Park, boobs, and sons of a gun (read: Neverwinter and Tera combined)

It's been totally crazy since 25th July. I really need to take a break. The problem with my gaming habit isn't due to addiction; otherwise, my sanity wouldn't have survived 14 working days sans my PC.

What this post is all about

When I mentioned Park and boobs, I'm referring to Chult and the fact that I ended up being a hypocrite. When I mentioned sons of a gun, I'm referring to the fact that the name of my slayer main (for Tera) is intended as a pun on the phrase "son of a gun."

Also, Arylos remains a certified bastard in terms of character just like this Emiya below.

Important note: Quite obviously, no offence is intended to any and every salty Korean from the south. The only reason why I pulled off the unthinkable act of hypocrisy is due to this. Already, I think I know who is the one person liking my posts till now, that I'm very sure she's not gonna like this post due to jealousy. My guess is that she's no (salty) Korean from the south.

Part I: Sonorff Argun and Sevea Layne

It's quite hilarious in a twisted sense. Despite what I may have implied here, I ended up creating a high elf sorceress (read: female high elf sorcerer toon). While I'm having half a mind to create a (male) high elf warrior, I wouldn't want to repeat the dumb mistake where I ended up creating 4 redundant toons apart from my currently active 3 in Neverwinter. I blame Elleon and those Koreans at Bluehole studio.

Note: Apparently, you can only create two characters per account unless there's a way to buy extra slots with real money.

Sonorff Argun-Impression so far

Using a slayer can be quite tricky. Plenty has been stated about this class having high mobility and high burst damage. The problem is, using a slayer is different from understanding a slayer based on words alone.

The slayer is indeed all about mobility. However, this is also a class not suited for gamers who only know how to smash (like Hulk) or clobberin' it (like the Thing). This is a class for smart people. You don't have to be Justin Wong, Daigo, or Kiyomatsu to master this class. But you really have to be that damn smart.

Which now comes to the offensive game. Unlike warriors, valkyries, and berserkers, slayers are only good at one thing: Pure damage and destruction. In Terra, hit and run requires more tactical awareness than using a sorcerer. As a slayer, you'll have to know when to keep hitting and when to bail. The slayer's attacking speed is mediocre at best, outright abysmal most likely. The basic 4 hit combo is slow to come out per execution. At the same time, taking on a large monster also means your slayer can't afford to run about too many times. So far, the only attacks that come out decently fast would be Stunning Backhand, Leaping Strike, and Distant Blade. For Leaping Strike, it can be quite dodgy at times due to the need to time your hit properly. Stunning Backhand has officially become my staple (since my gaming style actually favours a fast hitting approach). Distant Blade is my number one option when it comes to raiding while it's more for knock-down follow-up in solo play. However, Leaping Strike can be very useful when used from a successful Retaliate. In particular, Retaliate has a chance of knocking down opponents in a single sweep instead of just hitting back.

For mob clearing, I'm now using Whirlwind. This move comes out very slowly, but the AoE and damage are certified high end. One single swipe can cover pretty much the entire mob. Against trash mobs, this move can take care of things asap. Already, there were moments where one single Whirlwind can take down 2-3 standard Lok minions.

Tenacity has to be my other staple move. Because MP is always important to a slayer (after all, it's all about killing them before they kill you), using this in the middle of any fight can set up some nice combos. In particular, chaining a Knockdown Strike from Tenacity can be deceptively effective.

As a slayer, you'll need to master the art of Combo Attack. The hits are slow to come out, but each hit can replenish your MP for free. As for Evasive Roll, you really need it. The slayer relies on positioning to survive and high one-shot damage to prevail. Against large enemies, however, this approach can be problematic as such opponents tend to spam AoE. In other words, Evasive Roll has its cooldown.

When it comes to Headlong Rush, I normally don't chain it to Knockdown Strike. Rather, I use it for two purposes.

1. To jailbreak immediately when the enemy is having the upper hand in dps momentum. This mostly happens in fighting large enemies and bosses.

