Now don't get me wrong. The only reason why I made... well, the wrong reason was that I chose to bind myself under a knight's oath like some bastard son of Gawain. So no, it got nothing to do with liberals and feminism. I have Facebook when it comes to airing the more serious stuff, but definitely not this blog. Hence, there's no need to disturb AWARE over this. In fact, I tend to judge songs based on the tune and the relevance of the lyrics to the related plot. That's all. Which is why I don't base my preference on genre and names.
At this point in time, by upping the video, it means I have officially broken my oath. Or released from it. Or whatever. Since this post about OmuRice, I might as well up this image for fun.
Note: Will we see the likes of Park "definitely a better Choi-Park than the previous Choi-Park" Shin-hye and Aragaki "#TeamGaki but not this #TeamGaki" Yui for the next campaign?
Before I start...
Since I've decided to do some writeup on whatever gameplay ideas in my head, I might as well up the image above here. This part will be really brief, though.
Rolling the D20:
In pen and paper, you live and die by the D20. Or whatever you wanna call a 20 sided die. In combat, encounter powers will be executed on a random basis per every 20 seconds with each such power having its own cooldown period. What this means is that any encounter power can be used. However, which one will be triggered depends on the rng. In other words, every encounter power is usable. Which in turn results in the power tray interface becoming redundant. When it comes to the random execution rule, standard attacks and at-will powers will not be affected (i.e. you can pull them off as many times you want without the rng and cooldown).
During combat, two dice will be in play. The first die is called the hit die. The number rolled is an indication of how much damage is dealt. If the die score is 20, then it's counted as a critical hit. A critical hit deals twice the maximum damage possible. Why I say "maximum damage possible" instead of just "maximum damage" is because of AC. Armor class is a universal right given to characters, allies and enemies. This universal right indicates damage resistance. While the most common source of armor class is the gear, other sources of AC are also available in the form of feats, powers, and consumables. However, it must also be noted that the hit die also applies to buffs and heals. In this case, only the die score counts.
For daily powers, they can only be triggered once the character's hit points drop below 50%. For every such moment in combat, a daily power will be triggered. Like encounter powers, each daily power will have its own cooldown period.
For daily powers, they can only be triggered once the character's hit points drop below 50%. For every such moment in combat, a daily power will be triggered. Like encounter powers, each daily power will have its own cooldown period.
The second die in play is the save die. This indicates three types of saves: Fortitude, Will, and Reflex. Fortitude affects the duration of any debuff from physical sources while Will saves affect debuff effects from magical sources. As for Reflex saves, they affect damage taken from area attacks.
Note: I need to sit down and brainstorm the part on spell preparation and how to incorporate magic usage into the above combat system.
Correct progression?
Note: I need to sit down and brainstorm the part on spell preparation and how to incorporate magic usage into the above combat system.
I might have discovered the... well, magic formula
Definitely not literally because I don't believe in magic when it comes to real life (let alone things like tarot cards and ouija boards). In fact, I won't be surprised if my gaming design ideas above will have to be shelved for a reason. I'm not going to tell you the reason, but let's just say the possibility is very real. I do have an individualistic streak (albeit a tempered one), but it doesn't mean I don't have a brain. In fact, I have to admit doing my own stuff is a better option as I can have the total say on what to add and what not to put in.
Enough about the digressing. Let's get back to the tactical formula. Ever tried pairing Aspect of the pack with Twin-Blade Storm if you're running the game as a combat stormwarden? Recently, I discovered that this may well be the best combination. More specifically my ideal combination. To make this work, however, I need to do one thing. And that to get the correct roll where the off-hand artifact weapon is concerned. As it turned out, it's Aspect of the Pack. There's no point rolling for a Twin-Blade Storm since it would create an imbalance between single-target dps and multi-target dps.
Now, all that is needed is to get the main hand pioneer weapon since I already got the off-hand one.
Which now comes to...
...the fact that pairing the off-hand pioneer with the main hand aboleth might just be the revelation of the moment for me. Originally, I assumed the damage caused by the aboleth set bonus should result in a higher overall damage. Then I decided to experiment like an Edison. Surprisingly, the damage was actually better. To test this out, I need to test-run it via a raiding instance. It cannot be too easy, though. So Master of the Hunt and Dread Legion were out of the equation. The best way to test-run this was Merchant Prince's Folly since it's the hardest non-epic raid available in-game. Suffice to say, the experiment was proven a success. For whatever reason since there's no set bonus in play.
