GW2 Database

A guildie posted this on our guild forum.

The GW2 database is live. 

It's going to be an wonderful resource for all things  GW2 and our travels around Tyria.  It's a Curse.com site, (and I do love what Curse does - premium member here!), so should be well maintained and accurate.

The DATABASE includes:

• A scalable map (kinda Google mapish).
• Item list - everything from armor to crafting materials to gizmos
• Achievements list - heading but blank pages still
• Traits list - by profession
• Skill list - by profession, race and pet skills
• Skill Calculator - will all be crunching stats/numbers here

 And, the one I'm thrilled to see  - Recipes.  (All of them are listed.)

I've always love to cook in game, and  do plan on leveling Cooking.  Knowing when I reach that frustration point on discovery, there is a resource out there is great!  I tried cooking in beta, ArenaNet did not lie this is an advanced skill and quickly can suck up the resources for a low level character.

Database is bookmarked for future use. Wonderful job again Curse!


There is an updated list on GW2Guru (June 15 updated) of other 'unofficial' web apps (not addons), wikis, calculators and databases.


Now if we only had a release date....

Pre-launch, big patch, stress test = busy gaming week!

Busy gaming week coming up with three of my favorite games, The Secret World, RIFT and GW2.


The Secret World (TSW)
The big one of course is the head-start for pre-orders for The Secret World on June 29th.  We've been meeting to put the coordinate the guild launch (officially Templar) as the official launch is quickly approaching on July 3rd. 

The guild I'm is terribly excited as we were named one of the 50 founding guilds for TSW.  I don't know how much effect that will have playing but our team lead won a lifetime sub (we had a challenge match to see who won that!).   I had already pre-purchased a lifetime sub (learning from my big regret of NOT buying it with LoTRO!), but thought that was an awesome reward for the guild.

TSW has vastly improved over the past month (now that the NDA is lifted), and anyone that hasn't been back since the first open beta should give it another shot.  It looks really good now!


RIFT
The other exciting news, RIFT patch 1.9 launches on Wednesday, July 27th.  Three faction PvP, mentoring, a new world event and barbershop are the things I'm really excited about.  I'm really excited about all the new things TRION is adding to RIFT.  The three faction PvP that is NOT related to the two in game factions should be a novel approach.  That and adding crafted goods to PvP, awesome.

The addition of mentoring will be nice to play with new people to the guild (won't really help with my fourth toon four levels from 50, but it will be great to get XP while helping out guildies.


Guild Wars 2 (GW2)
Announced today on Facebook, another mid-week stress test.  Another Wednesday, July 27th (10-2PST).  A short window of play time, but enough to get a few hours of GW2 goodness in.  This game is like a bloody drug, and my guildmates and I moan for days after our withdrawals.

When GW2 goes live, I have a feeling my other MMO loves will be on the bench for a few days/weeks.  I've been totally in love with all aspects of this game in the two betas I've played. 

The beta tests (IMHO) have been very similar to the wonderful experience I had with RIFT during beta weekends.  TRION and ArenaNet really seem to be on top of what a quality MMO should be.

Guild Wars 2 - pet collecting

Guild Wars 2 has exceeded all expectations and I'm thoroughly loving the Ranger.  Part of the fun has been searching out the companion pets available for rangers in Tyria.

Over the two beta weekends, I and a few guild-mates managed to locate and charm 24 land and 3 aquatic pets. It has been fun locating and sharing the info with the other pet happy people in our guild.  I even ninja-stole one from one friend.  Never trust me when it comes to pets/mounts - I've warned them!

I didn't get photos of a all the pets charmed, but here are some that were:

Juvenile Whiptail Devourer (Charmed Plains of Ashford, Devourer's Mouth, Charr area)

Juvenile Lashtail Devourer (Charmed Diessa Plateau)

Juvenile Lynx (Charmed Snowden Drifts)

Juvenile White Moa (Charmed Snowden Drifts)

Juvenile Alpine Wolf (Charmed Outcast's Cleft)

see more GW2 pets >>

Rift Quest Series - Crocnard Mount

Just finished this for the third time (fourth time in 9.5 more levels!).

It's long, but fun and gives much of the lore about the Faceless Man and has some decent rewards including the awesome Crocnard Mount!   My opinion the best mount in the game.

Below is the write up on ZAM for the quest chain, followed by an excellent walk-thru from the Herding Cats Blog.

** If you don't have Dragonslayer rep to decorated, you will have a few hours of rep grinding mobs in Shimersand (repeatable quest at Wrymbane Spire turning in ritual firebrands) or running Charmers Caldera.

