The World According To SweetPea

It Is What It Is...

2008-08-29T10:29:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since I posted anything here. I don't think that anyone reads this blog anymore, with the exception of my hubby. And that's fine. However, today I have decided that I should post on here at least once a week to give my views on my week's gaming experiences. and like the title states, it is what it is...

The last week of gaming has been a change from the normal pace. Typically, the hubby and I are trying to find an instance to either join or form and go do some gear runs. The gear love just isn't there for us lately. I happen to suffer from the "Opposite Toon Syndrome". For those of you not familiar with it, OTS is when you play a level 80 toon and the gear that drops is for your other level 80 toon. Never fails. So I decided to park my level 80s and go enjoy the game. Hence, the change from the normal pace.

I have been trying to level a Templar and an Illusionist. They are both in the 30's now and proving to be quite fun. But every now and then, the fact that these toons shall also reach level 80 pops in my head and I get a sense of dread. Pushing those thoughts aside, I keep questing trying to enjoy the game for what it is. So far so good.

The Templar has been difficult to solo. It's not that she can't kill stuff, it's just that it takes forever without anyone else. When I group her with the hubby's 'zerker everything falls into place. I still need to remind him that I need a 5 count before he pulls so I can cast my group reactive heal...it's a work in progress :-) I can see the Templar has potential, specially the higher up she gets, but right now, she is what she is and not much more. We'll see how she fares down the line.

The Illusionist has been way fun. I decided to take a different approach to her than I have with any other toon. When I created her, I decided to let her finish Queen's Colony since I had heard all this talk about the stat changes to old world gear. The changes were quite surprising, but in my opinion, not to the caliber of Timorous Deep gear. So after she finished Queen's Colony, it was off to Timorous Deep. I completed all the quests there and got some nice gear in the process. I followed that by going to Butcherblock and doing all the quests in the zone. Please note that we typically go to a zone and grab quests...do as many as are needed to level enough to move to the next zone...rinse and repeat to level 80. This process leaves us with a gazillion grey quests that we end up deleting from our journals.

My hubby will be the first to tell you that I hate deleting quests in my journal. I just feel like there is free exp and AA that we are literally throwing away, specially since they made the change recently to the greyed out quests. So with my Illy, there is no such thing as a wasted quest. I took her to all sorts of places to grab quests (so long as they were level 10 and above) and completed them. When all the mobs are grey, there really is no challenge in the kill...unless you pull like a maniac, which I sometimes tend to do :-) So all the quests in Timorous Deep are done...Antonica is done...Butcherblock is done...The Caves is done. Currently working on Thundering Steppes.

Now you may think, "Wow, that sounds like a waste of time. She could be out fighting much higher stuff and getting kick-ass exp along the way!" Well, to be honest with you, this is basically a solo toon and I enjoy doing it this way. It has earned me a healthy number of AA's - more AA's than level for the last 5 levels - and when I feel I want to kill something white or yellow, I just go visit a zone and kill something. It is what it is, and I like it.

Last night, however, I was not feeling the gaming at all. I toon hopped all over the place. I fixed apartments, organized bank bags, cleaned out shared bank slots, paid rents and priced items on the broker. This morning, I still am not feeling it much, but I am gonna hop over and give a shot here in a sec.

Having said that, I'll catch you all next week. Happy hunting and hope to see you around Norrath!

Tales From The Dark Side - Another Day In Norrath

2008-06-16T12:57:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to do a really quick post to vent about something that totally irks the poo out of me. I have been working on Olyvia for a while now and I am proud to say that she has been able to hold her own in most situations. With the exception of her two deaths, everything has been cake so far.

So today, I decided to finish "These Boots Were Made For..." before heading out to the Enchanted Lands. I got to the point where I had to kill Bloodtalon. Now, from prior experience doing this quest, it can take a while to pop that darned griffon. So I killed...and I killed...and I killed some more. I popped Grimfeather, which I am glad I was not on his spawn spot at the time, or I would be blogging about my third death instead.

Two hours later, still no Bloodtalon. What I get instead is two wankers named Escort and Rytel. These guys send me a tell stating it would be in my best interest to group with them if I was hunting for Bloodtalon. Excuse me? In my best interest? What is that supposed to mean? That I can't kill that stupid griffon unless I group with you guys? Hmmm... So I send them a reply explaining that Olyvia is a Hardcore Challenge toon and the rules do not allow grouping with other players. That I have been there for two hours trying to pop him and that in all fairness, the kill should go to me. This is where I got so mad I could spit...and for the record, I can't spit for nothing.

