Post 1 - Preparation and Downloading.. in other words, antici-----pation.
As the loadscreen for the new Guild Wars Nightfall preview begins, a ticker showing how much I have to download before I can play shows up. Click above pic to see the screenshot.
From today, Sept 22nd (after many hours of waiting due to Guild Wars staff having very understandable problems) until Sept. 24th, everyone gets to preview Nightfall. If you haven't played GW yet.. I suggest you try.
You have a lot of downloading to do, so GO GO GO!! (Click there and start!)
After you download the client and get the access key in (get the same access key as your friends, don't pick Europe if your buddy picks America, you won't be able to play together apparently) you still have more downloading to go, in the way of updates .. but my connection is DAMNED slow.. so just sit back or get a sammich or go for a walk in the woods and by then you'll be able to play NIGHTFALL!!!
I'm so excited! I am in so much pain today due to no more painkillers (est sept 19th, and not of my own volition) and this is just what I need!! The fatigue and withdrawal symptoms, not to mention the full brunt of fibro all-over pain (more to come on all this later) has really disabled me.. but Guild Wars always makes me feel freer, able to run around and succeed at something other than getting through a day. Sounds silly, sure, but when it hurts when you breathe and try to move... you take what you can get ;)MORE to come on the Nightfall preview, including more review, my own screenshots, bla bla.Post 2 - Differences in Nightfall so Far! (pictures to come if/when I have the energy/time)
1. Heros - better than henches! You can equip them, distribute attribute points, assign which skills they should use, and order them around!
2. Command your Team - You can command your team with a little green flag, or individual heros.
3. More Quests - Collectors and merchants are in on the game so far. They give you relavent items (armor merchant gives you stuff with which to craft armor, for example). I'm not sure if this is only for the event, to really get people to level fast in order to enjoy the game as much as possible, but in any event, it's a good tutorial on how to use each merchant.
4. Experience Boosters - so far I've noticed them at pretty much each resurrection shrine, these NPC's give you a command writ to execute a specific species (plant species, bugs, skales{yup, they're baaack}) - including an "aura" that gives you more EXP when you kill these specific species. Cool! Great idea!
5. Beautiful new characters with interesting skills. The Paragon, a new Warrior class with a divine twist - spears are their weapon of choice, they implement stances and shouts. Reminds me of the Amazon class in Diablo 2. The Dervishes - the one I chose to focus on after trying both for a very short time, are holy reapers and enchanted mages who use scythes as their weapon of choice. The costumes for both classes are outstanding. Of course I haven't played THAT long.. on and off during the day when I wasn't at the friggin clinic.
(more to come)
Post 3 - Second day playing, continuation of list
6. School! Instead of running around from specialist to specialist (like in Factions and Prophecies) - Nightfall brings a little school, an encampment, where you can talk to experts about skill types, professions, etc. You can learn skills from these experts as well, and get starter weapons. The downfall to this is that you get less EXP from, let's say, Factions. In Factions, what's great is that you get 50 xp just for talking to the Headmasters, then a good 600 for the first specialist, then 1k xp for the second. Then you get another 1500 or so from talking to Master Togo. With Nightfall, you get xp in this school, only when you complete the head teacher's missions. The good thing about that, however, is that you aren't tempted to go through the rigors of doing all of the teachers (each profession, 3 teachers..) and waste a good chunk of time with each new character. If you're like me, and enjoy making new characters, Nightfall is A++ in this regard (as well as others, but one topic at a time). In this school you have targets that don't hit back, foes to practice on, and pretty flamigoes to tame. ;)
Post 4 - Impressions today
I find the game to be a perfect facet in the Guild Wars family, thus far. I'm finding it harder to progress in the game now, and I can foresee some issues in that department. I'm not one of those (lucky) computer players that plays hours in a row.. my pain issues make sure I turn it off and come back every once in a longish while to continue playing.. so it's hard sometimes to stay in the power leveling groove. After yesterday and today, a 20-45 minute chunk at a time, I've reached level 7 with my Dervish-Monk - and I'm already slightly stuck. Now if this wasn't only a weekend, I'd work on my armor, I'd get runes, I'd try out different henchies, etc - Pie! - but right now I want to get a good testing, and not get attached to this particular set of skills (as it can throw off my other GW character grooves. If you're a player, you know what I mean!) or maps. BTW, I got some screen shots of the map's beginning for ya..
My Fibro site, Invisible Thorns, is now in this weblog. I just didn't have time to have many online projects, so I am thinning out things, and merging. So I'll just be posting more subjects on this weblog. As well as more of GORDON!
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