Happy Halloween! Lockdown lifted this month which is pretty good morale wise as it means our board game nights can resume! I was hoping to also resume adventures in Black Desert but I keep getting "bin\blackdesert32.dat" is broken even from a fresh install. What the heck? As such I've instead been helping Elminster out in Neverwinter Online with the Echoes of Prophecy campaign and it's just as easy as Shintar said - even starting late I completed the first progression bar whose rewards include a catch-up artifact set.
I also thought to myself - hey, Epic games gives free games every week - surely Steam has some free ones too? The answer to that is... Yep. A LOT. You can expect me to be posting about those soon.
Most Viewed Posts in the last 30 days:
State of Decay 2: Leaderfall
September 2021 Review: Death Count
Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 [tied 3rd]
The King (2019), Outlaw King & Kingdom (Korean TV Series) [tied 3rd]
Showing posts with label Shintar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shintar. Show all posts
Saturday, 30 October 2021
October 2021 Review: The Next Freedom
Saturday, 31 July 2021
July 2021 Review: 20 is the new 80
I'm still in lockdown but it feels like I've been busy, with my Black Desert season corsair getting interrupted by lots of other games such as the full Banner Saga which I'll be posting about shortly. Neverwinter wise, Shintar has a nice recap of what was removed (Cryptic's theme) in Mod 21: Jewel of the North. Part of this includes being level 80, since level 20 is the new max. In exchange we get the return of soloable mini-dungeon Throne of Idris, some tidy up quests, and a lot of bribes reward chests. I quite enjoyed the surprise Valindra duel but otherwise its just business as usual I guess, so no review of that coming from me.
After almost a year at the helm of the alliance we finally shuffled again back down into a sword position while preparing for the final push to 20. Will there still be Strongholds by the time we get there? Who knows! Meanwhile our Friday night co-op has returned to being GTFO and Ghost Recon Wildlands since the fix for both problems was simply Jim getting a new computer. :P
For those interested Blaugust is starting up again next month, and for those seeking to escape Blizzard here's a handy list of alternatives by Belghast. And for a fun game: whenever you watch a TV series or movie and characters are "going to eat" something, take note if anyone actually eats anything. It's surprising how many times food doesn't even make it to their mouths.
Most Viewed Posts in the last 30 days:
BDO: Unfinished Gem
BDO: Row Row Row, you're Sunk
BDO: Across the Sea
It's nice that the Black Desert posts have been getting attention! Funny that these are also the ones I fail in the most. =)
Saturday, 1 August 2020
Neverwinter Online: Path of the Fallen
Introduces cars to D&D.
Continuing on from the hell-bound Vallenhas Stronghold, players can explore more of Avernus is this mod which supposedly has the blood war between devils and demons raging. What's it like? Surprisingly a lot like Borderlands 2 actually, especially when it comes to the design of vehicles, wasteland and domiciles.Yes. Vehicles. Soul-powered vehicles.
It's not as terribly genre breaking as I initially feared and it's quite fun to race around the wastes. They do take it a step further with the radio though. Yep. Hell radio has talk shows, ads, and a lot of heavy metal music. Devils have electric guitars apparently.
What they don't really have is the blood war, instead letting the player base dictate which side "wins" per cycle by just keeping track of the type of mobs they camp. I do like that there are a bunch of quests that you can accomplish without combat though, or easy enough combat to progress the campaign. Big plus for that.
Also, I agree with Shintar that while most of the campaign is ho hum story wise the finale is pretty good. All up this mod isn't great but it isn't too bad either (unless you are trying to win the blood war to get a rare boss to spawn, in which case happy grinding).
Insight: Try to kill cambions first as they summon those very damaging flame circles.
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Blaugust Bonus: "If you could change anything about one of your core fandoms, what would it be?" -Belghast
Despite it not being too bad, I still would have preferred it if cars and more modern stuff didn't get shoved into the realms of Dungeons and Dragons.
Continuing on from the hell-bound Vallenhas Stronghold, players can explore more of Avernus is this mod which supposedly has the blood war between devils and demons raging. What's it like? Surprisingly a lot like Borderlands 2 actually, especially when it comes to the design of vehicles, wasteland and domiciles.Yes. Vehicles. Soul-powered vehicles.
You get a car, you get a car, everyone gets a car!
It's not as terribly genre breaking as I initially feared and it's quite fun to race around the wastes. They do take it a step further with the radio though. Yep. Hell radio has talk shows, ads, and a lot of heavy metal music. Devils have electric guitars apparently.
What they don't really have is the blood war, instead letting the player base dictate which side "wins" per cycle by just keeping track of the type of mobs they camp. I do like that there are a bunch of quests that you can accomplish without combat though, or easy enough combat to progress the campaign. Big plus for that.
Also, I agree with Shintar that while most of the campaign is ho hum story wise the finale is pretty good. All up this mod isn't great but it isn't too bad either (unless you are trying to win the blood war to get a rare boss to spawn, in which case happy grinding).
Insight: Try to kill cambions first as they summon those very damaging flame circles.
---
Blaugust Bonus: "If you could change anything about one of your core fandoms, what would it be?" -Belghast
Despite it not being too bad, I still would have preferred it if cars and more modern stuff didn't get shoved into the realms of Dungeons and Dragons.
Tuesday, 23 July 2019
Neverwinter Online: Undermountain
It's a big, deep hole.
