Power requires your character to take hits like a tank.

2. Aberrant Slaughter works like Demon Slayer. Yes, killing those mooks outright can be fun. But that's it. I'm not about play lottery on the basis of 5% success chance. Useful for hdps and tank, but that's all.

For hit points boons, it's all about Feywild Fortitude and Dragonheart. I'd take Glacial Strength for that 3.2K hit points if not for the fact you don't need to kill things personally in order to proc boons like Elvish Fury and Vengeful Heat (and yes, I got both).

Then there is Icy Wrath, which can give you up to 2000 bonus damage. Adding together Enraged Regrowth and Cold Shoulder, of course.

Healing
(because you're not the trolling incarnate known as Deadpool)

This is where Rousing Warmth comes in. The constant incoming heal proc'd by the relic set bonus means one thing. Your chances of triggering bonus damage dealt (up to 3000) is very damn high. Coupled with Wilds Medicine and you're guaranteed a Rousing Warmth more often than you'd like to think. For the melee hunter ranger, this can't be any better. Even without Oak Skin, that is. In fact, this was why the Sword of Kelemvor loadout placed heavy emphasis on incoming heal boons. This is also the main reason why Arylos' dps game has become surprisingly good. Against a hdps build, the difference is around 1 million damage dealt. It may sound like a big gap, but the gap would have been far greater if not for a Rousing Warmth constant proc. In fact, there are moments where the gap is less than a million. Try imagining this with a hdps control wizard or archer hunter ranger.

As such, there's not much need to have Oak Skin beyond this being strictly optional (unless your party doesn't have a healer). In fact, one thing I discovered about Oak Skin is that it tends to disrupt my dps momentum. As any mid-dps build user can (and will) tell you, such a scenario would mean giving the rest more dps. Which is already bad enough given the presence of any hdps character in your party. Of course, this is not to say Oak Skin is useless. If you have either the Fey set or Lifeforged set, Oak Skin can be quite useful. If you have the Aboleth or Mirage set, there's not much point using Oak Skin since these two sets are strictly dps.

Relic set not found

(Error 404)

Relic set is generally the best artifact weapons you can ever get. Unless you're running on an executioner trickster rogue or a healer build, relic set should be the highest end. Even if you're to compare Lifeforged with relic as a hdps great weapon fighter, the dps difference will still be there. Of course, this is not to say Lifeforged should be binned by any build beyond the tank. For hdps great weapon fighters, the 5% increase in defense can mean a great deal due to great weapon fighters being good at only one thing: Getting up close and personal. At the same time, great weapon fighters tend to be rush reliant. Which means unless you can minimize the need to run, relic set will just compromise your dps with increased movement speed and reduced incoming damage as the tradeoff. Something which Lifeforged can quite obviously override at the expense of lower defensive buff.

If you do not have a relic set (and besides, I won't be surprised if it's now harder to farm for the reagents needed), Lifeforged should be the way to go for any melee hunter rangers. Getting 5% defense bonus is like increasing your defense by 2000. Coupled with the fact that the Fortified effect will also add in 10% of your defense to your power and your melee hunter ranger wouldn't be worried about how much damage the mob will score on you. Unless of course, you're actually too dumb not to choose the stable guild boon for defensive purposes. Combined with Brynnyr's Demise/Oak Skin/both, and you're all set to go. The melee hunter ranger is much more survival reliant due to the lowest dodge distance in-game, hence there's a need to up the defense so that the deflection can ensure a decent combat durability.

As for Aboleth and Mirage sets, I consider them as more range friendly due to their pure dps properties. Unlike other dps builds, melee hunter rangers require a delicate balance between damage and defense. You can't go too far into the dps because a low dodge distance means a lower chance to jailbreak in any case of AoE nuking or the aggro breaking free.  At the same time, you can't go too far into the defensive end because you'll definitely end up at the bottom of the dps ladder due to obvious reason. For Fey set, it's more for trappers. Even then, that'd require Oak Skin and stance switching to maximize the usage (read: an increment in damage, outgoing heal, and action point gain).

Lifeforged set bonus can ensure a proper balance being struck. In fact, this is also why some hdps great weapon fighters may prefer Lifeforged to relic. Unlike the relic set, Lifeforged will guarantee you increase in both power and defense. In fact, if we're to go by the power and damage maths, Fortified can easily give better damage than Fey-Touched so long the power increment is above 1200 (i.e. 1200 power=3% damage increment).

