Because I'm paranoid, I changed all my passwords today to EVERY website I use.
Also, it seems like there are even more hackings on Guild Wars. Some people think it's related to PlayNC.
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10410038
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE! GW HACKINGS GALORE
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!
Kiss of the Divine (dei's guild leader) got hacked last Sunday. It seems as if she isn't the only one. Many people on Guru are reporting they've been hacked too... most likely through a server side intrusion (aka... not your fault). Even though you have a secure password, anti-virus, no keyloggers, etc... they still manage to make their way in.
People who get hacked have most of their valuable items gone, FoW armor salvaged, armors with superior vigor salvaged, equipment bags gone, balthazar faction traded for z-keys and random weapons and miniatures appearing in the hacked person's inventories.
Anet is clearly showing that your account is vunerable. Until they improve their security, please note that you may get hacked. As usual, take any usual precautions and try to spread your wealth across multiple accounts if you have any.
I would also recommend splitting your stacks of valuable items (ex. Ectos, shards, gems) across multiple characters you don't use so you have more time to intercept the hacker if they do manage to break in. (ex. 8 ectos each on every character... 2 ectos each in the backpack, belt pouch, bag and the last bag)
Some links to recent complaints:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408381 (Kiss of the Divine)
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408555
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408397
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10407895 (This person even WORKS in computer security)
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10401219
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10406737
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408949
Kiss of the Divine (dei's guild leader) got hacked last Sunday. It seems as if she isn't the only one. Many people on Guru are reporting they've been hacked too... most likely through a server side intrusion (aka... not your fault). Even though you have a secure password, anti-virus, no keyloggers, etc... they still manage to make their way in.
People who get hacked have most of their valuable items gone, FoW armor salvaged, armors with superior vigor salvaged, equipment bags gone, balthazar faction traded for z-keys and random weapons and miniatures appearing in the hacked person's inventories.
Anet is clearly showing that your account is vunerable. Until they improve their security, please note that you may get hacked. As usual, take any usual precautions and try to spread your wealth across multiple accounts if you have any.
I would also recommend splitting your stacks of valuable items (ex. Ectos, shards, gems) across multiple characters you don't use so you have more time to intercept the hacker if they do manage to break in. (ex. 8 ectos each on every character... 2 ectos each in the backpack, belt pouch, bag and the last bag)
Some links to recent complaints:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408381 (Kiss of the Divine)
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408555
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408397
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10407895 (This person even WORKS in computer security)
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10401219
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10406737
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10408949
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Early Kat Years 22: Dragon Moss Farming
Ahh... good old normal mode farming. Back before Hard Mode was around... and loot scaling was introduced, all the drops were yours to keep. Louden Swain from Pantheon of Shadows [dei] told me about this farm which he nicknamed "the ATM machine".
The Dragon Moss farm was one of the best places to farm then, as many Dragon Mosses group together and can be farmed rather quickly, like today's famous Raptor farm. It was possible to make 2K every minute with this farm, but it was limited as you would hit the farming cap VERY QUICK.
At first I used my monk Joyful Jasmine with a Searing Flames build and EoE build. Below are the two videos which I used to learn from Louden. In these videos you can also witness the overpowered Shield of Absorption; when it could be permanently maintained.
Searing Flames Build
EoE BUILD
Later on, I experimented with my elementalist Alexa The Amazing after being inspired by a video on YouTube by SalamandraTheNinja.
SalamandraTheNinja's Dragon Moss Farm with Searing Flames
I recreated a video of Alexa's early builds that I modified for more damage (Stone Striker caused Searing Flames to deal Earth damage, therefore not triggering Mark of Rodgort). Unfortunately, the amazingness of the drops cannot be witnessed as this was made today :(.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Fighting the biggest mob in Guild Wars (300+ Servants of Murakai)
Yesterday, I went crazy and fought against 300+ enemies... and lived to tell about it.
View the embedded video or visit the YouTube link below (preferred because you can get High Definition) :).
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Forgotten Blog and New Videos
Hey everybody! I've forgotten all about this blog and I'm sorry that I did. I was cleaning my bookmarks today and I was like... hmmm what's this website doing here? Then I remembered it was my blog and haven't typed up a post in over a month. Shame on me.
I uploaded a 600/smite run of Vloxen Excavations earlier today and annotated it. Check it out if you want to see me in action or want to learn the run :D.
600/Smite Vloxen Excavations in Hard Mode
I uploaded a 600/smite run of Vloxen Excavations earlier today and annotated it. Check it out if you want to see me in action or want to learn the run :D.
600/Smite Vloxen Excavations in Hard Mode
The Early Kat Years 22: I Actually Have A Life [Lies]
I joined this guild after Noobs Just Took Halls [WTF] went under. Factions had just come out and a build called Dual-Smite with Air of Enchantment smiters and 2 Shock warriors was beginning to surface. One of the guilds that played this build well was I Actually Have A Life [Lies]. I was charmed by its guild leader Uber Penguin, Chaos Warrior, Telepathic warriors, a strong midline and a fun attitude on vent. Two of the players knew each other in real life, which is probably why they were able to coordinate spikes and already be on the target. The "Shock Chain" was an important strategy to prevent ghosts from capping. Two warriors would chain a ghostly hero with Shock to knock it down and prevent it from using Claim Resource.
When I joined this guild I was almost always playing the midline or one of the monks. It was a fun guild but it also died quickly when the members moved on to other games.
When I joined this guild I was almost always playing the midline or one of the monks. It was a fun guild but it also died quickly when the members moved on to other games.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Animated GIFs commission thread and I'm also a deviant!
