A promise I made...

...on the Neverwinter FB page. iirc it's more of a reply to a comment on a fellow Neverwinner pertaining countless daily quests bar those offered by Rhix and Dagult Neverember. One of the most common challenges facing MMOs is this: How are you, as part of the dev crew, going to prevent whatever risk present in prolonged grinding?

Grinding is not abt having sex w/your ideal A-list celebrity, but rather the fact that the gamers have to tahan N hrs of pointless monster bashing just to achieve actual rewards (in this sense, focusing on PvP sooner or later actually seems legit). It's not abt what you kill as who, but rather doing the same thing w/nary a challenge (one good reason why Industrial City patrol in Marvel Heroes 2015 is so lag-vulnerable is due to doing the same thing w/a tactical twist, i.e. too many blokes and gals in the same server/instance).

Ofc there are certain alternatives to avoiding this problem called boredom. The most common way is to swear off the game temporarily, so that you can actually get a breather by spending time w/your bf/gf. Conversely speaking, it also possibly means that PWE is trying to prevent stuff like this below from happening.

Then, we have that thing called time planning. When you feel that 'tis high time for you to get a decent life off the PC, then chances are that you might end up playing less on a daily basis (pardon my shitty pun).

In the event above scenarios are too good/bad to be true...

Ever since its official release last year, Neverwinter has created a whopping total of 5 campaigns (including PvP as well fyi). Story mode is story mode, the blokes @Cryptic quite obviously understood the need to bait the gamers. Let them grind for a fair bit (read: few months or so), then VOILA! We have a new campaign up in the cards.

Just as always, new campaigns means a few things:

1. No more grinding. At least for the next few weeks/couple of months.

2. New campaign packs (which may or may not be offered to the existing gamers for free as a loyalty reward).

3. At least one new race & class (Hero of the North pack doesn't count on the racial end since drow and Menzoberranzan Renegade are technically the same).

4. Perks and bragging rights.*

*That is unless you're a genius capable of creating something out of nothing.

iirc Tyranny of Dragons is nearing to an end if there's anything to go by Tiamat's presence. So who'll be next unholy sucker? I'd take Cyric since there should be plenty on the plate given Kelemvor's plot presence+Mystra finally making her long awaited resurrection. Hell, we may even end up seeing the real Alustriel Silverhand (pls note that Alustriel Silverhand=/=Alestrial Eliaden). If so, then we're out to see plenty of fun from the Zhentarim. Not to mention Elminster Aumar vs Manshoon Part Deux.

Or maybe we'll end up seeing a political crisis facing Dagult Neverember since the Sons of Alagondar do play a pivotal role thus far? Since they've got a major supporting role in the early parts in-game, why not give Arlon Bladeshaper some much needed screen time?

What about linking the next season w/whatever happening thus far where Drizzt Do'Urden and his merry Companions are concerned? Do note that those durned drow do have their grubby grip on Gauntlgrym now (and that's NOT including that most dangerous mutha*bleep* better known as Artemis "Barrabus the Gray" Entreri). Lest we forget, Faerûn's most BA rivalry actually had a hand in Neverwinter's current fate.

Suggestions that may make some sense...

In S'pore, the chenghu will always say something like this during any dialogue session:

"Please make your questions succinct."

Where I get this info, no one has the right to buah me. What I'm gonna say is this: What the header says.

Make CTA as a fixed event

In short, maybe the devs can try doing the Call to Arms event like... once every month or two? Via my personal experience, CTA is def the most in-demand event second only to Respen's Marvelous Game (albeit the last RMG was weirdly bugged). Order wise, maybe the devs can try doing each skirmish once instead of doing the same skirmish twice (note that CTA do have a history of hosting the same skirmish twice). The key lies in reliving the good ol'days where you can bash anybody you like sans the level limitations.

PvP event

Won't suggest this since the PvP queuing system is terribly broken atm. But if the devs decide to go ahead w/this, then it'll be good to do the queuing system in the gear score bracket. Sadly, it seems that the devs have tried this before (I mean the GS part). The outcome? Insanely long queuing time.

CTA: Dungeon ver

How cool can this get? The only bummer? High likelihood of insanely long queuing time (see above). Interestingly enough, the devs can opt to say "hey, let's scrap the other dungeons so that every player can focus on our newly modded CTA!"

Respen's Marvelous Dungeon

You've fought the original McCoy, now for that newly evolved Beast. Technically speaking, the relationship between the real CTA and the real Respen's Marvelous Game can be summed up below.

Make Temple of Tiamat longer

Not duration of process, but rather duration of event. I know plenty of ppl will think I'm batshit crazy due to comments of laggy rubberbands going around like da'man w/swords. True, false, or exaggerated, I don't care since I've yet to hit that laggy point (and to be fair, lag problem was actually much more serious the last time round). This is to give more gamers the chance to expose and express themselves.

Achievement points

Gamers are still clamoring for this, I suppose. Let's make things a bit spicier here, shall we? Let's say your character has the title "The Immortal" (i.e. this). What kind of bonus will this self pompous assery give you? Very simple. 5% chance of revival complete w/half life restored! (only caveat is having a 3-5 min cooldown) It's been quite some time since boys like Baofeng, Michael, Rion, and possibly Jeffrey (plus maybe even girls like Sharifah and Sheryl) have played CS while our ITE lecturer ain't looking at the right direction. So let's rumble! Not just PvP titles, but also PvE ones as well. To better every gamer's access to the 1st Gaming Amendment, why not give them a PvE specific perk? (Master of Monsters, anyone?) Unless a miracle happens (and I mean it without being sarcastic to the devs), chances are that not every gamers will be like me (read: bodoh enough to learn the PvP ropes via constant death loop).

Realms of *insert relevant term here*

Ever wondered how it feels to have a kick ass NPC giving you dailies? Done correctly, a daily quest keeps the rest away. Inspired by the Siege of Neverwinter event, why not do an event lasting 1-2 weeks? By visiting a specific NPC every Realmers enjoy loving/hating, every hero/heroine can have a chance to impress him/herself. Every brand new day brings a brand new quest. Chance to get new title? Cool BA loot even for the uncommon ones? Who knows you might even have the chance to meet additional BA NPCs!

The only catch? Wizards of the Coast need to play arbitrator. Some examples listed below:

Want an audience with Elaith Craulnober somewhere @Waterdeep?

Must pakei w/Elaine "not you, Elaine" Cunningham.

Want to seek Erevis Cale @Stormweather Towers?

Go find Paul "neither that 13th disciple nor that walrus" S. Kemp first.

Nvr knew my boss (y) something I RT'd...

Only realized earlier today. Apparently, even orang melayu has heard of Neverwinter.

P.S: If you think this is me shamelessly advertising Cryptic studios and what not... well, you're wrong. My character is such that I can get absurdly obsessed w/whatever I do. And that includes gaming in general...

Some tips to remember...

1. Using Soulforged armor can be really hazardous. Generally, the difference between a n00b and a pro lies in whether one can make the most out of getting a rez... I swear you can get yourself killed easily once Soulforged effect gets triggered. Witness it first hand during my previous Gauntlgrym PvP. I'm not fibbing srsly. Want to use it for PvP, best you max the rank.

2. Assist is a very good way to learn PvP. In short, it actually does something decent or better when honing your tactical awareness of the situation. PvP in Neverwinter will always be absurdly fast paced, so you won't have time to react and resist (trust me when I say my character always die in open ground ambush). Unless you happened to be ppl like Juan "mata mata merah" Mata, Cesc "amigos @Barca, why always me?" Fàbregas, and Joe "not angry*" Allen.

*Disclaimer: I don't profess to share any views with TLJ by default. I just happened to find the 2nd half utterly hilarious.

3. A word of advice from yours truly: if your hardware specs is good enough, then there should be no worry of prolonged lag. Over the past few days, I realized the lag had died down while that message on top written in Taylor Swift's fave color has subsided quite a bit (not that server non-response is officially dead, but rather the chances have been nerfed big time).

4. If there's anything to go by, your highest chances of getting a lag would be doing the events for dungeon delves and Arena. In particularly, I doubt you won't get a lag or two if your 5 man gang happen have 2 Devoted Clerics or more (suspect lag is due to the possible number of frames executed. High time for me to upgrade graphic card, it seems).

5. If you think getting killed in PvE via lag is bad, wit till you get to PvP. That one's a greater monster. I know b/c whenever I hit a lag against another human opponent, it means I'm screwed (that plus I actually told the PC vendor that I won't be using it for gaming. Something I regretted b/c that's so last yr).