So what might be the kingmaker factor here? Aboleth set bonus triggers a 4% damage bonus upon proc. Going by the power maths, that should be like +1600 power (i.e. 400 power=1% bonus damage). So to make sense out of the apparent anomaly, the only stats which can make difference should be power and crit. Coupled with the fact that Arylos' raiding loadout includes Skirmisher's Gambit at rank 5, it means an effective power-crit synergy numbers wise was quite likely the reason. If not, then how would such an otherwise half-baked combination rack up enough damage to overcome the so-called 1600 power bonus? Also, it must be stated that before doing the gear switch, I made sure the off-hand pioneer weapon was already upped to epic.
Imagine what may happen once I get the main hand pioneer weapon. And by that, I mean also upping it to epic.
Note: Right now, my immediate aim is to up the main hand pioneer to epic with the off-hand maxed out at legendary. This is because only the off-hand weapon damage is accounted for when it comes to melee damage. Any off-hand weapon for the HR is definitely much lower than that of the main-hand. Using a combat HR is still fun, though. At least you know the importance of using buffs/debuffs/both together with the dps end. Definitely not a hdps build, but decent enough to run raids like Tomb of the Nine Gods and epic Spellplague due to more reliance on dps buffing while trying to keep everyone alive. Just use Oak Skin. No melee HR can ever survive without that.
Add note: For some funny reason, the off-hand pioneer weapon(s) resembles(?) Kanshou and Bakuya.
Correct progression?
Right now, I need to do two things: Get the full pioneer set and qualifying myself for the tier 1 Omu hunts. Initially, I was hesitant in going solo against 1-star hunts due to pragmatism. That plus the rng for the better loot isn't exactly the BFF of... well, 99% of the instance server population. Thanks to whoever at the NWO blog, I decided that it's time for me to start burning the life scrolls because I deemed them surplus anyway. At this point in time, I'm planning 4 hunting trips. One at Soshenstar (i.e. Spli-Ti) and three at Omu.
Unlike what is written on the blog, my personal preference lies in getting the pioneer set first. Afterwards, it's 1-star hunt and middle path progression. While the pioneer set is inferior to the primal weapons obtainable in Cradle of the Marshmallow Dude. When it comes to dps, I'm pretty sure pioneer set trumps the lower level sets (not sure of this if we're to compare it to the relic set due to a 10% damage jump that is equivalent to 4000 power). Either way, pioneer set should be a decent option until you get the primal version. If we're to see this from a 5 member raid, it means you're effectively given 1000 power bonus (together with 1000 increase in armor penetration, crit, and recovery). While not the most ideal for the dps (or in Grazilaxx's own words, this is sub-optimal), it should be quite okay for hybrid dps builds like any combat HR, scoundrel TR, and oppressor CW.
Unless something happens, I'll most likely be running Fane of the Night Serpent only after I obtain the gloves and body armor gear from Makos' weapon store (because that's what it exactly is). Not to mention all the boons as well.
Which boons to get?
Right now, I put 3 points into Overgrown and 1 point into Impenetrable Jungle for open world. This is to create a balance between multi-target and single target boss fights. The problem with the final Chult boons is that any dps boon is quite literally a multi-target boon. Which makes single target fights a bit tricky. Then again, duelling isn't exactly the hardest part of the game. At this point in time, I'm sticking with Aspect of the Pack and Twin-Blade Storm. Basically the same stuff as the raiding loadout. At the same time, running solo with a cat means you're effectively fighting solo instead of the standard leader/defender/striker/controller format. Since I've invested so much into getting a legendary cat, I might as well stick with that legendary critter all the way. To make Impenetrable Jungle worth the point, I opted for Aberrant Power to pull off a boon stack. By now, it should be clear for all to see that boons are never meant to operate on a standalone basis. Rather, an effective boon synergy is the difference between a shrewd player and a... well, n00b. This is also the reason why I opted for another boon stack in the form of Frozen Reflection and Fey Thistle when it comes to open world.
