Monthly Archives: August 2012

Litany a Love Note

by

1

Litany a Love Note

First I know I owe you all two posts today, a real post for yesterday and one for today. Let me just say I will do what I can.

Now the real post:

That xp bonus couldn’t have hit at a better time. I had just finished flagging the artificer on my premium account Steampower for Litany of the Damned. Aka the bestest (or one of the best anyway) quest in all the land.

Have to say that first run took a little longer then I would have liked. About 20 mins I had to Gh a second time, grrrr. But after I zerged the quest with Samius that piker Steampower followed threw for his chest. With out much thought I did the puzzle and drank a 30% xp pot from the store and 49k+ xp flew across the screen. Almost 30k for Steam which with out a pot, tome or streak I have to say wasn’t bad for a first run.

Did a few normal runs after that. The first run I wasn’t thinking and answered Mentau, which I didn’t want to do first. So we restarted and went in a proper order. Cinnis/Mentau/Vol/Doomnuts. Really the only one that having the right item really helps on is Mentau as the rest of the items are so so at best.

It takes me about 10 mins to run the quest on normal. I learned that Samius is tough enough that if I clear Kai’s room of trash I can set Sam on auto attack and run Steam up just out side of the room in time for Sam to jump back throw a restore and get back to work. Sometimes Sam would kill Kai before I got switched back even.

The optionals do take a few mins on a melee. On a caster they are a lot quicker, run run run turn AOE death jump turn and run some more. Being sure to get all the chests can add a wee bit of time to the run as well. But Tome pages don’t pull themselves.

Run 6 and I was still getting almost 20K for the quest and 10k for optional per run. I am hoping that even ran dry that the quest will be time efficient with the bonus. If I can get a full level out of Litany even if it is running the same thing over and over and over then life will be much easier later when I wonder off to other level 15 quests, because there aren’t a ton of level 15s worth running for xp.

Infact there are no other level 15 quests that are anywhere need time efficient even with the extra bonus.

<3s

Cth is Going to be @ Gencon 2012 and I Need Your Help

by

0

It is the end of the world as we know it and in typical Samius fashion I have talked Lessah in to a Live show at Gencon to really rock it out. There were still tickets last I looked and I don’t foresee selling out anytime soon. So if you going to GenCon please consider picking up tixs.

But what I want from other then to go to the show is to help me plan some games for Lessah/myself and the crowd to play.

So send me DDo trivia questions.
Marry/Frack/Kills
Weird sounding things that I can ask Lessah “What is…?”

You can also send me anything you want Us to talk about and if you think it will embarrass Lessah some send that along to just because.

Drop me a PM/or a My.ddo mail or send me an email proper @ samius @ ddococktailhour.com

Also if you can’t come for some reason, I plan to use A google+ hangout for taping the show. So look for those details to follow as soon as I get them all worked out.

Rock on guys and I expect to see some emails from you all that I hope will make Lessah trun Rowanheal pink!

❤

Chewing on a Tuna Can.

by

7

This is going to be one of my non-DDo posts. So if that is what you wanted check back later there might be some ddo related content for you or hit the archive almost 400 posts of good stuff back there.

For the last 24 hours or so I have had a metallic taste in my mouth. I am going to use the saying of chewing on a tuna can to describe the feeling as apposed to the much funnier blowing Iron Man. But the long and short is everything tastes like tin. Food, water, tea everything; it is getting super old. I have to blame a migraine for this although before yesterday I never had a painless migraine but had other symptoms.

Well let me tell the story. I was working/writing my blog post for yesterday and I started to notice a strange taste in my mouth. A few mins later I thought I had a light going out as I noticed a mild strobe effect, nothing to bad just bad enough to be noticeable. 10 or 15 mins later I start to feel dizzy and then an overwhelming nausea. If it weren’t for my pilot training I would have emptied my belly a few times over.

Something they teach you, as a pilot is to not be sick even if you feel sick and how to not get sick while flying. Some of those lesions are a big help in the real world.

