I got around to getting my lazy ass recording videos for your pleasure. You know, the millions of people who follow my blog and hang on my every word? Yeah, you. Anyway, I recorded some videos and posted them on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/kujikiri87?feature=mhum
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
RIFT Beta post #6
Dated February 6th (resumed my rogue-y experience)
Finishing up the starting area (I was on the boss when I accidentally clicked out), I soon found that a defensive soul - and using an offensive soul defensively - masquerading as a DPS was at best fallacious. Sure, I could kill the enemies without any problem, but the speed that I was killing them was no longer on par with what I had found in the starting zone. Enemies, even being attacked simultaneously by my boar and I, simply didn't go down very fast. In areas with rapidly spawning enemies, this proved to be quite difficult to pull off, causing my death on several occasions. I haven't found my auto range attack, but even if I do, it would be a temporary measure, as there would be few positions with which to pull using ranged, and then closing in with melee, far enough away from the rest of the mob that I don't aggro them. Changing the soul to an offensive one might help, though it's likely I am unused to this kind of playstyle. I'm used to either being flimsy and killing before they get to me, or nigh indestructible, and wading into the thick of battle.
The other problem actually reveals itself during rift attacks. Because they rate participation, and reward accordingly, the low DPS (since most people will kill things before you get there, being melee) and near non-existent tanking (Blades don't get very many 'tanking' skills early on, there is only one that increases dodge and parry by 50%, but the cooldown is at least a minute, probably closer to 5) means you won't get much in the way of loot. In three rift invasions, all of which I was present for the majority, I received three Planarite, one per rift. Planarite is the emblem-like currency I was telling you about.
On the contrary, Boboji, who can deal decent damage, and has several tanking abilities, can achieve approximately 12 or so Planarite in the same number of rifts (more if I get there first, or if it's a big one. I got 20 Planarite from one once). That being said, the Bladedancer/Bard/Ranger isn't BAD (though I'd probably use something other than Bard, I'm using literally nothing from that soul), but the damage is low, so killing things won't be really fast. It would be more suitable for solo questing, rather than group questing, dungeons, or rifts.
Finishing up the starting area (I was on the boss when I accidentally clicked out), I soon found that a defensive soul - and using an offensive soul defensively - masquerading as a DPS was at best fallacious. Sure, I could kill the enemies without any problem, but the speed that I was killing them was no longer on par with what I had found in the starting zone. Enemies, even being attacked simultaneously by my boar and I, simply didn't go down very fast. In areas with rapidly spawning enemies, this proved to be quite difficult to pull off, causing my death on several occasions. I haven't found my auto range attack, but even if I do, it would be a temporary measure, as there would be few positions with which to pull using ranged, and then closing in with melee, far enough away from the rest of the mob that I don't aggro them. Changing the soul to an offensive one might help, though it's likely I am unused to this kind of playstyle. I'm used to either being flimsy and killing before they get to me, or nigh indestructible, and wading into the thick of battle.
The other problem actually reveals itself during rift attacks. Because they rate participation, and reward accordingly, the low DPS (since most people will kill things before you get there, being melee) and near non-existent tanking (Blades don't get very many 'tanking' skills early on, there is only one that increases dodge and parry by 50%, but the cooldown is at least a minute, probably closer to 5) means you won't get much in the way of loot. In three rift invasions, all of which I was present for the majority, I received three Planarite, one per rift. Planarite is the emblem-like currency I was telling you about.
On the contrary, Boboji, who can deal decent damage, and has several tanking abilities, can achieve approximately 12 or so Planarite in the same number of rifts (more if I get there first, or if it's a big one. I got 20 Planarite from one once). That being said, the Bladedancer/Bard/Ranger isn't BAD (though I'd probably use something other than Bard, I'm using literally nothing from that soul), but the damage is low, so killing things won't be really fast. It would be more suitable for solo questing, rather than group questing, dungeons, or rifts.
RIFT Beta post #5
Dated February 5 (my friend, who couldn't play the beta, asked me to play a rogue, and do rogue-y things for her)
Well, starting out as a Bladedancer, you're given two skills at the beginning - your basic stabby move, and then a super stabby move that you can use when you get enough combo points. It appears that rogues in RIFT are similar to rogues in WoW, in that they use energy, and rack up combo points. This is probably something that was used in a previous MMO, but as my experience is limited, I'll mostly just make WoW parallels. In any case, the global cooldown on these techniques is rather quick, so you can stab the living shit out of things quite easily. In the beginning levels, I was killing mobs very, very fast, and moving on to the next before the body even hit the ground.
Next, I picked up the Bard soul. The Bard class gave me a Cadence, which was a 2 second channeling damage spell, and a Motif, which was a buff. It only boosted my stats for 15 seconds, though, and since my fingers were full using the Bladedancer moves, I just set that one aside. Trying to use the Bard's Cadence to kill enemies was not too bad, as it would generate a total of three combo points (out of a maximum five: one point on casting, one in the middle, and one at the end of the cast); but ultimately, I found myself getting killed a few times, as I was trying to balance out the music with the stabbing.
Gaining a few levels gave me access to a few points to spend in my soul tree. Putting several points in the Bladedancer tree - into a skill that increases my evade chance - unlocked a few new skills for me to try. Allow me to clarify this. Skill trees contain two separate portions - the 'branches' and the 'roots'. Skill point allocation is performed in the branches of the skill tree. When a certain number of points in the branches is allocated, part of the roots will activate (eg. putting two points in unlocked one root, another two unlocked another one, etc). The root skills have a number overlayed on them, to show you how many skill points total must be allocated to said tree for it to be unlocked.
In any case, I had gained two new shiny skills, both for stabbing. One skill, Deadly Strike, built onto my original stabby skill, Keen Strike - after using the first one, the opportunity to use the second one opened up. After using Deadly Strike, I can not use it again until I have attacked with Keen Strike once more. This makes sense, because the effect and damage of Deadly Strike is near identical to Keen Strike, with one significant change - a full 25% of your attack power is tacked onto Deadly Strike's base damage, making it quite strong. The other skill I received was very slightly weaker than Keen Strike, but had the added bonus of striking one additional enemy with an off-hand dagger. So for a slight hit in damage, you get to hit two enemies. The downside of it is that it will not unlock Deadly Strike.