Unless something crops up, my plan for the Consecrated Harrier loadout (i.e. open world loadout) should be a maxed out Overgrown and a maxed out Fight Not Flight. This is to maximize the efficiency of the Impenetrable-Aberrant and Frozen-Fey synergies respectively. Wait, the whole sentence sounds weird... okay, never mind that paranoia of mine.
For Sword of Kelemvor (i.e. raiding loadout), currently it's 1 point each for Tyrant's Terror, Shamanic Grace, and Overgrown with Soul Syphon as the final boon (note: this boon should be the BFF of every mid-dps build due chances of high AoE damage dealt in any high-end raid. Lingering Curse for hdps imo). Upon doing all the Omu boons, it should look like a maxed out Tyrant's Terror, rank 1 Shamanic Grace, and rank 2 Overgrown. This is to create a balance between survival value and dps value. And trust me when I say the HR has the worst press-Shift game. Like ever. Note that Shamanic Grace does give the highest HP out of all the boons in-game, not just in Chult. Coupled with Oak Skin increasing the defense, it means a better overall defensive game. Hopefully, that is.
For the final boon point, I'm of two minds in one spot. On one hand, putting 2 points in any final boon reads like less of a common sense choice than throwing 3 points into the final Tyranny of Dragons boon of your choice. The increment number wise doesn't look good at all. Mediocre should be the correct word if you're to ask me. For Consecrated Harrier, I'd say Soul Syphon. For Sword of Kelemvor, it's a 50-50 between Death's Blessing and Lingering Curse. See what I mean when I say two minds in one spot?
The correct order of questing?
For those still with mid-tier gear (i.e. any gear with level of 440 to 460), it's advisable/compulsory to get your ideal Makos/Eku gear. My recommendation is very simple: For defensive gear, go with Eku. For dps gear, go with Makos. In particular, the gloves and body armor you get from Makos' stash do pack a punch in the dps dept, be it effect or stats. The boots are good for the stand-and-dps artillery approach. For Eku, the only gear of note would be the Boots of Drafting for the dps end. The reason why being that so long you're not the slowest person in the group, you get to run faster like a Korean running man. Compared to the boots from Makos' stash, it's definitely much more melee friendly. All the great weapon fighters and scourge warlocks would like it, I'm sure. Move faster=dash faster=dash shorter. The gloves you can buy from Eku's warehouse, however, is... well, dodgy I guess. If your tank has got nothing better than a pilgrim arms slot gear, then you can consider it. Otherwise, you have to decide whether the 200 power per ally bonus for pioneer gear is worth the decision to burn 25 Eku's favor for that thing. It does give crit, though.
When you start taking jobs from the NPCs (because that's how MMOs reflect real-life), getting the right job means approaching the right NPC. Because getting the daily lich's lore quest item is a must (unless you have no need for the Makos/Eku gear), it's advisable to take holy dwarf's offer first instead of the old catwoman beside him. Once you enter Omu, only two NPCs are available in terms of offering you a job. Namely, the holy dwarf and the old catwoman. Don't take the old catwoman's offer first because if you complete her tablet quest first, you'll have to make a longer trip to get a lich's lore from any Thayan wizard in the West Undercity map. At the same time, tablet hunting can take a long time since your job is not to retrieve tablets with ancient Hebrew text. That type of stone tablet comes only in a pair, not five in a series. Of course you can try finishing the tablet quest via getting 2-3 of those in the West Undercity zone. However, this option should be for those more familiar with the map. If you have trouble navigating the ruins of Omu in order to take down that dead Rex walking, then it means you're better off taking the easier path instead of the shorter path.
To summarize the shorter path here:
Grab the heist job from old catwoman>get some tablets in West Undercity zone>kill all Thayans>get the lich lore>get all 5 tablets>turn in 2 quests in a go.
This is the longer albeit the easier path:
Grab your extermination order from the holy order dwarf>execute the extermination order>turn in the quest>agree to Eku's proposal to woo three gods out of any nine>go to West Undercity because one of the gods is there>kill all Thayans>grab lore>finish Eku's quest>turn in 2 quests in a go.
Note: West Undercity contains a shrine with four pits at the four corners of the altar. This fight calls for fighting smart instead of trying a dodge spam. The red wizards will always pull off a fireball blast which can easily toss you off into dead man's land. Stay put and try not to move from one side to another. So long the fireblast doesn't get you, you're safe. You'll need an effective AoE offense to make it count, though.
