May 2012
1 post
Game Over
Well, this is probably obvious since my posts have been getting more infrequent but… I’ve decided to call it a day on this blog.
The blog was originally created to record my adventures in WAR. I’ve since moved on from the game and onto Star Wars. I considered changing the flavour of the blog to reflect Star Wars but I just don’t love the SW lore enough to feel motivated...
March 2012
1 post
There's life in the old dog yet
Great to see some really positive WAR news and communication this week. Without going into too much detail, the guys at Mythic seem to be concentrating on the real issues at hand with the game. Highlights for me are making the game in tier 4 more balanced, scenarios by renown rank and addressing the death of PvE. If they delivered on this it would almost certainly get me subbed again. I continue...
February 2012
1 post
SWTOR Update
Long time no post!
Well I’m still alive, well and gaming. Still playing (and enjoying) SWTOR.
My Mercenary is up to level 45 and I started an Operative who is at level 20.
Recently on my merc I’ve only being doing the odd bit of class questing, crafting/farming (all my crew skills are 400 now) and playing Warzones. The performance of the warzones has improved in the last few...
January 2012
3 posts
SWTOR Wishlist
Having now played SWTOR for about a month I feel in a decent position to come up with my first wishlist for the game. Being on a diet of meagre updates from WAR for the last three years means that I set my bar low and aim for achievable targets. With that in mind, here is my first SWTOR wishlist:
Guild functionality
- Fix the roster bug (so I can reliably see who’s online)
- Give me...
PvP in SWTOR?
So I reached level 30 on my Merc last night. I’ve completed Tatooine and probably about half-way through Alderaan (sp?). What struck me recently is that I’ve not yet had any open world PvP. Admittedly, I’ve not yet actively gone looking for it, but I thought by now I would’ve had a few skirmishes while out doing quests or farming crafting mats - particularly on Tatooine and...
Bounty Hunting
Firstly, TOR. Queues are no longer a real problem and I’m having great fun with the game. So far I only have one character (Mercenary) and I’m at level 23. I’m not in any great rush to level, absorbing as much as I can from each part of the game.
A particular aspect of the game I’m enjoying so far is crafting. I’ve decided to keep my crafting level just above my...
December 2011
5 posts
Unsubbed
Well I went and did it. My subscription runs out at the end of January.
My reason for unsubscribing is simple. I’ll not be playing much/at all for the next couple of months. I’ve become very bored with the game and will be playing SWTOR. Paying a monthly sub for something I’m not playing would be silly. I don’t have the free time to play two MMOs. So SWTOR has my full...
Bloodworthy
So we got placed onto our TOR PvP server: Bloodworthy
Sounds a bit too Khorne-esque for my tastes but there we go. As long as there are plenty of ewok lovers to kill we’ll be happy.
Not much to report on the WAR front. When I do log I’m only doing tier 2 and tier 3. My dps priests are really fun, and great to solo with (if I have to). Looking forward to hearing more details about...
Final server merge
Seemed inevitable and is now a reality. The remaining Euro servers have merged. Next weekend sees the opening of free transfers from Azgal to Norn. I believe the same is happening in the US with Gorfang going to Badlands.
It’s sad to see as it clearly demonstrates how the game has fallen away. WAR is a fantastic game and is undoubtably the leading PvP based MMO on the market, but...
1.4.5 Scenarios
The new scenario rotation has been confirmed for 1.4.5:
- Nordenwatch
- Mourkain Temple
- Gates of Ekrund (6v6)
- Reikland Factory
- Caledor Woods (6v6)
- Grovod Caverns
Great to see a couple of 6v6 scens in there. Caledor Woods is usually quite dull, will be interesting to see how it fares as 6v6.
And we have a new scenario in the rotation: Grovod Caverns. Ok, strictly not a new scen...
This isn't the blog you're looking for, move along
Not much to report I’m afraid. This post is more of a signal flare to confirm the blog is still alive.
The only official news to come out of WAR recently is a forum post created by James Casey about the new scenario rotation for 1.4.5. He mentions that 1.4.5 is coming to the PTS shortly. No mention of Grovod.
I’ve been playing WAR the odd evening but almost entirely in the lower...
