Sunday, November 30, 2014

ArcheAge - pics of the week



Yes I bought the Fleetpaw Bjorne (and the turtle battlepet).  This mount starts at level five and can be converted to the Ebonfur at 50.
 
 ArcheAge is a sandbox game, right? So being a twit - blockading choke points for people running packs seems to be the thing - Cinderstone/Two Crown, Hellswamp/Halcyona and the Dewstone Bridge seem to be favorites of this one guild.

Creative use of crates on an 8x8

The bear makes a great hood ornament

Truly stuck on the Dewstone Bridge




Wednesday, November 19, 2014

ArcheAge: Interesting decorating

Tentacle house.  Someone must play The Secret World too.  Looks like a filth cow!


 Boxes and plushies

 This is a Fellowship Plaza that is open for all in the zone that own property.  Except the asshat decided no one was going to use the Specialty Bench.
But at least there's a baby grand....
 
Stay off my lawn for real!

Friday, November 14, 2014

ArcheAge more screenies




Leomorph with baby Leos.  Wish the ingame Leo pet could be out with the mount.



Chatty Scarecrow in Halcyona.  Supposedly a quest.  Need to check that one.


Funny farm in Arcum Iris


Creative use of an 8x8. How does he get in that coffin though?


Guy stuck in the ground.  He was there for 4 hours having escaped jail, so he said.


Truly stuck.  I haven't managed that one yet.


More player beautification of Marianople.












Friday, November 7, 2014

ArcheAge pics of the week

Random photos from ArcheAge this week.

So why does King Thorkell have this guy hiding upstairs?
The Headless Swordsman. He looks pissed



The fighting in the caves for resources on Auroria.

The last claimable zone in Auroria before the West took it


First merchants sign I've seen. Go crafters!


Marianople to Dewstone has been transformed into the new Napa Valley.  
Grapevines line the road the whole way. 
Cherry trees from Halcyona to Marianople.

Both are part of the Beautification of Nuia Project on Tahyang.


 Sunset ride through Dewstone









Tuesday, November 4, 2014

ArcheAge should you play or not?


Sitting here waiting for AA to patch and Auroria to open, hopefully (crossing fingers) not a repeat of launch,  I was thinking about ArcheAge and why someone should or shouldn't play - maybe. 

I have friends that are avid PvPers and those that avoid it at all costs. Those that like to quest and others that would be happy to buy a max level character and never go near a quest.

Me, I love to quest in a game (AA not so much), but can happily run around farming, exploring, gathering, pvping, running some packs, and have a wonderful time in game.  Last night I donkey subbed from Freeditch to Auroria, to be close when the game launches.  I could have taken my clipper, but I thought I'd like to see what is on the bottom of the Arcadian Sea while watching a movie.  Got to make your fun in game!

So off the top of my head list......


Why you should be playing ArcheAge
  • You love open-world PvP and believe 'red is dead', and maybe some green players too!
  • You love gear-grinding to be the best
  • You're a crafter, the more complicated and varied the better
  • You like a sand-boxy feel world that you can create your own fun in
  • You like player driven economies 
  • You're a 'Farmville' addict
  • You like to explore
  • You hate to solo anything, grouping is where it's at
  • You love dailies and wish there where more of them
  • You like housing and putting your mark on the world
  • You love sailing, fishing and being on the water
  • You've always wanted to be a pirate
  • You will play with a sub (or support a cash shop) to keep a game going


Why you maybe shouldn't play ArcheAge

  • You hate grindy games
  • You really hate open world PvP or any type of PvP
  • You like to quest
  • You like to solo play always
  • You like theme-park type gaming
  • You like deep, rich lore driven story
  • You have an older PC and not the best graphics, or internet connection
  • You don't like whining, bitching, moaning, swearing, rudeness and all that is the public chat channels
  • You believe everything someone in game tells you
  • You hate hackers, cheaters, grifters, bots and other nefarious acts ingame
  • You will only play F2P games

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Beekeeping in ArcheAge

Apiculture or 'beekeeping' in ArcheAge is part of the husbandry profession (anyone can raise bees, but it benefits husbandry pros).  Beekeeping in ArcheAge is not climate controlled, so all zones work equally as well.  It's also a good harvestable for random players, as the hives do not need to be harvested but every few days if you wait for the maximum honey harvest.

The product from hives is honey and the very rare drop royal jelly.  Honey vendors for 2s2c to any merchant or sells on the auction house (average on my server 20s each/harvest is around 29 honey a harvest) as it's used in cooking, alchemy and for trade packs.

Royal jelly is used primarily as a sealant (wax nugget) that were required in Alpha for submarines. As subs haven't been added back yet, we can assume it may be an ingredient but ? knows for sure! It is still used for one item Framed Butterflies.

