Mystic Worlds

GW2 - Strawberry Fields & Going Down

Queensdale, Kessex Hills and Gendarran Fields still top my list of favorite Guild War 2 zones.  There are more atypical zones with unique race choices instead of being a human and starting in Queensdale.  Yet for those of us who love the Middle Earth vibe, this is a joyous and golden romp.  I start my farming runs out of Queensdale all the time and am still not bored of the sights and sounds.  I hop over to the Charr and Norn areas as well but for me, nothing beats these three - so far.


3 Things to Do in Kessex When You’re Not Dead

If you haven’t strayed off the more frequented paths in Kessex Hills, here are a few treats you have missed.  Even if you’ve already obtained the vista near the Wizard’s Fief, you might have missed one of these goodies.  I see people run by it all the time when I’m up there picking strawberries. To follow along on this adventure, you start your trip from the Cereboth Canyon way point.


1 - Strawberry Fields
Run south from the Cereboth Canyon portal, hugging the cliff on the east side.  Run passed or fight the few Etins you encounter along the way. For a faster trip you can avoid fighting the ones you pass in the canyon - navigate around them or speedrun by.  They won’t chase you very far.  However, you will need to kill the three guarding the strawberries on the plateau.  The right location also happens to be a Point of Interest.  

After you dispatch those nasty Etins to their maker, harvest the strawberries there AND hop over and STEP DOWN to the strawberries east of you.  You’ll see goats there.  DO NOT JUMP DOWN to the outcropping below you.  if you do, you’ll need to port back to Cereboth to do the next part.  Note that your ability to harvest rarer items such as these strawberries are on daily timer.  You won’t see them as available for harvesting again for what appears to be a 24-hour cool down.  For a cook strawberries are a good resource for leveling by making desserts - cookies, frosting, pies, tarts, etc.

GW2 - My Experience in Caudecus’ Manor Story Mode

As I mentioned in a previous post about how quickly I reached level 60, I discussed Caudecus’ Manor (CM) and how some players were farming loot and XP there.  I ran it a few times to earn some money but backed out because of how much XP was being gained.  It seems that ANet wasn’t cool with players farming CM or any one instance, for that matter.  In a recent patch They’ve implemented a change for diminishing returns if you run an instance more than twice in a row.  Personally, I didn’t see a problem with someone electing to play their game that way.  *Shrug*


CM is Fast, Fun, Nice Loot and Great XP

The entrance to CM is in Beetlerun Manor which is Queensdale.   I did CM once in a pickup group (PUG) and all of the rest of the runs where guild parties.  Not much difference either time.  It’s fast as long as people know how to play their class and use reasonable caution in their surroundings.  The PUG finished in under 30 minutes.  Guild runs take roughly half that time.  In, out and loaded with XP in 15 minutes is the norm.


Things to Note about CM

• At least 4 encounters have multiple mobs, 2 of which simultaneously include bosses 
• There are two Points of Interests and a vista inside the instance
• Provides 20K+ XP done at appropriate level for 1st time (may have changed post repeat nerfs)
• Good to have ranged damage and AOE available
• Crowd control is helpful.  I try to keep bosses chained in place to avoid having them moving around with the adds.  One boss also teleports around the room.  Keeping him cc’d as much as possible is helpful.
• The first fight is with a golem that has wicked damage rockets.  You can use line of sight to evade them.  Ranged damage dealers can also stand on top of pillars and posts to avoid them altogether, while melee will need to dodge behind something when he does his wind up
• Consider eating +Magic Find food to increase the potential of receiving uncommon drops.

GW2 - For the Love of Ore

As I’m writing this post I’m level 67.  By the time it’s published I’m sure I’ll be 70+.  I’ve stopped working on my Personal Story.  I’ve stopped doing instances.  With level 80 looming Large in my window, I’ve decided to leave the completion of both as part of my end game, along with PvP and WvW.


My Crafting Professions

I was elated when they announced player crafting professions would be available in GW2. When I saw Chef as an option, I knew it would be one of my primary crafting pursuits.  I cook in any and every game that has it available.  I wasn’t sure about the other professions.  I went round-n-round trying to decided.  I prefer to focus on one or two, master them and have as many of the rare recipes as possible.

I dabbled in Weaponsmithing but found that I couldn’t make all of the items my Guardian needed, the excess didn’t sell for much on the market, required multiple base component types and for me, wasn’t much fun. I considered Armorsmith but decided against it..  I didn’t see the need to craft my own armor.  Gear in GW2 rains from the sky.  If I want something in particular or of better quality/level, it’s readily available on the market for cheap.  I can always provide the mats to a guild mate and have them make it.  No point in doing professions I don’t enjoy.