Soooo today I made an animated gif commission thread on guru. It's turning out to be a big hit so far... It's not even up for 4 hours and there's already 3 people on the waiting list.
I also made a deviantART page (I know it's about time) to upload everything. Check out some of the work I did so far!
I also made a deviantART page (I know it's about time) to upload everything. Check out some of the work I did so far!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Animated GIFs!
First of all, sorry that I haven't been posting on the blog lately. I'm just too lazy to do it 
I'm getting back into doing animated .gif files again and it's really fun to make them. I'll give you a little taste below!
I'm getting back into doing animated .gif files again and it's really fun to make them. I'll give you a little taste below!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Early Kat Years 21: N/E Farming Gates of Kryta
This post will be more about my brother. He had a necromancer back then by the name of "The Dark Desolator", which is now my assassin's name.
I told him about Gates of Kryta farming (where you go down that long ramp to spawn tons of ghouls and hellhounds). It's so funny the build he used.... I think it has flame burst, inferno, fireball, putrid explosion, soul feast and lava font in it.
He would basically kill the enemies as they came and use fire magic to damage them. Then he would use putrid explosion on their corpses.
I always used to love farming that area =P. It's still a great area for farming stuff...
Maybe I'll try it again for nostalgia's sake!
I told him about Gates of Kryta farming (where you go down that long ramp to spawn tons of ghouls and hellhounds). It's so funny the build he used.... I think it has flame burst, inferno, fireball, putrid explosion, soul feast and lava font in it.
He would basically kill the enemies as they came and use fire magic to damage them. Then he would use putrid explosion on their corpses.
I always used to love farming that area =P. It's still a great area for farming stuff...
Maybe I'll try it again for nostalgia's sake!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Prices
I can't believe how much prices have increased on all rare items. About a year ago, I bought a miniature ghostly hero for 100K+1000 ecto. Recently I saw a thread on GuildWarsGuru with a bid on a mini ghost for 2100 ecto. Prices on everything from miniature kuunuvang, req 7/8 weapons, and unconditional weapons have all skyrocketed. I wonder what's been behind this strange phenomenon?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Early Kat Years 20: Ken The Eviscerator and "The Way Is Blocked"
I created Ken The Eviscerator because I was inspired by Jason's minion master and the ability to create boneless creations out of dead bodies (who doesn't?).
One of my favorite quests was "The Way Is Blocked" because I could create endless amounts of minions. Frequently, I would just do that quest for everyone in Yak's Bend who needed it because I was able to summon 30+ minions at a time due to there being no minion cap (the minion cap was added during the release of Factions). I sure miss those days when minion masters were wanted by every single group.
The minion master was also extremely popular during Sorrow's Furnace farms, where a warrior would be bonded up with Life Barrier and other enchantments and carry a "book" to draw all the aggro to them, while elementalists would pound enemies and minion masters created endless minions with no cap.
My brother also created a necromancer too around three years ago named The Dark Desolator (The Dark Desolator is now my assassin). He mainly used it as a minion master and was obsessed with it. However, when the minion cap came he was discouraged and I think one of the main reasons why he quit the game (aside from other things).
Unlock the minion cap Anet!
One of my favorite quests was "The Way Is Blocked" because I could create endless amounts of minions. Frequently, I would just do that quest for everyone in Yak's Bend who needed it because I was able to summon 30+ minions at a time due to there being no minion cap (the minion cap was added during the release of Factions). I sure miss those days when minion masters were wanted by every single group.
The minion master was also extremely popular during Sorrow's Furnace farms, where a warrior would be bonded up with Life Barrier and other enchantments and carry a "book" to draw all the aggro to them, while elementalists would pound enemies and minion masters created endless minions with no cap.
My brother also created a necromancer too around three years ago named The Dark Desolator (The Dark Desolator is now my assassin). He mainly used it as a minion master and was obsessed with it. However, when the minion cap came he was discouraged and I think one of the main reasons why he quit the game (aside from other things).
Unlock the minion cap Anet!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Joyful and Joyous Jasmine's 600/Smite HM Dungeon Runs
I created an advertisement for my 600/Smite HM dungeon runs on Guild Wars Guru. Be sure to check it out!
Joyful and Joyous Jasmine's 600/Smite HM Dungeon Runs. Bring a smile! ^.^
Joyful and Joyous Jasmine's 600/Smite HM Dungeon Runs. Bring a smile! ^.^
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Early Kat Years 19: Blackened Shadow's FoW runs
Back in the day, I used to run Power Block mesmer alot and one of my favorite places to farm was the Fissure of Woe. Power Block is a satisfying way of shutting down a target while moving on to a different while as their skills are recharging.
In FoW, Shadow Monks would be left helpless if a healing spell was interrupted by this skill. Elementals would get Power spiked for over 100 damage when they tried to cast a spell.
However, it was very fun to interrupt wurm sieges and warrior healing signets. Because of the long activation times of these skills, it was easy to relax and let them waste their precious time trying to cast until you use your interrupt skills.
It also seemed like Obsidian Shards dropped more frequently back then too. There was one Forgemaster run where I remember over 10 shards dropped!
In FoW, Shadow Monks would be left helpless if a healing spell was interrupted by this skill. Elementals would get Power spiked for over 100 damage when they tried to cast a spell.
However, it was very fun to interrupt wurm sieges and warrior healing signets. Because of the long activation times of these skills, it was easy to relax and let them waste their precious time trying to cast until you use your interrupt skills.