You might be wondering why my review of Undermountain is so late since the next module is just around the corner, and the short answer is simply I haven't been playing it much (have you seen my back log list? lol). In fact it took Shintar to remind me about it!
It doesn't help that there were sweeping changes to characters which pretty much killed the enthusiasm of a lot of players. Why be unique when the only way to be efficient now is to be the same as everyone else? Sigh.
Well, that aside, the Undermountain campaign itself is really good. Players find themselves delving into the realms of Halaster Blackcloak using the Yawning Portal as a forward base. The feeling of going down, down, down is well done and some of the later zones are really beautiful. It does suck to run into a level 80 mimic though.
The mandatory repetitive section comes in the form of expeditions which involves 3 randomly generated maps, a bunch of easter egg hunting and a variable difficulty setting. Surprisingly, these are quite fun too though I must admit I've not been hammering them daily. So content wise at least, Undermountain gets a thumbs up from me!
Insight: If you can stand on top of a chest it is fine. If you seem to always be pushed off, it is a mimic!
You might be wondering why my review of Undermountain is so late since the next module is just around the corner, and the short answer is simply I haven't been playing it much (have you seen my back log list? lol). In fact it took Shintar to remind me about it!
It doesn't help that there were sweeping changes to characters which pretty much killed the enthusiasm of a lot of players. Why be unique when the only way to be efficient now is to be the same as everyone else? Sigh.
Well, that aside, the Undermountain campaign itself is really good. Players find themselves delving into the realms of Halaster Blackcloak using the Yawning Portal as a forward base. The feeling of going down, down, down is well done and some of the later zones are really beautiful. It does suck to run into a level 80 mimic though.
One of the coolest parts!
The mandatory repetitive section comes in the form of expeditions which involves 3 randomly generated maps, a bunch of easter egg hunting and a variable difficulty setting. Surprisingly, these are quite fun too though I must admit I've not been hammering them daily. So content wise at least, Undermountain gets a thumbs up from me!
Insight: If you can stand on top of a chest it is fine. If you seem to always be pushed off, it is a mimic!
Friday, 7 December 2018
Neverwinter Online: Red Dragon Cultist Recruitment
[Part of the Gallery]
Shintar previously asked if there are Red Dragon Cultists in Neverwinter Online, and while they are truly elusive I can confirm they do exist!
You can find one for yourself in the Well of Dragons, he spawns in the final wave of the big heroic encounter called Cult Gathering.
Shintar previously asked if there are Red Dragon Cultists in Neverwinter Online, and while they are truly elusive I can confirm they do exist!
I wish we could multi-class!
You can find one for yourself in the Well of Dragons, he spawns in the final wave of the big heroic encounter called Cult Gathering.
Wednesday, 15 August 2018
Developer Appreciation: Neverwinter Online Barovia
It's the start of the Blaugust Developer Appreciation Week and I thought I'd start with the content I've most recently been playing, Neverwinter Online's Barovia zone and Ravenloft campaign in general. This is the best module in the game to date as it captures the horror setting quite well, aided by the day and night cycle currently only found in this zone. It also hands out some decent gear during the intro for those who have lowly alts who get little time to quest for their own equipment.
There is no escape from some currency grind but at least here you will unlock all of the story campaign quickly, in fact - the quickest of all the modules. As a bonus, the story actually has a fun, semi conclusion for those like Shintar and myself who don't actually go into the end dungeons. Even so, you will want to hang around as it is an easy place to get riches, especially from the tailored hunt mechanic which sees your party sent to a private instance of Barovia to take down nasty hunt marks who are much more accessible than their Omu counterparts. The optional risk vs reward system there is inspired.
All up, Barovia is fantastic and here's hoping Cryptic continues building on the good parts and culling the bad with whatever adventure comes next.
Great place for screenshots too!
There is no escape from some currency grind but at least here you will unlock all of the story campaign quickly, in fact - the quickest of all the modules. As a bonus, the story actually has a fun, semi conclusion for those like Shintar and myself who don't actually go into the end dungeons. Even so, you will want to hang around as it is an easy place to get riches, especially from the tailored hunt mechanic which sees your party sent to a private instance of Barovia to take down nasty hunt marks who are much more accessible than their Omu counterparts. The optional risk vs reward system there is inspired.
All up, Barovia is fantastic and here's hoping Cryptic continues building on the good parts and culling the bad with whatever adventure comes next.
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Neverwinter Online: Alliances are Great!
Taking a short break from the Skyrim adventure for a bit to talk about all the new stuff in my gaming sphere recently, the biggest of which is the latest module for Neverwinter: Alliances. Our little band is fortunate enough to be a gauntlet guild of the 13 guild strong Greycloak Alliance, and so far it's been a positive experience all around.
Perks of an alliance include the Alliance Chat and the much larger pool of people to run things with (on top of the Legit Community). Being able to visit allied strongholds also open the doors to being able to buy items from their bases not yet sold in yours and having access to fully manned dragon run flights, more often as various holds get their free flights at different times. My favorite part though is the resource trading. My current behavior is to see what my guild needs and fill that, but any excess goes to allies that require said currencies, and it seems players from the other guilds are doing the same.
