Shadowhound/Unicorn

Ahh, it's so relaxing here in Thestra. So many things to do, things to see! And TONS of stuff to take pictures of. Things have been going well in Qalia (which I now pronounce KALiya). I have been making some progress on the big quest line I started here, finding groups has been difficult but not impossible. And in other exciting development is I have started the shadowhound quest. The quest is very long, you can start it at 23 and it ends at level 30. I did the quest as much as I could up to level 25 but was too low level to continue. That's not a bad thing though because at the end of the quest you still need to spend 10g for the hound so while I wait to be a higher level it gives me a chance to go harvest and make some gold.

I don't know who owns this place but they must be rich.Outside Aghram in Qalia there are a few drakes. They aren't strong but they where the first flying lizards I have seen.
Sunrise over Aghram.
Here you can see two of my guild mates! We are inside a building near Infineum mines SW of Aghram.
I had to go back to Thestra to continue the shadowhound quest. I spotted this lady and I couldn't resist taking a picture... she is really really beautiful. (And has great armor too, but that didn't really come out the lighting was difficult)
Hah, while I was at the broker I saw a shadowhound! (My future mount)

But wait... what is that behind the hound? A unicorn! I just love that wicked looking horn.

I like the small detail things... this is the clasp on my new cloak.
Running back to Qalia to continue the shadowhound quest I came to this wall outside the Dark Elf city. There is a lot of unique architecture here in Telon.

Recently they added new teleports to the game. This is one outside New Targonor in Thestra.

Shipping off to Qalia

I have to say all the comments on the last blog have made me really really happy. Blogs are one of those things where you don't really know if anyone is reading. So thank you for commenting. I have seen some blogs where the writers just pour their heart out into huge essays and then give up because they just weren't getting the feedback, a sad sight. Rest assured this blog will not blogfade like so many others.

On a suggestion from a friend I went to go take a look at the dwarf city. It was night time so I didn't get to see it at its best, I bet it is beautiful in the sunlight.
I wanted to finish up some quests here in New Targonor before I headed off the Qalia to start on a popular quest everyone seems to be on. I investigated a fisherman's murder.
I took a picture of this statue. I think this might be the first good dark picture just because the guy is holding a lantern.
Once I finished my quests I head off to New Targonor.
It's time to say goodbye, I don't know how long I will be away from Thestra. Or when I will return to Kojan for that matter (that is something I would love to do).

Qalia is very different from the other two continents. I am not sure if I really like it. Here is the first thing I saw when I go off the boat from New Targonor.
And after I got myself some supplies I didn't waste any time getting out there into the thick of things. I met up with a new group of friends, found the quest I was told about, and got to work!

Ahh, much better!

I am so happy! I did something great, I went through one of those system optimization guides and my PC is running much better then before. I KNEW my computer had more in it then what I was getting. Now Vanguard looks twice as good and runs twice as good! You just can't beat that!

I was hunting animal skins but not having much luck. After I killed this guy I was happy to not that I could harvest him.. but he gave me cotton! Haha.

I went on a very fun quest today in Thestra. I won't go to in depth but I will tell you that it involved finding a high elf a dwarf and a halfling and hitting them over the head and stuffing them into a sack. I sure did get tired of dumping the bodies. Great to see some fresh and fun quests Sigil!

Late at night I was just awestruck by these ants near the falling star.

This was the first thing I saw after my system optimization. This is a dwarven dam somewhere in middle Thestra. Those dwarves are excellent engineers.


And finally my best picture of the day... that is the falling star in Thestra. Incredible.

I'm rich!

Haha, I got my first gold in Vanguard! And not just one gold... but three! I've been exploring Kojan with my ranger Tsabo doing quests and harvesting things. But when I hit around level 15 I found that I wasn't able to solo any of the quests I found. They all needed groups.