6. There has been calls for awarding more points for every successful assist. Why? 'Cuz you can KO that bugger, but too far away to deal the killing blow.

7. PvP gear is NOT for general PvE. Your PvP gear is pretty much as good as screwed if you happen to do any high end adventure zone (read: killing those stark raving mad cultists).

8. Skirmish and Gauntlgrym dungeons are exception to this rule due the break neck pace and relatively far shorter instance. I can assure you that having at least a 10% movement speed means tactical leverage (that plus maxing out your Battlewise feat alone=/=able to dodge aggro for GG dungeons). Most likely the reason why I can't really make the top cut for Executioner and Paingiver rankings. Living Dead title? You bet this is Arylos' first group PvE title. Talk abt invoking the name of Kelemvor lol!

9. If you want to be a srs PvP'er, be prepared to lose and learn. Try getting yourself used to ganking circumstances since no one will be charitable enough. Not even your own party if we're talking abt kills and assists.

10. Best way to win those Seals.of Triumph is to win 1 GG PvP. since any PvP victory will do when it comes to the Domination Battlemaster's end. Doubt it's a bug since there's no reason for the devs to discourage ppl from PvP.

12. One genius does not make a team, but one sucker can destroy it (read: if ppl know how dangerous of a mutha****a you are, they won't be dumb enough to let you run abt causing mayhem).

13. For convenience's sake, it's best for you to allocate enchantments for both your PvE and PvP gear. In this way, you won't have to burn your gold just to remove and reallocate.

A/N-Realized I need to sleep soon. Might as well temporarily stop here since my next rant-alysis will be covering some specific PvP stuff (read: all your base are belong to us).

Cryptic...

Cryptic

Definition 1: Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure.
Example-Jon finds Dany's decision to fake her name in front of him a tad too cryptic.

Definition 2: That studio infamous for red text and lag.
Example-While the Cryptic studio has been criticized over technical issues, it remains a general consensus that Neverwinter Online is a total success. Especially given the issues stated above.

Proof that at least Cryptic is able to give me some much needed cheer...

Truly sucks, last night. While my beloved nation's loss can be attributed to key injuries plus some half-baked mind game targeted against one or a few M'sian players doing rokok, Boro's 1-1 draw was case of unforgivable circumstances, in which only the locals and neutrals were absolved of culpability. That's unless stuff like racism were involved. The fact that you got assaulted by a black merely means you should let the cops do their job. If they can't be arsed, it doesn't mean you should invoke the 2nd Amendment. Period.

Enough griping, I believe I have more reason to do so come tomorrow since I know I'll die a poor man in the same manner as that Lazarus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.

The reason why I put the title above is down to me getting that much awaited coalescent ward. Call me an idiot, but I suspect chances of getting that precious disc is around 10% or maybe even less. This is taken into account that:

1. You can't earn Celestial Coins via the standard hourly invocation. Last time round boleh, this time round tak boleh.

2. Which inversely means you need 1 full week of logging in to get your much needed maximum dosage.

So far so good, I've been absurdly lucky in  a sense that:

1. My first coalescent ward was obtained via my first Coffer of Wondrous Augmentation.

2. Just when I thought my entire Sunday would suck equally, if not harder than my upcoming week, Cryptic decided to drop me that belated Thanksgiving present. Sans watching Trish Stratus vs Stacy Keibler 'live' @Walmart ofc.

Both moments went to Arylos b/c I needed to do epic enchantments on my armor and main hand weapon. Just a word of caution though:

Epic enchantments do NOT enhance your gear score!

Rather, either they amplify the gear score or offset any disadvantage in gear score via trigger effect!

Take for example having a Feytouched epic on your main hand weapon. Supposedly you're out to create G-Dragon's BFF, namely F-Dragon. This is def a far better alternative compared to having a higher GS, but zero epic enchantment. 3% damage bonus will NOT last 20 secs, but it will up your GS by a whopping relevant amount since I suspect said bonus is calculated from the median power value.

Another example would be having a Briartwine epic. Once you trigger the effect, it will deal back 2% of damage dealt back to the attacker. Will this increase your GS? No. Will offset whatever disadvantage due to a lower GS? Yes.

This is VERY important b/c I've committed the stupid mistake of forgoing High Sentry's Longbow of the Unicorn in exchange for Stormcaller's Bow. Granted true I was merely horsing around (read: testing whether SB is better despite being only a rare gear). That plus I was also holding out for that final piece to my much wanted Forest Warden puzzle. While I've got no problem re-calibrating my Encounter skills set (i.e. I had to switch Split the Sky for Fox's Cunning to get around the handicap of scoring no F-Dragon), I don't like the trade off. I mean, yeah everybody have a lesser chance of dying plus that party buff bonus. Yet, I've been in circumstances where:

1. I don't have the full armor set for Forest Warden.

2. I still got my High Sentry's Longbow of the Unicorn complete with a lesser grade Feytouched.

3. Every dragons actually went down faster w/o any repercussions caused by character death.

Which means using a higher GS equipment at the expense of an epic enchantment slot confirm totally bohua one...

Nerf Alert!

There has been plenty of word going about where Hunter Rangers got themselves terribly shafted in the nerfing dept. One of the main complaints is that Fox's Shift got nerfed in terms of damage. In PvP and PvE alike, a lot of gamers would agree with me that FS=the best bet in AoE damage for HR. While Rain of Swords got some neat damage buff, it's not your BFF in both PvE and PvP (that is unless you're running a lvl 60 campaign lair against the boss. Ironically, a good RoS user can AND will murder any boss outright. Don't believe me, you're actually looking at Arylos here).

One thing I noticed is that in any party instance, the HR will always be that Jon Snow b/c of Robb Stark himself (i.e. mainly Control Wizards and Devoted Clerics). Even Great Weapon Fighters are still thought to be semi-imba. Which really says a lot.

How to re-calibrate (only via my personal exp as combat Stormwarden HR!)

If you desire any bragging rights, be sure to choose HR. Not only will you be lauded as the next King of Gondor and Arnor, above all you'll be proven as the next Drizzt Do'Urden minus his two hot girlfriends. Any other class will merely make you look like Artemis Entreri (in the sense that his official stats are higher than every fanboy/girl's fave traitor).

Firstly, be mentally prepared to let the rest become the hero/heroine. iirc the only way to impress any random party members is to emulate Drizzt's crazy tendency NOT to use potions, healing type or no healing type.

Secondly, you'll need to stage an effective ambush game esp for skirmish. In short, you'll still need that Marauder's Rush bs. Nerf or no nerf, this is your only chance to score anywhere above bottom place in the Executioner and Paingiver rankings. Not that you'll be that numero uno anyway...

Thirdly, you'll need Split the Sky. Yes, I know HR sucks in everything apart from being a literal survivor (which is something I've fashioned for Arylos. Just don't ask me whether I know where that former China tour guide got his Survivor T-shirt). Yet, you must also know that no member is indispensable in the party. StS can be a game changer in terms of CC stacking. Check out this skit...

CW: Hey, Ng! Can help me to nuke the mob?

HR: No prob, Yap!

*chaos ensues for the mob due to Ng doing the correct art of splitting*

Above skit is fictional b/c I don't even know how many local chio-bus actually know where is Neverwinter. Yet, rest assured that CC stacking is a tried (i.e. theory) and tested (i.e. practical) experiment along the line of Albert Einstein's E=mc2.

Note: Ofc a party can do that w/2 CWs, but then again having a pure CW party means you're free to do anything w/o getting caught. Too bad my NSF years didn't have this kind of BA ppl.

Companions=/=your gf, but you'll nvr know the rest...

While I failed to reach my KPI during the last Call To Arms (i.e. the Pit Fight against spiders and wolves), at least I got myself a double whammy. Firstly, that batshit crazy cousin of Cyrea Durothil ended up giving me a Green Slime companion (note that while Cyrea Durothil is my own intellectual property, Respen Durothil is NOT. That is unless you can't differentiate between Humans and Sun Elves).

Initial verdict is that Green Slime is good to use when it comes to giving the HR an edge in solo PvE. This is due to Acid Aura capable of doing either a standalone execution or as a combo w/Engulf. However, having only 1 Defense rune slot means you'll need to calibrate it as a Life Steal companion. Given that it's a control type, surviving shouldn't be so hard so long you have StS in handy. Done properly, you can easily wipe a small crowd.

Then comes this weekend's CTA. As I've said, playing HR means you'll have to settle for 2nd best in virtually 99% of the gameplay dept. The fact that I managed to become so much more than just numero uno for the Walking Dead ranking is truly a feat by itself. Not that this has anything to do w/Arylos worshiping Kelemvor anyway.

