But something's coming home...
And it's the Vistani. Okay, the Vistani is a people, not a thing. This post is not about objectifying beautiful Vistani women or strapping Vistani men. Continuing from where John left off, this post is all about mobs, some character specific stuff, and football analogy. Basically, the format goes like this:
1. Image of a female celebrity coming from a World Cup participating nation. Last 16 qualification isn't necessary. But definitely, they'll be from any nation apart from France and Croatia. Also fyi, John is doing this part 4 teh lolz.
2. Mob type
2. Mob type
3. Comparisons between the nation's football team and the mob type. That plus how the mob type fights.
4. Random discovery concerning any given class currently in John's character roster.
But before that...
Let's talk about the Barovian gear. Currently, Ravenloft may be your best chance to hit the highest Masterwork gear tier thus far. Mark John's words, you'll be seeing a tier 4 verily soon. Not in this mod, but very likely the next one. So sell stuff, buy stuff, and make stuff while you can before a new MW tier ends up jacking up the MW professions resources price again. After all, it's Cryptic. No offence intended to Thomas "his BFF is still eating stuff at your stronghold" Foss and his mimic army btw. Surprisingly though, Masterwork gear had been going from tier 1 (i.e. level 435) to the current tier 3 (i.e. level 510) in consecutive campaigns (i.e. Storm King's Thunder, The Cloaked Ascendancy, and Jungles of Chult in this order). Which makes no tier 4 for Ravenloft quite interesting. Of course, another way to see things is this: The devs will update the existent MW gear instead of doing more of it.
The gear system for this mod is good. The reason why is very simple: It forces you to rethink the correct definition of BiS. For those having the good Chultan/Omu gear, Ravenloft presents an interesting dilemma: Do you want to ditch your fave Omu gear for the unknown? It's one thing to play safe, quite another to take risks in the name of better efficiency. This is due to the presence of level 520 gear. So far so good, John only discovered 4 types so far for epic grade gear:
Tempter (level 520; arms and feet), Marionette (level 520; body), Horseman (level 520; head), and Raven (level 490).
Tempter armour is effectively the BiS for every HR. Depending on the build, at least one piece of Tempter gear is strongly recommended. Namely, Tempter's Gaiters. Alone in the open world, the 200 movement speed bonus per ally isn't a big deal. In party raids and group PvP, that's every HR's dream ride. Going by the five-member party format, that'd be 800 movement speed bonus. If companions (including augments) are applicable to the maths, that'd be a whopping 1800 movement speed bonus. No need to spend your zen on the Stormraider Cydesdale once you got the Gladiator's Guile insignia bonus. For Tempter's Bracers, it depends on whether you're going for combat or dps trapper. If the answer is yes, then this one is for you.
For Marionette, John decided to risk his bear coat which served him so well. The reason why being that when he got it (for Arylos), he already got a Horseman gear for the head slot. Right now, there's a problem with the HR: The armour penetration/damage resistance ignored stat got nerfed. For every HR, this is effectively the worst way to down the tools. John got no choice but to try beefing up the arpen/dri percentage. He checked the numbers. Hence, he knew that the Marionette body armour is the better choice. Don't just look at the Armour Class. Look at the overall damage resistance in the character sheet. More than any other builds, combat HR can never have too much damage resistance. So far so good, it's going well.
Horseman was only the head slot gear discovered so far. However, John likes the balance struck between this one and the Marionette body armour. The latter gives Arylos some heavyweight defence while the former evened things out with pure offensive stats. Also, combat HRs do need some semblance of one-on-one duelling game. Right now, the dps is based on crowd clearing (which makes stormwardens into absolute monsters in the combat tree). So yes, the Horseman hood was a much-welcomed addition. So welcomed, John is now planning to salvage the lizardman mask and bear coat he got at Omu.
On the rings, John decided to ditch Sudden Precision +4 for Primal Assault Ring due to the arpen/dri issue. To make things trickier for those crazy enough to choose what is arguably the most underused dps build in the game, the devs decided to force the Piercing Blades feat to down the tools. Piercing damage dealt post-damage mitigation instead of pre-damage mitigation? No, John isn't talking like Don T here. It's true. Just scroll down to Combat and Powers. As a result, this forced John to do a gear rejig. Out went the lizardman mask and bear coat, in went the Marionette and Horseman. It actually worked very well. Far better than expected if John says so himself. Sticking to the bear coat while going with Horseman is a viable option. However, the mob in Barovia is known to rack up the highest possible dps count. Not exactly the best option available for John unless Arylos manages to prise the Knotted Garbs from Gnarly Jak's gnarly hands.
