Diary Of A Gamer

I made 48 with my Spy last night, and while I really enjoy all the amazing skills and abilities, especially my Sword of Doom, I can’t help but feel blah about hitting 50.

With a x6 exp modifier, and a +50% exp bonus token, I went from 46.5 to 48.2 in probably about 2 hours in Descent.  It’s actually very fun, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I think its too much.  The max bonus really should be like x4, and with a 50% modifier, that’s a x6.  But for me, that will come too late.  I’m going to be staring down level 50 this weekend, and I’ve not got much to look forward to.

It’s no secret that there really isn’t any elder-game content and unfortunately for me, I’m not up for consistently farming CP’s for tokens for alts, or just item grinding.  Maybe I’ll take this toon back and actually do everything I missed, as I jumped to grinding after I almost finished Plateau (Maligo Base and Uster Yard are all I’ve got left there).

It’s no secret I’ve got a 34 Spy.  It’s also no secret that I’ve neglected my Demolitionist lately.  But now with them at similar levels, I find myself wanting to balance my playtime for both.

The demo is much better in a PvP situation than a spy, and since I’m in a PvP clan, I figure that accounts for something.  It’s also just tons of fun to use ripper + shotgun, or tear down kaels with nanites.  It’s not as fast as a spy, but I also don’t die if more than 5 mobs get on me.

The spy is great fun in PvE, as the backstab ability is crazy.  I do on average 10k damage at 34, 12k if I’ve got rage 5 going.  If it gets too hairy, I use traitor to distract a few mobs, and even my 1 pump in magnesium flash has done me well, as it tends to reset the mob to it’s spawn-point via a nice little walk.

My biggest issue is that the play-styles are so different. I’ve found myself getting cremated regardless of the toon I’m on.  If it’s my spy against a few mobs or my demo against more, I just haven’t been as focused as I ought to be.  And it’s really throwing me off.

For me, it’s just been hard to get into a groove lately.  I’m thinking I might just need to take a few days off, then jump back in.  I totally enjoy Tabula Rasa, and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, but I think I just need to withdraw from it for a couple days.

Just made 30 last night on my Ranger.  Made a Spy, and now I’m stoked.  I don’t think I’ve grinned that much in a long time in a game.  On a PvE aspect, it’s just plain mean.

Truthfully, using polymorph, blades 5, etc, it just feels like too much.  Too much for the enemy, that is.  I know, I’ll get my fair share of deaths, but for now, the damage output is crazy, and the utility of the class is promising.

Definitely a good 2nd toon for anyone running a Demolitionist already.

It’s been an interesting time on my demo. I’ve made some nice levels, but I’ve also run into some complications.

Let’s just say I’m not a big fan of grinding, nor am I big fan of instant-death due to over aggro.

Pools was fun, but it seemed so short.  I may have to go back, but the instances and the quests didn’t seem to take much time to plow through.  Marshes, on the other hand, seems near-endless.  I arrived there at 34ish (read: too low).  So many mobs conglomerated into the zone just make it a pain for a Demo.  I’ve done decent, but perhaps it’s a “me” problem.  I am playing a ranger alt, but still, this is insane.  I thought it might be my level, but a report from my 42 Engineer friend informs me that this is a very clustered area that’s causing them difficulties as well.

I thought maybe I’d break the habit by grinding a bit, making a Thrax hybrid, etc.  You know, break the monotony.  Well, the hybrid is great, and the grinding is terrible.  It’s so pointless for me.  I like to enjoy Tabula Rasa for what it is, and have fun with it.  Up until just recently, I’ve been doing that just fine.  Unfortunately, I’m having trouble getting back into a groove where running a solo Demo is fun.  Here’s hoping I can find that happy place again.

In other news, I’m working on a Spy alt.  *waits for the gasps* Personally, I’m having fun again.  I just made 28 last night, and am doing well.  Incline is an insane zone, and I might just grind at Ortho for 30 (or move to Mires).

As a Ranger, grinding isn’t nearly as bad as on the Demo, because of a couple of factors.

1. The first being stealth armor.  I like the don’t aggro everything in a 3 mile radius aspect.
2. The second is, this toon is totally a throw-away toon.  When respec tokens are live, great, I may pick them back up, but at 29.9 (or 30) I’ll be cloning off, so skills right now are all fun and games.  Rage 5, Machine Guns 5, stuff I wouldn’t normally take, are making the content much more touchable.
3. I’ve been hunting stalkers and striders as a 20+, and on a Sapper, that just ain’t right.  Well, a good EMP chain gun makes them much more fun to encounter.
4. Quasi-base-jumping.  Something about sprint 3 + large jumps makes me smile.  I try to avoid combat unless necessary, and when I’m running and jumping and hiding, I find some great jumps to take.

Bottom Line: The Demo will see more activity, but right now, getting to Spy on my Ranger is taking precedence.  Having fun is more meaningful to me than grinding away.