f13.net

Ok, Agony has a thread and our folks are posting there, so I guess we need this thread.

Breas is only 28, kinda hit a wall with the end of the Cimmerian valley with those damned elite Ymirians and getting swarmed by 4 or 5 +2 level mobs...so I'm a bit stalled as of the end of last night.

That said, let's use this thread to coordinate our adventures. I can update this post if needed for coordination. I'm usually on around 11pm for an hour or two.

Time to head to Khemi / Khopesh Province, which will get you to about 35-38.  Then hit some of the higher level stuff in Wild Lands of Zeta.  You can pick up an assload of easy quests in WLOZ that still give good xp (5-7K a pop) that you can do as you're running about.

You're reaching one of the annoying parts wherein you'll have to bounce back and forth between about 3 zones.

Not really. If he does the bit of grinding required to get to 38 in stygia, he might as well do treasure of the ancients and the pyramid, which will put him at 40 with ease.

Is there any reason to go back to connal's after 30 and before 40?

It's been a loooong time since I've done CV, but if I remember right there was a pretty good cluster of quests up in the middle right of the map.  I hate CV, so I generally don't do any questing there.

I think my routine was:
1-16 Tortage
16-20 Khemi/OT
20-40 KP/WLOZ
40-50 OT/FOTD
50-60/65 or so E Mtns / Ymirs Pass
60/65-70 Thunder River
70-80 Thunder River/Khesh

Just as some advice, I personally always run into some dead zones around 62-63, 67-68, 73, and 76-77.  I tend to run orange and red quests only, and find myself running out of leveling content - so I resort to good old fashioned grinding in the Villas.  Which is ok, I suppose - it's good money, convenient, and good xp.  You can basically ding a level in the 4 villas in about an hour up to about 75 or so.  Then the xp curve steps up where you won't get a full level, but about 1/2 to 3/4 of one.  I rarely used a horse until I got to 80.  I ran everywhere, killing everything on the way and back.  Chain kills are your friend.

That said, I know Sky isn't a power leveler so he probably doesn't care about anything I just wrote.  If ever.  :grin:

Sanctum, the Pyramids, and Black Castle are some of the most fun group stuff in the game, though.  Good rewards too.

Anyway, I've got a 30something demo I'll ding up to 36 or so and post his name the next time I log in.

Zero interest in grinding, if it comes to that, I'll probably be done. However, getting together for some instances while there are a bunch of us playing would be great.

The problem wasn't so much that there wasn't content and it forced me to grind.  The problem was/is, because you don't get upgrades in spells/attacks but every 5 levels, every so often you're a bit behind in the power curve for a couple quests.  This mostly happens midway between tiers (say 62 or 63 and you really need 65 level spells/attacks so as to not get your ass handed to you).  So, my MO is to head back to the villas for the xp/money, then head back to where I was.

The other issue is that I tend to play solo, and miss out on alot of the group content that is probably designed as the filler stuff for you to do to level up in those dry areas. 

FWIW, for the most efficient leveling, I always go do a set of villas (takes about an hour to run all four), then head off questing.  The timers on them reset every 4 or 8 hours or something like that.  Good chance for blue loot boxes as well.

I mostly play solo, but like to group up if people are hanging out in the area for a kill quest or like last night, and epic mob. I had just had fun grouping with some guys for a Vanir boss (2 Guards, 3 Conqs, Bear Shaman). Then we split and I ran up the road and BAM, tightly packed lvl 30s (I'm 28) with epic Ymirians interspersed.  :uhrr: Just a jarring change from the entire game thus far, from soling up until the boss campsite and then a quick casual group to take out the nameds to needing a group just to run up the path. Blah.

Then I went into the crafting zone and kept getting jumped when I was harvesting, got killed twice and decided I'd had enough for a while.

Anyway, what are villas?

Also, the entire time I was thinking how much more fun it would've been if I'd had to worry about getting ganked while doing all the above  :why_so_serious:

Villas are in The Noble District in OT.  Once you get in TND, there's 40-45ish mobs around, but guards you can run to incase you get overwhelmed.  Lots of good quests in TND as well.  (edit) Anyway, villas are repeatable quests inside TND that offer about 1/4 xp bar each, and good payouts.  Also the easiest way to get the cash needed to buy a horse.

I should be online tonight about 9pm CST.  If you want, I'll shoot you a tell and app you up and show you around a bit.  

Or powerlevel you (and whoever else) from 30 to 60 in about 3 hours  :ye_gods:

Getting outside the scope of the thread, but why would I want to powerlevel? One of the things that bugs me about the game getting in the way of the setting is that I want to taste some Ymirian blood, but the game says I need a group for it, or to go grind some levels or whatever. Kinda fucks over the whole Conan spirit, goddamned mmogtards.

You wouldn't. 

It was more of a mentioned in passing kind of thing in that FC was supposed to have fixed it a long time ago.

Dionydis is a close to 36 Priest. I'll be on tonight around 6-7pm PST onward. I'm up for instances, since I haven't seen any except a little of Black Castle's first wing.

