Mage Technique: Solo AOE

With the changes in Swamp of Dawn, it's actually a bit easier for most intermediate (skill wise) 9x Mages to solo AOE there... While solo AOE'ing is a lot tougher than a double pull with a cleric partner, the benefit is tremendous.

I never took screenshots of me doing this back when I was in my early 90s, so I tried to kinda fake it.  I made my way down to the Caiman spot in Swamp of Dawn using the following to simulate an early 9x mage:

Daily Life: Parade Etiquette

Parades seem to be a rare occurrence now days in Isya.  There were times not so long ago when they were a daily event.  With the passing of the Good Times Era, some customs and the etiquette associated with those customs have been lost... so as a refresher to some and a new lessons to others, I present to you:

Parade Etiquette 101:

1.  Parades should be conducted at walking speed.

So Fatal, where you been?

Ready to Pounce!  RawR!

Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while... I've been playing, just nothing of real interest to report I think.  I'll give you a breakdown of what's been going on and I guess you can decide if it's newsworthy or not...

Tuesday July 20, 2010:
Two words:  FlameWalker Ownage... or is that 3 words?  I'm lazy to check the spell description.  The 7/20/10 maintenance patch came with some unexpected side effects... Flame Walkers, those level 100 rolypoly mindless balls of Flame that prestiged Mages can summon, got a sudden, ridiculous buff.  They became not only stronger, but also smarter.  Suddenly Instance Dungeon parties could be formed without the need of a tank or cookies... just cast the Flame Walkers, learn how to lure mobs to them, and watch the carnage...

Screenshot of the Day - July 20, 2010

LN Blues - Advanced Protection Set (Guardian)

We've gotten boots before, but of course, everyone wants to see what the helms look like since these are the first visible helms at any level in Fiesta.  Akariiii was lucky enough to pick up an Advanced Protection Helmet today... and here's what it looks like... (Guardian on left of screen, HolyKnight on right)

Advanced Trust Set Completed - Holy Knight

Just a brief update, we've now completed the Advanced Trust Set for Holy Knights.  Congratulations to SenzaMisura!

The chest piece was also the last piece to be acquired.  During our trips out to LN today, we recovered this shirt along with Protection Armor and Pants for the Guardian Class.  The Advanced Trust Set is the 3rd set we have completed so far since we began farming Leviathan's Nest a little more than a week ago.  I will post the Advanced Warrrior (Gladiator) Set later.

Beauty Shop Gender Change screenies courtesy of SenzaMisura.  Set effects forthcoming.

Mission ACCOMPLISHED Advanced Concentration Set

Well, we did it!  The SharpShooter 100 Blue Armor Set has become a reality!

First off, I wanted to thank my guildmates for all the help and support in helping me achieve this goal.  Extra thanks goes to my husband, StormyRain, thanks so much hun, this wouldn't have been possible without your help.  You've got me pixel-pretty and beaming.

Special thanks also to guildies: SenzaMisura, Akariiii, dan112, Mia_, laceface, wave92, Rehab_B and _Aim_2_Shoot_.  Thank you also to Haiyan, Spiderman, and RaidenX.

Screenie of the Day - July 15, 2010

'Stargazer' Weapon Skins!

Well they're here!  Of course with my weakness for all things pixel-pretty, I had to hand James my piggy bank and take a few turns banging away on the forge.  Luckily the bow came up pretty quickly, unfortunately it's only a 3k durability one.  Even so, I kept it, I couldn't bear to part with it... I don't know how much actual grind time it will see, but I suppose it's an option since I also won a 3k Repair Kit.

A few other items I finagled from crotchety old James:
10k Stargazer Staff
25k Stargazer Wand
3k Stargazer Hammer
10k Repair Kit
T2 Perfect Red Eyes (Yes I checked, they're not those deceptive 50%'ers)

Not too bad, I turned in 4 other items for credit (2 50% Eyes, 1k Repair Kit, 3k Stargazer One Hander), had one credit from before so I got a free spin.  As long as I stop here, I think I made my money's worth.

Thanks James and thank you OutSpark!

OPERATION: SHARPSHOOTER BLUE

Mission Objective:  Recover all 4 pieces of level 100 SharpShooter Armors buried within the bowels of Leviathan's Nest.

Secondary, Unconfirmed Objective:  Be the first female SharpShooter in Bijou to acquire all 4 pieces.  Pixel vanity must be maintained at all times.

Mission Details:  Infiltrate Leviathan's Nest via Roumen's Lighthouse.  Eliminate all opposition along the way including Leviathan's underlings King Boogy and King Crab.  Expect strong opposition in the forms of Bats, Caiman Juniors, Boogys, Alcas, Caimans, Gargoyles, Baridons, Crabs, Mad Slugs, and Snakes. No opposition should be left standing in the way of completing the mission.

Leviathan's Nest - Where Archers Thrive

... details tomorrow.  have a good night!