It also seemed like Obsidian Shards dropped more frequently back then too. There was one Forgemaster run where I remember over 10 shards dropped!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Why I've been inactive on twitter and my blog
I'm entering TK and Baumers Guild Wars Mini Series Trailer Competition. Learning Sony Vegas for the first time is a challenge, and I'm trying to enter before the deadline in May 31st.
Even though I probably won't do well, at least I'll learn how to use Sony Vegas and have some fun at the same time ^_^.
Even though I probably won't do well, at least I'll learn how to use Sony Vegas and have some fun at the same time ^_^.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Krazy Kat's group won the Hall Of Heroes last night!
Yesterday, I formed a group using a custom version of the popular "IWAY" group and won the Hall of Heroes with it. The funny part is that the group wasn't that coordinated, but we had an unbelievable string of good luck.
Many of the team members weren't that experienced (it was a r3+ group, although I also had a r7 and a r9 with me). However, we either ran into bad teams such as randomway, bad dervish bomb hexways (very strange build indeed), and even ran into a team where 3 of their team members disconnected and were forced to resign.
Eventually we had a run where, we fought in the Hall Of Heroes after our first match in Underworld. The Hall of Heroes objective at the time was relic running. Strangely, our team had more coordination here than the previous matches we were in... although we had some issues (such as our PnH monk using Make Haste on the runners going back and not the actual person carrying the relic). However, the warriors were right on in interrupting snarers and bodyblocking enemy relic runners. Being the R/E, I snared enemy runners by placing Wards Against Foes in strategic locations and by using Grasping Earth. All in all, we managed to secure a victory in the Hall of Heroes and keep the favor of the gods for Ameri... I mean Krazy Kat =P. (Favor was like... 2 years ago XD)
However, it didn't show up under my name though since a warrior was on the numer one spot and not me :P. It's been a while since one of my own groups won HoH... and it feels good :)
Many of the team members weren't that experienced (it was a r3+ group, although I also had a r7 and a r9 with me). However, we either ran into bad teams such as randomway, bad dervish bomb hexways (very strange build indeed), and even ran into a team where 3 of their team members disconnected and were forced to resign.
Eventually we had a run where, we fought in the Hall Of Heroes after our first match in Underworld. The Hall of Heroes objective at the time was relic running. Strangely, our team had more coordination here than the previous matches we were in... although we had some issues (such as our PnH monk using Make Haste on the runners going back and not the actual person carrying the relic). However, the warriors were right on in interrupting snarers and bodyblocking enemy relic runners. Being the R/E, I snared enemy runners by placing Wards Against Foes in strategic locations and by using Grasping Earth. All in all, we managed to secure a victory in the Hall of Heroes and keep the favor of the gods for Ameri... I mean Krazy Kat =P. (Favor was like... 2 years ago XD)
However, it didn't show up under my name though since a warrior was on the numer one spot and not me :P. It's been a while since one of my own groups won HoH... and it feels good :)
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Early Kat Years 18: Hydra Farming
Back in the day, Hydra farming was very profitable. They are easy to locate and plentiful outside of Augury rock. Dessicated Hydra Claws and gold weapons were the items that they were sought after. I used a riposte, gladiator's defense build to farm them initially but then let Ken The Eviscerator handle them as a 55 necro. Sephi (one of my old time friends) also made some YouTube videos of farming hydras, which you can see below.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Is Anet banning players who provide fame farming services for in-game money without warning?
According to this post at Guild Wars Guru, Anet has banned a player for "offering illegal fame-farming services". In response, that player replied that Anet wrongly banned him for something not stated on the EULA.
GuildWars.com: Support: Legal
What do you guys think? Is providing fame farming services for in-game money a bannable offense?
GuildWars.com: Support: Legal
What do you guys think? Is providing fame farming services for in-game money a bannable offense?
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Early Kat Years 17: Mo/R Southern Shiverpeaks Runner
During my early years, I always wanted to join the LBSRA: Lady Blue Steel's Running Academy. They were a prominent guild that invited students into their academy for a mere price of only.... 100K+45 ectos!
At the academy, they would teach you to be the best of the best, and eventually graduate after passing a series of tests (like running Droknar's Forge without dying).
However, the admission price was high and I did not have the money to pay. I also did not like the idea of abandoning my guild in order to join theirs (I was the guild leader of ARRR at the time). The next closest thing I could do was to learn how to run a different area that many people required (Marhan's Grotto) from one of LBSRA's graduates. I bought a series of videos from one of their graduates for around 20E and started to teach myself.
A similar build can be found on PvXwiki: Mo/R Shiverpeaks Runner
This build however was not the same. Watchful Spirit was Mending, Natural Stride was Dodge, and Mending Touch was Purge Conditions.
I made a new monk specifically for this run and named him Grand Master Yang. In around a day of loading the build I was able to do the run back and forth without problems. Within a week I was able to recover all the money I spent for those videos plus more!
At the academy, they would teach you to be the best of the best, and eventually graduate after passing a series of tests (like running Droknar's Forge without dying).
However, the admission price was high and I did not have the money to pay. I also did not like the idea of abandoning my guild in order to join theirs (I was the guild leader of ARRR at the time). The next closest thing I could do was to learn how to run a different area that many people required (Marhan's Grotto) from one of LBSRA's graduates. I bought a series of videos from one of their graduates for around 20E and started to teach myself.
A similar build can be found on PvXwiki: Mo/R Shiverpeaks Runner
This build however was not the same. Watchful Spirit was Mending, Natural Stride was Dodge, and Mending Touch was Purge Conditions.
I made a new monk specifically for this run and named him Grand Master Yang. In around a day of loading the build I was able to do the run back and forth without problems. Within a week I was able to recover all the money I spent for those videos plus more!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Rydia: Before and After
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Rydia's Makeover
And the result is....