2. To set up a Stunning Backhand due to its relatively fast execution speed. This combo really works due to a combination of stun and fast hitting. Works every single time, this I swear and guarantee.

Skill set for solo play: Combo Attack, Evasive Roll, Distant Blade, Stunning Backhand, Whirlwind, Headlong Rush, Tenacity, Retaliate

Sevea Layne-Impression so far

I'm really having fun with her right now. And by that, I mean gameplay. Initially, I was forced to mess around her moveset quite a while. The moment Arcane Pulse got unlocked, that's where things started becoming interesting. This move can be quite slow to come out since it's a charge move, but you can do some wonderful things from the fully charged version. In fact, a fully charged Arcane Pulse can easily kill any non-large target. I tried that before more than once, it really worked. When linked with Frost Sphere, it can either kill anything outright or weaken the target enough to take it down via a third attack.

My chaining game is very simple. Arcane Pulse>Frost Sphere>Lightning Strike>left click for Fireball spam. However, this is mainly for single target damage. For AoE, it's Painblast and Fireball left click spam. However, I may create a Painblast-Meteor Strike combo since I've just unlocked it in my last session.

On the point blank end, I'm currently sticking with Painful Trap. It's very easy to use. All I did is to cast this one, then open fire. Because the trap lasts for 10 seconds, either it would trigger and one-shot or it'd just be wasted because your range dps is too damn high. A very useful contingency, though, if I say so myself. Due to Lightning Trap being unlocked, however, it also means I may use this in place of Painful Trap since CC is more important for sorcerers in open PvE.

When it comes to dodging, the sorcerer has much going for him/her. Apart from springing Glacial Retreat as a counteroffensive jailbreak, Backstep is the most basic defensive move. Teleport Jaunt can be very effective when it comes to offensive dodging. Problem is, that move most likely has a cooldown longer than Backstep. In this sense, the slayer's dodge is much better offensively compared to a sorcerer's teleport/backstep game. Conversely speaking, this means the sorcerer has a very good defensive dodge game.

Also, one more thing: Flame Pillar isn't worth your time. Or at least it doesn't worth mine. The range is too near and it's a bit slow to come out. You can try chaining it from a Lightning Trap, though. Pretty sure it will work.

Note: The interesting part about using a sorcerer lies in the freedom to create your own combos instead of them being fixed. Not that other classes have this restriction, but rather it seems that at least the slayer can only do this much in mix and match.

Skill set for solo play: Fireball, Backstep, Arcane Pulse, Painblast, Teleport Jaunt, Lightning Trap (for now), Mana Infusion, Retaliate

Against large enemies and raiding-Sonorff Argun

For Sonorff Argun, dealing with the former can be a challenge. This is because while the slayer has superior dps, it doesn't have the one-shot potential you'd see otherwise in a sorcerer. At the same time, there's no decent CC game to be discovered here. Large enemies tend to have higher resistance to stun and knockdown, two things which can swing any fight to any player's favour. Couple with that a high damage game and superior defence, your slayer would most likely have a tough fight. Using battle solution goes a long in solving this, so don't be stingy. For me, I'd always spam Distant Blade once the chance comes. This is even better if you can score a knockdown. This is due to the hits coming out quite fast (basically, Stunning Backhand is like only 1-2 secs faster). It's quite effective in chipping off the HP on a consistent basis. Which is what a slayer should be doing solo against any enemy twice or thrice the size.

At the same time, such enemies would guarantee you an AoE attack once every few seconds. Because the slayer is a light armor class, you can't afford to stand and fight like a tank. Unless you're out to trial and error (something which would earn you a "Merc with a Mouth" achievement), better not do this. Ultimately, chances are that you'll still get hit. Once that moment comes, either you'll get slowed down or knocked down. Not so bad if it's the latter since knockdown attacks don't really deal much damage (that plus the follow up attacks as well). If it's the former, then you're in trouble since slayer relies heavily on mobility and positioning. In fact, there are times where getting slowed down also means you'll be getting damage over time as well. Which is why I always have Headlong Rush on standby plus healing potion. In fact, this is the reason why you should be slotting in hardy crystals more than any other defensive ones. Also, Tenacity doesn't make a slayer slow-proof. That's the most important part. If the offensive momentum isn't to your advantage, don't dive in straightaway post-jailbreak. Preferably, make sure your HP is back to full gauge.