Which now comes to the new Barovian artifact gear. Thanks to whoever was the smart guy (unfortunately John forgot his/her name) in the Protector's Enclave zone chat, John realised how the proc'ing works for Primal weapons when it comes to the healing part. So how the healing part works is this: So long it's a multi-target heal, the HP amount healed for one target is the same for the rest. And going by this amount, it's normal for Primal Response to proc based on the numbers and NOT on the amount of your character's HP. This also resulted in John rejigging the boons to make Arylos far more of a regeneration build than a 50-50 between regeneration and life steal. As a result, he decided to switch Baphomet's Might for Displace Fate (although this change was done after his first run in normal Svardborg 1-2 days ago). Right now, Arylos has completed the Sunsword chapter of the campaign. But he decided not to progress to the next chapter first. The reason why was that John needs to see whether he has already unlocked the option to purchase a Blood Raven Pendant. This is the best defensive neck slot gear one can ever hope to get. For combat HRs, this is something worth considering about. With a Blood Raven Pendant, John can afford to switch back to Fured Kiuno of the Bear since he already redid the boons in such a way that defence boons ended up replacing the power boons. Hopefully, this approach will result in a much better balance between offence and defence.
Which now comes to the new Barovian artifact gear. Thanks to whoever was the smart guy (unfortunately John forgot his/her name) in the Protector's Enclave zone chat, John realised how the proc'ing works for Primal weapons when it comes to the healing part. So how the healing part works is this: So long it's a multi-target heal, the HP amount healed for one target is the same for the rest. And going by this amount, it's normal for Primal Response to proc based on the numbers and NOT on the amount of your character's HP. This also resulted in John rejigging the boons to make Arylos far more of a regeneration build than a 50-50 between regeneration and life steal. As a result, he decided to switch Baphomet's Might for Displace Fate (although this change was done after his first run in normal Svardborg 1-2 days ago). Right now, Arylos has completed the Sunsword chapter of the campaign. But he decided not to progress to the next chapter first. The reason why was that John needs to see whether he has already unlocked the option to purchase a Blood Raven Pendant. This is the best defensive neck slot gear one can ever hope to get. For combat HRs, this is something worth considering about. With a Blood Raven Pendant, John can afford to switch back to Fured Kiuno of the Bear since he already redid the boons in such a way that defence boons ended up replacing the power boons. Hopefully, this approach will result in a much better balance between offence and defence.
Add note: If John manages to get a Marionette gear for the head slot, then he'd most likely go back to the bear coat due to the 3% melee damage bonus.
So should you choose the new Barovian gear over your tried-and-tested level 405?
The thing with the greater belts of attributes is this: Say for example you got a Disciple of Dexterity for your HR. So should you exchange your level 405 Greater Twined Rope of Dexterity for, say example, a Vistani belt? Perhaps the more correct question is this: Have you looked at your neck slot gear?
The new level 500 artifact gear for neck and waist slots are there for a reason: Going by the old system, every build should just go for heroic feats involving specific attributes. Feats like Blood Pact of Cania, Learned Spellcaster, and Disciple of *insert attribute here*. This would severely hamper the build planning process. After all, it's no fun following every other Great Weapon Fighter when it comes to Disciple of Strength, no? Therefore, it's possible that the new level 500 neck-waist gear system starting from the Jungles of Chult campaign was meant to encourage players to explore other builds instead of getting too obsessed with the attributes-based feats. Yes, this would reduce your current Strength/Constitution/Dexterity/Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma score by two. But this would also mean NOT choosing any heroic feat involving the relevant attribute. In other words, you wouldn't be sufferring a great loss. Loss, yes. Great loss, no. You can easily redirect 3-5 points to other heroic feats, hence giving you more leeway in working your creativity. Remember, Neverwinter is a game that encourages creativity rather than sticking to the tried and tested. At the same time, support builds tend to be the most underrated, yet arguably most important roles in any raid. If you're a Singaporean like John, please reconsider whether you'd want to play this game. Because Neverwinter is more for foreigners and Singaporeans who think like them.