November 2011
5 posts
WAR news and SWTOR thoughts
So WAR finally got some news, thanks to the blogging community. Both Werit and Mykiel (at WAR Stratics) did Q&A with the Mythic devs. It’s a mixture of WoH and WAR info really. Personally I’m not concerned with WoH, so the things to come out of them from WAR’s point of view are:
- The much anticipated rework of Grovod Caverns scenario should be in the next patch (1.4.5)....
Into the void
Pretty quiet week for me in WAR and yet another ominously quiet week from Mythic. I’ve been hanging out mainly in the lower tiers for the last couple of weeks. It seems to be the only thing which can maintain my interest at the moment. For the first time in three years I’m seriously considering unsubbing or at least taking a complete break. Which isn’t really a big deal, but...
Tier 2/3 cloak with two talisman slots
It’s not often these days that I find a new (and worthwhile) item in WAR that I don’t already know about. As we’re painfully aware, it’s been a long time since the last significant content update (Land of the Dead).
So, was a nice feeling when a couple of my guildies mentioned a cloak for lower tier players which has 2 talisman slots. Decent cloaks around the level 20...
A change is as good as a rest
Time for another update. I’m keen on keeping this blog up to date with my WAR related stuff even my enthusiasm has taken a hit of late. I’m still subscribed and not planning on unsubbing (yet!). I’m playing through Dawn of War 2, but WAR is still the game I’m picking up first when I get a chance for some gaming time.
First, a rant. What is it with those guys on WAR forums...
Diary of a madman
Just a brief update on what’s going on with me and WAR. Still playing (yes, somebody actually is! :D) Some fun evenings, some not so fun. Finding that I’m mostly enjoying small scale party roaming/scenarios. No interest in getting to the city siege if I’m being honest. It’s very dull. Much prefer skirmishes with similar numbered des in the lakes.
Playing my Engi mainly...
October 2011
6 posts
Fortress discussion
Finally we get some discussion about the next WAR patch (1.4.5).
It’s been mentioned many times that the next patch will see the return of Fortresses to WAR. What we’ve learned so far is that they are going to facilitate a relic capture style mechanic which is NOT going to be tied to the current campaign. Rewards for capture have not been confirmed but speculation is that the...
It's war Jim, but not as we know it
So… not much to update on the WAR front. I’ve not actually been playing much this last week. I’ve logged a few times but found myself quite bored and uninspired not long afterwards. Certainly on my IB. Finally got my Engi to rr75, which meant new weapons and 3 pieces of Sovereign.
The Engi has been really fun to play since the last patch. What with the instant land mines and...
Executed = Warhammer
I’ve recently learned that the Rift branch of our guild have merged with another. Not only that, but they have taken the name of the other guild too (Eternal Chaos). I believe quite a few guildies left Rift which meant that they had bump numbers - as, I’m told, raids require lots of people?
Also, the ex-WAR guildies moving to Star Wars have created a new guild called Heirs of Revaan.
...
Warhammer 40k
With all the speculation over the last few days about Dark Millenium Online details (DMO) it really whet my appetite for some 40k. So much so that having found myself with a Saturday afternoon to myself (unheard of!) I decided to watch Ultramarines. I bought this DVD a few months ago but have never found the time to watch it.
I enjoyed it. The opening scenes made me fear for the worst, with lots...
On a wing and a prayer
EDIT: Lol, just read Werit’s blog and it appears we’ve posted more or less the same thing (albeit different armour sets). It’s not plagiarism honest!
Mythic’s final round of new armour revealed the Warrior Priest. And unlike 95% of the other Order sets it looks completely awesome. Ok, so maybe not “completely” as the wings could possibly go - but I think it...
Latest news
Not much action on my blog recently as I had a little holiday (which was great thanks - Aeo) then a fairly quiet week of WAR. While I was away I finished reading Gotrek and Felix’s “Elf Slayer” (who knew Druchii were so evil and kinky?!?) and read The Hobbit (first time for over 10 years). This has done nothing for my dwarf obsession. Infact, if WAR does die perhaps I can go play...
September 2011
5 posts
State of the game
WAR’s third birthday comes at a delicate time. There’s a high level of discontent within the community at the moment. The game always seems to have this undercurrent but of late it seems tangible.
WAR has suffered from lack of meaningful new content (i.e. expansions) in the last year or two. Judging from recent communications from Mythic it seems that they simply don’t have...