I took another look at alternative 3 but I didn't like how it looked from the back. I went with alternative 1 but changed the hairstyle a little bit since it's rare to see a Canthan face with colored hair ^.^.
I took another look at alternative 3 but I didn't like how it looked from the back. I went with alternative 1 but changed the hairstyle a little bit since it's rare to see a Canthan face with colored hair ^.^.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Krazy Kat requires makeover help for Rydia of Riglia!
Help Krazy Kat choose a makeover for Rydia of Riglia! I have narrowed it down to 6 choices.
Original
Alternative 1
Alternative 2
Alternative 3
Alternative 4
Alternative 5
Alternative 6
Original
Alternative 1
Alternative 2
Alternative 3
Alternative 4
Alternative 5
Alternative 6
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Early Kat Years 16: My first HoH Win
I won my first Hall of Heroes by joining an unranked Blood Spike group. However, our chances of winning were very slim because of a disconnected party member (reconnects weren't around back then) and we were facing two very good teams.
We capped the altar early by putting him up before both teams did. Both teams took care of us and our ghost rather easily. After seeing my team slaughtered, I thought it was for certain that we were going to lose. However, both teams managed to interrupt each others' ghostly heroes for the entire duration of the match.
I've posted both screenshots I have of my first HoH victory below. See if you can recognize anyone in the pictures! (My name here is My Pvp Slot)
We capped the altar early by putting him up before both teams did. Both teams took care of us and our ghost rather easily. After seeing my team slaughtered, I thought it was for certain that we were going to lose. However, both teams managed to interrupt each others' ghostly heroes for the entire duration of the match.
I've posted both screenshots I have of my first HoH victory below. See if you can recognize anyone in the pictures! (My name here is My Pvp Slot)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
New computer all set up! Thank you everyone for waiting on me!
Well I'm pretty much finished setting up the new computer that I built. Thanks everyone for waiting on me!
If you're interested, here are the specs:
If you're interested, here are the specs:
- Intel E5200 2.5GHz Dual Core Processor (Overclocked to 3.66GHz)
- EVGA Nvidia 9800GTX+ 512MB RAM Graphics Card
- 4GB Kingston HyperX 1066 RAM
- 74GB Western Digital 10,000RPM Hard Drive
- 500GB Western Digital 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
- Pioneer 20X DVD Burner
- Rosewill 74-in-1 USB Card Reader
- Rosewill PCI Wireless G Card
- Rosewill RCX-Z775-LX 92mm Ball CPU Cooler
- Rosewill RCX-TC060 Thermal Compound
- GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3LR LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard
- RAIDMAX Smilodon Mid-Tower ATX Case with 500W Power Supply included
- Acer 21.5" 5ms 16:9 Widescreen LCD Monitor with Built in Speakers
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Krazy Kat unavailable at the moment
No updates for awhile... Krazy Kat is busy in the game of real life :-). Will be back shortly.
Friday, April 24, 2009
My April 2009 Xunlai Tournament Predictions
GvG
Dangerous Pumpkins (Q.P. 55)
Die Keller Kinder (Q.P. 21)
Straight Outta Kamadan (Q.P. 127)
Rebel Rising Extended Edition (Q.P. 29)
Edible Granite Pencil (Q.P. 132)
One Build Wonder (Q.P. 63)
I Disposable Heroes I (Q.P. 44)
Anonymous Amateurs (Q.P. 31)
1v1
1v1
I Will Kill U Hahaa (Q.P. 28)
I Am Your Antibuild (Q.P. 32)
Why So Se Ri Ou S (Q.P. 47)
Osarna Bin Laden (Q.P. 23)
The Lamest Win (Q.P. 35)
Sauron The Greatest (Q.P. 48)
Santa Claus N Hlprs (Q.P. 52)
Orng I Am So Gozu (Q.P. 73)
Krazy Kat's new computer is built!
So I built a computer for the first time today :). I'm a bit busy setting it up right now but I'll give you the details later on 
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Early Kat Years 15: Icy Dragon Sword
I remember back in the day that ANet introduced a drop called the Icy Dragon Sword... just in time for the holidays. This ultra rare sword was only dropped in Mineral Springs, and people were forming up parties exclusively for this prized sword.
However, I remember making a build on Spartan Destroyer using a W/Me with Elemental Resistance, running skills, and sword attacks to farm the sword. On my first run I managed to get a sword. However, on my next 5+ attempts, the search for another sword failed. I swear that ANet has an "anti-greedy" farmer code in the game somewhere.
However, I remember making a build on Spartan Destroyer using a W/Me with Elemental Resistance, running skills, and sword attacks to farm the sword. On my first run I managed to get a sword. However, on my next 5+ attempts, the search for another sword failed. I swear that ANet has an "anti-greedy" farmer code in the game somewhere
.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Assassin's Edge Series by etherosx
I just watched etherosx's newest video: Assassin's Edge Episode 4 Retribution. I highly recommend to everyone to watch the series.... it's very entertaining .
Assassin's Edge Series Playlist
.Assassin's Edge Series Playlist
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Early Kat Years 14: 5 second altar caps
This was an epic PvP moment that'll I never forget. Back in the day, there was only one objective in the Hall of Heroes. That objective was to be the team that "holds" the altar when the time expired. It took 5 seconds for the ghostly hero to claim the altar for the team. Because of this, teams would usually wait until the last 2 minutes to capture the altar, unless they were confident enough they could keep the ghostly alive the whole time. Back when prophecies was still around, there were three "ultimate" interrupt skills.