My new "buddies" proceed to camp right where I am standing and yanking every griffon that pops. After sending them repeated tells asking if their plan was to gank it from under my nose and getting no reply, I ask in 'say' if they are ignoring me? They proceed to explain that they thought we had agreed that if they got it first, it was theirs. This was where I said "Enjoy Bloodtalon" and camped.

I really hate people sometimes and it should be no surprise that I am a bit of a misanthrope. **steps off the complaint box** Happy hunting all!

Tales From The Dark Side - Another Dark Day

2008-05-26T19:36:00.008-05:00

Well, it was bound to happen again. No soon have I dinged 37, than this happens.....

Stupid Warlord Enregak!! Just you wait, Mister...I will be back in a few levels and I swear I will get you...you and your little friends too!!!

But to sum it up, 2 deaths in 37 levels. Completed all the dwarf quests in Butcherblock and got this nifty little item:

Also completed the Bring On The Blight quest and got a cute little foot on a stick (http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?eq2item=103183) ...cute if you are into that sort of thing, I guess :-P All in a all a good gaming afternoon. Missed playing my little bruiser. Saddened by her death, but if I follow this rate of deaths (1 every 18.5 levels) I should have no problem reaching 80...or at least I hope so.

Happy Hunting, folks!! See you around Norrath!

Tales From The Dark Side - Day...ummm....I lost count :-P

2008-05-02T07:18:00.012-05:00

So Crookshankz got on to me the other day. He says, "SweetPea, it's been over a month since you posted anything on your EQ2 blog. You plan to post again?" I want to apologize to my two or three readers for this obvious neglect on my part. So this morning, I sit at my desk, slap on the iPod and crank The Cult to get in a writing mood.

Here goes....

The hubby and I have been gaming with all sorts of toons over the last month and a half. We have played our Ratongas (SK and Necro), our Humans (Conj and Fury), and a variety of other toons along the way. Some toons have been deleted, others re-rolled. All in all, lots of fun. We have had out nights of blahs due to issues that keep bugging us - mainly attitude issues with certain players and us discussing whether one person's personality is reason enough to find another guild. Although the answer seems simple, we are still on the fence on this one.

While all of this has been going on, I have been enjoying the tar out of my Hardcore Challenge toon. I play her while the hubby is at work. Not every day, but often enough to have out leveled him by about seven levels or so. I love her...my Kerran Bruiser, Olyvia. She is awesome. She is now level 34 and has only met the Grim Reaper once in all those levels.

I have to admit to taking the safe option on leveling this toon and it's probably why she is still holding eight lives under her belt. She has worked on questing in Nektulos, Butcherblock, Darklight Woods and Thundering Steppes so far. I think today I may take her elsewhere for a little while. I don't have much game time to speak of today, but it would be nice to log and put the smack down on a few mobs before I have to go clean out the garage.

So there you have it. Not much to tell, but a little something is better than nothing. Let's see if I can get into the whole posting thing again. I owe Crookshankz and Grimwell a report here and there, to be honest. How else can they see the progress I make if I don't blog about it?

Here is the most recent pic of Olyvia. Have a great day everyone!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-02-10T11:47:00.000-05:00

Have a wonderful day, folks!

Tales from the DarkSide - Day 5

2008-02-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

After ten days of not playing Olyvia, I decided to take her out for a spin yesterday while the hubby was still catching up on some sleep. As soon as she logged, I checked the broker to see if she had made any money. She didn't sell much and I figured it was because most of her items had been underbid since the last time I logged her in; that was not the case, but more on that in a bit.

Let me take a moment to discuss broker pricing as this is a subject of constant frustration for me. I am all for a healthy economy. It is nice to see people trying to supplement the measly coins that mobs drop by selling the loot they drop. It is nice to see people tradeskill and put up their wares for sales at prices that not only will turn a profit for them, but will also allow the common folk to afford them. Those people that tradeskill their butts off and make a comfortable in-game living from doing it are my economic heroes. But...there seems to be a different kind of class lurking in the trading world. I call them the "Underbidding Maniacs". I am not sure I understand their train of thought.