Originally, I planned to get Lifeforged because trying to be clever via a Fey set actually cost me that much-needed efficiency. Then I realized my relic set was already halfway through the restoration process. So might as well I don't waste the time and effort taken. Yes, it cost me quite a lot of astral diamonds (most of the reagents can now cost you anywhere from a five figure sum to six in the auction house). But hey, the dps is totally worth it. Even if I still chose Lifeforged, the dps won't be that great. Also, Rousing Warmth.

Why always Park? (aka my take on the next mod)

I find my life to be quite a Korean drama. Whenever the bandwidth gets eaten up by that bandwidth glutton known as my sis, why always me. More specifically, it's SingTel's fault for giving up the online gamer customer base to rival telcos. Why always me? I don't feel understood by human beings around me, why always me? I just can't get a chance to test my mettle despite my nation boasting itself as a meritocracy, why always me? Is it any wonder then that I refused to keel over for the Singaporean way when it comes to taste?

Above is the Singaporean taste...


Above is my taste...


Above is the Singaporean taste...


Above is my taste...

And now, back to why always Park?

2017 can be seen as the year of the Park. We have the political Park and the beautiful Park. Then we have Jurassic Park.

To be honest, I'm starting to have mixed feelings here. While on one hand, I hope mod 12 will be a success, it was a miracle Storm King's Thunder/Sea of Moving Ice didn't sink the game. While it wasn't as disastrous as Elemental Evil (i.e. the mod which still ranks as the worst one ever because the entire gear system got nuked down to ground zero), it's basically another Icewind Dale. The fights are good with the usage of terrain being more vital than 90% of the other zones. However, with good fights comes poor loot. There's not much for the players to be motivated about beyond completing the campaign. And even then, it's much more of a drag than anything else. At least Icewind Dale won't really take you that long.

Ultimately, I'm actually wondering whether the devs will do anything to alleviate the excruciating process of completing the whole damn campaign. Hopefully, the River District won't be the only place where you can purchase voninblod. Or even better, make the final boons for SKT much powerful than the rest (then again, it'd defeat the purpose of playing the campaign post-completion).

A lot will hinge on how fast you can complete the new campaign. Once you finish it, you can pretty much go back to the other end of Icewind Dale. Problem is, what should the devs do in order to make SKT more playable? For EE, at least they added in campaign boons which were quite good (apart from the final boon which is mediocre, that is).

Problem with SKT, it seems, may not be down to the duration. Rather, it is the quality of the drops. You only get 100 voninblod plus the customary XP and gold. If you can complete any of the side quests, it's 50 more voninblod per turn in. Which is stupid considering how long it takes even for hardcore grinding. Of course, this will mean that getting a map in a bottle will help a lot. After all, this should be where you get plenty of bonus voninblod. The only problem? Navigation. The Sea of Moving Ice is one large piece of ocean with large icebergs. There are only two indications that a treasure chest is nearby.

1. The presence of a flag. This indicates the specific iceberg has one or more treasure chests.

2. Skeletal remains of whoever unfortunate enough to meet Kelemvor. This is a cast-iron proof that a treasure chest is nearby.

If you want to profit from any map in a bottle, my suggestion is to memorize one location at a time. Don't try to do more than one map in a go unless your orientation skill is on the par with Sir Edmund Hillary. Thankfully, the reddit manual is still around.

Note: In case you've yet to notice, it seems that the Arc in-game browser has been taken down. You can no longer press Shift+Tab.

Add note: Storm King's Thunder isn't all doom and gloom, though. If you're playing as a melee hunter ranger, rejoice because we all know what anema did before quitting Cryptic. Doing a god-mod for archery is one thing, realizing the insane damage caused by Skirmisher's Gambit plus vorpal enchantment is really quite a discovery. As for the trapper, nothing much has changed beyond the CC duration getting buffed.

Any way to make the other end of Icewind Dale more replay-friendly?

Actually, the answer is yes. Putting the relic armor set into the wondrous bazaar, however, isn't the way. If there's anything to go by, it will only make the excruciating process of grinding into an excruciating form of necessity.