INFORMATION CLASSIFIED

Techniques will be revealed once OPERATION: SHARPSHOOTER BLUE has been successfully completed.

What's a SharpShooter Do Anyway?

SharpShooters are probably the least popular subclass in Fiesta, there are probably 40 or more Gladiators to every 1 SharpShooter so we're a bit of a rarity.  Most people don't know what one looks like or what skills we possess.  This fact is one of the very reasons I chose this class.

There are many threads on the forums stating how SharpShooter's skills don't work properly, how they could be improved, etc., and for the most part, they're either accurate or we don't quite understand how the skills work.

SharpShooters receive 5 subclass skills (Detect, Slow Shot, Distant Arrow, Blind Shot, and Neutralize,) after completing their Prestige quests.  Below are some simple screenshots, info about the skills and what I would suggest to improve them.

Detect

Information:  Probably one of the prettiest, yet most useless skills in the game.  The Detect skill is used to uncover Rangers using their Hide ability.  The problem is that the range of this skill is only as large as our other AOEs and the cooldown is 30 seconds so it isn't spammable.  Also, Ranger's Hide skill can be defeated by any AOE, so it's actually better to just spam your damage dealing AOEs (Nature's Mist & Piercing Shot) instead.

How it could be improved:  This skill should just be given maybe a 18.0-25.0m radius from the SharpShooter.  Having to aim this skill to a particular location is ridiculous.

Mimic Quest Conclusion

I hit 102 last night on my cutesy sharpshooter so my Mimic'ing days are passed me.  I had completed but didn't turn in about 130million exp in quests prior to hitting 102 as well so I got that all handed in and done and sit at a little over 30% on my way to 103.... I was so tempted to just turn that huge chunk of experience in and get to 102 quickly, but I'm really glad that I didn't.  Turning it in at 101 would have just ensured that I would have to kite even more at 102 *gasp!*...

so anyway, about the Mimic quest... this repeatable is HIGHLY recommended.  At 6.9m experience per turn in, you can level up fairly quickly from 96-102 with minimal effort.  The quest requires only one quest item to be turned in also.  I don't know how it is on the other servers at the various spawn locations in Swamp of Dawn, but in Bijou things were pretty laid back.  Occasionally you would get a drop thief or a kill stealer, but for the most part it was fairly easy and drama-free.

Question for FL: So what's your favorite class to play?

I get asked this from time to time and most people assume they know the answer being that my main character and most well known identity is a mage (FatalLace of Bijou), but that's not really the case anymore.
I really do enjoy playing all 4 classes under the right circumstances.  I'm well aware of each classes' strengths, limitations, and challenges so I'm not expecting the unreasonable when I sit down and start playing.
There are some somewhat ironic facets to each character class and my respective style of play that maybe gets some people shaking their heads a bit, but it's how I've learned to best enjoy the game for myself.

Conquering the Day...

had a great day today, at work, at home, and in the fantasy world that is Fiesta... wanted to thank my in-game hubby StormyRain for spending the day with me... i had a great time in Leviathan's Nest hun, thank you.  one day we'll get all those SharpShooter armors!  <3

a happy song for a happy day...

The Corrs - Breathless

Constellation Weapon Skins?

Came across these in the Fiesta file folders, i'm guessing that they are new weapon skins, there are no shield variants available.  all of the designs have a rotating/disappearing group of stars and most have some type of glow to them... guess we'll wait and see!

Constellation Axe

Constellation One-Hander

So What's on the Agenda Now?

Well since my adventures on Cypion have gone to the backburner, I’ve re-dedicated myself to the characters I had put on hold back in Bijou.  When I left them my alts included a level 95 archer (Faytal), a level 86 cleric (FatylLace) and a level 87 fighter (WinterLace).  Since coming back and focusing, I’ve gotten both my cleric and fighter to level 90, and progressed my archer even closer to prestige at level 98.  As of this writing, she’s about 30% away from hitting 99!  Woohoo for progress!

As much as I enjoy playing my fighter and my cleric, I’m kind of at a crossroads.  At level 90, they’re both just about to level out of Dragon’s Tomb, one of my favorite maps.  It’s a shame because I absolutely love playing both of these classes in that environment.  Both really test your skill as a player, especially if you have party-mates that are not quite at the same skill level.  Dragon’s Tomb is a great environment to teach other players the intricacies of playing their respective classes as well.

So What Happened to Cypion?

Since some of you were under the impression that I permanently moved to Cypion, I'm sorry, I didn't.  That was never my intention.  My time in Cypion was used to just take a break from Bijou, a chance to recharge my batteries and get a better perspective on the newer players coming in and the hardships or ease that comes along with an ever evolving game like Fiesta.  I do plan to go back from time to time when boredom hits me, so all is not lost!  I left OceansEdge at level 35, we'll see where she ends up eventually.  I do love her still, love her name, love the personality I take on when I'm acting as her, etc... Till we meet again. <3