I have a moment whilst the resource database is checked to quickly update on where things are with Mbeya, my main the awe-frickin’-some Demonologist. It’s been over a week since my last update on here, and I have spent that week pretty much doing nothing but go to work, play Age of Conan and sleep. Little else. The upshot of this is that Mbeya sits at level 79 and is within spitting distance of 80 and the funtimes that shall begin. Being a little lazy, I have decided to wait for my next offline level to pop….
A lot has changed in the 10 days since I left that little snippet sitting in my drafts folder. Seems like ages ago. I did wait for the offline level to pop, and I used it to hit 80, and I kinda feel cheated by myself for doing so. Are offline levels sucking the life out of the game? It’s not like I needed to pop an offline in order to hit 80; even grinding DMC was an option. I could have done it in a few hours solid grind. Alternatively there was Scorpion Caves, Onyx, Caravan Raiders Camp… Dungeons a plenty to play through, experience, enjoy, and level in. Why then rush to 80 via the easy option? Because it was easy and I’m lazy. The game shoud not be path of least resistance. I remember when I first hit 80 in my first run through. Hitting 80 FELT GOOD. Like I had achieved something. Even if I only used one (79 – 80) it would have still felt like a hollow victory. But thems the breaks…. Offline levels exist, and they are something I can’t get away from. They are something I will still use, even if I don’t agree 100% with them. I suppose if they make the game more accessible and therefore mean more people play, good.
I guess.
At level 79 I did my first T1 raid set with the guild. Vistrix, Yakhmar, Kylikki. I dropped my first epic too. 😀 Raiding was a cool experience. I do forget who the raid leader was, but the guy was inspired. Tactical, cool under pressure, and above all fair with looting and loot rules. The idea though of doing these raids over and over is less than inspiring. My understanding is that I’ll need to be almost fully T1 kitted out before moving on to T2 (and onwards). After 80 I feel kinda directionless. I know I can go raiding, I know there are some other dungeons to do, I know the whole of Khitai lies waiting to the east, but I guess not knowing what I am getting into means I’m uncertain about getting into it. I’ve yet to find an 80+ “This is the shit you should be doing” guide yet either (so if anyone has one, let me know).
I keep wanting to return to Mbeya and spend some time discovering Khitai, raiding, doing Aztels and Onyx etc. Also completing the 80 Destiny Quest, but I suffer badly from Altitis, and currently have a 43 Conq and a 31 PoM underway (and a 27 Ranger, 50 Guard, 7 HoX and 1 OMFG!). I love levelling. I love Tortage when it comes down to it. As an aside, it took me 8 hours to play through Tortage with a PoM doing every quest available. That is the the intro to Age of Conan. Most games don’t eve last half that long. You have to admire the scope of Funcom’s game.
The PoM especially has been huge fun, which worries me since the limitations of the PoM in end game was a primary reason in me selling my first account. Of couse ROTGS end game is much better, but I have failed to get into it with Mbeya just yet.
But if I stop and think about it a while, it really doesn’t matter that much. If I want to level 10 characters to 80 and enjoy each and every journey, then that is a good thing and fantastic value for money. If I never set foot in Khitai proper, then so what? It doesn’t matter. All that matters, really, is that when playing I enjoy myself. Isn’t that the purpose of the game? To have fun. Irinir amongst others have said that Khitai is brutally unforgiving on those who have altitis, but that’s okay if I don’t even go there. I feel that there is still so much of Hyboria proper to discover before I need to worry about moving east. I still have too-many-to-list dungeons to do, lots of loot to claim, lots of things to experience.
Khitia can wait.