It's really uplifting to see our collective coffers grow via cross guild donation, leading to much faster advancement for all. Because of this I give the "Alliance" part of the alliances update a big thumbs up (obviously your mileage may vary depending on who you ally with)! They also made everything a campaign to help people see the "ladder" of things they need to do, and put some decent rewards behind some. You can read more about this at Shintar's Neverwinter Thoughts! :)
With 13 guilds it feels a little like Bleach... :P
Perks of an alliance include the Alliance Chat and the much larger pool of people to run things with (on top of the Legit Community). Being able to visit allied strongholds also open the doors to being able to buy items from their bases not yet sold in yours and having access to fully manned dragon run flights, more often as various holds get their free flights at different times. My favorite part though is the resource trading. My current behavior is to see what my guild needs and fill that, but any excess goes to allies that require said currencies, and it seems players from the other guilds are doing the same.
The actual alliance listing!
It's really uplifting to see our collective coffers grow via cross guild donation, leading to much faster advancement for all. Because of this I give the "Alliance" part of the alliances update a big thumbs up (obviously your mileage may vary depending on who you ally with)! They also made everything a campaign to help people see the "ladder" of things they need to do, and put some decent rewards behind some. You can read more about this at Shintar's Neverwinter Thoughts! :)
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Riva: Effing Elves
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
Turns out that stay at the elf village wasn't as relaxing as previously hoped, since the party awakens from their drunken stupor at the port city of Riva in much the same state they were in afterslaying surviving the dragon Arkandor. Thanks for kicking us out without patching us up elf king! At least they still carry the small fortune in ducats they had earned. Also gone is the square by square movement, having been replaced with a more Daggerfall type feel.
The first order of business is to refit the team into adventuring shape, and that involves visiting the central market to buy new gear, resting up one entire week at an inn, and recruiting new members to fill the empty party slots including an adventure hungry dwarf NPC named Thorgrim (and his axe), as well as replacing Shintar's bones with Darth Targetter. His arrival prompts a most interesting message.
While this doesn't bother Wolfy Eyes who is currently level 8, nor the level 12 NPC Thorgrim, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the party: Cooper Mantly (level 5), Dalian Tanker, Braxwolf Storm and Allison Nexus (all level 4). This disparity is what happens when veterans get killed! :P
Turns out that stay at the elf village wasn't as relaxing as previously hoped, since the party awakens from their drunken stupor at the port city of Riva in much the same state they were in after
So future. Wow.
The first order of business is to refit the team into adventuring shape, and that involves visiting the central market to buy new gear, resting up one entire week at an inn, and recruiting new members to fill the empty party slots including an adventure hungry dwarf NPC named Thorgrim (and his axe), as well as replacing Shintar's bones with Darth Targetter. His arrival prompts a most interesting message.
Start at level 6? Sure!
While this doesn't bother Wolfy Eyes who is currently level 8, nor the level 12 NPC Thorgrim, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the party: Cooper Mantly (level 5), Dalian Tanker, Braxwolf Storm and Allison Nexus (all level 4). This disparity is what happens when veterans get killed! :P
Sunday, 14 February 2016
Star Trail: The Dragon
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
Arkandor is not just a tough bastard, but a real bastard. Not only does he have a huge well of HP but he has a wide array of attacks, breath types and magic spells that plays havoc with the team. It also eats Allison's strongest spell - literally catching the blast with his mouth and chewing, receiving minimal damage (fully animated)! Still, each party member manages to reach the dragon and begin hacking away at the beast. Not surprisingly Cooper (who is still frothing at the mouth) is the first to go down after inhaling a large dose of poison breath.
Dalian gets knocked out a few rounds later from a tail swipe before Arkandor casts a spell that breaks Wolfy and Shintar's secondary weapons (the primary weapons having broken already on their own). It follows this up by charming both Braxwolf AND Allison to fight on his side, so not only do Wolfy and Shintar now have to punch the dragon - they have to do it while avoiding attacks from their own allies.
Fortunately with some clever maneuvering Braxwolf and Allison end up fighting each other in a stale mate: Braxwolf can't hit the nimble elf and Allison can't hurt the heavily armored knight with her staff. This leaves the two veterans to freely continue pummeling the dragon with their fists, until Arkandor decides to pick up Shintar and devour her. Good animation with this one too - complete with spitting bones out afterwards.
Finally, having used up all the tricks in the book, Wolfy lands a final uppercut that makes the dragon concede the fight.
BBQ Breath!
Arkandor is not just a tough bastard, but a real bastard. Not only does he have a huge well of HP but he has a wide array of attacks, breath types and magic spells that plays havoc with the team. It also eats Allison's strongest spell - literally catching the blast with his mouth and chewing, receiving minimal damage (fully animated)! Still, each party member manages to reach the dragon and begin hacking away at the beast. Not surprisingly Cooper (who is still frothing at the mouth) is the first to go down after inhaling a large dose of poison breath.
Dalian gets knocked out a few rounds later from a tail swipe before Arkandor casts a spell that breaks Wolfy and Shintar's secondary weapons (the primary weapons having broken already on their own). It follows this up by charming both Braxwolf AND Allison to fight on his side, so not only do Wolfy and Shintar now have to punch the dragon - they have to do it while avoiding attacks from their own allies.