A lot has been said about men in black screwing any football team wearing red and bearing the lion's emblem. Be they my countrymen or my fellow Boro-thers in arms, black and red don't go well w/each other, it seems.

In the form of some surreal comedy, the Swashbuckler dye actually confers a costume color change along the line of maroon red. And to think everyone is out to kill a Blackdagger bandit or ten at the very least.

In the greater form of surreal comedy, however, it seems that Cryptic decided to reward both Myrreas and Arylos with a Swashbuckler companion. And to think both sets of surreal comedy actually took place BEFORE that fatal Saturday.

I can't say much abt Myrreas since I'm still comfy w/his Man-at-arms. For Arylos, however, Evia is quite an interesting fare. As a Swashbuckler, Evia is basically NOT a DPS spec. She's not a defensive spec as well, let alone control spec or nuke spec. Evia will ONLY operate her charm in a way every charming female rogue should: giving enemies their rightful welfare treatment.

Combat Advantage is an important system b/c it tends to separate Gambit from the gamblers. Gamblers only rely on chances (i.e. the punters), but Remy LeBeau himself is a master of chances (i.e. the banker). This is what separates adults from kids, masters from the n00bs. It's not a shame to call yourself a n00b, but calling yourself a master means you'll run the risk of severe testing (and to set the record straight here, I'm actually a n00b in terms of PvP). Swashbucklers will always give you a free CA attack every 2 secs (i.e. 2 secs cooldown). CA deals bonus damage, CA is basically what a Trickster Rogue does best (need to test whether CA damage can  stack or not asap. C'mon, lvl up more, Evgreene!)

Note: You'll need Damaran Shepherd to add in that much needed +2% crit bonus for Ev... erm, I mean your Swashbuckler.

Fixing the opposition

PvP. Either you hate it or love it. This is def your best source of Astral Diamonds income due to a bonus 4K offered as a victory prize. With the current patch, HR has arguably gotten weaker due to Wild Medicine getting nerfed by half in PvP. This means an even lesser chance of survival, let alone the cold hard fact that HR still remains the weakest link in terms of CC play.

However, PvP is a game of teamwork. If even the likes of Ronaldo and Messi can't perform w/o the rest, what's more every Neverwinner? Being the slowest turtle=/=weak link. I've learnt the hard way that those being the fastest tend to be the ones more suited to kill than to assist. To set my record straight, Arylos actually ended up having the 2nd highest assist rate on average (that is if I managed to score a victory). This calls for a correct set of skills.

Firstly, you'll need Aspect of the Pack b/c of the additional CA bonus generated within 15-20 ft. PvP is extremely pace-based, hence you'll need fast thinking and equally fast reflexes.

Secondly, Marauder's Rush. Even though the devs might have alrdy nerfed the distance (def they nerfed the damage since a 2K damage range is quite obviously crazy), MR remains as every combat HR's tactical mainstay.

Then, you'll need 2 means of enemy control. In short, either you ensnare, slow, or knockdown. My personal fave is Boar Rush due to damage buff in the current patch. Applied properly, a MR>BR sequence may NOT score you plenty of kills, but it WILL score you plenty of assists (note: defeating+finishing=kill. Only defeat or finishing=assist). The only problem? If opponent is a dodgy bastard.

Gambit is not for gamblers

25% AP and BOOM! This is not Pikel Bouldershoulder casting his doodad magic, but rather this vid below.

Point is NOT abt why above vid lagi fast, but rather the fact that tossing energy projectiles is fun. In the same way you won't die once Gambit nailed you a kinetic card, likewise Disruptive Shot won't kill you. Against Guardian Fighters and Control Wizards with high Wisdom score, DS is virtually a useless bs. Against the rest, however, they'll call this a load of stupid bs. Especially effective against TRs and I can attest to you that TRs can be absurdly OP'ed given the correct team lineup.

iirc if you manage to meet 1 dodgy scoundrel, chances are that he/she is either a Scourge Warlock or Trickster Rogue. Against SW, just do that DoT bleed. Against TR, well, they tend to be suckers for sucker punches. If Gambit's tactics isn't one, I dunno what else is. Just remember to save all your AP for DS. Period.

At the end of the day, remember this: as a HR, your role is that of a tactical support. Be it PvP or PvE, CC stacking or direct attacking support, this IS your role. If you don't like being a humble person, then HR is NOT the class for you.

And lastly to prove that HR don't suck really that much...

There was an instance where I got myself into 4 man team w/o any magic users. That was against an Epic 6.8K Gray Wolf Den. My team got wiped more than once. Very likely at least twice or thrice. After an apparent failure on my part to gather vital reinforcements in the form of some French (?) CW (apologies to that particular individual who happened to be my guildmate as well. I was too much of an interface retard and I still am atm), things actually went to a head where...

Me: Okay, screw it guys. Let's face the last boss head on and hope for the best.

The rest: Amen to that, chief.

Granted I can't recall the details, but it should be something like that. For the umpteenth time in my personal Neverwinter PvE record, I ended up becoming that de-facto party leader (read: I wasn't the original McCoy tbh).

Then came the moment where every fightback has its fairy tale ending. I still recalled very clearly that NO one actually died in action. I was too damn busy doing Fox's Shift in order to up my movement speed (since we only have 1 defensive tank in the form of a Guardian Fighter), I was also too busy to doing Oak Skin (since I was their only source of buffing/healing). At the same time, I was also too busy trying to nail in that occasional Rain of Swords (it really helped the cause that we've got 1 archer HR pulling off a Predator on that final boss).

Yet, it's not so much of my crazy GAR-cher-esque performance that won the day. Rather, my choice of being a servant paid off big time. You see, having a full epic 4 piece means having the relevant bonus if we're talking abt epic dungeons specific armor. As a Forest Warden, the rest actually have an equal right to earn a +200 buff for their highest stat. Which means while the skipper got nothing, the rest did. Apart from the GF and ranged spec HR, the last bloke was actually a Great Weapon Fighter. Going by the normal assumption, it means my team actually become a monstrous bunch of hard  hitters (apart from the GF ofc!).

The only problem? Oak Skin is just like your girlfriend. It's NOT abt the healing (e.g. me praising Stevia's bikini look)*. It's abt BOTH the healing and defense boost (e.g. me complimenting Stevia on BOTH her beauty and brains)*.

*I don't profess having a pretty and intelligent girlfriend by that name, so stop buggering me abt bikini pics.

P.S: Briartwine+Life Steal, anyone? I have fun throwing Malus Blackdagger down the proverbial well. For those who can get easily traumatized, I don't suggest partaking the Black Crypt dungeon. Montage of Traven Blackdagger might scar you for life if you happen to be a guy. If you happen to be a girl, triple confirm will scar you forever one. Someone in my party actually made a joke abt that portion. Which I'll not say.

Just a break...

Need to swear off Neverwinter for a while. And by that, I also mean Marvel Heroes 2015. Just a few thoughts thus far before my temp hiatus...


N1. Whenever Neverwinter updated its official FB page, chances are that cynics would come out in droves.

N2. Main issues the cynical ones enjoy aiming at Cryptic lies in two areas:
a. some server message in the color of Deadpool's costume
b. Deadpool's Ultimate Server Lag

N3. I also have this kind of problem for quite some time. Due to the fact that my life is also about being the next Gary "not Lim" Neville/Jamie "not the son of Harry" Carragher and the next G.R.R "will he or won't he?" Martin, this also means I'm not that affected. [1]

N4. Many ex/ current players have lodge complaints on the official forums/FB page that they ended up dying today instead of another day due to Deadpool's Ultimate Server Lag. The fact that I'm still relatively unscathed means either:
a. Tymora decided to make me her consort
b. Kelemvor decided to make me his Chosen One [2]

N5. Due to the devs' decision to stem (?) whatever potential addiction plausible, Celestial Coins are now earned once per every 24 hrs or so. Basically, this means that gamers who wished to get that C-thing from a Coffer of Wonderous Augmentation need to log in everyday to do that Korean ritual even if not playing. Costs 7 Celestial Coins plus only a small chance of getting it=May the Force (of Waukeen) be with you.

N6. To ensure you don't create some unwanted cock up, make sure you do the Invocation quest in Sword Coast Adventures first.

N7. Leadership is a MUST when it comes to choice of professions. Trust me when I say Astral Diamonds are your BFF since Neverwinter is no World of Warcraft.