So instead I have spent a good amount of my time killing animals and skinning them, and from them I got some rare skins which I then sold for three gold! If you don't play vanguard then you might be wondering how much 3g is actually worth. (For example plat in EQ2 is fairly common, or Lineage 2's millions of adena) 3g is enough to get my my first horse 30 times over. Or it is enough to buy you two really awesome swords that would last you till about level 20. So I'm not rich yet but it's still a good chunk of money.

I've been hunting in the blighted lands. One of the first things I saw was this far-off volcano. I wonder what is in it? Or is it even a volcano?It seems like there is always something new and interesting around each corner.There is definitly something wrong here.
And onto a different adventure... I figured out that you have 10 slots for items to list on the broker per continent. I had quickly filled up Kojan's broker so I set off to find the other two exchanges.

I took a wrong boat and ended up on the Orc island north of Cai'Brail (the woodelfs home).While I was there I spotted a level 35 shaman... looking sharp!
After running from that orc I went back to my island on Kojon and found a peaceful beach.
Eager to make more profits I took a boat to New Targonor a city in Thestra the most northern continent. I found an exchange broker deep in the city's sewer system of all places and was able to list my goods there.

Finally back at home I was able to enjoy this nice sunset. I try not to post pictures that are too dark but this one is just so pretty.

New friends, new adventures!

I switched servers. I have made a new character on the Targonor server. Why did I make this switch? To join my old guild and my old friends the New Outriders!! The New Outriders are a family guild that is all about casual play with friends without pressure to play hardcore. It's got a great family feel to it.

My new character is a Ranger too, just caus' I can't see myself playing any other class now. Well I have so many great screenshots I better start now! I made a wood elf so I'm on a whole different continent called Kojan the asain-themed continent. It's really really pretty and it made me realize just how gorgeous vanguard is.

This is actually from the northern continent of Thestra, I like how it looks. I've seen these rocks all over the place, I wonder what they could be for? There must be some use to them.
The first thing I did when I made my wood elf was use my racial ability. I had no idea! It's so cool, it turns you into an Okami and makes you run 200% faster!I did a little newbie quest and when I poured a cure into this pond... well look what happened:
This door sure does look imposing.
Inside that door there is a nice garden with a little waterfall and some animals. I looked up into the sky and was amazed by what I saw flying.I think this screenshot says it all. Just how beautiful Kojan and this game is. (I definitely recommend clicking on this one to make it bigger!)

Starting to really have fun in Vanguard!

I sure have been having fun in the big VG! It's a very typical MMO. It hasn't done anything too crazy or too exciting if you are comparing it against other MMOs. The quests are the same, combat is the same, mobs are the same, even the lore is nothing special. And yet I am just having so much fun! Vanguard is exactly what I was looking for, and it is exactly what I wanted EverQuest 2 to be.

I always wanted to play EverQuest. When I was a little kid I bought the strategy guide (useless most likely) and I event dreamed about playing EQ! Yes, I was that nerdy. ^^ Well I never had a graphics card so I never did get a chance to play that EverQuest. So, instead I played Ultima Online and Asheron's Call, but thats a story for another time. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, Vanguard is what I wanted EverQuest to be when I was that little kid. It's finally rekindled "that feeling."

In-Game I had to do something horrible. It really affected me and I'm not kidding. The wife Brent over at Virgin Worlds (podcast, good one, listen!) said that the biggest problem she had with MMOs was killing the little animals like the wolfs and deer and stuff. I sensed that she was really serious about this! Well, I had to do a similar thing. I had to kill a sasquatch. *sob*
In other news, I made a new character! Her name is Gabi and she is really pretty. I like her strong face, and fierce will. She is a Ranger. One with the forest and a skilled hunter.
Big boobs too. Ahh, well anyways! I had fun exploring the starting area of the High Elfs. It's on the same continent as Greg (Thestra I belive it is called) but it looks much different from Halgarad and the surrounding area. This statue was the first cool thing I saw.
Allright, I know this frog looks a little cheesy but I like it. ^^
I like the design on this treant. A very old-school mob, but Vanguard did a nice job.
Exploring a temple/ruins/cemetary I found these crypts. I like the green.