Fortunately with some clever maneuvering Braxwolf and Allison end up fighting each other in a stale mate: Braxwolf can't hit the nimble elf and Allison can't hurt the heavily armored knight with her staff. This leaves the two veterans to freely continue pummeling the dragon with their fists, until Arkandor decides to pick up Shintar and devour her. Good animation with this one too - complete with spitting bones out afterwards.
Finally, having used up all the tricks in the book, Wolfy lands a final uppercut that makes the dragon concede the fight.
Except for the one I ate! She was tasty!
Star Trail: Arkandor
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
With no way to go but forward, Allison acts as the fake wall detector for the team as they fight even more ghouls and skeletons. There is also a large cultist presence at the end of the second level that the team smashes through before heading down to the deepest floor, which is strangely better lit than the one they just came from. There is also a strangely high tech, four digit combination lock on one wall that takes a little time to crack. Most annoyingly though, a wizard pops out of nowhere and AGAIN steals the Salamander Stone!
This floor is host to numerous undead and a strange pillar puzzle where Braxwolf discovers the name "Arkandor", who must be the big shot of this dungeon. The team also runs into a Heshthot demon (long time no see!) which Wolfy and Allison put down with some effort. The terrible sense of dread becomes too much for Wolfy Eyes though and she considers leaving the party just like Korima did.
After destroying more undead and slaying even more cultists the party reaches the final chamber where they find a dwarf who had been turned into stone as well as Lord Arkandor himself... who just happens to be a dragon!
That's a lot of cultists!
With no way to go but forward, Allison acts as the fake wall detector for the team as they fight even more ghouls and skeletons. There is also a large cultist presence at the end of the second level that the team smashes through before heading down to the deepest floor, which is strangely better lit than the one they just came from. There is also a strangely high tech, four digit combination lock on one wall that takes a little time to crack. Most annoyingly though, a wizard pops out of nowhere and AGAIN steals the Salamander Stone!
This floor is host to numerous undead and a strange pillar puzzle where Braxwolf discovers the name "Arkandor", who must be the big shot of this dungeon. The team also runs into a Heshthot demon (long time no see!) which Wolfy and Allison put down with some effort. The terrible sense of dread becomes too much for Wolfy Eyes though and she considers leaving the party just like Korima did.
Fortunately Shintar talks her out of it.
After destroying more undead and slaying even more cultists the party reaches the final chamber where they find a dwarf who had been turned into stone as well as Lord Arkandor himself... who just happens to be a dragon!
Saturday, 13 February 2016
Star Trail: The Devil You Know
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
With no weapons shop in town the party spends a few days getting their weapons repaired and purchasing some supplies from the local healer: a small batch of strength potions and a large amount of whirlweed (a HP restoring leaf). When they are finally all set they return to the vault where Wolfy, strengthened by a potion, is finally able to bust down those resilient doors. The statue they find behind one of the doors sends a shiver down Shintar's spine as she recognizes what cult they are dealing with here.
Apart from cultists and their trained war dogs there are also ghouls lurking the halls, which terrify Cooper Mantly.
He should have been more worried about the tusk tigers in the much darker second "supply storage" level though. The tiger's chamber was right after a five section crossbow trap that badly injured the team and pretty much guaranteed no going back and forth from that point on. While the big cats were put down they did some damage of their own, and infected Cooper with a pretty bad malady.
With no weapons shop in town the party spends a few days getting their weapons repaired and purchasing some supplies from the local healer: a small batch of strength potions and a large amount of whirlweed (a HP restoring leaf). When they are finally all set they return to the vault where Wolfy, strengthened by a potion, is finally able to bust down those resilient doors. The statue they find behind one of the doors sends a shiver down Shintar's spine as she recognizes what cult they are dealing with here.
Apart from cultists and their trained war dogs there are also ghouls lurking the halls, which terrify Cooper Mantly.
I think Cooper needs to level a bit. :P
He should have been more worried about the tusk tigers in the much darker second "supply storage" level though. The tiger's chamber was right after a five section crossbow trap that badly injured the team and pretty much guaranteed no going back and forth from that point on. While the big cats were put down they did some damage of their own, and infected Cooper with a pretty bad malady.
Uh, I'm sure he'll be fine...
Friday, 12 February 2016
Star Trail: Home of Ingramosh
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
The healer at Tjolmar cured Dalian's disease easily, and as per tradition, the team celebrated at a local tavern (with brothel services) and learned that Ingramosh, the dwarf they were supposed to deliver the Salamander Stone to was actually a resident of the town! It takes a bit of sleuthing to discover the correct house but upon finding it Korima is overcome by a sense of dread and leaves the team there and then.
Behind the door they find the competing adventure party who had been pursuing them! It's a bloody combat in close quarters but since the party is properly armed this time they manage to slay all the opponents, avenging those who had fallen before them. This is also the only house with an interior map, and Allison soon finds out why: a secret door leads into vaults beneath the town!
Apart from poisonous plants, cave spiders and a cave troll that Dalian provokes just for fun there are also strange cultists living down here. It doesn't take long before the team's progress is blocked by solid doors that cannot be unlocked magically or busted down but more importantly it doesn't look like the team can rest in this vile place. They decide to head back topside to rethink their strategy.
The healer at Tjolmar cured Dalian's disease easily, and as per tradition, the team celebrated at a local tavern (with brothel services) and learned that Ingramosh, the dwarf they were supposed to deliver the Salamander Stone to was actually a resident of the town! It takes a bit of sleuthing to discover the correct house but upon finding it Korima is overcome by a sense of dread and leaves the team there and then.