For raiding, every party would love to have a slayer. This is due to slayers getting less aggro in any party. This is important because it allows the slayer to maximize the dps without worrying about getting hit. There's still a need to jailbreak, but at least the chances of that happening are lower. In fact, a slayer can deal insane damage via attacking from behind. Perhaps more than any other dps class, the slayer tends to profit from the party tank (the other class being sorcerer).

For raiding, I only made one change. Heart Thrust instead of Whirlwind. This is due to the potential damage it can deal against bosses. On the AoE end, I can easily pull off a Stunning Backhand to create multi-target CC.

Skill set for raiding: Combo Attack, Evasive Roll, Distant Blade, Stunning Backhand, Heart Thrust, Headlong Rush, Tenacity, Retaliate

Against large enemies and raiding-Sevea Layne
It's insanely easy to take on a large enemy. Because such enemies come alone instead of 2-3 of them, a high damage combo starter goes a long way to make the fight short. For this reason, Arcane Pulse again is a must. Any resultant combo won't kill that thing outright, but at least an effective CC hit can kill it asap with minimal risk involved.

When it comes to raiding, Arcane Pulse can be very tricky to land. This is due to two factors involved.
1. Charging time.
2. The event where the boss has high mobility or able to dash from one end to another.

However, the same logic of efficiency applies if you know when to land it instead of where. Raiding with a sorcerer is very straightforward. Just pull off a fast-cast combo against mobs with Arcane Pulse combo reserved for the big ones low on mobility.

Also, doing a teleport and laying down Painful Trap can be both fun and efficient. During my first raid with Sevea, that's exactly what I did on the boss.

Skill set for solo play: Fireball, Backstep, Arcane Pulse, Painblast, Teleport Jaunt, Painful Trap (for now), Mana Infusion, Retaliate

(Chultan) Park and a daring move

Currently, I'm reinstalling Marvel Heroes after three years in absence. In other words, the trio of Nightcrawler, Black Panther, and Invisible Woman is back!!!!

My longer term goal is to unlock that son of a gun named Deadpool. In the short run, however, I'll need to do a Total Recall on the move set. In particularly Nightcrawler (since I've always intended him to be my main since day 1).

Sadly, this also means I'll have to swear off Path of Exile since this is a game more for hardcore gamers or casual gamers playing only one game out of many. Now back to Chultan Park.

When the mod was first released, the same old thing happened. Namely, too many people flooding the new campaign zone servers. As a result, the game was lagging like crazy. Fast forward to now and it seems things have gotten better. So what should you be expecting in the new zone?

1. Repetitive quests looping on an infinite basis. The thing with daily quests is that they would repeat themselves like a broken record. Therefore, it's not really advisable to try maxing out the weekly quota asap. Unless you're out to torture yourself via grinding. Interestingly enough, this does not affect the weeklies.

2. Getting jumped by dinosaurs. The small ones are nothing more than an inconvenience. For the bigger ones, they can either knock you down (if you're fighting them) or stun you en route (if you're trying to outrun the aggro via mount speed).

3. The fact that any T-Rex prowling nearby won't chase after you unless you're crazy enough to start a fight with it.

I'll be going through the various enemies in the zone and what they can (and will) do to you.

Dinosaurs

This category of monsters tends to jump on you and knock you down. The bigger they are, the more likely this would happen. For the mob version, there are three variations. The small ones rely more on pure dps. The medium ones and large ones basically fight in the same modus operandi with the only difference being their stats. For the solo version, we have the Allosaurus and T-Rex. The former can be very hard to take down while solo'ing, but possible (I actually did that before with Arylos). As for the latter case, do not try solo'ing it unless you happen to be a great weapon fighter.

