Still more fun to come in Lavastorm for GU52: See the article here
http://www.massively.com/tag/eq2-gu-52/
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
SHARD ARMOR Primer - Your Questions Answered!
As more of our guildies are reaching Level 80, I thought it would be good to post a primer on what shard armour is, how you can get it, buy it, get it made for you, and wear it in the absence of becoming a raider. There will also be more info to follow about new shard items that were just released yesterday with GU51 ... but for now ....
1. What is "Shard Armour"?
Shard Armour is a Level 80 special armour / jewelry / items that can only be bought or made using void shards (http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?eq2item=108235). Shards are quest items that are obtained on the successful completion of quests in end-game, triple-heroic instances, and are bestowed on the entire group when a major 'boss' mob is killed.
The shards are NO-TRADE between distinct players, but they can be placed in your Shared Bank ("Heirloom") so that all characters in one account can access and use them. The only way that shards can be given to another player is to a commissioned crafter, in the 'Materials' window at crafting time.
Shard Armours were developed late last year when SOE realized that most of the end-game content was going to hard-core raiders, leaving many solo and group players to feel left out in the cold. While the equipment is not rated as FABLED, as items are from a raid zone, they are rated as high LEGENDARY, and as a player collects up to at least five pieces of a set, the spell/heal/melee/ranged and bonuses grow as a result. Once a player outfits him or herself in full Tier 2 shard gear, it is said to be equivalent (or very close) to Level 80 Fabled Raid Gear.
Before GU51, there were only two tiers of shard armours. Each player begins by collecting pieces for T1 armours, usually starting around 5 shards per piece and growing upwards of 12. Then, Tier 1 armours can be upgraded to Tier 2, for the piece of armour itself, and still more shards (16 or more . . . ) With GU51, new "Elemental Essences" were added, along with some new "soloable" quests that, as long as you have T2 gear, you can trade up yet again to even more glorious stuff in Lavastorm. We are learning about that process now and will post more on it soon.
2. How many shards can I get at once?
Each featured instance will offer at least one shard each time that you 'run' with a group. There are possibilities, depending on the quests offered, that players might be able to pick up two or more shards in a run. If you are running a zone for the first time with some experienced players, ask them if there are any completed quests that they would be willing to share with you to increase your chances of gathering more shards during your session.
Daily Double
Every day, changing at around midnight Mountain in the US, an Erudite at the Dropship Landing in the Moors of Ykesha will offer a quest that will award two shards instead of just one. This quest is called the Daily Double. The instance featured for the 'DD' changes every 24 hours but the quest can be completed within 2 days to still receive double credit.
3. Where do I find the 'Shard' Quests in my Journal?
All 'shard' quests will appear in your journal categorized as a 'Mission'. If you do not complete a mission within 2 days of receiving it, the mission will expire, and you will need to pick up the new missions for a given zone from quest givers located just outside of the zones' entrances.
4. What are the zones that offer shards?
There are many, and you must have the Shadow Odyssey expansion pack to experience them. They are all instances (no creature reset) that allow you to enter roughly every 1 day and 11 hours.
The missions are listed on the right side of this site: http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?eq2item=108235. The zones and locations are as follows:
1. What is "Shard Armour"?
Shard Armour is a Level 80 special armour / jewelry / items that can only be bought or made using void shards (http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?eq2item=108235). Shards are quest items that are obtained on the successful completion of quests in end-game, triple-heroic instances, and are bestowed on the entire group when a major 'boss' mob is killed.
The shards are NO-TRADE between distinct players, but they can be placed in your Shared Bank ("Heirloom") so that all characters in one account can access and use them. The only way that shards can be given to another player is to a commissioned crafter, in the 'Materials' window at crafting time.
Shard Armours were developed late last year when SOE realized that most of the end-game content was going to hard-core raiders, leaving many solo and group players to feel left out in the cold. While the equipment is not rated as FABLED, as items are from a raid zone, they are rated as high LEGENDARY, and as a player collects up to at least five pieces of a set, the spell/heal/melee/ranged and bonuses grow as a result. Once a player outfits him or herself in full Tier 2 shard gear, it is said to be equivalent (or very close) to Level 80 Fabled Raid Gear.