The enemies being a bit stronger, I was still able to dispatch them fairly easily once I shelved my Bard skills, though my downtime had increased a touch; they did quite a bit of damage, so I had to wait for either natural HP regen, or drink to regain health. However, that all changed when I finally got the third soul, Ranger. As this was a dagger kind of character, the majority of the skills - relating to bows - were useless, but this was offset by the simple fact that you got a pet. You get a badass looking razorback (I named him Orobas) who is essentially a tank-type pet. He has a skill to increase threat. So I could pull or engage an enemy, they could start attacking, and Orobas would come, taunt the mob, and they would continue to attack him while I hacked and stabbed. Even with me attacking constantly, he was still able to hold the aggro.
Granted, the same tactic might not work later in the game, but I can only assume that as a pet class, there should be something to reduce the Ranger's aggro, or to increase the pet's threat. I accidentally pressed 'Exit' when in the middle of checking the skill tree (I keep the game in fullscreen windowed mode so that I can easily switch back and forth, so I mix up the close button with the actual ingame close buttons), so I'm going to call it a night.
It was truly interesting to play a Rogue.
Well, starting out as a Bladedancer, you're given two skills at the beginning - your basic stabby move, and then a super stabby move that you can use when you get enough combo points. It appears that rogues in RIFT are similar to rogues in WoW, in that they use energy, and rack up combo points. This is probably something that was used in a previous MMO, but as my experience is limited, I'll mostly just make WoW parallels. In any case, the global cooldown on these techniques is rather quick, so you can stab the living shit out of things quite easily. In the beginning levels, I was killing mobs very, very fast, and moving on to the next before the body even hit the ground.
Next, I picked up the Bard soul. The Bard class gave me a Cadence, which was a 2 second channeling damage spell, and a Motif, which was a buff. It only boosted my stats for 15 seconds, though, and since my fingers were full using the Bladedancer moves, I just set that one aside. Trying to use the Bard's Cadence to kill enemies was not too bad, as it would generate a total of three combo points (out of a maximum five: one point on casting, one in the middle, and one at the end of the cast); but ultimately, I found myself getting killed a few times, as I was trying to balance out the music with the stabbing.
Gaining a few levels gave me access to a few points to spend in my soul tree. Putting several points in the Bladedancer tree - into a skill that increases my evade chance - unlocked a few new skills for me to try. Allow me to clarify this. Skill trees contain two separate portions - the 'branches' and the 'roots'. Skill point allocation is performed in the branches of the skill tree. When a certain number of points in the branches is allocated, part of the roots will activate (eg. putting two points in unlocked one root, another two unlocked another one, etc). The root skills have a number overlayed on them, to show you how many skill points total must be allocated to said tree for it to be unlocked.
In any case, I had gained two new shiny skills, both for stabbing. One skill, Deadly Strike, built onto my original stabby skill, Keen Strike - after using the first one, the opportunity to use the second one opened up. After using Deadly Strike, I can not use it again until I have attacked with Keen Strike once more. This makes sense, because the effect and damage of Deadly Strike is near identical to Keen Strike, with one significant change - a full 25% of your attack power is tacked onto Deadly Strike's base damage, making it quite strong. The other skill I received was very slightly weaker than Keen Strike, but had the added bonus of striking one additional enemy with an off-hand dagger. So for a slight hit in damage, you get to hit two enemies. The downside of it is that it will not unlock Deadly Strike.
The enemies being a bit stronger, I was still able to dispatch them fairly easily once I shelved my Bard skills, though my downtime had increased a touch; they did quite a bit of damage, so I had to wait for either natural HP regen, or drink to regain health. However, that all changed when I finally got the third soul, Ranger. As this was a dagger kind of character, the majority of the skills - relating to bows - were useless, but this was offset by the simple fact that you got a pet. You get a badass looking razorback (I named him Orobas) who is essentially a tank-type pet. He has a skill to increase threat. So I could pull or engage an enemy, they could start attacking, and Orobas would come, taunt the mob, and they would continue to attack him while I hacked and stabbed. Even with me attacking constantly, he was still able to hold the aggro.
Granted, the same tactic might not work later in the game, but I can only assume that as a pet class, there should be something to reduce the Ranger's aggro, or to increase the pet's threat. I accidentally pressed 'Exit' when in the middle of checking the skill tree (I keep the game in fullscreen windowed mode so that I can easily switch back and forth, so I mix up the close button with the actual ingame close buttons), so I'm going to call it a night.
It was truly interesting to play a Rogue.
RIFT Beta post #4
January 29 (I decided to roll Defiant)
After the starter areas, there's a bit of time travel. The Guardians go ahead 20 years into the future, and the Defiants go back in time - not too sure how many years at the moment. The story goes, after the Guardians were resurrected, they helped clean out the abominations from the rifts, and then defeated Aedraxis as Regulos' avatar. Then they disappeared, for 20 years. I'm not sure what event is going on, other than the rifts opening up, but evidently this point in time is critical.
The Defiants' point of view is different, and somewhat interesting. According to the Defiants, after the Guardians destroyed the machines, the Blood Swarm invaded Telara, destroying everything in their path. They defeated the Guardians, and the Defiant that survived were driven underground to form the resistance. Basically, the studies that they have researched are entrusted to you - they have built a machine that will send you back through time, to before the dragons came. The information you are given is to help the Defiant of that time fight back against Regulos. You are sent back to the same time that the Guardians were sent forward to. Actually, almost in the same area. The area is divided by a large river, and a huge broken bridge spans it. The Guardians end up on the north side of the mainland, the Defiant to the south.
So you have both sides trying desperately to save their world, just from different points of view. Too bad they don't want anything to do with each other, and won't work together.
After the starter areas, there's a bit of time travel. The Guardians go ahead 20 years into the future, and the Defiants go back in time - not too sure how many years at the moment. The story goes, after the Guardians were resurrected, they helped clean out the abominations from the rifts, and then defeated Aedraxis as Regulos' avatar. Then they disappeared, for 20 years. I'm not sure what event is going on, other than the rifts opening up, but evidently this point in time is critical.