N8. As for secondary professions, just choose one. Unless you happen to start on crafting those black ice stuff. Seems that Jarlaxle wasn't sly enough of a S.O.B...

N9. A lot has been said about rising AD price when it comes to higher end stuff. Which is why that Pretender Open Lord Dagult Neverember decided to do welfare handouts once your toon hit lvl 60.

N10. I too stupid, should have maxed out Clear the Ground. Doing a complete loop means scoring 1.2K+ of base damage. At the same time, this being a burst attack=pwned.

N11. Let's see if using CtG+Aimed Strike will work in solo PvE. Need to pecah lobang the sky first tho...

N12. Once you get a preservation ward, save it for any enchantment level up beyond the score of 5. Nvr destroyed=good for you. Destroyed=don't try again unless you got another spare.



Enough of Neverwinter for now, let me just say a few things on Marvel Heroes 2015 for the Industrial bs instigated by that dastardly Taskmaster.

M1. Bashing Taskmaster's retarded exams requires effective deployment. If PvP in Neverwinter is all about a game of wolves, then Industrial City Patrol is all about lone wolves being heroes in their own rights.

M2. Problem w/Industrial is the same w/Midtown Manhattan, i.e. you don't even get a shawarma in exchange for Wade Wilson's ultimate signature. [3]

M3. Wasn't too gung-ho when my Nightcrawler got his first Nate Grey's Psionic Armor. Due to my harebrained tendency to experiment tho, I found out that having your dodge reduced by 2% doesn't mean a shit since Cable himself is capable of sending Thanos running away scared w/this.

M4. Additional Tenacity=Nate Grey's Amazing Psionic Armor. Additonal Defense=Nate Grey's Uncanny Psionic Armor. Chance of energy blast per hit=Nate Grey's Incredible Psionic Armor. All these+boss damage bonus at 5%=Nate Grey's Total Badass Armor. [4]

M5. Replaced Excalibur's Saber w/Red Muramasa Blade. M4+big in Japan=Kurt Wagner has finally evolved once again. And this is not to mention 1 Legendary Blessing of Odin+Uru forged Warplate enhanced by Allfather's Fury. [5]

M6. Have event, sure everyone will go whack Taskmaster @Industrial City. [6]

M7. Juggernaut is one hell of baddest mutha***r. Srsly, who was the wise guy who suggested that standard 400 Eternal Splinters price for Cain Marko?

M8. Against Mister Hyde, you'll need 1 staple movement power plus any form of surefire invulnerable trigger. My NC nearly went to heaven twice b/c of how that bastard fights.

M9. That plus now me want Cosmic Kirigi Medallion.

M10. Now Gaz confirmed nerfed cosmic medallion drop rate like N months ago...

M11. Realized Black Panther, once calibrated correctly, can be an absolute animal in staging raids. Cryo+Snare+Dora+whatever magic doable by Magik=gg guano loco.




[1]: Doesn't prevent me from feeling frustrated last night due to me reaching nigh completion for my Well of Dragons foundry quest. Hopefully those 2 glaring issues will be fixed asap. Thanksgiving possible?
[2]: This is not to say Ser A. Fergie=Kelemvor. More likely he's Tempus with Louis "van Goal" van Gaal=Torm and Arsène "bobbies suspect arson" Wenger=Oghma.
[3]: Likelier you'll be having a hot date w/Natasha Romanova tho.
[4]: Damn, someone should just egg Domino to bed Nathan Summers.
[5]: "Kurt, you are one charming devil."
~Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch
[6]: Really feels like that moment when that school bully and all his cyber-buddies got gangbanged by some ragtag bunch of gays (need to have Shatterstar), blacks (we alrdy seen the grandest royal wedding via Wakanda), Jews (Magneto is one. And I don't mean Sir Ian "Gandalf isn't gay, Dumbledore is!" McKellen), Asians (shameless self plug=my user handle in Neverwinter is dravyll and my Marvel Heroes user handle is singawine), and sluts (c'mon, all you male bullies. Unless you're gay, pls dun tell me you all nvr watch pr0n. As for every female bully, I feel gutted that your bf might be watching pr0n by time you're reading this).

The Interloper Trilogy: Volume I (a list of chapters)

Tried my hand in doing a brand new lair, this time round helping the Emerald Enclave. Apparently, you'll need to use elixir whenever trying to do your own Han Solo. This is due to having whatever potion buffs certified gone if you happen to die. iirc Arylos became Kenny twice, both times at the hands of those black dragon mutants. Scarily enough, either they jumped on me post-mutation or I'm just plain stupid enough to take their piss head on.

Just a few tips whenever going lair mode...

1. Since we're talking abt lvl 60 lair crawl, make sure you buff yourself w/whatever major potions relevant. Trust me when I say sometimes/most of the time, you'll need at least 2 diff buffs.

2. If the game suddenly lags for whatever reason (mine kenna due to PC running backup in the middle), congrats. Via personal experience, I can virtually guarantee a wipe out at your own expense once your Shift tab animation frames got stuck halfway. As Oddrun's most famous quote goes: Yay! We're screwed! -.-'

3. You can actually leave your daily lair for another day if you don't feel like starting it today. This is extremely important b/c the devs might have nerfed major potion drops probability wise.

4. Believe it or not, it takes only a little bit of brain cells committing suicide bombing to make the most out of every death. For me, it took me 2 tries to calibrate correctly my skill set. In this case of killing drow and cultists, never go full retard by eschewing Split the Sky. Just don't ask me why it took me 2 tries to figure this out.

5. Aimed Shot very good in kiting. Bait those cultist bastards into jail ftw.

6. Against pre-boss run, better not use Commanding Shot first. Against boss, boleh.

7. Believe it or not, Rain of Swords is very damn useful in boss fights. I actually tried this against that drow mojo boss. Turned out my final fight no need to do retry.

8. The most difficult part in helping those ancestors of Greenpeace lies in triggering those damned bottled lightning. Unless you happen to be a Trickster Rogue capable of going MIA, chances are that you'll need to kill 2 golems in a single shot.

In fact, that's how I died via attracting black aggro...

9. In the event on pt 8 where you're left w/no choice, do StS+plenty of Fox's Shift. As attractive it might sound, don't do a Commanding Shot. Too many start up frames. Just do StS procc, shut up & take their $$$. That's why you'll need a maxed out Marauder's Rush if possible.

10. In fact, it's best for a party to do this if possible.

11. Now come to think of it, is it possible to attack the reinforcements first since those black bastards will die very fast w/o mutation?

12. Now come to think of it, def it's better to create StS procc setup>CS to kite>mod whatever fireworks in open terrain. If you're hell bent in fighting the lot near the lightning bottles, better for you to be a Guardian Fighter/Great Weapon Fighter. After all, it seems that the devs are now back in terms of buffing GWF.

So far so good, I've done 3 lairs including helping those blokes and girls from Emeraldpeace. One @Ebon Downs, the second one @Icespire Peak. Helping the Emerald Enclave is def much harder due to that stupid dark alliance between one cult and one entire ethnicity. Oh, and more thing. To enter the lair of dark alliance, one must kill that stupid spider woman first. Once you completed that shithole of a bigass cavern, you still have to face that same drider woman.

To Ms Komala aka my ex-superior @the-now-defunct 32 SIB: If the term spider woman sounds familiar to you, it means you're equally boliao as this ex-subordinate here. I mean Peter Parker got bitten by spider=Spiderman. You kenna bitten by spider=Spider Woman.

Please, hold your applause until the conclusion of the act!

A brief note on Marvel Heroes 2015 since I dunno when my engine will re-calibrate:

Apparently, using Excalibur's Sabre should be the best choice for every sword-build Nightcrawler. Using a Red Muramasa can be a real killer due to bleed stack+probability to nullify heal. Yet to try this on higher lvl tho since I've yet to try harder stuff like Cosmics and red lvl raids.

Now if only I can get Nate Grey's super duper armor.

Sadly, I dunno how power spec system works. :(

Book I: To Be A Forest Warden

Prologue-A Game Between Gods

I-Kelemvor Grants You Mercy

II-Kelemvor Grants You Death

III-To Escape From Wheloon

IV-Meeting A Hero

V-Understanding The World

VI-Living The Past

Interlude I

VII-Eldreth Veluuthara

VIII-Keenest Blades And Surest Bow

IX-Strategy And Tactics, Valor And Scoundrels

X-To Survive Is To Win

XI-A Lone Wolf

XII-An Infidel's Faith

Interlude II

XIII-A Ghost From The East

XIV-Different Individuals, Common Entity

XV-Lose Or Die

XVI-Verdict Utmost Damning

Interlude III

XVII-Return To The Past

XVIII-Hatred Painted In Purple

XIX-A Home Stained With Red

XX-A Wolf In Dragon's Hide

Interlude IV

XXI-A Damsel Pampered

XXII-The Hunt Begins

XXIII-Hunter Against The Hunted

XIV-To The Sword Coast

A/N: Since my planning sucks so much, basically it means Interloper will be done as a standalone trilogy. Which means this what-if project otherwise named The Neverwinter Six is waaay more ambitious than my real deal of a work.