Water Saga - Crocnard Mount

Water Saga (Rift Quest Series) :: Wiki :: Rift :: ZAM

Prerequisites: Level 50.  To combat the Abyssal, Ascended can embark on the Water Saga, an epic quest series that unravels the origin of this lunatic cult. Guardians and Defiant must stop the Abyssal resurgence, save important members of their faction from the cult’s insanity, and learn more about the sinister Tidelords, the heroes who first imprisoned Akylios, and the Faceless Man’s secret past. Aimed at high-level Ascended acting alone and in groups, the Water Saga offers both epic loot and a swift and cold-blooded Crocnard Mount. ^[1]

This new Water Saga is a compelling story of heroes and traitors alike in the continuing struggle against the Abyssal Cult, released by the opening of the gates of Hammerknell. From the wreckage of Estrael and her companions, to the long-held secrets of well-known heroes, both Guardians and Defiant alike are beckoned to travel across Telara to engage in this fascinating saga!

Defiant
On the Defiant side, this begins in Abyssal Precipice with the Faceless Man. For anyone curious about his background, you will love this series.^[2]

Act I Achievement: Exploring the Deep

1. A New Era for the Abyssal
2. Meetings of Interest
3. Tomes of Madness
4. A Personal Request
5. Rescue Mission
6. Blood in the Water
7. Explorers of the Deep

Act II Achievement: Soggy Historian

1. The Wreck of the Novia
2. Hiding Among Dragonslayers
3. Last of the Zardonis
4. Out of the Fire
5. A Token of the Fae
6. Enchanted Wood
7. Heir of Nyx
8. Wishes of a Dominata
9. Reclaimed from the Storm
10. Remains of the Great
11. Bound in Death
12. A Mask for All Seasons

Act III Achievement: Lord of Madness

1. Joining the Cabal
   
   • Initiation
2. Traitor of Meridian
3. Seals Against the Deep
4. Unworking the Ritual
   
   • Ilchorin's Favor
5. Breaking the Bond
6. Faceless Gratitude

This is a good walk-thru of each step and what the requirements/rewards are:

From HERDING CATS BLOG
I love this easy write up on the Water Saga Quest chain.

Act One

• Start the chain by picking up a quest in Abyssal Precipice, a Tier 2 dungeon.
  5-man group required
• Head to Iron Pine Peak and go pick on a camp of baddies. This is marked as a group quest, but it was laughably easy with four people.
  solo or duo; reward: collectible book
• Run around a lot and listen to lore in Meridian and Freemarch. Spoiler: you get a “madness” debuff during this stage of the quest that allows you to see giant tentacles and other horrible things around Meridian. It was actually pretty creepy.
  solo; reward: collectible book
• Head back to IPP and meet a very neat new lore-based character, and escort them out of danger. This was marked as a group quest I think, but I completed it solo.
  solo or duo
• Grind time! You have to kill 100 cultists in Iron Pine Peak. Yes, 100. Yes, you can do it in a group to make it go faster.
  solo grind; reward: epic essence
• Go talk to the librarian at Chancel of Labours. Get used to it, you will be seeing him a lot.
  solo; reward: the title “Tidelord” and an achievement

Act Two

• Head to the coastline of Moonshade Highlands and kill some elite and non-elite NPCs to collect four items.
  duo
• Head to Shimmersand and talk to the Dragonslayer faction. You must be Decorated with the Dragonslayers to continue. For what it’s worth I did all my Dragonslayer quests while leveling up and probably three days of dailies, and was pretty much exactly Decorated by the time I got to this quest.
  solo rep
• Swim out to the middle of the Lake of Solace and loot a chest. Then back to the Chancel to turn it in!
  solo
• You now need to obtain an item in the Tier 1 version of Realm of the Fae. It’s just after the first boss, so your group can quit early if they want.
  5-man group required
• Time for quests and lore in Shimmersand! I had no problem doing these solo.
  solo
• Back to T2 Runic Descent, this time to kill a mob near the end of the instance. Completing this will give you a hat that is both delightfully ugly and, for my bard, anyway, best in slot.
  5-man group required; reward: the title “the Soggy”, an epic hat, an achievement

Act Three

• Head out to lake shores of Freemarch. You get to do a few cool quests while wearing a neat temporary costume. (solo)Kill a named elite dude in the middle of the lake. We had three people doing this quest, and he still kicked our butts the first time. Also, some kind of water breathing ability or potion will help a LOT.
  4-5 people
• Next up is an exceedingly neat series of quests that let you run around up above Meridian.
  solo
• Complete an air rift of level 44 or higher for a special drop. I did one solo in Iron Pine Peak, but it would be faster and easier with a group.
  solo/group rift
• Run around the world doing some solo quests, then kill a named elite in Moonshade Highlands.
  duo
• Go back to Shimmersand and lure five cultists to a watery death.
  solo
• Head back to the shores of Freemarch and complete a ritual. We had six people helping with this particular part, but five would have done. You want the fight to be as short as possible, so don’t skimp on DPS!
  5-man group
• Voila! Turn in that last quest back in Meridian, and congratulations.
  reward: achievement, epic shoulders, a crocnard mount, and the insanely awesome title “Mistress/Master of Madness”