Leech Signet: The ultimate interrupt skill. There was nothing to prevent the ghostly against interruption from this skill. Being a signet, it can go through Spellbreaker and interrupt with ease. There was no Song of Concentration.
Meteor Shower: Combined with glyph of sacrifice for fast casting, this would ensure that a ghostly wouldn't be able to cap the altar for a full 9 seconds because of the constant knockdown. There were no anti-kd skills back then. However, a well timed Spellbreaker could prevent Meteor shower from being cast.
Shock: Usually put on warriors. Shocking a ghostly hero at the 6 second mark was fairly common and would ensure that a ghostly would not cap because it will be knocked down and would not get up with enough time to claim the altar. Smart teams would "Shock-chain" a ghost or take seperate ghosts to increase the chances of winning.
So... here was my Epic PvP moment: I was a ranger in a ranger spike team and the time was ticking down to the final seconds. All three ghostly heroes from each of the teams tried to claim the altar at the same time. I noticed a warrior going towards our team's ghostly while it was capping. I used a Savage Shot while the warrior was using Shock and interrupted him from knocking down our ghostly hero and losing all hope of winning the match. This action led to victory because our ghost was the only one that was not interrupted while claiming.
Leech Signet: The ultimate interrupt skill. There was nothing to prevent the ghostly against interruption from this skill. Being a signet, it can go through Spellbreaker and interrupt with ease. There was no Song of Concentration.
Meteor Shower: Combined with glyph of sacrifice for fast casting, this would ensure that a ghostly wouldn't be able to cap the altar for a full 9 seconds because of the constant knockdown. There were no anti-kd skills back then. However, a well timed Spellbreaker could prevent Meteor shower from being cast.
Shock: Usually put on warriors. Shocking a ghostly hero at the 6 second mark was fairly common and would ensure that a ghostly would not cap because it will be knocked down and would not get up with enough time to claim the altar. Smart teams would "Shock-chain" a ghost or take seperate ghosts to increase the chances of winning.
So... here was my Epic PvP moment: I was a ranger in a ranger spike team and the time was ticking down to the final seconds. All three ghostly heroes from each of the teams tried to claim the altar at the same time. I noticed a warrior going towards our team's ghostly while it was capping. I used a Savage Shot while the warrior was using Shock and interrupted him from knocking down our ghostly hero and losing all hope of winning the match. This action led to victory because our ghost was the only one that was not interrupted while claiming.
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Early Kat Years 13: Running Droks with Alexa The Amazing
Alexa The Amazing was my fourth character. I made her because I wanted to run Droknar's forge with her and for some self-confidence in myself :). I immediately made her second profession warrior because of the necessity to have balanced stance in order to prevent knockdowns.
I rushed through the game and ascended in no time (I actually beat the doppelganger with the skillbar I have in the picture btw). Eventually I beat the game and gave the drok's run a try.
It took me a couple of tries to get the run down but because I was so proficient with my warrior doing the run I was able to complete the run quickly. I used a modified E/W bar with Armor of Mist, Armor of Frost, Mist Form, Balanced Stance, Healing Signet and other defensive stances to do the run. Once I got to Drok's Forge I did a /dance.
*P.S.* - I added a picture to The Early Kat Years 10: 55 Necro Farming. It shows the bar and one of my first ever "best" drops that I taunted my guildies with xD.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
PvE vs PvP: What's the difference?
In the world of Guild Wars, there always seems to be a ongoing "battle" between PvE and PvP. The longer you play Guild Wars, the more you understand the attitudes and emotions of the two different playing styles. Depending on the friends you make, it could lean you towards one way or another.From my 3 years playing, I can tell you about my experiences with both the PvE and PvP world.
PvE - I find these players to be more mellow and relaxed. However, they are usually not very organized and seem to be more independent. They can be playful at times. Friends are formed more easily in PvE and you get to know the players more. PvE players are also more open to things that PvP players won't. However, they can be short tempered at times and rude if things don't go their way.
PvP - These players are insistent, aggressive and active. It's much harder to keep a PvP guild together than a PvE guild. In PvP, more teamwork is required and many teams force their team to play a specific skillbar or load certain equipment in order to gain an advantage over the other team. There's also a sort of "elitism" that goes on with PvP players as well. PvPers are very prideful and usually start arguments with each other easily if something goes wrong. I also find most Experienced PvPers unwilling to play with others that are of lower rank or "skill" than they are, because they are conditioned to play and act in a certain way. PvPers are more "close-minded" than PvEers and often times only stick to a particular build or refuse to run another build (A big example here is "Balanced" vs "Gimmick" builds). However, I find that you get to know more about the friends you do make while PvPing from their playing styles and quick decisions that you have to make on Ventrilo.
I love both communities, and they're both what Guild Wars is about. Maintaining a balance between the two is very difficult, but I'm one of the few exceptions that can handle it well. In fact, I've many times helped out my friends on both sides of the spectrum to look at the other side of the coin.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Early Kat Years 12: Early Ranger Spike
Ranger spike was the first build I was ever introduced to in HA. My friend Cassandra Dark got me into HA with this build. At first, I was reluctant to try HA because I didn't have a spare character slot open. However, the bar that I was supposed to run was relatively simple to play and I loaded it up.
