FatalLace's Journey Through Isya

2011: One Player's Opinion on What We've Seen

2011-12-21T00:33:00.000-10:00

An Honest Critique of Some Changes in 2011 -

I'm usually not too critical of how Fiesta is run, the decisions that have been made to further the game, and the changes both good or bad that we experience. I'm typically supportive of OutSpark and I usually take some time before rushing to judge any changes that arrive on our doorstep. I try to see their side, understand why some changes are made and why other's aren't.

With that being said, and with some time to absorb the changes we've experienced in 2011, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on what's been going on, improved upon, what didn't work, and any thoughts or suggestions I may have for 2012. Needless to say, I love Fiesta. I wouldn't dedicate myself to running a blog about Fiesta if I didn't find the game enjoyable. I wouldn't have leveled as many characters as I have, nor invested as much money as I have if I didn't relish my time in Isya.

So where do we begin? How about with the most controversial change we experienced:

Bind On Equip:
Bind On Equip (or BOE) basically places a lock on any armor or weapon piece that you equip. BOE does not affect all equippable items, but it does affect much of the end game content. Starting from some of the level 95 sets on up to the level 105 Secret Laboratory and Lucky House Weapons and Shields, BOE rears its ugly head.

There is no reason other than for profit that this "feature" was released in June. We never had anything like this before, nor did the items they decided to bind have this limitation when they were first introduced into the game. While some items from Leviathan's Nest were instantly bound to whomever picked them up, the items acquired from Secret Laboratory were able to be drop traded (meaning you'd have to trust the other player enough to have one of you drop the item and let the other person grab it as you also exchange the gold for it). According to OutSpark, drop trading was never supposed to occur, but since it was there, the players took advantage of this mechanic. We also received no warning of this feature being implemented causing many armor sets to be locked onto other players accounts who were borrowing them.

In October, we received a "solution" to the BOE dillema, Binding Reset Resin. Some players found the item prematurely by scouring the store's pages and there was an immediate outcry over the intial price listed, 14,000sc ($20 USD). The GMs were quick to acknowledge that the price wasn't definite and would be evaluated. Upon release, the Reset Resin was priced at 8400sc ($12 USD). As you would expect, there was still outrage that the playerbase would have to pay real-life money simply for the choice to sell their old pieces of equipment.

Fatal's Take: Personally, I've never purchased a Reset Resin and I'm hoping to never have to. With now five characters at prestige (SharpShooter, Warlock, Wizard, HolyKnight, Gladiator) and two more approaching (90 future-Spectre, 89 future-Ranger), you would think this would affect me greatly. Thankfully, so far, it hasn't. Currently, the only piece of equipment that I have enhanced that is BOE is a +10 Storas (Lab) Wand. No other gear I own that is bound has been enhanced. I honestly hate this feature. While I don't typically sell too much gear that has been enhanced in fear that I may have an alt someday that will re-use this piece, at least I still have that option. With BOE, I don't without draining my wallet.

False Fixes (Mob Populations):
This was something that's just come to my attention recently, but for some reason nobody else seems to make a fuss. In November, we received a patch that increased mob populations for the 9x-10x areas. What we saw was a dramatic change in Swamp of Dawn's mob placement.

With this new enhancement, the map basically got flipped. The hardest mobs congregated near the Burning Rock gate, while the weaker mobs were relocated to the Alberstoll Ruins gate. While I can see a little bit of thought in this, that if you scrolled to AR before taking off for SOD, it was a bit easier, however the natural progression of maps and mob spawn points got out of whack.

On December 13th, the map reverted back, unannounced, to the most recent iteration of Swamp of Dawn.

Fatal's Take: A lot of players were relieved when this happened, myself included, but what about the promised change? We were told that we'd experience denser mob populations, but now that the mobs went back to where they were, where's our population increase?

False Fixes (Leviathan's Nest):
With that same patch that adjusted SOD mob placement, we were also told that we'd see a decrease in difficulty of Leviathan's Nest. But did we really?

Fatal's Take: OutSpark and OnsOnSoft are fairly notorious for telling us that a change had occurred, but won't detail what exactly that change affected. In the case of Leviathan's Nest, I saw no change. Recently, the OS GMs have been preaching "transparency", but when false fixes like these arrive, why won't they throw us a bone?

Archer Fixes:
This is a particular sore spot for me as my highest level character is a SharpShooter. While I knew full well of some of the limitations of the class (and subclass) before I started seriously leveling her, the rate and quality of changes that we've received is pretty poor and barely negligible.

Some of the highlights:

"True" attack rates on Archer weapons at any distance. Archers were plagued by the "only-one-arrow-on-screen-at-a-time" issue where a second arrow couldn't be fired until the first arrow hit the target. When auto-attacking from 13m away, you can see how this would be problematic.

Fatal's Take: While this was a nice fix, I'm still not convinced it truly works or it just didn't have the impact that we had hoped for.

Animation Changes. While aesthetically this is a welcome change, it really slowed down the spam rate of the Archer's AOEs. With a longer draw and longer animation, the time between casts increased greatly. Archers AOEs were already fairly weak, but now they're weak AND slower.

Fatal's Take: A change that really wasn't necessary. To make matters worse for the SharpShooter subclass, the animation on the Bow AOEs takes longer than the XBow ones meaning Rangers have another advantage besides damage, kiting Attack Rate.

Additional Damage added to Passives. This helped pretty-up our stat windows, but the increase in damage to the passives really didn't equate to much.

Fatal's Take: Archer's tossed a bone. A rotten bone with no marrow.

Increased DMG Empowerment to Aimed Shot and Power Shot. I don't remember how much greater the increase was, but it wasn't game changing by any means.

Fatal's Take: Another bone with little meat. It would have been nice to eliminate the cast times on these for the SharpShooter subclass as I've suggested so many times before. As it stands now, it's still better for a SharpShooter to spam auto-attack than waste time using skills with drawn out cast times. How does that even make sense?

Multi-Blood Shot finally corrected. MBS's DOT effect finally got classified correctly as a Bleed instead of a disease. For two years we've been plagued by this skill not having the correct DOT. It was finally fixed. Unfortunately, this DOT does the least amount of additional DMG, 69 DMG/sec.

Fatal's Take: It was about time. I'm not a programmer, but I have taken some classes back in college. I really don't see how a simple change to this skill took so long to correct. It would be nice if the skill became spammable along with the other two AOEs and also saw a bump up in the DOT damage output. 69 DMG/sec on a mob with 50,000HP just doesn't do much y'know?

Nature's Aim Party Buff Introduced. This skill is still not without its problems, but it was a nice touch. Archers have been pleading for some type of self/party buff that would increase their value in parties. Nature's Aim increases the party's Aim and Evasion.

Fatal's Take: We got a buff, but as Obi-Wan would say, "These aren't the buffs you're looking for." First off, the buff itself only lasts a few minutes. With the cooldown being longer than the buff's duration, it's a pain. Fiddling with the empowerments allows you to recast the buff before it expires, but again, it's something that has to be recasted far too frequently. A nice buff to have when you remember to use it. Would be nice if the duration were just bumped up to 30 minutes or 1 hour and be done with it. Some players that have empowered this skill are finding that the skill's CD gets bugged when they login/map change.

Ranger Changes. Rangers were fortunate to see a few changes that definitely help them out. First off, Rangers received several new variants of their Entrap skill. Depending on the tier of the skill, Entrap now had AOE status effects (Blind, Slow, Bleed, Stun). They also recieved a nice boost to Hide's success rate making it 100% effective.

Fatal's Take: Giving the Ranger's the ability to Blind, albeit in the form of a trap, and an AOE one to boot, was really a slap in the face to the SharpShooters. Blind Shot was one of the "signature" skills of the SharpShooter subclass. I really didn't appreciate this change, but I'm happy for the Rangers to at least get shown some love.

SharpShooter Changes. SharpShooters saw a couple of changes to Detect and to Blind Shot. Previously, Detect only uncovered Rangers, it was changed to also be able to ground flying, Metamorphosed Warlocks. One problem with this is that it's difficult to even see the Warlock flying up in the air much less be able to successfully target them using the AOE reticle. Blind Shot effects went from a blinding white screen that was more like a flash bang grenade to the now black haze that you see today. Your victim's Aim is also decreased for the short duration of the skill.

Fatal's Take: I still think Detect should be a passive that uncovers Rangers only, or gives you the ability to see and target hidden Rangers. Warlocks using bird-mode should take damage from the Archer AOEs. You'd think arrows falling from the sky could hit that fat bird no? Blind Shot really needs an increase in duration to be more effective. With the new black haze effect, the victim can still see thier character. A common, yet effective technique for SSs in PvP was to Blind then Neutralize (disarm) their opponent during the fight. But now the victim can easily see their character weilding, or not weilding, their weapon.

Overall Takeaway from Archer Fixes: Honestly, I think the class itself just needs a reboot. None of the changes that we've received have remotely leveled the playing field in PvP. While Archers are fast leveling after 51, they slow down tremendously later as they just don't receive the party invites that other classes enjoy. Take the class down, retool it, and relaunch it. Give every Archer a full stat and full skill reset once the relaunch occurs. A SharpShooter should basically be akin to a ranged Gladiator minus the HP/DEF, make it so.

Party EXP Distribution:
While well intended, I don't think this new system had quite the affect the Developer was hoping for. Instead of newbies begging for powerlevels in the lower leveled towns (which still occurs btw), they've shifted to the higher level maps where their EXP gain is tremendous. Gone is the old +30 level limit to mob EXP gain and with it reigned in a new form of powerleveling.

Fatal"s Take: The GMs have stated that they are still evaluating this change and that a fix may be in the works at some point. However, when this patch was implemented, we also witnessed an overall reduction of mob EXP even while soloing. This change has not been corrected despite being acknowleged in November when we received a serverwide EXP boost of 24%. Will this related issue just be swept under the rug? Is the "corrective" EXP boost still ongoing? Was our +50% EXP boost in November truly 50% or was it simply the 24% correction + a 26% boost?

Video Player Earnings:
This was a great feature that was implemented this past year. It gave all players the chance to acquire some cash shop items simply for watching and rating some commercials.

Fatal's Take: I love this. I've used a ton of one-day items so far and continue to use the video player to earn views for redemption later. The assortment of items in there is decent considering they're basically free. I'd like to see some new stuff, but the stuff in there presently is fine unchanged also.

Collector's Packs:
With the start of Autumn, OutSpark released "Collector's Packs" in the store. Basically Collector's Packs were megabundles featuring everything that was newly released in the previous months. While the huge pricetag scared away many buyers, overall it was a good deal if you could afford that much SC upfront.

Fatal's Take: I liked the packs. Personally, I never bought any because I find zero value in cash shop pets and they were also included in abundance in these bundles. Also included were multitudes of permanent mounts. With the inability to gift these mounts, they're basically a waste since I already have multiple mounts on each character on this account. I was disappointed to see no packs for the fourth quarter of 2011.

Iron Box Release:
The Iron Box cashshop item was finally released. This allowed the players to access the third and fourth pages of their storage permanently. However, the access was limited to the one character that activated the Iron Box.

Fatal's Take: As someone that does a lot of productions and hordes a lot of gear, this was a godsend. I took advantage of the Iron Box/Iron Case BOGO. While it's a bit of a pain to have to switch characters to access my third and fourth pages, it's understandable, no complaints.

Missing Decomp/Comp Recipes:
For years, we've been missing about 80% of the T5 Comp/Decomp Alchemy recipes. This made some alchemic skills a bit problematic when trying to obtain materials.

Fatal's Take: With capped productions, I had been waiting for this for ages. Still don't quite understand why it took so long. I'm happy it's here though, now just a matter of tracking down all the recipes.

The Forge Discounts and Availability of 10k/25k Weapon Skins:
Weapon Skin availability is another thorn in the sides of many players. Presently, when Weapon Skins are offered for sale in the store, only the 3k durability variants are available. Gone are the ability to purchase the 10k or 25k versions. Instead, these types have been only available in James' Forge. Basically, the player needs to gamble their SC on the hopes of acquiring the particular skin they want.

From time to time, OS has offered discounts on Forge Credits, however, whenever they've run this promotion, there were no Weapon Skins in the Forge to be won!

Fatal's Take: I, along with just about everyone else, would greatly appreciate having at least the 10k skins available again in the store. As it stands now, a player has a roughly 1:44 chance of getting the particular skin that they want, not to mention that skin may only be the 3k. The Forge is loaded with other items like 50%/Perfect T1-T5 Enhancement Stones, Repair Kits, and the Skins of weapons you may never use. At least once a quarter, please release the 10k skins into the store?

1111 Sale:
On November 11, 2011, OutSpark ran an "1111" sale to commemorate the day. A ton of items in the cash shop were made available at an 1111sc price point.

Fatal's Take: This was probably one of the highlights of the cash shop in 2011. Needless to say, I spent quite a bit taking advantage of the huge deals on some of the items offered. Some bundles were originally priced at around 6k and discounted deeply to 1111. Thanks OS for giving back to the players on this one.

Obviously this isn't a complete list, I left out some major changes like: Lucky House, Hard Mode Raid Bosses, "The Rollback", the additional quests from 7x-9x, and the release of the Tricksters. Feel free to comment, agree/disagree, I ask that you try to keep it civil. My apologies for the wall of text, kudos to anyone that actually read it all!

Ask Fatal - Dragon's Tomb Edition (Trickster)

2011-12-19T16:40:00.002-10:00

Alright! Welcome to the final installment of my Dragon's Tomb series of postings. So far we've covered Fighters, both Tank-style as well as Damage Dealing / Sub-Tank style, Mages, Archers, and now Tricksters. Sorry to you Cleric lovers out there, but I highly doubt I'll be doing a Cleric version as I really have no desire to level up another Cleric to 80 just for the sake of making a guide! Let the questions begin!

What is the Trickster's primary role in the party?

This is the question that everyone asks and depending on your playstyle and gear, therein lies your answer. The Trickster can be extremely versatile if you get a better grasp of some techniques.

Versatile? Tricksters are squishy by nature right? What do you expect the Trickster to do?

While it is true that a Trickster's defense and HP doesn't measure up to a Fighter's, the Trickster has the Evasion advantage. While not the ideal "Tank" in Dragon's Tomb, the Trickster is surprisingly serviceable in this capacity.

Tanking?! Are you nuts?

Maybe. But to me, that's the most fun a Trickster can have in Dragon's Tomb.

Yeah, you're a bit loco... wanna explain?

Tanking for a Trickster is a bit err "tricky" in that it involves a lot of cooperation from your party. This is where the Tanking-Trickster really needs to assert themselves.

Okay, so where to start?

As a Tanking-Trickster, you need to set a few groundrules to the party to make sure that it is successful. The first off being that YOU set the pace. So no Archers running up front, no Mages going off to pull, etc. The reason for this is because you need to establish aggro quickly.

Alright, that sounds reasonable. What else?

For some reason, Mages are more apt to cast Inferno first rather than Frost Nova. As a Mage, I never do this, so I don't really understand why they do it, but the Mages I've partied with as a Trickster typically drop Inferno first. This, for the Tanking-Trickster led party, is a mistake. This technique for a Trickster takes some timing and a bit of practice.

What's so hard? I just grab a soul and cast Soul Trap right?

Hmm... not so fast. You first need a better understanding of how Soul Trap works. If you've ever played as Fighter, you know that the skill Devastate is directional. Typically you only stun those mobs that are in front of you. Any mobs behind you will be unaffected by Devastate's damage or Stun effect. Soul Trap works much the same way.

Okay, so what does that mean for me?

This means that you need to position yourself to set up Soul Trap so that you can freeze as many mobs as possible. This also means you damage as many mobs as possible. More damage means more aggro generated towards you.

Establish proper positioning prior to Soul Trap.

Ahh.. that makes sense. So what's the sequence of events that leads to a successful pull?

For the smaller, regular mobs, typically you need to pull all of the close-ranged melee-type mobs into the ranged mobs so that you can freeze/damage them all together. If you attack only the melee-types without pulling them towards the ranged, the ranged will continue attacking you, then as the Cleric heals you, they will refocus their attacks onto the Clerics since you are no longer generating aggro. Again, remember to position yourself in front of all the mobs, you don't want any behind you if possible.

Wow, so I need to understand some basic tanking principles?

Yes. In order to do this successfully, you need to have a working knowledge of how to tank. Tanking on a Trickster is much more difficult compared to tanking on a Fighter.

Yeah, I imagine so, but why?

Tanking-Fighters have many advantages over a Trickster trying to fill that role. As stated before, higher DEF and higher HP for one, but also an abundance of aggro-grabbing skills like: Kick, Mock, Demoralizing Hit, and Slice and Dice. The Trickster's only source of aggro are generated through damage and positioning. Again, this is why you need a cooperative party.

So what happens when the party isn't cooperative? What can go wrong?

Again, a Trickster is not ideal for Tanking in DT, but it can be done effectively. A couple of the problems aside from just uncooperative party members would be Stuns and Fears. Nothing's worse than getting stunned or feared before establishing aggro. This is when chaos typically occurs and party members start panicking. So again, you need to keep a level head and work on re-establishing aggro. This doesn't mean killing! You re-establish aggro via damage, once you established aggro on that mob, target the next one, then the next. You may have to sacrifice your Soul Trap skill just for the sake of an Aggro grab.

Okay, so what about the party members?

If you allow the Archer or Mage to get out ahead of you, you're going to have problems establishing aggro and keeping things in order. I always warn both Archers and Mages to be patient, wait for me to get in there first before they start AOE'ing. This is especially problematic with Archers. With a normal Tank, an Archer is free to move out ahead and start AOE'ing to pull mobs back to the party where the Fighter can just Mock them all to him. This pace setting technique for Archers is detailed in my Archer-DT guide. However, this does not work well with a non-traditional Tank. When that Archer starts pulling, they will typically just continue kiting along avoiding damage. This is extremely problematic for the Trickster trying to establish aggro when his targets continue running down the hall. So again, rein in your party members and be assertive. Not rude. Assertive.

In the case of the Mage using Inferno, you'll see that you'll have a hard time re-establishing aggro without the help of Soul Trap's freeze effect. It can still be done based on the strength, or in this case weakness, of the Mage, but it's more difficult. Kindly remind your Mage to Nova first once you've pulled the mobs.

What about those panicked party members that continue just running mobs away?

Well that's really on them. If they want to pull the mobs all the way back down the hall, then it's on them to finish them off. If the rest of the party is safe from immediate harm, then by all means, give chase and help, but if there's danger around the main party, focus there.

Okay, I think I understand that a bit. So what do you use to Tank?

Again, not everyone plays the same way or has the same resources. I understand that. This is what I use on my Trickster (Level 89 as of this write-up):
+50% HP/SP Extender
+10 BK Dual Swords (45end 33dex 6int 34spe)
+9 86 Helm (36str 35spr)
+9 85 Wonder W Armor (32end 11dex 43spr)
+9 85 Wonder W Pants (40end 41dex 30spr)
+9 85 Vanity Dance Boots (27end 41spr)
+0 40 Bloody Gem Necklace (3str 5dex 4end)
+0 85 Guardian's Wish Earring (3end 1dex +325HP +4%Evasion)
+6 40 Ring of Chaos (Totals 9str 18end 25dex 13int +42MDef)
+9 40 Ring of Chaos (Totals 7str 21end 20dex 22int 6spr +70MDef)
I always use a full compliment of T4 Scrolls (Vit, Def, MDef, Eva) as well as T1 Speed.

Geez, I can't afford that. So what do I do with limited resources?

Much of what you can and can't do will be affected by your resources. I've stated that in pretty much every write up. How to play DT as a Trix fully +0? I really wouldn't know. That's not something I plan to, or would want to do, but I don't begrudge anyone for doing it that way. Just understand your limitations and work from there.

If I'm fully +0, what can I do?

A fully +0 Trickster at 85 sacrifices about 700 DEF from what I use. That's significant. The Trickster in this case is primarily just support. This isn't enough DEF to really be considered a Sub-Tank either. If this scenario happens to be you, I would just focus on having Soul Trap ready when you're Tank is pulling as well as focusing your damage primarily on ranged mobs to help out your Cleric. In the end fight vs. Cornelius, you'd get 1-hit by his AOE. You're better off not approaching him, honestly. You could try and help kill the spawned Shellas and Nerpas, but if you do charge in there, you run the risk of getting flattened by the Dragon.

Anything else?
Pre-85, I primarily just filled the "Sub-Tank" role. I had an incomplete +9 75 Set (+9 pants, +7 armor, +0 boots, +0 hat, +10 Emberflame Dual Swords), but that worked fine for everything except Cornelius. Again, if you've experienced DT on mutliple classes, you're much well equipped to figure things out and understand how every other party member will react in certain situations.

If you're an aspiring Tanking-Trickster, take it slow. Keep going into DT with a Fighter as the primary Tank, but take a few opportunities here and there to try and increase your comfort level with Tanking. Get out ahead a little bit and start the pull. Work on positioning. Understand mob positioning in relation to their status effects also (like pulling Krugers away from other idle mobs so in the event you get feared, you don't end up pulling everything). Basically stretch your limits and improve every run. I would also highly recommend that you keep HP pots on you at all times. I carry T3/T4/T5 HP as well as T3 Cure potions into Dragon's Tomb. T3 Cures are especially convenient during the fight with Cornelius as this will cure his nasty debuff. Do keep in mind though that a Cure potion shares it's cooldown with a regular potion, timing is critical to this.

The Tanking-Trickster is NOT ideal, but it works. If there is a Tank-Fighter available, go with that route. it's safer for the party. But if there are none available, hopefully this helps you fill in that gap.

Below are two walk-through videos, I will be adding annotations to them a bit later. The first video (which still needs to be uploaded) is a basic DT run with the Trickster serving as the Sub-Tank. The second video is an example of how to run DT without the traditional tank, with the Trickster filling in.

Video I:

Video II: Tanking - Trickster

Fiesta Christmas Carol - Archer Got Run Over By a Fighter

2011-12-13T11:58:00.000-10:00

This year, OutSpark is hosting a series of Holiday themed events and of course, I'll enter and support them any way I can. Here's my entry... Fiesta related:

Archer Got Run Over By a Fighter

(To the tune of: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer)

Archer got run over by a Fighter,
Walking out from Roumen's F B Z.
Onson will say this game's pretty balanced,
But as the Archers will tell you, don't believe.

This Archer had been charming while grinding,
Still we begged him not to go
But he thought he just might have a chance
So he walked in F B Z and readied his bow.

When they found him dead in the corner
At the scene of the attack
There were bruises all over his body
And incriminatin' axe marks on his back.

Archer got run over by a Fighter,
Walking out from Roumen's F B Z.
Onson will say this game's pretty balanced,
But as the Archers will tell you, don't believe.

Now we're still proud to be Archers
Some say our class is worse than jail
Sure we complain and post on forums
But we keep playing and hoping not to fail.

It's not Fiesta without the Archers
We pray for the missing skills that we lack
And we just can't help but wonder
How many retired Archers would come back

Archer got run over by a Fighter,
Walking out from Roumen's F B Z.
Onson will say this game's pretty balanced,
But as the Archers will tell you, don't believe.