GW2 - Ring the Bell

Last week I was in my low 60s, worried about reaching level 80 too quickly.  Between work, getting back to writing and other activities, I haven’t played Guild Wars 2 as much as I have in the previous weeks since release.  When I was in game, I spent most of my time focused on harvesting and progressing my late choice for a second trade skill, Jeweler.  I also spent multiple sessions with my daughter who’s decided to hang up the Mesmer in favor of a Guardian. So much Guardian love here.  *smile*

Ring the Bell

I haven’t “played” much at all, in comparison to previous weeks and yet I’m level 70.  Booyah!  Ring the bell, I’ve hit the last leg of the journey to level 80.  I expanded my harvesting route to include more Charr country and pushed into the Norn zones more. This meant getting discovery XP and running into new events as I passed through.  Snowy zones not being my favorite, I found the Norn areas aiight.  Visually, I don’t think they’re as detailed or impressive as Rift’s.  

It’s a Madhouse!

The Norn zones may not be my cup of tea  visually but they do take the prize for action in the level 50 to 60 and 60 to 70 zones.  There’s a war going on up those biotches.  I kid you not!  I’ve run into sheer madness.  Mass chaos.  Player bodies strewn every-which-a-way.  Areas with non-stop events. It was quite scary attempting to traverse the map unscathed, when all I wanted to do was mind my business and collect ore and gems.

 

GW2 - The agony of vistas

I have a real life fear of heights that persists into virtual environments. I suck at jumping puzzles - always have and always will be horrendous at them.  I have a personal goal to achieve zone completion in at least one zone for each of the level ranges - the ones I used to complete that range.  As I progress through the tiers of content, vistas have become the bane of my Guild Wars 2 existence.  

I liked the idea of vistas when we first encountered them in the Beta Weekend Events (BWEs).  I’m a graphics whore and explorer. One of my greatest joys in MMOs is to see the creative and lush realization of fantasy worlds, something GW2 does exceptionally well.  However, my excitement over the gorgeous views vistas provide, quickly turned to chagrin when they were added as criteria for the zone/map completion achievements.  

I want zone completion.  I suck at jumping and am terrified of heights.  I knew vistas weren’t going to go down well.  I’d already had what were for me, harrowing experiences in high jumping areas in GW2 BWEs, I got headaches that hastened me off the game when they were completed so I could lay down.  I kid you not!  LOL

GW2 - This Logan dude is shady

This Logan dude has some strange ideas about saving Tyria.  I’ve noticed a very unpleasant trend with this guy.  Most of his ideas place me in harm’s way or compromising situations that DO NOT INCLUDE HIM! It also hasn’t escaped my notice that when he does tag along, he’s not the best fighter I’ve ever seen either.  He talks a lot of smack but usually ends up face down in the dirt. Really, Logan?  You might want to zip your lips more often and let me do the talking.  Hmph.

He’s definitely hit my list of shady ass characters defending this realm.  Color me unimpressed on many levels.  He can’t even recruit good help.  Some of the cohorts he sends to “help” me might as well stand back and carry my bags for the assistance they provide.  If they’re not getting stuck on rocks, getting confused navigating around trees or getting lost trying to follow me across tricky terrain, they’re dying every time they whip out a weapon. Half the time I want to tell them to sit back, hold my stuff and fetch my bunny slippers when the fight is over.

And now he wants me to meet some guy in a drain?  Besides the fact that the smell is going to be rancid, what the hell do I look like?  You go meet him his ass down there if it’s so important.  Sucker that I am I go, even though underwater combat and I are not friends.  Of course, I only made it back out by the skin of my teeth.  I have to admit that this schmoe was at least able to keep himself alive but he constantly had his big ass in my face, obstructing my view in the narrow spaces.

 

Guild Wars 2 water combat is very well done - better than other games
but still not enough to make me a fan of it regardless 

GW2 - Swoosh, I’m 60

This ride is rapidly coming to an end.  It appears the only thing that will prevent me from hitting level 80 is not playing.  Due to real life activities I have slowed my roll recently and yet, I’m level 60.  


Farming Caudecus Manor

Caudecus Manor (CM) is the second instance you encounter in Guild Wars 2 (GW2).  I’ll do a write up of my experiences there in a separate post.  As with Ascalon Catacombs, I didn’t do the instance as soon as I’d met the level 40 requirement.  I waited until I was able to purchase my second tier elite skill, Tome of Courage, for the strong “oh shit” healing skills.

Sitting in my mid 50s with less than 2 gold to my name, I started asking people what they were doing to earn gold.  I was routinely selling blue and green gear I didn’t need on the auction house but prices were so low that I wasn’t accumulating very much.  In addition to selling crafting components they didn’t need, the overwhelming response was that they were farming CM.  Uh?

It appears CM is one of the fastest story mode instance runs.  Experienced groups can get through it in under 30 minutes and it drops gear that sells well on the auction house.  So much so, that our guild policy when running CM, strongly suggests all participants eat +Magic Find buff food to increase your drop rates on uncommon gear.  People on voice chat reported going from being broke to having 5+ gold from the items they subsequently sold on the auction house.