The Defiants' point of view is different, and somewhat interesting. According to the Defiants, after the Guardians destroyed the machines, the Blood Swarm invaded Telara, destroying everything in their path. They defeated the Guardians, and the Defiant that survived were driven underground to form the resistance. Basically, the studies that they have researched are entrusted to you - they have built a machine that will send you back through time, to before the dragons came. The information you are given is to help the Defiant of that time fight back against Regulos. You are sent back to the same time that the Guardians were sent forward to. Actually, almost in the same area. The area is divided by a large river, and a huge broken bridge spans it. The Guardians end up on the north side of the mainland, the Defiant to the south.
So you have both sides trying desperately to save their world, just from different points of view. Too bad they don't want anything to do with each other, and won't work together.
RIFT Beta Post #3
Dated January 29th (decided to give my friends a few details with the lore behind RIFT)
First, it's been said that the Gods made Telara, and placed it at the center of the six planes of the Elements - Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Life, and Death. The Blood Swarm, led by Regulos the Destroyer, was a group of dragons that went through the planes, devouring worlds and absorbing their power. However, Telara being the nexus point that it was, it was too tempting to simply destroy. Regulos wanted to rule over that world. So, that's what happened in the beginning.
King Aedraxis was a powerful king, but, like all rulers, he eventually wanted moar power. However, he was pretty high in the polls, so he couldn't do too much to hurt his reputation. Then came his brother. His brother was really supposed to be the king, but Aedraxis had usurped the throne. The brother, Zareph, launched a campaign to overthrow Aedraxis, but the common people didn't like that, Aedraxis being the popular, fun loving guy that he was. Except that he wasn't; Aedraxis was actually a dragon cultist. The dragons and gods had always been known, but the dragons were kind of like Satan, so people kept hush hush about it if they worshiped them. Anyway, Zareph was soon caught against public opinion, and found himself besieged at his castle. A lot of crap happened, but eventually Zareph forced Aedraxis to use necromantic powers, and the public saw who he really was. Aedraxis, butthurt over his defeat, escaped and turned to the technomagical machines of the Defiant.
Being the soddy dragon cultist he was, Aedraxis used the machines, without the Defiants' permission. He used it to open the rifts to the other planes, to go bawwwing to his dragon overlord Regulos. That's when the shit hit the fan. The rifts opened, mad planar creatures walked the earth, and some seriously fucked up things were going on. The whole Mathosian (human) army fought against this threat, but since they were fighting against a supernatural army, they were royally fucked. Things got bad really fast. First, everyone died. That's it. But then something crazy happened. The Gods, also known as the Vigil, swooped down and resurrected a bunch of the Mathosians, High Elves, and Dwarves that died, and brought them to safety. They didn't resurrect them because they had been good and kind in their life, but because they had kicked a lot of ass. These resurrected people were called the Guardians, a race of Ascended called on by the Gods to combat the rifts and Regulos' threat.
On the other side of things, we have the Defiant. After the Guardians came to be, they told everyone not to worry, that they would take care of everything, and that everyone should put their trust in the Vigil. But you know what? The Guardians remembered the fact that the Defiant had built the machines that allowed the rifts to open in the first place, and so branded the Defiant as heretics and broke all their toys. By toys I mean their machines. Now, the Defiant are kind of like the Horde, in the way that they're more or less a tribal people. However, the Defiant are a more peaceful, technomagical group - they're only called the Defiant because they don't believe that the Gods will save them, and want to do things on their own terms. In any case, the Defiant, being a peaceful group, were unable to stop the Guardians from breaking everything.
When the rifts opened again, the Defiant were unable to defend themselves, and many lives were crushed. The leader of the Defiant, Asha Catari, had fought with Zareph, and was killed when the rifts opened. Her soul was taken by Regulos, and he infused her with power as a bribe to becoming his avatar. She refused, and before Regulos could destroy her soul, she was brought back by the machine that would eventually go to create many Defiant Ascended. A small group of survivors, led by Asha, worked on and succeeded in creating a machine that could artificially create the powers that the Vigil had bestowed upon the Guardians, and instill them in a body. These Ascended were then recruited to join the survivors, and defend Telara from the dangers without.
Of course, this is kind of a 'brief' history - there's a lot more depth to the story, but this is what I've gleaned from the quests and opening sequences. The Defiant are actually the name of the Ascended that were revived by the machines, but because there are three races to each faction, it's hard to name them all separately. I played Guardian first, and I thought that they were pretty cool, and Defiant were awful people, but then I heard the rest of the story, and it just looks like the Guardians are being self-righteous assholes. I eventually decided to go Defiant, because while they seem to be the 'Horde' kind of faction, I can't bring myself to not like them and their history.
First, it's been said that the Gods made Telara, and placed it at the center of the six planes of the Elements - Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Life, and Death. The Blood Swarm, led by Regulos the Destroyer, was a group of dragons that went through the planes, devouring worlds and absorbing their power. However, Telara being the nexus point that it was, it was too tempting to simply destroy. Regulos wanted to rule over that world. So, that's what happened in the beginning.
King Aedraxis was a powerful king, but, like all rulers, he eventually wanted moar power. However, he was pretty high in the polls, so he couldn't do too much to hurt his reputation. Then came his brother. His brother was really supposed to be the king, but Aedraxis had usurped the throne. The brother, Zareph, launched a campaign to overthrow Aedraxis, but the common people didn't like that, Aedraxis being the popular, fun loving guy that he was. Except that he wasn't; Aedraxis was actually a dragon cultist. The dragons and gods had always been known, but the dragons were kind of like Satan, so people kept hush hush about it if they worshiped them. Anyway, Zareph was soon caught against public opinion, and found himself besieged at his castle. A lot of crap happened, but eventually Zareph forced Aedraxis to use necromantic powers, and the public saw who he really was. Aedraxis, butthurt over his defeat, escaped and turned to the technomagical machines of the Defiant.
Being the soddy dragon cultist he was, Aedraxis used the machines, without the Defiants' permission. He used it to open the rifts to the other planes, to go bawwwing to his dragon overlord Regulos. That's when the shit hit the fan. The rifts opened, mad planar creatures walked the earth, and some seriously fucked up things were going on. The whole Mathosian (human) army fought against this threat, but since they were fighting against a supernatural army, they were royally fucked. Things got bad really fast. First, everyone died. That's it. But then something crazy happened. The Gods, also known as the Vigil, swooped down and resurrected a bunch of the Mathosians, High Elves, and Dwarves that died, and brought them to safety. They didn't resurrect them because they had been good and kind in their life, but because they had kicked a lot of ass. These resurrected people were called the Guardians, a race of Ascended called on by the Gods to combat the rifts and Regulos' threat.