For John, he prefers sticking with the old belt while making the appropriate change for the neck slot. This is to strike a balance between better stats and what works for the specific characters all the while. If your character is currently using a level 405 belt involving two attributes instead of one giving you a +4 for a single attribute, you may need to do some thinking. The Demon Lords' Immortality set involving Demogorgon's Girdle of Might. Baphomet's Infernal Talisman, and Shard of Orcus' Wand is to be the only exception. Because the set bonus is too broken for a level 405 artifact set.
Which now comes to the question of whether the Stronghold Company artifact gear is still worth your guild marks. Now it must be stated that to make things easier, John would recommend getting the correct neck slot gear while going for a greater belt. This would maximise whatever attribute based feat you've chosen. Of course, if you want the Protector set, feel free to get both the neck and waist gear for Stronghold Company. In fact, the set bonus should be the best for those out to play it defensive or more defensive (note that there's a difference between defensive and more defensive).
At the end of the day, Ravenloft should be considered a success. This is because the new gear requires you to think outside the box and beyond the comfort zone (actually, the two concepts tend to complement each other via subjective choice for the former and objective circumstances for the latter). The new epic dungeon gear can be used in ways more than one. You can gun for only one piece, two pieces, or even going pure Barovian. Or you can mix it up with any Primal gear (ideally either the body armour or two rings) or any post-level 500 one. At the same time, certain Tarokka cards do yield a post-level 500 gear upon taking down a hunt (i.e. the epic cards like Seer, Tempter, Marionette, and Executioner). At the same time, the AI poses a better challenge. This is not to say those you fought at Soshenstar and Omu were idiots. Chultan mobs tend to have higher defensive stats, but the offensive end was more lacking compared to Ravenloft. And because the game is all about surviving and winning, it's easier to make harder mobs via the dps rather than the defensive side.
However, it must also be stated that in the same way Barovia has been tainted by the curse of Stradh, Ravenloft is tainted by bugs. Right now, it seems that the devs are working to troubleshoot and firefight. Which is the only pity. Thankfully, it looks like the days of getting map blocked are nearing the end. That plus the Barovian merchants ridding the buggy. Hopefully, the gamers won't be reminded of Scaramucci's beef with Priebus. If you don't know what John is talking about here, good. If you know which incident he's referring to, then don't say it out loud. Either way, American politics aren't exactly the most family friendly stuff.
Now onto the enemies (and celebrities)
Note: This will be part of a multi-post series instead of just a one-shot. For this post, John will cover the Howling Hills and Bhaasmond Taran (otherwise known as John's only tank).
Chapter I: Wolves Of Men
Taking jobs from Szolodar Szoldarovich means you're on your way to hunt wolves and werewolves. If you want a quickie, he's the NPC you're looking for. This is because some of the quests can only be completed by going through Barovia both during the day and night. Big Daddy Szold, however, ain't got time for that. Actually, his gruff exterior might have revealed a man used to seizing the initiative rather than waiting for the right moment to strike. In a nutshell, Big Daddy Szold's jobs are the easiest to do due to two reasons:
1. You don't need to wait for night time to do certain parts of any quest in the Howling Hills.
2. Compared to the Whispering Wood, it's easier to get there. Actually, Howling Hill is of a shorter distance. At the same time, the region is considered the smallest out of the four. This is due to the winding paths flanked by rocky high ground.
Two daily quests are available: Dire Consequences and Tracking the Beast. For Dire Consequences, you only need to travel along the winding path after getting 15 pieces of deer meat along the river bank. Note that unlike other monsters in the game, the deer won't attack you unless you attack them first. For Tracking the Beast, this is a bit dodgy. John's tip would be to check the map. Not the flat one by pressing M, but rather the visible one on the top right-hand corner. Once you enter the blue circle zone, move around within the circle until you see the golden tracks. Then progress>rinse and repeat>until you see the quarry.
Word of Le Spoiler here: Your prey will be found in the forest somewhere at the edge.
Word of Le Spoiler here: Your prey will be found in the forest somewhere at the edge.