Even then, it took this guy like 6 mins to conclude the fight.

Taking down any dino mob isn't that harrowing as what others made it out to be. Their mobility is ridiculously high end with an insanely fast movement being their way of fighting (or hunting for that matter). However, they tend to take the most damage out of every mob type in Chult. If you're a dps build, you'll need to slow them down (or better still, immobilise them).  If you're not high on CC, then you better start planning a decent AoE dps strategy. Without the speed, they're just there for the taking. Be prepared for a back and forth fight, though. Dinosaurs tend to deal the most damage. Ironically, the high-end mobility and speed are the reasons why it's quite impossible to kill a T-Rex solo. Unlike the other critters in Chult, dinos are quite likely the one thing capable of doing in a solo tank. Below image is the reason why.

How I fight them as Arylos: The first few rounds are all about dodging. If possible at all, I'd like to evade them. Failure to do so means game on. Normally, you'll get stunned long enough for the mob to take you down. That's not the end of your world, though. Just don't stay there like a moron. A decent control resistance game is definitely a must. Try to get your control resistance to like at least 5% since prone status is known to be harder to recover. Then again, you'd most likely need around twice that amount. Once the fight starts, it's all about constant hit and dodge rather than just hit and run. This applies for both the raptor and their bigger cousins. For their smallest bros, it's trading hits and damage. The allosaurus is the most annoying because it's the second toughest non-boss enemy. In fact, I won't be surprised if it's more resilient than some of the rare hunts available in the jungle. That thing fights like a T-Rex, just that it's possible to solo it without being a great weapon fighter. Tough, yes. Impossible, no. What works for you against the raptors and all their bros will definitely work for you against it. Just don't try to solo a T-Rex unless you're a great weapon fighter who knows how to use UNSTOPPABRU!!!!!

Big cats

I rarely fought them. Apparently, any big cat mob would involve pouncing and knockdowns. If you know how to deal with crag cats and dread hounds, you should be somewhat familiar with any big cat mob in Chult. I've fought two types of cat mobs so far (if I remember correctly, I've also fought a tiger once). The first is the lion mob. This mob doesn't play the pouncing game, but the male lion has that stun roar. Against any lion mob, you really have to take down the male. In any case, there's only one male lion in any lion mob. The other big cat is the smilodon. Smilodons are harder to kill, but they only appear in pairs (if I recall correctly, lion mobs consist of one male and two females). Unlike dealing with lions, dealing smilodons require taking one cat out asap. Once you manage to do that, you're on the easy path to winning. The thing is, smilodons can take plenty of damage before dropping a tooth or two. At the same time, smilodons don't roar. They pounce. Try imagining crag cats high on steroids. That's basically what smilodons are all about. Interestingly enough, a rare smilodon opponent actually deals less damage than a mid tier dino mob. Not that any dino mob has a higher defensive game, of course.

How I fight them as Arylos: Same as the dinos, just that I don't need to dodge more than hald of the fight. Against a lion mob, I always try to take out the male first. As for smilodons, they're actually harder to fight due to their increased toughness. Still not a problem so long your focus doesn't get lost in its own Bermuda Triangle. And no, I'm not interested to know what will happen if one damn cat managed to pounce on me. At least I'm pretty sure my future girlfriend doesn't keep a smilodon.

Undead

If possible at all, try to take out the deathlock wight first. It doesn't take that dead woman long to summon, heal, or buff. More often than not, however, the battle wight will get to you first. In this scenario, don't try to get the deathlock wight first. Rather, try clearing a way through if you're more of a single target dps. Otherwise, use AoE attacks so that you can clear as many undead critters as possible. In particularly, skeletons are very easy to kill. At the same time, it's very common to see a lesser bone golem or two in their midst. That's the most problematic part because bone golems tend to spam knockdown once every few seconds. If you have a Ring of Vanishing Presence at least on a +3 (or preferably +4), however, then that changes the rules.

