In other news, 6th Nov is also the day where Hindus celebrate the triumph of good over evil. 2018 has never been so highly charged and equally highly strung before. As for John, he's content to emulate Han Fei.
Democrats or Republicans, both parties like beer. And the swing voters as well.
So what this post is all about?
This will be John's take on the next mod. Also known as the Heart of Fire and Blood, what are some of the things we can expect? Or hope to see? After all, if Emilia 404 can get hitched, it means Cryptic can defy the critics. Not that they never did that before with Underdark, The Cloaked Ascendancy, 2 campaigns' worth of Chult, and the best mod of yet. Namely, Ravenloft where Yishun got to see its twisted twin via the presence of Barovia and Strahd von Zarovich. Hopefully, Jolin isn't a fan of pen and paper. John suspects she'd kill this talking/typing/writing otter if she knows what Ravenloft is all about. Not that Strahd would go after her, though. That is unless Tatyana reincarnated (again!) and ended up in Yishun.
Seals conversion again?
It's not certain. But with a spanking new level 600 gear set (so when are we going to see something that's over 9000?), does that mean the Barovian gear would be made readily available beyond just running REQ and Castle Ravenloft? We wouldn't know until the Mouth of Cryptic says something. Will it be a matter of time? It should be evident by now that the only way to overcome an unbreakable glass ceiling where the gear level system is concerned would be exchanging 3 previous seals (i.e. Seals of the Brave) for 1 current seal (i.e. Seals of the Crown). Simple but efficient. Whether or not this would take place in the Heart of Fire and Blood remains to be seen.
John got it wrong
Originally, John thought the upcoming Consult Expedition Pack would be for free. After all, it's a gimmick, right? Apparently, John got it wrong. When you have a group of outsiders talking like Don.T, many things have to be discerned. So yeah, it's still the same deal. You got a package free of charge with enchantments, campaign currencies, and other bind-to-account stuff. But the pack? Well, Marvel isn't known to be a smart player in the F2P industry for a reason.
How low can you go?
Low not as in stooping low or bending over backwards in a game of limbo dance. Rather, the Heart of Fire and Blood unlocks progressively per every 10 level beyond 15. What this means is that if you happened to be at level 70, it's most likely going to be a case of getting all the available quests.
If you're pre-70, what this means is that open world zones alone won't progress your character like before. Chances are, you'd need a combination of campaign quests and the rest to progress. At the same time, it should be much easier for pre-70 characters to get the boons due to an early start. If there's anything you should know by now, it's the fact that focusing on the boons first would result in slower campaign progress.
If you're at 70, then you need to make a choice: Do you want the boons first or campaign progression? Campaign progress steroids are only available until Storm King's Thunder. For Jungles of Chult and Ravenloft, there's no such luxury (then again, they progress much faster than the rest). John won't know whether campaign progress steroids would be provided for Heart of Fire and Blood in the future. But if the devs decide to do that, it's going to happen only in the mod after, not 6th Nov.
Either way, using your main for this campaign means your alts should have it easier running at least 1 high-end weekly, if not 2. In Barovia, it's lighting up the campfires. In Omu, it's a similar task involving supplies. If this campaign would take quite some time to complete, then it means more time for the alts for the other campaigns. Unless you want to grind to death for your main.
At the end of the day, this campaign is most likely for lower level toons to survive Chult and Barovia. To put it in another way, fast-tracking them to the most challenging zones in-game.
BiS for dps?
The Heart of Fire and Blood looks like Nine Hells of a power hitter. You have power, crit, and arpen. While this enchantment doesn't have a defensive variation stats-wise, it should give some much-needed dps muscle to tanks. For dps builds, it depends on the power scaling. Either way, the best way to slot it should be in your off-hand artifact weapon slot. More specifically the secondary slot because it's a defensive one. Justice OP tanks, in particular, are gonna love this one. Movement speed is still important in raiding, though. Which means reserving 1 utility slot for that may not be a good idea.
Acq Inc set: How good is it?
