Damaso the Friar has Defeated Shiro!

Given that my Monk has defeated Shiro, only my Elementalist Salvi hasn't finished their birth game yet. It's gonna be a bit tough since Salvi isn't lvl 20 yet, and seems to be a support character for a nuker.

It appears my Assassin Elias will have the easiest time around in the early parts since he's a PvE bruiser, killing single enemies quite fast. All my other characters are support roles, which makes going through the story longer for them. Hell, Elias might finish Prophecies before Salvi does.

I'll try to give Salvi his chance, but it'll be tough since I know Elias can breeze through most stuff.

Under the Milenyo

I got the sniffles. I always have been sorta synched with the weather. I don't think I'll get a fever, but it's gonna ba an annoying few days.

Normally, if I'm not exceptionally tired or if I don't lack sleep, it means the weather is changing modes. We shall see.

Monks Have More Fun (at the very least, rarely get rejected)

In my other characters, I had to wait and nego quite a bit to get a group. With Damaso, my Monk, I rarely get rejected. Any party needs a healer, and Monks are still the best at the job (although Resto Rits are slowly getting in style)

Probably, by Nightfall, Dervishes and Paragons will take some tanking roles (haven't checked their armor requirements yet, though. When will a realistic replacement for Monks in the healer role come?

The next step for Damaso: defeating Kuunavang.

Elias the Boatman has Defeated Shiro by Henching!

Yes, I just had to say it. I was gonna post this bit two days ago (when I actually accomplished the feat, but I got busy, and yesterday was Milenyo's day. I have heard when I was trying to beat Shiro with Simoun Ibarra that Shiro could be henched, and I was able to do it.

Things to note:

- Bodyblock him, though this can be difficult with hench.

- Although Shiro can be knocked down, he gets up so fast that Falling Spider will not be able to hit.

- Condition effects seem to work on him. Like Kuunavang, he's got tough armor, and unless you have armor penetration, damage will be severely negated. Poison, bleeding, anything that would chip away at his health. It ensures that even if your weapon damage does zero damage, something is eating away at him.

I tried doing it again, didn't work. Being hench, bodyblock is kinda tough and uncoordinated. Also, if he happens to banish your troops, it can be a real-time decision to bring them back or leave them be. You hench will not try to get back to reality (or at least, I don't know if they do.

I wonder how my monk will do when he gets there.

In the wake of Typhoon Milenyo (international name Xangsane)

I was at TGIF in Ayala with my SO yesterday for lunch, we sat by the window to get a view, and did we get it. Hell, signages were being torn and flying around, trees were uprooted, metal roofs from stuff under construction was taking off, segments of trees were crossing the streets, visibility went on and off, and we were eating soup and chicken.

From our homes, we didn't think were so bad outside, and I wanted to stock-up on some food (haven't been to the groceries in a while). While we were eatin', I was starting to think goin' out was a bad idea. It was particularly annoying that the supermarket, the whole reason why I went out in the first place, was closed. Fortunately, I was able to take her and myself home safely.

It wasn't much of a surprise that there was no power at home when I got back, but I only realized that I can hook up to the generator power after dinner at night (I ate at Chilli's, things calmed down already and they seemed the only ones open).

I feel kinda lucky that I had some semblance of electricity last night, and I am kinda impressed that power returned at 0000 today.

Hope things wasn't so bad for the others.

Oh yeah, obviously, I have 'net access. Cable TV is another story.

When It Rains, Do You GoTo Work?

I was having a dream about being some sort of contestant in a reality adventure show, but I woke up early as usual (well, technically, I wake up in "stages"), and noticed that aside from being colder than usual, it was also kinda dark. It took me a while ("stages") before I figured out that there might not be classes today, ergo, there may be no work for some.

Now, why does a jobless bum like me wake up early (or at least try to) every morning. Well, being jobless doesn't let me off on some other "duties", like taking my SO (Significant Other) to work. Unlike private companies, government employees in the Philippines (or at least in Metro Manila) appear to have the same privilege that students do when it rains hard: the possibility of no classes/work.

Turned on the TV, tuned to the the local morning shows, and yes, on the bottom tickers (so useful to people like me) it says that there are no classes or work for government agencies. Double check on the net, same thing. Signal #3, that's pretty bad weather. I called up my SO, and she checked, which sealed the deal.

So, I went back to bed. And no, I did not go back to the show in my dreams. I was probably eliminated for being an absentee.

Now that I'm up (and sorta about), I wondered if my former colleagues are having the same kind of luck (going to work in this weather is tough as hell). Booted my PC, checked the IM, nope, nobody home.

If they wont tell you to stay at home, I hope you guys have a safe trip to work, and I hope they try to make you go home soon when you get there.

Pondering on Blog Entry Categories

Although the Blog Entry Category Editor has much to be desired (I can seem to only add new categories), it made me think, should I add theme specific categories, or should I force myself to use the existing ones.

The question dawned on me as I was considering adding a Guild Wars category. It would make sorting my Guild Wars related blog entries easier, and it would separate them from other game related entries, as in the near future, most my blog entries will probably consist of Guild Wars related material.

However, I would like to also categorize my Guild Wars comments as Game comments, as that is exactly what it is, thoughts and comments on a specific game.

In the end, I would rather have the ability of creating multiple tags on blog entries, a feature I am not sure Microsoft has on its priority list for these Live Spaces.
I think too much? I've been told so many times. :P

Haha! Having no category will not make a particular entry searchable from the Categories tool!

Now, Do I have to have separate categories for Ramblings, Rants, Reviews...


Note:
This comment was made when the blog was still in MS Live Spaces.

Kuunavang can be henched with Interrupt Bowman Assasin!

Alas, the rain, having only seafood noodles on stock, and and a problematic DSL connection have dampened my spirits. Nevertheless, I have decided to put blog this bit of info, so I will.

Just an hour or so ago, I managed to beat the Unwaking Waters mission AND get a Masters Rating, using only henchmen. I guess the combination of henchmen as well as the interrupt setup I made for Elias (my Assassin) was able to help. So, I'll put my build here:

A/R:
Broad Arrow
Critical Eye
Sharpen Daggers
Disrupting Shot
Savage Shot
Poison Tip
Shadow Refuge
Signet of Resurrection

Probably, what helped most was the combination of bleeding and poison, this was able to slowly drain Kuunavang's heath even though the henchies and I were barely able to do any real physical damage. This, coupled with more frequent critical strikes enabled damage chipping from a distance, and having 2 healers and a Rit as henchmen increased the healing/preservation potential of the group. This is the first time I have had success in using my Assassin as a Critical Bowman, I was now able to correctly use the the Critical Barrager build I found.

Also, I learned of the potential benefits of Assassin's Promise from a fellow Assasin in the party I joined to beat the Gayla Hatcheries mission. I was surprised to see Twisting Fangs recharge so fast, and have concluded that it was only possible due to Assassin's Promise. It works quite wekk in PvE, much better than my AB build, but it relies on your target dying within 12 seconds of casting Assasin's promise. Going past this will cause a long delay of skills. my Current AB build of Palm Strike, Bull Horns, Spider, and Twisting Fangs is more versatile.

My neck hurts, it's been that way since yesterday. I need more proper sleep.

When will Nightfall come to the Philippines?

Genesis

Ye gotta start somewhere. To whoever stumbles upon this page, hello and welcome.