When you drop an item into a sales bag (or box or crate) the system will show a standard item price. This price is close to what a vendor will give you for an item. When you list the item for sale you really shouldn't price it much lower than that. If you do, you might as well take the item out of the bag and sell it at your local vendor. It would be better for your bottom line. But this is not the case for the Underbidding Maniacs. A prime example of this is Advanced crafting books. When you drop a higher level book in the bag, the price is normally 5gp76sp, yet you will see them for sale as low as 2gp. Why? Would it not be more profitable for you to take that item and sell it at a vendor and make a nice 4-5gp from it instead of the 2gp you priced it at? Yet they don't. They continue to price the items so far below market value that it makes me wonder if these people ever took a basic economics class.

But, alas, Olyvia's vending issue was not so much the Underbidding Maniac as it was that no one seems to need lower level Apprentice IV spells. It's one of the risks of tradeskilling. You craft items and put them up for sale, but they just don't sell. So no worries...we repriced a few items and give it another try. Better luck next time.

So after having dealt with the whole broker thing, I decided it was time to kill, kill, kill :-). Headed over to Butcherblock Mountains, did a few turn-ins from the last time I played and picked up a few new quests, including some writs. I was so excited that I was able to crank out quest after quest and dispatch mobs with the greatest of ease. Leveling was coming along nicely. DING! Level 24. Grab more quests, kill more mobs, complete another quest or two. DING! Level 25. Grab more quests, kill more mobs....and then....it happened....NOOOOOOO!!!!

Stupid Aqua Goblin....grumble grumble. Sometimes when you pull three encounter mobs, things go smoothly...but when three more of their ilk decide to join the party and use you as a piñata you get the feeling that you might not make it. But you are so close to a mini-ding (please note the adventure bar)...so you keep trying cause you want this one mob to die and give you the mini ding....cause the mini ding will mean success...but suddenly you realize "Oh crap this is not gonna work....hope feign death works." But oh no....You have fallen to the ground....You lose consciousness....an Aqua Goblin has killed you. So much for Adept III Feign Death. Olyvia made it 25 levels before she met her first death. At that point, I had to take a small break and step outside. The hubby said not to let it bother me. To think about all the other toons I have played over the years that never made it that far without dying. That if I kept up that death rate, I would be level 50 before I died again and I would still have 7 lives to spare. But still, I felt a bit sad over her death.

So I sat back down, dusted her off, and sent her back out to the world of Norrath. But it just wasn't the same. And although she got 78% into level, I just wasn't feeling it anymore. So I ran her up for one last turn in at the zone in for Greater Faydark and camped her there. It may be a few days before I log her in a again...or who knows, I just might log her in after I post this. Haven't made up my mind yet. So here she is, Olyvia in wolf-form just before she camped. And yes, I do think it is very weird for a Kerran to be in wolf-form....but dang it, I hate running slow!

Olyvia - Level 25 Bruiser. 18 AA points. Deaths - 1.

Not Quite A Tale from the DarkSide

2008-01-29T11:21:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone :-) Today won't be a Tale from the DarkSide but a quick update. I checked on Olyvia this morning and she is hefting a nice 3 and a half plat. Not a lot, but all earned on her very own. Her vitality is sitting at 40.7% so I look forward to playing her this Thursday and Friday when the hubby is home playing his Crookshankz. Don't tell Crookshankz, but I think Olyvia is smitten with him. Too bad they can't group....

And now, to the meat and bones of my post. I finally dinged level 77 on my Necro last night!! I want to thank The Academy....oh wait, wrong speech...I want to thank Pullo, my ever present meat shield; Shah, our lovely Guild Leader (although his whole view of Ratongas really upsets me....we really don't work well in a fondue pot); and all the nice people from Nefarious that were there as well. Thanks again guys :-)

Having said that, I want to take a moment to talk about the Necro scout pet. Meet RicoSuave (credit goes to my husband on this one - I really could not come up with anything as my old pet name did not suit him at all):

RicoSuave looks like a Prissy Froofypants. Those of you that have read /guComics may be familiar with the term. But let me assure you that he is NOT a wimp....just looks like one. Many people don't seem to like this type of pet and wonder why I use it all the time. In my opinion, if you are grouping, there is no better pet. I can out-dps a variety of classes up to a few levels higher than me when using Rico so why would I choose to play any other pet? Now please note, Circea has never been a solo toon. Since her creation she has always grouped with Pullo - thus the meat shield reference. And for the longest time even he doubted my choice in pets. But he doubts no more :-) and that makes me a happy Ratonga.