Firstly, it'll be nice to have rewards like a Mark of Power/Stability/Union per standard quest completion. For optional quests like aiding Kelemvor (e.g. quests like killing the Returned and releasing the Ghost of Bryn Shander from her misery), killing giants (basically doable in Bryn Shander, Lonelywood, and Cold Run) or critter population control (mostly in Lonelywood because Drizzt isn't around to help his girlfriend), why not provide a chance to get loot like Superior Mark of Power/Stability/Union?

As for Sea of Moving Ice, why not do the same for the optional quest with the reward being (rare) marks used for the relic weapons specific ones? At the same time, completing standard quests will provide you with a chest where you'll get an aquamarine and a gigantic enchantment plus a chance of getting a random rare relic weapon mark. Because I'm in the mood for schadenfreude, why not trigger the gigantic enchantment drop via the relevant campaign progress? Say for example you completed the campaign quest that will give you a rank 4 gigantic enchantment (i.e. doing it 3 times), completing any standard quest in Sea of Moving Ice will yield a chest containing 1 gigantic enchantment of that rank. Once you managed to aid the Elk Tribe barbarians 3 times out of 3 tries, the chest will drop two rank 4 gigantic enchantments and a rank 5 gigantic enchantment.

For the rewards given this way, the loot should be either bind on equip or bind to account. Apart from the relic weapon marks since that will give the auction house economy more options. Not to mention more profitable as well so as to speak. As for the greater and superior marks for relic weapons, I won't mind them being bind to account in this context.

Rewards for Fangbreaker Island, both versions of Svardborg, and epic Spellplague Caverns

I won't go that far as to suggest heightening the chances of a legendary ring drop. At the same time, I also feel that the dungeons are quite okay the way they are now. The main problem here lies in the standard open world PvE. Period. If nothing is being done apart from moving the relic gear to the wondrous bazaar, I truly doubt there will be much reason for gamers to complete Storm King's Thunder campaign beyond the need to complete every single damn campaign in the game. Which is terribly dumb, if you're to ask me.

Which now comes to the Kavatos weekly quest where you're required to finish epic Demogorgon, Fangbreaker Island, epic Svardborg, and epic Spellplague Caverns. Yes, the blood ruby is nice to have. 50K refinement points per pop. But why not adding a chest where you can choose between a few options below?

1. One twisted ichor with a chance of getting two instead.

2. One uncommon relic weapons refinement item with a chance of getting a blue one instead.

3. Two hundred abandoned treasures with a chance of getting a blue companion (i.e. lava galeb duhr, yeth hound, and blue fire eye).

Note: Above rewards should be bind to account in order to prevent a total crash in the auction house economy.

Gear system breaking the glass ceiling?

Apparently, level 500 gear will be available for Jurassic Park. While there's plenty of information yet to be outed, I won't be surprised if said gear will be either bind on equip or bind to account. The presence of a new set of level 420 gear may mean a few things.

1. Armor which can be purchased with guild marks may still be there. This is due to the likelihood that earning 6K+ guild marks may still be easier than earning astral diamonds. Apart from the shards, you can also earn extra guild marks via donating Sharandar and Dread Ring campaign currency since these two are the easiest campaigns to complete.

2. It's possible that the new level 420 gear set will confer set bonus since there's no point for the devs to create a white elephant.

3. The new gear set is very likely to be classified under the standard assault, raid, restoration, and ward categories.

4. The set bonus may vary according to the relevant category.

5. Hopefully, this also means the elemental drowcraft gear will be upgraded to around level 430. Actually, the article above may have hinted at this.

6. Will dragonflight and lionsmane gear be upgraded to a higher level? If elemental drowcraft gear can be upped to level 430, then it would only make sense that the dragonflight and lionsmane gear are upped accordingly.

7. Hopefully, there's an option to upgrade drowcraft rings via a maxed out black ice forge. No point making Icewind Dale 100% redundant.

As for the new epic seal system, this may easily mean the only gear which can be purchased will be the relic armor set together with the reagents needed (including lanolin hopefully).

For the non-masterwork gear amounting to level 420 and 430 (apart from the possibility of level 430 drowcraft gear), it means the gear craftable this way will most likely focus on power-recovery or critical-armor penetration. This is due to the current masterwork gear being focused on either power-critical or power-armor penetration. Therefore, it'd be terribly stupid for the devs to mess this up via a watered down "masterwork" gear system. Interestingly enough, the pricing for epic profession persons has hit a decent spike in the auction house. If you want to play safe, I suggest you start getting the epic profession tools asap before the next mod. I'll explain this much later on. Just be patient.