Add A/N: Because I want to be seen as an alternate ver of Vincent van Gogh, allow me to say that the Interlude portions are intended as whatever shenanigans between those two gods upstairs.

Excerpt

[The game was set, both players staring against each other. One was both a thief and assassin, the other both dead and now the ruler of death. Both boasted of a common past, she who has returned belonging to neither. Gone was Midnight and Ariel Manx, no longer Cyric enjoyed whatever sanity previously had at Zhentil Keep.

"Kelemvor Lyonsbane..."

A name which damned his entire life, an existence mocking the Prince of Lies. The Black Sun desired nothing from the Lady of Mysteries bar outright dominion, yet it was the Great Guide himself who earned her love.

Granted nothing was already left countless years ago, but never a single bit did such a fact deter whatever immense hatred burning within the Mad God himself. The time for petty games now at end, upon the chessboard lain the fate of Faerûn. Only two chessmen were seen at both ends, one for the Mad God and the other belonging to the Judge of the Damned himself.

"Allow me to introduce my champion, dearest friend and enemy," purred Cyric, his fingers caressing an ivory figurine in the image of a human. As for Kelemvor, he stayed silent.

"Issil Dragonbane, he who has truly slain a dragon. Unlike some pathetic pretender of a giant cat."

Again, the Lord of the Dead ignored the scarcely hidden insult leveled by the Lord of Three Crowns. Cyric frowned in blatant anger, a moment seemingly brief going on forever. Then he who used to carry the name Lyonsbane spoke out.

"Behold my champion then, Cyric. One who is part of Or-tel-quessir, but never to be one at all."

"An interloper no different from a living dead then. My, how have we both fallen. A pity our dearest Lost Goddess is no longer around."

Ignoring Cyric's cruel taunt, Kelemvor knew better than to argue home the truth. That Mystra has already returned.

"Issil Dragonsbane may have slain a dragon by merit, but have you truly tasted the raw power hailed from the Weave?"

Momentary confusion at first assailed Cyric, then something abruptly dawned onto him. Cursing both Mystra and Kelemvor, Cyric should have tried killing Ariel Manx before she called Dweomerheart home. Indeed as both a thief and murderer while still being mortal, chances were aplenty. Just that nothing had been done.

Turning his back, Kelemvor knew beforehand that Cyric wouldn't attempt stabbing him from behind. Both understood the potential manner of consequences, the Lord of the Crystal Spire uttered forth an advice most damning.

"Your Issil may answer only to your whims, but the power of Feywild answers to nobody."]

~Prologue-A Game Between Gods

Trolling break aka der Sequel

Got a bit of time, might as well record down whatever I've learnt thus far... and hopefully add a thing or two for my never-to-born Neverwinter Six. Actually come to think of it, I should have tried harder. I mean compared to the Neverwinter Six, the Neverwinter Nine were actually the truest deal.

Some stuff I realized earlier tonight...

1. Running Icespire Peak can be quite time consuming unless you happened to look around for blokes blessed w/that square diamond halo.

2. Thought I'd have lost the Cathedral of Madness quest for good. The only catch? You need to know exactly which gate to go. iirc there's only 1 Azazel. And we all know he's a horned bastard who happened to be horny for Mystique. Really sucks to be Nightcrawler, here's hoping he will score w/Scarlet Witch.

3. Funnily enough, you'll need to run around in circles if you're not aware enough in terms of your surroundings. Icespire Peak and the Chasm had taught me this much.

4. It may sound weird here, but it seems that earning XP for killing monsters & bosses involve a performance bonus of sorts. Simply put, the more efficient you are, the better your XP profit. I came to this batshit crazy conclusion via Arylos' crazy lvl up speed. Note that I don't ever remember the blokes @Cryptic saying "hey, let's do our own Manhattan XP Market lol!"

5. For the first time in personal history, I actually won against a normal team in Domination. Simply put, my team were all warriors going against a team including 2 magic users. Not that I'm the Indian chief ofc... Oh, and pls dun ask me whether the other team actually suck  b/c I dun have the authority to demand replay vids from the Cryptic blokes....

6. In preparation for Tiamat's much awaited arrival come 18th Nov, it seems that Dagult Neverember has declared a whopping 8K worth of bonus Astral Diamonds, no matter which kind of Rhix's fixtures you decided to do. Yes, you heard me right. Stacked AD profiteering is now not just limited to PvP. Just dun ask me why that racist $$$ grubber from Waterdeep decided to be so bloody generous...

7. Racist Neverember's anti-discrimination bill basically means one thing: you can decide which daily quest to do. No need to like say die die must do everything. Quite a good idea from the Cryptic blokes if I say so myself.

8. If you happen to win a Domination PvP under the daily quest context, it means you'd have earned +1 completion for free. Sounds confusing? Nvr mind, let Minghui-matics do the maths for you.

Normal daily requirement:

4 matches played+lose all 4=8000

Bonus earned per daily:

1 match won=3 matches played=8000

Accumulative bonus:

1+1=2

9. It's official, guys. For every G-Dragon seen alive, there will be at least 4 F-dragons certified dead. And I've just proven this shit via a Thorn Ward/Commanding Shot>Commanding Shot/Thorn Ward>Split the Sky sequence. Just make sure you have two types of wolves in your skill arsenal.

And since I got not much time left...

...might as well go ahead and do my own flawed analysis on the three paragon feat paths. More specifically for the Hunter Ranger class. The special thing abt Hunter Rangers is this: not only is this the only class capable of being a physical ranged spec, but above all this is an absurdly versatile class. This is exactly why switching stance is so important. Ultimately. the manner of your individual play will decide how the range-melee mix up game pans out.

Introduction of the 3 amigas

Come lvl 30, every character must choose his/her own paragon path. For the Hunter Ranger, the correct paragon class chosen will create his/her own unique blend of skills. Because I am still single, alrdy bespectacled, getting horribly fat, and now waiting to go bald, allow me to invoke a surreal parallel here:

Suppose you're single and available. You have 3 girls to choose from, namely Girl A, Girl C, and Girl T. Which one will you choose to be your precious princess till death do both part? Quite obviously you'll need to know what each girl is like, correct? So let's do a breakdown on each choice given.

Girl A is that girl who somehow managed to notice your forest ghost existence first. You may have to contend with multiple crushes, but it seems that Girl A was the first one to smile and giggle towards your direction. Basically, it means either she's for real or you're thinking too much.

Girl C is that girl who somehow managed to share plenty of common aspects as you. Logically, she should be the one for you. Sadly, it seems that you're truly a forest ghost to her. Doesn't help that she's actually a close BFF of Girl A.

Girl T is that girl who somehow first invoked your interest. You know next to nothing about her, yet you verily soon realized she's quite unattainable due to her inner circle. This is not to say that Girl T is the daughter of some local MP, but at least you found out that one of her Facebook friends happen to be a local celebrity.

Just like all three girls are beautiful in their own ways, likewise the three paragon paths are also usable if you're good enough.

Archer:

This is def every Ranger class' first love. Ignore the fact that some of the finest rangers in fantasy happen to be the likes of Drizzt Do'Urden and Aragorn. When we talk abt rangers. we'll be like "oooh!!! Bow and arrows, forest and cover!!!!!"

Not so surprisingly, I've seen plenty of archer HRs, but little to none when it comes to the rest. It's like me choosing Girl A just b/c I perceive her to be the most pragmatic option. The only catch? My life as a ranger fanboy tends to gravitate towards every given technique certified risky. Which now comes to...

Combat:

Def not the safest bet b/c it's like Clint Barton trying to emulate Remy LeBeau. The only catch? Hawkeye is def a certified ranged DPS spec, but Gambit will always be remembered by Nick Fury as that top notch combat artist. Forget what you might have learnt from TV b/c Gambit would always be at his deadliest once you give him time and space w/that metal pole. Flinging kinetic charged poker cards is merely his primary tactic. Using his staff of mass destruction will always become that greatest damage source.

No one should demand your HR to fight like Drizzt Do'Urden, but at least you should understand the term "primary damage source" at the verily least.