With in 30 mins I was a mess, but I didn’t hurt in my normal I am awake migraine way and that was nice. Even so I couldn’t do much while I was feeling that way and I knew it was a matter of time before my training was overcome…. So I headed home to bed. I crashed out in moments once I was in a dark/cool room. 3 hours later I woke up mostly symptom free but my normal Cluster migraine pain was back.

The last few months my migraines have shifted. And while if I don’t watch my triggers I still get that pain that makes me ponder boring out my eye and brain with a red hot spoon to make the pain stop and my constant mild pain is my constant companion. I have been experiencing something new for me. Spotting in my vision and strange tastes during attacks are new to me. And they are wearing down my focus I find myself distracted by my surroundings more and more, oh Iron Man bobble…..

Sorry back. As I was saying back to the Neurologist and likely more tests and drugs that will make me less me and help me not remember that I was hurting and not stopping the hurting in the first place. Oh the up side if I can handle the nausea/dizziness/ and flashing I can have moments with out pain. Might just need to carry a puke bucket….

Don’t worry too much about this old halfing I will manage. I just complain to my wife too much about things as it is and I figure if I complain to you all then I don’t need to bother her.

❤

Begging for Help.

by

4

I spent about an hour last night working on Fleshmakers, on normal. Up until the the puzzle My f2p arty and Samius made good time. Samius moved through the quest clearing trash until I would be better served by a BBer and then I switched to the f2P account and burned threw things. Did I say I got my issues with dualboxing sorted again? Or that I was having issues at all?

I was using a 8GB SD card for my other install but U14 pushed the install over 8GB and broke things. So I took a few hours and did a fresh install on the hard disk proper. Load screens are a little longer if I hit them at the same time other wise not too bad having everything on the same disk.

Any way get to the puzzle room, set Steampower (My f2p arty) at a rune clear some Airdicks and go for it. I hit the first rune auto run to the second as I swap to Steam and hit his rune. Back to Sam in time to hit the second, jump to the 3rd hit it go for the last rune and 3 airdicks hit me at the same time and I go flying. Almost was one and done but instead I got 45 more mins of pain and suffering.

Around the 30 min mark I went to the DDo store and picked up a hireling thinking that a distraction would be a big help. Realize that I miss clicked and got a fighter hire I go back to the store and get a sorc. Summon them both and they do their thing. Aka kill lots of airdicks but not enough and dodging an attack I mistime the last jump and make myself go flying.

I am so glad that I let my xp pots expire long before trying to do this quest.

Hires die a few times I do my best to keep them healed and alive as there are moments when I think I am on the edge of hitting all the runes when something happens and I go flying. The worst is when I am on the way to the last rune and the sorc dies and all the airdicks she was dancing with a ball break and turn right to me.

Did I ever tell you that I have soloed this many times before the environmental changes?

I try using one of the hires to pull a lever too but on the tries that the hires don’t die or get blown off turns out that Steam has fallen off his rune. ☹

Looking over at what the wife is doing at 50-55 mins in and she is happily soloing the orchard for slayers. And I start to beg/whine that I need her help. What a sucker. ☺ She comes in and having another real person knocks things out of the park and first try with her in and we summon the boss. I get its agro and give her time to recall out as she is level 12 and doesn’t want to mess up her xp.

Once I looted the chest I helped her with slayer until it was cleared and then did some inferno runs hoping to pick up the missing random sigil pieces for Steam. Ended the night missing 3 parts. The one from Ghosts and two random bits, think I can wrap those up later today.

Alright guys ❤ me later.

Gear for jumpers

by

2

Yesterday I was able to catch some of the DDocast live, first of all I want to say thanks to Jerry for pointing out that I am great and my blog is great and I will keep working at being great and trying to help you all be great too. ☺

Anyway…. as I was watching the show there came a point (like in every show) where I end up talking to the screen trying to point out things or correct mistakes but as I am not on the show it is hard to do. Damn my being lazy and wanting to use my weekend for stuff I already had planed vs doing DDocast live. So I am going to expand on a topic I think the group touched on but could use a little more explaining.