Gotrek and Felix
I’m a Warhammer enthusiast. I’m a big fan of the lore. It’s one of the major things which keeps me playing this game and not moving on to something else.
I don’t play the table-top games, never have. In my younger days I went through a phase of painting the miniatures and reading White Dwarf. Later, in my days of computer games I’ve played Space Hulk on the Amiga,...
1.4.4 and rr90
Back in May when I dinged rr85 I made a rough calculation that I’d hit rr90 in September/October. It was a shrewd estimate as last night I dinged \o/
As I’ve been so close to rr90 since patch 1.4.4 I’ve been solely been playing my IB. Therefore I’ve not had a chance to investigate the Engineer changes. I’ll leave that for another post.
We had some fun utilising...
Tank Love
We’ve got a lack of tanks in guild at the moment. It got me thinking about the class over the weekend… In alliance chat, people are frequently looking for tanks for premades and warbands. They’re always in demand it seems. Is it feasible that tanks are the least played class in the game? Our guild/alliance situation apart, I suspect they are. The official stats would make an...
1.4.4 Patch Notes
The 1.4.4 patch notes are out.
In a nutshell, the main aspects of the patch are the new mechanic to keep defence and changes to Engi/Magus and Shadow Warrior careers.
The “Heroic Defender” keep mechanic should be interesting to try out. Also, being able to replace outer doors will help fighting across multiple zones. I’ll reserve judgment on these things until I’ve tried...
August 2011
11 posts
The Doomflayer Conundrum
So, I’m fast approaching rr90 (89.25 at the time of writing) on my beloved Ironbreaker. Doomflayer (DF) is on the horizon. Hitting rr90 is huge in terms of your character setup. At no other point have you previously undertaken such massive changes simultaneously. Unlike all previous “drip fed” RvR armour sets, all pieces of the DF armour set become available at once. I will...
Ironbreaker T7 Armour
The IB T7 armour is finally released!
First impressions. Why did they choose the female dwarf model??! Female IBs are sooo lame. The male IB armour will no doubt look much better, so this is something to bear in mind. Also, I think it’s hard to tell with these 2d models. All the 2d models look a little crappy.
I’m not sure. My overall gut feeling is that it feels too ornate for...
Engineer Armour
Gaarawarr has completed his definitive guide to armour sets. Within here Gaar has completed a wonderful full breakdown for every armour set for three careers (Ironbreaker, Sword Master and Engineer) with pictures (!!!). When reading through I couldn’t resist looking over The Engineer. As a self confessed appearance freak I was particularly interested in some of the more obscure armour...
She's So Buff!
Onto less positive things about people hitting rr100.
Back in June I made a post about bumping into a freshly rr100 Xathilde in Eataine. Well, yesterday I had the misfortune of bumping into her again. She appears to have maintained the rr100 buff for over two months. Strange times…
Wurlitzer hits rr100
Massive gratz to Wurlitzer who dinged rr100 this evening. Our first guildie to hit the ceiling. His new found height did nothing for my self esteem :)
1.4.4 Keep Defence
The proposed changes for keep defences are announced on the official forums.
Defensive renown ticks are NOT back. Which is something I was totally expecting. Read the original post for more details but essentially the following is proposed:
- Rams have levels of armour, which must be destroyed before a ram can be taken down
- When a ram is destroyed, the defenders receive a 30s buff which...
Wrath of Heroes
So, you’ve no doubt seen by now that “the announcement” from Mythic is for a separate “free to play” skirmish game called Wrath of Heroes.
From what I’ve read/seen it reminds me a lot of Team Fortress 2 (which I like to play too). Especially the part about changing Hero whenever you die. TF2 also went “free to play” fairly recently. I would expect...
Proposed Engineer career changes
Some information about changes to the Engineer (and Magus) in the upcoming patch. Not sure if these are the first round of changes or these actually are the changes. Anyway, The Engi’s changes are here:
-Field Repair moves to Rank 22. This ability is renamed to Shock Grenade. You remove stagger effects from your ally target and 5 others in a 25 foot radius around them.
-Redeploy moves to...
New armour sets
EDIT: More armour sets (Marauder, Shadow Warrior, Witch Hunter, Zealot and Squig Herder) have been added.
James (Casey) has posted designs for the discussed T7 appearance armour on the official forums. So far, only four classes have been revealed (Bright Wizard, Chosen, Engineer and Shaman). The Bright Wizard is the one that catches my eye so far, awesome.
