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

Ramblings of a mad man...

Apparently, I need a life beyond Faerûn. In short, there has to be other things I can do. Ah well, at least it takes me much faster than otherwise expected to re-adapt to Marvel Heroes after N months of going MIA.

Since I'm hell bent in writing nonsensical stuff just for this once, might as well remind a certain Private Ryan something he wrote around 5 yrs ago when I leveled up to the next age level in my church fellowship.

"To Minghui:
You have the body of an adult, but a mind of a child.
You must grow up!"

Not so surprisingly, Mr Eric Soh actually commented Private Ryan to be this kind of person. That was only after I mentioned this to him tho...

Now if only I can really prove Private Ryan wrong by either:
1. Having a gf who is both intelligent and pretty.
2. Having a career as Aitor Karanka's field strategist come next season.

Before I start retarded-izing all readers to come, allow me to up the ante via the clip below.

Certain stuff I realized...

1. Not so recently looked through the Singapore Slammers roster.

That was when I first heard of whatever harebrained plan to create a tennis-aware S'pore.

Curious to know who will be in the roster.

Some names, I know. Some others, I lagi blur.

Weirdly enough, I still can recall the name Daniela Hantuchová.

Must be due to TNP running her pics many yrs ago.

Def must be back when Gan Eng Seng School was full of horny tweenage guys.

Me included.
If remember correctly, must be this pic below.

2. Did Aberrant Assault.

Final boss full of crazy bs.

If you play him, can win.

To win, must die 1-2 times.

Which is why every Neverwinner needs divine injury kit,

Which is why all Neverwinners must challenge the gods.

3. Did Dread Legion.

Terrain full of crazy bs.

Final boss actually not so bs.

If you play him, can win.

To win, no need to die.

Which is why Split the Sky will always be Arylos' BFF.

4. Did another round of Master of the Hunt.

Terrain no bs.

Mob no bs.

Boss no bs.

Must be b/c I play that stage too much liao...

Also managed to create the correct skill set.

In the end I become top 3 on average rankings.

5. Had a test run on the Dread Ring campaign lair.

No play tank, no pakei.

No play procc, no pakei.

No Commanding Shot, no pakei.

Actually can decide between tank and CS.

Why I so stupid?

Think using CS+StS more effective.

6. S'pore won Laos.

Then realized only friendly.

Good attack not good enough.

Combative spine confirm good enough.

But still must have someone to boss control.

7. #SGTrollingGod strikes again.

Started some funny campaign entitled #OpsAirKangKang

If don't know what is kangkang, don't ask.

If know what is kangkang, then don't tell.

8. I inspired by #OpsAirKangKang

Die Schwarzgelben now kenna domestic problem.

CL confirm boleh tho.

Must be b/c CL too senang.

Must b/c German football even more power than S.Korean activists.

To help Kloppo, I suggest #OperationDuaKang.

DuaKang means big hole.

Got space to operate, then full of win.

Cannot operate enough space, then full of no win.

Ball not in opponent's half.

Ball in your own half, Kloppo.

9. Me no gf.

Me think got target.

Me dunno when/where.

10. Me realized speedrun too overrated.

Others may outrun me.

But they still me to make the 1st move.

I not talking abt jio chio-bu.

I talking abt running 5-a-side PvE.

I referring to Neverwinter btw.

11. Why always Balotelli?

Why always him?

Why Conte so kum gong?

Maybe he not kum gong.

I think Rodgers need to watch more Azzurri.

Tell entire midfield to bua Balotelli.

Don't discriminate kaki-lang.

Do support kaki-lang.

12. Dunno when my sis will take trip to Milan.

Dunno when/whether she'll meet Balotelli.

Dunno if Balotelli will call her by her full name.

Then tell her that he actually knows her bro.

That her bro is actually his big benefactor.

13. No Stevie, no Anfield.

If really like that...

...then sign Lallana kam-lan?

14. Dunno if future gf support Liverpool or not.

Or maybe her relative(s) instead.

Dunno leh...

15. What if I really one day have to sit at Karanka's left?

Like that future gf will hoot me or not?

I swear I not responsible for that 30 try penalty shootout.

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...

The Solar Trilogy, Volume I: Interloper (apologies for cancelling this b/c of time factor)

Apparently, calling myself a FR fanboy is just me saying I'm a Wood Elves fanboy for Warhammer Fantasy. And all for what? Because the only badass character bouncing in my mind is Drizzt Do'Urden. Just don't ask me why R.A Salvatore decided to create some weird mortal-goddess pr0n since I've yet to progress anywhere beyond the Hunter's Blades trilogy. What I do know, however, is the fact that Lloth is fated to trolled and to be trolled. As for Mielikki, I never knew until recently that her inability to troll actually resulted in that greatest troll-job ever known to the Faerûnian pantheon.

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.

But before that...

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.

Add this 4 teh lulz only

[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.

[7]: http://unanswered-bloke-works.blogspot.com/2013/08/since-every-school-is-good-school.html

[8]: 2.5K+ worth of lurker hits... wow, man...

[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.

[10]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhjT_M6UIEY

[11]: Apologies if I manage to offend half the Korean peninsula.

[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.

[16]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6WHBO_Qc-Q

[17]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1uGDjSVLOk

[18]: That's why you need Wisdom check.

The Neverwinter Six: The Solar Trilogy (to be cont'd ofc!)