How I fight them as Arylos: They always stay their ground. The archers will stay their ground, the battle wights will stay their ground. The deathlock wights will stay their ground, the bone golems... well, they also stay their ground. Of course, this is not to say they always remain static in every sense of the word. Just that they pretty much move about in circles. The direct approach works. You fight the nearest thing in front of you, but you'll also need one way or another to target their Lady Stoneheart at the same time as well. You don't need a Longclaw to do them in, only the icy mind and fiery guts of Jon Snow himself.

Thayans

For some funny reason, you get to see Rath Modar's BFFs chilling in Chult. Granted they're most likely after the magical artefacts hidden in the temple ruins, but seeing them was still surprising. They tend to gather around one fixed area. Whenever you undertook the quest given by one of the NPCs at Camp Vengeance where you'll need to consecrate dead bodies and fighting the undead along the way, you'd surely notice them. There's not much separating the Thayans in Chult and those in the Dread Ring. Quite obviously, however, they're Dread Ring mobs high on steroids. It's still very easy to take them out since their modus operandi is pretty much the same as their Dread Ring BFFs.

How I fight them as Arylos: It's the same thing as fighting their inferior BFFs at Dread Ring. However, the terrain in Chult is mostly one patch of ground surrounded by four walls. Figuratively speaking, ofc. Simply put, I just target the wizards. If the servitors want a fight as well, it's a fight they will get. Just not on their terms. The close quarter terrain is a dual-edged sword for the red wizards. It gives them a far better chance of nailing you, but it also gives you the same advantage as well. Live by violence, die by violence. This is in Thayan speak fyi.

Batiri

They're quite likely the most annoying critters ever. Imagine quicklings high on weed. That's how bad they are. Less quick, but more brutal. There will be moments where getting swarmed by a mob can easily wipe out half your HP bar. Given that only mid and high tier dinos can do that, it really says something. At the same time, it's very easy to attract aggro. The reason why being that they can only be found in one area. Namely, Yellyark. One whole patch of land filled with those annoying little bastards. Fighting those batshit crazy batiris requires either an effective CC game and/or constant dodging so as to speak. This is for those with high stamina and guts. If you're a tank, however, that makes the fight far easier. Also, a recent event may have suggested fiction being the equivalent of reality.

How I fight them as Arylos: I just dodge as the first move. Instead of the whole dodge>dodge>dodge>hit>dodge>rinse and repeat sequence, I utilise a dodge>hit>hit>hit>dodge>rinse and repeat. In other words, I only need to dodge fast enough, NOT fast enough plus plenty of times. A big damage encounter is required, though. Which is where Plant Growth comes in. Hawkeye also helps a super great deal. Not just against them, but also pretty much the whole of Chultan Park. The initial wave will come faster than quicklings, however. Just that after the first wave of gang assault, the batiri mafia would have spent their speed adrenaline. The dino riders are the most problematic idiots, I have to say. They actually move faster than the standard cavalry in other zones. Annoying critters one and all.

Yuan-Ti
There's a difference between annoying critters and annoying bastards. The former points to the batiri, the latter refers to the yuan-ti. It's like comparing a rapist with a terrorist. Both are bad, but one is worse than the other in terms of destructive nature. Not that one should say a mudslide is a good thing compared to Chernobyl anyway. There are two types of yuan-ti enemies. Those that look like a human being and those which look slightly better than a human centipede. The former is very easy to deal with. You can just stand and fight without being a great weapon fighter. You'd still win anyway. The bad part about fighting a yuan-ti mob lies in those fellas whose fathers (or mothers for that matter) is quite literally... well, a snake. Just don't ask me about the details. I even doubt Ed "not Woodward" Greenwood would entertain such a damning question.

