Update From Middle-Earth!

Well, another week gone by so it's time for another blog about my new all-time favorite game... I guess I shouldn't say that when it's still this early, but that's one of the things I love about it! I'm level 16 and I've done just about all the worthwhile quests in the beginning area for Elves and Dwarves and a good chunk of the quests available in the Shire - and last night Matt and I finished up the Intro to what's referred to as the "Epic" missions. The guy that had given us the last few quests in the "Epic" storyline then told us we would need to meet with his captain (the guy is a ranger) so we should travel to Bree to find him. He's known thereabouts as Strider.

What makes me so excited is that I'm level 16 out of a 50 level max, I've pretty much played out the "intro" areas, and I feel like I'm only just now really getting into the meat of the game! The main event that I'm really here for, the battle against the Witch-King! I'm about to start Chapter 1 out of what stands right now as 9 Chapters in the story they've put together. Which will be built upon further in the future updates and expansions. I can't wait.
I'm still really enjoying the game. I've had a chance to do a little more with the crafting and it too seems to be an improvement over the previous model I'd seen in FFXI. They've taken most of the guesswork out of it and eliminated the "crystal" element which was probably the most annoying thing about it. My main focus is the Scholar profession so I work mainly on crafting scrolls of lore to support either my fellow crafters or to give bonuses in battle and on restorative potions and, weirdly, dyes.

It's both easier and harder than other professions. Easier because you don't need any special workspace for it, unlike the others in which you need a forge, workbench, etc. and because everything you can craft is useful right away. That is, everything a scholar makes is a finished, useable product, as opposed to, at least, the two smithing professions and woodworking or tailoring in which you have to craft the raw ore/lumber/hides into a processed form, from which you can then craft useable components, from which you can then craft useable items for other players.

And it's harder because the materials are a lot harder to come by. If I had chosen a smithing profession that came with prospector, I could just go to the ore nodes scattered around and mine the materials I need. Same with woodworking. Tailors are in a similar boat as their materials are also enemy drops, But the tailoring materials I've seen drop off animals, and they drop almost every time. To get scholar materials you have to wait for drops off humanoid mobs. Goblins, evil dwarves, human ruffians, etc. And the drops aren't all that common. If you're a tailor and you need hides, well, light hides drop off of almost every non-humanoid mammal on practically a 1 for 1 basis. To get Scraps of Ancient Text or Early Third Age Relics... well, the risk/reward is a lot more problematic.

But enough about crafting. I continue to advance and gain more powers. Some of them have not been as cool as I was expecting. Inner Flame's description was "Transfers some of your power to morale", which is basically, trade magic for hit points. Which sounds great. In practice what it does is make you stand there and concentrate while it restores so many hp every 2 seconds or whatever. It's not instant and you can't do anything else while you're doing it. Oh well. At least I have Sign of Wizardry, which restores some morale when your pet flanks the enemy. And I finally used Staff Strike the requisite number of times to earn Improved Staff Strike, which is teh uber. Next big boost is level 18, when I get Light of the Rising Dawn, which is apparently major pwnage and has a chance to stun enemies. Definitely looking forward to that.

Anyway, Matt and I have been doing fairly well on our own, except for a couple of missions that really require fellowships. Which two people don't really qualify as. So, I'm hoping more people I know will start playing... Matt was saying earlier that we could really use a guardian or a burglar. To which I concur, but would add that REALLY we could use both. And a minstrel, but I guess that's reserved for Mills, when or if he ever decides to play. So, I guess what I'm saying is, Rob, Dave, you're being drafted. I don't care which of you is what, just work it out amongst yourselves. Matt and I are playing on the Arkenstone server and we're at the point that we can get to any of the starting areas... well, once you get out of the private newbie areas but that shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. So, just let us know when you decide to do your duty and we'll come help you catch up. That is all.


Regular Aristotle, Over and Out!