Secrets of the Mystery Vault

2011-12-12T16:11:00.000-10:00

In all honesty, this is a re-hash of a forum posting put together by boo_me. I get tired of looking for some of this info, and I figure you do too, so why not re-post it here? Anyway, here are the vault contents from start to finish:

Damaged Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 7
Item(s) Obtained: Angel Wings (7 Day) - 5% Critical,
Lv10 Green Weapon for your class.
_________________________________________________

Chipped Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 12
Item(s) Obtained: Bunny Ears (1 Day) - 5% Critical.
Tear of Legel (10 Units)
Lv15 Green Weapon for your class
_________________________________________________

Inferior Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 17
Item(s) Obtained: Mini Phino (1 day) - All Stats +2
Lv20 Green Weapon for your class
_________________________________________________

Ordinary Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 21
Item(s) Obtained: Cat Ears (1 Day) - 3% Critical
Sakura Costume (1 Day) - 5% Critical
Butterfly Wings (7 Day) - 5% Critical
_________________________________________________

Polished Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 25
Item(s) Obtained: Raccoon Mount (7 Days)
Level 30 Stated Weapon
_________________________________________________

Flawless Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 31
Item(s) Obtained: Red Elderine Uniform Suit (1 Days) - 7% Critical.
Corrupt Angel Wings (1 Days) - 5% Critical.
_________________________________________________

Perfect Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 38
Item(s) Obtained: Yellow Dragon Wings (7 Days) - 5% Critical
Lv40 Weapon for your class
_________________________________________________

Pure Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 46
Item(s) Obtained: Shark House (7 Days)
Lv50 Weapon For Your Class
_________________________________________________

Absolute Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 56
Item(s) Obtained: 50% Health Points Extender (7 Days)
50% Mana Points Extender (7 Days)
Lv60 Weapon For Your Class
_________________________________________________

Blessed Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 66
Item(s) Obtained: Blessing of Teva (7 Days)
100% Exp Boost (7 Days)
_________________________________________________

Enchanted Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 76
Item(s) Obtained: 20% Charms of Strength (10 Units)
20% Charms of Defense (10 Units)
_________________________________________________

Brilliant Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 86
Item(s) Obtained: 20% Charm of Might (10 Units)
50% War Rant (7 Days)
100% King's Touch (7 Days)
_________________________________________________

Colossal Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 96
Item(s) Obtained: Blessing of Teva (1day)
100% Exp Boost (1 day)
Puppy Ears (7 days) - 3% Critical.
_________________________________________________

Ultimate Mystery Vault
_________________________________________________
Level Requirement: 106
Item(s) Obtained: Tears of Legel (10 Units)
20% Charm of Strength (10 Units)
20% Charm of Defense (10 Units)
20% Charm of Might (10 Units)
_________________________________________________

Character Profiles - Coming Soon!

2011-12-01T09:03:00.000-10:00

Hey everyone, wow it's been AGES since I've written anything of any significance! Well honestly, I wrote a few things, but didn't like them so I just never posted them. They're all saved as drafts, maybe one day if the mood strikes I'll finish them up, if they're still relevant of course.

I'm going to start doing a Character Profile of each of my characters. I'll reveal inspirations behind their name, their builds, empowerments, my playstyle with this character, and maybe some other little bits of info about them. Look for it soon, hopefully the first installment will be up some time today or tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for sticking by me even with the lack of updates!

Black(out) Friday?

2011-11-25T16:13:00.002-10:00

*sigh*

Fifth Prestige Done! -- Wizard

2011-11-11T02:44:00.000-10:00

Exhausted... it's 2:43am here. But yeah. Done!

Just an Update....

2011-11-08T22:45:00.000-10:00

Well I promised an update of what I've been up to, so here it is!

After finally leveling WinterLace to 100 and finishing up her Gladiator promotion, I had to choose another character to focus on. Since my 91 Mage, Dharalyn, was the next closest to prestige, I figured I'd just take that on next.

The Leviathan's Nest "grind" is fairly easy once you're able to make it down to the bottom. I do not know whether the technique used to grind there is truly an exploit or just clever use of a game mechanic, but it's there and quite literally, hundreds of players are using this strategy to level up fairly quickly through the normally rough 9x levels, myself included.

I've always wanted a Wizard, particularly after my old guild, Ryekarayn and I, put together all of the completed Leviathan's Nest armor sets. I particularly liked the Wizard set especially compared to the weird Warlock set. The floppy witch hat is particularly appealing to me. The Skeleton summon, along with Blink are okay I suppose, but oddly to some, not my general want out of my Wizard. I do have a sneaking suspicion that once the Thunderbolt AOE is finally released, that it will be a Wizard-only skill. I've been waiting three years for this skill and when it finally becomes available, I'd love to be able to use it.

I don't know how far I'll take the Wizard character. In a matter of about 9 days, I've managed to get from 91 up to 98, using some 1-day and LH EXP Boost cards along the way. Since the Leveling Bundles were on sale this past weekend, I used that opportunity to snatch up an Elite Bundle and activated it on her. She's only 2 levels away from prestige, but she still has probably 27 days or so remaining on that bundle. I guess I can continue to stick it out in LN through the expiration of that bundle or passing the 105 LN cap, whichever comes first.

I also made an offer on a +10 Manitcore Staff, stats aren't great, but it's priced @7 Gems and the fact that it's already enhanced is uber appealing to me. I really hate enhancing. Whether the buyer will eventually sell it to me is another story. The offer I've made is over a week old now and she hasn't been fielding better offers despite roaring about it daily. If I do end up owning that Staff, that's definitely a bit of extra motivation to at least hit 105.

Some of the more observant of you (yes, you HolyD) have also noticed some activity on my HolyKnight, AutumnsVeil. This is also attributable to Leviathan's Nest. Thankfully my future-Wiz and my HK are on separate accounts, I'm able to play both simultaneously or use one or the other depending on the party's needs.

Being that Clerics in our guild are in somewhat short supply, I've been asked to fill in in that role at times. While I had dreaded it at first, it's actually not so bad. I have my progression of skills pretty much locked down, maximizing party damage, EXP gain, and survivability of the Mages/Archers in particular. I'm actually having fun playing the HK role. So much so that I even bought her a 50% EXP boost card!

So how far will I take Autumn? Again, I don't know. I was fortunate enough to win a "Mace" Shield from the Lucky House in week one of its release. Unfortunately, I think, I haven't gotten the offers I had hoped I'd get for it. So pretty much, I've decided to just keep it. I continue to vend it from time to time, but most of the offers I get are in the 2-3 Gem range, not at all what I would consider selling it for since the LH Orange rate is awfully low. (Just FYI, I play about 8.5g worth of LH red capsules daily and that Shield is still the only Orange I managed to acquire through capsules).

Some other projects on the horizon, getting my 87 Archer up to Ranger (she's not listed on my character screen as I use her to really just get away from everyone) and possibly leveling up my Trickster again. A cap raise was mentioned in the latest OSKI, so these future project may get put further on the back burner.

If a cap raise were to come, I'd want to switch my focus back to my SharpShooter... unfortunately, she's currently still 108 with only about 30% EXP gain. Still a long way off from hitting the current level cap.

Another Prestige Down ... What Next?

2011-10-30T02:00:00.001-10:00

Well after over a year of inactivity, I finally busted loose on WinterLace and got her to 100. Much thanks to Blizzard_ and his Meteor_Shower guild for the help and motivation. Couldn't have done it without you guys!

So what next? Wizard? Reaper? Ranger? Oh the possibilities..... check back soon for an update!

Forum MVP - Silver Screen

2011-10-25T09:17:00.002-10:00

While no longer a "weekly" MVP, forum events are always a great opportunity for players like myself to showcase some of our out-of-game talents. They allow us to push our own limits of creativity and oftentimes help us expand our own knowledge base as we strive for better and better results.

This particular MVP event was a video and poster submission. The theme of this MVP was that we were required to act out a scene from a movie using the Fiesta game engine. For the posters, we just had to recreate a famous movie poster using Fiesta elements. Pretty straight-forward.

This is the first video event I've entered so I hope I do well. The prizes were definitely a factor in deciding to take on a project like this. There are three grand prizes for the video category being awarded, a "custom Fiesta themed HD Flip Camera" + 30-day SparkCash item, and seven honorable mention prizes, "permanent SparkCash item". Looking at the prize list, I figured I only needed to land in the top 10 to qualify for a decent prize. We have no idea what the "permanent SparkCash item" really is. Is it a costume? Accessory? I hope it's not a mount....

For the poster portion of the event, the prizes are what we typically expect, three grand prize winners receive a 30-day SparkCash item, five honorable mentions receive a 7-day item.

For my video submission, I had originally planned to find a movie scene with a female voice-over and recreate the scene with my Fiesta characters using multiple computers. I had considered the opening scene to Underworld, where Selene (Kate Beckinsale) gives the backstory of the movie, or Lord of the Rings, where Galadriel explains how the One Ring came to be. I finally decided on a scene from Terminator 2, where Sarah Connor contemplates the situation she finds herself in, entrusting the safety of her son, the last hope for humanity, to the very machine that previously tried to hunt him down and kill him.

Here's that original entry:

After giving it some thought, and watching it over and over, I just didn't like it. The voice-over quality was extremely poor and it just wasn't exciting, so I decided to rethink it. Instead of a monologue-type scene I decided to go with something a bit more action oriented. A scene that had no spoken dialogue but was still powerful all the same. For that, I turned to TOP GUN. Anyone who's seen the movie immediately remembers the opening sequence with all the fighter jets taking off and landing from the aircraft carrier, the ground crew hustling about, inspirational, powerful music playing in the background... So that's where I went. I figured I could use movers to simulate the jets, use some newbie looking male characters to work the grounds crew detail. Well, here's the result:

I'm much, much happier with this entry. Although the editing isn't perfect, I thought it was decent. Since I only used Windows Live Movie Maker to edit the video, I was fairly limited to what I could do. I wanted to best replicate the original scene, but I couldn't do the close-up zooms, or backlit, shadowy actors like the original. I did what I could just dropping a sepia-toned filter over the movie and dimming the brightness to try and match as best I could. Like the original scene, the brightness gets amped up as the scene progresses, simulating more daylight.

We were only allowed one video submission, so I chose my second one. I think I made the right decision.

For the posters, we were allowed three entries, I only squeezed in two, but I think they're good enough to land in the top 8 at least.

The first submission was based on the I Am Legend movie poster:

The second submission was, of course, based on Jurassic Park:

The event submission deadline passed about 2 hours ago and the GMs closed the submission thread. Hopefully we see the results back shortly! Wish me luck!

A Dream Come True .....

2011-10-20T09:40:00.000-10:00

No words need to be spoken.

Warp Scroll Inflation - The Elegant Solution?

2011-10-19T22:54:00.000-10:00

We've all been there, pressed for time, shouting, going vendor to vendor looking for an Uruga or Alberstoll Ruins scroll only to find prices in the hundreds of silver. Do you bite the bullet and shell out nearly a gold for a scroll or two or hop on your mover and get to walking?

Warp Scroll prices affect us all, and while I absolutely commend those that take advantage of the market pricing, enough is enough. Some changes were proposed by members of the community requesting all travel scrolls be sold via NPC. And while that is a nice solution to have, if the scrolls were priced right, it absolutely decimates the existing Warp Scroll market.

That's why I'm a big proponent of something a bit different. We've all seen the giant Airship in Uruga right? Some of the more attentive of us have also seen it crisscrossing the skies in Burning Rock. Wouldn't it be nice to actually have a use for this invention? While I'm not suggesting a complete working model ala FinalFantasyX, just a warpable use would be sufficient. Here's what I propose:

1. Warp Scrolls to remain as drops in game and will not be sold via NPC.
2. The Uruga Airship becomes active as a 'warp gate' of sorts with transport from Uruga to Burning Rock and Alberstoll Ruins and back.

Let's look at point 1 in conjunction with point 2. The reason I do not want a simple NPC selling warp scrolls is because it would destroy that market completely. The Warp Scroll market should remain in place, but having an option like the Airship, will bring the costs significantly down. The current sellers can continue peddling Warp Scrolls as a convenience item, saving the player time from running all the way to a waypoint to use the Airship.

Warp Scrolls will provide an alternative when out in the field, when the Airship and any landing point aren't a time-saving alternative. Say you're grinding deep in Temple of Spirit farming Black Shadows for 95 Jewelry pieces, wanna quickly restock before someone snakes your spot? You still have the option of using a Warp Scroll to Alberstoll. If that's still too much of an expense you could always scroll all the way to Elderine, hoof it to Uruga and board the Airship. You have options.

The Uruga Airship would offer 3 destinations: Uruga, Burning Rock, and Alberstoll Ruins. A Swamp of Dawn waypoint is also a possibility along with Dark Land and the next town release. Your available destinations are determined by your current level. At level 80, you are allowed transport to Burning Rock, at level 90, you are allowed transport to Alberstoll Ruins.

As far as where the waypoints would be located, I proposed the following:

In Uruga, the choice is simple. The Airship is located near storage, so the waypoint would be located there.

In Burning Rock, the "settlement" area where the NPCs are provides a great, open landing space. I don't think Kidmons spawn in the camp area anymore, but this can be fixed if they are.

In Alberstoll Ruins, the area near the Water Stone/Black Bears. This little area is a little odd as it's fairly wide open and home to only about 9 Black Bears. I soloed some of my repeat quest there, but I never see anyone else in this spot.

Use of the Airship, however, isn't free. I would suggest the Uruga to Burning Rock route cost 100 silver one-way, either way, Uruga to Alberstoll costing 150 silver one way, either way. Travel from Burning Rock to and from Alberstoll would also cost 100 silver. While it's not exactly cheap, it is a cheaper alternative to what we're faced with now. And of course you still will pay a premium for the convenience of having Warp Scrolls available anytime purchased from players.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Oh and hey, if you're wondering about that NPC in there, he's apparently supposed to be used for something in Roumen. He's been sitting quietly in the game files for quite some time, why not get some use out of him!

Screenshot of the Day: How I Get My Money

2011-10-17T14:48:00.000-10:00

Thanks Kobal!

Making the Most of Your Time Whilst Doing Boring Tasks - Gathering

2011-10-12T11:19:00.000-10:00

Hey, welcome to a quick little tips & tricks post that hopefully will save you some time or help you make a little bit of extra money.

As we all know gathering is one of the most boring things that we as players are tasked to do while working on our productions. Personally, I'd rather just set up a shop and buy, buy, buy, but sometimes I'm left with no choice but to hike up my skirt and get to digging.

With the somewhat recent change to gathering that rewards a double drop when you successfully click that yellow gather line, it's become much more important to be able to hit that line consistently. With this quick, pretty brainless tutorial, I'll show you how to up your success rate tremendously.

If you can hit the line with fairly good consistency, more than half the time, this will be a godsend to you. If you struggle and only hit the line occasionally, maybe 10-25% of the time, hopefully this will give you more practice and you can get a little bit better at it.

Depending on the placement of the line, you typically have 6 or 7 cracks at it to hit it per gather. For me, the further out to the edge the line appears, the easier it is for me to hit. Other people have more luck with the line in the middle, it just varies player to player. You need to remember that you CANNOT spam click to hit the line, there is an invisible cooldown period with each click. As with anything, the more you practice, the more efficient you will become.

Okay, so what's the trick to increasing your efficiency to the limits shown above? Simple. "Cancelling". What I do is I attempt my timed picks up to the 5th pass of the moving bar. If I'm unable to hit it by then, I simply move away from the gatherable item so that it resets. Then I try again. Having the opportunity to double your drops is worth taking the extra time to Cancel, typically. If you're there for several minutes on the same item, then yeah, maybe this isn't a good idea for you to try unless you've got patience by the boatload. Without Cancelling, I can still hit at about a 60% rate so using this technique doesn't slow me down at all, it increases my gathering tremendously.

If you're in a high-traffic picking area like the Nox area in Uruga, or farming chests after a GM run event, this tactic is probably not best to attempt as you'll run out of resources quickly if you don't pick quickly. However, if you have a farming spot all to yourself, you can take the time and get it right. The Nox spot in Uruga is particularly efficient when you're alone. If you pick all of the items on your first run through (perfectly timed or not), you're stuck waiting for the spawns to reappear. If you take the time to do a couple of perfectly timed picks, the spawns will probably start to overlap. Keep in mind that you've also just doubled what you would have otherwise gathered!

Here is a short video about the technique. You can either move away from the gatherable or hit ESC to cancel the targeting on it, either variation works fine.

Extreme Makeover - Remi Edition

2011-10-06T18:44:00.001-10:00

"Greetings everyone! As you all know, my name is Remi. I'm the first person to greet you when you arrive in Isya. I meet tons of new people everyday, and while I can't help them all, I do try to help a few here and there that I feel are most deserving."

"So let's see who we have here today... hmm... 'PrettyPrincess313' pass, with a name like that she sounds like a gold digger. Who else... 'SmokinYouNoobs' no, too hmm... controversial. 'GoldNP', wait him again? I'll call the guards later... oh! Here's one! 'WinterLace' she sounds lovely!"

"WinterLace! WinterLace! Hey there!"

"Hmm? Huh?"

"Remember me? I am Remi, the guide for beginners!"

"Oh. Err, what's up? I still know where to get HP stones at."

"Haha! You're so silly! How would YOU like to get an Extreme Makeover courtesy of yours truly?"

"Oh, I guess that sounds cool. What do I have to do?"

"For the low, low price of 1500sc, I'll offer you a prize!"

"Wait, what? This sounds like a scam."

"A scam?! I am Remi! I am the first person that greets you when you arrive here! It's only 1500sc, look at all the cool stuff you can win! Permanent Costumes! 30-day Costumes! Mounts! Charms! Exclusive items found no where else!"

"Wow! I can win all those items for just 1500sc? I did just hit level 95, maybe I do deserve to treat myself to something nice!"

"Yes you should reward yourself! Just think of all the FABULOUS prizes! A winner EVERY TIME!"

"Cool, I'm in. I've got 4,500sc left, man I really want to win a Permanent Costume, that Lovesick costume is great! But I'd be satisfied with something for 30-days too. What a deal!"

"Alrighty, I'll take that first 1,500sc, go ahead and take a pull on that lever! Good luck!"

"Alright, here goes....."

"Congratulations! You won Heart Fireworks! Would you like to keep this or trade it in for a Credit?"

"Fireworks? What the.... I definitely don't need that, I burned down parts of Alberstoll the last time I was trusted with those... I'll take a credit. Two more spins, my luck's gotta improve!"

"Okay another 1,500sc please. Thanks. Go ahead and pull again!"

"C'mon perms!"

"Wow! Congrats! You won a 7-day Tiger Hoodie! This is one of the wonderful EXCLUSIVES I was telling you about! This will look fabulous on you and it has an amazing 3% critical bonus! Would you like to keep it or turn it in for a Credit?"

"Uh, I guess I'll keep it. It's something I can use afterall. And you did say it was exclusive!"

*giggles* "Undoubtedly! Are you ready for your last try? I'll take that final 1,500sc from you. Thanks, good luck!"

"Cross my fingers, last pull!"

"Wow! Listen to all that fanfare music! You won a 7-day Tiger Costume! You completed the tiger set! You have the EXCLUSIVE hoodie AND the costume! So rare, so chic, so cosmopolitan, and a 7% crit bonus to boot! Rawr! You want to keep this right?"

"Err yeah I guess so, I guess I can use it and it's all Tiger stuff so it'll match!"

"Great! So now that you've won TWO FAAAAAAABULOUS prizes, why not try them on and see how you look?"

"Uh, okay.... here goes."

"AHAHAHHA! *points* "Another satisfied customer of Remi's! Now THAT is an EXTREME Makeover! Enjoy your items! Ignore the laughs, they're clearly laughing WITH you and not AT you!"

*sigh* "What is this, I don't even--"

"Oh hey Winter! Congrats on 95! Umm.. what's with the get up? Early for Halloween?"

"No, I was talking to Remi and -"

"Oh no, you didn't!"

"I did, I played three times and won these items. You look great by the way, what costume is that?"

"Oh this? It's called the Holy Rebirth."

"Wow, it's pretty... how much was it?"

"I got it on sale! It was a little over 4500sc!"

"Oh my god....."

"Wait, why? You look umm... great? too! We spent about the same, and hey at least yours is good for 30-days too just like mine!"

"Err, no. These are 7-day items."

"Poor Winter, can you ever win?" *whispers* "You do know that they call that Tiger Hoodie the "Hood of Shame" right? Remi gives that to all her victims..."

"Nope. But I can see why..." *sigh* "Really wish I had kept those fireworks, Remi's box would make fine kindling...."

Fatal's Fiesta Facts - CSI Edition RESULTS!

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000-10:00

Case Closed! With your help, we caught Reo/Mario and brought him to justice! Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate, hope it was an enjoyable experience for you guys. I definitely had fun creating the event and trying to pose all the dead bodies at just the right angle for the screenshots!

Now that that's out of the way, who came out ahead? Here are your winners!

1st Place (Fatal's Dark Makeover Pack) - Lukasz_Lucky (100 points)
2nd Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - DemonBlitzKragor (100 points)
3rd Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - RikoRain (100 points)
4th Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - kratosrice (96 points)
5th Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - heiji. (96 points)

Winners, please contact me via forum PM so I can give you your redemption codes for your prizes.

I also wanted to award one special unannounced prize, this is coming personally from me, to Eloren. While she didn't win either event, she did have the quickest entry both times. This is just my way of thanking her for all of her support with every event that I hold, I can always count on her being there and participating. So thank you Eloren, I'm sending you a Fall Boop, look for it in your premium inventory.

And so ends my participation in the Fiesta Fourth Anniversary series of events. I do hope you guys enjoyed yourselves, a lot of work went into the planning and execution of these events and hey, I'm doing it by myself here! I hope OutSpark will sponsor more events like this in the future!

Oh! Almost forgot, here are your answers:

Part I
1) Marlone Megaton in Burning Hill
2) Mara Pirate Elite in Sea of Greed
3) Prisoner in Collapsed Prison
4) Goblin King in Goblin Camp
5) Marlone Clan Soldier in Burning Hill
6) Karasian Arch Templar in Collapsed Prison
7) Navar in Concealed Prison 1st Floor
8) Tomb Fox in Moonlight Tomb
9) Werebear Fighter in Goblin Camp
10) Ratman Elite Knight in Concealed Prison 1st Floor
11) Goblin Captain in Goblin Camp
12) Nox Hunter in Concealed Prison 2nd Floor
13) Hob in Vine Tomb
14) Grave Robber in Burning Hill
15) Elf Knight Soul in Concealed Prison 1st Floor

Part II
16) Shutian
17) Moonlight Tomb
18) She was gathering toadstools
19) Chateau de Kebing
20) Marigold Tea
21) Trickster

Part III
22) Renegade, Reo and Mario

Fatal's Fiesta Facts - CSI Edition Over!

2011-10-06T15:00:00.001-10:00

No more comments please! Results forthcoming! :)

4 Years of Fiesta Event: Fatal's Fiesta Facts - CSI: ISYA Edition!

2011-10-06T11:00:00.005-10:00

We’ve all heard the stories, bodies mutilated and discarded. Random mobs attacked without provocation and without mercy. Yeah, sometimes they deserve it, but this has gone too far. Typically when mobs are defeated they disappear as their spirits return to Isya. But now, that’s no longer the case. Bodies cut, gashed, slashed and left to decompose, gruesome reminders of a darker magic once forbidden. I have my theories, but can I find the clues that prove it?

Shutian: WinterLace, thanks for responding. You’ve heard the rumors, well, they’re true. I need you to help me connect the dots on this case. I have my suspicions, but without concrete proof, my hands are tied.

WinterLace: Sure thing chief. I’ll see what I can dig up.

Shutian: Interesting choice of words since your journey starts here in Moonlight Tomb. Wishis was out gathering toadstools when she discovered a body. Need you to check it out. Search the body and the surrounding area and get back to me with what you find. Now get going, no time to waste. Take this device, it hasn’t got a name yet but it’s a top secret technology that Hans has been tinkering with, it’ll help you document what you find.