That was sudden.
Behind the door they find the competing adventure party who had been pursuing them! It's a bloody combat in close quarters but since the party is properly armed this time they manage to slay all the opponents, avenging those who had fallen before them. This is also the only house with an interior map, and Allison soon finds out why: a secret door leads into vaults beneath the town!
Apart from poisonous plants, cave spiders and a cave troll that Dalian provokes just for fun there are also strange cultists living down here. It doesn't take long before the team's progress is blocked by solid doors that cannot be unlocked magically or busted down but more importantly it doesn't look like the team can rest in this vile place. They decide to head back topside to rethink their strategy.
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Star Trail: Drug Addicts
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
After many annoying hours of exploration and slaughter the team finally reaches what seems to be the main chamber where they run into three stooges: Hensger (far right), the robber who told them about Star Trail in the first place, and some dude with a red beard.
Turns out the whole "find Star Trail" quest was a trick - an initiation for the robber guy to raise his rank in the order of Phex. Since there's an option to just leave at this point amicably, Shintar decides to take it, resulting in a non-combat conclusion to the whole affair and emerging outside the Temple of Phex in Tiefhusen. Gotta say that's a pretty stupid initiation though: the team literally just finished killing EVERY OTHER PRIEST in that place, just so one guy can get promoted. Phex is turning out to be the moron god of this land, and his followers are definitely drug addicts.
Worth noting that the team also left with a good deal of loot from there, most of it magical and one piece that was just strange...
After buying new weapons and selling the extras the party returned to the Tiefhusen healer who again proved his uselessness by being unable to cure Dalian of his disease. This time though, Wolfy also had no luck no matter what she tried. Not willing to lose yet another team mate Shintar decided to lead the team North to the next closest town, catching the river ferry to speed up travel time. Within a day they had reached Tjolmar.
"High" priests? Either we're getting somewhere or these guys are stoned.
After many annoying hours of exploration and slaughter the team finally reaches what seems to be the main chamber where they run into three stooges: Hensger (far right), the robber who told them about Star Trail in the first place, and some dude with a red beard.
Definitely stoned.
Turns out the whole "find Star Trail" quest was a trick - an initiation for the robber guy to raise his rank in the order of Phex. Since there's an option to just leave at this point amicably, Shintar decides to take it, resulting in a non-combat conclusion to the whole affair and emerging outside the Temple of Phex in Tiefhusen. Gotta say that's a pretty stupid initiation though: the team literally just finished killing EVERY OTHER PRIEST in that place, just so one guy can get promoted. Phex is turning out to be the moron god of this land, and his followers are definitely drug addicts.
Worth noting that the team also left with a good deal of loot from there, most of it magical and one piece that was just strange...
What do you expect from this place? :P
After buying new weapons and selling the extras the party returned to the Tiefhusen healer who again proved his uselessness by being unable to cure Dalian of his disease. This time though, Wolfy also had no luck no matter what she tried. Not willing to lose yet another team mate Shintar decided to lead the team North to the next closest town, catching the river ferry to speed up travel time. Within a day they had reached Tjolmar.
Monday, 8 February 2016
Star Trail: Phex Dungeon
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
After resting up at the inns at Tiefhusen, the full team finds Hensger again and after paying him 20 ducats the shady man leads them into a dungeon in town and locks the entrance behind them! What a douche! With forward being the only valid option the team begins exploring the winding maze littered with secret doors that is the "Phex Dungeon" (according to the automap).
The place is also inhabited by mummies, skeletons, skeleton warriors (tougher version) and priests that enjoy using blinding magic. It doesn't matter though as with the overly armed team steamrolls through everything the place throws at them, making use of the spare weapons they brought in as their primaries begin breaking. During one combat, Dalian contracts Battlefield fever though (I assume it means he thinks he's Rambo) - which makes all the back and forth mapping and puzzle solving a little time sensitive.
Good time to note that the combats are set and fixed, meaning after awhile the place really is emptied out yet still manages to be a frustrating exercise of navigating empty halls. An overwhelming despair finally hits some of the party.
After resting up at the inns at Tiefhusen, the full team finds Hensger again and after paying him 20 ducats the shady man leads them into a dungeon in town and locks the entrance behind them! What a douche! With forward being the only valid option the team begins exploring the winding maze littered with secret doors that is the "Phex Dungeon" (according to the automap).
It also has the cover art from the first game on the walls.
The place is also inhabited by mummies, skeletons, skeleton warriors (tougher version) and priests that enjoy using blinding magic. It doesn't matter though as with the overly armed team steamrolls through everything the place throws at them, making use of the spare weapons they brought in as their primaries begin breaking. During one combat, Dalian contracts Battlefield fever though (I assume it means he thinks he's Rambo) - which makes all the back and forth mapping and puzzle solving a little time sensitive.
Memory mini game! :)
Good time to note that the combats are set and fixed, meaning after awhile the place really is emptied out yet still manages to be a frustrating exercise of navigating empty halls. An overwhelming despair finally hits some of the party.
You'd think this would happen more often!
Star Trail: On the Star Trail
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
Just noticed that all those times the orcs took the party's stuff, they never touched their gold/ducat pile which has been growing nicely. Of course that doesn't mean others are leaving it alone...