How I fight them as Arylos: Why I hate the serpentine half of any yuan-ti mob is very simple. Out of all the existent mobs in Chult, they're pretty much below the batiri and dinos, but also higher than the rest. I'm not talking about Darwinism, but rather the dps. There's a good reason why I call these things bastards. Nothing to do with Jon Snow, but rather they're the closest thing to another Snow called Ramsay. Evading their AoE bs is a pain in the neck (quite literally since I do have a high chance of getting a sore neck after intensive gaming rather than just extensive gaming). I have to close in, but they can easily pull off an AoE eruption out of nowhere. The yuan-ti is a race high on CC. And their CC is nothing to laugh at. There will always be one snake in charge of incapacitating you and his other snake BFF in charge of the damage. The shockwave bs can easily wipe around 2/3 of my HP bar in one go. The shadowy hand only deals moderate damage, but it comes with prone status (again, control resistance is your key to surviving Chult). The fear and charm approach is the worst part of the deal. The former will automatically drive you to the nearest mob while the latter will draw you towards the caster. The former will ensure you'll have to deal with two mobs at the price of one, the latter will ensure some big damage moves coming out from his own bros (since every yuan-ti sprite is male). Annoyance aside, I do find yuan-ti mobs to be quite a challenge. Pretty much up there with the dinos in the same way I'd pretty much rank Park "why always Park?" Shin-hye and Emilia "it makes romance absolutely IMPOSSIBRU! Just ask the men" Clarke as amongst the top beauties. Wait, this statement sounds so weird...

Fighting in Chult

Firstly, my suggestion is to do only 2-4 quests at Camp Vengeance plus maybe 1-2 patrol quests from the merchant prince on a daily basis. This is because grinding in Chult can be mentally exhausting. On one hand, you wouldn't want to force yourself. On the other hand, a run through the jungles of Chult can be very taxing on the eye (which in turn leads to fatigue). You don't have to force yourself to wipe the max weekly quota by end of the week unless you're crazy like me. There are only 4 quests available at Camp Vengeance with the sequence going like a cycle (read: undead quest>templar quest>scout quest>relic retrieval quest>rinse and repeat). Also, it's gonna take more than one rank's worth of campaign progress to have a shot at buying the campaign gear (in particular, the rings are basically the best ones I've ever seen and I'm not talking about astral diamonds).

One thing which I realised, however, is that unless you've yet to progress on the campaign, you may not understand fully why there are so many people doing lfg requests for King of Spines. Apparently, the drop rate for decent loot is quite low. In fact, someone assumed I've started a KoS just because I mentioned that heroic encounter being left alone despite 20 players in the same instance. I tried answering that fellow, but he logged off immediately after making the assumption. For the sake of that person (unless that he was merely a troublemaker going by the name of Sigmund Schadenfreude), let me just say that apart from the one at Camp Vengeance, pretty much the rest of heroic encounters are hunts. And that includes the damn KoS. Now that I've said it, no one should be given the excuse of "I don't know."

In Chult, one must also understand basic etiquette. You don't call your teacher "son/daughter of a whore" because you're no Rodrigo "Hot Rod" Duterte. Likewise, please learn some manners and don't pull any aggro towards some poor fellow fighting the current mob. There will be moments where you can't think properly while escaping, I'll admit that. But that doesn't give other people an excuse not to call you a... well, son/daughter of a whore. I need to say this out for a reason. If I can be a victim, it means anyone can be a victim. The terrain in Chult is already difficult enough. The moment you get trapped by the mob, you can't get out unless you place everything on the line like Wulfgar or Drizzt Do'Urden. I admit I'm actually good enough to survive two yuan-ti mobs. To deal with three of those is either foolhardiness or a case of some German named Sigmund Schadenfreude.

And lastly, please let me point out that the terrain in Chult is mostly a case of narrow paths and dino ambush aplenty. The moment you hear something funny coming out from the bushes, it means you'll have to brace yourself. In combat, it's the quality of movement (read: how smart you are) rather than quantity (read: how many times you have to dodge) that matters the most. Although there would be certain areas offering a decent patch of flat ground, such a scenario can only be seen in Yellyark and the entrance area to any temple ruins.