With device in hand, I set off. So what is this thing exactly? Shutian wasn’t very forthcoming with details or instructions, typical. What’s this button do?

Oww.... that flash hurt my eyes. But hey, pretty cool, a picture of myself came outta this thing. This device is great! I’d better be careful with it... OH CRAP!

Ha! I guess it’s pretty sturdy too, still works after dropping it. Oh great another picture... not exactly flattering. Oh well I'd better get started....

As I went from map to map, what I found was disturbing, the kind of stuff that haunts your dreams and ruins your appetite. I took a bunch of pictures and interviewed a few witnesses. Mobs don't usually like to talk to adventurers, but heck, even they're spooked. Knowing that their spirits may not reach the afterlife will put a scare into anyone.

Gathering up all my evidence, I headed over to my favorite cafe Chateau de Kebing, to put my case together. Thankfully, I take a lot of notes because my memory is just awful! After all this work, I needed a break and I could definitely use the caffeine boost.

I closed my eyes and savored my Marigold Tea. The fragrance seemed to just lift the stress from my shoulders and give me a sense of calm, a sense of peace. Now focused and relaxed, I headed back to my work when -- What the?!

All I saw was a flash of color and suddenly some guy is running off with my case file! He's not doing a great job stealing it as the contents of my file are falling all over the place... I chased him off, but it looks like he shredded my notebook. I recovered the pictures, but with my poor memory, I'm going to need help piecing this case back together. Can you help me identify the victims and locations? I'll try to help with a clue here and there if I can remember.

Questions 1-15: Help me identify each victim and their location (map name). 2 points will be awarded for each correct name and another 2 points for each correct map. Total possible, 60pts.


1) Victim and Location

2) Victim and Location (I can still smell the ocean)

3) Victim and Location

4) Victim and Location

5) Victim and Location (I remember him being silver, not red)

6) Victim and Location (He was larger than the others, lots of broken bridges here)

7) Victim and Location (found him in an upstairs room)

8) Victim and Location (I felt sorry for her, this was what Wishis found)

9) Victim and Location (He was massive, but he didn't wear the crown)

10) Victim and Location (those Archons were awfully noisy)

11) Victim and Location

12) Victim and Location (the color white seems familiar here)

13) Victim and Location (I heard a Werewolf howl nearby)

14) Victim and Location (Picture was taken near the base of a hill)

15) Victim and Location (His body was being guarded by Red Stonies)

Questions 16-21: I'm going to be testing your sleuthing abilities here. Remembering back to what you read above, answer the following questions (3 points each, total possible 18 points):

16) Which NPC tasked me with investigating this case?

17) On which map did he suggest I start?

18) What was Wishis doing when she discovered a mutilated body?

19) What is the name of my favorite cafe?

20) What was I drinking when my case file was stolen?

21) What class was the thief that stole my files?

After analyzing my shredded notebook, I recovered the following key words from the interviews I conducted, using these words can you name the killer? (He's an NPC)

Schizophrenic

Painted

Pointy Toed

Green Hair

Eccentric

Puppets

Question 22 - Name the killer (22 points)

Please answer all 22 questions before submitting them as comments on this thread. Comments will be hidden until I approve them. I will not start approving comments until all the winners have been determined. Comments are uneditable by me and kept in chronological order according to time of submission. Only submit ONE entry per SparkID. Please be sure to include your SparkID with your submission! Multiple entries will disqualify you, so please double and triple check your work before you submit. There is only one correct answer for each question. Event will conclude at 6pm PST today.

Warning: My Blog uses Captcha verification for comments so if you are trying to enter this event via smartphone or any other device that blocks Captcha images, you will not be able to participate.

Fatal's Fiesta Facts - Round One RESULTS!

2011-09-29T16:17:00.000-10:00

Round One is in the books and what a great turn out! I'm sure that a lot more showed up and gave up once they saw the questions weren't stuff like, "Which class uses a Mace?" durrrr......

But anyway, before I announce the winners, there was a bit of a mixup with question #17. The question asked which pack had the higher crit rate, Angel or Devil? After researching further, I found out that the item description on the Devil pack is actually incorrect. Both packs have identical crit bonuses. Since the error was mine (and OutSpark's... GRRRRRR!), I will accept both A and C as correct answers. If you answered B or D, those would be considered wrong.

I honestly thought that there would be a ton of perfect responses (even considering the error noted above), but I guess the difficulty of the questions were about right. Not too easy, and not too hard if you bothered to do some running around.

Considering four points for each question, there were a total of five perfect scores of 100, four scores of 96, and three scores of 92. Three submissions had three or more wrong. The average score was 91.7%. Maybe it was too easy? ^. ~

So now onto the winners!

The grand prize winner is: heddie
The runner ups in order of submission: Lukasz_Lucky, quiqui, darksigner45, and DemonBlitzKragor.

Winners, please contact me via Forum PM, send me a message from your winning SparkID. I have redemption codes to give you that you can apply to your account. Thanks!

If you were curious how you did, here are the answers:

1. C - There are a total of 3 sharks, the one pictured, and two in the marketplace.
2. D - Seahorse
3. C - Twenty-six (10 available in Basic, 16 more from Premium.. I said TOTAL)
4. A - D2, this is located just behind Grandpa Robin
5. B - Ghost License is not available from Bran
6. C - Water. This fountain thing is located just behind Nina.
7. B - D9, this is located just to the left of the Elderine/Forest Of Mist gate.
8. C - Karls.
9. A - Kenton's pants are green.
10. C - 190 silver.
11. D - You can purchase this from Cyburn. It used to be purchasable from Vellon, but that changed.
12. C - T5 Alchemy Stones cost 250 fame.
13. A - The fighter on the left is Reno. The girl behind the fire is me!
14. B - Geranium. Uruga Herbs drop Ramsear, Basil, Salvia, and Marigold.
15. C - This costume is the "Good Morning".
16. B - The Tough Cookie Pack is 4985sc
17. A or C - See response above.
18. D - The Joker Costume is what's pictured.
19. B - Devastate is first acquired by Fighters at level 43.
20. D - Nature's Mist is first acquired by Archers at level 51.
21. A - A Mage's Stifle skill is not acquired until level 73.
22. C - The Great Set (level 85) does not have an Endure boost. Life and Firm require 3 pcs, Safe requires 2.
23. B - Soul Trap is first aquired by Tricksters at level 75.
24. B - GM_Kobal updates the In Development Page
25. D - Love and Joy was the top vote getter.

Fatal's Fiesta Facts - Round One OVER

2011-09-29T15:31:00.000-10:00

Round One complete! No more submissions as of 6:30pm PST. Winner's list forthcoming. Thanks for participating!

4 Years of Fiesta Event: Fatal's Fiesta Facts!

2011-09-29T11:00:00.001-10:00

ROUND ONE

Hmm... so you think you know Isya huh? Know it like the back of your hand? Well we'll see! Get your web surfing skills and your ultra fast in-game Mount ready, you're gonna need it!

Please answer all 25 questions before submitting them as comments on this thread. Comments will be hidden until I approve them. I will not start approving comments until all the winners have been determined. Comments are uneditable by me and kept in chronological order according to time of submission. Only submit ONE entry per SparkID. Multiple entries will disqualify you, so please double and triple check your work before you submit. Questions will be multiple choice. There is only one correct answer for each question.

ROUND ONE STARTS HERE

THE TOWNS

So you think you know Roumen?

1. Everyone knows this famous hanging shark landmark right? But is that the only shark in Roumen? How many total, including this one, hanging sharks are in Roumen?

A: One
B: Two
C: Three
D: Four

2. Ever look up in Roumen and notice the two giant clocks? Too bad they don't actually reflect server time... but have you noticed what creature is used to support those clocks?

A: Shark
B: Turtle
C: Eagle
D: Seahorse

3. Everybody loves getting makeovers right? Vietree gives us so many color and style combinations! So tell me, if I had a PREMIUM Beauty Shop Coupon, how many total hair color choices do I have?

A: Ten
B: Sixteen
C: Twenty-Six
D: Thirty-Six

4. Find me! On which map grid was the screenshot above taken?

A: D-2
B: D-6
C: E-6
D: E-1

So you think you know Elderine?

5. Weapon Title Merchant Bran sells three different licenses. Which of these does he not sell?

A: Bat
B: Ghost
C: Zombie
D: Spider

6. Attention to detail.. Ever notice what's in there? Tell me what this Cleric happens to be looking at.

A: Plants
B: Rocks
C: Water
D: Nothing

7. Find me! On which map grid was the screenshot above taken?

A: C-4
B: D-9
C: J-9
D: I-2

8. Oh no! Put to work! Whose shop is this Cleric in?

A: Kenton
B: James
C: Karls
D: Marty

9. Item Merchant Kenton - This picture is black and white, but what color are Kenton's pants in-game?

A: Green
B: Red
C: Purple
D: Pink

So you think you know Uruga?

10. Recipes of all sorts are available here. How much could you buy a Xir[4] recipe for from the NPC?

A: 1 Gold
B: 300 Silver
C: 190 Silver
D: 85 Silver

11. Which NPC residing in Uruga sells the Xir[4] recipe?

A: Vellon
B: Lump
C: Tim
D: Cyburn

12. Uruga is the only place you can purchase T5 Alchemy Stones. How much fame would a stack cost you?

A: 150
B: 200
C: 250
D: 300

13. Which of the characters above is named Reno?

14. Uruga's a great place for farming Herbs. Which of the following Herbs cannot be farmed in Uruga?

A: Marigold
B: Geranium
C: Ramsear
D: Basil

So you think you know the Cash Shop?

15. My fighter is wearing a costume from the Fiesta Store, what is the name of this costume?

A: Wonderland
B: Silky Maid
C: Good Morning
D: Pretty in Pink

16. The Tough Cookie Pack is awfully popular isn't it? What is the regular non-sale SparkCash price on it?

A: 3445sc
B: 4895sc
C: 5125sc
D: 5275sc

17. The Angel and Demon Bundles are the same price, but which Bundle has the higher total critical bonus?

A: Angel Bundle has a higher critical rate.
B: Demon Bundle has a higher critical rate.
C: Neither, the critical rate is the same.
D: This is a wrong answer, but I'm choosing it anyway!

18. What is the name of the costume pictured above?

A: Lunar Radiance
B: Jester Costume
C: Orchid Blossom
D: Joker Costume

Think you know your classes?

19. A Fighter's Devastate skill is probably the most anticipated skill for the aspiring Fighter. At which milestone level does this skill become available?

A: 36
B: 43
C: 46
D: 51

20. Like a Fighter's Devastate, Archers enjoy their own "signature" skill, Nature's Mist. At what level does Nature's Mist become available to the Archer class?

A: 36
B: 43
C: 46
D: 51

21. When a Mage hits 60, she gets three new highly useful skills. Which of the following skills is NOT acquired at 60?

A: Stifle
B: Drain Mind
C: Frost Nova
D: Chain Cast

22. "Buff Please!" We all love buffs, we also love when Cleric use set armors that raise Endure's HP/SP Boost. Which of these sets do NOT have an effect on Endure?

A: Life Set
B: Firmament Set
C: Great Set
D: Safe Set

23. *Scritch-Scratch* Love em or hate em, the Tricksters are here to stay. At which level do Tricksters receive the table-turning Soul Trap skill that freezes their opponent in a block of ice?

A: 60
B: 75
C: 80
D: 100

So you think you know what's coming?

24. Which GM is in charge of updating the In Development webpage?

A: GM_Wishbone
B: GM_Kobal
C: GM_Lightburb
D: GM_Velfarre

25. We recently voted on new dances to be added to Fiesta, which dance got the most votes?

A: Caramelldansen
B: Single Ladies
C: Stay Away
D: Love and Joy

END OF TEST

Remember: Only one submission per SparkID. If you send in multiple entries with different answers, you will be disqualified. Best of luck to all!

Don't forget to check back next week for Round 2!

Three Hours and Counting...

2011-09-29T08:11:00.000-10:00

Hey guys, just three more hours until my blog event gets started!

A couple of quick pointers:

It is advised that you are logged into Fiesta. Some of the questions deal with minutiae that are not considered general knowledge.
Some of the questions have handy links embedded in them, be sure to open those links in a separate tab or separate window as your previously entered answers may be erased if you load the new page on the same tab/window.

I probably won't be online during the event, but the Event is set to auto-post at the correct time, 2pm PST. When I'm available, I"ll go through all the comments/submissions and post the winners. Please be sure to leave your SparkID along with your answers!

Prizes and Rewards

1st place (1): Fatal's Dark Makeover Pack (30 day)
- Red Tuxedo/Dress (5% Critical)
- Demon Horns (5% Critical)
- Wings of Darkness (7% Critical)
- Beauty Shop (Premium)

Runner-up Prizes (4):
Yellow Dragon Costume (30 Day)

Event Preview: The Road to Enlightenment (Pt. 1)

2011-09-21T13:50:00.003-10:00

So there I was, just a normal day. Nothing pressing on the agenda, the Orc uprising had been surpressed, those Greenkies stopped stealing underwear off of Roumen clotheslines, and the price of Xir continues to rise according to the news report. And then my day got a bit interesting.... THWACK!

Startled at the noise, I grabbed my Staff and headed out the door, I didn't see anything the matter out there. I figured it was just those 2x Abyss Noobs pranking again then running back into the Abyss to hide. As I turned around to head back into my home, I noticed a note stuck on my door with an arrow through it. Bonus points for style, but geez, my mailbox is right there!

Miffed at the button-sized hole in my custom Giant Elven Tree door, I ripped the note off the door and read it.

FatalLace,

We have an urgent matter that requires your attention. The 4 Years of Fiesta celebration is upon us. We need your help in educating players about some little known facts about our world.

See me immediately for more details.

Shutian.

It seems I get approached for one of these projects every year by Shutian and the Order of the Sworn Knights of Isya, the OSKI. But, as a proud citizen of Isya, I always do what I can! These OSKI guys can be a handful to work with, demanding time lines, flow charts, blood samples...

So anyway, off I went to meet up with Shutian. When I got there, he looked grim. Or like he needed fiber. Oh nevermind, that's just how he always looks. He asked me to follow him somewhere quiet where we could discuss this. Knowing his resistance to magic, I bought a Mace from a nearby vendor just in case. Hey, the guy stands there all day while girls dance suggestively around him... then suddenly he asks me to walk off with him? You'd take some protection too!

We made our way behind the Free Battle Zone 2 entrance. Shutian ordered the guard there to leave, muttering something about, "nobody goes in there anyway." Still a little uneasy, I kept my distance. Then with those deep set eyes that looks right down into your soul, Shutian told me, "I'M SO SICK OF NOOBS! All day long they stand in Elderine shouting for this, shouting for that. Too lazy to venture out and discover the world on their own! We must educate them." I nodded and gave him my best determined stare =. =

"After consulting the OSKI, we have chosen you to educate these newbies into fine, capable citizens of Isya. We will allow you to reward the best of your students with a complete makeover! Hmm, that dress you have on is nice, we'll add that in!"

Before I could object, he dismissed me with a wave of his gauntleted hand. Geez, I'm all for incentive-based learning, but do I really want other people to look like me? My fashionable inner child kicked me.

With this new quest in hand, I decided that I'd best get some counsel on this before I start. There was only one person I knew I had to see, but that journey was a long and perilous one.

Civil War Journal: The Gauntlet is Thrown

2011-09-12T15:54:00.002-10:00

07 Sept 2011
Dear Momma,
The summer's been sweltering. Training has been harder than I could imagine and I've been so tired that I haven't had the strength to write. I know you're worried about me, but I'm doing okay. The living conditions aren't great, but we get three meals a day provided we're able to hunt down our own food. I never thought I'd get used to the taste of Ratman, but after a while, it grows on you.

08 Sept 2011
Dear Momma,
Some good news, I've been promoted to lead the Red Team. Recruiting's been hard, but having our family name out there definitely helps. I've been venturing out alone to try and hunt some gear down for my troops, but that's proving difficult too. Dungeons are always scary places when you enter them alone. I really hope to get us well geared before the Blues and Greens start coming.

Dad always said I'd be a good leader. I intend to prove him right. Wish me luck.

09 Sept 2011
Dear Momma,
I was hesitant to tell you this, but our intelligence team uncovered some pretty disturbing news. Apparently the Blue Team has hired an assassin to threaten our family. I just figured I'd warn you and Dad to be on the lookout. This "FatalLaceKiller" is said to be dressed as a Cleric, so just be careful as you wander through town and stuff. Clerics are usually nice, that's probably what makes this one so dangerous.
P.S. Hide the cat. Thanks.

12 Sept 2011
Dear Momma,
We got our marching orders today. We knew about this for a few days now, but it was classified info so I couldn't tell you. We executed a covert attack on the Blue Team operatives today in Elderine. It was a small 2 on 2 skirmish, but we prevailed. Scary thing is though, that through propoganda, the Blue Team seems to have swayed the public's feelings towards them. During the war, they started recruiting into their academy. I fear a retalitory strike is imminent and their number will dwarf ours.

Pray for us. We know we're in the right.

Bijou's Civil War - Red Team Recruitment!

2011-09-08T17:39:00.004-10:00

--- > SIGN UP HERE: Red Team Recruitment Thread <---

Greetings Adventurers! War is upon us, but this time, the conflict is from within.

A series of skirmishes is set to take place starting Saturday September 17, 2011. There will be four battles daily between three guilds: Red, Blue, and Green.

The Blue and Green teams are scrambling to round up fierce combatants to take us down! We must prepare for this assault! The Blue team is led by ChaseNetwork, the Green Team by OMG_ITS_JEMMY.

Level Limits: 20-34.
SparkCash: None allowed (See original post HERE)

I'm still looking for able-bodied, reliable Admins to serve with me and wage war at the designated times since I will be unable to attend all scheduled battles.

Again, these series of wars are just for fun, it's meant to be non-competitive. Hopefully, it's something everyone can participate in when they have some free time on Saturdays.

If you would like to participate or volunteer for an admin position, please let me know ASAP. I have a small cache of gear available, nothing great, just stuff I farmed out of Marlone Hideout. First come first served on that.

Red Team
LegendaryFatal (GM)

If any of you plan to use a beauty shop coupon for this, I HIGHLY encourage you to use RED HAIR. If not, that's okay too. =)

Weekly Event: Bijou's Civil War

2011-09-08T17:24:00.001-10:00

Strife has befallen our beloved Bijou, in a time of great despair and hardships, the battlelines have been drawn and sides have been chosen. With whom will your allegiances lie?

Be prepared Bijou, the curtain of war rises on Saturday September 17th, 2011.

Event Summary
This will be a planned 3-way guild war between 3 teams: Red Team, Blue Team, and Green Team. The level limits for participation are from level 20-34. Wars will be held on Saturdays at the posted times.

Guildwar Rules
3 Teams: Red, Blue, Green
Wars will occur every Saturday at 2:00am, 8:00am, 2:00pm, and 8:00pm (OS/Forum time).
Future mutually agreed upon war times can be discussed.
Red will war Blue, Blue will war Green, Green will war Red.
Fighting will only occur within the confines of Elderine and OX Field.
Spawn killing is allowed.
Shop killing is allowed.

Player Participation
Anybody can participate as long as they meet these criteria:

Minimum Level 20
Maximum Level 34
(This excludes level 36 perms and overpowered level 35 sets)

No SparkCash items, no Marriage.
Exceptions: Vault Items approved, Mounts approved, 'Appearance Costumes' approved, Beauty Shop approved
Enhanced Gear / Weapons - Approved.
+1 Pets - Approved.
Purple Pots (Str/Def/Dex) - Not Approved
Rama Potions - Not Approved
Guild Tourney Items - Not Approved
Purple Weapons/Shields (Halloween) - Not Approved

I highly encourage those of you in existing guilds to split up amongst the three teams.
All players from all servers are welcome and encouraged to participate!

Violations
Should any player be found circumventing the rules, they will be banned.
Any player over level 34 will immediately be banned.
Any player excessively taunting will be banned.
What you do from Monday-Friday, I could care less, but be prideful, be a respected, honorable member of Bijou's society.

Volunteers Needed
I will directly oversee the Red team and the event itself.
I need two others to oversee the formation of the Blue and Green teams.
The GMs do not need to be online for every war so long as there is an Admin present and able to declare war.

If you would like to be a combatant or know of people that would like to participate, please have them join each respective team's academy for now until an admin is online to add them.
We can arrange to be online at the same time, send me a forum PM if you are unable to locate another admin.
I will carry admin status on each team so I can add players, however, I will only participate actively on the Red team.

Disclaimer
While I do realize that this may affect the market of the 2x-3x players, I apologize. For many of us, there is just little to do and I was hoping this would be a way to bring the server a bit closer together and forge new friendships through any level range. Use this opportunity to network and meet new people.
The general rules as stated above are subject to change at any time.

Community Cooperation
I do ask the community's help in participating and getting the word out about this weekly event. I also ask that you be courteous with each other and that you respect each other's rights to have fun. I know Bijou can be full of poor sports and killjoys, please don't be one of them that encroaches on others. Let's be a model server in that respect.

This event is purely for fun. Please don't take the competition and your resulting deaths or kills too seriously. If we can't play nice, we'll have to discontinue the event.

Thank you.

(( Guild Numbers are 7712, 7713, 7714))
Varies by guild you're in.

FAQs:

Q: Fatal, why is spawn killing and shop killing allowable?

A: Simply because if you know ahead of time what the rules are, you shouldn't complain when it happens to you. I don't want to have to overly police this type of event, so for the most part, anything goes. If you find yourself getting ganged at the spawn point, wait to respawn until your guild can help you out. Call for help, it's why you're in a guild.

Q: Are there any prizes?

A: Unfortunately, no. Prizes would be impossible to determine in a full scale event like this. And I'm broke anyway, damn T5 Bogo.... *grumble*

Q: I'm from another server, can I join?

A: Absolutely, I want you to! The requirements are only to get to level 20 which can be accomplished even soloing within a few hours. From the time of this posting, you have over two weeks to get started and geared.

Hide Vs. Detect - My Take

2011-09-07T12:09:00.001-10:00

There's been some rumblings on the forums in recent weeks in regards to the Ranger's Hide skill. Some believe it needs a complete revamping, others think it needs some tweaks, while others think that it's just fine as is. On the flipside, almost everyone with any type of sense knows that a SharpShooter's Detect is essentially useless in combating/preventing a Ranger's Hide.

So what are my thoughts? How would I change the two skills? Read along:

Hide (currently):
Hide is a Ranger-only skill that is acquired at level 100. It does not have any upgrades currently. The skill allows the Ranger to become invisible and roam around freely.

Hide has somewhere between a 30-50% failure rate, meaning you cast the skill, and nothing happens. This is currently the only "missable" buff in Fiesta. The cooldown of the skill has a base of 1 minute, empowerable down to a pretty quick 42 seconds. I guess that's not so quick when you're running for your life though... Hide can be casted while running.

In addition to Hide's high rate of failure, it can also be dispelled by any AOE attack near the Ranger. In a PvP situation, the use of any AOE near that Ranger is highly hazardous. Even with a high evasion, a miss triggers the removal of the skill and the uncovering of the Ranger. If the Ranger is targeted prior to casting Hide, he can still be followed by the opponent. Marriage Hearts as well as the AutoPick glow from Pets can also give away a Ranger's location.

The Ranger is unable to cast any skills, attack, pick up any items, or summon their mounts until they cancel their Hide. Their movement speed is unchanged, they move at their current running speed plus any speed scrolls they may have active.