Starting on ART latest chap, finally got the motivation to do something useful to my future apart from analysing football. Sadly, it seems that either I'm destined to Teesside or somewhere under the tutelage of G.R.R Troll. But firstly...

Something which others have alrdy knew...

Tried my hand in killing the mastermind behind the Whispering Caverns, turned out to be total failure. 3 ppl disconnected (note that by getting yourself disconnected, it doesn't mean  a thing unless you've made it clear beforehand that Ned Stark has just summoned you for public execution). The most retarded thing ofc is not abt whether the Night's Watch are starting to desert, but rather the fact that we got 2 more new ppl coming in and that they can't get themselves into the fray. I swear this must be some kind of trolling b/c when you joined in any party instance AFTER shit has begun, you should be popping up at the latest campfire. I know b/c I've been through it correctly twice.

With the ranting gone, let's just take a look and ask ourselves how in the blue hell can we kill that stupid underground kraken.

1. To end the mastermind is to kill off the troll asap. Note that I am using singular here.

2. The longer you delay, the faster you die. It's like Le Professeur playing football against Big Sam back when Arsenal ended up getting totally arsed by Dougie "hopefully still Super Doug" Freedman's ex.

3. See the brain, kill the brain. The moment you see tentacles coming up, be very sure that the devs must've been influenced by that weird Japanese stuff called Saya no Uta.

4. Take down the tentacle asap, this requires team effort. In short, there's no sin in ganking a cheesy AI.

5. And speaking abt cheesy, all you need to switch off the brain is this:

a. Apply plenty of damage increment buff+debuff.

b. Once the tentacle goes down, it means you're legit to either apply brain death or go brain dead.

c. Thankfully, the devs decided that trolling isn't cool after the anti-trolling bill introduced by Downing Street. In short, you can expect plenty of mob chase when dealing w/the tentacle and nigh kosong mob spawn afterwards.

d. If you happen to play HR, pls for the love of the devs, do NOT stray from the mastermind! This is extremely important b/c firstly, it doesn't make any sense for you to shoot pot from afar when in fact point blank firing is merely considered a rare scenario. Secondly, staying afar means straying afar. Can't blame you for initiating mob chase for this instance.

6. I actually learnt that the hard way. That plus pulling off Split the Sky is extremely vital if you happen to be a Stormwarden. Combat, Archery, or Trapper, the Rock has this to say. You won't become Ciro Immobile overnight, but at least you can add in damage plus toasting an immobile mob all for free.

7. Which now comes to switching stance+Clint "not Joey" Barton's semi-namesake. If you can't even do this at lvl 60...

Epic Enchantments I'm now out to get...

Frost

(current no of shards: 1)

Need this apply Recovery debuff. In particular, solo killing a cultist mob can be extremely excruciating due to absurd AP rate. Especially useful in dragon kill.

Feytouched

(current no of shards: 1)

Even more kisiao due to that 3% rule. I encourage trying this against Lostmauth and Severin 4 teh evulz.

Lightning

(current no of shards: 2)

Gonna use this for my TR.

Barkwood

(current no of shards: 3)

Gonna use this for my TR. Then I realised I accidentally bound it on my HR. I so damn retarded sia...

Briartwine

(current no of shards: 2)

Once I get 4 of this, I'm gonna pull off a fail-proof merge due to me being lucky enough to earn my 1st Coalescent Ward at my 1st try in getting Coffer of Wondrous Augmentation. That plus I firmly believe getting 3 more Feytouched from Arylos' betters @Sharandar will require some bloody anal 4D luck.

Which now comes to...

The Neverwinter Six: The Solar Trilogy

Interloper

Rebel

Dreamer

Volume I: Interloper

"Remember who you are, do not call yourself for what you are. Time will change every one of us. Humans, elves, and dwarves... we all are victims to our years. If only the gods can never change, then you alone must decide whether Kelemvor has watched over you."

Those were the last words young Arylos heard from that only man he called father. No one knew the elderly warrior's name, not even the young wood elf himself. Yet, he could never forget that fateful day where his only kin was brutally taken away by death. Death by arrows and the sword, death at the hands of those who worship Shar herself...

"Have you heard of it? We are accused of plotting outright rebellion! You have nothing to do with this, so leave! Far better it is for one to suffer than both!"

1479 DR, the year where Wheloon has officially became a prison city. Here, only the mighty ruled with an iron fist. None has ever traveled there, no one has ever escaped from its walls. If the past could be seen as kind to Arylos, then the present was anything but that. Distrusted at best and mostly hated, the wood elf has carved out a minor repute as a ruthless survival artist. Memories of Sharran cultists haunted his every step, any move made would surely invoke the ire of those around him.

Yet, little did Arylos know that what appeared to be an everyday occurrence would herald a new life for him. Life as a proper Or-tel-quessir, life as one who could never belong to his own people. A ranger blessed with a tactical mind unrivaled, an interloper cursed with the name of Kelemvor murmured in his heart. From Cormyr to Waterdeep, from the Crown of the North to what used to be the Jewel of the North...

"This must be where my life starts now. The beginning of my years and the end of my time."

The first volume of this trilogy will take the readers on a journey like never before. It will be a journey of adventure and loss, a journey of questions asked. Here begins a story about life and heroes, a tale of those soon to be known as The Neverwinter Six.