Aug

30

Skills

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Guild Wars: Hell's Precipice
I completed the 25th and final mission in Guild Wars a few days ago. This marks the end of the story for the first chapter of Guild Wars and I’ll have to wait for the 2006 expansion to see who’ll make life in Tyria miserable next.

I might eventually create another character — perhaps a Monk or a Warrior/Necromancer to sample a different combat experience — but there’s still quite a bit left to do with my first character. There are still skills to acquire, mission bonuses to complete and a couple of towns and outposts to visit.

There’s also the PvP aspect of the game but I don’t expect I’ll spend a lot of time on that. My few attempts in the Arena at Droknar’s Forge were, shall we say, less than successful. It’s just too fast and frenetic for me and besides, playing in a typically uncoordinated PUG is a recipe for frequent defeat.

Tick, tick, tick, tick … BOOM

The main draw for me right now is exploring the tactical skillset of a Necromancer in PvE. There’s quite a varied experience to sample simply from one profession, and switching skills and attributes often makes a huge difference.

To cite just one example, I was getting (as the kids say) “pwn’d” by the Stone Summit and Avicara Tengu patrols while I was attempting to defeat Nhy Darkclaw in Mineral Springs. (I was keen on acquiring Well of Power from the Avicara Necromancer boss.) I had twice tried it with PUGs but the entire group didn’t even manage to survive five minutes outside the Granite Citadel.

I then went with henchmen but I still found the bow-wielding Avicara Fierce in Mineral Springs lethal in large numbers and the large Stone Summit patrols in Talus Chute were giving me DP as well.

(DP in Guild Wars isn’t the same thing as DP in porn but when you get down to it, it’s effectively the same thing since getting a huge DP in Guild Wars means you are quite screwed.)

After a few failed attempts, I switched skills and went with a minion bomber build based on Animate Bone Minions, Death Nova and Taste of Death. Once a corpse presented itself during combat, I’d raise two Bone Minions and as soon as they engaged the nearest enemy, I’d cast Death Nova and Taste of Death on them in quick succession.

In one fell swoop, the opponent would be seriously hurt and poisoned while I received a major infusion of health and a boost of energy thanks to Soul Reaping.

Thanks to this build, I BOOMBOOMBOOM’d through Mineral Springs with such ease that only two of the NPC henchmen had died by the end of my quest.

Aug

28

Elsewhere on the web

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Books are worse than videogames.
Brilliant.

Money for (virtually) nothing.
“If you play the online game ‘Everquest II’ and happen to have an extra Iksar (Fury)/Level-50 Sage character you don’t need, you could soon be $2,000 richer.” (See also.)

Kamen Rider Hibiki 28 out.
Torrent for the unsubbed episode. There’s some really slick action in this episode.

Aug

24

Elsewhere on the web

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Virtual crime.
“In South Korea, where the number of computer game players is massive, some have reported the emergence of gangs and mafia, where powerful players steal and demand that beginners give them virtual money for their ‘protection’.” (See also.)

Winning Eleven 9 impressions.
“On the PSP side, we actually did get to see the game running on the PSP hardware. The basic look seems to have translated extremely well from the console game …”

PSP to get expanded functionality.
It’s a nice way to distract you from the recent pedestrian game releases.

Underwear endorsements in games.
“The virtual characters in these games truly represent men and women that require high-performance equipment, and this is a great opportunity to equip them with the same gear that their real-life counterparts demand, giving them a competitive performance advantage.”

Aug

24

Ascended

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Guild Wars: Crystal Desert
The Crystal Desert is said to be the hardest area of the Guild Wars PvE experience. It’s challenging simply to travel to the three towns offering the Ascension missions even with a six-person party and I can understand why some players prefer to make a pell-mell dash instead of methodically working their way to those locations.

The problem is the large areas between towns and outposts are populated with numerous patrols of tough monsters, and you’ll often find a group of foes seemingly appearing out of the ether right on your ass as you’re engaged with another group. Still, it’s doable even with NPC henchmen.

The Ascension missions themselves are notable for their strict time limits. That said, you can (and really should) ignore the clocks aside from the Thirsty Rock mission where clock-watching is essential. I completed the Dunes of Despair mission with henchmen but the other two seemed very difficult without help from other players. (Be sure to read the Party Etiquette and Pick-Up Group guides on Guild Wars Guru before attempting to form a PUG for one of those killer missions.)

Upon completing those missions, you have to face one last hurdle before your ascension. The hurdle in question comes in the shape of your doppelganger which is apparently thus-named because it looks nothing like you and has access to weapons you don’t.

It does, however, have access to the same skills you take to the battle and I found myself repeatedly frustrated as my own Necromancer spells were used to defeat me. Going to battle without my spells was not an option as I was outgunned (so to speak) by the doppelganger. I had a piddling twig that dealt out minimal damage whereas the doppelganger was dishing out major pain with his axe and bow.

The key, I found, was to maintain mobility. I would get close and use Vile Touch (a touching distance spell that hits for 62 points) and then back away before the doppelganger switched to his melee weapons. I would then wait for Vile Touch to recyle and strafe in the meantime to avoid the arrows from the doppelganger’s bow. I repeated this sequence a few times and the doppelganger soon succumbed. Packing Order of the Vampire (which sacrifices 17 per cent of the caster’s health) made my job easier since the doppelganger would make use of it injudiciously.

You’re considered ascended once you’re defeated your doppleganger and although this should feel like a pivotal moment, in actuality, it’s no biggie and the game continues on with little change.

Aug

17

Elsewhere on the web

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“What’s up with the PSP?” [via]
The main concern is the paucity of killer titles and I have to agree the PSP has lost almost all of its initial momentum game-wise.

Guild Wars producer Jeff Strain interview.
The two major strengths of the game: players are rewarded for their skill (rather than time invested) and the grind has been made optional.

Fergie’s Fledglings.
“… 38 winners’ medals in the Premiership, 2756 games and 387 goals for Manchester United, plus the small matter of 312 caps for England and 51 for Wales.”

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