Whether intentional or not, when casting Hide, the Ranger's evasion increases tremendously.

Detect (currently):
Detect is a SharpShooter-only skill that is acquired at level 100. It also does not have any current upgrades.
Detect is an AOE-type skill that produces a targeting reticle the same circumference as the other Archer AOEs. If the hidden Ranger is within this targeting reticle, after the skill is activated, the Ranger will be uncovered. The cooldown of Detect is 30 seconds, I don't know what the fully empowered CD would be as, at this point, it would be moronic to empower it unless you have some sort of emotional attachment to its pretty animation. It's pretty safe to guess that the fully empowered CD would bring it down to 21 seconds, but again, who cares. Detect, as is, is the single most useless skill in the game.

Hide (Fatal's Version):
My apologies as this is not 100% my own thinking as many great minds have shared similar thoughts, but I think I've added some twists that not everyone has mentioned.

Hide[1] - Level 100 Ranger. Keep the same CD time and Duration. Increase success rate of skill to 100%. Damage does not uncover the Ranger, but based on Evasion, he can still be hit by AOEs. DOTs will also stick to the Ranger, with only Bleed showing a resulting graphic. Hide can only be completely taken down by a SharpShooter's Detect skill, or those Totem-type mobs/object in Thorn Cave. The increase in Evasion currently enjoyed by Rangers when they cast Hide would be kept and factored in.

Hide[2] - Level 110 Ranger. This is a group AOE, buff-type skill. The Ranger will be allowed to Hide all members of his party within the same target reticle distance with the Ranger as shown in the image above. With that image in mind, all three Mages would also be invisible, but the Cleric who stands outside the circle, is not. This is a one-time cast skill that continues to hide your party until the Ranger removes it, someone within the Hide casts a skill, or is Detected by a SharpShooter. Any party member who wanders outside the range of the skill would become visible. No skills can be cast while under the "blanket". If they re-enter the circle, they become hidden once again. Same rules for damage/uncovering apply as Hide[1]. The skill would employ a 4 minute Cooldown period and a 2 minute Duration, both can be empowered.

Detect (Fatal's Version):
I had proposed this before in one of three ways:

Detect - Version A: Detect would change into a skill that radiates out from the SharpShooter, uncovering any Ranger within a 13m radius. This eliminates the need to have to aim the skill and just guess at where the Ranger is hiding, which is pretty pointless now with such a long CD. In this version, CD would be reduced to 6 seconds, matching the unempowered base CD of Piercing Shot and Nature's Mist.

Detect - Version B: In this scenario, Detect will become a buff skill. As a buff skill, it can be re-cast at anytime like a Cleric's buffs, but it will not translate into a party-buff like Nature's Aim, meaning the buff only affects the SharpShooter even if partied. When Detect is active, the SharpShooter is able to see any Ranger on any map, not just in PvP situations. The Ranger can be seen in the same fashion that they are visible to themselves, that clear, LabGhost-type visual, the same that you see in Guild Tournament. The SharpShooter is the only class able to see, actively target and attack a Ranger in Hide.

Detect - Version C: Similar to above, but it becomes a passive skill. SharpShooters would be able to see Rangers at any time, on any map, without the use of casting a buff.

Now how would these two proposed changes work in conjunction with each other? If the passive version of Detect is adopted, the SharpShooter should still have a skill that allows them to completely negate the Ranger's Hide and remove it in PvP situations. On a normal map, the SharpShooter is only able to see the hidden Rangers and not actively remove their buff. So perhaps a passive plus the current version of Detect with modifications to the Cooldown?

Gifting - Sometimes Just Too Good to be True

2011-09-03T02:17:00.001-10:00

Gifting has always been a touchy subject amongst the playerbase, with gifters and giftees testing their luck against the Terms of Service (TOS).

Me, personally, I don't use gifters. Although my real-life checkbook wishes I would, I just can't, and won't do it. We're all well aware that gifting-for-gold is a violation of the TOS, but yet it happens daily. I'd be willing to bet that a small number, maybe 15% of the SparkCash buying playerbase funds 80% of the level 100+ players. As sad, and maybe appalling, as that number sounds, it's with good reason.

Fiesta is a free-to-play game, but it's also a pay-to-win game too. The higher you progress, the more you have to spend to keep up with everyone else, it's a sad truth. In order to make money, you have to spend money, whether that be in-game gold or real life dollars, that's reality.

Knowing this, and the competitive and materialistic side to all of us, scammers will constantly prey on our wants and needs by offering to sell us giftable items from the cash shop for in-game funds. Since such dealings are a violation of the TOS, there is no clean way for the transaction to occur. Either the gifter gifts first and risks getting scammed out of his SparkCash, or the buyer pays first and risks getting scammed out of his gold. Both transactions are perilous.

These leads to another problem: Charge Backs. Working in retail, I have a pretty good knowledge of how charge backs work. Basically a consumer receives their statement in the mail and sees a transaction that they believe is in error so they call the credit card company and dispute the charge. The credit card company will immediately side with the consumer and place the charge back on the vendor. It is then up to the vendor to furnish all proof that the transaction was legitimate. However, when working with online transactions, the problem is far worse and the burden of proof is far more difficult to build. Paypal works much the same way, they will side with the consumer.

As you can see from above, the system is great when it's not being used fraudulently. It is these abusers that lead to so much unnecessary grief on other players and extra work for the OutSpark team. At this point, I don't know if OS even fights the charge backs or they just eat them and place bans on the accounts.

What I would like to know is if OS acts when they see a pattern of behavior across a certain account or IP address and if they then take action.

As far as I know, OutSpark's method of dealing with charge backs is to ban all accounts that accessed that SparkCash. The gifting account will receive a ban, as will all other accounts that received gifts. Because OutSpark will not receive the money from the sale of that SparkCash because of the charge back, their methods are understandable and justified. OutSpark will release the ban on your account if either the amount of SparkCash charged back is paid back in full or the non-used items are returned/deleted.

So as you can see, and as many players have worried, the system, as-is, can be used to further grief players by sending gifts to anyone and then placing a charge back on the transaction. Since we no longer receive email confirmation of receiving a gift and finding out who gifted us, this can be particularly problematic. We also do not have the ability to reject gifts. So what should you do to protect yourself?

Question everything. If you see something odd in your premium inventory that you know for certain you didn't pay for, do not activate the item, instead send in a ticket. The CSR team should be able to tell you who the gift was from. If that person is unknown to you, you can also ask the CSR team to delete the item from your inventory safeguarding your account. If you've already activated the item and moved it from the premium inventory into your regular inventory, you put yourself at risk.

The safety and security of your account is your responsibility. By opening yourself up to gifters and violating the TOS, you become extremely vulnerable. Scammers are well aware that you can't open a ticket complaining that you got scammed in a gift-for-gold transaction since that in itself is illegal. Be aware.

Reunited and it Feels So Good......

2011-09-02T22:28:00.004-10:00

Ever been browsing through vendors and you see something that just makes your heart stop? Sometimes it's something rare, sometimes it's something with ridiculous stats, othertimes, well, it just strikes you with a faceful of nostalgia. Well that happened to me today, with this wand. Why? Well because it used to be mine...

Some backstory: This wand was created back in the 59 cap, that's late 2007 folks, almost 4 years ago. I can't believe it's still around and still in circulation. Yes the stats are remarkably fail, but back when this wand was enhanced, greens were extremely rare. You could level from 1-40 and maybe get 1 drop, or oftentimes, get nothing at all.

When I sold this wand back in 2007, it was +7 with I think just the Ghost license on it. I remember hours of grinding the Ghost/BabyWerebear spot with my Cleric friend, Mairae. We duoed a lot back then and had a lot of fun exploring maps we had no business venturing to.. like CP2.

So the wand has now come full circle. From my hand, passed through dozens of others, and back home. This one's going in the trophy case folks, a testament to perseverance.

Special thanks to Sepht for vending it, yes I completely overpaid for it (17g), but it was worth it.

A Bold Prediction: What Will The Release of T5 Recipes do to Your Server?

2011-08-30T08:41:00.001-10:00

Since we've been eagerly awaiting the release of those missing T5 Comp/Decomp recipes for so long, I got to thinking what would be the financial impact of their release be? I'm particularly looking at the current cost of T5 Stones as an example.

Currently, on Bijou, the dusts used to create T5 stones vend for about 17-18s/ea for the Shining Gem and Shining Spirit Dusts. The Shining Soul Dusts only go for about 4s/ea since they can be Comped from Lustered Soul Dust at a rate of 3:1. T5 Stones sell at an average of about 270-300s for Elrue[5], 2.7-3g for Lix[5], and 27-35g for Xir[5].

So what do you think will happen when these recipes become available? Will the price of T5 Stones drop because Comping Lustered/Glowing into Shinings will become more common? Or will you see a huge spike in the price of Lustered/Glowing dusts while the current prices for T5 Stones will remain unchanged?

I, for one, was dead wrong predicting the price drop on T5 Stones when they requirements for Elrue creation were changed (it went from 15 of each dust per Elrue to 6 of each). I thought the prices would go down, but unfortunately, the buy price on the dusts went through the roof, jumping from 4-5s to the now astronomical 17-18s.

So what are your thoughts? If you want to chime in on Scroll or Potion productions, feel free.

A Journey Into the Secret Lab!

2011-08-29T17:04:00.001-10:00

Who says Archers never get Lab parties? Well, for 99% of us, that's true, even for me. Fortunately, I ran into some friends in FBZ1 that were looking to do a few runs in Secret Lab and they asked if I'd be interested. Since I hadn't gone to Lab on my SharpShooter in months (probably closer to a year), I pounced on the opportunity. Sadly, my time was limited so we could only get two full runs in. I do want to thank ChocolateThunder, WhutAboot1T, and MorePewPewLessQQ for letting me tag along. It was perfect timing as I had wanted to do a full-run video and thought activating my Warlock would be my only hope... that or *gasp!* I go in as an HK...

Since I was only available for an hour, I didn't Cookie, I just used a 20% STR/DEF Charm, some of the freebies from Vault, I think. It was sufficient as both Fighters managed aggro fine. We didn't add another player and just went with that we had, 110 Gladiator, 110 Knight, 107 SharpShooter, and 106 HolyKnight. It was the first time I've gone through Lab without a Mage in the party. We completed two runs, didn't get any weapons (first run we cracked a tube, second run we had an empty chest), but did manage to get a Guardian Shirt and Gladiator Pants, neither of them were all that good.

All in all, I had a lot of fun, got to complete one of my quests in there, so it was definitely worth my time. The party was strong enough that the shortcomings of the Archer subclasses weren't too much of a detriment.

As far as tips for an Archer heading into Secret Lab? Well in the off-chance that you are actually invited, don't be a noob.

Stay back, play backline, let the Knights or whomever's tanking, set the pace.
Stay alive as much as possible to keep the party buffs at maximum, so that means being fully scrolled.
Be sure to target what the Tank is targeting unless you can handle a few hits in there.
Keep your AOEs to a minimum as you don't want to be the one to mistakenly crack a Tube with a misplaced AOE As you get more comfortable in there, you can open up a bit.
Click to target (or use party window, aggro window), tabbing can be dangerous as you may target the Tube
Be quiet. Observe. Learn.
Keep all of the above in consideration, but do try to have some fun in there!

Archer Rebalancing - A Continuing Evolution

2011-08-25T16:19:00.000-10:00

Well another round of much needed Archer Rebalancing has come and I'm truly grateful for the changes. While none of the changes are what you would consider game-changers, their subtle improvements are a help to the Archer class.

So what did we see?


Aimed Shot Changes

The skill Aimed Shot's Power Empowerment effect has been increased - This was definitely a nice addition. While on paper it looks like a significant increase, in practice, it wasn't too much. Aimed Shot basically got buffed up to the old Power Shot, but with a faster Cool Down and Cast Time. I still would like to see the complete elimination of cast times on these two skills for those of us that go SharpShooter. Overall increase in damage is an estimated 11%. Again, not great, but it's something.


Power Shot Changes

The skill Power Shot's Power Empowerment effect has been increased - This along with Aimed Shot was, in theory, another nice change, but, just as in Aimed Shot, what we got wasn't that dramatic. All told, we saw an increase of only about 9% in raw damage.

Blindshot Animation - I think it changed at some point..

Blindshot skill now reduces target's hit rate. SP consumption changed - Since I couldn't test this on mobs, I headed down to FBZ1 today to see what this was exactly. I ended up testing on several different players, a capped Gladiator, a capped full DEX Knight, a level 65 Archer and a level 41 Cleric.

In test #1, the Gladiator went from 1601 Aim down to 859 a drop of 742 points.
The full DEX Knight went from 1941 down to 1241 a drop of 700 points.
The Archer went from 650 Aim to -65, a difference of 715 points.
The Cleric wend from 316 Aim down to -384, a drop of 700 points.

So while those numbers are great, unfortunately, they only last for the duration of the debuff, so about 5 seconds. As far as SP consumption goes, if it's not a skill I'm able to spam, it just doesn't matter much.

Success rate for Poison Shot skill increased - I didn't see a noticeable difference in this, didn't really pay attention to Stick Rates on my single-target DOTs. More times than not, they work unless against Boss mobs.

Bleeding (DOT) for Piercing Shot skill increased - This was a nice change. DOT damage went from 96 or so up to 218 every 3 seconds. Too bad it's not per second huh? *wink*

The poison, bleed, and disease damage over time (DoT) skills now act independently - FINALLY!!!! We can now stick all three kitable AOE DOTs! They all work independently of each other! There's also a new icon for the Multi Blood Shot DOT, kinda looks like the HP Regen Pot icon. Oddly, this DOT only does about 69 damage every second. Low compared to the 96 that a similar Nature's Mist provides per second. But still, a nice, long-awaited, fix.

So is there more? Well we can only continue to hope. Archers are slowly moving back into respectability thanks to changes like those mentioned above. While none of them were game-changers, they do help round us out a bit more and give us hope that there is still more just over the horizon.

Special thanks to [GM]Kobal for his continued efforts to level the playing field for the Archer class. Without his help, we'd be much worse off. Thanks again.

Another Solo - Mara KQ (Mage)

2011-08-23T10:59:00.001-10:00

I decided to record my last Mara KQ attempt since I'd be leveling out of it shortly and didn't have a Mage perspective on this. Unfortunately, I was the only one in the KQ so I figured I'd try and solo it. Here's the video:

I didn't think I could do it with my current base gear so I went ahead and activated a 2hr +30% HP/SP Extender (old Watch-this-commercial rewards) along with a 20% Charm of Strength (also a reward). Midway through, I went ahead and emptied my vault items, activating a 7-day Butterfly Wings +5% Crit and a 1-day Sakura Costume +5% Crit. I forgot to use the Cat Ears.

My HK buff ran out before the final fight with Mara and Marlone, unfortunately. I had run a Gold Hill KQ just before this one started and didn't have a chance to re-buff. I only had time to restone, didn't get a chance to pick up my level 25 skill upgrades either ... or switch out my junk rings for KM ones.

I'm using decent +0 Fire Set armor and pants along with a level 24 green boot. Weapon is a +9 green staff.

I know it's not a HUGE accomplishment by any means, I was extended and charmed, but I recorded it anyway, figured I'd post it. Thanks for watching!

Oh, about that dancing pirate.... well I was looking at some of the stuff we got recently, it looks like the Caramelldansen dance is already in the files... figured I'd toss that in there for fun. =)

Screenshot of the Day: Umad?

2011-08-16T16:52:00.003-10:00

Tough Cookie Video Challenge! Level 20 Archer Promotion

2011-08-12T18:26:00.004-10:00

I'm pretty sure most of you that frequent my blog know that I enjoy challenging myself, that I take the mundane and sometimes throw in a wrinkle just to liven things up a bit. Well the level 20 Promotion Quest is one of those things.

Typically, I'm able to overcome these self-imposed challenges, but for the life of me, I just can't get past this one without altering my own parameters. Here's the rundown of the challenge:

Level 20 Archer Promotion Quest

Weapon: Level 15 NPC Bow, clean, no license

Armors: Nothing

Jewelry: Nothing

Scrolls: None

Buffs: None, Guild Buff is acceptable, Power of Love is not.

SparkCash: None.
Potions: Tier 1 Only

My Archer has a 12str, 8dex build currently and I was unable to complete my challenge, oftentimes dying at the end Shadow Boss or mistiming my pots/stones and dying at the beginning....

So do you think you can do it? Show me.

First person to send me a video response on YouTube showing their completed start-to-finish level 20 Archer Promo Quest matching the parameters I set above will win a Tough Cookie Pack. (THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN AWARDED, SORRY! Congrats to Darknightofwind!) Oh, and yes you have to have your weapon equipped when you enter the Shadow Dungeon (yeah I'm looking at you Ian!)

I will not accept a series of screenshots for this challenge. There must be video. If you can't record your run, sorry, you won't be able to participate.

You can try whatever build you want and whatever skill empowerments you choose. I only have full CD on Aimed Shot and as stated before am using a 12 STR, 8 DEX build.

Your statwindow MUST appear at some point in the video during your run.

Best of luck to all that choose to participate!

Wow, I Actually Won Something!

2011-08-09T16:09:00.001-10:00

I consider myself fairly lucky when it comes to in-game mechanics, enhancing notwithstanding, but I swear I never, EVER, win anything that has to do with any kind of raffle or giveaway. Until today!

Whether I'm buying multiple Iron Cases ( >. > ), multiple Mounts ( >. >;), gifting X number of people ( >. >;;) stocking up on Summer Boops (>. >;;; I ended up buying/gifting over 20 of them, FYI), I just never win. It's been so demoralizing... just once, I'd like to win a nice permanent costume thing or another mount, or a new Graphics Card, or an Xbox 360, or whatever! At least once! For the almost-four-years of my support, bless me with winning something please!

But hey, I won 700sc. A buck. Woot? LOL.... well I'm not demeaning the value of that 700sc, I mean it's 700sc more than I had when I woke up this morning, but man... I wanna win something big! Congratulations to the 1,000 other winners! If you want to know if you won, check this thread out: Winners List.

But really, I am grateful for it, even though it's small, it's still *something*. =)

Oh, and ironically, I won twice... I also won on an alt account.... sadly, I don't remember the email address linked to it! *sigh*

A Reason for Optimism? Hunter's Kingdom (Japan)

2011-08-05T09:43:00.002-10:00

I don't think many of you have ever played the original Japanese version of Fiesta Online called "Bright Kingdom", I never did, but from what I've heard/seen it was fairly similar to what we had with a few tweaks here and there. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, at some point Bright Kingdom failed and its doors and windows boarded up and shut down. This was probably back in 2009 if I remember correctly.

So with great surprise did I find out that "Fiesta" is seeing a revival, or as the trendy Hollywood-types call it, a reboot, in Japan! Going with the new name, Hunter's Kingdom, I'm guessing they kept the "Kingdom" part to evoke some familiarity with their players of old, while changing the name slightly to make it appear fresh, new, and exciting.

So what does this mean for us on OutSpark's service? My hope is that we start seeing more updates and on a grander scale. Looking at the screenshots on the Hunter's Kingdom (I'll refer to it as "HK") website, there are some variants to the game we enjoy, like this update to Roumen:


Carrier Pigeon system and the New Roumen

Roumen looks... WOW. Different! Gone is the sorta half-and-half Town/Battle Zone where the Slimes and Mushrooms are. The town is simply that, just a Town. It has the familiar kind of bullet shape of most traditional port towns with the widest area being the ocean side. The architecture has also seen what looks to be a tremendous upgrade over the old.

Introduced in HK is also the "Carrier Pigeon" system, known here as the AutoRun feature for the low level questers. Perhaps this feature was developed for the JP market, and just test driven by us. I haven't had a chance to try this feature out myself, but having used it in other MMOs it has positives and negatives. Positives are that you don't have to spend time searching for places, mobs, maps, etc.. just click and you auto-run there. Negatives are that you don't have to spend time searching for places, mobs, maps, etc.. just click and you auto-run there. Haha, no I'm not going mad, yes, I said the same thing twice. Having this feature, in my mind, discourages exploration. We already have a feature that highlights where mobs are on your map, I thought that was enough. Anyway, it's both good and bad, just depends how you want to see it.


Stat-Bonus Title Sytem

Also seeing a difference is their Title System. Currently, our titles are just that, Titles. They provide no benefit to wearing them other than it shows some exclusivity in that you accomplished whatever parameter it was to acquire it. In some other MMOs, whatever title you currently wear provides some benefit, possibly an EXP boost, a drop boost, bonus HP, whatever. It appears that HK is following suit. Looking at the images, you notice there are bonuses down at the bottom as the character swaps titles out. Hopefully, we see some port of this also.

Reputation System

Hunter's Kingdom also features a Reputation System. I don't know if this differs from our Monarch (Master/Apprentice) System at all, but it appears like you can earn different items through an NPC which includes some armors and Mounts.

Old "New" Charm Icons (bleh!) and Trickster Artwork

It looks like the HK players will be using the "New" buff icons that we protested so profusely about. I'm so glad that we got the old ones back.

There are several really cool anime-style drawings of each class (like the Trickster [Joker in HK] posted above), but unfortunately, only the Archer looks true to the in-game character. Geez, I wish my Mages looked like that! That Cleric reminds me a lot of Belldandy.... hmm.

So how will their version, as far as skills go, differ from ours? I really have no idea. The previous version, from what I heard, had some skills that we never saw. I don't know if what they are offering is the same or not. We'll just have to wait and see.

Now, I'm sure you're asking if I plan to play there, well honestly, I doubt it. It would be nice to maybe play for a day, or a week, just to see the differences, but the OutSpark servers, and Bijou specifically, will always be home.

Personally, I do think that this launch back into the Japanese market will be a win for us here. With a new influx of players generating more revenue, I'm hopeful that OnsOn can hire more in-house developers to meet the demand. Cynics of course will think that this will just stretch the existing OnsOn staff members more and result in less updates and less fixes, but hey, I'm always optimistic!

Just Some Updates -

2011-08-01T17:21:00.000-10:00

Curious what I've been up to? I'm kinda directionless at this point.....

After that "Hmm.. what to do next?" post, I decided to activate a bunch of stuff on my 9x Fighter, WinterLace, in the hopes of moving her up the ranks to Gladiator. As of this posting, she's level 92 with about 26% experience gain. I've completed all of her worthwhile quests and mainly just stick to participating in KQs.

I refuse to be a puller in a Black Bear or Snakes party, so I'm pretty much left to solo. My own stubborness and aptitude for boredom has me somewhat defeated and deflated. I just really lack the motivation to carry on with her. I spent one 50+20% charm grinding, and did around 20% I think, splitting time between Wind Nepilims and Fire Titans in Dark Land. Of the two, at 91, the Titans were faster experience simply because they die faster and are packed in closer together. They also hurt more though.

I had previously saved my Cursed Knight string of quests, the "Luna" ones, if you've never done these, just be aware that the drop rate is H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. I finally got them done over the course of two or three days. I earned quite a bit of experience just grinding on Cursed Knight Golds while waiting on the drops to fall. I also was fortunate enough to pick up a BKR 1h from the Cursed Knight Lord, but sadly the stats are pretty fail, High STR and High SPR, not ideal for a Tank.

I've come to the realization that I honestly hate the 9x grind. I think part of my problem is that I'm stuck in that "been there, done that" mentality since I already have three other characters that have hit prestige (Warlock, SharpShooter, HolyKnight). This whole experience with WinterLace just feels like more of the same. True, it's a different class and a different play mechanic, but it's the same mobs giving the same crappy experience. I thought I could make it to at least 95/96, but everyday that passes, it seems like less and less of a possibility. I've got only 11 days left on my activated items, I have doubts I can even make it to 93 with my current state of mind.

