Moral of the story?
Ao is officially impressed.
A/N: Just don't ask me whether I support Drizzt scoring with both Cattie-brie and Dahlia Sin'felle. It's already bad enough when I tried toying with Drizzt-Innovindil and Drizzt-Ellifain. She-Hulk was right in calling Deadpool a perv.
Last night, I got a taste of being the Indian chief against Idris. While failure to score my desired Epic tier 1 Forest Warden body armor was truly a bummer, I have to say the overall experience is more than enough to offset this minor setback (that plus it's far harder getting a piece of whichever epic enchantment you want so badly. Yay! 1 more Brairtwine to go!!!!). After all, one thing I like abt running lvl 60 epics is due to the gamer having at least a decent chance in scoring an actual epic gear. Just don't ask me abt legendary gear b/c I've yet to score one. [1]
One interesting fact abt Neverwinter is the fact that plenty of gamers complained that Wizards of the Coast have officially sold themselves out. [2] To be brutally fair, the fans are right in feeling hard done. Why? Because we're talking abt a legacy also known for games like Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate. Old school D&D blessed w/equally old school goodness+evilness+neutralness. [3] So how do I view the current sellout?
Despite a heavier emphasis on pay to play [4], Neverwinter remains a player in the F2P industry. I do not profess to know how many RPG fans are still considered living fossils ever since Link managed to bail Zelda out, but I do understand the makers' need to remain competitive. We have the client-based ones and browser-based ones. The latter case is considered more cost-cheap while the former need constant upgrading. [5] To assume something you're not confident about is NOT a fan's way of thinking. In short, hard decisions need to be made in the name of scoring w/casual audience. In this sense, I can only say both parties are equally correct.
So how did my first time go? Things do have a funny way in falling into place at unexpected timing. Firstly, allow me to be a dick by giving a few advice:
1. When queuing for dungeon raids (esp for epic ones), take note on how many red slots are there. See the blue one? That's you. See the green one(s)? That's them. See the red one(s)? We're talking abt Jeor Mormont and Craster's Keep. Unless you happen to be a lvl 120 Hunter Ranger going by the name of Coldhands [6], your Stag won't mean a shit. Period. In short, any number of red beyond the count of 1 means you should just bail out from the queue. No point being Robb Stark. [7]
2. Even w/having a full 5, one cannot discount Jeor Mormont getting himself killed. In the event where more than 1 member decides to bail, let Coldhands be the judge. After all, we're only Neverwinners, not Kelemvor. Yes, I understand the worst kind of pain inflicted by PUG members cursed by their unknown actual age.
3. Understand that it pays to be patient nevertheless. One surest sign that you should start warging back to Protector's Enclave/whatever starting pt relevant is having 2 or more members saying "**** it, we can't win against the Others anyway." In short, perceive the circumstances correctly if you desire to score at least once w/the Khaleesi herself. [8]
4. If you end up waiting like an idiot just when you're so close to victory (i.e. facing the last boss), take a deep breath and say "**** it, I'm gonna bail out on this stupid Greece of a stage. 3 mins waiting like some kum-lan idiot and still no reinforcements..."
5. To all those ppl who think killing that last boss is like finding a Dragonglass cache beyond the Wall, allow me to point out the fact that we've actually got a literal fat bastard killing one of these pesky Others. In short, pls grow some brains. If got no brains, pls grow some patience. No use injury kit, use that 3 min campfire chill to exchange useful pointers. [9]
6. Depending on how long you're planning to sit in front of the computer, make sure you're mentally prepared to queue for like... 1 hr or so? Most likely you'll end up singing karaoke [10] like some 22 yr old local lass for around 15-45 mins. That is before that gong ends interrupting your self-inflicted misery. No matter what, just make sure that similar circumstances listed below don't happen...
Stevia: You're still playing that game?
Me: Okay, just a bit more.
Stevia: Why are you so obsessed? I don't remember myself being so obsessed with my cat and she's still alive!
Me: Actually I only need 3K more Astral Diamonds.
Stevia: For what?
Me: For that cat priced at 800K AD
Now that point form analysis is over, allow me to share my personal experience in being that Indian chief.
1. I wasn't the leader originally. Somehow or another, I went Shift+1 upon seeing 3 green+1 red. Turned out that it's a 4 man gang. iirc 4 man still can make it.
2. Subsequent turnover, team from 4 nerfed to 2. tbh I've had half the mind to bail. Thankfully, me and that other Control Wizard end having a consensus to wait until the 1st boss.
3. By time we're prepared to kill boss no.1 like a boss, the team ended up getting 5 bosses instead of just 2. Just don't ask who suggested voting me as the CEO.
4. Getting 5 bosses means a breeze in terms of pwning Idris' sorry ass. iirc I've got nothing personal against PUGs. In fact, all my dungeon crawls were done w/PUGs. It's just a shame that there will always be ppl shaming the PUG humans by renaming themselves as pugs. Come to think of it, every of my epic dungeon rush was actually done w/the help of 4 true blue talented pros. [11] In particular, whoever the Control Wizard in the gang would always be that lightning blot CC pro. No j/k.