Btw, it seems in my playing so far that a PoM duoing with anything resembling DPS of any kind can just run into literally anything at or +2-4 levels and hardly get dented.

A 39 HoX app'd me, and we literally ran around each camp in Field of the Dead (40-44 depending on camp) and he indiscriminately gatherd every mob in sight and took them down, I couldn't even tell when bosses were involved (he was probably targeting them the most when present, I couldn't tell). A little heal-HoT'ing goes a long way.

You should easily be able to hand two mobs a couple of levels above yours with ease. Also, use pots as needed, they'll be trashed every ten levels anyway.

In the harvesting zone, it was three mobs that killed me. In Vanir territory it was four mobs two levels above me.

I mostly smite the shit out of things, the only thing that gave me trouble up until the backside of CV, where you start meeting the Ymirians was the side of CV with all the assassins. Even at two level below I would have trouble if more than two jumped me.

PRIEST! cool I can play my HoX! in the INSTANCES that we're supposed to be scheduling in this Wicanna INSTANCE thread.  I also have a Templar if we need a tank.

During the week I'm good for 7-10pm EST... which kinda sucks, I know.  I'm up at 5am, so 10 is really the latest my 45 year old ass can stay up.  Friday/Saturday I'm good for more.  From the other thread it seems like there are at least two middle/west coasters so it might be challenging.

Why do you keep trolling about this? Is it so important for you to keep showing everyone here your middleschoolish personal issues with being picked on while trying to validate your 10 rats-based theory of fun?

Wooosh.

Well-played.

It's odd the way this game works out. In theory, the elite stuff at the end of zone content is supposed to foster teamwork. Which it does. But in reality, it's worked out to a level 75ish character and a party of level-appropriate people tearing through to finish the quests.

Last night I went back to clean up some Conall Valley stuff. Got in a small group that was working through the elite mobs and a group like I mentioned comes burning up the hill. We join to take out the boss mob (which would've been dicey for our group). Then we finish every quest in the camp, do turn-ins, finish the last steps. At that point, why even bother?

Also, the limit of 30 quests in the quest journal. Really?  :oh_i_see:

I love the Conqueror, great class, great look, plays perfectly for me. Music and graphics are great. Like the combat system, love the game world, especially since I'm re-reading the early Howard stuff that features a lot of characters I've met in the game. Also reading the Conan comics and yesterday read one where they mentioned Sakumbe and Askia.

But man, this game is primitive (no pun intended). It makes me long for the eloquence of EQ2's UI and systems.

I'll admit it may lack the complexity of EQ2's systems and the UI may not be as completely polished, but DAoC has a 14 day free trial if you want to actually see a "primitive" UI. Seriously.

AoC does not have the greatest UI ever, but just from playing it for the past month, it behaves exactly as I would expect it to, and even occasionally surprises me with some automation. However, I've grown out of my tweaking phase as well so if a game's UI sucks or is troublesome to use for me, I won't even bother trying to customize it. Of course, that's also because I'm not a hardcore enough gamer. If I were, as in the past, I see the validity of custom UIs. But now I'm rambling.

Essentially, for casual, regular playstyles, I disagree that the AoC UI is primitive or poor.

Maybe part of it is my newbieness and EQ2's similarity to EQ1's interface. It just seems very clunky and non-intuitive. For most regular gameplay stuff, hacking and slashing, it's fine. But if you try to do much beyond that, it's primitive. Listing an example from almost ten years ago isn't helping. Why not say it's a better interface than M59?

The guild interface, I'm left scratching my head as how the fuck to do anything at all.

AoC has the odd things that aren't consistent which still bug me on a daily basis.

It still doesn't pass the <ESC> test:
- open *any* combination of windows and then mash <ESC> until they all pop down.
- bonus points if they actually pop down in reverse order.
- many panes don't pop down at all, so you have to switch from keyboard to mouse and click the "X"
- more bonus points if hitting <ESC> too many times doesn't do something undesirable like pop up the configuration and exit pane
- more bonus points if they just give you a key to close all open panes but not the usual UI elements you want staying on-screen

The UI needs better configuration on-screen:
- put it in a mode where *all* windows including that damn bottom bar can be simply moved and sized where you want them.
- I am not editing those XML files, way too convoluted (hint: try moving the bottom bars flush-right so your chat windows can sit on the bottom left LIKE THE DEFAULT OUGHT TO BE).
- I am using StoneRune UI; better bag UI and decent overall but still can't move the windows around (including the above point above the bottm bar and chat window).

At least they have invert mouse (don't laugh, Free Realms doesn't and I couldn't invert my mind to even play it due to that).

