DO WANT! (/*3*)/

Teh GE 2009 Diary.

I badly wants it. T_T

But sadly, it's only given away as contest prizes. There's no way am I going to get my hands on one of these. *le sigh*

*is somewhat contemplating on stowing away on a plane bound to Korea, hijacking the IMC office and demand they give me one of these.*

Images ganked from Reimaru/Blacksword. >:D Wish I could steal his diary too.

What I love about Rembrandt

I started playing GE back in 2007 in Cervantes, the first PK server. Over the next few months, I subsequently moved to Caravaggio, and lastly, to Carracci, upon the prodding of some new found friends from Outcasts Faction.

Being a casual gamer, playing in a non-PK server made me enjoy the game a whole lot more. I was able to level in peace without the anxiety of watching my back for potential players who will just PK you for no reason at all. Some say that getting PKed is the price that you have to pay for choosing that server, but I beg to disagree. This is probably why I totally enjoy being in a non-PK server because I can really enjoy the game and at the same time, engage in meaningful friendships with other players.

One of the many things I love about the newly-merged servers of Carracci and Pachelbel are the people. Carraccians are generally a mix of friendly and competitive players, while Pachelbelians are the peaceful bunch. Put those two in one server and you'll get a bunch of people who love to socialize and help out others.

No, really. If you're looking for a friendly server, Rembrandt is the place to be. Here are the reasons why.

• People are generous in lending assistance to those who need help in their quests, etc. I've experienced this myself when I got stumped with the Frog Fish part in the Bahamas quest. We all know that the FF is in demand with so many factions hunting for DHr, so it's really nice to see people actually lending their help to form squads to assist others in finishing this quest.
  

• Brington's Auch Drama. This is something that I look forward to every Saturdays. Bringston stages a nice drama RPG starring his Auch Infantries, and people actually stop by to watch. It's nice to know that players aren't just leveling their characters or going into raids...they also enjoy a good activity organized by another gamer. Too bad Bringston's laying low to take care of his real life commitments. :( Hope he comes back soon.

• Conversations over at the broad chat. Who would've thought broad chats are just used to advertise whatever it is you're selling? I get really amused in the afternoons (peak hours of Rembrandt server) when people just broad something funny or discuss something hilarious. It's either we've got loads of microphones to spend, or we just want to have a fun time talking to each other.
  

• Server economy. Back when we're still not experiencing this dearth in vis (LOL), Carracci was one of the servers that had decent economy. I was just appalled that Vet Scrolls used to cost 100+ vis in Caravaggio. I think that even with the so-called recession in today's servers, Rembrandt remains to have the most reasonable prices for some in-game items.

• Rembrandtians are prolly the most artistic bunch. Looking at previous contests, there's just a deluge of participants coming from this server. Some noteworthy artists include Reclusion, Tokoyoshi, Mulann, MilkCarton (aka Kelvinator, the King of Captions), exebolt, and a whole load of players who excel in video-making, fanarts, comics, stories, etc.

...and some personal opinion:

• Le Conquistador Faction. Ok, so I heard that there's something going on with their decision to turn neutral, but nevertheless, LC is one of the friendliest factions I had the opportunity to talk to.

• Outcasts Faction. Prolly the only faction that I will call home. :) These are the Pinoys who really value friendship over items. I miss our rowdy bunch. /end emo rant XD

Although, I'm not saying that the other servers don't have their fair share of goodness. Of course I won't ever forget my friends in Cervantes and Caravaggio (now Bach). I believe that my overall experience in GE is a mixture of the good and the bad, and this is a given in almost all online games. The only difference is that I remain a steadfast GE gamer and will continue to support & love this game.

Ok, this was a rather sappy entry. XD

Event plugs for CCrew & Domination 3

I have 2 very important things to let you all know about. ^_^

March Community Crew Quest: A screenshot contest!