The point of this build was very simple. Using a team of 4 rangers, an orders necro, a WoH monk, an RC Prot, and an SB Infuser monk, the team would drop targets one by one until the entire team died. The rangers would use Read the Wind to increase their damage and accuracy. Dual Shot was then used followed by either Savage Shot or Punishing Shot all at the same time to drop a target in seconds. Order of Pain would increase the damage of the arrows significantly, and make it much harder for the monks to heal up. Enchantment removing skills such as Drain Enchantment, Inspired Enchantment, and Strip Enchantment ensured that the target couldn't block or evade (I miss this game mechanic so much. I wonder to this day why Anet removed it from the game). Aegis and Martyr would also help the team tremendously, by removing them of conditions and helping them block.
I remember doing many runs with them in the beginning; dropping many teams. However, we always had a problem with IWAY, FoC spike, and highly organized teams. Despite our teams' faults, I learned alot from them and the mechanics of Heroes' Ascent. My favorite moments with his team were the altar capping maps (they were plentiful back then). Since ranger spike had 4 interruptors on the team, it was effective against enemy heroes trying to cap the altar because of the spammability of Savage Shot and Punishing Shot. It was always fun to hear the team discouraged if an enemy hero capped the altar ;). If Cassandra Dark (Erik) hadn't introduced me, I probably would have never tried it in the first place.
The point of this build was very simple. Using a team of 4 rangers, an orders necro, a WoH monk, an RC Prot, and an SB Infuser monk, the team would drop targets one by one until the entire team died. The rangers would use Read the Wind to increase their damage and accuracy. Dual Shot was then used followed by either Savage Shot or Punishing Shot all at the same time to drop a target in seconds. Order of Pain would increase the damage of the arrows significantly, and make it much harder for the monks to heal up. Enchantment removing skills such as Drain Enchantment, Inspired Enchantment, and Strip Enchantment ensured that the target couldn't block or evade (I miss this game mechanic so much. I wonder to this day why Anet removed it from the game). Aegis and Martyr would also help the team tremendously, by removing them of conditions and helping them block.
I remember doing many runs with them in the beginning; dropping many teams. However, we always had a problem with IWAY, FoC spike, and highly organized teams. Despite our teams' faults, I learned alot from them and the mechanics of Heroes' Ascent. My favorite moments with his team were the altar capping maps (they were plentiful back then). Since ranger spike had 4 interruptors on the team, it was effective against enemy heroes trying to cap the altar because of the spammability of Savage Shot and Punishing Shot. It was always fun to hear the team discouraged if an enemy hero capped the altar ;). If Cassandra Dark (Erik) hadn't introduced me, I probably would have never tried it in the first place.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Are you a paragon? We don't want you!
Without a doubt, there is profession discrimination within Guild Wars. Classes such as the Ritualist, Ranger, and Paragon are usually considered "inferior" compared to the other professions. While many people blame Anet for "nerfing" the skills of these professions (such as the Ritualist's Ritual Lord/Spirit nerf, and the Paragon's Defensive Anthem nerf), the reality of the fact is that the other classes are simply better at what they do. It's difficult to tag along teams using these professions in modern team builds without someone saying "Why are you a restoration ritualist? Bring your monk because we need protective spirit here" or "We need an SH Ele. Barrage doesn't do enough damage."Regardless of profession discrimination, Guild Wars is still a great game to play. However, think about dusting off your ritualist next time and making him or her "see" the light (literally).
The Early Kat Years 11: The Henge of Denravi Sword
55 farming back in the day was very serious business. The Henge of Denravi sword was a very sought after sword with a unique Energy+5 mod that was upgradable with a 20% enchanting mod. After farming with my 55 necro, I needed better equipment. I bought my Denravi sword for 100K+30e back then... and that's when ecto was trading at around 8.5K each o_O! However, the community found out about the Fiery Flame Spitter with it's inherent halve skill recharge mod, making it a good alternative to the HoD sword. In December 2006, I decided to get FoW armor for my warrior and I desperately needed the cash to do so. It was then that I sold my HoD sword... for 100K+45e :O. It turned out that I made quite a trade... Guild Wars Factions came out not too long after that and introduced other Energy+5 weapons that were upgradeable. The HoD sword as a result dropped dramatically in price.
About 6 months ago I repurchased a HoD sword from somebody for 100K as a memento. It looks really neat to have one again :).
About 6 months ago I repurchased a HoD sword from somebody for 100K as a memento. It looks really neat to have one again :).
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Early Kat Years 10: 55 Necro Farming
I remember I was so disappointed that I didn't make a monk because at the time they were the only ones that could farm Underworld. However, someone invented the 55 necromancer and I decided to give it a try. I was inspired by a video someone put up of the run (don't think it was on YouTube but I'll put up a link to a video anyway just to show you guys what it was about).
The only difference from the build this user equipped and what I used is that I used Shadow Of Fear and Guardian. Shadow of Fear was useful to waste the smite crawlers's smite hexes and cover Spiteful Spirit before they could cast it again. Guardian was good for preventing the aatxe interrupts. I remember failing at least 10 times (and wasting 10K :P) trying to get the build right and getting the "ghosts" to block the aatxe so I could safely wand the dying nightmare that was rending my enchantments. However, I eventually got the build right and I was farming ectos like no tomorrow (although the occassional UW clear with no ecto drops was still annoying).
The only difference from the build this user equipped and what I used is that I used Shadow Of Fear and Guardian. Shadow of Fear was useful to waste the smite crawlers's smite hexes and cover Spiteful Spirit before they could cast it again. Guardian was good for preventing the aatxe interrupts. I remember failing at least 10 times (and wasting 10K :P) trying to get the build right and getting the "ghosts" to block the aatxe so I could safely wand the dying nightmare that was rending my enchantments. However, I eventually got the build right and I was farming ectos like no tomorrow (although the occassional UW clear with no ecto drops was still annoying).