5. Believe it or not, fighting that stupid dead man chest involves plenty of CC from range. You can try pulling a melee duel or even a gank or two. I can guarantee you death by some stupid cheesy bigass knockdown bs. My suggestion is to leave this job for the CC specs since you don't call yourself one if you happen to be Great Weapon Fighter or Guardian Fighter. As for general mob clear, do anything so long you don't get caught. [12]
6. Scarily enough, having a healthy mix of party buff and CC means outright pwnage. As me being that impromptu skipper, Arylos somehow ended up becoming Andrea "Il Gigante" Pirlo. Don't believe me? Beh hiao kin, let limpeh do demo.
Daily:
Disruptive Shot (25% AP=can become Gambit liao)
Cold Steel Hurricane (100% AP, I suspect my gang got 1 Devoted Cleric able to do AP instant restore. 100% full no less).
Encounter:
Q-Binding Arrow/Oak Skin
(BA=had fun CC'ing the shit out of any mob engaged by the rest, it was terrible for them. I mean the mob, not my mates)
(OS=I spam, all become #TeamDeadpool, me become 2nd highest in Field Medic list)
E-Fox's Cunning/Fox Shift
(FC=everybody dodge once for free=absolute troll)
(FS=add this to Twin Blade Storm, troll the rest. Strongly recommended combo from yous truly if you happen to rush any mission belonging to the Tyranny of Dragons campaign)
R-Split the Sky/Throw Caution
(StS=can't use this, pls don't call yourself a Stormwarden. Ridiculously effective in dungeon raids due to mass AoE stacking w/other CC party members' BSMD [13]. Just make sure you know what's the terrain and who's standing behind you)
(TC=practically crap in normal PvE and absolutely so for every PvP, certified BSSD [14] in skirmish and dungeon rushing)
At-Will:
Left click-Rapid Shot/Rapid Strike
(dunno what is staple, go back to secondary school)
Right click-Aimed Shot/Aimed Strike
(Extremely hard to master due to charging time, absurdly effective for scoundrels like Arylos. In short, dodging is every melee striker's BFF [15]. Just don't ask me whether I've maxed out Scoundrel's Training feat b/c I forgot alrdy)
Some tips in fighting Idris
1. Firstly, destroying the yellow crystals is a systematic job. You can try going upstairs before doing so, just don't ask me what'll happen b/c I suspect Iron Man will display a reaction no diff from the Black Panther himself. [16]
2. Pt 1 doesn't bring you to Idris, but at least you're one less boss nearer.
3. There are two ways to kill Idris. Either your entire party try ganking her on that narrow platform or you can try emulating my party's crazy stunt.
a. You know Control Wizards and imba knockbacks? Try this on her, you won't regret it.
b. Doing so merely means your party is running the risk of leaving behind 1-3 bodyguards on the platform. Remember guys, this is why you need ppl like Hunter Rangers high on combat+Guardian Fighter/Great Weapon Fighter. Keep calm and carry plenty of healing potions.
c. Done correctly and your other 2 members should be able to join the rest asap. In any event of death, pls do the dead a favor by reviving them. Even that jerk Boromir shouldn't have died like one. [17]
d. Believe it or not, Idris is quintessentially a goddess in close quarters fight due to those huge balls of dark ebola looming all over. Don't worry, you won't die if you get hit. Just that you'll be incapacitated for a while. [18]
d. Effectiveness of her dark globes will be tactically nerfed once you force her onto open ground. In short, more room to dodge=more room to gank=more room to CC that beyotch.
e. One thing I found out via my first stint as that Indian chief is the fact that you won't run the risk of mob respawn if your team's approach is aggressive enough. This isn't just true for Idris, but other bosses as well. At the end of the day, there are only two factors to consider. Terrain and team layout.
P.S & unrelated: Tried searching for a song that caught my ear, finally found it.
[1]: Actually come to think of it, the devs are truly a bunch devious devils. Who'd have imagine playing your character at max 60 can AND will yield much better returns compared to... well, having your Trickster Rogue still stuck at lvl 29 or so.
[2]: Altho how this actually measures up against Marvel selling itself to Disney remains a hot topic of online debate.
[3]: In short, badassery-ness.
[4]: Literally speaking, this is F2P ARPG we're talking abt. Understanding the importance of Zen means Neverwinter being technically P2P.
[5]: Trust me when I say I've played Marvel Heroes 2015 as well.
[6]: Come to think of it, I should just try kick-starting my A Song of Ice and Fire articles. Starting w/Coldhands no less.
[9]: In the event where general consensus is "**** it, guys. We no score w/Dany b/c we all no Jon Snow!", be assured that entire party should be absolved of any blame and flame.
[12]: Those who have gone thru NSF, you all don't buat bodoh, okay?
[13]: Bull Shit of Mass Destruction
[14]: Bull Shit of Solo Destruction
[15]: Best Friend Forever or Badass Friend Forever, you be the judge.
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