Ever felt you're forced to invest in feats like Disciple of Strength, Learned Spellcaster, and Blood Pact of Cania where attributes truly matter? No matter whether it's the good ol' school +4 attribute belts or some other belts, it's inevitable to be tempted to invest in those feats. Max rank, if possible. Acq Inc set is... well, dodgy on the first glance. Acq Inc set is not what John call a BiS, but it should worth some consideration if your character build falls within the category below:
Combat HR with 3 dps encounter powers (add in Stormstep Action if you're a stormwarden), any CW using Icy Terrain and/or the Primal set, any DC using the Primal set, any templock, any trapper HR using Aspect of the Serpent+Constricting Arrow+Hindering Strike+Plant Growth (this build would most likely need a maxed Vampiric Grace plus Crushing Roots, though)
Note that the above list is a non-exhaustive one since Neverwinter is all about being creative for the building process.
So would John want the Acq Inc set for Arylos? It looks tempting. It really does. 1K movement speed from the artifact alone. Make that 2K for the first 10 secs if it's the set. As any combat HR would tell you, recovery is important. Very important. Not to mention better movement speed=better dps game.
Which now comes to the most interesting question: Does that make 5 points into Extra Action worth it? Depends on whether you want to max out Predatory Action and use Stormstep Action. Just make sure you're not wearing Kelemvor's undead repellant and get this or that for your raiding loadout. Otherwise, use Aspect of the Pack, Disciple of Dexterity, and 2 points into Scoundrel Training (if you're using Seeker's Vengeance)/Agile Combatant (if you're using Thorn Ward or Split the Sky)/Lucky Skirmisher (if you're using Aspect of the Lone Wolf). Maybe John should do that for next mod. He means getting a Primal head slot gear for raiding loadout.
So would John want the Acq Inc set for Arylos? It looks tempting. It really does. 1K movement speed from the artifact alone. Make that 2K for the first 10 secs if it's the set. As any combat HR would tell you, recovery is important. Very important. Not to mention better movement speed=better dps game.
Which now comes to the most interesting question: Does that make 5 points into Extra Action worth it? Depends on whether you want to max out Predatory Action and use Stormstep Action. Just make sure you're not wearing Kelemvor's undead repellant and get this or that for your raiding loadout. Otherwise, use Aspect of the Pack, Disciple of Dexterity, and 2 points into Scoundrel Training (if you're using Seeker's Vengeance)/Agile Combatant (if you're using Thorn Ward or Split the Sky)/Lucky Skirmisher (if you're using Aspect of the Lone Wolf). Maybe John should do that for next mod. He means getting a Primal head slot gear for raiding loadout.
Why the letter K?
K-Team dungeon challenge? Why the alphabet K? It doesn't make sense. Then again, the people in Acq Inc most likely don't 9 out of 10 times. Quite obviously, replay value is a major part of Cryptic's agenda here. Unlike the Barovian gear, it seems that IOU is the currency for the Gallant set. If so, then it means less pressure to run Castle Ravenloft beyond getting the first piece of gear. The challenge behind the K-Team bust would be Hardcore mode. Minimum item level mode shouldn't be making a major difference. After all, many of the dungeons are already there. Albeit with tweaks done every now and then to the difficulty level and mechanics. Interestingly, Hardcore mode may well be the reason for the possibility of epic Svardborg being... well, actually playable. This is not to say epic Svardborg is unplayable. Rather, the inability to re-enter the arena upon getting bumped off can be annoying at best while forcing a wipe at worst (i.e. should be quite often). With Hardcore mode, there's no need to worry about being left with 5 party members to deal with Storvald and his Ring of Winter. John suspects next mod will make epic Svardborg easier on the players when it comes to the mental torture of having only 5 party members dealing with the whole thing.
Which now comes to the best part of the K-Team bust. This aspect of the mod effectively chucks gear quality out of the window. Not that gear quality doesn't matter. It still does. But more than gear quality would be your strategic planning and tactical awareness. Play the right cards at the right time and it's way easier to learn. The first few (?) tries should be one hell of a rough ride. So make full use of the failures to formulate the correct strategy and approach. After all, Goblin Slayer doesn't become Batman overnight.
The artwork is moe, but it doesn't mean anything to the goblins. That's how you got Goblin Slayer.
Note to buffers: Your role in the next mod will be very important. You'll either be the VIP or persona non grata, so plan wisely your approach. Because you're not this guy below.
Or in other words, "Goblin Slayer is always the DM."
Future double RAD events?
Future double RAD events?