BEEHIVES

You can make a beehive with the Handicraft profession. It is a low level skill, so anyone can make one. For one Acorn Beehive, you will need to be at a Handicraft Kiln (50 labor) with the following materials:
  • Three Acorn: from fruiting Oak trees (you can grow, wild harvest or buy off the AH
  • Five Aspen Hardwood: rare drop from Aspen trees (the pricey item on my server)
  • Twenty Lumber: three logs equal one lumber refined, so sixty logs total
  • One Dawn Lake Light Essence: refined from fish. Depending on the fish - 10 rare; 20 uncommon; or 100 common make one essence.  (Usually cheap on the AH if you don't fish)
  • One Nymphal Queen Bee: see below on where to catch one or buy off the AH
 * Check the auction house prices on your server for acorn beehives, the finished beehive is often comparable to collecting or purchasing all the materials to make one, but does have a broad fluctuation in price by as much as 50g.

Once it is made it can be placed on your farm. Beehive footprint is on the large size, so does not fit on 8x8 or around 16x16 smaller houses. You can fit eight on a 16x16 farm with room for a few other things and they do fit on the thatched roof cottage or homes.

Beehives go through distinct phases/stages and the longer you wait the better the outcome. Royal Jelly harvests - in theory - are available at any stage.  Note, the labor cost goes up considerably for each stage as well. I haven't tried beehives without queens, as in theory they are suppose to still produce honey, but at a lesser amount.

Alluring beehive. No honey.   Lasts approximately two days.

Moist beehive. 200 labor. Small amount of honey. Supposedly a chance of Royal Jelly.  Lasts approximately one day.

Sweet beehive. 400 labor. Some honey.  Small chance for Royal Jelly. Lasts approximately one day.

Prosperous beehive. 600 labor. Harvest time!  Chance for Royal Jelly.  Average is 29 +/- honey per harvest.

Queened beehive.  This is a random instead of Prosperous, you can get a Queened hive, where the hive has produced an extra queen.

You can net this queen for another hive or to sell on the AH. (My server a nymphal queen sells for 4-10g).  Otherwise you can just harvest the honey. You can't do both though, it's honey or the queen!  If you think you want to capture this queen have an extra net in your inventory.

 When you are harvesting honey, you will get stung if you're not wearing a veil (recipe below).  These are pricey on the AH, often running as much as an acorn beehive, because of the materials to craft. If you do not wear a veil you will get a debuff as the bee's sting you.  It's a minor slow and makes you run around for a few seconds.  Nothing serious, IMHO, so I haven't bothered with a veil yet.

As your Husbandry skill increases, the labor cost to harvest your hives does go down.  I'm only at 37,305, but did get a reduction in labor use down from 600 to 540.  The XP for harvesting a prosperous is a nice chunk - 42,525 xp - too.



ACQUIRING A QUEEN BEE

Queen bees are tamed from wild bees.  You'll need a queen bee net to catch her (recipe below).  Now that the start zones aren't so populated it's fairly easy to find a queen bee buzzing around. Queen bees are located in Haranya in Mahdevi and Falcorth Plains and in the Nuia in Solzreed Pennisula and White Arden. 
 
Queen surrounded by Queensguard bees.

Make sure you have a queen bee net or two with you. Once you have your net go forth and locate a queen.  You'll need to reduce her health before netting her as if you do not lower her health enough she can break the net.  If you're high level, use an ability that will not one shot her or dot her to death.  Also remove your weapons so you don't auto attack kill her (yes I did that!), she only has 1500hp. The queens in White Arden are level 24, one star, so not so fragile as the other queens. 


Net down, capturing started


 Net fully open, queen bee captured.

When you have your queen (Nymphal Queen Bee) you will get an extra icon on the beehive to add her. 

Other beekeeping items to have in inventory are smoke beads and veil.

The smoke beads will kill pests in your beehive (it will be blinking red and shaking) and the hive can be destroyed if you do not smoke the hive in time.

The veil will keep you from being attacked when harvesting honey.  I found the stinging was a minor annoyance/buff, so don't really worry about the veil.  The smoke beads I would carry one or two just in case.



BEEKEEPING RELATED RECIPES

Queen Bee Taming Net
Leatherwork Bench. 50 labor.
Five Leather: Refined from pelts. One leather=three pelts  (turkeys or pigs are easiest)
Twenty Memory Ink: Purchase from General Merchant
One Pearl: From aqua farming pearls

A hive with a smoke bead cleaning it.


Smoke bead
 Handicraft Kiln. 20 labor
One Lumber: Three logs = one lumber
One Hay Bale: from seed bundles or buy off the AH
Two Blue Salt Knives: purchase from General Merchants

Veil
Must have 500 proficiency Leatherwork. 250 labor
Twelve Leather: Refined from pelts. one leather=three pelts, so thirty-six pelts
One Cashmere Thread: yata fur and one downy yata fur
Ten Handicraft Yarn: Tailoring.  Goat, yata and bear fur
Three Moonlight Archeum Shard: drops from mobs or purchase AH
One Small Seed Oil:  Alchemy