That's it for today! Be sure to check back later for more pictures. I'm sorry if I talk too much, I try not too. XD

Switching to Vanguard

It's so sad when you have to leave an MMO and leave your friends behind. It's something we have all have to do and it affects us all in someway or another. I wish I could just keep the same group of people to play MMOs with but there is always going to be one thing or another that makes me go out and seek new lands and new adventures.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm saying goodbye to Lineage 2. I know... how sad! It just kind of dawned on me while I was hunting in the beast farm and thinking about Lineage 2 and Vanguard. While I play Lineage 2 I feel like I'm playing in a box... and that box isn't a bad one. I meen, it's fun. I have had plenty of fun playing Lineage 2. But where was it going? I really had no goal in Lineage 2 and I realised that I didn't even like PvP all that much. And PvP is the main focus of the game!

Vanguard. It's such a hard game to describe. For now I'm still going to withhold judgment.

The trees are really cool in vanguard. They feel like real trees. A strange thing to say, but they just feel more "real".

At the top of my native town of Halgarad there is a altar.
These spiders are pretty scary. O.o

MEGA VANGUARD BLOG!

Yes, you read that right! I wasn't going to do it, I told myself I would not do it, but I went ahead and did it anyways. I bought Vanguard: Saga of Hero's. I think it was seeing the box on the shelf that finally pushed me over the edge and made me decide to buy it.

Where do I begin? It's always so difficult to compare MMO's. Much less to review them the first week of playing 'em.

Vanguard feels very epic and open. The landscape seems massive and yet there is definitely room for expansions to add even more land. I look at my map and think of all I have seen and yet I know I have just scratched the surface.

I have been having some trouble getting good screens of Vanguard... it's not because it is a bad looking game but for some reason the shots just do not do the in-game feel and look justice. That's how it has always been, especially in the dark. Anyways, this is a really cool looking portal that I came across. Turns out spiders where somehow making it to travel around! The spider dungeon is awesome, it's big with large caverns and it feels like a real cave.
I followed my guild into a place called the Vault of Hero's. It was full of gnolls and we killed many. I like the design on the huge ceiling. I didn't see but a bit of this place and I would really like to go back soon.
My favorite part of Vanguard is just how real it feels. I don't get the feeling that I'm just running around grinding to advance my character or playing a single-player RPG like Oblivion. Rather it feels like a living breathing world. It's a great feeling and it is something that I don't think you can find in alot of MMOs.

Vanguard has a real "classic" feel to it. I never played the first EverQuest but this game feels like what I imagined EverQuest to be like. I think I definitely will be spending some time in the world of Telon for the next few months. Will it be years? We will have to wait and see.

I like the detail in this game. For example, outside of the Stone Mug Tavern in Halgarad (the home of the varanjar, or, barbarians) there was a poor citizen who had a bit too much to drink and was vomiting:There wasn't any vomit, but there where nice splashing sound effects. This next shot shows off the nice shiny veins of copper ore in this rock. It really looks like copper and is not FUN to mine but its not BAD to mine. I wonder what higher level ore looks like? I saw the next tier of ore, Tin, but it just looked like copper except silver. Hey, wasn't tin a mix of metals?

A typical yet exciting day in Lineage 2

I have been just grinding out levels with ChewToastOnce. I look forward to getting her to level 40 and then to change her class to a Treasure Hunter. Once I get that second class I know my skills will really start to open up!

I will be stronger the higher I level up. That said, I think I'm plenty strong right now. I saw this dark elf when I was exploring and I made a split second decision to kill her.
The picture is a bit dark, but while I was running around looking for trouble I came across this huge statue tucked away southeast of Giran. An interesting detail and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose. (You see, most of the areas in Lineage 2 there is a clear theme to each place but this just seems random)