Now just because I haven't been fully committed to leveling up WinterLace doesn't mean I haven't been busy... you know me by now, always doing something. Anyway, I've been just spamming Kingdom Quests mostly on some other alts, continuing KKP on FatalRemixed and playing through Mara and Gold Hill on my newbie Cleric, FatalExperiment. I also have a 55 Archer that I'm outfitting for Mini Dragon. I'm hoping to do some Archer-tank/Aggro-stealing videos at some point. Character is as-of-yet-unannounced as I use her to vend from time to time. Her name will probably be exposed on the video. Bleh, oh well... I'll make new vendors!

So, if you happen to see a purple-ponytailed 5x Archer yanking aggro from the "Tank" that might just be me! And hey, maybe you can be in my next video project!

Fortress of Shadows Kingdom Quest - 2 Viewpoints

2011-07-29T09:14:00.001-10:00

Since not all of you that visit my blog have experienced the 10x Kingdom Quest: Fortress of Shadows, I figured I'd record it for you. Yeah I know there are other YouTube vids out there of this, but hey, you'd rather watch mine right? *exerts mind control*

So the first one is a run through with my SharpShooter, she's currently 107 (non-leveling), using +10 Ashur Bow (Malephar), and +0 Ashur Hat, Pants, and Boots, along with a +0 Blind Shot (Lab) shirt. She also has 2 +9 Paradise Rings, a +3 Blessed Necklace and a +9 Aquamarine Gem Earring. No active SparkCash items on her, Honeying shirt and hat are both statless and permanent. Also using her typical complement of T4 Scrolls including Speed.

This KQ is really fun on an Archer if you are able to survive/evade the hits from the mobs being kited. If you are skillful enough, you can dictate the pace in the two stages prior to Kalban Obeb's arrival. Just be careful not to get too overzealous and end up training everyone! See screenshot below from a previous, fiendish-Faytal KQ.

The second run is with my Warlock. She's 105 (also non-leveling) using a +10 Storas Wand (Lab), and +0 Khoolin (Malephar) Shirt and Boots, paired with +0 Electronic Shock (Lab) Pants and Hat. For accessories, she's using 2 +9 Paradise Rings, a +9 Blessed Necklace, and a +0 Aquamarine Gem Earring. Only active SparkCash item on her is a Summer Boop set. She's wearing only the pants from the set along with a Team Korea Soccer uniform (permanent and statless). Her Arctic Fox Ears and Tail are also permanent and statless.

This video gives a great view of what's buggy about this KQ. That first entry room, the Skeleton Archers spawn in the correct place, but they used to jump down from the tops of the walls. Now they just stay up there (which strategically makes more sense) and are unable to be attacked except for Mage AOEs. That far wall has I think about 25 Archers, not many people can survive a volley from them if they all target you.

As you watch the video, you'll notice how much aggro the +10 Storas Wand generates. I don't know whether or not the Fighters are using aggro generating skills or not, but I keep pulling aggro and have to stay highly mobile even using Metamorphosis as an escape if the situation gets really bad.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed both videos, I could do one on the HolyKnight, but Cleric videos are pretty boring unless you want to just see the pretty, new animations.

Kingdom Quest Clericing - KKP, What Not To Do

2011-07-27T15:21:00.000-10:00

Just wanted to share this since it was as humorous as it was educational. Anyway, I did a KKP run earlier today....

For a slight change of pace this is the "Anti"-tutorial. All you prospective Clerics out there, pay attention, this is what NOT to do.

While it could have been worse, well actually aside from pulling Phinoflie, no, it really couldn't have been worse.

Basically this is a video of me party-less in KKP tanking the end-boss without the aid of any Heals or not even a Restore. The four Clerics who (ahem) "participated" only focused on their party, didn't bother checking aggro on the boss to see who was taking the damage.

While I didn't tank the whole thing, I did about 70% or so I'd estimate, that's still no excuse at all for them. I didn't realize that other Fighter was battling me for aggro, he actually took it from me on a couple of occasions... grr... but alas, you-know-who ended up with it in the end! (grins from ear to ear) GenGoGu will be one to watch for while he remains KKP eligible... I smell another Aggro Battle on the horizon!

Of course I could have asked for a party, actually I had a party in the beginning. I was partied with 1 Cleric, then he dug out to join another party. I just kept my mouth shut and remained solo, figuring this would make for an interesting video if none of the Clerics paid any attention to me... So with that in the back of my head, I fired up FRAPS and this was the result!

Nothing special on my end, build-wise 3:4 DEX:END, +9 66 hat, +9 70 shirt, +9 68 pants, +6 55 boots, +9 Casha Shield, +10 70 Green Sword.

Sparkcash items: USA Soccer Uniform +5% Crit, +3% Dmg., DJ Headphones +2% Evasion, Mini-Rudolph Pet +2 All Stats.

Not married, no guild-buff.

T3 Scrolls (Vit, Def, M.Def, Eva).

Accidentally used 2 Candy Canes (100% HP/SP Potion).

The video, with music, is best viewed from my YouTube page: http://youtube.com/fatallace

Ask Fatal - Cleric Edition

2011-07-26T17:15:00.000-10:00

Since I dodged a bullet and you all mercifully spared me from leveling up another Cleric, I decided to just do an "Ask Fatal" Question and Answer session in regards to that often underappreciated class, the Cleric.

It takes a special, different kind of person to play the Cleric class and enjoy it. While some players may enjoy it as a change-of-pace, even I'll admit that occasionally it's a little humorous seeing life through Cleric-eyes, they're not necessarily dedicated Clerics. These are not the types of people I'm talking about. As a full-time class, I sure as heck couldn't do it. So much love and respect from me to all full-time dedicated Clerics. So let's get started, shall we?

Q: Fatal, if you don't like playing the Cleric class so much, errr, why do you have a Holy Knight?
A: A little bit of backstory on my HK: AutumnsVeil (originally FatylLace) was leveled up as a duoing counterpart to my in-game husband's Mage (OOJiraiyaOO). Yes, I hate the "OO"s as much as you do. But anyway, as part of a duo with my hubby, I can stand the Clericing. It was more about us and the time we spent together in-game than achieving a certain level, it just so happens that we stopped at 100. Playing the Cleric role in an AOE party is not at all my idea of a fun time.

There was to be an epic role-playing storyline involving my Cleric and his Mage, documented three frames at a time in comic-form. There was even a thread about it on the OutSpark forums. Here are a few strips from it:

But sadly, I got too busy to continue on with the comic and my own interest in that project faded. It was well-received by those who actually read it, but I cut it short anyway. The comic wasn't the labor of love I had wanted it to be.

So while I'm a capable Cleric, I'm by no means an elite one. I can manage a party fine in most any situation, but it's something I don't enjoy doing so it's not at all something I do often. Again, thank you to the readers who spared me from leveling up another! <3 !!

Q: So what, in your opinion, makes a good Cleric?
A: Before anything else, the most important thing about being a Cleric is focus. No other class or role, aside from possibly Tanking, does one player need to have as much focus as the Cleric. While yes, there are times when a Cleric's mind (and chat) can wander a bit, when the battle is on and it's heated, the Cleric needs to move a bit closer to her monitor and be ready to spam some heals.

Q: So are stat builds of no consequence?
A: To a certain extent, no, they're not. One of my best friends in Fiesta was a HolyKnight named SenzaMisura. She was a PvP, Battle-Cleric build with full empowerments on her attack skills, yet by playing with her, you would never know that. She was perfectly capable in handling either role and truly excelling. There are tons of people that will tell you that a "Battle Cleric" is fail, but it really isn't. Just a Cleric needs to know the time and place to revert back to healing.

Battle Clerics really do make people nervous in parties, but only because of bad experiences with those that try and fail miserably to fill that dual role. Most parties are much happier and more harmonious when the Cleric maintains the backline, tossing Heals at the party. Once that Cleric starts engaging the mobs, chaos can ensue. Take Dragon's Tomb for example. If a Battle Cleric insists on joining the fight, the chances are pretty high that she will generate aggro at some point if she's both attacking and spamming AOE Heals. Several of the DT Mobs have nasty status effects like Stun and Fear, if these strike your Cleric, you put your party's safety at risk.

So again, the build isn't an issue, it's just a matter of how you play and how you react to the situations you are put in.

Q: Well what would you suggest as a stat build?
A: Again, a lot depends on what you want to do as a Cleric. If you're straight-line support, then I would suggest a END/DEX build. Where to draw that line, honestly, I'm not sure. More seasoned, full-time Clerics could probably answer that question better. I'm going to not answer skill/stat build questions from here, thanks.

Q: Darn, alright, what about weapons? Hammer or Mace?
A: If you're a support-type, it really doesn't matter, go with whatever has the better stats or whatever you think looks better. My opinion? I tend to like the style of Maces more. That level 20 Hammer was just comical and forever scarred me from Hammers. That's not to say that I haven't used them, but given the choice, I'd go with the Mace.

Q: Is there a marked difference in the weapons though? I solo a lot so what's better for me?
A: (More to come, will update during maintenance)

Clerics - Any Interest?

2011-07-22T13:54:00.000-10:00

Well I've covered pretty much all classes so far except for those backline healers known as Clerics. While I don't have a particular fondness for playing this class, if there is interest in Cleric-based material, I'd be willing to write some things up.

If the interest is there, what would you like to see from me on this class? I've already shot video of me Clericing a Mara KQ on the character pictured above, will probably upload that sometime today. Watching that video though, it's quite boring. I played the role of full-support, just hanging back, healing my party or whoever had aggro around me... I didn't swing my Mace a single time. But is that at all interesting?

I can probably make it up to Mini Dragon or even Crystal Castle without too much problem and not too much effort since I can powerlevel myself fairly easily, a 107 SharpShooter works well for times like these (*wink*). But again, wanted to gauge interest before I invest the time and a bit of SparkCash into doing so.

So anyway, let me know your thoughts. I really don't want to activate stuff on my HolyKnight to do LN or SL runs, and watching me heal an AOE Black Bear Party or bashing on Mimics isn't exactly interesting either.

Please post a comment here, positive or negative. I really don't enjoy playing support, but I'm willing to do so for you guys if you think it's a good idea. I'd mostly be doing the same stuff as my Project: Tank series of videos, minus the CC-Solo.

Ask Fatal - Dragon's Tomb Edition (Archer)

2011-07-18T14:49:00.003-10:00

Finally, the wait is over, the Archer installment of this guide is complete! It took me THAT long to get a party! Haha just kidding, but you Archers out there can feel my pain. (Screenshots to come, ran out of time today)

First off, I wanted to thank angel61636 for helping me start a party and sticking by me when the party started falling apart. She could have left for other parties that required a Tank, but she stayed by me. I never revealed to her who I was, so that makes what she did for me even more heartfelt. Thanks again.

So let's get started! First question!

Q: Fatal, why should I party an Archer when just about any other class would make a better choice?
A: This really depends on the make up of your current team. An Archer can never take the place of an elite Mage, no matter what, but as a secondary Damage Dealer, an Archer can be an excellent choice.

Q: I'm still not convinced, why not use another Mage?
A: This is where it gets a bit tricky and subjective. A superior/elite Archer can really set the pace in Dragon's Tomb. An Archer of lesser skill should not. The Archer needs to know what to pull, how many to pull, and understand aggro in relation to the backline. While the Tank is pefectly fine as a pace-setter (see my DT: Tank guide), if the Archer is of high enough skill, the overall pace of a complete Dragon's Tomb run will be faster.

Q: Okay, so what should an Archer do to set the pace?
A: Just because an Archer is primarily a backline player doesn't excuse them from scrolling up and doing work. In my case, this includes the use of speed scrolls. If the Archer is intent on setting the pace, she needs to go out ahead of the party and start luring back to the main party via kiting. However, the Archer needs to get a feel of what the Tank and the rest of the party is capable of handling. For me, I take the first half of the first DT run to kind of sit back and evaluate the rest of my party. I see how the Tank pulls, what the Tank misses aggro on (oftentimes the ranged mobs), and to get an idea of how active the Mage is. Keeping an eye on the Cleric's positioning is also important.

Q: Once you have that, you're good to go?
A: For me yeah, I'm extremely comfortable giving myself an honest assessment of my skill and limits. Having now observed the rest of the party I can start getting more aggressive. After dispatching the second "boots" miniboss (Magmaton/BigMudMan), I take off for the next area ahead of my party, immediately start luring the Gargoyles, Flame Spirits along the way and then grabbing the Krugers and Caravans in the next area heading towards the "pants" minibosses.

Q: Hmm, okay I get it, you kite them then what?
A: I'll pull them all back to the party as they make their way to the "pants" path. I immediately pull into the Fighter. You have to be careful here though, oftentimes a single Mock isn't enough for the Fighter to establish aggro control over your mobs since you've build up a lot through kiting. Once the Mage drops AOEs, you need to, just like a Mage does, start running tight circles around that AOE area.

Q: Wait, I'm used to straight-line kiting, I need to run circles like a Mage?
A: Yes.

Q: And the reasoning for this is?
A: You need to optimize damage and aggro recovery for your party. Pulling your kited mobs down the hall does nobody any good. You're pulling away from the party, the Fighter has to chase and is unable to effectively regain aggro, especially if you're booking it away from him on a speed scroll. Running tight circles allows you, along with the Mage, to inflict as much damage on to those mobs as possible. It also increases the Fighter's chance of regaining aggro and landing an effective Devastate to stun all those mobs.

Q: Hmm interesting. So what about ranged mobs?
A: Ranged mobs are a bit tricky. Again, this goes back to your Tank. If your Tank doesn't properly establish aggro on the ranged mobs, it's up to you, the Archer to do so before the Cleric starts getting hammered. Ideally, you establish aggro early and pull those ranged mobs back into the pile of melee mobs that the Fighter is controlling. The Fighter can attempt to establish aggro on the ranged mobs, but is more likely to just stun them with Devastate. By then the Mage AOEs will have probably wiped them out. Just like a Mage, an Archer is excellent at outrunning Nerpa's Slow Arrows when a speed scroll is active.

Q: Any other thoughts on setting the pace?
A: Yes. While we, as Archers, can be extremely helpful at setting a fast pace through Dragon's Tomb, you may run into players that just don't see it that way. The Tank, or oftentimes the Cleric, may tell you to slow it down or just, "cut it out you freakin' noob!", but don't get discouraged. Again, this goes back to a little bit of ignorance as far as what an Archer can actually do for a party in DT. I would relent, have the Tank set the pace and you can work within those boundaries. It makes your life a lot easier honestly. Players often fear the unknown, they fear change, so something like an aggressive, capable Archer throws them out of their comfort zone, but understandably so. As your party gets more familiar, keep pushing the boundary that your party has set, but not so much that you get kicked out!

Q: What are some other roles or tasks an Archer should be used for?
A: Archers are great at pulling the mobs that inhabit a miniboss room also. With the targeting reticle for their AOEs, it's easy to safely pull those suckers out without activating the miniboss. Once pulled, just simply lure those mobs into the path of the Tank so he can Mock and the party can finish them off.

Q: Okay, so Cornelius... now what?
A: As far as positioning goes, the Archer should have the same thought process as the Mage. Do not stand next to the Cleric. Stand off to the side, within healing distance of the Cleric, but not so close that Corny's charge attack wipes you both out. Archers, and Mages, should ALWAYS immediately target the summoned mobs once they appear. Let the Tank continue to pound away at Cornelius while you take out the Shellas and Nerpas. If you have aggro on all of the Shellas, go ahead and kite them away or preferably run them back into Cornelius where the Mage can drop an AOE on them.

Q: Help! My Tank got feared and I have aggro! I'm outta here!
A: NO NO NO! Just like the Mage, running for the exit is NOT an option. You need to do one of several things depending on the situation. If the Tank is dead, then you need to kite Corny away from the Cleric and the dead Tank so that the Cleric can revive the Tank. Once the Tank is back up and ready, head back to the Tank, allow him to Mock and Kick him then cast a Nature's Protection to aid him in re-establishment of aggro. If the Tank was simply Feared and you ended up with aggro, head back to the Fighter, stay within Kicking/Mock range and slow down your attacks. You don't want to completely stop as Cornelius may target the Cleric, but you want to slow down your attacks enough so that the Fighter isn't struggling battling you for aggro either.

It is difficult for an Archer to pull sufficient aggro once Cornelius has targeted the party's Cleric. The Cleric is typically in panic-mode, spamming all manner of healing skills amplifying their aggro. Your damage simply can't keep up with that, best thing to do is just keep at it and hope the Tank recovers in time.

Q: That gives me a better idea of what to expect out of an Archer for DT, thanks! Any last pearls of wisdom?
A: You're welcome, and yes. As with any class or role you play, you need to take a serious, honest look at how well you handle your responsibilites in any given situation. While it's easy for us to think we're of an elite skill level, sometimes we just aren't. The sooner you come to grips with that, the better off you'll be. When you lower your pride, the learning process begins. Your eyes will open and you'll start to observe things more clearly. Other people are counting on you to handle your role effectively in instance dungeons, when you can't the whole party suffers. In the case of Archers, we already have a tough time finding a party, when others experience an unskilled Archer just breezing through DT on other people's hard work, that really puts a sour taste in their mouth and they won't give another Archer a chance, but the opposite is also true. Be the example, not the excuse.

One last thought: As you guys know, I've taken every class now, including Tricksters (guide forthcoming) through Dragon's Tomb, so I've seen all sides. This gives me the best perspective on how to do things the right way here. If you're a first-time DT'er, take it slow. Reading through my guides can help you, but they don't replace actually experiencing the dungeon first-hand.

Isya Cup - USA vs. Japan

2011-07-18T11:31:00.000-10:00

FatalLace: Welcome sports fans! After a grueling qualifying round and single elimination tournament, we've finally whittled down the competition to two finalists, representing USA and Japan! The competition was filled with its share of upsets and dominating performances but here we are at the finals of the Isya Cup!

The USA is represented by FatalRemixed. FatalRemixed prides herself on her tanking abilities, sticking her nose right into the fight, defending her party until victory is attained or the bitter end is met. She embodies the American qualities of perseverance, strength, resilience, and grit. With sword and shield in hand, she's fared well through the competition, cementing her place as the favorite to win it all.

Japan is represented by DaydreamBeliever. DaydreamBeliever and her Trickster counterparts are new to Isya. Previously only competing amongst themselves, hiding in the shadows, this is the first time a Trickster has made it to the finals. With her razor sharp claws, DaydreamBeliever, much like her home country of Japan, is extremely cunning, fast paced, and honorable. The darkhorse in this competition has risen to the challenge after years of dormancy.

Round 1: USA

Round 2: Japan

Round 3: USA

Round 4: Japan

Tie Breaker: Japan

Wow what a stunning upset! DaydreamBeliever took down FatalRemixed to win the Isya Cup! After years of heartbreak and lurking in the shadows, the Tricksters of Japan have finally risen up and ascended the mountain! Despite going down early, the Tricksters fought and literally clawed their way back in it displaying the true heart of a champion. Congratulations to Japan!

Hmm.. what to do next?

2011-07-12T23:03:00.000-10:00

Since Project: Tank is coming to a close, I alerady did 5 successful tank runs last night (video and notes forthcoming) of King Kong Phino (which isn't challenging at all), it's time to figure out what project I want to tackle next. Here is a list of considerations, in no particular order along with my thoughts:

Cap Faytal (SharpShooter) - Faytal is currently 107 with about 12% EXP gain towards 108. I don't really have a whole lot of incentive to start the mindless kiting again, other than finally wearing my 108 shirt to match my Malephar armors. There are no new skills to really look forward to, SharpShooters don't suddenly become PvP machines, and I just don't feel like all that kiting... Did I mention I don't wanna kite? Activating SparkCash stuff on my SharpShooter is going to be strictly for soloing. I won't be invited to run Secret Lab at all because and Archer is more of a hindrance in there than any other class. Chance this will happen: 10%.

Level up FatalLace (Warlock) - FatalLace is 105 with about 25% EXP gain towards 106. I recently bought a nice Storas Wand (105 Lab) that was already +6 enhanced. I sold my Hellgait, so I'd want to finish enhancing this before starting up again. Of course my failures at enhancing are the stuff of legend. I do have three unused T5 Ultra Bundles sitting in premium inventory, but only one T5 Xir. I could start accumulating dusts again... but do I really want to level up? The biggest thing about sticking at 105 is that I can still do Leviathan's Nest if I choose to. Hit 106 and I no longer have that option. I could focus on farming Lab, but that gets pricey. I don't use gifters so everything is completely out-of-pocket. Also finding 2 hour blocks to dedicate time can sometimes be really difficult for me. Chance this will happen: 20%.

Level up WinterLace (Fighter) to prestige - WinterLace is 90 with about 93% EXP gain towards 91. She's about two Dragon's Tomb runs away from 91. I don't have a prestiged Fighter class, so this might be what I end up doing. I just really need to do that 91-96 grind out of the way. Only problem is that I really don't want to go the "LF Snake PT" route. I could solo my way there, but I don't know if I can keep up the motivation over those five levels until I hit Mimics. Maybe 10x Abyss is a possibility, I'd have to see how she fares with her current armor. I may have to end up charming in there. Chance this will happen: 40%.

Level up Dharalyn (Mage - Wizard) to prestige -Dharalyn is 90 with about 15% EXP gain towards 91. I could continue to run her through DT until 91 saving on SparkCash, but I know I'll miss DT. Same with WinterLace, but maybe not as much. Keeping Dharalyn @ 90 also helps me should I want to run DT with my Trickster since they are on separate accounts. That whole "PT AOE" scene doesn't appeal to me at all after I hit 91 either. I'd love to have a Wizard though, but maybe I don't love it that much? Chance this will happen: 15%.

Run DaydreamBeliever (Trickster) through Dragon's Tomb - DaydreamBeliever is 80 with only about 15% EXP gain towards 81. She's still kind of a nub, has yet to experience Dragon's Tomb. I don't know if I'm "over" the Trickster class, but picking it up and playing the occasional Gordon KQ hasn't been all that appealing. If there were zero chance of getting a 70 blue weapon out of Gordon, I probably wouldn't bother. Chance this will happen: 15%.

Level up AutumnsVeil (HolyKnight) - HAHAHAAHAHA..... Chance this will happen: 0%.

Mini-projects still in the works:
Dragon's Tomb - Archer
Project: Tank (Mara, Gold Hill, Robo KQ)

Project: Tank - The Crystal Castle

2011-07-10T23:30:00.002-10:00

It's somewhat hard to write a complete guide for the Crystal Castle because the layout varies each time you enter, but there are a few key things to look for as you enter each room. I'll break down some of the harder ones and give you some tips on how to wipe them clean. You can also view the video here:

Compliments are always a nice thing! =)

We're not always perfect, but we come pretty close.

Zombies -
Zombies emerge from several different triggers. Coffins, Kamaris, Chests, and Ores. They have a quick attack as well as a high damage AOE. I'm not 100% sure whether that AOE is M.dmg based or not, but it hurts. A lot. So how I tackle Zombies is usually 3-5 at a time, even without a Cleric. This is not a case where you want to stick your chest out and pull the whole room. If you do so and get caught by 3 or 4 simultaneous AOEs, you're done and chances are so is your party. Zombies don't have much HP/DEF so they go down pretty quickly, especially if you have multiple 67+ Mages in your party. It's just a matter of you, the Tank, taking that pounding and keeping aggro. You can do Zombies without a Cleric if you're comfortable judging your ideal stone/potion usage.