Against all kinds of wolves and werewolves, this is a dps race. You can't prevent them from going rabid in the same way you can't prevent Les Diables Rouges from unleashing Eden "The Great BioHazard of football" Hazard and Dries "Dr Dries" Mertens from the back or middle 3rd. Once the pack goes red, they need to go dead. Try to bring down the HP to the lowest possible level before the red aura of menace appears. Because once the aura pops, it won't go down until you take the enemy down. At the same time, there is also an enemy type that looks like a human being. They're easier to deal with. And that's not to mention they can be found alone by themselves at times. Once engaged, you'll be fighting against the timer. The reason why is very simple: This particular enemy type would go naked after a certain period. Not naked like some Belgian model in West Jerusalem, but rather naked like Benicio "not Guillermo" del Toro's Wolf Dude.
However, the wolves and werewolves in Howling Hills are not just about the dps. They don't do duels. They do zerging. The wolves aren't that much of a problem although they most likely got the prone-bite attack which the winter wolves are famous for. The werewolves are the real problem because they've got a high frequency of jumping here and there. Like Harambe's BFFs in Omu, getting hit by the jump means you're knocked down prone. For the human version, turning into werewolves would also result in knockdown prone. This part should sound familiar with you unless your guild is too low level to deal with the barbarians in the stronghold map.
How to fight them:
The instinctive approach is to dodge/press shift. However, this is NOT the safe option. Yes, it's the kind of option any Singaporean would take. After all, it's easy to pull off, right? And if it's the easiest solution, then surely it must be the best solution. Nonsense. You try doing that, you'll get a stamina burn. And once you hit a stamina burnout, it's definitely not because of some hot naked Belgian model. Just move around. Don't think about how slow your movement is. Compared to death by stamina burnout, it's more practical to risk getting hit by running here and there. So long you keep your movement within a small circle, the seemingly risky will prove to be more efficient than the Singaporean brand of efficiency. So take some risk, don't save it for later. Because if you don't learn how to take risks, you'll never learn how to do it forever. Of course, you'll need to have a brain to do that. That's common-sense. Oh, and more thing: The werewolves are harder to kill than the jumping dinos in Soshenstar, so please do some practising with Harambe's BFFs in Omu if you're not comfortable enough with the break-neck pace. Because the werewolves in Barovia will not cease to speed like a Lamborghini manufactured in Belgium.
Righteous Shield And A Sword That Never Yields
John spent quite some time doing some experimenting. This was because when he got a Chultan weapons set for Bhaasmond, the off-hand artifact power read like: Aura of Vengeance. And because John didn't feel like spending astral diamonds on the Cubes of Augmentation, he decided to stop at Vengeance.
It's been a quirky process, to be honest. To max out the effectiveness of Aura of Vengeance, you'll need to get an effective mass protection game readied. At the same time, you'll also need to know when to taunt instead of constant aggro grab. This results in a weird situation where you need to play less like a tank despite being a... well, tank. To make this possible, slot in Aura of Protection or Aura of Truth. This build is more of a counter-offensive support rather than aggro pulling. So long you can ensure the party's survival, this build is viable for you. Actually, it's not that hard considering the Aura of Protection.
Currently, John has switched the Chultan set for Vistani set. Just a word of recommendation here: It's very easy to do the intro quests for Ravenloft leading up to getting the reward loot from Ezmerelda d'Avenir. The hard part comes only after you enter Barovia. So go for the Vistani set. You shouldn't have a problem in dealing with the intro quests so long your toon is 10-11K at least. And trust John when he says it's very easy to get any toon to 11K so long the toon has a guild.
So once John got the Vistani set for Bhaasmond, he needed to roll a bit of the D20. Hence, the need to spend on Cubes of Augmentation. Because John is never a fan of rolling the damn D20 till he gets a specific bonus for the off-hand weapon (and to a lesser extent, the main-hand one as well), he'd always make sure to max out all the class features. This to customise the character build into something useful instead of having a specific one in mind with plenty of astral diamonds to burn. If there's anything John learnt in the process of playing Neverwinter, it is every build can be a good build. While it may be true that not every build is an exceptional build, all you need to make any build work is a flexible mind and the ability to improvise. In this aspect, Neverwinter is truly a game not for the typical Singaporean.