I'm inviting everyone to send their submissions for the March Community Crew Quest: Know the 7 Sins of Man! It's a pretty simple screenshot contest about the 7 sins, and we've already been flooded with a lot of entries. But we love viewing all your submissions, so do post yours if you haven't joined yet.

The lucky winner will win a whopping 70 ABS and a Grindstone back costume. ^_^

For contest mechanics and where to submit your entries, click here.

Contest ends on 31 March 2009, so don't think twice...join nao!

Domination 3 is but 2 weeks away! O.O

By next week it's going to be April already, and with that month comes the biggest event of e-Games, Domination III!

I just got word from CM Aethrin that he's inviting GE Bloggers to attend the event and write about the biggest gathering of GE gamers. And yes, he did say about giving away a few stuff here and there, so I suggest the dormant GE Bloggers to start clearing away the dust from their websites and to get ready for this action-packed event.

I won't reveal the exact prizes...I'll leave CM Aethrin to surprise you with that. ^_~

Hope to see you all on April 4 at the SMX Convention Center!

For more info about Domination 3, click here.

Faction Feature: Le´ Çonquistador's Garim Raids

Wow. This article is long overdue, but I'd still like to write about this nonetheless. :)

I was privileged to have been able to talk and bond with one of Rembrandt server's most active factions, Le´ Çonquistador (LC). Headed by its faction leader, Mahoney, together with deputies Ichihara, devilz and Additional, this raid and Colony Wars oriented guild has amazed me in more ways than one. Not only are these guys active in in-game events, FL Mahoney encourages his members to participate in artistic activities. No wonder you'll find some of SEA GE's artistic bunch in this dynamic faction.

I did this interview back in December of 2008, right when most factions are already into raiding Garim's Nest. Perhaps these days, venturing into Garim's territory might be a walk in the park for some, now that Serpent and a few Constellation weapons and Expert stances have become available. But for now, allow me to let you take a peek on how LC works as one solid group.

DeSanggria: Hi guys! Can you tell me something more of how you prepared for this raid? How many people are needed in this raid? What's the average/recommended AR/DR?

Mulann: The raid itself can accommodate 30 families and LC goes on an average of 14-20 people to do this raid. I believe the average AR/DR of our members are around 58-64.

shalador: We also had "guests" from other factions like CrystalNovalight and Patronum and myself. A few of us were even yelling out warcries before we started.

Note: Back during this interview, shalador and Patronum were not yet in LC. Patronum was the FL of NekoMiko before she and her members joined LC.

DS: What sort of tasks/assignments did you delegate to each member? What armors/weapons are recommended for this raid?

Mulann: 1 Super/Imba Tanker is enough. The rest, Musks for DPS. Most LC's bring their own Scout. We also used Rio for attack/speed buff.

devilz: The tanker needs at least +5 EMS 3DR with El 92 shield 2DR will do pretty ok, just need some potting. We normally down it with 64~67 DR without buff or wings. As for AR, it needs to be at least higher than Garim's DR to provide more efficiency in provoking..with 2 provoke rings preferred. For equipments, I would say at least a +5/+6 EMS with El 92 2DR shields. Block and res is quite important because Garim deals both physical and some ice spells.

DS: Would you say that Musks are essential in this raid as well?

devilz: Ranged characters would be preferred for this raid because Garim deals real painful damage to even El92 armours equipped melee characters. Without block or good armours it's quite difficult to use skills on Garim while potting. Elementists can be an optional choice but due to Garim's tough skin, it does take some time to down it. Long hours of spamming skills will be
quite tiring.

DS: Having done previous high level raids, what was the most difficult part/challenge that you encountered in Garim's Nest?

Mulann: Gathering people -.- takes ages at times lol. I'm happy to see LC is moving according to the flow; all are on the lookout for people who needs resuing, and moves in timing with our tanker. As a buffer/resuer, I try to buff and resu everyone as much as possible.

shalador: There was a place where we had to protect a crystal from both sides. The veteran of this raid was slightly nervous about this part even though the mobs were fairly low. Must have been alot tougher before the nerfing, I think.