Before GU51, there were only two tiers of shard armours. Each player begins by collecting pieces for T1 armours, usually starting around 5 shards per piece and growing upwards of 12. Then, Tier 1 armours can be upgraded to Tier 2, for the piece of armour itself, and still more shards (16 or more . . . ) With GU51, new "Elemental Essences" were added, along with some new "soloable" quests that, as long as you have T2 gear, you can trade up yet again to even more glorious stuff in Lavastorm. We are learning about that process now and will post more on it soon.
2. How many shards can I get at once?
Each featured instance will offer at least one shard each time that you 'run' with a group. There are possibilities, depending on the quests offered, that players might be able to pick up two or more shards in a run. If you are running a zone for the first time with some experienced players, ask them if there are any completed quests that they would be willing to share with you to increase your chances of gathering more shards during your session.
Daily Double
Every day, changing at around midnight Mountain in the US, an Erudite at the Dropship Landing in the Moors of Ykesha will offer a quest that will award two shards instead of just one. This quest is called the Daily Double. The instance featured for the 'DD' changes every 24 hours but the quest can be completed within 2 days to still receive double credit.
3. Where do I find the 'Shard' Quests in my Journal?
All 'shard' quests will appear in your journal categorized as a 'Mission'. If you do not complete a mission within 2 days of receiving it, the mission will expire, and you will need to pick up the new missions for a given zone from quest givers located just outside of the zones' entrances.
4. What are the zones that offer shards?
There are many, and you must have the Shadow Odyssey expansion pack to experience them. They are all instances (no creature reset) that allow you to enter roughly every 1 day and 11 hours.
The missions are listed on the right side of this site: http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?eq2item=108235. The zones and locations are as follows:
The Commonlands: Ruins of Befallen
Befallen: Halls of the Forsaken Mission Group
Befallen: Cavern of the Afflicted Mission Group
Befallen: Necrotic Asylum Mission Group
Befallen: Halls of the Forsaken Mission Group
Befallen: Cavern of the Afflicted Mission Group
Befallen: Necrotic Asylum Mission Group
Everfrost: Miragul's Phylactery
Miragul Upper Mission Group
Miragul Lower Mission Group
Miragul Shard Mission Group
Miragul Upper Mission Group
Miragul Lower Mission Group
Miragul Shard Mission Group
Loping Plains: The Libant Vampires
Evernight Abbey Mission Group
Mistmyr Manor Mission Group
Ravenscale Repository Mission Group
Evernight Abbey Mission Group
Mistmyr Manor Mission Group
Ravenscale Repository Mission Group
Moors of Ykesha
Dropship Landing Zone
Norrath Mission Group
Firmroot Moot
Upper Guk Mission Group
Lower Guk Mission Group
Guk Stronghold Mission Group
Dropship Landing Zone
Norrath Mission Group
Firmroot Moot
Upper Guk Mission Group
Lower Guk Mission Group
Guk Stronghold Mission Group
5. How do I know if I am still locked out of a shard instance?
If you join a group and the group cannot zone into an instance, chances are that you need to 'reset' the zone. A message will pop up to indicate which player is currently unable to enter the zone.
Under the Persona --> 'Zone Timers' button in EQII, click on the Persistent tab, search for the zone name, and check to be sure that it is "Unlocked". If so, also be sure that you hit the 'Reset Timer' button to allow yourself access to the zone. This allows all of the mobs in the instance to reset and for the group to enter it together. The reason why some people need to reset this timer is because they might have been in a group within the last 18 hours or less, but the main named mob wasn't killed, the group kept wiping out, everyone had to leave, etc and on and on... You know how it is, so just check your zone timers before you offer to get into a shard group. It's embarrassing to have to admit that the timer hasn't expired yet.
I had posted a whole bunch of suggestions on how to put together a great group, and Blogspot ate it. I will post more later . . . please feel free to ask me, Zapest, Shadowdeath, Lugara, or any other Level 80 about these shard runs, and we'll be happy to help!
Darkly,
Shutixa
Merriam-Webster Online Recognizes New "User-Submitted" terms in its Open Dictionary
It's only a matter of time before everyone and his sister knows the terms we use in the game all the time:
From the Open Dictionary on http://www3.merriam-webster.com
aggro
(adjective) : short for "aggravated"
Dude, he's totally going aggro on you!
Submitted by: trfreak from California on Jan. 24, 2007 21:10
(noun) : A term used to define the quantitative value used in MORPG's (Massive Online Role Playing Games) to determine who a NPC (non-player character) attacks.