Total Recall on masterwork gear?

Which now comes to the current masterwork gear. Because more and more people will be doing the new dungeon as time goes by, it'd be utterly unthinkable that masterwork gear will be stuck at the current level 435 and 480. Already, tier 1 masterwork gear will most likely be made redundant due to the availability of level 480 gear obtainable in-game. Therefore, I won't be surprised if a tier 1 masterwork equipment will be fixed at around level 500 with tier 2 masterwork quite likely to break that mark (possibly around level 520 by my guess). It's either that or crafting tier 1 masterwork gear should be much easier (which also means they will come much cheaper in the auction house).

Seemingly dumb gear

Currently, I've gotten Brynnyr's Demise, Bloodlord's Visage, and Psion's Shroud. And that is not considering Morlanth's Shroud. On the first glance, some, if not, most of the current level 450 gear looks useless. However, this seemingly half-assed gear system is catered to specific builds more than anything else. Even something seemingly useless like Psion's Shroud, Deepknight Brigandine, and Morlanth's Shroud does have its purpose. Psion's Shroud is quite useful for temptation scourge warlocks with the damnation tree also profiting from it (that is, so long you max out Mocking Spirit and Spiritfire for open PvE and Warding Spirits plus Wrathful Souls for raiding). Deepknight Brigandine is more for healadins, dps guardian fighters, and sentinel great weapon fighters. As for Morlanth's Shroud, it's useful for any great weapon fighter (in particular instigators due to a buff-dps hybrid play). Survivor's Wraps can be absurdly useful for healers and great weapon fighters due to their high-end survival gameplay. Cambist's Gauntlets can deal absurdly high damage upon proc while that head gear you can loot from Malabog's Castle (forgot its name) can proc like crazy if you're playing a guardian fighter utilizing Knight's Valor (read: every tanking guardian fighter's BFF with no exception).

So what this means is very simple: I don't see the current level 450 gear phasing out anytime soon.

Note: The current level 450 gear you can purchase from the stronghold mysterious vendor will most likely be your best bet in upping your character's efficiency in preparation for Chult. If there's anything to go by via what the devs have teased, the dinosaurs will be more dangerous than the frost giants.

Economy

I'm pretty sure the economy in the auction house may be moving out of its mass deflation status. More specifically moving out on a partial basis. Because of the new non-masterwork gear crafting recipe available for the next mod, I'm foreseeing a price jump in terms of epic profession tools/assets/both. While epic profession persons won't matter much (unless you're out to unlock all 9 profession slots), the same cannot be said about the tools. It'll most likely be another case of crafting a level 135 personalized adamant ring of piercing so as to speak. The only way to get the desired outcome is to slot in epic profession tools (legendary or mythic in one of the slots if you happen to have the gondhammer like yours truly).

As for the rest, I doubt there will be much change in the auction house economy. In fact, the reason why there's a mass deflation for pretty much 70% of the things on sale lies in the availability of epic to legendary loot whenever you finished running an epic instance with your 4 other BFFs. Yes, the rng can be really annoying at times. Or rather, most of the time. But imagine getting a legendary Celeste complete with her cleavage. Don't laugh, someone in my alliance really got that lucky a few weeks ago or so. Quite obviously, chances of getting such loot on a bind to account basis are quite high with the unbound ones capable of fetching a handsome sum in the auction house. So far, the only unbound loot I got so far was a green phoera. That was like donkey weeks ago.

As a result of the new loot drop changes, the auction house economy hit a massive deflation. While stuff like preservation wards and coalescent wards remain slightly changed, the rest have hit a pricing nosedive. For starters, getting a green companion would have cost you like a few hundred thousand astral diamonds. Now, you can just get one for around 1000 ad or even less than that. Epic mounts used to cost a mother of all bombs with legendary mounts costing an atomic bomb. Now, you can easily grab one for around 500K while a legendary mount would go like 1-2 million by my own estimation (note: epic mounts used to cost that much before Cryptic decided to go socialist mode on the auction house).

My advice to you is very simple: Either get an epic mount via the zen store (read: any mount you buy from the zen store can be obtained automatically for every character in your current roster) or get one from the auction house. There's no way you can travel through River District so as to speak with a mount speed of 80%, let alone 50%. Which means trying to do so in Chult will guarantee an auto takedown by the aggro. No refund, only respawn.