¤ All ¤ Star ¤ Faction's Garim raid where Mahoney & Ichihara first experienced the whole thing.

DS: How was the first raid in Garim's Nest like? Were the other succeeding raids any different from the last?

Mulann: LC's first raid to Garim's Nest was surprisingly easier than expected by our leaders who experienced it first hand with AS. I heard it was nerfed though. Everyone made sure to eat Hrin pots and wore wings but the best part was how the teamwork went during the raid.

shalador: Rather long and exciting. No other faction was there to ks~ XD (*cough E faction cough*)

devilz: Only Mahoney & Ichihara were presented at AS's Garim raid. The only confusing process is the splitting lane. Other than that, the rest is pretty normal, which we are able to handle without difficulties.

DS: Was there any strategy you used to defeat Garim?

Mulann: 3x Musketeers families for DPS; Fighter/Claudes - tankers and always lead the raid; a few Elementalists - Mob Control AOE; Scouts/Rio- buffer/resuer

devilz: Penetration effect is the key towards these tough boss. For now, I can only recommend more Outrage users to kill Garim quickly; it's best if with dino stats, but I don't really recommend players to actually chip for that stats :X

shalador: Do not try to be china hero and attempt to tank the boss alone.

DS: What were the loots you got in this raid?

devilz: The only loots worth mentioning for this raid is Le Noir (29 DR series armour) and Garim's belt recipe/ingredients. The probability of getting lousy stuffs is pretty high, and those loots are difficult to satisfy the overall members' expectation for that raid. So most of the Garim raid participants are not rewarded, despite wasting their 500 reputation points and time.

Mulann: The best and Rare so far: Le Noir Musk

Usual items:
5x lvl 92 chips
2x lvl 100 chips
lvl 100 items
e84 items or worse, recipes -.-

LC's first Garim raid

DS: Does LC plan to do frequent Garim raids in the future?

Mulann: Depends, but grinding 500 reputation points for E84 recipes/items may not seem worth it. Probably just to have some fun and kill time.

devilz: The loots alone, I believe, will stop many factions from counting Garim into one of the daily raids, as it does not promise rewards. Even GOF is better lolz.

DS: Why did LC undertake such a quest/raid?

Mulann: To test new bosses and train for it.

shalador: No idea. I think they had been planning this for a while, then I got invited on the spur-of-the-moment thing.

DS: Any plans to take on Sekhmet? XD

Mulann: Sure, why not? Hehe. But currently, we are engaging on the Brain of Argus.


And just a few days after this interview, I got an invitation to join the raid! Back then, I didn't even have the qualifying AR/DR for this raid, but just for the sake of experiencing the thrill, I went on ahead.

I see lots of blue stars.

Someone's waiting at the end of that crystal wall.

And just as we were waiting on those 2 sides of the huge crystal wall, we all got DCed from the game.

Teh epic lulz.

It was a short-lived experience, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was truly an honor to have been able to interact with such group of really nice people. :D

My hats off to the brave and the bold, Le´ Çonquistador Faction! Here's to more thrilling raids and rewards for all of you! ^_^

Acknowledgments:
Mulann
Mahoney
devilz
shalador
and everyone else in LC faction for being so hospitable & nice ^^

For more information about LC, visit:
The Le´ Çonquistador Faction Blog
The Le´ Çonquistador Faction Forum

We want j00!

The doors are once again open for applications for Community Crew!

If you think you've got what it takes to help the Granado Espada community, then this is the perfect opportunity! Tell us what you've previously done to fan the community spirit alive, or perhaps share what you plan to do!

I just got an extended lease on being a CC, and I'm just thrilled to be given another chance to be of service to the GE community. I'd like to invite those who share the same endeavors to apply and be part of this great team. I guarantee that there's no boring moment at all. ^.~V

Know more about how to apply here. I hope to see some familiar faces soon. Good luck! :3