So Rico and I, along with Pullo and our friends, will continue to face the challenges that the wonderful world of Norrath lays in our paths. The last 77 levels have been fun. Can't wait to see what the next 3 have in store for us. Happy Hunting, my friends! Be safe and see you around Norrath!!

Tales from the DarkSide - Day 4

2008-01-27T07:26:00.000-05:00

So I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday. Got all wrapped up in game and totally forgot to do it. Bad SweetPea...but happy to report that some things have come to pass that make me very happy with Olyvia.

Olyvia is now a level 23 Bruiser with 0 deaths and 17 AA points. She finished all the Gorowyn quests and moved out to Butcherblock Mountains where the smell of the ocean is not quite the same. Pretty, but not home. She is also a level 23 Alchemist and her spells are all up to date.

I will say that keeping the harvesting skills up to date has probably been the biggest challenge for me so far. Normally, it is not something I stress over at all - except when my Necro on Najena needs Tynnonium and not a single node will drop one :-P. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to keep all skill sets level. To balance kill time with harvest time and with craft time. That is a big balancing act for me. Not a path I normally follow with any of my toons.

The fighting has been challenging. Nothing that has brought me to the brink of death yet, but I am sure there are plenty of mobs out there who are up to the challenge. I try to be very careful when selecting my opponents and make sure I have Feign Death up. So far, so good.

As I look ahead at the upcoming zones, I begin to wonder how long it will be before she dies. I know it is inevitable. Last night, Crookshankz and I were playing our mains out in Kunzar Jungle and the thought occurred to me that there is no way Olyvia could make it out here on her own. She would have to be one bad-ass Bruiser to make it that far within the nine-death limit. Now, don't take that as me saying that she won't make it - just that it is not likely. I have hope that she might do it. And wouldn't that be sweet?!

Anyhow, that's all I got for today. Here is a pic of Olyvia outside her apartment in Gorowyn. Looking forward to many more posts to come :-)

Tales from the DarkSide - Day 3

2008-01-24T08:29:00.001-05:00

Last night I logged in Olyvia and played for a bit. I was letting her rest up and get some vitality. She is now level 18 with 0 deaths. I am very excited about it as I believe she is the first toon that has made it that far without a single death. Yay Olyvia!!

Today I think I will log on again but work on harvesting and tradeskilling. I need to make sure I have my spells up to date and such. And the hubby I think needs spells too. He provides mats so it's cool :-)

Well, not much else to report today. Coffee has not kicked in yet so my mind is still a bit fuzzy. I will post again later today. In the meantime, here is the latest pic of Olyvia in Mok Rent.

Tales from the DarkSide - Day 2

2008-01-20T07:22:00.001-05:00

Well, Day 2 was a good day. Olyvia is now level 15 with zero deaths and 8 AA points. I have not run into any problems taking on any mobs yet, but I am sure it will happen as time progresses. Glad to report I got Feign Death last level and I hope this helps on keeping the death toll to under the allotted nine lives.

I worked on keeping my harvesting skills up - something I normally fail to do with my other toons :-P . And I have been good about keeping my Safe Fall current. I don't see much use for it, but I guess it is there for a reason and as such, I should maintain it.

I trade skilled yesterday and attained level 10. I finally was able to resolve my storage issues. That was getting to be a nightmare. I chose to follow the scholar route for spells. My husband chose outfitter and I have commissioned him for some stuff already. I provided all the materials, including fuel, so that should be OK per the guidelines. I know we discussed him commissioning me for spells and I need to make sure I look into that today.

Well, I think that is about all I have right now. My brain is not quite yet fully awake as the caffeine has not made it up there yet. I might blog again later today when I wake up more.

Happy Hunting Everyone!

Tales from the DarkSide

2008-01-19T08:02:00.000-05:00

Hello all. It has been forever and a day since I posted anything here. Nothing happening that I really cared to share publicly...until now. My husband and I are EQII players and we love the game. Some days more than others, but if you are a gamer, you know what I mean. In one of his recent gaming forum/post reads, he stumbled upon an interesting post by Grimwell (http://www.grimwell.com/?p=109#comment-1456). The EQII Hardcore Challenge.

My husband jumped at the idea and I must say that I was tempted as well. So I have taken the challenge and created Olyvia on the British Runnyeye server - my normal play server has no empty toon slots, and this way, there is no temptation of sending money or anything like that.

So here she is. Level 11 Bruiser as of last night with zero deaths. I will post more as I progress and hope to go far. Grimwell, this one is for you :-)