Note: The zen-astral diamonds exchange seems to stay the same atm. A no-brainer since this aspect of the game is all about the zen users calling the shots (read: it's still going like 496-500 astral diamonds per zen). In other words, there are people who pay real money for the zen just to rig the market. And I don't see that changing unless Cryptic decide to bring back the planar idol. Which is not gonna happen by my own guess.

A Garden of Swords

Well, I'm having mixed feelings here. On one hand, I'm under no illusions that my Neverwinter Six will most likely be consigned to a mere work of fandom. On the other hand, I felt motivated to do some Total Recall.

Plot twist: The President of the United State of California decided to exercise the right of political autonomy. 😷

The reason being Tyranny of Dragons throwing a curve ball from the touchline. As what Keira "the English Jeanne d'Arc" Knightley have famously implied, just bend it like Beckham. Or kick it like Cantona for that matter.

Yep, it's an ancient Chinese art martial alright. Hopefully, my entire family will know I have a French temper.

For now, I'll need to strike a balance between those Wizards from the Coast and Sakaguchi Hironobu in the event Le IMPOSSIBRU! really happen.

A/N: I'm not going to hide it. My original plan is to kill off Korey during the events surrounding Rise of Tiamat (definitely not the one inspired by a real-life tragedy, but rather that other Korean girl. I blame my sis for the fact that she [seeminegly] refused to try knowing the real me). Rejoice, all you salty Koreans. Don't thank Kuok Ming Hui for his merciful hand or Kuok Ming Si for her constant support for Running Man at the expense of her bro's online convenience. Thank those Wizards from the Coast. For now, I decided to up this image below 4 teh lolz.

Disclaimer: Above image is not the result of fanboy voyeurism as we know it. Rather, it's schadenfreude.

)0(

He witnessed Arylos’ ceaseless pursuit of Nostura from the Spellplague Caverns to the Feywild, a corrupted prey taunting the hunter. Ever since his untimely death at the hands of the daemonfey, Ilyath Le’Quella has been keeping an eye over his beloved Cyrea. For who could easily let go of a love unfulfilled? From Cormanthor to Neverwinter, his heart yearned for the day of reunion. Yet, this would also mean her death.

Then came a rival he could never surpass. The wood elf was a scoundrel, someone created for war and conflict. His strength was never in the feat of arms, but the shrewdness of a gifted tactician. His god was never their god, his people never their people. Therefore, how could such a knave be good enough for a lady from House Durothil?

From Neverwinter to New Sharandar, from Icewind Dale all the way to the Sea of Moving Ice. Time and again, Arylos defied the odds. He defied the odds to survive, he defied the odds to win the hand of Ilyath’s lady fair. Part of the moon elf desired an untimely end for a rival unexpected, yet a greater part of him wondered how far this interloper could go. He was hailed as the Hero of Neverwinter through the proclamation of Dagult Neverember, his tactical brilliance in repelling the dragons’ attacks on Neverwinter forever immortalized. The Iliyanbruen fey, those who were in truth moon elves like him, recognized his heroics against Malabog, that self-proclaimed king of the Fomorians and dark fey alike. They named him the Kingslayer, they would surely remember him as the heir apparent to the once great Celadaine. The renowned Drizzt Do’Urden, a hero whom Ilyath viewed with respect and envy, saw him as an equal despite their conflicting ideologies. How then could the Teu-tel-quessir not feel inferior to this Or-tel-quessir less qualified?

When Sehanine Moonbow revived Ilyath from the grave, she told him a witness was needed. A witness who could be trusted to recount the story of a mistake which should have never existed in the first place. And Arylos… this Arylos was that mistake.

)0(

“I can’t believe it,” laughing in a resigned manner, Yasilder Le’Quella could only accept her best friend’s decision, “What makes him so attractive? Even more attractive than my deceased brother?”

“I find it quite unbelievable as well,” Cyrea replied as she took a sip from a glass of fine elven wine, her eyes of sunset red never straying from an unconscious Arylos.

“Quite? Only quite?”

With a sigh, Yasilder took a brief glimpse. Not at the one defying everything her elven pride believed in, but her young son poring over a book. She couldn’t bear to look at the wood elf beyond a few moments, for his life was nothing short of a mockery directed towards the Tel-quessir. Never his people and never his god, such was a defiance snarled forth from a wolf fierce and proud. At the same time, there was something in him which reminds her of a name synonymous with trouble and infamy.