It's clear that the devs are not interested to correct the auction house economy. Ever since mod 11, deflation was already in place. Fast forward to now and deflation is still around. You have too much astral diamonds and you don't know what to do with it (apart from saving up for a legendary mount). If correction is not an option, then reformation is the only way out (note that using the capital R would mean another Reformation started on the same day as the 16th century Halloween).
So does this mean actual double RAD events? The possibility is there because salvage is no longer an option once 6th November says hi. After all, when was the last time we got a double RAD event? Effectively, the changes are meant to address deflation without adjusting the AH pricing. So far (not) so good, the AH economy is disadvantageous to the sellers. If prices are to be hiked back up, the community would revolt. To be fair to Cryptic, there's no need for the fans to rant like Don.T versus the Fed Reserve.
So would this change work out fine? It's a risky move even to a crazy otter like John. The key is to make the AH market more favourable to the sellers without impacting the buyers negatively. Well, at least not that much. On the other hand, salvageable items will be considered as RP food. For those who enjoy gear experimenting, it should be much easier. For the alts, it's even easier. In fact, who are we to assume that the devs are not out to encourage more alt usage? At least John finds it enjoyable to mess around with his alts every now and then.
So does that mean changes to RP conversion value? Very likely. The new system means more options. Which in turn points to a much faster gear leveling up. Too fast perhaps to the devs. It's possible to see uncommon and rare stuff getting a downgrade in RP conversion value while those in epic or legendary status would retain the original value.
The tricky part lies in the reroll value. Because there's no way you can get a girlfriend like Cow Girl/Guild Girl/Priestess/High Elf Archer/Sword Maiden, it means there's no way you can be Goblin Slayer. And if you're no Goblin Slayer, it means you allow the DM to roll the die. No questions asked. High(er) end loot RNG is going to drop. Considering how the DM enjoys torturing the players when it comes to rolling the RNG die, it's not good news. Of course, another alternative is to amass daily keys in order to hoard the reroll tokens like a Smaug. Hopefully, this would be doable. And besides, that'd make invoke bonus count for more.
Final part: Rob the Jews and take their money
Or rob the Chinese and take their money. It depends on whether you're referring to the bankers of the West or those from the East. Either way, the greedy bastards from Zhentil Keep are out to rob the Jews/Chinese/both. Three things of note:
1. Rust monsters would most likely be reducing the defence resistance. Not only does this mean the vault is at risk, it also means those greedy Zhentarim bastards can deal more damage. Since they're mostly rogues, assassins, and magic users, it means the Jewish/Chinese Bank Heist skirmish is likely to be a game of dps race.
2. Placing explosive runes are fun. These runic IEDs will detonate once any enemy reaches within a fixed proximity. Unfortunately, it possibly means your own members can trigger the runic IEDs in the same way as well. Not to mention as well the possibility of the runic IEDs damaging the vault if the placement is too near for comfort. At the same time, explosion may also result in prolonged prone status.
3. Getting chained to an explosive ball and forced to run towards a portal. Sounds familiar? Just last night, John ran an epic Spellplague with his alliance mates via a random advanced queue. It went quite well, believe it or not. Arylos didn't need to respawn. Albeit he needed a rez twice. So what this means is this: Remember Kabal? Yeah, that Kabal. Flaming Kabal.
1. Rust monsters would most likely be reducing the defence resistance. Not only does this mean the vault is at risk, it also means those greedy Zhentarim bastards can deal more damage. Since they're mostly rogues, assassins, and magic users, it means the Jewish/Chinese Bank Heist skirmish is likely to be a game of dps race.
2. Placing explosive runes are fun. These runic IEDs will detonate once any enemy reaches within a fixed proximity. Unfortunately, it possibly means your own members can trigger the runic IEDs in the same way as well. Not to mention as well the possibility of the runic IEDs damaging the vault if the placement is too near for comfort. At the same time, explosion may also result in prolonged prone status.
3. Getting chained to an explosive ball and forced to run towards a portal. Sounds familiar? Just last night, John ran an epic Spellplague with his alliance mates via a random advanced queue. It went quite well, believe it or not. Arylos didn't need to respawn. Albeit he needed a rez twice. So what this means is this: Remember Kabal? Yeah, that Kabal. Flaming Kabal.
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