On the other side of things, we have the Defiant. After the Guardians came to be, they told everyone not to worry, that they would take care of everything, and that everyone should put their trust in the Vigil. But you know what? The Guardians remembered the fact that the Defiant had built the machines that allowed the rifts to open in the first place, and so branded the Defiant as heretics and broke all their toys. By toys I mean their machines. Now, the Defiant are kind of like the Horde, in the way that they're more or less a tribal people. However, the Defiant are a more peaceful, technomagical group - they're only called the Defiant because they don't believe that the Gods will save them, and want to do things on their own terms. In any case, the Defiant, being a peaceful group, were unable to stop the Guardians from breaking everything.
When the rifts opened again, the Defiant were unable to defend themselves, and many lives were crushed. The leader of the Defiant, Asha Catari, had fought with Zareph, and was killed when the rifts opened. Her soul was taken by Regulos, and he infused her with power as a bribe to becoming his avatar. She refused, and before Regulos could destroy her soul, she was brought back by the machine that would eventually go to create many Defiant Ascended. A small group of survivors, led by Asha, worked on and succeeded in creating a machine that could artificially create the powers that the Vigil had bestowed upon the Guardians, and instill them in a body. These Ascended were then recruited to join the survivors, and defend Telara from the dangers without.
Of course, this is kind of a 'brief' history - there's a lot more depth to the story, but this is what I've gleaned from the quests and opening sequences. The Defiant are actually the name of the Ascended that were revived by the machines, but because there are three races to each faction, it's hard to name them all separately. I played Guardian first, and I thought that they were pretty cool, and Defiant were awful people, but then I heard the rest of the story, and it just looks like the Guardians are being self-righteous assholes. I eventually decided to go Defiant, because while they seem to be the 'Horde' kind of faction, I can't bring myself to not like them and their history.
RIFT Beta post #2
Dated January 27th (copypasta'd from email)
Apparently there was a problem with a boss or monster at one of the higher levels. The text reads: Gloamwood: Werebeast's Foul Gale ability has been 45% de-huffed and 72% de-puffed. I dunno, I found it funny.
I'm also going to try rolling Horde - I mean, Defiant, because they have a fucking huge-ass race that looks like a purple Orc. I'm gonna load him up with three defensive souls - Reaver, Void Knight, and Paladin. So theoretically I'll be a giant-ass, magic draining, madness-inducing Holy Knight. Bloody hell, yes.
Also, I found that you allegedly can obtain 'legendary' or 'epic' souls to attune; I'm not sure how many are available, though.
With 8 'souls' per calling, and a single character able to attune three 'souls' at one time, there are 56 possible combinations (or is it permutations? Never been clear on that) for each calling, for a grand total of 224 different character possibilities. This doesn't include the 112 possibilities if you choose to only use two 'souls' (I think you have to choose three, but you don't have to actually utilize the third if you don't want), or the 32 possibilities if you decide on only going with one soul - but honestly, who would? Add to this the different ways you can create your builds (pretty much identical to putting points into the three trees per class in WoW), and you have a very flexible character creation system. Not to mention the aforementioned legendary souls. I'm pretty sure they exist, but even if they don't, the character system is probably the best I've seen, most likely to make up for the scant race selection.
Both Guardian and Defiant have a human and elf race - the Defiant humans are darker, as they're from the deserts, and much hotter (in my humble opinion, anyway) than the Guardian humans. The elves are kind of similar, with the Defiant elves being purple as opposed to the Guardian elves' human skin tones. The difference lies in the third race. While the Guardians have Dwarves, the Defiant have the Bahmi, a race of half-breeds that, like I said before, look like purple Orcs. It may just be my view of it, but they look goddamn huge.
One of the cooler things that I noticed is rather small, but I thought significant - the ability to change the height of your character. No boob size slider, but height is tremendously important, and allows for a greater variation - unlike WoW, which has uniform (and therefore boring) height restrictions on all races. Who says a gnome has to be knee height? I estimate the range of height to be around 2 to 2.5 feet.
Apparently there was a problem with a boss or monster at one of the higher levels. The text reads: Gloamwood: Werebeast's Foul Gale ability has been 45% de-huffed and 72% de-puffed. I dunno, I found it funny.
I'm also going to try rolling Horde - I mean, Defiant, because they have a fucking huge-ass race that looks like a purple Orc. I'm gonna load him up with three defensive souls - Reaver, Void Knight, and Paladin. So theoretically I'll be a giant-ass, magic draining, madness-inducing Holy Knight. Bloody hell, yes.
Also, I found that you allegedly can obtain 'legendary' or 'epic' souls to attune; I'm not sure how many are available, though.
With 8 'souls' per calling, and a single character able to attune three 'souls' at one time, there are 56 possible combinations (or is it permutations? Never been clear on that) for each calling, for a grand total of 224 different character possibilities. This doesn't include the 112 possibilities if you choose to only use two 'souls' (I think you have to choose three, but you don't have to actually utilize the third if you don't want), or the 32 possibilities if you decide on only going with one soul - but honestly, who would? Add to this the different ways you can create your builds (pretty much identical to putting points into the three trees per class in WoW), and you have a very flexible character creation system. Not to mention the aforementioned legendary souls. I'm pretty sure they exist, but even if they don't, the character system is probably the best I've seen, most likely to make up for the scant race selection.
Both Guardian and Defiant have a human and elf race - the Defiant humans are darker, as they're from the deserts, and much hotter (in my humble opinion, anyway) than the Guardian humans. The elves are kind of similar, with the Defiant elves being purple as opposed to the Guardian elves' human skin tones. The difference lies in the third race. While the Guardians have Dwarves, the Defiant have the Bahmi, a race of half-breeds that, like I said before, look like purple Orcs. It may just be my view of it, but they look goddamn huge.
One of the cooler things that I noticed is rather small, but I thought significant - the ability to change the height of your character. No boob size slider, but height is tremendously important, and allows for a greater variation - unlike WoW, which has uniform (and therefore boring) height restrictions on all races. Who says a gnome has to be knee height? I estimate the range of height to be around 2 to 2.5 feet.