Elaith Craulnober.

“At least Nym isn’t here,” muttered Yasilder as the image of Nymmestra teasing Cyrea over her choice of love goaded her to no end.

)0(

“You have lived this long as a sword. Aren’t you tired at all?”

Before an annoyed Mychelle, Arylos only directed his amber eyes towards her newfound toy. Namely, a moon elf by the name of Ilyath Le’Quella. Cyrea had already told the Kelemvorite ranger of her past, the self-introduction of someone better than him unable to throw the wood elf off his guard. As for Mychelle, the peevish aranea could only fume in silence. Nothing has changed where she herself was concerned. A petite frame with a pale complexion, a look no different from a young human girl of fifteen. Her long curly hair was let down, her ruby red lips painting a seductive portrait.

As for the object of her affection, he has changed. When they first met, it was under Lurue’s orders to protect a young wood elven child of thirteen. In a moment of mischief, Mychelle assumed the guise of a little girl around his age. This was the very same look she was wearing now, for every aranea was born with a unique humanoid form. Years could only do this much before eternal youth. Yet, the very same years have warped an innocent boy who didn’t know how to deal with girls of his age. He never became a monster, but perhaps something else far worse off. Namely, living as a sword belonging to Kelemvor. Who was to blame for this living tragedy? Should it be a harsh hand dealt by fate itself? Or that Koryoan girl whose suicide had forced upon him a mind of steel shortly before Wheloon was sealed off from civilization? Either way, it wasn't Arylos' fault. This much, Mychelle understood.

“Tell me why you brought me here,” questioned Arylos, the tone of an interrogator rising Ilyath’s ire.

“Not physically.”

If Ilyath thought his reply could provoke a reaction out of his rival, he was sorely wrong as Arylos merely stayed his tongue.

“Not saying anything else?”

“If you want victory, then you have it. Either you tell me the truth or I will just go back to where I belong.”

Despite Arylos’ emotionless visage, Ilyath couldn’t help but perceive this statement as both a challenge and daring taunt. The two locked stares against each other. Then in a silent show of reprisal, Arylos got up and walk away. Ilyath contemplated bluffing him but soon abandoned the idea. Unlike himself, the Or-tel-quessir was a schemer no stranger to ploys and stratagem. No matter how hard a warrior tried, he could never win a war like a strategist. There would always be those who perished at the frontline in the name of valor. Then there were a chosen few who survived and conquered in the name of strategy and tactics.

In other words, there was no point saying to the interloper that without directions given, no one could leave the Feywild. Unlike Ilyath himself, Arylos was born with the power of Feywild coursing in his blood. If not for Kelemvor's interference via a longsword given by some doomguide named Orran, it's highly doubtful anyone could rein in Arylos. Or anything for that matter.

)0(

“Time really flies like Illaine’s arrow, huh?”

Before a jesting Lucas Shaneway and his flirting glance, Illaine merely answered with a silent stare. Shrugging like an unrepentant boy caught for bedding a girl, the prodigal son of House Shaneway took a hearty swig from his tankard of ale.

“Lucas, just grow up. Please.”

If Rhaegos thought his words could rein in that philandering genius from the Lords’ Alliance, he was soon proven wrong as Lucas gave a wolf whistle towards that serving girl known as Calestyn. Without a warning, Illaine drew her bow and aimed an arrow at his head. Silence prevailed as only a chortle was heard from Rhaegos, the irony not lost to the dragonborn who once commanded a coalition army against Aerisi Kalinoth and her Cult of Howling Hatred years ago.

“Be careful there, Lucas Shaneway the Third,” cooed Jen Cheldarstorn, the attractive redhead patting him on the head much to his annoyance, “That’s the illegitimate daughter of Lord Protector Dagult Neverember himself.”

“That’s a cumbersome way to address a person of authority, I have to say,” snorted Rhaegos in good humor as the barmaid of Moonstone Mask chuckled at the sight of Lucas preening his spiked auburn hair.

“When will Myrreas be back?”

