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

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

Eye candy stuff in v.3.0

This may be a bit too advanced to talk about, especially since I'm just waiting for the hours to pass by before the servers are officially up (and ultimately, for a sneak peek on v.2.9), but what they hey, I really need to kill time.

Among the things I'm looking forward in v.3.0 (aside from the kick-ass Aztec-looking RNPCs) are, of course, the costumes! Blame it on the fact that I like dressing up my characters (harharhar). Anyway, here's what I managed to scrimp off the Korean GE Hanbiton site:

Pretty little Elem in her fairy bob 'do

Female Wiz shows less skin, while the Female Musk bares all.

The Male Musk looking so 80s, with *gasp* a pet pig?!?

It seems like aside from Pilfurr (Grabbermon) and Broomy (the voodoo looking pet), there will also be a screaming pink pig pet! I do love pig characters, but her eyes in this picture looks kinda off. I dunno, maybe it's just me *shrugs*.

On another note, I'm loving the new non-PK server, Rembrandt. Merging with the Pachelbel people is the nicest thing to happen in-game.

Watching role-played dramu unfold in Coimbra.

Getting to know the friendly and charming people of Pachelbel is so much fun. I finally got to meet Alfender (FL of the all-girl faction, Les) and Bringston, who staged the Auch Police Drama RPG on the first day of the server merge. It's a refreshing thing to witness with all the emo drama happening in Carracci prior to the merge.

Anyway, that's just about my small updates for the meantime. I can't wait for v.2.9! I'm still deciding on whether to get a Pilfurr or Broomy for a pet. Hehehe. See ya then!

Rembrandt's first CW

Now that I've gone solo, I'm trying to keep my Sunday's sacred, i.e., catching up on resting, family affairs and basically some real life fluff. But today counts for this family's return to the war zone as it's Rembrandt server's first Colony War.

I didn't want to just observe and bore myself to tears, so I lent a helping hand to some friends who needed my services. And so, with my trusty Scout & Vicente Rio, I headed off to save some warp points at the designated areas. But that was before I nearly tore my hair out trying to log and relog because for some reason, I was always shifting in and out of the log in screen every time I moved to a new map or tried to enter channel 1. Good thing I didn't give up easily and my perseverance finally paid off.

I didn't finish the task of saving in all the area required maps, though good thing I was able to allot some space for the more crucial locations. At this time, the connection was being cooperative so I didn't waste time ressing my squadmates here and there.

Needless to say, I nearly ran out of resu pots reviving the others. Eminence, CarpeDiem, Osiris, BlackReaper and other Carracci/Pachelbel Factions came from all sides in Tetra Hill and were really duking it all out on the red dots. Thank God I wasn't in a PK server otherwise my cleric purpose in the squad would be of little use.

Despite being busy with the task of resurrecting the fallen ones, I was just bowled over with the tenacity and persistence of some former Pachelbelian factions who really showed their mettle out there in the battlefield. I never really did underestimate Pachelbelians despite the fact that Carracci was the senior one in terms of existence in the game. There really is no reason why Carracci factions should think differently of these groups because in all honesty, these guys can unseat any faction with a colony right now.

I mean, jeeesaas, look at Osiris with 4 colonies. O_O

Now this is gonna look interesting with regards to the faction alliance. *rubs hands eagerly*

On another note, I'm slightly peeved the way the broads were churning out that time. I mean, can't people stop talking about Carracci vs. Pachelbel beee-es? Those servers are long gone. It's about time factions started carving out new faces in this new server. Let it rest, jeez.

I'm happy to say that we did a good job, my squadmates and I (along with their faction). The fight was intense, that I must say, but exciting nonetheless. Man, at that point, I missed having a faction. Hehe.

Gratz to all colony holders for the week and here's to a more interesting CW for Rembrandt!

Sorry if there are no visuals to accompany this post. I was in a LAN shop and I was lazy to take screenshots with all the excitement going about. ^^

Post Script: Woooot~! The drama takes over Rembrandt! A former superpower in Pachelbel gets their first taste of defeat in the new server, thanks to their former allies.