RIFT Beta post #1
Date: January 26 (this is the whole email, copypasta)
Well, I went a bit into the testing, and so far, it seems pretty standard, as far as questing goes. However, one thing that stands out, is the character customization. You pick one of four Callings (Warrior, Cleric, Rogue and Mage) which are pretty self-explanatory, and then do what is called in-game as a 'soul attunement', meaning you pick specific characteristics, or 'souls' within your Calling. Basically, a soul is a talent tree, in WoW terms, and you can 'attune' three souls at once. Now, the EULA that I agreed to says I can't share proprietary information, stuff like that, but the Callings and the sub-categories are already on the website anyway, and I figure you guys probably wouldn't talk about it to others. I just wanted to list the sub-categories, to show you guys, and to give myself a bit of a database to help me remember.
WARRIOR
Beastmaster - The Beastmaster is an offensive warrior whose strength comes from a deep bond with his spirit companion. This companion both manifests itself as an ally in battle, and also emboldens the Beastmaster, granting its master its virtues.
Reaver - Reavers are specialists who combine the art of combat with that of entropic death. The slightest touch of their weapon can spread disease and incite madness leaving them incapable of mounting an assault against a Reaver and their allies. (Very cool.)
Void Knight - The Void Knight is a defensive specialist who uses eldritch techniques to combat those who wield magic. Magic attacks that would bring another warrior low are shaken off by the Void Knight, reflected back at the magical caster, or stored in magical pacts they can unleash with devastating effect.
Champion - The Champion is an offensive powerhouse who specializes in two handed weapons. They wade into battle, quickly closing on the strongest opponent they can find with a single goal in mind; to achieve glory by defeating any who stand in their way.
Paragon - The Paragon is an offensive fighter who does not pause long enough to give his opponents enough time to attack him. A master of dual wielding blades, he builds up powerful attacks by parries and disciplined forms to both propel his attacks and keep him out of danger.
Paladin - A Paladin is a defensive warrior who specializes in the use of shields to deflect incoming damage, and set up powerful counter attacks. In addition they call upon divine powers to bolster their defences as well as their allies'.
Riftblade - A Riftblade is an offensive warrior who uses both blade and elemental magic to attack his enemies. Versatile in battle, they are able to attack at range with spears of elemental magic, or in close combat by enhancing their weapons with raw elemental power.
Warlord - A veteran and survivor of many battlefields, the Warlord is a support specialist who has lived his life in conflict and understands battle at an instinctual level. With powerful command auras, he controls the field of battle, emboldening allies, and weakening enemies.
CLERIC
Cabalist - The cabalist is an offensive cleric who draws on powers others fear. Using ritual and sigil to call forth seeping death and suffocating water, they devastate the battlefield with powerful attacks that catch their opponents in a sinking grip.
Druid - The Druid is a powerful offensive melee combatant, who exists in harmony with the forces of nature. They are able to call forth uncorrupted fae spirits from the plane of life to harry their foes, heal their allies, and even manifest a companion creature.
Inquisitor - Inquisitors are offensive clerics who specialize in the ministering of pain. They channel their divine wrath into individuals they deem worthy of punishment, corrupting the blood in their veins and slowing the very beating of their hearts. (AWESOME!)
Justicar - Justicars are healing clerics who specialize in fighting shoulder to shoulder with their allies in close combat. Their conviction builds with each swing of their weapon, bolstering nearby allies and powering their potent healing magic.
Purifier - Are healing specialists who draw from a synthesis of life and fire spirits allowing them to focus incredible healing energies on an individual. Their spiritual power can also be focused outwards, smiting down any who oppose them.
Sentinel - The Sentinel is a healer who brings the blessings of light and healing to all who would do the will of the gods. Capable of healing large groups of people, Sentinels bolster allies with the life of the gods, and protect themselves with the wrath of the divine.
Shaman - The Shaman serves as a conduit for the elemental forces that comprise the world. These powers augment the Shaman's every attack, making them powerful melee combatants, as well as shielding them from harm. (sounds a bit like an Enhancement Shaman, right?)
Warden - The Warden is a healer who calls on the soothing power of water. They specialize in slow healing that escalates over time, making them ideal for aiding allies in prolonged fights that would leave most exhausted and unable to continue.
MAGE
Archon - Archon's are support specialists who have mastered the art of stealing an opponent's strength and converting that raw energy into beneficial magic. This allows them to bolster their allies, allowing them to turn the tide of battle when things seem bleakest.
Dominator - The Dominator is a support specialist who excels at terrorizing the opponents, leaving them unable or unwilling to act. Those who manage to muster the courage to fight a Dominator will find themselves at the mercy of arcane shields that return the fury of their blows tenfold.
Elementalist - Elementalists are offensive mages who specialize in controlling the raw energies of the planes. Through fierce discipline and study, they have learned to master the primal forces of the elements and bind them to physical form to serve their will.
Chloromancer - The Chloromancer is a healing specialist who draws on the energies of plants and nature to find a balance between life and death. This allows them to harness energies into devastating force, or recycle destructive magic to heal their allies.
Pyromancer - Pyromancers are offensive mages whose sole focus is the mastery of fire. They are capable of harnessing this power for a multitude of uses, from massively destructive fireballs to more subtle manipulations that trap their opponents behind a blazing wall of fire.
Stormcaller - A Stormcaller is an offensive specialist who has learned to harness the weather. They can devastate a large area by calling on the power of wind and water, chilling their opponents with freezing air, or stopping their hearts with a bolt of lightning.
Warlock - Warlocks are offensive specialists who embrace the darker forces of entropy and death. From within a cloak of protective shadow, these mages direct deathly energies, inexorably consuming their opponents' lives and feeding the warlocks on their stolen breath.
Necromancer - Necromancers are offensive mages who have mastered the forbidden art of reanimating the dead and binding them to their will. Their twisted magics allow them to siphon off the vital essences of their enemies, leaving them frail and unable to defend themselves from their undead minions.
ROGUE
Assassin - Assassins are offensive rogues who have mastered the arts of subtlety and subterfuge; they stalk the shadows, bypassing obstacles to launch devastating surprise attacks. Those that survive the initial assault will find themselves rapidly falling to the rogue's virulent poison.