Mount Qinkai Speed Clearing
My alliance has recently been MQSCing (Mount Qinkai Speed Clearing). It's a super fast build involving 3 600/smite teams and a runner to vanquish the area in 15 minutes or less to get around 12K Luxon faction each run. It's really fun and I highly recommened that everyone take a look at it! :D
http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Build:Team_-_MQSC_Luxon_FFF
http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Build:Team_-_MQSC_Luxon_FFF
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Early Kat Years 9: The Deletion of Blackened Shadow #1 and 4 Character Slots
As many ancient Guild Wars players know, there once was a time when an account was limited to FOUR character slots and Anet had no plans to increase the amount. On December 8th, 2005 I deleted my mesmer Blackened Shadow to create my ranger Rydia Of Riglia. After that my four character slots were: Spartan Destroyer, Ken The Eviscerator, Alexa The Amazing, Rydia Of Riglia. After seeing that ranger run me from Piken Square and having no more character slots to create a ranger, I was caught in a bad place. I was heartbroken to have to delete my first character after getting 15K Enchanter's Armor on her dyed black (I still have the original Blackened Shadow #1's armor BTW in my storage). Mesmers were inferior to the other classes back then in PvE (and arguably may be today as well), and I needed a new character to spark my interest.
You will not be forgotten Blackened Shadow #1!!!
You will not be forgotten Blackened Shadow #1!!!
The return of dungeon running for Joyful and Joyous Jasmine
Today, I have officially resumed my dungeon running services by completing two CoF runs in Hard Mode. It's been around two months since I've ran an EoTN dungeon with my two monks. However, it was encouraging to see some customers that I've also ran in the past come on the runs. Although I really wanted to run a harder dungeon such as Frostmaw's Burrows or Catacombs of Kathandrax, I had to warm up after being away from it for so long. I have also not actively controlled two accounts simultaneously for awhile now. I did die due to the sluggishness of my computer but it could probably just be me overloading my laptop with multiple programs. (At any one moment I can be running KeyPass, Digsby, Avira, Sunbelt Personal Firewall, Workrave, Guild Wars (sometimes 2 clients o_o), Firefox, Foobar2000, and Ventrilo at once)
If there's anything I've learned from returning to dungeon running it's that I need to desperately DEFRAGMENT my computer.
If there's anything I've learned from returning to dungeon running it's that I need to desperately DEFRAGMENT my computer.
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Early Kat Years 8: 100K Superior Absorption!
Yes... Superior Absorption was actually 100K way back when at the rune trader if you believe it or not. I always tried farming to get it for my warrior without spending a ridiculous amount of money for an extra -1 damage reduction over Major Absorption but with no success. Spartan Destroyer, Rydia Of Riglia and Alexa The Amazing felled many ettins in search of the legendary rune but they all failed. ANet set the rarity on these runes to scarce levels and that's why the price was driven up so much. Jason still taunts me until today that I never got one until after the price dramatically fell and they became more common. In the end, I gave in and just bought the darned thing... because my love for Drok's running outweighed smelling Ettin's blood all day long.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Kat's April Fool's Day 2009
Since 4/1 has passed, I can post here about my April Fool's Pranks that I tried on people yesterday. On 3/31, late at night around 11:30 P.M. EST I decided to pull my April Fool's prank. I wanted to do it before 4/1 because I knew Anet was going to update the game and ruin the surprise.
- First, I logged onto all of my characters on my main account for about 3 minutes each.
- I then made a new PvP character with the name "This Is Way Too Ez".
- I changed the guild status to "Tell your GL thx for the ectos ~ your neighborhood hacker" and logged off. (The reactions to this was hilarious. My favorite was "wtf is this?")
- About 3 minutes later, I logged on as Spartan Destroyer and pretended that my account was hacked.
- When someone asked in alliance chat if it was an April Fool's joke I had to reveal it :(.
- I then changed the guild status message back to normal but added a link to the "Greatest GW Music Video Of All Time" (was also on my blog post yesterday)
Joyous Jasmine's Purty Pink FoW Armor!
Today, I got Fissure Armor for Joyous Jasmine!!!
Since I couldn't wait to get her armor, I went down to the Fissure Of Woe with 2 accounts (since Joyous Jasmine is on one of my alternate accounts). My discordway hero team wiped most of the enemies fairly quickly and I got the armor in no time!
This set will be my third FoW set. I must've spent about an hour finding the right dye combination but I finally decided on one (Red+Red+Red+Purple). It matches her other pink armor sets perfectly. I plan on restarting my dungeon running services in the near future, and getting this armor is the perfect start. :D
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Early Kat Years 7: Early IWAY
This early Kat Years post will focus on one of the most creative, if not most hated build in Guild Wars at the time. IWAY mainly focused on 3 Axe W/R's each carrying the skill "I Will Avenge You!" and pets. It also included a R/Me mantra of resolve spike trapper, a R/Me oath shot trapper, N/E Tainted Necro, N/Mo Orders, and a N/Mo Martyr. This build was deadly because it used spirits, overwhelming pressure, and didn't require a lot of teamwork to be effective. Sometimes, the match could be down to the last person on an IWAY team and they could still win due to their survivability.
The W/R's would send in their pets to die so that IWAY could be triggered, which increased attack speed and gave health regeneration. The rangers would apply conditions on the enemy team, as well as protecting the backline from damage. Smart necros would use the dust traps to avoid enemy attacks. Orders added on top of increased attack speed and high armored warriors only added to the pressure. Meanwhile, the rangers would deploy spirits that would hinder the other team such as Nature's Renewal, Frozen Soil, Edge of Extinction, and Fertile Season. The tainted necro would spread disease throughout the enemy team.