Long story short, the main hand Vistani sword (because John transmuted it into one) rolled a Valorous Strike. Fact is, it's easier to proc the power increment aspect by slotting Valorous Strike as your staple at-will. The 5% damage resistance is good enough to keep the OP alive, but the best part is that having a 5% damage resistance bonus is different from proc'ing an anti-damage shield. At least you're guaranteed a decent chance of triggering the power increase where the Oath of Protection mechanic is concerned. At the same time, there's this damage reflect proc gained via Divine Call. Now all John needs is that one power point needed to max out Valorous Strike.
As for the off-hand Vistani shield, John is perfectly fine with rolling an Aura of Protection. In fact, the off-hand bonus actually increases the speed of Divine Call building. This is very important for justice OP because the 35% power increment from proc'ing Judge is always vital for the dps. In fact, there were moments where John had to trigger Judge twice in a row. Okay, it's not a matter of had to. More of a matter of doing things for fun. Either way, rolling the D20 and scoring Aura of Protection bonus should be an option every justice OP should consider. Otherwise, it's optional.
Currently, John is running Bhaasmond with Aura of Protection and Aura of Courage. For some funny reason, John couldn't get his DC and OP out from the mass support role. However, this is also a good thing since support members of any party would require a good AoE game. And OPs with their aura system can be very easy to use in this area. It's down to what kind of support (although certain auras like Vengeance, Wrath, and Solitude can be tricky to use effectively). Protection and Courage give the entire party additional damage resistance and damage bonus in the form of radiant damage. The norm amongst OPs seems to be using Aura of Wisdom and Aura of Courage. This is definitely an A grade offensive buffing. However, it also compromises the party's ability to survive since a single hit in any T2 raid can take down a dps member unless we're talking about the GWF. This combination requires the tank to aggro hold effectively. Which isn't that hard considering Binding Oath and Vow of Enmity. But if you choose not to use either/both, don't ask your party members to hold your beer. Because the risk is not worth your decision to roll a D20 hoping to get a score of 20.
Which now comes to Circle of Protection. This is every beginner's move. For the truly good ones, drawing the crop circle is nothing more than optional. However, there's a catch: Purifying Fire feat for the justice tree. Purifying Fire requires two buffing encounters and one direct damage encounter to mix things around effectively. If you opt for that feat, make sure you have Sacred Weapon ready. Because this encounter power would help a lot in maxing out the burn. Please note that the OP at-will powers are single target types, hence making Purifying Fire an ideal choice for OP users not high on recovery. At the same time, buffing encounters do not negate the Purifying Fire effect. That's unless the tooltip has been lying to the gamers all the while. The tricky part lies in when to use it rather than whether or not to use it. If you're running on an Oath of Protection, you can't spam it because that'd result in a defensive overload where you can't proc the power increase and damage reflect. However, it helps to keep an eye on your party members' HP. Once any member's hit points drop to around 60% or less (roughly speaking ofc), then prepare to draw the crop circle. But don't do it at the beginning of the battle. You got Aura of Protection, so things should be safe for a while. Here's a tip, though: When engaging the enemy, it's best to Divine Call first. Never mind who is the first person into the fray. Just do a Divine Call>Sacred Weapon>engage in battle. If you got Templar's Wrath, that's even better. Then it should look like Divine Call>Sacred Weapon>Templar's Wrath>engage in battle. The reason why Sacred Weapon should follow Divine Call is that this is to give the enemy time to take some HP off you in order to proc the power bonus and damage reflect. If you're not sure whether a single Divine Call is enough, then press Tab again after you trigger Templar's Wrath. So long your off-hand artifact power is set at Aura of Protection, it shouldn't be a problem. However, it's advisable to let the Divine Call meter to refill completely before attempting another Judge.
Now if only John would practice what he preached here.
To be cont'd...
Currently, John has switched the Chultan set for Vistani set. Just a word of recommendation here: It's very easy to do the intro quests for Ravenloft leading up to getting the reward loot from Ezmerelda d'Avenir. The hard part comes only after you enter Barovia. So go for the Vistani set. You shouldn't have a problem in dealing with the intro quests so long your toon is 10-11K at least. And trust John when he says it's very easy to get any toon to 11K so long the toon has a guild.