Bard - Bards are support specialists who use their songs to inspire their allies and dishearten their foes, and are most effective as part of a group of adventurers, where their musical codas, fanfares and anthems will be most effective.
Bladedancer - The Bladedancer is an offensive fighter who overcomes opponents with precision strikes and graceful agility. Their deadly dance is so fluid as to be mesmerizing, enabling a talented Bladedancer to easily avoid or deflect attacks, while simultaneously allowing them to launch lethal attacks of their own.
Marksman - Marksmen are offensive sharpshooters who are trained to thin the enemy ranks with ruthless efficiency. They combine swift hit and run attacks with devastating volleys, endlessly harassing the enemy, leaving behind a field of dead and crippled foes in their wake.
Nightblade - Nightblades are offensive rogues who mix arcane powers with cold steel for deadly efficiency. Cloaked in shadow they rely on precise strikes of the blade and cold fires of death to leave nothing but ash in their wake (I know it uses the 'in their wake' again, but that is damned cool)
Ranger - Rangers are flexible rogues with an uncanny way with the beasts of Telara. These masters of bow and blade develop a bond with their pets that lets them move as one in battle, each knowing what the other is thinking and reacting accordingly.
Riftstalker - The Riftstalker is a defensive specialist who has learned to bend the magic of the planes to aid them in battle. They use this power to shift themselves in and out of the planes, granting them unprecedented mobility and the ability to shrug off the most lethal of blows.
Saboteur - The Saboteur is an offensive based rogue who specializes in explosives and other incendiaries to cripple their opponents and control their battlefield. With proper preparation, a Saboteur can destroy a group of enemies without ever engaging them directly.
Heh, my first 'randomized' name was Phylgarigunoline. Female Human warrior. I think they're taking random names a bit far, huh? In any case, while I was originally going for a dwarf warrior, Beastmaster/Champion/Void Knight, after looking at the choices, I want to give a human mage, Necromancer/Dominator/Warlock a try. It's going to be verrry fun, sending in minions while I eat their souls.
Well, I went a bit into the testing, and so far, it seems pretty standard, as far as questing goes. However, one thing that stands out, is the character customization. You pick one of four Callings (Warrior, Cleric, Rogue and Mage) which are pretty self-explanatory, and then do what is called in-game as a 'soul attunement', meaning you pick specific characteristics, or 'souls' within your Calling. Basically, a soul is a talent tree, in WoW terms, and you can 'attune' three souls at once. Now, the EULA that I agreed to says I can't share proprietary information, stuff like that, but the Callings and the sub-categories are already on the website anyway, and I figure you guys probably wouldn't talk about it to others. I just wanted to list the sub-categories, to show you guys, and to give myself a bit of a database to help me remember.
WARRIOR
Beastmaster - The Beastmaster is an offensive warrior whose strength comes from a deep bond with his spirit companion. This companion both manifests itself as an ally in battle, and also emboldens the Beastmaster, granting its master its virtues.
Reaver - Reavers are specialists who combine the art of combat with that of entropic death. The slightest touch of their weapon can spread disease and incite madness leaving them incapable of mounting an assault against a Reaver and their allies. (Very cool.)
Void Knight - The Void Knight is a defensive specialist who uses eldritch techniques to combat those who wield magic. Magic attacks that would bring another warrior low are shaken off by the Void Knight, reflected back at the magical caster, or stored in magical pacts they can unleash with devastating effect.
Champion - The Champion is an offensive powerhouse who specializes in two handed weapons. They wade into battle, quickly closing on the strongest opponent they can find with a single goal in mind; to achieve glory by defeating any who stand in their way.
Paragon - The Paragon is an offensive fighter who does not pause long enough to give his opponents enough time to attack him. A master of dual wielding blades, he builds up powerful attacks by parries and disciplined forms to both propel his attacks and keep him out of danger.
Paladin - A Paladin is a defensive warrior who specializes in the use of shields to deflect incoming damage, and set up powerful counter attacks. In addition they call upon divine powers to bolster their defences as well as their allies'.
Riftblade - A Riftblade is an offensive warrior who uses both blade and elemental magic to attack his enemies. Versatile in battle, they are able to attack at range with spears of elemental magic, or in close combat by enhancing their weapons with raw elemental power.
Warlord - A veteran and survivor of many battlefields, the Warlord is a support specialist who has lived his life in conflict and understands battle at an instinctual level. With powerful command auras, he controls the field of battle, emboldening allies, and weakening enemies.
CLERIC
Cabalist - The cabalist is an offensive cleric who draws on powers others fear. Using ritual and sigil to call forth seeping death and suffocating water, they devastate the battlefield with powerful attacks that catch their opponents in a sinking grip.
Druid - The Druid is a powerful offensive melee combatant, who exists in harmony with the forces of nature. They are able to call forth uncorrupted fae spirits from the plane of life to harry their foes, heal their allies, and even manifest a companion creature.
Inquisitor - Inquisitors are offensive clerics who specialize in the ministering of pain. They channel their divine wrath into individuals they deem worthy of punishment, corrupting the blood in their veins and slowing the very beating of their hearts. (AWESOME!)
Justicar - Justicars are healing clerics who specialize in fighting shoulder to shoulder with their allies in close combat. Their conviction builds with each swing of their weapon, bolstering nearby allies and powering their potent healing magic.
Purifier - Are healing specialists who draw from a synthesis of life and fire spirits allowing them to focus incredible healing energies on an individual. Their spiritual power can also be focused outwards, smiting down any who oppose them.
Sentinel - The Sentinel is a healer who brings the blessings of light and healing to all who would do the will of the gods. Capable of healing large groups of people, Sentinels bolster allies with the life of the gods, and protect themselves with the wrath of the divine.
Shaman - The Shaman serves as a conduit for the elemental forces that comprise the world. These powers augment the Shaman's every attack, making them powerful melee combatants, as well as shielding them from harm. (sounds a bit like an Enhancement Shaman, right?)
Warden - The Warden is a healer who calls on the soothing power of water. They specialize in slow healing that escalates over time, making them ideal for aiding allies in prolonged fights that would leave most exhausted and unable to continue.
MAGE
Archon - Archon's are support specialists who have mastered the art of stealing an opponent's strength and converting that raw energy into beneficial magic. This allows them to bolster their allies, allowing them to turn the tide of battle when things seem bleakest.