Since the healer at Tiefhusen is useless when it comes to curing Cooper's frostbite, the team buys herbs from the local store themselves and Wolfy manages to cure her companion after some trial and error. While celebrating his recovery at a local tavern they meet a man named Hensger who offers to lead the team to the dungeon where Star Trail is - for a price.
Not willing to go into a new dungeon with half a team they instead decide to once again return to Kvirasim for reinforcements. The journey is surprisingly smooth, with no sign of the pursuing adventuring party anywhere. Perhaps the orcs got them?
They do meet a warrioress with a two handed sword on the road who offers to join the team for one silver per day. Without hesitation the team agrees and Korima is added to the roster.
Back at Kvirasim they also gain the warriors Dalian Tanker and Braxwolf Storm, as well as the magic wielding elf, Allison Nexus. Instead of departing immediately they spend a number of days in town while waiting for the market to return (it's only there one day per week) and are rewarded for their patience because all the best gear is apparently ONLY available in this town. Once they are armed and armored to the teeth they make the trek back to Tiefhusen - just in time too because apparently Kvirasimians are also racist and dislike elves.
Just noticed that all those times the orcs took the party's stuff, they never touched their gold/ducat pile which has been growing nicely. Of course that doesn't mean others are leaving it alone...
Wolfy, kicking butt again.
Since the healer at Tiefhusen is useless when it comes to curing Cooper's frostbite, the team buys herbs from the local store themselves and Wolfy manages to cure her companion after some trial and error. While celebrating his recovery at a local tavern they meet a man named Hensger who offers to lead the team to the dungeon where Star Trail is - for a price.
Not willing to go into a new dungeon with half a team they instead decide to once again return to Kvirasim for reinforcements. The journey is surprisingly smooth, with no sign of the pursuing adventuring party anywhere. Perhaps the orcs got them?
They do meet a warrioress with a two handed sword on the road who offers to join the team for one silver per day. Without hesitation the team agrees and Korima is added to the roster.
She's been around.
Back at Kvirasim they also gain the warriors Dalian Tanker and Braxwolf Storm, as well as the magic wielding elf, Allison Nexus. Instead of departing immediately they spend a number of days in town while waiting for the market to return (it's only there one day per week) and are rewarded for their patience because all the best gear is apparently ONLY available in this town. Once they are armed and armored to the teeth they make the trek back to Tiefhusen - just in time too because apparently Kvirasimians are also racist and dislike elves.
Or Allison likes messing with people's balls.
Saturday, 6 February 2016
Star Trail: The Pursuers
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
With a low number of rations and mostly beer for drinking the prospects of the party making it back to civilization from the cave they crawled out of was not good. The first few orc patrols that chased them were manageable, but soon another adventuring party was again tailing them - no doubt after the stone. I can only imagine the bastard vampire tipped them off.
Without proper equipment, winning a combat against them was out of the question so the team had no choice but to flee - hightailing it deep into the woods in hopes of losing them. This bought some time but also led the team right into a pack of hungry wolves.
Again the lack of equipment was telling and ultimately Zubon became an unwilling sacrifice, trapped by the pack to be devoured while the rest of the team fled further into the forest. During the trek Thalen catches the numb skull disease and Cooper begins showing effects from frostbite which forces the team to move slower, which leads to another encounter with the same adventuring party from before. Again the team flees but this time Paeroka doesn't make it far enough before one of their mages turns her into a statue to forever decorate the side of that forgotten path.
Opting to use the main road now for speed the party rushes North to the nearest settlement but again are caught by the adventuring party. Thalen takes an arrow to the back during the escape and while he does get away, his illness ultimately kills him in his weakened state during the next rest stop. Finally Cooper, Wolfy and Shintar make it to the small town of Tiefhusen, which seems to have been conquered by orcs.
These orcs are in the assimilation phase of their conquest here though, and are not hostile to the residents or the party - as long as they stay in line. Their presence also seems to deter the pursuers which is great, and gives time for the three survivors to breathe.
With a low number of rations and mostly beer for drinking the prospects of the party making it back to civilization from the cave they crawled out of was not good. The first few orc patrols that chased them were manageable, but soon another adventuring party was again tailing them - no doubt after the stone. I can only imagine the bastard vampire tipped them off.
Without proper equipment, winning a combat against them was out of the question so the team had no choice but to flee - hightailing it deep into the woods in hopes of losing them. This bought some time but also led the team right into a pack of hungry wolves.
Very hungry wolves!
Again the lack of equipment was telling and ultimately Zubon became an unwilling sacrifice, trapped by the pack to be devoured while the rest of the team fled further into the forest. During the trek Thalen catches the numb skull disease and Cooper begins showing effects from frostbite which forces the team to move slower, which leads to another encounter with the same adventuring party from before. Again the team flees but this time Paeroka doesn't make it far enough before one of their mages turns her into a statue to forever decorate the side of that forgotten path.
She started a trend?
Opting to use the main road now for speed the party rushes North to the nearest settlement but again are caught by the adventuring party. Thalen takes an arrow to the back during the escape and while he does get away, his illness ultimately kills him in his weakened state during the next rest stop. Finally Cooper, Wolfy and Shintar make it to the small town of Tiefhusen, which seems to have been conquered by orcs.