What gear is needed if I just jumped to 16 and this is my biggest guy? Having just geared up my ranged WF Arty that went from level 1 to 16 thanks to a guild xp day and a stone I have a gear list in mind. Again I think they did a good job, but I am of the mindset that a little bit of grinding explorers can give you good options and I think anyone with a healbot hire can solo explorers so I want to point out

Fort, the guys had things right that fort is one of your top concerns. And the nightforge necklace you can get with the ore turn-ins is damn handy (I use mine every TR life for a level or two). But when gearing up my dude I passed over 20 taps and got a Minos Legens instead. Yes, everyone and their uncle has one but there is a reason that it is so popular, it is a good hat. And any noob can grind 20 taps in the orchard or even begging from Vets/Guildies.

Hps, Con and GFL items are only costly at their lowest levels. Start looking at Con+6 of some dumb skill levels 13-15 and the price will be a lot lower then a level 13 clean version, although the con bet you are given is well enough for the time being. But still the AH might put some items out of reach and I would rather see you with a Nightforge Armband (IFL/Heroism 3/day clicky) and a + belt of Thoughtful Remenberance item over being super broke.

Armors, if you don’t know there are a lot of armor guys that take different turn-ins in the Giant Hold area, including the relics you get in the explorer or in the chests from the GH quests. IF you don’t have armor these are good options. And hell I keep a set of the Elfcrafted Chain as my personal armor for non monk casters, and if it is good enough for Samius then it is good enough for you.

Weapons and other misc can be farmed in the Attack on Stormreach chain. Everyone can use a Axe even if it is not the best weapon but with a little work it upgrades to a lot of nice options and while your at it keep an eye out for the Staff of Shadow and the Stonedust hand wraps. Together they make some of the best items in the game for self healing.
Speaking of self-healing, Bodyfeeding weapons are great. Bodyfeeding of (lesser or normal) vampirism with a huge crit range are better. Look around/invest. Oh and there is a cleaver in that attack on stormreach chain I talked about above that is has bodyfeeding and you can upgrade to add lesser vamp. Tobril used one to more or less solo everything on his Barb. The barb super cleave is real good when you pay 10 off a bodyfeeder proc and gain 10 hp or more and then rebodyfeed to do it again.

A quick few items that the cast crew missed: Bloodrage Symbiont an easy to farm DR5- item with other perks. Assuming you are going to make yourself a silver flame necklace gather your scarabs and make some dust and turn things in for Kaelth’s Touch it is another great easy trinket to swap into. Oh and lastly before leveling into 17 go and farm yourself up a Stalker Ring in the House C challenges. Makes all your weapons vorpal vs humanoids which is most of the stuff that vorps anyway.

Well that is a lot of werds. Think I am going to call it here if you have questions or things to add use the comments.

❤

Working the AH

by

2

Some days I have really good luck with the AH and others not so much. I think I need to get in touch with my inner Scrooge McDuck and work the AH hard.

I remember my first “win” with the AH. I was level 5 or 6 on some alt. Back when I had been playing actively for a few months don’t even know if Samius was capped yet. Think the Level cap was like 12. Any way I pulled a +1 int tome and was all giddy. Didn’t know in a few years I would trade +1 tomes for crafting bits and be glad to have that as a viable option vs just selling them to the bar keep between quests.

Anyway having used my 1year bday cake as a +1 int tome I didn’t have a need for it but I knew I could sell it. Checking the AH there wasn’t any other +1 int tomes on AH so I listed it for 1millon gold + 30% for AH fees. Yes that was a ton of money to me back then. Think it was up for all of an hour before it was bought out. Told Tobril later what went down and there was quite a shitstorm from him about how lucky I was and how he never gets the good pulls. Looked at the AH a day or two later hunting a +1 tome of some sort and saw there was a ton of +1 int tomes listed on the AH want to say that 200k gold was the top of the scale with lots of 150k gold tomes. I totally hit the lull just right.

However last week I had a something similar happen. I pulled two +3 tomes in one night. Running to the AH (because I am soooooo broke) I checked out the current prices on +3s. There where lots of +3 Chr tomes around a millon plat so I wasn’t going to bother with that. But there wasn’t any Con tomes listed. Winner winner!

