Healer at Heart A healer's thoughts on MMO's.

11Nov/090

Busy Bee.

Sorry for the serious lack of posts.  I've just been playing all sorts of games lately.

Still chugging away in Aion.  My Cleric has reached level 34 and I've realized that I need to redo my action bars.  What I found out about action bars really made me happy.  Normally when you arrow down to get to another clean action bar it's just that one that changes.  Any extra bars you have on your screen stay the same.  Not so in Aion!  When I switched bars the other day to see how I would organize them, all the extra bars on my screen went blank.  Which means I get a clean slate.  So I've decided I need to spend time in setting up a healing layout and a grinding/DPS layout.  That'll be time intensive but definitely worth it.  I've taken over 320 screenshots!  You can find some of them here.

I've given up on Champions Online again.  I didn't get much further than last time either.  I did make a character I was loving and finally chose a powerset I was happy with but the controls and abilities just felt sluggish.  It seems I don't enjoy the fighting style.  This is just not a game for me.

Still playing Torchlight though not as much as last week.  I'm currently playing the Vanquisher on Easy mode (I think) since I've never really played a game like this.  I'm actually excited to go back through on another character and try a harder mode.  I think I'll try the Destroyer next.

I picked up Dragon Age: Origins as well.  I haven't gotten very far but I think the story is amazing.  Though this game does seem to be cut-scene heavy.  At least so far.  Not that that's terribly bad or anything.  As in Mass Effect, during cut-scenes you get to choose how you want to answer/ask questions.  I found this to be "meh" at best.  Your character doesn't talk or ask those questions.  The NPCs just respond as if you had.  Having played Mass Effect myself I find that a little disappointing.  I'm still trying to get the hang of combat since it seems I can't keep my teammates alive.  Though I love how I can give them roles to play that helps me out.

Uncharted 2 is finished!  Wow.  Just amazing.  That game is awesome!  If you don't have it yet ... what are you waiting for?!

19Oct/090

Milestones accomplished.

Though it feels like I didn't get much play time in Aion this weekend I managed to reach level 30 on my Cleric.  Not only was I able to finally use the collector's edition wings but I was also able to equip a drop I got out in Reshanta (the Abyss).  Mercy Chain Greaves!  I think I might have actually done a little happy dance ... until I saw what they looked like.  I went from excited to flabbergasted.  I was ready for an epic-looking pair of pants and instead I'm wearing a hot pink mini-skirt ... interesting.

I was also able to get my Ranger to level 20 and deep into the Tursin Outpost/Garrison.

Since it's now almost 4:00 am I think I'll go to bed and leave the bigger posts for when I'm not falling over tired.

10Oct/090

Seriously bad, sometimes good.

Aion0173I live on the West Coast and play on an EST server which means most players are usually sleeping, or even getting ready for work, while I'm awake and playing.  Surprisingly, I can still find groups.

So the other night I decided to join a group for a Nochsana Training Camp run.  My first PUG experiences in the game have been great.  It was only a matter of time I ran into one that wasn't.  We had a Templar, two Gladiators, an Assassin, a Sorcerer, and me (Cleric).  Not at all a bad mix in my opinion.  The first few pulls went completely fine.  The Sorcerer slept one and the Templar tanked the other.  First boss was down within minutes and we started to move on.  I was following the tank who was skipping over a couple mobs when I realized one of the Gladiators decided to attack them instead.  I of course figured I'd run back that way and heal.  It was only a couple of mobs anyways.  Piece of cake.  Boy was I wrong.

The other members came back to help and that's when we got two more adds and CC's started to get broken.  The yelling and foul language began immediately.  I kept silent (at least in chat) as I usually do when I'm irritated with people.  We cleaned up the mobs without any deaths and moved on.  Someone suggests we clear a couple of mobs on one side so we do.  Then of course a group of five decides to waltz up behind us.  Now, these mobs aren't tough to kill.  But I'm a healer, I pull aggro.  I'm amazed I lived as long as I did.  The group was able to finally kill everything with the Templar and one Gladiator dead.  I was dead as well.

Now I thought Sorcerers had a spell that can resurrect people.  I realize now that it was a Chanter (wearing cloth) back when I was in Poeta that asked me to die so she could resurrect me 5 times.  I always thought it was strange Sorcerers would get that skill.  Oh I feel so lame right now.  Anyways, at this point the Sorcerer is spouting off how he had told people to give him a resurrection stone just for this purpose.  No one had obviously.  One Gladiator rage-quits and the Sorcerer apparently runs off somewhere.  I couldn't see what happened but the Sorcerer proceeded to aggro something and started yelling at the Assassin to kill it.  The mob didn't die quick enough, the Sorcerer died and decided it was the Assassins fault.  This leads to more yelling and name calling (mainly from the Templar and Sorcerer) and eventually the Assassin leaves the group.

I resurrect and leave the group as well.  I don't like playing with people who need to call people names in order to show their superiority.  Then I get a whisper from the Assassin.  He thanked me for my great healing and keeping them alive as long as I did.  I said thank you and continued to chat.  I've since then made a new friend.

So, out of a terrible horrible PUG, I can at least walk away with a new friend.

Ah the joys of PUGing.

2Oct/090

Aion: Cleric Mana Regen Tip.

I don't have much of a problem with my mana regen, but I do tend to run out after constantly doing the mob-killing grind.  I've found a way to speed up the regen of an empty MP bar.

Instead of just resting, do the following:

That easy.  Not only is Penance regening your MP faster but it's doing it while resting (which increases the rate at which MP regens).  So it costs you health to do it.  Who cares?!  That's what Light of Rejuvenation and, again, resting will take care of.  By the time you need to fill up that MP bar the next time, Penance will be off cooldown.

Hope this is at least a little helpful to any Clerics out there reading this.