These orcs are in the assimilation phase of their conquest here though, and are not hostile to the residents or the party - as long as they stay in line. Their presence also seems to deter the pursuers which is great, and gives time for the three survivors to breathe.
Thursday, 4 February 2016
Star Trail: Freedom
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
It turns out the cell block isn't very well guarded so the party is free to open all the other cells freeing the other captives: a human guard captain named Praiodan Von Tann and an orc of a different tribe named Thurazz who both join the team. Alas it's not long before Praiodan reveals his true form while shaking Paeroka's hand, draining her nearly to death before transforming into a bat and flying away. If he could do that why the heck was he a prisoner? Just to mess with people?
On a brighter note the bodies of the mages who stole the Salamander Stone are also piled in a nearby cell. It seems they didn't fare any better against the orc forces. Shintar wastes no time in searching their corpses for loot.
While the cell block was pretty easy to traverse, the rest of the place is pretty annoying with all the high level locked doors. Fortunately Thalen's magical knowledge extends to magically unlocking ones Wolfy (currently the strongest of the team) is unable to bash down. Finding the kitchen with a fresh well, food, beer and knives a plenty helps a lot as the orc guards they do run into somehow don't have any items.
It takes many hours of slow progress, avoiding the larger orc groups, and defeating an ogre who nearly beat Zubon to death before the team finally found a ramp leading back out into sunlight and freedom. At this point Thurazz leaves the party to do his own thing - possibly to start up his own orc army and conquer a different region. Alas, for the rest of the team, this turned out to be the easy part of the escape.
It turns out the cell block isn't very well guarded so the party is free to open all the other cells freeing the other captives: a human guard captain named Praiodan Von Tann and an orc of a different tribe named Thurazz who both join the team. Alas it's not long before Praiodan reveals his true form while shaking Paeroka's hand, draining her nearly to death before transforming into a bat and flying away. If he could do that why the heck was he a prisoner? Just to mess with people?
Or was he a scout from elsewhere!? :P
On a brighter note the bodies of the mages who stole the Salamander Stone are also piled in a nearby cell. It seems they didn't fare any better against the orc forces. Shintar wastes no time in searching their corpses for loot.
It also smells of plot device!
While the cell block was pretty easy to traverse, the rest of the place is pretty annoying with all the high level locked doors. Fortunately Thalen's magical knowledge extends to magically unlocking ones Wolfy (currently the strongest of the team) is unable to bash down. Finding the kitchen with a fresh well, food, beer and knives a plenty helps a lot as the orc guards they do run into somehow don't have any items.
It takes many hours of slow progress, avoiding the larger orc groups, and defeating an ogre who nearly beat Zubon to death before the team finally found a ramp leading back out into sunlight and freedom. At this point Thurazz leaves the party to do his own thing - possibly to start up his own orc army and conquer a different region. Alas, for the rest of the team, this turned out to be the easy part of the escape.
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Star Trail: Pain in the A--
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
After dealing with a few more orc patrols the team finally made it back into the besieged city via the secret tunnel. Agdan returned to his order and Zubon and Paeroka were reunited with the rest of the group. While in town the party also donates their spare items and food to the council hall which they are richly rewarded for. Asking around, they also find out that Ingramosh, the dwarf they need to deliver the Salamander Stone to was here once - a guest of the gay elf they slew before. Oops.
Figuring they'll just have to wing it now, the party leaves Lowangen again and are almost immediately set upon by two groups of competing adventurer parties - one after another! While the team is victorious they are pretty badly beaten up after that second round and that's when an army of mages appears before them.
With no hope of winning against that many spell casters in their current condition, Paeroka gingerly gives them the stone. The wizards laugh as they then ride off to the West - and the party pursues them after resting up a little. The head start is too great though, and with combats against random orc patrols slowing them down further they lose the trail. Fortunately a random shepherd on the road manages to point them in the right direction.
It's a long walk and Wolfy's shoes wear out, making her take damage during the journey. Not that it matters though for they eventually run into ANOTHER orc army!
There are no options here. The orcs beat up the team, strip them naked (including magical items this time) and basically make them their play things for a few days while forcing them to march higher into the mountains. Eventually they are thrown into a dark cell where they suffer more orcish abuse for around a week before finally mustering enough rage to take down the orc bringing them what passes as food. And so begins escape from castle Orcenstein!
After dealing with a few more orc patrols the team finally made it back into the besieged city via the secret tunnel. Agdan returned to his order and Zubon and Paeroka were reunited with the rest of the group. While in town the party also donates their spare items and food to the council hall which they are richly rewarded for. Asking around, they also find out that Ingramosh, the dwarf they need to deliver the Salamander Stone to was here once - a guest of the gay elf they slew before. Oops.
Figuring they'll just have to wing it now, the party leaves Lowangen again and are almost immediately set upon by two groups of competing adventurer parties - one after another! While the team is victorious they are pretty badly beaten up after that second round and that's when an army of mages appears before them.
"Hand over the stone or die."
With no hope of winning against that many spell casters in their current condition, Paeroka gingerly gives them the stone. The wizards laugh as they then ride off to the West - and the party pursues them after resting up a little. The head start is too great though, and with combats against random orc patrols slowing them down further they lose the trail. Fortunately a random shepherd on the road manages to point them in the right direction.
Jesus saves the day again!
It's a long walk and Wolfy's shoes wear out, making her take damage during the journey. Not that it matters though for they eventually run into ANOTHER orc army!