Trapper:

This is a feat path for those truly daring. If the first 2 feat paths are meant to go hand in hand, then Trapper is quintessentially straddled somewhere in between. It's like comparing CT-MRI w/mammography. Both belong to the same field (i.e. radiology), but you can't shoehorn both together just like that.

Suffice to say, the popular consensus is playing Trapper sucks. It's not so much on how really sucky is the Trapper path, but rather the insane learning curve involved.

And speaking of being sucky...

I've recently stumbled upon one hell of a dinosaur poster in some random Neverwinter forum post (not the official one, mind you, since the mods would be more than happy to ban the ****er from Cryptic's official Sim Lim Square). Long story short, that person was whining over how HR should be an artillery spec. As some ARPG n00b who somehow managed to master the usage of a decent HR, I find this manner of post laughable at best. At worst, it's like Tony Stark assuming the throne of Wakanda.

Someone actually tried reasoning w/a troll, believe it or not. If it's down to me... well, I'd try doing so otherwise as well. One, if not the most, hilarious lie that living fossil pulled out from his/her sorry ass is the insistence that Oak Skin is practically crap. Why? Because plenty has been spoken abt the minimal amount of HP healed, but nothing abt what truly makes this skill such a wonderful thing. Let's try to see things via 2 diff skits involving 2 same characters...

Me: Wow, you look absolutely pretty in bikini.

Stevia: Anything else?

Me: Erm.. nothing I can think of now.

*next day me kenna sepak by Stevia's friends*

Me: You really look pretty in bikini.

Stevia: And what you're trying to say apart from that?

Me: I think you should try letting others know that you're not all beauty and no brains. You can't blame the average Joe for watching too much Baywatch, right?

*immediately me kenna complimented by Stevia's friends*

When you get a gf who happened to be both beautiful and smart, you don't harp on how hot she looks in her fave two-piece. Likewise, only Stevia's detractors would say plenty of stuff on her outer beauty and totally kosong on her inner beauty.

The one thing granting any HR an absurdly high survival gameplay is activating Oak Skin. Which basically makes stance switch so vital. Coupled w/Stag Heart and you'll get one hell of a monster tank. Now come to think of it, I should test drive this on Arylos esp since I've alrdy gotten that Feytouched enchantment I wanted so badly. Now let's see if I can get Briartwine...

Plenty of signature moves, but which one?

I realized that Split the Sky is best used in dungeon crawling and dragon slaying. I know this is a belated discovery, but no one should also fault Sir Stamford Raffles for being N ages slower than the likes of Sang Nila Utama and Zheng He.

In solo PvE, you'll need to slap in a Fox's Cunning so that your 1st-dodge-for-free can mitigate whatever retaliation big time. Against slow hitting mob, you can get away w/this. Not too sure what'll happen against the fast ones tho. Ofc this doesn't mean StS is totally crap in normal PvE since this the def the most straightforward way to one-shot those annoying quicklings running amok in Sharandar.

Blade Storm is good, but not good enough once you have Twin Blade Storm plus a maxed out Aspect of the Lone Wolf which gives you a base 20% deflection plus a whopping max 10% bonus in addition. The only way to make Blade Storm work is to combine it w/Twin Blade Storm. Which imo is outright bs in a very negative sense. This is NOT to say Blade Storm is 100% crap or even near 70%. But you'll really need to slap in a Lightning epic weapon enchantment in order to get the most out whatever batty amount of chain damage involved.

Stormstep Action is for Stormwardens out to get a quick buck from being a Trapper. For those interested in mixing this up w/Serpent Weave, you're encouraged to do so. Because as a pro Trapper, you'll need plenty of Encounter powers to tide you by.

Cold Steel Hurricane is quintessentially your DM. I don't mean Dungeon Master ofc, but rather the term Desperation Move. Ever played King of Fighters before?

And lastly, but not the least...

The pros and cons of each paragon path.

Archer

Greater Power domains:

Dungeon; Skirmish; group PvE

Intermediate Power domains:

Solo PvE

Lesser Power domain:

PvP (both Domination & Gauntlgrym)

Analysis

Archery is all abt single target DPS. In fact, the only class capable of outgunning a HR range spec in this area is what I'll coin a Scourge Warlock nuke spec. Given Scourge Warlock's relatively new arrival, I believe there are plenty more stuff waiting to be tested out since my perception is that SW is basically the most absurd class in terms of the variety of playing style options.

Without a SW, however, you can be very sure the Archer HR will most likely take the cheesecake in terms of all things Greater Power domain. This is due to the whole Predator-Prey mechanic. Try this w/Feytouched against any bigass boss/dragon. Shit will go purple and 120% catastrophic. iirc I've seen before 1 dwarf Devoted Cleric and the other bloke taking down a dungeon final boss+his kahkia for Spellplague Caverns all for free. No prizes for guessing who's that other person.

Ofc as anyone will tell you, Control Wizards tend to bake the biggest cheesecakes. Just that they're not built to outgun range spec HRs in terms of damage.

Solo PvE wise, Archers do have a decent survival level. The only problem lies in timing the CC execution. That plus there will always be higher end enemies (bosses and non-bosses) which are quintessentially immune to non-magic CC effects unless on a lower health (fyi, ensnaring effects tend to have the least powerful impact). For every manner of PvE, defender type companions are strongly recommended. If you're interested to become a Jeff Hardy, Wayward Wizard is actually worth more than just 2 pops of gold.

PvP... well, they nerfed Predator effect for this very occasion, so....

Combat

Greater Power domains:
Solo PvE; PvP (both Domination & Gauntlgrym)

Intermediate Power domains:
Dungeon; group PvE

Lesser Power domain:
Skirmish

Analysis

Arylos belongs to this archetype. HRs are known for being survivors due to superior options in defensive buffs (the only offensive buffs melee-wise would be Hawkeye & Throw Caution). For range specs, effectiveness would have been effectively halved. This is due what I've said on the CC front just now. In addition, combat HRs tend to have better defensive/healing feats. Deflection+Wild Medicine+life steal x 2 would virtually guarantee your survival in a 1 vs 10 against Dragon cultists. Let alone pulling off an Oak Skin.

In terms of PvP, a lot has been said on combat HR being absurdly imba. Such statement is nothing but nonsense. I can easily identify Scourge Warlocks and Control Wizards as the showstoppers and gamechangers ffs.

The only reason why combat HR is such a prized asset in any PvP team is what I've stated above: high survival rate. PvP is all abt how long you can last, NOT how many you can kill. I've pulled off some crazy bs tantamount to half-assed suicide bombing and the next thing I know, my buddies arrived to avenge my idiocy on those more deserving of party wrath. It's not a sin to die like a moron so long you are able to pull one enemy or more down together w/you. Only a matter of directly or indirectly. Also, it helps a lot in terms of mass deflection and Aspect of the Pack since that means giving your team better tactical options.

Then we have Dungeon and group PvE in general. These 2 categories belong to the group attrition aspect where individual survivability is 2nd priority. The key is to heighten your chances of survival via body count and this is where combat HRs fall horribly short.

You see, combat HR tend to place survival first (just like the general HR). This is due to higher end defensive buffs made available (which now makes me wonder what the paladin class will do if Cryptic decide to put that in. Or even druid for that matter). Damage input wise, combat HR will lose out to the likes of SW and Great Weapon Fighters. Coupled with any Trickster Rogue pulling off a possible mass mob slow and you'll get my drift.

When it comes to Skirmish, it's even worse b/c Skirmish is all abt pace and aggression.  Individual survivability means nothing next to shit, I can assure you that.

So how should a combat HR deal w/this manner of handicap? Very simple, folks. You have 3 Encounter slots, try to even things out by creating a tactical balance between direct AoE damage, CC, and group buff. Don't try to be hero b/c you won't ever be one. In fact, chances are you'll need to chip in from afar instead of getting up, close, and personal.

Take a leaf from Drizzt Do'Urden. We all know his exploits starting from Menzoberranzan. Doesn't mean he's always the one winning major battles at the most forefront. That kind of accolade belongs to Bruenor Battlehammer and Wulfgar.

Personal tip: Commanding Shot+Feytouched=GG 

Trapper
Greater Power domains:
Dungeon; Skirmish; group PvE

Intermediate Power domains:
PvP (both Domination & Gauntlgrym)

Lesser Power domain:
Solo PvE

Analysis

Survival is not everything. Trappers are capable of surviving solo, but only when it comes to group warfare will this particular gem truly shine. Appreciating Trappers is a bit like appreciating pretty girls. 'Tis far easier for guys to be attracted by girls blessed with sexy legs and/or beautiful boobs. Supposedly we have a beautiful girl where the only visible asset happens to be her derrière. Would guys take notice ala first impression basis? Or would it be easier for them to notice an equally attractive girl with legs/boobs/both?