Kinda my fault for not asking him to stay back....

The other Fighter actually ran towards the Zombies when the Kamaris died.

You can see him buried in here, pulling them all. >. < !!!

I Mocked, but wasn't able to handle that many at once.

Kamaris -
Kamaris themselves aren't much to handle, but after they die, they spawn a roomful of either Zombies, Trees, or Magic Staffs (the three drop repeats). A word to the wise, keep other players out of that room including other Fighters. While they can help kill the Kamaris faster, the chances that they will pull too many mobs once the Kamaris dies, is extremely high. If the mobs happen to be Zombies, more than likely it'll end up in the party getting wiped out. (Viewable at 5:25 of the video)

Vampire Bats -
Vampire bats are similar to Zombies, but they only show up mixed with those other fat, Piggy Bat looking guys. Usually the fat bats have a magic "immunity" (their word, not mine) that increases their m.def tremendously. The Vampire Bats also have a high dmg AOE so be careful where you're pulling. Typically you want to pull stuff like this into one of the far corners awayf rom the party, with enough sightlines that you can still see them should a Bat wander off towards them; you'll be able to Kick it back to you. Don't pull these back to the party or into the near corners if possible. The near corners are to always be avoided because the Cleric will be unable to heal you without running into the room. That puts the Cleric at risk as she's running, she may take a smack of that nasty AOE.

Orcs -
Orcs, like the rest mentioned above have a deadly AOE. Just be mindful of your pulls and aggro control and you'll be alright. No reason to panic.

Archers / Skelelton Archers / Pinkies -
Ranged mobs can cause some distress if not handled properly. Ideally, the Tank should rush the room, pulling all the mobs back into the entryway creating a chokepoint. At that chokepoint, you should do your aggro grabs (Mock + Demoralizing Hit) and hit Devastate. This will disable most of the mobs you've pulled making it much easier to take them out as a collective group. If everyone charges the room, it gets extremely chaotic as you run from mob to mob while keeping an eye on non-aggroed mobs attacking the backline. Establish control of your party and let them know your plan ahead of time.

Boss Fights -
The Boss battles are actually pretty straight-forward. There are three different bosses: Jewel Golem, a Guardian Lizardman, and a Guardian Great Orc. Of the three, the Jewel Golem is the worst and always the longest battle. All three bosses should be pulled out of the top room and down to the bottom entry room. This way, you avoid the waves of summoned mobs from the boss. All summons appear in that top room, so unless you want a challenge, just pull them down.

For the Lizardman and Great Orc, you'll notice that they have a buff when you first encounter them, there are three ways of eliminating that buff: Purge from a Mage, destroying the light pillars in the top room, or simply waiting it out. Purge does not have a 100% success rate vs. Bosses, so it may take the Mage several attempts before he can delete that buff. Having him Chain Cast + Purge is a good idea. Killing the Light Pillars isn't very hard, you just have to deal with the mobs that are in there if you didn't pull all of them at the beginning. Waiting it out really doesn't make much sense but you can do it if you choose. Not sure how long that buff lasts, maybe 10 minutes?

For Jewel Golem, you'll see that he has two buffs. The first one looks like the "idle state" icon you see when you log in or change maps. For him it's an "Unattackable Status". What this means is he cannot be hurt by anything. The Tank will need to maintain aggro on the Jewel Golem while the rest of the party takes out the four Light Pillars. While the rest of the party is in the top room, there's really not much for you to do. I would recommend spamming your debuffs as they will help ease the damage you take (Demoralizing Hit, Immobilize, and Bone Slicer). If you choose not to spam skills for some reason, your auto-attack should be sufficient to maintain aggro over your Cleric. If you're unsure, toss a few Kicks in here and there. Once those Pillars come down, the party should join you on the bottom and wipe the floor clean with Jewel Golem.

All three bosses have a pretty heavy AOE attack, so if you have some weaker members it might be better serrved to just have them sit back and wait it out instead of dying, minimizing your party buff, and altering your Cleric's focus.

Fatal's On Vacation! Yippee!

2011-07-01T16:47:00.000-10:00

Hey guys, just wanted to give you all notice that I will be on vacation starting tonight until late Tuesday evening, so don't expect any blog postings until after I return. Yes, I know you're crushed, but be strong! Hang in there! Read some old stuff!

I will probably pop in from time to time to check the chatbox and approve any comments that were posted, but again, nothing formal.

I hope you guys have a great holiday (if you're in the US) weekend! Stay safe!

Much love,
FatalLace

Project: Tanker - Spider KQ

2011-07-01T09:12:00.001-10:00

Hi guys! Welcome to the next installment in the Project: Tank series. Today's video details the Spider Kingdom Quest!

Now as you all know, Spider can be a bit tricky, there is usually a division between the people that want to kill the Great Spider at the end, and those who would rather just kite it to ensure a win for all. Me? Of course I always want to kill it. Personally, I don't think either Spider or Robo should be able to be kited to the end of the timer, just seems cheap. I think they should either eliminate the whole "Kiting-to-Victory" or have a greater reward for killing the end bosses, but that's a story for a different day.

Okay, so entering this KQ, as the Tank, typically you'll want to party a Cleric as soon as possible, especially if your intentions are to kill the Great Spider. Unfortunately, this didn't work out for me in the video. There was only one Cleric, ThatGuyWhoHeals. He was scooped up into a party while I just kinda ran solo a bit, I later partied some other people. We were unsure if we would attempt a kill on GS, but we decided to give it a try. Thankfully, we had a bunch of Mages and Archers so that made the end a lot easier.

ThatGuyWhoHeals did a great job of keeping his party alive, but also turning his focus to me, the main Tank, despite not being in his party. This is extremely important for Clerics, as much as possible, pay attention to everything going on. If you see your party isn't taking any damage, click on the mob with the highest threat level and see who he is attacking, good chance it's the Tank, focus healing the Tank until your party start to take damage. once your party is safe, find the Tank again. I thanked ThatGuyWhoHeals during the KQ and again afterwards.

Another thing I don't like about Spider KQ is that you can't really set the pace as the Tank. The mobs are summoned around you and you really have no control over that. If you're trying to tank all of the spawns, then oftentimes you're scrambling, if you can manage to do this, great, if not, focus on the biggest threats, like the Madness Grave Robbers or Ultra Spiders and maintain aggro on them via Kick, Mock, Demoralizing Hit, and Slice and Dice. Target switch if necessary. When Vivis and Magebooks appear, run by with a Mock or Demo to establish a bit of aggro. If the mobs already targeted other players, you'll probably have to use Mock or Kick.

The final battle with Great Spider can be tricky, especially if you lag when the Minis are summoned. As you can see in the video they come in waves by the dozens. Since I didn't have a dedicated Cleric, I didn't spam Mock, but I did spam Demoralizing Hit. While Demoralizing Hit doesn't have the aggro draw that Mock does, it does have a -DMG debuff associated with it. If you choose to let some of the spawns go, it's best that they have that debuff, it will lower the chances of them killing off the other players that they will eventually target. I did Mock when I could, but I didn't want to keep aggro of everything on me because I didn't know what kind of situation ThatGuyWhoHeals would find himself in. I couldn't monitor his health, so I didn't know what kind of danger he was in and if he would just take off and run and leave me stranded, so I Mocked when I could. If you watch the video though, you'll notice my party taking loads of damage at the end. Looking back, and after another round, I found that I could safely maintain aggro on GS as well as more of the Minis even without a Cleric around.

Okay, so GS is dead now what? Why are all the spawns still around!!? Well it's about 30 seconds of mayhem after Great Spider is dead. During this time, try and round up as many of the strays as possible, continue helping out the rest of the KQ participants, use Mock, use Kick, use Demoralizing Hit, but keep yourself safe also.

This was kinda fun... in a KQ I entered last night, I ran into JAZMYNE6969, the same Fighter that called me a "nub" in MiniDragon. Prior to the final battle, Jaz and I agreed to see who could generate the most and hold aggro on Great Spider, myself being a modest Tank build, Jaz being a DD build.

Honestly, I was a bit concerned when Jaz announced he/she had over 3500 dmg compared to my measly 1245 dmg! Jaz claimed more DEF than I had even though I had a shield and Jaz was also loaded with SparkCash,... 12% Crit Swimsuit, 8% Crit Angel Helm, 5% Crit Angel Wings, 3% Crit Sunglasses, and Papillion Weapon Skin on his/her +10 Axe! All I had was a Mexico Soccer Uniform 3% Dmg, 5% Crit and DJ Headphones 2% Eva. With the odds stacked in Jaz's favor, I had to work on aggro grabs quickly.

Oh, did I forget to mention our KQ had NO CLERICS? Not a single one. So, not only did the Fighter who held aggro on Great Spider have to deal with his attacks, but also tons of spawned Minis! So how did it turn out? Watch and find out!

What? Me? PK? Never (again)!

2011-06-28T11:53:00.000-10:00

People ask me what my stance is on PKing and specifically PKers in Abyss, and for the most part, maybe surprisingly, I don't have a problem with it. However... (you knew there was a caveat right?)

What I don't condone is the farming of kill points off of unwilling combatants. An unwilling combatant is someone who's in Abyss pretty much just to grind or farm mats, they're not there to PvP other players. They'll pretty much just keep their head down, their mouth shut, and go about their business.

Of course I fully understand that technically, the Abyss is NOT a grind map, several CSRs have stated this fact quite bluntly, and that's fine. I take that risk myself quite often when I'm leveling up characters below 80. Again, I'm never in Abyss to PvP, I'm there to grind. Period. If I were there to PvP, I wouldn't be in a map 20 levels higher than my current level would I? What threat do I pose to someone 30 levels higher than myself? Zero.

Yes, I've been PKed before, did they know it was me? I couldn't say for sure, it's not like I ask them. If I happen to get killed, I just click out or wait, I don't say anything to the PKer, what's the sense? Me, personally, I'm never one to announce who I am when I'm on an alt. People figure it out sometimes or ask if I have a main, but it's not something I generally disclose. Honestly, I'd rather people not know since I'm better able to see who they truly are without some kind of fake mask they put on to talk to me.

But anyway, yeah, I don't think the farming of kill points is at all something to be proud of or to hang your hat on. But that's me. People have different values, different reasons for doing or not doing things, and that's perfectly fine. You do what you do, I'll do what I do. Just don't expect me to forget. ^. ~

Have I ever considered being a PKer? This may surprise some of you, but yes at one time I did. I have a 5x Fighter named HeavensVengeance. After I acquired my Rage of Cainance, I thought maybe I might try my hand at PKing. Afterall, I swung the biggest stick in 4x. Keep in mind that this was in late 2008, early 2009, my 'main' Fighter, WinterLace had already out leveled the use of that Rage of Cainance, so I made another Fighter solely for the purposes of PKing. And of course, nobody except a few of my closest friends knew that was me. I had complete anonymity, so why not right? No damage to my reputation if nobody knows this is me......

I found out a few things about myself as I sat there, reputation-less, completely anonymous in 4x Abyss:
1. I'm not a hunter.
2. I was really bored.
3. This wasn't for me, it's not who I am.

I'm not a hunter. You know, I tried. I really did. I actually ran around 4x Abyss hunting players. I'd enter the room they were in and see them grinding there. They'd see me and have no idea what the heck kind of weapon I was holding since the ROC was extremely rare back then, and of course we had no silly Cabal weapon skins. So I'd look at them... look at my Axe... then leave. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Why ruin someone else's day? Why impose my will on someone simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time? I did kill a male Archer once, I think I may have 2 hit him... he just gave me a " = ( " and it killed me. So after that, no more hunting.

I was really bored. Yep. Since I refused to hunt, all I would do was sit at the entry-way and wait for others to attack me. Most people I just ended up chatting with instead. Or they'd ask for a 1 Vs. 1, which I accepted. I'd often wander into 5x also since it was a little busier back then. I fared well there since my ROC was basically the equivalent of a GOC Axe, there were no +10s back then. So yeah, hours of sitting there, scrolls burning, a few people to chat with, but nobody I'd consider a 'friend'. I did the same with WinterLace later on at 76 and 86, but it didn't last, the boredom forced me to level.

This wasn't for me, it's not who I am. That's the truth. It's just not in me to be a PKer in that sense. As I sat there mostly watching others, since nobody wanted to fight me, it all just kinda disgusted me. The people there would kill some poor newbie then laugh in her face about it. They'd chastise her and denigrate her until she gave up and left. They'd do hideously juvenile things like tea-bagging the corpse. Then the PKers would all huddle and laugh about it. What kind of person does that? And do I really want to, anonymously or not, ever be associated with these types? Nope. I felt more of a connection to the poor soul that was forced to leave the map than to the PKers.

So now that you've heard my moral spiel on PKing, when do I think it's acceptable?

In Abyss, if you're fighting another willing and ready combatant it's perfectly okay. You're probably pretty evenly matched and of course both of you want to be there to test your PvP skills. Go for it!

In Abyss, if you're fighting over a grind spot, that's perfectly okay. Some of the best grind spots are highly limited in the Abyss, think the two large rooms in 5x and the large rooms in 6x. Then yes, you're competing for an area to grind in, that's fine. If they want that grind spot back, come fight you for it.

Now, there's also this whole "PKK" movement which is basically like a vigilante-type system. Some people have banded together to try and take down the PKers, which I guess is fine too. It's basically example one above. Everybody's there willingly to fight.

So why don't I take this route? Well, again, it's just not in my nature. I can be competitive, but not to the extent that the Abyss Residents are. I don't think you can be a 'casual' PvPer in this sense, you just won't be able to compete with the Residents. So why feed their egos? Why subject myself to the ridicule and sophomoric behavior of the typical Resident? I don't and I won't. I enter Abyss, go about my business and leave.

That's where I stand, but again, I have no problems with people playing and enjoying Fiesta in whatever way they want. Just remember actions speak volumes.

Germans - Help Me Out!

2011-06-28T08:39:00.004-10:00

A couple of times now, I've received comments from German folks that can't view my videos on Youtube because of the restrictions on the background music and that, for me, presents a problem. I really do want you guys in Germany (and everywhere else) to be able to view my videos, but how? And is this a problem in other places of the world?

I'm still going to choose music that I enjoy for the background and upload those videos since primarily my audience is from North America which doesn't have any such restriction. So how do I handle the Deutsche? Would you prefer that I upload with no music? If I do, the video will be completely silent as the audio is removed when I speed up the playback. I can't post real-time since a lot of the recorded footage is 30-40 minutes long, and really, who wants to watch me play for 30-40 minutes! A 5-7 minute, sped up version is much more tolerable.

Is there music that you know I can use? I think Youtube has some music available, but I have no idea how good it is or whether it even fits with the videos. I may have to look into that.

Do you know if I upload to Photobucket will the original video and music be watchable then? Is the video below viewable and can you hear the audio?

I would rather not completely upload everything to Photobucket since the resolution seems to suffer and also they don't have a tool where I can add notes/annotations over the video. So I don't know... I leave it up to the Deutsche community on what they want.

1: Youtube with no audio, but with notes/annotations.
2: Youtube with whatever audio Youtube has as common license and with notes/annotations.
3. Photobucket possibly with audio (if it works), but lower quality video and no notes/annotations.

Project: Tank - The Level 60 Promo

2011-06-27T00:25:00.002-10:00

A youtube commenter asked me to shoot a vid of the level 60 promo quest for Fighter. I hadn't planned on doing one, but since it's not that hard to make a video, I went ahead and did it this evening.

Video's pretty straight forward, nothing too revolutionary for this, it's pretty simple. For purposes of this video, I used some T2/T1 scrolls and got an HK buff. I probably needed neither, but got them anyway.

Notes via annotations on the video itself. Please view the video from my channel.

Social Media CONQUERED! Event Results!

2011-06-25T21:53:00.000-10:00

First off, I wanted to thank everyone that participated in my little mini-event, especially those that maybe checked out my blog for the first time. It was nice reading the comments you left and hopefully you went away happy with either a prize, or maybe just a good feeling? lol.. yeah I know, we all wanna win, and if my pockets were deep enough, I would have rewarded you all, but sadly, they aren't.

So who were the winners? You can see them all listed above, but here are the numbers from the Random.org website:

I will be contacting all of the winners via Twitter while I back-check that you guys are indeed "Following" me... if I happen to come across a winner that doesn't have me listed, I will disqualify that person and draw another number. Once I notify you by Twitter, please message me back letting me know what prize you would like.

If for some reason, you don't want the listed prize that you won, you can opt for anything else in the store as long as it is the same price or cheaper than the item you won. Please don't ask me to spend more SparkCash for your prize, I'm already being generous enough don't you think? xD

So anyway, again thanks to all the participants and a special thank you again to the GMs who made part of the prize pool a reality! Look for another event in the coming months!

Project: Tanker - Mini Dragon KQ

2011-06-24T09:17:00.003-10:00

Alright, another update for Project: Tank! Today we go behind-the-scenes to follow FatalRemixed as she successfully dominates the Mini-Dragon Kingdom Quest! Well okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was a successful run highlighted by two competent tanks dueling for aggro for most of the KQ.

That in itself was pretty unique and kind of a first for me on this character. Without any fanfare, I typically take the lead in the KQ more so because nobody else wants to step up. However, this time, there was another player willing to do the dirty work: JAZMYNE6969. It's kinda funny because she even went so far as to call me a "nub" when I was Kicking the Minibosses she was running!

To be honest, I didn't even realize that she was talking to me on the Grave Robber Boss, until she called me by name and told me I was a "nub" when we were pulling Robo. I turned off Fraps at that time so I couldn't get a screencap of it, rats. But anyway, lesson to be learned here is to not underestimate the others that are around. She was more capable than I thought, and I was definitely more skilled than she imagined. Maybe we all just automatically assume the worst as far as the skill level of other players, but there are times when yeah, you can be surprised.

JAZ and I battled for aggro control on each Miniboss, no words were exchanged, but I know I was spamming all my aggro grabs and I could definitely see her doing it also. I extended the olive branch and asked her if she wanted to "Main Tank" MD, but I got no response, so I went ahead and took the lead.

I'm not one to call other people "noobs" or "nubs" like she did, I just let their own actions prove their own fallacies. So I didn't at any time call her out about what she said to me, I just let my own skill do the talking. I do think she was a bit aggravated by it all, she didn't really say much and it didn't seem like her heart was in it towards the end. Maybe she figured it was under control so she could relax a bit, or maybe she was just irritated by another Alpha Tank stealing her thunder. Can't really say for sure. For me, I took it as a challenge and saw the fun side to it. So no hard feelings JAZ! We'll see each other again I'm sure!

The Mini-Dragon KQ isn't really all that hard, even with the stunted Jump AOE he now has, we're assuming that's a glitch, but what makes it somewhat unbearable is just how long it takes! This KQ seems to take F-O-R-E-V-E-R!! As I tanked this KQ another round, I was asked myself, "Why does this seem to take so much longer than before?" With that, I visually surveyed the other players, and here's what I found:

2 Mages were there, both either 4x-5x, neither with a +9 weapon. 3 Archers there, one with a +9, the others with a +3 and a +0. 4-5 other various melee-types none of which can handle MD's jump, so they stand around basically doing nothing other than adding to the Cleric's party buffs by NOT dying. So there we were, a Tank with a +8 50 Blue 1h and 1 5x Archer with a +9 X-bow. The rest either standing around or just doing pecking damage to Mini-Dragon.

Those observations above just kinda confirm what a lot of people were thinking, that the Fiestan economy is pretty bad. A ton of enhanced stuff is really overpriced and with the influx of new players, they're unable to afford such luxuries. So yeah, I get it. I guess that's another factor into why this KQ in particular takes so friggin long, just not enough damage to go around. Can't fault the players in the KQ too much though, I'm sure if they could afford a +9, they'd love to have one.

So anyway, not much to say about Tanking MD, as you can watch the video and read the annotations I made there. I would advise you to watch the video on my YouTube channel instead of the embedded player since the embedded one seems to cut off some of the annotations.

I did meet another player, Blissie, the Cleric of our party. She really did do a great job of managing her heals between myself and JAZ as well as took control of the backline, going so far as to call out people who were doing nothing! I thought that was awesome and I told her so afterwards.

As far as my gear/stats and stuff, here's a breakdown of what I was using at the time (I've since leveled so my stats are a bit different):

DEF: About 850
EVA: About 430
M.DEF: About 285
DMG : Max About 730
HP: About 4200hp, extended.

Gear:
+8 Flight of Cainance (Level 50 Blue 1h) 24str 24end 21dex 15int
+9 Level 50 Shield 21str 25end
+0 Level 46 Hat 21end 16spr
+9 Level 50 Armor 23end 20dex 19int
+0 Level 35 Mighty Pants 12str 13end 14dex
+0 Level 35 Mighty Boots 17end 16dex
+0 Level 55 Necklace 3end 1int 2spr
+0 Level 40 Cursed Tooth Earring 10str
+3 Level 45 GGK Ring (totals) 6str 22end 21dex 13spr
+3 Level 45 GGK Ring (totals) 28end 22dex 9int 2spr

SparkCash Items:
+50% HP/SP Extender
Blessing of Teva
+100% EXP Boost Card
Statless Black Dress
5% Crit Butterfly Wings (Mystery Vault)
+2 All Stat Mini Rudolph

Build: 2:1 End:Dex
+20 Dex, +40 End

So as you can see by the gear above, it's nothing really spectacular aside from the 1h and the Mighty Boots. Having the Extender of course helps tremendously, but it wouldn't be necessary if you had better gear. What can be done on +0s with no SC? I'm not really sure to be honest, if someone else wants to take up that position, by all means go for it!

Conquering Social Media - Grand Prize Awarded!

2011-06-22T21:12:00.001-10:00

So as not to miss out on Ramy's arrival via Cool Catch, I went ahead and awarded that prize about 5 minutes ago. I printed out all 52 comments and numbered them from 1-52, with CreepyCookie's comment being #1 and alice_bunny's comment being #52. I went over to random.org and put a range of 1-52 into their randomizer and voila!

Out popped #15..... and #15 belongs to.............. xchampagne!

So congratulations xchampagne, and thanks so much for supporting all of my social media outlets! You should already have it in your premium inventory. If it's not there for some reason, please contact me.

The remaining prizes will be awarded some time this weekend or Monday. The results will be posted on Sunday. If you still haven't entered, you have until Saturday to do so for the remaining prizes.

Project: Tanker

2011-06-22T08:41:00.002-10:00

Those of you that have been following my Twitter feed and my Facebook have known that I've been leveling up a Tank recently. I was inspired to create this character by a forum thread by realmatic called "The Lost Art of Tanking". Basically, it was a plea or more of a "WTF happened to all the decent Tanks?" type of thread. And having experienced all of the early level KQs through my Trickster, I couldn't agree more.

Time and time again, it was my Trickster, DaydreamBeliever, forced to step to the fore and tank end bosses. Over and over, Tanks just wouldn't properly Mock, wouldn't spam aggro generating skills like Kick, so I would simply out-damage them and wrestle aggro away from them. Of course, I did my best to do this as a Trickster. I enjoy testing other people as much as I enjoy testing my own limits. I constantly put pressure on Tanks and Clerics, never to the point where I'm surely going to die or where they or are party are put in serious danger, but just to test how skilled they truly are. As far as the low-mid level tanks of Bijou go, it's pretty poor.