Surprise!
There are no options here. The orcs beat up the team, strip them naked (including magical items this time) and basically make them their play things for a few days while forcing them to march higher into the mountains. Eventually they are thrown into a dark cell where they suffer more orcish abuse for around a week before finally mustering enough rage to take down the orc bringing them what passes as food. And so begins escape from castle Orcenstein!
Saturday, 30 January 2016
Star Trail: Thalen the Mage
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
In one section of the swamp the remaining party members find a strange, docile, swamp rantzy who happens to be wearing the signet ring of the soldier they were originally assigned to find. After checking on google what the hell to do (because it's no where near obvious), Shintar throws a net to capture it (the only time you can do that in the game). She then manages to carry the 500 pound thing in her pack for awhile until Thalen remembers to read the scroll they found at the sorcerer's tower: one about transformation to and from a swamp rantzy!
After performing a quick ritual the rantzy turns back into the soldier Agdan, who Wolfy promptly cures of disease and is nursed back to health at the safety of the lizard village and equipped with spare gear. During this time the lizard chief is thankful that the engulfer is no more and tells the party about Star Trail.
The witch on the other hand is a different bag of crazy, rewarding the party by attacking them! Her wolf is easily put down but the old woman herself proves resilient with all her terror spells that send Wolfy and Shintar running like little girls. She's also proficient enough with her broom to knock out the two soldiers: Cooper and Agdan!
Ultimately it comes down to Thalen in a wizard vs witch duel, and in an epic moment of awesome, he turns the old hag into stone - winning the combat for the team. They all then raid her house and her herb garden in celebration before returning to Lowangen.
In one section of the swamp the remaining party members find a strange, docile, swamp rantzy who happens to be wearing the signet ring of the soldier they were originally assigned to find. After checking on google what the hell to do (because it's no where near obvious), Shintar throws a net to capture it (the only time you can do that in the game). She then manages to carry the 500 pound thing in her pack for awhile until Thalen remembers to read the scroll they found at the sorcerer's tower: one about transformation to and from a swamp rantzy!
After performing a quick ritual the rantzy turns back into the soldier Agdan, who Wolfy promptly cures of disease and is nursed back to health at the safety of the lizard village and equipped with spare gear. During this time the lizard chief is thankful that the engulfer is no more and tells the party about Star Trail.
And it makes no sense.
The witch on the other hand is a different bag of crazy, rewarding the party by attacking them! Her wolf is easily put down but the old woman herself proves resilient with all her terror spells that send Wolfy and Shintar running like little girls. She's also proficient enough with her broom to knock out the two soldiers: Cooper and Agdan!
Ungrateful hag!
Ultimately it comes down to Thalen in a wizard vs witch duel, and in an epic moment of awesome, he turns the old hag into stone - winning the combat for the team. They all then raid her house and her herb garden in celebration before returning to Lowangen.
Friday, 29 January 2016
Star Trail: Denizens of the Swamp
[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]
The fight against the gorillas leaves Alice with rabies, something even Aeternus cannot cure, so the team hurries with their search - finding a village of friendly lizardmen, an abandoned cart of supplies, and a witch. The crone wants the adventurers to deal with her nemesis: the sorcerer, who lives in a nearby tower while the lizardmen request aid against a monster they aptly named "the Engulfer" that keeps eating their kin. The team decide to go after that one first.
The reptile is indeed monstrous, and manages to knock out Cooper and Thalen during the melee. It also devours Aeternus, killing him instantly. Alice manages to land good hits on the beast but ultimately it is Thalen's magic that brings it down. The next stop is the sorcerer's tower in the middle of a lake. Swimming there is pretty brutal damage wise but fortunately there are no adds to be found within. Instead the wizard summons a fire elemental who asks for keywords!?
This took a while (and a number of reloads because its an insta-death scenario) but eventually the group spoke the correct words the elemental wanted to hear (apparently it watches Trigun, because Vash the Stampede's motto works), and it incinerated the wizard that summoned him before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Pity it didn't help the party return to dry land though, as on the swim back Alice was caught by the current and drowned in the boggy marsh.
The fight against the gorillas leaves Alice with rabies, something even Aeternus cannot cure, so the team hurries with their search - finding a village of friendly lizardmen, an abandoned cart of supplies, and a witch. The crone wants the adventurers to deal with her nemesis: the sorcerer, who lives in a nearby tower while the lizardmen request aid against a monster they aptly named "the Engulfer" that keeps eating their kin. The team decide to go after that one first.
It's a miniature T-Rex!
The reptile is indeed monstrous, and manages to knock out Cooper and Thalen during the melee. It also devours Aeternus, killing him instantly. Alice manages to land good hits on the beast but ultimately it is Thalen's magic that brings it down. The next stop is the sorcerer's tower in the middle of a lake. Swimming there is pretty brutal damage wise but fortunately there are no adds to be found within. Instead the wizard summons a fire elemental who asks for keywords!?
Size = Power?
This took a while (and a number of reloads because its an insta-death scenario) but eventually the group spoke the correct words the elemental wanted to hear (apparently it watches Trigun, because Vash the Stampede's motto works), and it incinerated the wizard that summoned him before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Pity it didn't help the party return to dry land though, as on the swim back Alice was caught by the current and drowned in the boggy marsh.
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