Add note: Take out the Thayan knights on both sides of the entrance before engaging the wizards. This is to ensure you won't catch the aggro. If the Thayan knights start running down, please run away asap from the altar platform. A single shield smash can toss you off into dead man's land. Also, try fighting the Thayan knights with your back against a solid wall in order to minimize the risk of a fatal pitfall.
Gonna end this on a...
...high? Or legal high? Well, whatever. So far so good, the overall difficulty level in Omu is decently okay. When the mod first came out, the AI was surprisingly easy. Apparently, the devs had to mobilize their mod squad. Yes, you've guessed it right. The mod squad has only one job and that is to make things (i.e. life) more challenging for the gamers. The damage, I believe, has been upped. Although it's nothing more than a mere inconvenience. The defensive end of things is where the difference made its call. It's harder to kill stuff now. Which makes you wonder how difficult it will be to clear the Fane of the Night Serpent.
Which now comes to two types of critters. You got Harambe's BFFs and the occasional other Rex. On Harambe's BFF squad, they can be... well, either annoying (if you're good enough) or outright lethal (if you're not good enough). Dealing with the ape squad requires getting out of the way once you take them on. Don't ever try to nail the first hit. Because they will be the ones striking first, not you. As a matter of fact, their favorite leisure activity is jumping.
 |
| You're the red guy, the rest belong to Harambe's BFF squad. |
Either shield first or dodge first. Otherwise, dash away first. The primate jump can take out like around 1/4 of your HP. And I'm not about to test and see whether it'd result in getting knocked down. Another favorite move from them is a single fist that will knock you backwards. Even with a decent to good control resist, it'd take like a few seconds for you to recover from the prone status. So once you get nailed by a monkey's fist, just try moving into the nearest open space. Engaging them in constrict space is never a preferable option. However, I actually did one crazy trick. And that is taking them on in a constricted space, after which I finished them off in a nearby open space. I won't say all the time, but at times (please note that open space in Omu tends to be available at a premium). Once you take the mob down till the very last gorilla, it should be easy. Even if you stand and get hit, so long it's not a prone hit, you can just stand, fight, and win. Just make sure you got your healing potion on standby.
As for the two living Rexes, please note that only one is the hunt mark type. And that is the blue one. The red one is a normal Rex. This is very important due to the first weekly Omu quest requiring a hunt mark kill. Otherwise, both look the same apart from the color. And both fight the same apart from... well, the color. I'm not sure if the blue one has better defensive stats, though.
It must be noted that only the Rexes and Harambe's BFF squad are the ones notably harder to kill with the newly adjusted difficulty level in place.
Lastly, I just need to say something about the House of Buaya. When I say buaya, I don't mean the ones ogling at bikini-clad girls in Siloso Beach (if I've accidentally offended any girl working in SGH, be she an ex-employee or current employee, I apologize). More specifically, the living buaya in that temple is actually an ular (i.e. the most annoying creature known as a yuan-ti). Seriously, this ular is challenging in the sense that a solo fight would always result in a prolonged duel in an enclosed arena. It's like fighting a hulking gladiator with lions and bear released as his allies on a fixed interval. Effectively a case of virtual reality in the Colosseum. High defensive stats with an annoying preference to do an AoE attack like once every half a bloody minute. This is a fight that will guarantee a stamina burn every now and then. Make sure you have a card in hand in case you get yourself into a potentially sticky situation. At the same time, please be prepared for the occasional purple skull halo above your head. For me, it's always an Oak Skin. Press Shift and move fast. There's this one attack where the ular will teleport to the middle of the arena. This is to prepare a nuke spanning half the arena. For dashers, it should be easy in terms of covering the ground to the other side. Otherwise, please run to the other side while dodging forward at intervals. I don't want to find out what happens if the nuke got released. For some funny reason, I always end up on the correct side instead of the other side whenever the ular teleported. In other words, the ular never nuked me even once. Won't be surprised if the mod squad will rectify this after I up this post.
P.S: The (verbal) usage of legal high was inspired by the Japanese even though I'm pretty sure Abenomics will never tolerate the presence of cannabis in the same way Imam Zul is anti-ganja.
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