^--- Tanking Honeying KQ - (the annotations cut off, view in full screen) ---^

There are a small handful of decent ones and a ton that talk a good game, but really are more bravado than truly skilled. I was hoping that by making a true Tank, maybe it could inspire some people to make that choice, to get in and do the dirty work rather than opt for the more glamorous damage dealing route. I remember listening to a couple of Fighters go on and on about their damage, bragging back and forth and measuring their manhood by their damage range, only to see them both go splat when KKP jumped. Of course I laughed like heck offline when it happened, but went about my business and got the KQ done. Players that want to boast like that typically aren't very skilled, a knowledgeable player can see right through it, so I just let em continue to spout their nonsense, my eyes endlessly rolling in my skull.

As you know, I already have a 9x Fighter, WinterLace, so I am extremely comfortable in playing the class already so honestly, I'm mostly just powerleveling myself at this point when I get on at home. I do participate in Kingdom Quests though just to test myself, meet some people, and have some fun. The only failed KQ so far that I've been a part of was a Honeying KQ in which we had no Clerics from the start, we did make it to Giant Honeying, but ran out of time as we were killing the mobs surrounding him.

At this point, I'm pretty proud of myself, I've gotten a lot of compliments from partymates as well as others in the KQ, so of course that's pretty good validation for this whole project. I'll continue to make videos of the KQs that I participate in since I think that's a better training tool than having other Fighters or other classes directly observe me, they really can't tell what I'm doing and why for the most part. At least through video, I can show it and post some notes via the annotation tool.

So anyway, hope you enjoyed this entry, I'll continue to update Project: Tanker in the weeks to come.

New Mini-Blog - Where's Fatal?

2011-06-18T06:23:00.001-10:00

Happy Saturday everyone! Well I decided to create a sort of mini-blog for my Where's Fatal postings. I wanted it to be a daily sort of trivia thing, so I'll be posting them here: http://wheresfatal.blogspot.com. So please head over there to follow this contest. I will be awarding a small prize every two weeks for the player with the most accumulated points over that span. More details are on that mini-blog so go check it out!

Thanks again everyone for supporting me and my efforts, your comments here, on the OutSpark Forums, and in-game really help to keep me motivated to post and interact with you all... I truly appreciate it!

Yeah, the new blog is a little plain, but over time I'll spruce it up... give me a break will ya!? ^. ~

Screenshot of the Day: Where's Fatal?

2011-06-17T11:21:00.001-10:00

Alright readers, here's a beautifully scenic spot... sadly, I'm alone!

But anyway, here I am, but where's here exactly?

*** Special Friday 2 for 1!!!! ***

Well since it's early, and a lot of you answered the first one correctly, how about a Round 2 for today? Here you go! Where am I?

Screenshot of the Day - Where's Fatal?

2011-06-16T16:46:00.002-10:00

Okay map sleuths.... where oh where am I today?

I won't be approving comments here until there are several correct answers... so make your guesses!

100,000 Hits: Help FatalLace Conquer Social Media!

2011-06-15T15:25:00.004-10:00

Wow, just about a year invested in my blog and I'm probably less than an hour away from eclipsing 100,000 hits! When I started this blog back in May of last year, I had no idea that it would be this successful and have such a loyal and interactive following! So, 'Thank you!" from me to all of you....

Without the support of readers such as yourself, I wouldn't have the success I've enjoyed. I've tried to give back as much as I could through educating, enlightening, and hopefully entertaining you guys over the last 13 months... but I wanted to do a bit more!

As most of you noticed, I've set up accounts on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Thanks to all that have encouraged me and have so far subscribed and interacted with me through those other channels. My blog will continue to be my focus, but I will continue to use those other platforms. Twitter and Facebook will be mostly conversational, mostly more of a what-goes-on-in-her-crazy-mind kinda thing. I'll also highlight and promote my postings there. I've also given some shoutouts via Twitter to those I've met and (successfully) partied with in-game. I had fun playing with you, so why not broadcast it right?

So anyway, as a thank you, I wanted to hold a mini-event with some SparkCash items as prizes. Obviously if you're a Gamigo or (ahem) p-server player, this kinda excludes you, sorry! I just yesterday picked up a $20 SparkCash card from GameStop (yay for GameStop Hawaii for actually carrying them!) and intend to divide that up to award some stuff.

So what's the event?

It's really simple! But in order to help me "Conquer Social Media", I need you to be my army! You will be my minions of darkness that will lay waste to all that-- .. oh sorry, getting carried away. *ahem*

Anyway, here's what you have to do... simply comment on this blog posting, subscribe to my Twittter account, and also "Like" me on Facebook... The comment here has to include your SparkID, a link to your Twitter account (I don't care if it's not active), and also a link to your Facebook page. If that's too much to ask, then well, you just made everyone else's chance of winning a little bit better!

All comments must be entered by 11:59pm PST (OS Time) on Saturday June 25, 2011. At that time I will number all legitimate and complete comments from 1-XXX in chronological order and then use the random number generator at random.org to draw my winners.

So what are the prizes?

First off, I would like to thank the GMs at OutSpark who have helped contribute half of the prize pool. Without their support, well, we'd have half the prizes? Haha just kidding, but seriously, they do a lot of behind the scenes work for all of us and really are our only lifeline to the developers to push for the changes and improvements we always request. So much thanks and aloha to them as well. You guys continue to keep an open dialogue with your player base and I truly appreciate that.

With that said, here are the prizes and wow(!) there's 16 of them!

Grand Prize: Permanent Ramy Mount (1 Winner)**

Second Prize: Angel or Demon Set (2 Winners)

Third Prize: Traditional Tagalog, Nightmare, Joker, Maid, Colada, or Cosmo Costumes (4 Winners)

Fourth Prize: Any 665sc Dance of your choice (9 Winners)

** The winner of the permanent Ramy mount will have to wait until the actual item becomes available for either normal sale or Cool Catch. If it comes on Cool Catch, I will do my best to get it for you. If you do not want to wait, you can opt for any of the other permanent mounts currently available for sale. (But Ramy is like waaaaaaay cuter)

Screenshot of the Day: Where's Fatal Today?

2011-06-15T14:53:00.001-10:00

Another day, another Where's Fatal? So... where am I today?

4 Comments so far, all got it right! I haven't approved them yet, so they don't show... Keep guessing everyone else!

Ask Fatal - Dragon's Tomb Edition (Sub-Tanking/DD Fighter)

2011-06-14T17:10:00.000-10:00

Now to be honest, this isn't really a facet of gameplay that I have a whole lot of experience with. If I play as a Fighter in Dragon's Tomb, I'm typically the Tank. While I have a DEX heavy Damage Dealing build (40 DEX, 65 STR), I always carry a Tank-like mindset. So let's see where this goes....

Q: Fatal, what are your thoughts about Sub-Tanking?
A: As prefaced above, I really don't have much experience with it, but this is how I see it. To me, the "Sub-Tank" should be another Damage Dealing Fighter capable of taking hits from Cornelius as well as other mobs should the main Tank go down or lose aggro to Fear or Stun.

Q: So you would only want a Fighter to Sub-Tank? Why? Other classes can take hits too.
A: For me, ideally a Sub-Tank should have aggro generating skills that can be quickly cast to generate aggro as I stated. I do see a lot of players, like Archers for example, claiming they can Sub-Tank. While it's true that they can probably take hits from Cornelius, the problem with them, and any other non-Fighter Sub-Tank, is that they have difficulty generating aggro on non-targeted mobs because they don't have specific skills made to do just that.

By the time a Fighter reaches Dragon's Tomb, he has four really good aggro grabbing skills: Sneering Kick, Mock, Demoralizing Hit, and Slice and Dice. As a DD Fighter, you still maintain three of those four, unless you're extremely quick to weapon swap from an Axe/2h to 1h.

While I'm not saying that other classes aren't capable of Sub-Tanking, they're just not set up, skill-wise to be as effective as another Fighter would be. In other words, it's not an ideal situation to have a non-Fighter Sub-Tank, but if you're put into it, you adapt.

Q: So is a true "Sub-Tank" really necessary?
A: Some people seem to think so, I'm not one of them. Again, for me, the pillars of the DT party will always be Tank, Damage Dealer, Healer. The other two spots can be filled with whatever. However those other two slots can be filled to make up for some weaknesses in the party. This is where players need to come to grips with their own skill level in game. If the three pillars are highly skilled players with good enough gear to survive a few hits from Cornelius, then the last two positions can be considered luxuries.

As a party leader, if I'm confident in the pillars, I'd look to add an Archer, I wouldn't say out of pity, but let's face it Archers, you're typically the last class parties look for. If my party is already solid, then by all means, join up and bring a friend!

If the Fighter and DD-Mage are exceptional players, an additional Cleric isn't necessary under most circumstances, just one is sufficient.

Adding an additional Mage, or two(!), is always a nice luxury, DT runs can be remarkably fast with three Mages.

Q: So what are some reasons why Fighters Sub-Tank?
A: Typically it's because of their build, gear, and playstyle. As a Fighter, I cannot resist doing aggro grabs, no matter the situation. It's just in my nature to always want to pull aggro and defend my party, that's why I have a difficult time, and don't really have much experience Sub-Tanking. If a Fighter lacks the defense to step up as the main Tank, then life as a Sub-Tank is their next best bet, but to accomplish that, it's best to fulfill that role as best you can.

Q: So in your opinion, what are the essentials for a Sub-Tank?
A: As a Sub-Tank you do need decent enough gear to withstand taking aggro should the need arise. If you can't take the hits with just armor alone and Axe in hand, be extremely quick about switching to 1h/Shield to make up for your lack of DEF. The Sub-Tank/DD should have a +9/+10 two-handed weapon, either 2H or an Axe.

As the Sub-Tank, you need to be cognizant of your Tank's playstyle. Take some time early on to observe how she pulls and how well she maintains aggro on ranged mobs in particular. You also should stagger your Devastate so not to overlap each other. I would allow the Tank to cast that first Devastate and then time yours afterwards. There's more on the plate for the Tank, so your role as support becomes a bit easier. Let her cast first, then you follow when the Stun has worn off.

The Sub-Tank/DD should also immediately target mobs with the highest threat level to the backline players (Clerics, Mages, Archers), those being in order: Nerpas, Krugers, Caravans, Flame Spirits, Fire Shellas, and Gargoyles. Read the Tankers guide if you're unfamiliar with the status effects the mobs can inflict on you and your party.

Q: What are some options for the Sub-Tank/DD?
A: If I were put into this role, I would pretty much handle the job as a straight line DD, while keeping a watchful eye on the others. Meaning I would Might VIT, and run a Gabriel Set at all times. Just be careful as always when to equip your Mighty Set. If the Tank is exceptional, it won't matter and you can equip/un-equip at any time, but just be aware your defense drops tremendously. As far as the Gabriel Set (55 Jewelry) what it essentially does is it allows you to have an "endless" Vitality. The cool down and duration with the Gabriel Set, so long as you have 5 points empowered in Vitality's CD and 5 points in its' Duration, will overlap each other meaning you can recast. I think there's a slight window without the Gabriel Set, I'd have to double check to be 100% sure.

Q: So how do I handle the final fight with Cornelius?
A: As far as positioning goes, I would try to position myself on the sides of Cornelius, opposite the Cleric. What you don't to happen is for you to get aggro when the Tank is feared and then having Cornelius immediately launch into an AOE killing you and possibly the Cleric. So stand off to the side if possible.

Now this part, I'm also unsure of, but what I would do is I would cast Kick and Demoralizing Hit every-so-often. I wouldn't spam it as I don't want to pull aggro from the Tank, but I want to ensure my aggro level remains higher than that of the Cleric and any of the DDs. I'll have to field test this later with a decent Tank.

Again, if anyone else has some thoughts on this, by all means leave me a comment!

Screenshot of the Day: Where's Fatal Today?

2011-06-14T09:51:00.000-10:00

Off adventuring today... any guessing where this screenshot was taken?

Dragon's Tomb Solo - Mage's Revenge

2011-06-10T09:44:00.001-10:00

Whoops! Forgot to post this... Well anyway, those of you that are subscribers to my YouTube Channel probably already saw this, but this was a follow up video to my earlier Dragon's Tomb - Mage Solo Video.

This was my first recorded solo kill of Titan. Again, these runs were done without SparkCash. No Extenders, Charms, (beneficial) Costumes, Weapon Skins, etc. This was also done without the use of Blue (Set) Armors. This Mage is still wearing the same equipment she had in the last video.

So yeah, enjoy the video, stick around for the outtake!

Ask Fatal: Dragon's Tomb Edition (Damage Dealing - Mage)

2011-06-09T10:47:00.011-10:00

Since our last Ask Fatal: DT Edition had to do with Tanking, let's explore the next job, Damage Dealing. I set this one up more like a Q & A... maybe it's a bit more interesting this way? At least it's conversational =)

Q: So what about Damage Dealing in Dragon's Tomb? I just blow $#@!$ up right?
A: So to speak, yes, but there's more to it than just that.

Q: But I'm a Mage, I drop Nova, I drop lag-hell (Inferno), and I'm done aren't I? I AM MAGE I KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLL STUFF!
A: Here's where it gets a bit more complicated than you realize. Yes, the primary job of the Damage Dealing Mage is to unleash torrents of hell on the mobs, but the Mage also has an often overlooked secondary role, defense.

Q: DEFENSE?!! Are you crazy? I IZ GLAZZ CANNONZ!
A: There are four elements to how a Mage provides defense to a party:
Offensive firepower, footspeed and dexterity, Fear, and Stifle.
While your primary attacks in Dragon's Tomb will be Inferno and Frost Nova, Nova is also part of your defense. The slow effect that Nova creates is the single most important factor in the safety of your team, especially if your tank is average or worse. As most seasoned DD Mages know, you will invariably draw aggro because of the immense damage that you generate. Expecting the Tank to handle aggro on every single mob isn't realistic and will be grounds for frustration on your part if this is your expectation.

Q: Okay, so what do I have to do?
A: Being a defensive Mage also means being a mobile one.

Q: Oh, so if I suddenly draw aggro, that means I can run screaming back to the entrance?
A: NO! By being mobile, you greatly improve not only your survivability, but also that of your team. As a mobile Mage, when you draw aggro, it's not too much of an issue since it's likely that the mobs have been slowed by your Frost Nova. You're simply running circles around your AOE avoiding the hits from the mobs by staying a few steps ahead of them at all times.

Q: Why can't I just straight-line kite them? Running in circles is difficult.
A: Circling does take practice, but it maximizes not only damage (more AOE ticks = more damage), but it keeps the party together. When you start pulling mobs down a hall, you cause confusion for both the Tank as well as the Healer. Should the Tank chase after you and your mobs? Should the Cleric focus on you or the Tank? I've seen Mages literally go screaming down the hall taking hordes of mobs after the Tank was Feared. Avoiding panic is key here. For me, circling is easy as I've had tons of practice on it by now. I'm not a click-to-move player, I generally use the WASD keys to navigate the field, using slight turns in the mouse to affect direction. While holding "W", it's easy for me to just slightly turn and hold my mouse to create a consistent circle around my AOEs. It does take practice, but once mastered, it's a skill that you can't live without later on.

Q: Okay so I'm circling, is that it?
A: No, there's still more. As you're circling, you should also be kiting Magic Blast at the mobs. A single Nova cast won't be enough to kill the mobs. So again, it takes practice. Circle kiting+casting also takes quite a bit of practice and also affects how you lay out your hotkeys. For me, it's easy, I have Magic Blast assigned to "1". Thankfully my fingers are dextrous enough that I'm able to still spam it using my pinky finger while keeping my ring finger down on "W" to continue running.

Q: Cool, okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this a bit more. How big of a circle should I run?
A: Again, with practice, you'll see the difference. Some of it has to do with mob recognition. For the most part, you generally want to run just along the outside of your AOE circle. This keeps the max distance between you and the mobs. Getting too far in, you risk nasty status effects like Fear and oftentimes the Mage's deathblow, a Stun. Keeping ahead of the mobs effectively also requires the use of a Speed Scroll. For DT purposes, I run with T3 Speed. Yes, it's expensive, but it increases your and your party's survivability. Nobody said being a Mage was cheap. Keeping a mob grouping running no bigger than your AOE circle also makes life easier on the melee members of the party. Nothing is more frustrating for them than having to chase mobs, attempt to cast a skill only to have it cancelled because the mob is too far away. Keeping the mob group tight also increases the likelihood of successful stuns from the Tank's Devastate.
So which mobs require what distance? Again, you look for status effects. If it's a Kruger (Fear/Stun) or Caravan (Stun), you generally want to keep max distance as mentioned above. This reduces the chance that you get hit with a status effect. If you're battling Fire Shellas and Gargoyles, both of which have no status effects, then you can keep the circle extremely tight.

Q: Wow, that's a lot to remember. In your videos, I've seen you circling ranged mobs too. Why circle if they don't chase?
A: Again, mob recognition. Circling works well on Nerpas, but not on Flame Spirits. Flame Spirits have a single, as far as I can tell, attack, the Fireball. Nerpas have two different attacks, an auto-attack arrow as well as a Slow Arrow. What generally kills people is that Slow Arrow.

Q: Slow Arrow doesn't hit that hard, so why the need for running?
A: You're right, one arrow by itself doesn't hit all that hard, but it's the timing of it. Nerpas are able to spam those Slow Arrows. So while one may hit you for only 700 damage or so, if it's spammed, in addition to their auto-attack, damage stacks up quickly. Now remember that there's always two of them, so double your calculations.

Q: Yeah that can be painful. So what do I do?
A: With Nerpas, circling requires an even farther out circling path. Again, the Nerpas aren’t chasing you so they won't be leaving the AOE circle anyway. The key here is that you're no longer outrunning the Nerpas, you're outrunning the Slow Arrows. Again, doing this successfully is best with at least T3 Speed. Screwing this up can be disastrous though as the Slow Arrows will continually be spammed your way. You will see at times 8-12 of these things, multiply that by 700 or so damage... yeah you won’t live if they catch up to you. Oh by the way, you’ll also be taking auto-attack damage =) so remember to heal yourself. There’s also another defensive technique for Nerpas, I’ll get into that in a bit. The more comfortable you are doing, this Vs. Nerpas, the tighter your circles can become.

Q: Alright, so melee mobs covered, Nerpas covered, what about Flame Spirits?
A: Flame Spirits aren’t really all that bad. They actually afford you some time for a rest. For me, I just drop an Inferno on them, stay still and pound them with Magic Blast. Or Fear one while smashing the other, then focusing on the Feared one. If your defense is suspect, I suppose you could straight line kite them, but it may not be necessary, especially in the presence of a Tank and Cleric.

Q: This is a lot more complicated than I thought... you mentioned footspeed and dexterity?
A: Yes, those two elements in conjunction with the debuff effect of Frost Nova are going to be your keys to success in Dragon’s Tomb. Having high DEX gear is important because you want to avoid as many hits and status effects as possible here. At this point, employing these strategies, high DEX in gear becomes more important than high END. If you can find gear with both, even better.

Q: Okay, you next listed Fear as a defensive maneuver. Explain.
A: This is where situational awareness becomes important. While this is kind of a more advanced tactic, it’s something that the Dragon’s Tomb conquering Mage should know or at least start being aware of. Generally only the Tank and Healer are the ones looking at the party window, but in cases like this, the Mage needs to also be aware of the dangers other party members face.

As all Clerics know, you most often take punishment from ranged mobs in Dragon’s Tomb. This is typically because the Tank only threw a cursory Mock their way and then left them alone while focusing on closer melee mobs... which as I explained in the last installment is wrong, but typical. This is where a Mage’s awareness needs to come in to play. In this case, a Mage’s Fear is to be used to provide relief to that Cleric. By being aware, you will be able to pick out the ranged mob attacking the Cleric and Fear it, reducing the amount of damage she’s taking and allowing her to refocus on healing the party. Typically you won’t be able to draw aggro on yourself by attacking the mob, so Fear is your best bet.

Q: Okay, that makes sense. Are there other situations where Fear is useful?
A: This goes back to Nerpas. Most Mages don’t realize that when a Nerpa is Feared, his Slow Arrows become ineffective. Meaning you can just run into them since they will cause NO DAMAGE. Great isn’t it? Knowing this, you can apply this technique when Nerpa aggro is on you or when you see a line of Slow Arrows bearing down on your poor Cleric.

Q: That IS good. Okay so what about Stifle?
A: Stifle is also effective against Nerpas. Stifling a Nerpa will reduce the number of Slow Arrows he is able to cast. Stifle also works against Bosses, primarily Titan. While all of Titan’s attacks are formidable, his skill attacks are the most devastating.

Q: I noticed in your videos that you rarely ever cast Inferno, why?
A: While Inferno is excellent for dispatching mobs, the only thing it's good for is damage. The status effect on Frost Nova is so dominant that oftentimes Inferno isn't needed if your strategies are sound. For me, it's just ludicrous to stand there stationary casting Nova, then remain there longer to cast Inferno. It puts myself at extreme risk due to status effects and the proximity of the mobs. The only situations I use Inferno are on ranged mobs who will not move and when I know the Tank has the situation under control and I'm not required to be defensive.

Q: Oh hey, so what's the boss fight like? What do I do against Cornelius?
A: Once the battle against Cornelius starts, you need to establish positioning. While this sounds simple, you need to be aware of where the other party members are standing. Obviously you don't want to be next to the Tank, but it goes a bit farther than just that. Cornelius has two AOE attacks, his disarming-charge attack and his Death Breath debuff. His charge attack won't disarm you if you're not targeted, but you still can get hit with large amounts of damage.

Q: Oh okay that makes sense. So I should stand next to the Cleric then? That's probably the safest place to be right?
A: No, it's not. It's actually the worst place to be other than next to the Tank. The Tank will at some point get Feared. Typically, if there's no capable Sub-Tank, that means aggro will shift to you. If aggro shifts and Cornelius quickly hits you with a charge attack, the Cleric and anyone else who may be near you, will get hammered.

Q: Okay, so the best place is to attack the tail?
A: Nope, that's not exactly right either. While standing in the back affords you some measure of safety, it's not always ideal. So pay attention to where the Cleric is. If you're attacking the tail and she's near the head, once aggro shifts to you, you may be out of range for Heal or Cure. Get hit with a Death Breath, Charge combo and you'll be requesting a Rez. The best position is off to the side of Cornelius, away from other party members and far enough away from the Cleric that she can't get hit, but yet is in range to provide support to you should you need it.

Q; Okay, sounds good. So the Tank got Feared, what do I do?
A: 99% of Mages I've seen just stand there and spam Magic Blast at Cornelius waiting for the Tank to recover and re-establish aggro. Seeing this, I always ask myself why. Again, this is where having experience with all classes helps you better understand roles in these types of situations. If I'm the Tank, and the DD is standing there pummeling Cornie with Magic Blast, it makes it more difficult to re-establish aggro. As I'm trying my best to tip the scale towards me, I'm fighting against my own teammate who typically carries a much stronger stick. So what's a Mage to do? Me? I run.

Q: HAHAHA you run?! Like to the exit to lose aggro?
A: lol, No. I follow the Feared Tank. I also slow down my Magic Blast spams intentionally. I cast it at about half the rate I usually do. This keeps aggro on me, and not the Cleric, but also doesn't overwhelm the Tank when he's trying to regain aggro away from me. So yeah, I see where the Tank's running, and I head in that general direction or I run massive circles again never pulling Cornelius too far away from the Tank.

Q; Heh. Okay, I get it. Anything else?
A: Just as the Tank needs to reserve Devastate for the spawned mobs, so should you with Inferno. I generally drop Nova and Inferno on the Shellas and save a Chain-Casted Inferno for the Nerpas. It's okay to spam Novas as they become ready off of cooldown, but just be aware of Cornelius' health as this triggers the mob spawns.