Of this bunch I’m obviously...
Here Be Dragons
There is a chap in our guild who is a man after my own heart. He not only shares a deep love of dwarfs and Iron Maiden but is (and I don’t say this lightly) as obsessed about item appearance as myself. That man is widely known as Bruntus or “Brunt”. Like many he is a self-confessed altaholic. Thankfully he’s finally settled on two chars which he’s concentrating his...
Yrilesa hits rr80
Congrats to Yri who made short work of ranks 1-80 on her shiney new Warrior Priestess.
July 2011
7 posts
Gamesday
EDIT EDIT (!!!): Both Werit and Bootae have nicely summarised what was revealed during Gamesday. Gaarawarr kindly posted a transcript of what was said too. All very interesting. Will leave it to a separate post to discuss anything in detail.
EDIT: Original thread has now been locked! :D Apparently Steve Engle said he didn’t get asked any questions at Gamesday (which in itself is worrying!)....
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Cross Realming
The issue of cross realming has been brought sharply into focus of order players this week.
The spotlight has fallen on LNM. To set the scene, LNM is a Destruction guild who joined Karak-Norn when the French server(s) were decommissioned (a month or two ago?). They were by all accounts the dominant force on their French server and quickly continued where they left off on Norn. This server already...
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Sigmarproud
Big congrats to Tyreasnorn and Guyincognito who both hit rr80 this week. More Warrior Priests! This place is starting to feel like a retreat :)
Grats also to Dreadalpha (rr91) and Wurlitzer (rr98) who are pushing for the big three figures.
I’ve spent a bit more time on my engi this week. Always provides a nice break from tanking. Having read Werit’s post about his spec I decided to...
Slow Week
I’ve found this week to be a bit strange in terms of blogging. The obvious major news being the non-announcement of new WAR content(?) in the pipeline. If you haven’t read about it already then Werit and Bootae have as much information as you’re going to get. Posting about anything other than this seemed a bit silly.
I’m reluctant to start speculating. Main reason is that...
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Sigmarpride
Congrats to both Husekarl and Yrileys who both hit lvl40 with their shiney new Warrior Priest easymode :-p classes this weekend (pictured above). The officers decided to fast-track their new healers taking advantage of the 1.4.1 renown cap changes, both are now rr70+
That is some SERIOUS leeching. Joke! Well done guys. The guild will be all the better for these chars. I look forward to seeing...
June 2011
13 posts
Don't get your hopes up...
Still not found time to have a proper look at the new live event just yet. Looks like it will be tomorrow evening when I get to spend some time on it. Reluctant to post any thoughts on it until then.
In other news, it’s looking increasingly likely that there will be some significant WAR news on 6th July. Both Werit and now Bootae have alluded to it on their blogs. Trying not to get carried...
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'87, Hammertime
I dinged rr87 last night. No great shakes. It does however mean that I get to use a shiney new hammer (right).
The hammer was obtained from a blue (massive?) bag in stage two of Thanquol’s Inqursion.
The hammer itself isn’t a major step up from my blue rr83 weapon, but it is a little improvement. I’m specced into high block/parry so the 2% parry is nice, and the fortitude is...
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Alliance Matters
Big changes on the guild/alliance front this weekend. There have been discussions for some time regarding merging our alliance with the alliance of Ithilmar’s Chosen and INQUISITORS. Last night we finally made it happen. We’ve joined their alliance “The Last Stand”. This alliance now consists of:
Ithilmar’s Chosen INQUISITORS Elysium Celtic Leaf Army Executed Duraz...
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Grezko
Grezko, guild leader of Forged in War, has decided to not re-sub when his current subscription runs out this week. It will be a sad day for myself, our guild, our alliance and all Order on Karak-Norn.
Right: the unmistakable Grezko in his gaudy yellow overalls and distincive cossack hat.
Podd (of Ithilmar’s Chosen) is now all that remains of what I would call “the old school realm...
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College of Corruption
Or CoC is it’s amusingly being abbreviated to, went onto the PTS for testing this week.
More details (including screenshots) can be found on the Hypothetical WAR blog. Werit has created a movie of the scenario too.
Mythic have created a thread to discuss feedback from the players that took part.
The general feeling is that it should be a 6v6 scenario (Mythic tried it as 12v12 aswell as...