The mage gained aggro on the drake when he hit it with a fireball.
Submitted by: David Ip from New York on Aug. 10, 2006 16:27
---
noob
(noun) : [from newbie] someone who is new to an activity or subject
He's such a noob.
Submitted by: Jason Wolfe from North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2009 09:27
(adjective) : The definition is mainly used in the gaming community. It means someone who is new. (Usually also not that good)
Roger is such a noob he can not even get to level 2!
Submitted by: The Best Gamer! on Sep. 18, 2007 14:55
* (Note: this guy thinks the usage here is an adjective? Nope. A Noob to Grammar, I see! There were several people on this list . . . and there were LOTS of entries for this 'word'.)*
----
bot
(verb) : to use a bot program in an online game
I bet he's botting right now.
Submitted by: metrex from Philippines on Feb. 03, 2009 22:51
* (What? No noun versions to describe all those plat farmers??)
----
cyber
(verb) : To engage in descriptive sexual stories, "cybersex" while online.
I'm not doing anything at the moment - want to cyber? —EverQuest II Online Gaming
Submitted by: Anonymous on Apr. 01, 2009 12:35
--
good to go
(adjective) : ready; prepared; all set; complete.
With the quarterback's injury fully healed, our team is good to go for a championship.
Submitted by: Ken from Tennessee on Aug. 02, 2006 10:10
---
RPG
(noun) : Stands for "Role Playing Game". eg. Final Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons.
Have you heard of that new RPG game that's coming out next month?
Submitted by: La Ivonne from California on Sep. 27, 2006 00:02
---
pwned
(verb) : The verb to pwn (past tense: pwned, pwnd, pwn'd, pwnt, pooned) as used by the Internet gaming subculture, means to beat or dominate an opponent. While it probably originated as a typing error of the word own, it is now used intentionally by many members of the subculture.
My character pwned this battle. —Spohn, Dave, Internet Gaming Glossary, 2006-01-01
Submitted by: Chris Lin from Utah on Jan. 11, 2007 12:01
*(I've seen OWNED, but ... hm, ok.) also under 'Pwn':
(noun) : This is a misspelled version of "own" where the letter O and P, being close to each other on the keyboard were often mistyped and then adopted into "kiddy speak". This is not a word, but a mispelling of the word "own". This is not even an acryonym. It has no place in a dictionary.
Submitted by: Scallawag from Kansas on May. 01, 2007 11:03
(verb) : To utterly dominate an opponent.
I just pwned that noob!
Submitted by: Mike and Carla from Pennsylvania on Apr. 07, 2007 23:08
(verb) : To easily overtake in a battle. Mostly used in computer games to describe an easy victory over an opponent. Derived from the word "pawn". Forms include pwnage and pawnage.
I totally pwned that noob!
Submitted by: Hyla Crepitan from Kansas on Jan. 24, 2007 19:27
* (It's NOT derived from pawn. She's dreaming. I agree that it was a typo that everyone now uses.)
--
ch00b
(noun) : A variation of the word in the MMORPG Runescape, n00b.
It is often used to describe a high level character who acts like a noob.
I owned some level 100 ch00b.
Submitted by: Anonymous on Feb. 27, 2007 17:37
--
gtg
(abbreviation) : got to go. Commonly used in "online language." Usually: g2g. Synonyms: bbl (be back later), bibi (byebye), biiii (bye), cya (see you), ttyl ( talk to you later)
g2g soon, soccer practice!
Submitted by: Anonymous on Apr. 14, 2007 10:50
* (Nope. In the MMO world, if someone in the group says this, it's "good to go" or ready!)
---
PVP
(noun) : Abbreviation for Player Versus Player; most commonly used with online gaming but useable with any multiplayer game to indicate a confrontation between two or more human players. "I'm kind of bored playing the story line; do you want to try some PVP?"
Submitted by: Duke from Illinois on Jul. 12, 2007 14:40
--
MMORPG
(noun) : An abbreviation for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Made famous by games like World of Warcraft, Everquest and Final Fantasy XI
MMORPG's are the newest and biggest wave in gaming today.
Submitted by: Duke from Illinois on Jul. 12, 2007 14:35
---
From the Open Dictionary on http://www3.merriam-webster.com
aggro
(adjective) : short for "aggravated"
Dude, he's totally going aggro on you!