Although it couldn't hold the Hall of Heroes well, it definitely was able to win the first couple of maps, making it popular for Pugs to run.
The W/R's would send in their pets to die so that IWAY could be triggered, which increased attack speed and gave health regeneration. The rangers would apply conditions on the enemy team, as well as protecting the backline from damage. Smart necros would use the dust traps to avoid enemy attacks. Orders added on top of increased attack speed and high armored warriors only added to the pressure. Meanwhile, the rangers would deploy spirits that would hinder the other team such as Nature's Renewal, Frozen Soil, Edge of Extinction, and Fertile Season. The tainted necro would spread disease throughout the enemy team.
Although it couldn't hold the Hall of Heroes well, it definitely was able to win the first couple of maps, making it popular for Pugs to run.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Early Kat Years 6: Cyclone Axe! Bonnettis! Troll Farming with Spartan Destroyer
Shortly after I was able to do Drok's runs I found a farm I could do easily on my warrior.
Introducing Troll Farming!
Everybody knows about the infamous troll cave just outside of Droknar's Forge. I found this build to be loads of fun as every cyclone axe I did healed me for LOADS of HP. I later modded the build to include vigorous spirit and a vampiric axe, and the numbers displayed on screen increased exponentially. This farm was used a lot right after the AoE nerf, as monsters started running away. However, Spartan could farm endlessly and confront trolls with no fear! I so wish I could do this farm today... it really was my favorite =(.
Introducing Troll Farming!
Everybody knows about the infamous troll cave just outside of Droknar's Forge. I found this build to be loads of fun as every cyclone axe I did healed me for LOADS of HP. I later modded the build to include vigorous spirit and a vampiric axe, and the numbers displayed on screen increased exponentially. This farm was used a lot right after the AoE nerf, as monsters started running away. However, Spartan could farm endlessly and confront trolls with no fear! I so wish I could do this farm today... it really was my favorite =(.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Early Kat Years 5: Spartan Destroyer's Suicidal Run
Although my warrior Spartan Destroyer wasn't the runner I expected her to be, I was told that the best profession for running to Droknar's Forge was the W/Mo. After (unsuccessfully) trying to run Lornar's Pass on my own and insta-dying to the Ice Imps in front O.O, I decided to seek out advice from other players.
They told me that the hardest part of the run wasn't the ice imps but the wurms that burrowed underground and popped out of nowhere. With some careful preparations, I managed to get past the ice imps but came upon these so called "wurms" that knocked me down every 5 steps I took. Being unprepared once again, I died like the noob I was. My repeated attempts at bringing Balanced Stance without having the elite skill "Charge" was only more humiliating.
After going through the game and capturing Charge, I learned the Drok's run the RIGHT way by loading a proper build and asking other W/Mo's their setup and skills. I learned that the proper equipment setup was a Lieutenant's Helm that reduced hex time by 50% (was such a great helmet but the effect was too powerful, so ANet modified its properties), a shield with -2 damage while in a stance and +30 HP always, Superior Vigor, Superior Absorption (was 100K at the time... lol [I bought Major Absorption until I could afford the Superior for 100K]), and Knight's Boots (they absorbed -2 damage globally at the time and stacked with the absorption rune and shield set). One warrior I met, Cassandra Dark, was extremely helpful and would be the one who got me into Heroes' Ascent. However, I'll save that for another blog post. Eventually, I got the run down and completed my first run to Camp Rankor! You can see the picture of my first successful run to this outpost below.
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After some more practice, I began to charge for runs. 3K per run per person was the going rate at that time and I made a steady income out of it.
I've met many nice people running Drok's, including one of my best friends, Princess Of Glaxx, who just happened to be running Drok's for free. I was bored at the time so I decided to join his run and help him out. We had a lot of fun during that run and I found a new running partner. He would later introduce me to "Guild Cast" and his Guild Wars podcast, which was totally cool.
They told me that the hardest part of the run wasn't the ice imps but the wurms that burrowed underground and popped out of nowhere. With some careful preparations, I managed to get past the ice imps but came upon these so called "wurms" that knocked me down every 5 steps I took. Being unprepared once again, I died like the noob I was. My repeated attempts at bringing Balanced Stance without having the elite skill "Charge" was only more humiliating.
After going through the game and capturing Charge, I learned the Drok's run the RIGHT way by loading a proper build and asking other W/Mo's their setup and skills. I learned that the proper equipment setup was a Lieutenant's Helm that reduced hex time by 50% (was such a great helmet but the effect was too powerful, so ANet modified its properties), a shield with -2 damage while in a stance and +30 HP always, Superior Vigor, Superior Absorption (was 100K at the time... lol [I bought Major Absorption until I could afford the Superior for 100K]), and Knight's Boots (they absorbed -2 damage globally at the time and stacked with the absorption rune and shield set). One warrior I met, Cassandra Dark, was extremely helpful and would be the one who got me into Heroes' Ascent. However, I'll save that for another blog post. Eventually, I got the run down and completed my first run to Camp Rankor! You can see the picture of my first successful run to this outpost below.
.
After some more practice, I began to charge for runs. 3K per run per person was the going rate at that time and I made a steady income out of it.
I've met many nice people running Drok's, including one of my best friends, Princess Of Glaxx, who just happened to be running Drok's for free. I was bored at the time so I decided to join his run and help him out. We had a lot of fun during that run and I found a new running partner. He would later introduce me to "Guild Cast" and his Guild Wars podcast, which was totally cool.
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