Calestyn’s question threw the trio off-guard, not even Jen with her tongue of golden wit could gather a proper reply. If the willowy brunette knew the truth, surely she would be crushed by grief. For all his warped sense of humor, the ex-Harper was nevertheless an enjoyable company in times of tavern banter and brawls. Windle was tasked with the mission to keep an eye on that rascal, yet word has returned from her that Myrreas was lost for good, the information confirmed by Bradda from the Sage’s Shop. Always one to play the daring hero, he always jested that the best way for him to die is to do so while trying to save the world. Therefore, how could they tell her the truth? That he acted truly to his words by taking out that living construct named Kabal in the middle of the Spellplague Caverns?

Then a gnawing question came back out of nowhere, a specter haunting them unto no end.

Why did every survivor from the Order of the Many-Starred Cloak insist the Spellplague only took place sixty years ago where in fact it was never the case?

)0(

Ilyath only knew too well what kind of mistake Arylos was. To resurrect a dead person was ever a possibility, but to do so the same for a stillborn child was another challenge altogether. No one has ever attempted such a feat, yet such was a mother’s love for her child. Celadaine was forced into madness and betrayal because he chose love above duty despite a façade of steel. Lysindea, in reply, sacrificed her life for their unborn child in the name of a future. A future called redemption for the fallen, a future for someone who should have been dead. As a result, two children were conceived. Karien was destined for a good life despite her mother legitimately wedded to the Moonless Knight himself. After all, she was of House Le’Quella like Ilyath himself.

As for her brother conceived from another womb, he was doomed to live like a father both would never get to know. With no memories of his mother, Arylos pitted himself against his father. Despised by his sister and wrongfully deprived of a family, it was of utmost irony that the Or-tel-quessir would be the closest thing to that shadow looming over those left behind.

Ilyath knew such a tale has existed before, however. There were times where Sehanine told him snippets of a person’s life. The life of a man who was tamed by Mystra when both were still mortals. Yearning to be somebody, yet that dream was brutally ripped away from his grasp. At last becoming a god, yet the price exacted was too heavy a burden. From Kelemvor Lyonsbane to Kelemvor the god of death, it seemed not even the gods themselves were able to tempt fate according to their whims and desires. Perhaps not even Ao the Overgod himself as well.

They were too alike, both the god and his Chosen. They were like a reflection unto each other, Kelemvor and Arylos. Perhaps this would be the last time he saw the back of a man defined by an eternal trial of steel and fire. Ilyath Le’Quella could never hope to understand Arylos, yet who else was able to apart from Cyrea?

An image then flashed before him, the poet in him suddenly rousing itself from slumber. It was an image of a garden. Not a garden of flowers, grass, and trees. But rather a garden of swords.

)0(

Actually, I finished this piece last night or so. However, I needed to make sure proof-reading is a must. Hence, this short story only upped now. Interestingly, the Princes of the Apocalypse adventure module took place around 1491 DR while Rage of the Demons took place around 1485 DR to 1487 DR. This was despite Elemental Evil being released earlier than Underdark where the Neverwinter game was concerned. In other words, the events in Elemental Evil as the gamers knew it actually took place before 1491 DR. Basically, this may have muddied the waters concerning the timeline for Storm King's Thunder. Was it taken place before, around, or after 1491 DR? What then about The Cloaked Ascendancy and Shroud of Souls storyline?

Instead of seeing them as problematic questions, I prefer trying to make perfect sense out of the seemingly convoluted. That is until divine interference decides to strike again in the near future by my guess.

Okay, I'll need to sleep soon. I won't be around in my cozy little cove called Singapore for the next few days. Once I make my imminent (?) return this Saturday, I'll need to start doing some serious stuff for my beloved Boro. Namely, what should Garry "the Welsh Monk" Monk and his backroom clergy do in order to make my beloved Boro great again. Much to the dismay of entities like Leeds, Sunderland, Alan "Captain Geordie" Shearer, and Joey "why always Barton?" Barton, of course.

Okay, here are a few songs chosen at random by this Singaporean connoisseur.

If you see the dead YouTube man, be sure it's a bluff. The last time I checked, that is.

Yes, I know focusing on the dark side of reality isn't exactly the Asian thing to do as what Park "why always Park?" Shin-hye had implied last time round. Then again, Miura "he's gonna send the fans into berserk mode very soon again" Kentaro is also an Asian like Shin-hye, yours truly, and pretty much one-third of the world population. Not to mention both the right and wrong Emiya below, of course.