What I'm trying to say is this: Trappers tend to be under-appreciated. That's all. Due to Neverwinter being far more group friendly than solo friendly, Trappers are capable of being your BFF. However, a gross lack in options  when it comes to solo-survival tends to hurt the Trapper. A lot of the Trapper's game tend to focus on CC damage. As I've said again and again, the CC factor for HR isn't really a big deal since even a TR can outgun any HR in this area.

And a word on PvP. Trappers need tactical cover to work their magic. Which is why I put PvP under Intermediate domain.

Most ideal companion? Go get a Leader type. The easiest one to get is Apprentice Healer, the easiest Epic grade to get is also a Leader.

Trolling break...

Somehow or another, I may really start on writing the Neverwinter Six series, never mind how many volumes and manuscripts will this take me. Before I start getting ambitious though, I realized 2 things.
1. I need to complete A Ranger's Tale first.

2. Blokes at Wizards of the Coast need to be convinced that S'pore got talent. And a local one at that.

By my own calculation, point 1 is pretty much 60% possible. Point 2, on the other hand, is 60% minus 60. If you dunno what I'm talking abt, it means you've failed your maths.

Due to fatigue overcoming me, I decided to write up a little piece on whatever experience I've gleaned from using Feytouched enchantment.

The devs are prepping for Rise of Tiamat by...

Releasing a teaser gameplay trailer? Nah. Giving every Neverwinner a Vanguard Pack plus some never before heard title? Have to see whether Neverwinter's Twitter audience can hit the 39K mark.

So how on earth are the devs prepping for RoT? Well firstly, I actually expected a brand new campaign. Turns out that the devs are out to do a campaign expansion. How on earth are they gonna do that, have to wait for 18th Nov.

If there's anything the devs might have been guilty of, it'd be upping the difficulty of lair bashing. Just last night, I tried a hand or two in bashing Gnarlroot Caves and the Witch Fen. Just now, I tried a hand in cult bashing. So far so good, I only got experience in doing in Ebon Downs and Icespire Peak where this part is concerned. So what have I discovered?

1. Heightened difficulty. This is evident if you're somewhere bashing cultists (i.e. for Tyranny of Dragons campaign)

2. Fire in the hole>reinforcement on the way>from 1 vs 1 to 1 vs 3-4. This is evident if you happen try getting an actual Korean/Japanese gf/bf who happened to be @New Sharandar (i.e. Fury of the Feywild campaign aka Sharandar campaign).

3. Point no.2 seems to be painfully significant if you happen to try bashing the Witch Fen. Expect plenty of polymorphing once you try giving that final bitch her final fight.

4. Weirdly enough, fighting Grimak Nailbiter doesn't trigger reinforcement. Actually, they're alrdy somewhere waiting for their boss' instructions. Meh...

Ofc since my intent was to give my precious little Feytouched a beta test-run, it could be likely that whatever spike in difficulty was due to having an epic enchantment. Or maybe I'm really thinking too much.

Some stuff I realized in the process...

1. Feytouched effect can be visible from 5 miles away so as to speak. Once your enemy turns purple, be very sure it's not down to random Halloween goers high on LSD (in another words, I do not have a problem w/ppl dressing up unless their fashion sense end up implying an actual acid trip).

2. If you failed to see any purple glow, it means Professor Picard has something to advise:

3. Make sure you have 2 means to activate the F-effect. One as your primary strategy and the other as your primary tactical move.

4. Strategy is all abt initiating the preemptive. In short, you're creating the F-effect via an effective setup method.

5. Tactical move, on the hand, is meant to be pulled off somewhere in the middle of heated battle.

6. Primary strategy means using it as a secondary tactical means, vice versa for tactical move. This IS extremely important due to the HR's stance toggle. If you can't even do this shit come lvl 60, then...

How I tend to F-troll (for now)

One of the finest level in the art of trolling lies in this:

For every stupid argument proffered, there has to be a hidden knife offered. 

For every stupid act committed, there has be a likelihood of suicide committed.

This, my friends, is what the Feytouched effect is made of. According to the Forgotten Realms lore, this is an ability used by fey pact warlocks. Simply put, Arylos shouldn't even be touching that thing! But whether Kareis will do it, however, is entirely up to the rest.

The only catch? Stormwardens do HAVE an affinity w/the Feywild (i.e. the source of power for every Feytouched). Simply put, there IS a potential RP value from how I perceive this. Anything other than this tho, I might need to do this.

Okay, I digressed. Simply put, the only way to kill a troll is to troll him/her back. Staying silent is one method (something which Drizzt Do'Urden is still famous for), taking action through that person's own words/action is another (something which Artemis Entreri is still famous for). By stealing 3% of the enemy's trolling prowess, you can easily earn a profit far higher than a measly 3%.

Funnily enough, I don't know how the devs calculate the damage siphoned+used. 3% of target's damage can be extremely ambiguous (and even more so in PvP). Hence, it's my opinion that damage in this context is a fixed value based on the target's overall power. After all, Feytouched will instantly trigger upon executing any Encounter attack (note that I say attack. Which means stuff like Fox's Cunning and Oak Skin don't count).

Primary Strategy/Secondary Tactic

Split the Sky

This is ludicrously effective in creating that bigass AoE proc. Depending on your playing style, either you position this w/yourself as the central point or somewhere in between yourself and the enemy. Either way, you'll need to mob-kite everybody into your force field of BSMD. Once lightning strikes once, you're pretty much game on. The only wonky bs is the question on how many suckers will get themselves hit otherwise (note that StS will only hit-trigger upon enemy attacking you).

In the event where you need to do some AoE jailbreak (and trust me when I say every Neverwinner will run the risk of getting surrounded unless said Neverwinner happens to play a Trickster Rogue. Vengeance's Pursuit+Blitz+Stealth modal ftw), you'll need Fox's Shift in order to trigger that much needed get-one-dodge-for-free bs. Trust me when I say it works. But only if you choose to up your Swift Hunter heroic feat till like 4-5 ranks. I was really that batshit crazy in investing this much feat pts in the Trapper tree, Arylos has never looked back since.

A/N: Just don't try this if your HR happens to be at any enclosed space. Not even Jackie Chan can save himself from those batshit crazy cultists of every color conceivable.

Primary Tactic/Secondary Tactic

Fox's Shift

Arguably one of the combat HR's finest AoE bs, this will actually hit one enemy PLUS the rest around him/her. If you happen to get yourself surrounded, it means you'll only be able to hit most, if not only some. Earning that need for speed, however, means you're able to jailbreak like the Roadruner itself. Suppose that damning 20 sec effect is over, it means Wile E. Coyote and his merry friends will be standing somewhere waiting to be shafted.

In the event where your StS is still in cooldown, FS should be your next bet in pulling off the F-effect. Due its hit-trigger effect deemed normal, it's actually easier to land that F-bomb neatly. Against tougher enemies however, I'd advise doing StS as strategy w/FS as tactic. After all, there's not much of a chance for you to one-shot those damned cultists if I say so myself...

Alternate means

Rain of Swords

Far more useful in 1 on 1. Strongly recommended in fighting bosses (i.e. enemies blessed w/actual names). Don't choose this, however, if your secondary At-Will isn't Aimed Strike. Frontal AoE can be really tricky, so I won't suggest this w/o an effective bleeding DoT. In the event where you decided to troll, execute FS first>then do RoS. Make sure you manage to apply at least 1 stack of AS bleed, best if you can do a max 2 stack. I can assure you that trolling polymorphers has nvr been so fun.

Binding Arrow

Better known as Oak Skin's BFF, doing this will severely hamper your max damage output possible. Try this during dungeon crawls and you'll nvr regret kenna lugi this way. After all, only archer HRs are capable of cleaning the Executioner and Paingiver billboard charts.

Mr Bill, anyone?

We all know Kill Bill, but do we know Kill Draco? Don't worry, I'm not some homicidal sociopath belonging to Gryffindor. We all know dragon slaying is a key part in being a Neverwinner. Since Drizzt Do'Urden wasn't able to kill Icingdeath via a fair fight, might as well allow 6-10 others doing it for him.

I actually tried this off against that blue dragon @Rothe Valley. My choice of At-Will powers stays the same. Class skills wise, I replaced Twin Blade Storm w/Aspect of the Pack (note that it's good for you to use either TBS or AotP w/Aspect of the Lone Wolf being your most important dalit).