Dominator - The Dominator is a support specialist who excels at terrorizing the opponents, leaving them unable or unwilling to act. Those who manage to muster the courage to fight a Dominator will find themselves at the mercy of arcane shields that return the fury of their blows tenfold.
Elementalist - Elementalists are offensive mages who specialize in controlling the raw energies of the planes. Through fierce discipline and study, they have learned to master the primal forces of the elements and bind them to physical form to serve their will.
Chloromancer - The Chloromancer is a healing specialist who draws on the energies of plants and nature to find a balance between life and death. This allows them to harness energies into devastating force, or recycle destructive magic to heal their allies.
Pyromancer - Pyromancers are offensive mages whose sole focus is the mastery of fire. They are capable of harnessing this power for a multitude of uses, from massively destructive fireballs to more subtle manipulations that trap their opponents behind a blazing wall of fire.
Stormcaller - A Stormcaller is an offensive specialist who has learned to harness the weather. They can devastate a large area by calling on the power of wind and water, chilling their opponents with freezing air, or stopping their hearts with a bolt of lightning.
Warlock - Warlocks are offensive specialists who embrace the darker forces of entropy and death. From within a cloak of protective shadow, these mages direct deathly energies, inexorably consuming their opponents' lives and feeding the warlocks on their stolen breath.
Necromancer - Necromancers are offensive mages who have mastered the forbidden art of reanimating the dead and binding them to their will. Their twisted magics allow them to siphon off the vital essences of their enemies, leaving them frail and unable to defend themselves from their undead minions.
ROGUE
Assassin - Assassins are offensive rogues who have mastered the arts of subtlety and subterfuge; they stalk the shadows, bypassing obstacles to launch devastating surprise attacks. Those that survive the initial assault will find themselves rapidly falling to the rogue's virulent poison.
Bard - Bards are support specialists who use their songs to inspire their allies and dishearten their foes, and are most effective as part of a group of adventurers, where their musical codas, fanfares and anthems will be most effective.
Bladedancer - The Bladedancer is an offensive fighter who overcomes opponents with precision strikes and graceful agility. Their deadly dance is so fluid as to be mesmerizing, enabling a talented Bladedancer to easily avoid or deflect attacks, while simultaneously allowing them to launch lethal attacks of their own.
Marksman - Marksmen are offensive sharpshooters who are trained to thin the enemy ranks with ruthless efficiency. They combine swift hit and run attacks with devastating volleys, endlessly harassing the enemy, leaving behind a field of dead and crippled foes in their wake.
Nightblade - Nightblades are offensive rogues who mix arcane powers with cold steel for deadly efficiency. Cloaked in shadow they rely on precise strikes of the blade and cold fires of death to leave nothing but ash in their wake (I know it uses the 'in their wake' again, but that is damned cool)
Ranger - Rangers are flexible rogues with an uncanny way with the beasts of Telara. These masters of bow and blade develop a bond with their pets that lets them move as one in battle, each knowing what the other is thinking and reacting accordingly.
Riftstalker - The Riftstalker is a defensive specialist who has learned to bend the magic of the planes to aid them in battle. They use this power to shift themselves in and out of the planes, granting them unprecedented mobility and the ability to shrug off the most lethal of blows.
Saboteur - The Saboteur is an offensive based rogue who specializes in explosives and other incendiaries to cripple their opponents and control their battlefield. With proper preparation, a Saboteur can destroy a group of enemies without ever engaging them directly.
Heh, my first 'randomized' name was Phylgarigunoline. Female Human warrior. I think they're taking random names a bit far, huh? In any case, while I was originally going for a dwarf warrior, Beastmaster/Champion/Void Knight, after looking at the choices, I want to give a human mage, Necromancer/Dominator/Warlock a try. It's going to be verrry fun, sending in minions while I eat their souls.
Gettin' my retroactive on
So, silly me, I forgot that there was a goddamned WIKI on RIFT. So, uh, it appears that my impressions and screenshots and shit are all legal to talk to you about. Damn, I feel like an idiot. Then again, it's not anything new. I'll be uploading comments, descriptions, etc that I sent to only a few select friends, and postmark them the date I sent them.
In other news, I'm having fun cooking with wine. I've made both a roast beef and a roast pork, made with a red and white marinade, respectively. However, instead of discarding the marinade, like it's suggested, I simply add it as a 'broth' in the roaster, to give it flavour. This makes the roast wonderfully tender. The roast pork just came out of the oven, and while it's delicious, it's still bleeding a bit. So, not quite done.
Tomorrow, I'll probably hold a discourse on this goddamned piece of yarn that invaded my room yesterday.
In other news, I'm having fun cooking with wine. I've made both a roast beef and a roast pork, made with a red and white marinade, respectively. However, instead of discarding the marinade, like it's suggested, I simply add it as a 'broth' in the roaster, to give it flavour. This makes the roast wonderfully tender. The roast pork just came out of the oven, and while it's delicious, it's still bleeding a bit. So, not quite done.
Tomorrow, I'll probably hold a discourse on this goddamned piece of yarn that invaded my room yesterday.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Hunting monsters and kicking ass
I'd like to talk to you about a little game that I've grown to love. Its name is Monster Hunter. While it is slowly gaining popularity over here in North America, in Japan it has become a sensation much like Dragon Quest.
One may look at a synopsis of the game (and all its following installments), and wonder why the fuck anyone would invest time into it. The synopsis in question? You hunt monsters. End of story. That is the essential soul of Monster Hunter, boiled down to its simplest form. Oh, sure, there's some shit about the village being in some sort of vague danger that threatens its very existence, but it's simply there to serve as an excuse to hunt large, voracious animals to extinction.
The more detailed explanation would go as follows: You hunt small monsters, carve them up into even smaller pieces (which you unceremoniously stuff into your backpack), haul the bloody chunks back to town, and force the poor blacksmith to somehow fashion a suit of armour or weapon out of scales, fur, and various bits of skin, with the odd chunk of metal ore thrown in for good measure. You then go out to fight progressively bigger and badder monsters, literally wearing the skin of your previous conquests.
Now, if that didn't get you hard, you may as well just stop reading. I have nothing more that can be more arousing than that.