Q: Alright, I think I understand a bit more now. Any other thoughts you wanna share?
A: Yeah, this last part has to do with teamwork and expectations. Maybe it’s just me, but as far as Dragon’s Tomb goes, I know enough that I tend to expect the worst from party members. I’m comfortable filling whatever role needs to be filled, but that’s not just pride talking, it’s fact. But my confidence in the other party members, unless I’ve partied with them previously, always starts extremely low. While this doesn’t mean I go in there barking orders at people, it just means that early on, I take time to observe a bit more. I see how the Tank pulls, where he focuses, and how he extends himself. Being that I’ve Tanked this instance many times myself, it helps me recognize things and know what his limits should be.

You also should take stock of your Cleric. Is she too chatty? Distracted? Is she complaining of lag? Or is she just not skilled? Or is she focused? Capable?

Knowing and analyzing all of that and oftentimes expecting the worst really makes you realize how much of an impact the Mage has to the overall defense of the party. As you can see, you’re not there just to blow #$!@ up like you thought.

If you find a consistent party that you feel comfortable in their abilities to carry out their roles, then the sky's the limit from there, You'll be able to push each other's boundaries to the limit and help each other grow even more.

One last thing, you should never rely solely on the Cleric's abilities to keep yourself alive. Just like solely relying on the Tank, if these are your expectations, you're bound to get frustrated. Take defense seriously and into your own hands. You play a much larger role than you imagined. Go out there, destroy, and be safe! =)

Ask Fatal: Dragon's Tomb Edition (Tanking)

2011-06-07T12:10:00.002-10:00

After generating some interest in Dragon's Tomb with the release of my Mage solo videos, I decided I'd tackle some questions that I've been asked a few times. Due to the length of these answers, I'll break these up into several postings. Look for them in future posts.

Q: What makes up the ideal Dragon's Tomb Party?

A: That's not really as black and white as you think. There are 3 pillars to every successful Dragon's Tomb Party: the Tank, the Damage Dealer, and the Healer. Mindblowing right? Of course not, we all knew that already. But here, it can't be stressed enough. Admittedly there are times when one player can fill multiple roles, such as Tank + DD, and that's typically a charmed, extended Mage, but per the norm, the above three roles are your foundation. Much of the success of your party is determined by everyone's awareness and ability to carry out their defined roles. Those that are unable to can be a significant detriment and danger to the party. While I wouldn't say to immediately kick them, it can be a time to educate them, tactfully.

Tanks ALWAYS manage the battlefield.

Q: How should I go about Tanking in Dragon's Tomb?

The Tank: The Tank's role in Dragon's Tomb is to manage the battlefield. The Tank needs to be aware of their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as have a general knowledge of the other classes' roles and especially the dangers they may face. The Tank should understand positioning of himself as well as those of his party members. He should also be willing to expend money on highest tiered scrolls and potions to keep himself alive as well as to ease the burden placed on the Cleric.

As a Tank, you need to be extremely aware that it's not the Cleric's job to only focus healing on you. Yes, you are of extreme import to the success of the party, but so are the Damage Dealer and the Healer. The Cleric needs to keep tabs on everybody, so when the Tank is unwilling to take the necessary steps in order to ensure his own survival, that becomes a detriment to the team. The Cleric then has to focus more effort on healing only the Tank, and may not be able to dish out heals to the rest of the party when they desperately need them.

Remember, killing mobs is not the role of the Tank. The Tank is there to protect the party from taking damage by maintaining as much aggro as possible. I use the term 'Aggro Switching' to describe this technique. Essentially, what the Tank wants to do is spread out damage as much as possible instead of focusing on only one mob at a time. By distributing damage to multiple targets, and I don't mean by only casting Devastate and WhirlWind, you keep your aggro rating high. Remember, if you're not actively attacking or casting aggro grabbing skills, you are losing aggro to both the Healer as well as the Damage Dealer. Once the scale tips to them, the mob will immediately leave you and redirect their aggression towards them. If these are ranged mobs, multiple mobs may target a single individual killing them quickly giving them no chance to react.

Managing the battlefield also requires knowledge of the mobs and types of attacks they generate. For example, Nerpas and Flame Spirits both generate ranged attacks. The chances that these mobs will focus attacking on the Cleric are extremely high because they're typically away from the Tank and the Tank only casted a cursory Mock on them as he entered the battlefield. With these types of mobs and most mobs actually, I always toss a Demoralizing Hit at them first. This intiates a small bit of aggro grab their way as they begin attacking me, the Tank. I try to lure all of the melee-type mobs (Gargoyles, Krugers, Caravans, Flame Shellas) into a pile with the ranged mobs so I can hit them all with Devastate. Once the AOEs start dropping courtesy of the Damage Dealer, that's when I cast Mock. Casting Mock now as opposed to earlier is a better way of maintaining aggro on all of the mobs at least that's what I've experienced.

You will get Feared, stay calm, re-establish aggro quickly.

Dealing with status effects in Dragon's Tomb also requires the Tank to be active. Mobs like Krugers and Cornelius can cast Fear. Once feared, the Tank typically loses aggro to almost all of the mobs currently attacking him. One ill-timed Fear can cause panic in the rest of the party and result in the party getting completely wiped out if not handled efficiently and effectively. So what do you do? There's a couple of things, and this is where I believe, Evasion helps tremendously as a Tank. I'm somewhat convinced that Fear is linked to an attack by the Krugers and that it can be dodged. The higher your Evasion, the less likely you are to be feared. When you do get feared, however, it is extremely important for you, the Tank, to get back to your party as quickly as possible, again why I'm a huge proponent of Speed Scrolls even on a Fighter. Once you're back in the area, be sure to cast Demoralizing Hit, then Mock in succession to generate as much aggro as possible. Why Demo first? Well because it has the shorter of the two cooldowns, it's possible to recast it quickly if you were unable to generate enough aggro with just those two skills alone. Once casted, you need to quickly assess what's going on, who's taking damage, and from what. Once you've figured that out, use Kick and a Slice and Dice to aid your threatened party mate once aggro is established on that mob, recheck the others. Clerics have excellent defense, so chances are they're okay taking the hits, but always check them first. If you do get feared, it's a good idea and good practice to call it out to your party so that they're aware. Sometimes they're so focused on attacking or healing, they haven't noticed that aggro switched to them until it's too late. Stuns delivered by Caravans and Krugers should be handled in a similar fashion.

Dealing with Disarm isn't too bad. By now, you should have your weapon and shield hotkeyed. Be aware which Bosses disarm which item, because it varies. For example, both Titan and Magmaton will disarm a shield, but not a weapon, whereas Cornelius will disarm a weapon, but never a shield. What does this mean? Well in the case of Titan, I usually take care of him using an Axe. He hits tremendously hard so the faster you can take him out, the better. I hotkey my Tank's weapons to my number pad, using "*" for the Axe, "-" for the 1h, and "+" for the shield.

Set switching in Dragon's Tomb. If you really consider yourself a pro at it, but be real here, don't get your ego involved, then I would say go for it. But if not, then I would just leave it be, stay in your best armors and don't risk the party's well-being to shave a minute or two off of your run, it's not worth it. You may have Blessing of Teva, but your party members may not. If you want to practice set switching here, it's a good idea to let your party know beforehand. If you're normally wearing +9 75s and suddenly set switch into +0 35s just for an effect, your defense basically falls off a cliff. You need to know the right time/place to do it. Typically with a Mighty Set (which increases the +DMG gain on Vitality by 20% as well as lowering the CD by 20%) you switch into it just before a big fight, then switch back before charging head long into battle. But again as I mentioned before, it's not the Tank's job to necessarily wipe out mobs. I assign my sets to my number pad as well, using "7 8 9" as my normal armors, "0 ." for my Slash Set (since it's two-piece), and "1 2 3" for my Mighty Set.

Final Boss Fight - Cornelius. When you enter the final room in Dragon's Tomb using the Gold Key, the ranged DDs will typically pull out the mobs that surround Cornelius, there are a few Fire Shellas, Caravans, and Flame Spirits hanging around. Once they're put down, it's time to start the final battle. As the Tank, again you manage the battlefield, be sure everyone is ready before you begin. Make sure you're scrolled up, and the Cleric has all the necessary party buffs active. Now that everyone's set, go at it!

I typically start Cornelius with an obligatory Kick and Demoralizing Hit to establish aggro. Demoralizing Hit is a skill that I will spam everytime it's ready. The primary reason for this isn't to just maintain aggro, but it's also because of the debuff that's inflicted. Demoralizing Hit lessens the physical damage that Cornelius kicks out. While that may not be life or death for you, it certainly may be for everyone else in your party. A full +9 Fighter with +9 shield has about 1100 more defense than a full +9 Mage that's pretty significant, imagine a +0 Mage? Spamming Kick isn't all that necessary.

The fight isn't too complicated, when Cornelius crawls backwards, he's about to disarm you with a charging-type attack. Once he does, simply re-equip your weapon. However, being the glitchy game Fiesta is, sometimes you'll have to do it again. You first re-equip and can sometimes cast a few attacks, however you'll notice that your skill windows went red meaning that you either ran out of SP or you don't have a weapon equipped even though you see yourself still swinging it. In this case, you'll have to unequip and re-equip again so that you can get full control of your skills again.

Cornelius also has a 'Death Breath" debuff that damages you at the rate of 486HP per second. It can be quite lethal when teamed with his high damage physical attacks. This can be cured by Clerics, however it's always a good idea to keep some T3 Cures on hand just in case your Cleric is unable to cure you in time. Do keep in mind that a T3 Cure shares cooldown with your Potions, so time its use wisely.

Same as the rest, get Feared, re-establish aggro.

As mentioned before Cornelius also employs a Fear attack. Once Feared, you will lose aggro to the Boss and start randomly running. Once Fear has worn off, hurry back and re-establish aggro. Typically a Kick followed by Demoralizing Hit, Mock, Slice-and-Dice, and another Kick will regain aggro depending on the actions of your subtank (if you have one), DD, or Healer, regaining aggro isn't too difficult.

Reserve Devastate for the spawned mobs.

Cornelius will summon 3-4 Fire Shellas once he's down to 50% health. It's important to be aware of the summon, and cast Devastate once the Shellas arrive. Keeping them in-place will help the DDs take them down with AOE attacks. If the stun runs out and the Shellas are still around, cast your Mock then to keep them on you and away from the DDs. At 20% health, Cornelius will summon 3-4 Nerpas. Nerpas are far more problematic than the Shellas because of their ranged attack and their high damage, stacking slow arrows. Same technique applies here, you want to make sure to reserve Devastate for when they spawn. Establish aggro on them through Demoralizing Hit and Mock and you should be alright.

Once those spawns are all taken care of, it's a straight fight once again and it's typically over quickly. Again, if you get Feared, definitely make the others aware so they can modify their responsibilites/tactics accordingly.

Follow Me On Twitter!

2011-06-06T16:58:00.001-10:00

Yep, your favorite Warlock is going bird-mode and signed up for Twitter! Now I don't know how popular it will be, hopefully it will be, but anyway, I figured it was just another simple way to communicate with you guys without the formal structure of a blog posting...

Does that mean blogging will slow down? Geez, I hope not! I figured I'd use Twitter for just everyday stuff related to Fiesta anyway... nothing so important that it would warrant a full-blown blog post.

So anyway, let me know what you guys think, if you have a Twitter account, please let me know so that I can follow you too!

So visit me there! Twitter updates will also be posted in the right hand column of my blog...

http://twitter.com/fatallace

Trickster Chronicles - Another Milestone Reached

2011-06-06T14:16:00.001-10:00

Well it took me longer than I expected, but DaydreamBeliever reached level 80 this morning! I was sort of milking the KingKongPhino Kingdom Quest for a while, before finally deciding to go ahead and level up.
I still had the 7-day HP/SP Extender, 7-day Blessing of Teva, and 7-day 100% EXP Boost from the level 56 and 66 Mystery Vaults (Thanks OutSpark for the freebies! Gotta love a free 7-day Elite Bundle!), so I went ahead and activated it and figure I'd put in the time and claw my way to 80. Thankfully I still have about 36 hours remaining, so I'll see if I can progress much further.

I am sad to be over KKP though. It's a really fun KQ, especially for a melee character. You get to stick you nose into everything, and if you're like me, you always try to compete to pull aggro from the tanks.

I've done that KQ so many times and probably 30% of them was without a Cleric in my party, and yet I still pull aggro, and don't mind tanking at all. Yeah, I burn through a lot of T3/T4 HP pots, but I dunno, I see it as kind of a badge of honor. Maybe that sounds hokey, but I dunno, I think it's kind of cool. I'm proud to say that none of the KKP KQs I participated in failed, whether there were Clerics around or not, we always got it done.

It's funny to see how many people will bail out of KQ the minute they realize there are no Clerics participating. Getting to the end, there's always a few non-believers who think that the KQ is just doomed, that there's no way it can be done. I always tell them to have faith, that we can get it done, just hang in there. It's funny, all of these non-Cleric scenarios, there was never EVER a Fighter to step up and tank KKP at the end and I really can't explain why. Use some scroll, use some pots, is it not worth the 600k EXP and the reward chest? Not to mention the respect and admiration of those that stayed? You're not losing any EXP by dying in KQ, so you may as well give it a shot!

We were the final two remaining and we succeeded!

So what's next? For Daydream, I really want to do a lot of Gordon Master KQs as this is also one of my favorites, and hopefully, it can net me a 70 Blue Claws or Dual Sword! I also want to do some Dragon's Tomb runs, hopefully getting into parties there won't be an issue. I could always dual log and wipe out the minibosses with Dharalyn (89 Mage), just getting the shirt requires other people...

Anyway, stay tuned for more updates in the future, the Trickster Chronicles aren't over just yet!

Trickster Chronicles: Giant Harpy Rematch!

2011-06-05T14:02:00.000-10:00

I posted this on my YouTube a couple of days ago and didn't want to take attention away from my Archer Rebalance post, so I withheld posting the video here. Subscribers may have already seen this. But anyway, after my last failed attempt (due to outside interference), I decided to take a crack at the Giant Harpy again. At 79, she wasn't hard at all, even when the extra mobs spawned nearby and were pulled in early in the fight.

Not a huge accomplishment, but I was happy to avenge my losses. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Daydream's at about 50% to 80, maybe we'll see some Trickster action in Dragon's Tomb soon!

Another Chapter of Rebalance & BoE - June 1st Maintenance

2011-06-02T16:35:00.004-10:00

There's a saying that goes: "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step..." That couldn't be more fitting considering the plight of Fiesta's Archers. After a 24 hour delay and much anticipation we received our weekly maintenance update! The GMs hinted that we were in for something big and they didn't disappoint. While not everything in the patch went over smoothly, for the most part, I think the majority of the players are happy this week. Thankfully Archers did see a bit of attention this week, but I remain confident that OutSpark and OnsOnSoft aren't done tweaking the arrow flinging class just yet.

So here's a breakdown of this week's patch:

Bind On Equip:

This was something that was the subject of much debate on the forums. Previously only Leviathan's Nest's (Level 90-105 Instance Dungeon) armor drops were soul bound. Meaning if you picked up the item, you could not trade it, store it, drop it or sell it. Either you kept it on your own character that acquired it or you destroyed it. This was the first time we've ever encountered something like this in a piece of equipment. This was problematic when there was nobody in the party that matched whatever dropped from the egg after Leviathan was defeated.

When Secret Laboratory (Level 100-110 Instance Dungeon) was released, the drops were kind of half-bound. You were unable to store, trade, or vend the equipment, but you could drop it. This made "drop-trading" possible. You and the other party would have to agree upon a price, party with the other person, trade the gold, and then through sequential allocation of party drops, hand over the item. It was a little complicated and it took a large amount of trust on both parties. This changed about 3 months ago though as out of the blue, drop trading become impossible as the equipment was soul bound in the same fashion as LN gear was. The players were given no notice of the change so a lot of people, myself included, fell vicitm to our own generosity. If we had lent out gear prior to that unannounced change, the gear was then essentially locked away on that other person's account.

So why was the change warranted? Simply because of the sheer difficulty of Secret Laboratory. As it was, nearly the entire party (aside from Clerics) had to be fully charmed and extended to have hopes of pulling off a successful run. All their work was for naught if the drop at the end could not be sold/traded if the drop was from a subclass not represented in the party.

So what changed? All of the previously bound items now became tradeable as long as you did not equip it after maintenance. Even if you had the items equipped on you when maintenance started, once you unequipped and then re-equipped it, you were given the option on whether you wanted to bind the item to that character. This was a nice added touch since I'm sure there are many players that logged out for some time and didn't have a chance to unequip items that maybe they wanted to sell or return. Unfortunately, bound items remain exactly that, bound. Once you do bind the item, it's forever stuck to your character until you destroy it. That means you'll get zero return on your investment. There are hopes that an un-bind type item becomes available at some point, but we can't say for sure.

So what went wrong? As far as the Leviathan's Nest and Secret Laboratory stuff went, nothing. However, the new Bind On Equip feature had a seriously adverse effect on Purple Equipment. "Purples" are typically cash shop items that you won through various events in-game. Examples of Purples are weapons (not weapon skins), like Teva, Red/Blue Valentine's, Cherry Blossom, and Holiday. If you're somewhat new to the game, recently Halloween weapons were released in some GM sponsored events back in November of last year. These also became soul bound. There are several permanent costumes out in circulation that are now locked down also, Pink/Blue Valentine's Day and the permanent Holiday costumes. Also, if you had the previously transferrable-within-your-account Little King's Crown (the gold one), that has also become locked down. I started a thread alerting the GMs of this change, and it seems like it will get fixed. I'm hoping for the best as currently I have a Halloween Wand stuck on my 90 Fighter and a +9 Teva Bow stuck on a storage account. My Pink V-day costume is on my Warlock, which isn't so bad, but I'll miss the functionality of moving it from character to character as I saw fit. So I'll keep my fingers crossed that this will get resolved.

Just FYI, the previously bound armors that were rewarded in the first place boxes for PvP KQ are unchanged. They are still immediately soul bound whether equipped or not.

Archer Rebalance (A New Skill):

Okay! So first off, a new skill was added that benefits all Archers and the parties (hopefully) they get into. That skill is called Nature's Aim. It provides a boost to the Archer's (and party's) DEX stat. Higher tiers result in bigger boosts. Currently the max tier for the skill is 9, which is level 84. At that tier, each member of the party will enjoy a 150 point boost in their DEX. This translates into 150 additional Aim and Evasion. Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

So what went wrong? The skill itself is great, it definitely helps an Archer's survivability, but sadly the duration on the skill is only 2 minutes long while it suffers from a 5 minute cool down. However, the skill's CD and Duration are empowerable. Whether you want to sacrifice your points here is your call.

Empowering Nature's Aim. Thanks to 3 forum goers in particular: fire_imparat, resigood, and Dpogie97, they worked out a way to keep the buff on permanently, as long as you remember to recast it. If you fully empower the CD, that drops the CD from 5 minutes to 3 minutes 30 seconds, and add 2 points in the duration of the skill, the skill then lasts for 3 minutes 45 seconds. 7 points is a lot to invest, but it looks like a good idea. Just don't forget to recast!

Archer Rebalance (Auto Attack Speed, Arrow Issue):

This one was something that has been asked for for quite some time. Previously, on auto-attack regardless of the attack rate of the weapon, Archer's could only have one auto-attack arrow on screen at a time. This completely nullified the attack rate difference between x-bow and bow when used at a distance.

So what went wrong? Was it truly fixed? Even on Nature's Speed, it seems as if I shoot faster with my bow, but I still only experience one arrow on screen at a time. With my attack rate of 1.1 seconds, a tier[4] Nature's Speed, I should see an attack rate of about 0.7 seconds. It sure doesn't seem remotely to be that quick. There still appears to be a faster attack rate at close range though.

Verdict: Undecided. Seems like an improvement over previous, but can't say for sure. Damage is still too light. Hitting a similar leveled knight with 13k HP for only 200dmg... I can't kill him if he housed.

Archer Rebalance (Detect Improvements):

Previously Detect only worked against Rangers. It worked just like any other AOE in that you aim the reticle somewhere on the ground and click to fire. It didn't work so well Vs. Rangers because they had to be within the proximity of the circle, the cooldown on the skill is 30 seconds, and it was just easier to spam your AOE attacks in hopes of hitting and uncovering them.

So what changed? Detect now works against Warlocks using Metamorphosis (Bird-mode). While this is a nice little change, I still would have rather seen a passive skill that allows SharpShooters to actually see a hidden Ranger. I went into detail on that here. How that would work Vs. a Warlock, I'm not sure, perhaps a targeting circle on the ground alerting you to their presence overhead and allowing you to target them?

Archer Rebalance (Entrap Improvements):

Entrap, like Slow Shot, was seen pretty much as a gag skill. Something to mess around with since it did so little damage. It had its uses, some Rangers would lay traps around the Giant Caiman spawn area in Tear's Marsh, but other than that, it was essentially worthless. Both Entrap and Slow Shot did less damage than an auto-attack arrow, so why bother casting it?

So what changed? Wow, a lot:

- Entrap[1]: Sets a trap that damages opponents & damages opponents in the area (AoE)
- Entrap[2]: Sets a trap that damages opponents & blinds the opponent
- Entrap[3]: Sets a trap that damages opponents & slows the opponent
- Entrap[4] (Coming Soon): Sets a trap that damages opponents & causes the opponent to bleed
- Entrap[5] (Coming Soon): Sets a trap that damages opponents & causes paralysis to the opponent

The skill is still predicated on the foe running over the trap, so you'd have to lure them to it. Previously the traps were invisible, I'm assuming they're still that way.

Overall Rebalance Summary: While I am definitely happy that Archer's received some attention this week, I still feel that the battle is far from won. Rangers got a nice, unexpected boost this week, but it's still not the type of fixes we've been longing for. I was honestly losing faith that anything would be changed. Some progress is better than no progress. I remain hopeful that we have just seen the tip of the iceberg as far as the Archer rebalances are concerned. Keep them coming OutSpark!

[GM]Kobal's Curry Quest!

I honestly thought this was a running joke in the past couple months of OSKI's. But lo and behold, the Curry Quest is actually here! The quest can be picked up from Nina in Elderine, who engages you in some slightly defensive banter. She then send you off to find 30 pounds of Meat (Mob drop), 20 Potatoes (Herb drop), 20 Carrots (Herb drop), 20 Tomatoes (Flower drop) and 20 Mushrooms (Mushroom drop). The Meat drops are fairly easy to get, I haven't yet tackled the farmable drops so I don't know of any problems with drop rates there.

The rewards are really nice. You get a bowl of Kobal's Curry, which replenishes 100% HP/SP, I'm guessing it's a one-time use thing, it's not like a magic potion; a Roumen scroll (not sure why, but okay); and your choice of either 30-day DJ Headphone (+2% Evasion) or 30-day Nerd Glasses (+3% Critical).

It's rare that we see 30-day items as prizes, it's nice that OutSpark is raising the bar on some of the event giveaways. Sadly, the community will quickly expect this as the norm and probably still complain about free stuff somewhere down the line.

"Character names in game has received a name tag change."

When seeing this I wondered what the heck it was. Could we upload a guild avatar? Maybe our own personal one? Was there a guild flag? Guild symbol maybe? Sadly, none of that was true. Instead we got this:

Thank God that you can toggle this on and off. For me, permanently OFF. I really don't see how anybody could think this is an improvement of any kind.