Overall:
- AoC looks good
- AoC PvE is pretty good (same ol' quests but some surprises like Treasury and Pyramid of Ancients)
- Healing is challenging (fun) but HoTs make it so some instances cannot be done by my character without an overpowered, overlevelled or twinked tank to absorb the damage some bosses put out in instances (the guy that chain fears and mana/stamin drains in Toir'd Tomb comes to mind as one example). I have one moderate burst heal that would be maybe a Greater Heal in WoW, but can only be cast once every so often).
- I wish it had different "sides", but that will only matter in PvP and I haven't gotten there yet. But it does seem strange that you don't really have an enemy "side" or two in a game where PvP is a focus. I really wish someone would do a DAoC-style 3-sided game again but I'm not holding my breath.
- Like a lot of MMOs these days, I'm not sure what exactly the "end game" is supposed to be.

Bringing it back to Instances...I dinged 36 last night, when should I be tackling the pyramid/treasury? How does mentoring work, can/should I run though it with you lvl 40s  (or 50!)?

Not sure I like the lack of content and having to fill in with the other two "newbie" (20-30) areas to compensate. I don't think you could make strict factions because of that, otherwise there are three factions along racial lines.

I just wish I could take my Conqueror and his feats/moves/abilities over to EQ2 :) Lumbering Hulk ftw!

Treasury/pyramid are soloable instances. I think you can maybe get away with going in at 36...by the time you're having to deal with the harder content you'll have dinged a few levels anyway.

And don't worry too much about content. You have somehow already made it through the worst of it. If you do the Pyramid/Treasury, you'll be all set for Nobel District and then Field of the Dead. After that, I dunno, but till your mid to late 40s, you're definately all set.

Have you done Sanctum?  Treasury/Pyramid (solo) is a good bit of fun, and should ding you a couple levels.  Also, Black Castle (group) is a blast.  Should get you to 40.  From there it's off to Field of The Dead as Engels said.

I slaughter the hell out of everything :) Conq really lends to the feeling of wading in and getting messy, I don't sweat dying. I keep trying to solo elite mobs, just isn't happening even though I have mostly blue gear. Ah, well.

I could wring a few more levels out of newbie stuff, I'm in the aquilonian (wild lands?) now. I got a few levels out of some khemi/kp stuff already, just a lot of trudging around.

Not sure about the sanctum? Is it solo?

Nope.  Epic group quest.  Good rewards there, though.

It also has one of the coolest rooms I've seen in a game.  If I could, I would have my Dark Templar claim it for a home.

Do we have enough people still playing to run through Toirdealbach's Tomb? Lvl 50ish.

Been trying to get a PUG for it, but no luck. Even a higher level to walk through it for the quest updates would be fine.

Guess not  :awesome_for_real:

I've been so busy at work haven't had a chance to log in recently.  Also, you are west-coast and I'm east-coast early to bed.  I'm dead to you!

Except I'm east coast.

Then Typhon must be west coast.  Logic!

lol, sorry, I'm confusing Sky with someone else.  This must mean I'm potentially reanimated to Sky!

What levels are your guys? Breas is a 52 Conq right now. I'd probably prefer the cheese method of having a lvl 80 walk through it for the quest updates, since putting together a PUG would be tough.

Fiancee works late the next couple nights so I should be on a little more (and earlier), but I also have to make cookies tonight.

Sorry, I have signeitis. Ditz around for a week and a half, then lose all interest. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to garner the enthusiasm for Conan. Or for many other games for that matter. Played 4 hours of Dawn of Discovery this weekend and now I throw up a bit in my mouth at the thought of doing it again.

Sky:

I'm a 60 PoM and I'll help in an instance, assuming we can get enough people.

Also, I don't know the threshhold at which a lvl 80 is no longer superman in an Epic instance. But I imagine that one of those bosses is going to start being felt at 60+.

Engels:

For me, Everquest in 1999-2000 and DAoC until ToA were the real times where I couldn't wait to play with others I knew in-game. The guild (and realm) community was very strong, and everyone was into playing through their avatars.

Nowadays, all the games make it so you don't play through your avatar and immerse, you are very aware that you are just pushing buttons and soloing casually away. It is a combination of nothing really being "new" any more, the casualness and no-risk-ness of games, and generaly everyone being solo-oriented for whatever reasons the game decided to push you there.

Highest char is lvl 48 HoX.

Free month is up tonight, too late.

So true. EQ was immersive for me for a while, but at the time I didn't have as much play time. When I hit DAoC with some friends on release, we played non-stop until ToA. It was great fun and the RvR was the draw. I looked forward to logging in to play. You're right that the more games move toward solo accomplishment, the less draw there is... at least for me. But the same goes for me with single-player games as well these days. When I think of playing a game, I think of the accomplishments I can achieve in real life and go do those instead. I think it's a function of age. Bleh.

I feel the same way, but kind of reversed. A single player or solo friendly game I can take at my pace, go afk whenever I have the need or urge, stop and start when I have the time. Things dependent on multiplayer just cut into my schedule too much, and I don't enjoy scheduling ahead of time to play a video game. Just about any game where the achievements are more important than the fun (sitting on boring raids to get the good gear comes to mind), I'd rather just do something irl, whether it's learn a new song or build something.

Agreed. I rarely like to "fit" a video game in my schedule and i don't make a habit of doing so too often even when i'm in a clan/guild setting. I wouldn't buy a game if i have to rely on someone else to make it fun.