So once John got the Vistani set for Bhaasmond, he needed to roll a bit of the D20. Hence, the need to spend on Cubes of Augmentation. Because John is never a fan of rolling the damn D20 till he gets a specific bonus for the off-hand weapon (and to a lesser extent, the main-hand one as well), he'd always make sure to max out all the class features. This to customise the character build into something useful instead of having a specific one in mind with plenty of astral diamonds to burn. If there's anything John learnt in the process of playing Neverwinter, it is every build can be a good build. While it may be true that not every build is an exceptional build, all you need to make any build work is a flexible mind and the ability to improvise. In this aspect, Neverwinter is truly a game not for the typical Singaporean.
Long story short, the main hand Vistani sword (because John transmuted it into one) rolled a Valorous Strike. Fact is, it's easier to proc the power increment aspect by slotting Valorous Strike as your staple at-will. The 5% damage resistance is good enough to keep the OP alive, but the best part is that having a 5% damage resistance bonus is different from proc'ing an anti-damage shield. At least you're guaranteed a decent chance of triggering the power increase where the Oath of Protection mechanic is concerned. At the same time, there's this damage reflect proc gained via Divine Call. Now all John needs is that one power point needed to max out Valorous Strike.
As for the off-hand Vistani shield, John is perfectly fine with rolling an Aura of Protection. In fact, the off-hand bonus actually increases the speed of Divine Call building. This is very important for justice OP because the 35% power increment from proc'ing Judge is always vital for the dps. In fact, there were moments where John had to trigger Judge twice in a row. Okay, it's not a matter of had to. More of a matter of doing things for fun. Either way, rolling the D20 and scoring Aura of Protection bonus should be an option every justice OP should consider. Otherwise, it's optional.
Currently, John is running Bhaasmond with Aura of Protection and Aura of Courage. For some funny reason, John couldn't get his DC and OP out from the mass support role. However, this is also a good thing since support members of any party would require a good AoE game. And OPs with their aura system can be very easy to use in this area. It's down to what kind of support (although certain auras like Vengeance, Wrath, and Solitude can be tricky to use effectively). Protection and Courage give the entire party additional damage resistance and damage bonus in the form of radiant damage. The norm amongst OPs seems to be using Aura of Wisdom and Aura of Courage. This is definitely an A grade offensive buffing. However, it also compromises the party's ability to survive since a single hit in any T2 raid can take down a dps member unless we're talking about the GWF. This combination requires the tank to aggro hold effectively. Which isn't that hard considering Binding Oath and Vow of Enmity. But if you choose not to use either/both, don't ask your party members to hold your beer. Because the risk is not worth your decision to roll a D20 hoping to get a score of 20.
Which now comes to Circle of Protection. This is every beginner's move. For the truly good ones, drawing the crop circle is nothing more than optional. However, there's a catch: Purifying Fire feat for the justice tree. Purifying Fire requires two buffing encounters and one direct damage encounter to mix things around effectively. If you opt for that feat, make sure you have Sacred Weapon ready. Because this encounter power would help a lot in maxing out the burn. Please note that the OP at-will powers are single target types, hence making Purifying Fire an ideal choice for OP users not high on recovery. At the same time, buffing encounters do not negate the Purifying Fire effect. That's unless the tooltip has been lying to the gamers all the while. The tricky part lies in when to use it rather than whether or not to use it. If you're running on an Oath of Protection, you can't spam it because that'd result in a defensive overload where you can't proc the power increase and damage reflect. However, it helps to keep an eye on your party members' HP. Once any member's hit points drop to around 60% or less (roughly speaking ofc), then prepare to draw the crop circle. But don't do it at the beginning of the battle. You got Aura of Protection, so things should be safe for a while. Here's a tip, though: When engaging the enemy, it's best to Divine Call first. Never mind who is the first person into the fray. Just do a Divine Call>Sacred Weapon>engage in battle. If you got Templar's Wrath, that's even better. Then it should look like Divine Call>Sacred Weapon>Templar's Wrath>engage in battle. The reason why Sacred Weapon should follow Divine Call is that this is to give the enemy time to take some HP off you in order to proc the power bonus and damage reflect. If you're not sure whether a single Divine Call is enough, then press Tab again after you trigger Templar's Wrath. So long your off-hand artifact power is set at Aura of Protection, it shouldn't be a problem. However, it's advisable to let the Divine Call meter to refill completely before attempting another Judge.
Now if only John would practice what he preached here.
To be cont'd...
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