Submitted by: trfreak from California on Jan. 24, 2007 21:10
(noun) : A term used to define the quantitative value used in MORPG's (Massive Online Role Playing Games) to determine who a NPC (non-player character) attacks.
The mage gained aggro on the drake when he hit it with a fireball.
Submitted by: David Ip from New York on Aug. 10, 2006 16:27
---
noob
(noun) : [from newbie] someone who is new to an activity or subject
He's such a noob.
Submitted by: Jason Wolfe from North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2009 09:27
(adjective) : The definition is mainly used in the gaming community. It means someone who is new. (Usually also not that good)
Roger is such a noob he can not even get to level 2!
Submitted by: The Best Gamer! on Sep. 18, 2007 14:55
* (Note: this guy thinks the usage here is an adjective? Nope. A Noob to Grammar, I see! There were several people on this list . . . and there were LOTS of entries for this 'word'.)*
----
bot
(verb) : to use a bot program in an online game
I bet he's botting right now.
Submitted by: metrex from Philippines on Feb. 03, 2009 22:51
* (What? No noun versions to describe all those plat farmers??)
----
cyber
(verb) : To engage in descriptive sexual stories, "cybersex" while online.
I'm not doing anything at the moment - want to cyber? —EverQuest II Online Gaming
Submitted by: Anonymous on Apr. 01, 2009 12:35
--
good to go
(adjective) : ready; prepared; all set; complete.
With the quarterback's injury fully healed, our team is good to go for a championship.
Submitted by: Ken from Tennessee on Aug. 02, 2006 10:10
---
RPG
(noun) : Stands for "Role Playing Game". eg. Final Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons.
Have you heard of that new RPG game that's coming out next month?
Submitted by: La Ivonne from California on Sep. 27, 2006 00:02
---
pwned
(verb) : The verb to pwn (past tense: pwned, pwnd, pwn'd, pwnt, pooned) as used by the Internet gaming subculture, means to beat or dominate an opponent. While it probably originated as a typing error of the word own, it is now used intentionally by many members of the subculture.
My character pwned this battle. —Spohn, Dave, Internet Gaming Glossary, 2006-01-01
Submitted by: Chris Lin from Utah on Jan. 11, 2007 12:01
*(I've seen OWNED, but ... hm, ok.) also under 'Pwn':
(noun) : This is a misspelled version of "own" where the letter O and P, being close to each other on the keyboard were often mistyped and then adopted into "kiddy speak". This is not a word, but a mispelling of the word "own". This is not even an acryonym. It has no place in a dictionary.
Submitted by: Scallawag from Kansas on May. 01, 2007 11:03
(verb) : To utterly dominate an opponent.
I just pwned that noob!
Submitted by: Mike and Carla from Pennsylvania on Apr. 07, 2007 23:08
(verb) : To easily overtake in a battle. Mostly used in computer games to describe an easy victory over an opponent. Derived from the word "pawn". Forms include pwnage and pawnage.
I totally pwned that noob!
Submitted by: Hyla Crepitan from Kansas on Jan. 24, 2007 19:27
* (It's NOT derived from pawn. She's dreaming. I agree that it was a typo that everyone now uses.)
--
ch00b
(noun) : A variation of the word in the MMORPG Runescape, n00b.
It is often used to describe a high level character who acts like a noob.
I owned some level 100 ch00b.
Submitted by: Anonymous on Feb. 27, 2007 17:37
--
gtg
(abbreviation) : got to go. Commonly used in "online language." Usually: g2g. Synonyms: bbl (be back later), bibi (byebye), biiii (bye), cya (see you), ttyl ( talk to you later)
g2g soon, soccer practice!
Submitted by: Anonymous on Apr. 14, 2007 10:50
* (Nope. In the MMO world, if someone in the group says this, it's "good to go" or ready!)
---
PVP
(noun) : Abbreviation for Player Versus Player; most commonly used with online gaming but useable with any multiplayer game to indicate a confrontation between two or more human players. "I'm kind of bored playing the story line; do you want to try some PVP?"
Submitted by: Duke from Illinois on Jul. 12, 2007 14:40
--
MMORPG
(noun) : An abbreviation for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Made famous by games like World of Warcraft, Everquest and Final Fantasy XI
MMORPG's are the newest and biggest wave in gaming today.
Submitted by: Duke from Illinois on Jul. 12, 2007 14:35
---
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)