GW2 – 5 Reasons I hit level 50 so fast

Has it really only been 3 weeks!?!  Good lord, I've already hit level 50 and I missed playing for a full 7 days. In a game where the max level is 80, GW2 feels like it’s flashing by too quickly.  Leveling through the zones is the part of MMOs that I enjoy the most.  

I’m not grinding or racing my way through content. However, I do find that it all flows so seamlessly, completing objectives just happens.  I don’t have to run here-n-there completing quests.  Practically every section of the map has “stuff” happening that will provide XP if you participate.  Combined with harvesting XP, crafting XP and staying up on my Personal Story, the XP is swooshing by.

I admit to being a tiny bit concerned. I’m not prone to alts and don’t have an urge to re-run the zones again this soon after doing all the BWEs and now release.  I am looking forward to running explorer mode dungeons and collecting a full set of PVP gear as my personal end game.  Regardless, I am seeing the encroachment of level 80 sooner than I anticipated.

Reason 1: No groups need apply

I’m still of the soloing ilk.  Yes, I know, my play style offends many MMO players.  I’m very happy to work my way through content with "real" friends.  However, joining groups of strangers on a regular basis isn’t in the cards.  I’m heavy explorer and VERY LOW on the social gamer meter.  I prefer games where my progress isn’t cock-blocked because I’m not in a group.  Games that make grouping easier or intrinsic, do find me in groups more often but certainly not because I explicitly join them.  

Rift took WAR’s excellent public group system to the next level of evolution, auto joining you to groups based on proximity or when doing dynamic content.  Guild Wars 2 has evolved it even further by eliminating the need all together.  *EVIL GRIN*

Molly, clutch your pearls, in GW2 you never need to be in a formal group for non-instanced PVE content. Hell, you don’t even have to speak to each other.  That’s good news for someone with my play-style but not so good for others.  If the lack of grouping is a problem for you, feel free to join a big guild.  You can also join multiple guilds for different types of content.  Better yet, if you have a hard on for grouping, you can form a static questing team.  All I ask, is that you don’t rain on my parade and I won’t piss on yours.

GW2 first instance - WHOA, Ascalon Catacombs

From watching various YouTube videos, I knew GW2's first instance, Ascalon Catacombs (AC), was a real ball buster.  Watching players run it on story mode, that's normal for WOW players, it looked as diffcult as any raid I'd ever done.  On explorer mode, which is hard/heroic, I'd only seen two teams complete it.  I was prepared for a slug-fest and that's exactly what I experienced.

You are not prepared

To bastardize a quote from Illidan Stormrage, if you are not prepared, do not enter AC. The instance is located in Ashford Plains, in Charr territory.  It's level appropriate starting at 28.  You'll receive in-game mail in your mid 20s that contains a map link to the instance.  Don't worry that you need to rush off and do it the minute you hit the minimum level.  The down-ranking system reduces you to the appropriate level for all content.  However, XP and rewards may be less meaningful if you wait too long.

Having seen the difficulty of the instance, I decided to wait until level 30 and had unlocked at least 1 elite skill.  I'll discuss cherry-picking skill points some other time. Suffice it to say, don't stumble in AC until you're ready for it.  You will burn time and money if you're not prepared.

GW2 - A daily achievement system I can enjoy

I Ain't Doin No Damn Dailies!

My love-hate relationship with Blizzard's World of Warcraft blames them for the proliferation of daily quests in MMOs.  I mean really, you want me to pay a subscription to log in every day and repeat quest content?  I see, repeating instances isn't enough repetition.  You've got to be out of your damn mind.  I REFUSED to do daily quests when they were introduced in WOW and ticked as just one more reason I was done and moved on to other games. 

I cringed when Warhammer Online listed daily quests as a part of their feature development.  However, Paul Barnett promised us it wasn't going to be the same run of the mill.  I was appeased by their concept of implicit quest objective completion.  Meaning, if you have to kill your way through a throng of bears to reach a quest-giver whose request was going to be to kill some bears, they'd acknowledge the fact that you'd just killed a slew of bears getting there!!  WAR tried to implement the idea but the in-game realization was far and too few.

I knew Guild Wars 2 was going to have achievements, including the dreaded daily quests.  I paid it no attention.  I don't do dailies.  Even in a no subscription game, I'm not running back and forth to the same flippin' NPCs every day to do the same crap.  Ain't no way!  Color me very surprised when my first Daily Achievement completion flashed up on my screen with it's jiggling-caching treasue chest animation.  I still didn't bother to figure out what I'd done to complete it since I wasn't going to intentionally repeat the steps again.  I finally succumbed to curiosity when I managed to complete a daily quest almost every day without knowing how or why.