Wednesday 23 April 2003

Pic of the day: Fireblade wielder (Screenshot from Dark Age of Camelot). This entry is all about my virtual life in the massive online game Dark Age of Camelot. I know some of you aren't interested, but I try to keep a healthy mix of my various interests. Check back another day ... if I'm alive and have all important parts, there will be other entries very different from this one. Or go wild in my archives.

Forging of the Fireblade

Or, more exactly, Brilliant Asterite Fiery Bladeblocker Longsword.

It all begun days ago, when I realized that I needed an offensive edge. My main character on Gaheris (the cooperative server) is a paladin, but a very defensive one. With each level, I keep my chants maximized ... that is, the battle magic of the paladin. I also keep shield block skill near its maximum, just not quite at the top, and put the rest in parry. (If I maxed block, I would have no skill points left for parry, but I don't divide it evenly because blocking has styles and techniques that parry has not.) In the same way, I have used my realm points to increase my dexterity and my blocking skill mostly. I have no weapon skills at all, except for the auto-training in slash (swords and such). This means that I don't do much damage, but I am able to hold my own against a superior opponent for quite a while. I use this in groups, where I draw the enemies' attention and others finish them off.

But you don't always have a group. For one thing, I am online while most of America is not, and this is an American server. There is no cooperative server for Europe yet. To make matters worse, most of my regular group-mates are students in real life (if you can call student life real by any stretch of the imagination) and I simply cannot compete with the time they put into the game. They race ahead of me, and eventually I become a liability to their group.

As my mind dwelt on the slowness of my progress, I was attracted to the idea of having a custom made weapon crafted for me, one that would enhance my strengths and compensate for my weaknesses. A magic sword.

***

Magic weapons have been part of the game since it started, but they were given as a reward for a hard quest or taken from the corpses of powerful enemies. These weapons were by their nature general, suitable for one or a few classes of people but not hand-made for one single player. Only a few months ago did this change, with the introduction of spellcrafting and alchemy. Unlike some competitors, Mythic Entertainment tends to add major features through free patches rather than add-ons. Only one add-on has been sold so far, and it introduced several new races and classes and lands. The game has grown drastically in content since its release just by adding monthly "patches". Don't mistake these for simple bug fixes.

Spellcrafting and alchemy add magical properties to items. Well, mostly spellcrafting does that. Alchemy is largely about making potions, but a high level alchemist can also add some unique properties to an item. Most notably the "proc", a spell that goes off at random times when you hit with the weapon (or are hit, in case of armor – but armor procs are only for the very highest levels and hideously expensive). This was exactly what I wanted: A spell that makes my weapon do massive damage with no regard to my actual weapon skill. Of course, such a "proc" only goes off perhaps once or twice during a fight, sometimes not at all. Still, it offers a way out of a long stale fight.

***

My first step was to get a mundane weapon crafted for me, one of good quality and a material able to withstand the great power involved. I started to ask around, first in my guild and then in the greater alliance of guilds. To be able to craft high-level metals takes a lot of time, and there is no real shortcut. Even if you get your guild to fund you, you will have to sit and do the same operations over and over again till your mind goes numb. Few have the patience, or for that matter the funds, to reach mastery of these skills. Luckily I did not require quite that much: I wanted a sword that was slightly higher level than myself, perhaps equal to a level 40. (I was 36 when I started planning for it, now 37.) I ended up deciding on an asterite longsword, and found a somewhat reluctant master crafter who was willing to do the work if I brought the materials.

So I rode off to Caer Ulfwych, and from there to Cornwall Station, to buy materials. I did so gladly, for my quest has begun in earnest. Then back to Camelot. I was prepared to wait a long time and pay handsomely for the work. But in less than half a minute my sword was ready, and it was a masterpiece – 100% quality! A flawless weapon is a rare thing even among the highly skilled. And I got it for the cost of the materials. Only then did I understand how skilled this troll had to be, and why he had requested me to bring the materials. He must have put that level of weaponry far behind him, so much so that he did not even keep that kind of materials in stock anymore.

The next step was to find a spellcrafter and an alchemist. Once again I asked first in my guild, then in the alliance. Word about my search spread, and eventually I was contacted by someone who had both at rather high levels. This was good fortune indeed: Spellcrafting and alchemy are even more expensive to advance than the crafting of armor and weapons. Once again I had to trek over long distances: First from the Hibernian countryside to the capital city, then to the Norse city of Aegirhamn, and then a long horse ride to the village where the crafters were located. But again I did not mind; my heart was filled with expectation. OK, my character's heart. Mine was only about half full, I guess. Still, it was kinda exciting, since it was the first time.

These crafters accepted a small donation of my choosing for the work, over and above the materials spent. I had stored up hundreds of gold pieces, as I had no idea of the cost, which turned out to be less than fifteen gold, and most of it for the proc. In addition to the fire proc, I also got the blade enchanted with increased dexterity (10 points), increased skills in blocking, parrying and slashed weapons (3 points each). This way the weapon would improve my skills even when not releasing its fiery attack.

Finally I took the sword to the city enchanter in Camelot (an AI) and got a Brilliance bonus added. This kind of bonus improves your chances to hit, and it made quite a difference ... I had tried it without first. With a Brilliant sword I rarely ever miss any opponent anywhere near my own level, although I will still fail to hit a superior foe.

The full name of the weapon is now Brilliant Asterite Fiery Bladeblocker Longsword. Brilliant refers to the hit bonus added by the weapon enchanter. (Lower levels are denoted by words like bright or glowing.) Asterite is the material. Fiery is for the heat blast. Bladeblocker refers to its defensive skills. And it is indeed a great weapon. Hunting monsters slightly above my own level, which used to be a chore, is now great fun. Of course I will eventually outgrow it, if I keep playing, but by then I might have something even better on the drawing board. And I am also helping fund an aspiring young alchemist in our guild ... hopefully by the time I need it again, he will be able to assist me. But it will be a while till I give up my "first love".