For those that have had their interest piqued, read on. Each monster will have its own behavior - attacks, reactions, flight patterns, etc. Some monsters will try to escape from you when they are near death; others are simply enraged; one will even try to play dead so that you will leave it alone. It is up to you to figure out that behavior, and exploit it, so you can wear that shiny new hat made from their bones.
There is no lock on, no monster health bar, nothing to take you by the hand and walk you through. You need to rely on your wits, your reactive skills, and maybe even a little bit of luck. I've played through Monster Hunter for the PS2, MH Freedom 1 and 2 and Unite for the PSP (though I actually played the Japanese version of Unite, called Portable 2nd G), and most recently Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Through all of that, I've found that I've developed an unbreakable bond with this franchise - become a 'fanboy', if you will. I had hoped never to contract this disease, but it has found me nonetheless. I do, however, lack the rabid defense with which most fanboys will defend their games. I accept many peoples' opinions of this game, and simply believe that they were not meant to play it.
Give it a try, though. If it sounds like something you might like, if you can FIND it (I've had friends search for a month without a successful find, though they probably weren't looking in the right places), give it a go. It'll hook you, and you'll likely spend a hundred hours MINIMUM playing it. I've averaged about 200 hours on each of the installments, and that's nothing compared to some of the veteran players.
Happy hunting.
One may look at a synopsis of the game (and all its following installments), and wonder why the fuck anyone would invest time into it. The synopsis in question? You hunt monsters. End of story. That is the essential soul of Monster Hunter, boiled down to its simplest form. Oh, sure, there's some shit about the village being in some sort of vague danger that threatens its very existence, but it's simply there to serve as an excuse to hunt large, voracious animals to extinction.
The more detailed explanation would go as follows: You hunt small monsters, carve them up into even smaller pieces (which you unceremoniously stuff into your backpack), haul the bloody chunks back to town, and force the poor blacksmith to somehow fashion a suit of armour or weapon out of scales, fur, and various bits of skin, with the odd chunk of metal ore thrown in for good measure. You then go out to fight progressively bigger and badder monsters, literally wearing the skin of your previous conquests.
Now, if that didn't get you hard, you may as well just stop reading. I have nothing more that can be more arousing than that.
For those that have had their interest piqued, read on. Each monster will have its own behavior - attacks, reactions, flight patterns, etc. Some monsters will try to escape from you when they are near death; others are simply enraged; one will even try to play dead so that you will leave it alone. It is up to you to figure out that behavior, and exploit it, so you can wear that shiny new hat made from their bones.
There is no lock on, no monster health bar, nothing to take you by the hand and walk you through. You need to rely on your wits, your reactive skills, and maybe even a little bit of luck. I've played through Monster Hunter for the PS2, MH Freedom 1 and 2 and Unite for the PSP (though I actually played the Japanese version of Unite, called Portable 2nd G), and most recently Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Through all of that, I've found that I've developed an unbreakable bond with this franchise - become a 'fanboy', if you will. I had hoped never to contract this disease, but it has found me nonetheless. I do, however, lack the rabid defense with which most fanboys will defend their games. I accept many peoples' opinions of this game, and simply believe that they were not meant to play it.
Give it a try, though. If it sounds like something you might like, if you can FIND it (I've had friends search for a month without a successful find, though they probably weren't looking in the right places), give it a go. It'll hook you, and you'll likely spend a hundred hours MINIMUM playing it. I've averaged about 200 hours on each of the installments, and that's nothing compared to some of the veteran players.
Happy hunting.
RIFT Beta
Well, I managed to get invited to the beta of Trion Games' new MMORPG, RIFT: Planes of Telara. Because of the agreement that I signed prior to playing the beta, I'm not entirely certain how much information I can share. Certainly I should be able to share any information that's already on the website, but talking about my experiences there, beyond any sort of general description might be crossing the legal threshold.
I see that there are some people posting videos and such of RIFT gameplay already; whether this is because Trion has allowed it, whether it falls under the category to be shared, or whether the person in question even read the agreement (or a better question, do they even care?), I don't know. What I do know is, I'm goddamned paranoid about posting shit on the Internet, and I'm not about to jeopardize my first blog in my second all-time post by posting something that'll get my ass sued.
What I will do, however, is create several posts that will release after the game has hit shelves. Talking about a game's features whilst in production should not be a problem AFTER it is considered a finished product. Hell, I'll see about talking to a GM regarding using information from the beta in my blog. If it's fine, then I'll post whatever I come across. If not, you'll just have to wait. I say 'you', probably because there is all of one person who's going to read this blog.
I will say this, however. I rather enjoyed RIFT, and even after I vowed not to get caught up in paying for another MMO, I'm very sorely tempted with this one.
I see that there are some people posting videos and such of RIFT gameplay already; whether this is because Trion has allowed it, whether it falls under the category to be shared, or whether the person in question even read the agreement (or a better question, do they even care?), I don't know. What I do know is, I'm goddamned paranoid about posting shit on the Internet, and I'm not about to jeopardize my first blog in my second all-time post by posting something that'll get my ass sued.
What I will do, however, is create several posts that will release after the game has hit shelves. Talking about a game's features whilst in production should not be a problem AFTER it is considered a finished product. Hell, I'll see about talking to a GM regarding using information from the beta in my blog. If it's fine, then I'll post whatever I come across. If not, you'll just have to wait. I say 'you', probably because there is all of one person who's going to read this blog.
I will say this, however. I rather enjoyed RIFT, and even after I vowed not to get caught up in paying for another MMO, I'm very sorely tempted with this one.
My first blog
Well, hello internet. I've done it; I've finally broken down to social convention and created a blog. Don't blame me if your eyes bleed, or rabid monkeys come after you with carving knives. You have been warned.
This blog will contain whatever I bloody well feel like. You'll mostly find cooking and video game related posts here, but if I'm feeling ornery, you're just as likely to see perhaps a soliloquy about a can of shaving cream, or about the dark, tormented, misunderstood art of making fluffy little stuffed animals to give to people as presents.
This blog will contain whatever I bloody well feel like. You'll mostly find cooking and video game related posts here, but if I'm feeling ornery, you're just as likely to see perhaps a soliloquy about a can of shaving cream, or about the dark, tormented, misunderstood art of making fluffy little stuffed animals to give to people as presents.
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