Encounter powers wise, I chose Thorn Ward, Commanding Shot, and StS.

3% of dragon power pilfered+combat advantage for free+plenty of damage increment=Approval.

And did I mention Forest Warden/Forest Lord as well?

A/N: As per normal, the bigger the tree, the bigger storm it will attract. Make sure you don't become North Korea unless you're comfortable w/having cultists shouting dogmatic slogans behind your back. For every thing else, there should always be a master threat generator. iirc even if you manage to jailbreak successfully like Jaime Lannister or Bryden Tully, it means technically nothing since you'll be forced to call off your beloved F-dragon tactic.

I got a companion...

Above MV actually do have a bit of relevance here. You see, sellswords tend to boast of 3 main gifts:

1. Drinks

2. Money

3. Girls

Sellswords enjoy having more than a drink, sellswords like $$$ as well. As for girls... well, it actually depends. For Arylos' case, he may not have the drinks and/or money, but at least he got the girl. And by using the term girl, I mean the sellsword. Personally wise, I actually prefer her tavern brawler costume. Looks hotter this way. But I sorely digress again like a certain Old Wolf in Belgarath the Sorcerer.

Originally, I thought her effectiveness is nowhere near my apprentice healer and shield maiden. Turned out I was wrong big time. Originally, I was only messing abt. Somehow or another tho, my hot sellsword managed to impress Arylos way faster than you can say "101". Ironically, it was due to Arylos' previous outing w/her which skewed my opinion. Back then, Arylos was only like... what, lvl 40 or so??? Once kitted correctly, my sellsword can be one hell of a monstrous cat. Now if only I can earn like 300K AD so that she can be upgraded further.

And before I go zzzz, here's a fitting theme for the Neverwinter Six

The Solar Trilogy; Volume I: Interloper (the real deal)

Okay, server down, not gonna waste my time waiting 2 hrs straight. I mean I need to sleep, okay?! Thankfully I managed to redo the invocation quest in Sword Coast Adventure. Take note, ppl. In case you've yet to realize it, extending your Celestial Coins shelf life by 30 hrs regularly is the best way to regulate your real time.

Immediate target(s) to achieve

1. Get that damned tier 1 Epic Forest Warden body armor (apparently, some crazy Neverwinners actually did an equally batshit crazy test drive here).

2. Exact my much desired vengeance on that damned Dread Caves dungeon boss (have to admit I've gotten over whatever mutiny happening N ages ago, makes it easier for me to blame that masterbrain).

3. Score that final damned Briartwine shard (realized I got myself really damned lucky in getting shard no.3 due to Dungeon Delves event switched on. Lol I only noticed "12 mins remaining" when I exited from Idris' Black House).

4, Doing a damned run out for Gray Wolf Den. (Got a rough idea on how to screw the boss, but def need countless Kenny moments to prove whatever theory bs relevant).

5. Get one Unicorn tier body armor in the most likely event where I actually scored myself a whopping 90 seals (and tbh, it's far more economic friendly compared to keeping your fingers crossed).

6. In the event where pt 1 or 5 gets accomplished, gonna start hitting Rothe Valley. 3 more tries before getting Cloak of the Emerald Enclave, further 20 hrs more before scoring a random Unicorn tier equipment (wait... then why I so damned stupid to temp buang Rothe Valley????? Some more got title leh!!!!!!!!)

7. Try doing an actual foundry. Been wanting to do a foundry, too much of a lazy bastard to do so despite alrdy hitting max lvl for dunno how many weeks liao...

Some interesting conjectures...

1. Running any given campaign quest at your current lvl depends on two things: current lvl (atm only for ToD) and current gear score (for the rest). Basically, it means running ToD asap would be far more advantageous in both the short and long run. This>Proof that I really stupid.

2. Gear score factor also works the same for Gauntlgrym mine craft.

3. If you see anybody putting the [Looking for Party] tab in the name of dragon killing, pls don't laugh. Yes, I know it's 100% possible to finish any given ToD quest in solo. But it doesn't really give you the license to troll that poor fella. This is NOT a conjecture, but a basic rule of civility.

4. Apparently, getting a random shard IS possible if you happen to be a skirmish bum. Scored myself a few during the Call to Arms event for Pit Fight. Also got myself 2-3 of those while doing Wild Hunt rush. Again NOT a conjecture. Got problem w/the c-word, go take a plane to either Cambridge or Oxford.

With all clearance done, let the show begin!

Part 1: Characters

Arylos

Basic Information

Home-Hullack Forest

Former Home(s)-Wheloon; Hermit's Woods

Gender-Male

Race-Wood elf

Patron deity-Kelemvor

Known language-Common; Elven; Goblin; Drow; Drow Sign; Undercommon

Dates

Born-1364 DR (discovered as an abandoned infant)

Rules Information

Alignment-Chaotic Good (formerly Chaotic Neutral)

4th Edition Statistics

Class: Ranger             10

           Rogue              3

           Stormwarden   1

Will also appear in:

Dreamer (Volume III of the Solar Trilogy)

Starlit Cloak (Volume II of the Lunar Trilogy)

Midnight Gem (Volume III of the Lunar Trilogy; mentioned)

Interesting stuff:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Eldreth_Veluuthra

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kelemvor

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Wheloon#Post-Spellplague

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Stormwarden

{*} {*} {*} {*}

Irion the Hunter

Basic Information

Home-Hullack Forest

Former Home(s)-Cormanthor; the Gray Forest; the High Forest

Gender-Male

Race-Wood elf

Patron deity-Fenmarel Mestarine

Known language-Common; Elven; Goblin; Drow; Drow Sign

Dates

Born-around 1385 DR (rumored to be that day where the Spellplague struck)

Rules Information

Alignment-Chaotic Neutral

4th Edition Statistics

Class: Ranger             13
           Fighter             4
           Pathfinder        2

Will also appear in:
Dreamer (Volume III of the Solar Trilogy)
Starlit Cloak (Volume II of the Lunar Trilogy)
Midnight Gem (Volume III of the Lunar Trilogy; mentioned)

Interesting stuff:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Spellplague

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Fenmarel_Mestarine

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Pathfinder

{*} {*} {*} {*}

Herial the Warder

Basic Information

Home-Hermit's Wood

Former Home(s)-Neverwinter

Gender-Male

Race-Human

Patron deity-Torm

Known language-Common; Goblin

Dates

Born-1353 DR
Died-around 1400 DR

Rules Information

Alignment-Lawful Neutral (formerly Lawful Good)

4th Edition Statistics

Class: Paladin                   13
           Divine Champion  4

Will also appear in:
Dreamer (Volume III of the Solar Trilogy)

Interesting stuff:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Hermit's_Wood

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Neverwinter_Nights

{*} {*} {*} {*}

Brave Unknown

Basic Information

Home-Wheloon

Former Home(s)-None/unknown

Gender-Male

Race-Human

Patron deity-Kelemvor

Known language-Common

Dates

Born-Not known
Died-1374 DR

Rules Information

Alignment-True Neutral

4th Edition Statistics

Class: Fighter  10
           Paladin  5

Will also appear in:
Midnight Gem (Volume III of the Lunar Trilogy; mentioned)

Interesting stuff:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Wheloon#Recent_history

{*} {*} {*} {*}

Kory

Basic Information

Home-Wheloon

Former Home(s)-Koryo (sold into slavery)

Gender-Female

Race-Koryan human

Patron deity-Sune

Known language-Common; Koryo

Occupation-Tavern wench

Dates

Born-1368 DR
Died-1386 DR

Will also appear in:
Rebel (Volume II of the Solar Trilogy; brief cameo)
Crescent Knives (Volume I of the Lunar Trilogy; brief mention)

Interesting stuff:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Wheloon#Post-Spellplague

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Koryo

Plus some possibly damning inspiration...

{*} {*} {*} {*}

Lewyn Hawkseal

Basic Information

Home-Sword Coast

Former Home(s)-Luskan

Gender-Female

Race-Half elf

Patron deity-Gond

Known language-Common; Dwarven

Dates

Born-1466 DR

Rules Information

Alignment-Chaotic Neutral

4th Edition Statistics

Class: Rogue    6
           Fighter   4  
           Wizard   2

Will also appear in:
Rebel (Volume II of the Solar Trilogy)
Starlit Cloak (Volume II of the Lunar Trilogy)

Interesting stuff:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Zhentarim

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Harpers

To be cont'd, now too drained liao...