Looking at the pricing of the other tomes I listed it at a millon plat with a 1.5 buy out. Comes back to me in the mail a few days later. Hmmm. Guess the “rich, I want a tome right now” guy was out.

Guess if your on Sarlona and see this and want to buy a +3 Con or Chr tome shoot me a PM/mail/tweet or something other wise they are going back on the AH for a possible pay off someday.

❤

More on End Game Caster Gear

by

3

Last we talked about As400 I had the goals of getting a Necromancer’s Staff (done) and a seal of the Ring of ER (not done ☹) But hey one out of two tough to farm items in 3 or 4 days is not bad.

Assuming that I do finally get my hands on the Seal I need to get my hands on a Spider Robe (+3 exp Int) and some kind of +7/8 item. Once that is done I have a few other slots to fill.

But before the wiki and I can do our thing and find items to farm for I need to know what slots are open.

So lets see at least one ring slot is open. The cloak slot would open up with a new int item. Getting a spider robe clears out the need for the Bracers of the Glacier now that I have the Necro Staff so it would be open. Gloves are totally open right now and my boots are for FF and a large guild slot that can be moved to any other guild slotted item. I don’t remember 100% and my.ddo doesn’t like old 400, but I think that my belt slot is a simple con belt.

So in summary I am married to my hat, torc, robe (once I get the new one), a ring (once I get that seal) and a staff…. Which means mostly everything. Oh boy….

So what can we get with easy farming/plat?

Well Belt of the Sun Soul is a quick farm. And is a +7 con belt not bad for a generic Con incress if it would grant HPs . The Sun Bracers have exp con and a save bonus, also not bad.

Speaking of easy to farm bracers that are not bad, the War Wizard’s bracers are more Sp and HP even if the rest is not uber… But I can see wearing the bracers all the time once I get enough favor and make the Spider robe part of the War wizards set and swapping into the Amulet in non-torcing fights to push the Sp a little more.

I am not in love with the rest of the turn in items on my Wiz and that leaves us with a lot of open slots so lets look at epic items. Under Boots we have Epic Firestorms, Dustless and Golden Greaves. I would put Delving boots but I will never get a pair. Oh and lets not rule out Rock boots, they are real good for my wiz in fact. Think I will plan on them.

Gloves? The Cannith challenge system doesn’t have any gloves so we can’t just run with them so lets look at the epics. Bramble caster and not a lot else, might have use this slot for some Green steel…

Cloak the Epic Phiarian Cloak is a clear stand out for a PM. But the two epic slots from a Cloak of Flames might be better.
But mainly I need to decide do I bother trying for a Tod Ring/set? The thing is all the Tod Rings are +6 stat and would be a waist I get my hands on a +7 or better Int item. And are any of the ring+belt sets worth it? Maybe the Archmage set??? Kinda…

Idk might use one of my Large Guild rings for like a Great school Focus of Fort so I don’t have to slot extra fort anyplace and keep that guild Hps….

As always if you have any ideas use the comments.

❤

What I want in a Quest

by

5

I was thinking the other day how I really love the Maze of Madness quest. Why? Because other then two level pulls the whole quest is totally easy and super quick, do to the ability to use the terrain to skip parts of the quest.

To me using the terrain to my advantage feels very DnD to me. Every quest where there are a few boxes I can use to jump over and skip an area of the quest is huge to me. Thanks New Ring leader.

Every time I stand on a hill and range something before it can get to me I smile. Thanks Most Explorer areas.

Any time I can pull mobs in to a “trap” of some kind my heart sings a little. Thanks Lava in Madstone, Traps in Qwylan’s/WizKing/Sins.

Sure being a little bit of a zerger means that I want the big payoff that is finishing the quest as soon as possible but I also want to enjoy the quest and using my surroundings well brings me joy.

So Turbine, if you please can think some more about ways that creative people can use the different terrains in the quests while you make them that would be super. I also like my quests quick with good xp/min and fantastic loot but I will take that terrain thing over the rest (as long as the rest is not shitty, mind you).

For you none Turbine readers: What quests do you like because you can do something fun with the terrain?

❤