Gold 101

I just accumulated a 101 pieces of gold.

At 99 pieces and fast approaching the 100 mark, I was hoping that it'll turn into Andermant or Platinum but alas, it didn't.

At least now I'm coin rich. I just wish there were more interesting things I can buy with it.

Komikero: The Game so Far (What I Don't Like)

It feels like I've been playing Drakensang-Online for such a long time that I've always forgotten that the game is still actually in BETA (it's Open Beta, but it's still Beta). The game has not fully launched yet.

The fact that they are allowing us to play the game now benefits both the player and the developer.

It benefits the player because well, speaking only for myself, it's been such a fun game to play. It gives me appropriate distraction from work related stress. Whenever I encounter a difficult patch I just plug in the game, kill a few monsters, and I feel instantly better.

It benefits the developer because they get people who are not only willing to test the game and give feedback, but they also get to make some money in the process. Yes, although the game is free to play, there are some paid elements in the game that makes it more fun and more convenient to play. I have shelled out a couple of bucks here and there but I feel they're all worth it.

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This post is to give the all important feedback. Since we have been contacted in the past by people from Drakensang-Online through this blog, I certainly hope they still visit and check out what we have to say.

These are a few random things I didn't like about the game as it is today.

1. Locked Gems. Equipping gems to socketed items allows weapons, armor, and other accouterments to be more powerful and possess more characteristics. The gems come in different qualities from the lowest (Flawed) to the highest (Polished). You do get lower quality gems dropped from monsters as you kill them, and with a recent patch, you can upgrade similar quality gems into higher quality gems.

But once you equip those gems into sockets, you can no longer remove them. Well, you can replace them with other gems but the gem you are replacing gets destroyed in the process.

I once bought a Polished gem to give my character +40 Resistance to Elemental Damage and placed it on a Level 31 Legendary Gold Ring. This was back when I was Level 31. Now I'm Level 39 and I've got a much better Plantinum Ring.

I would like the option to take out the gem from my gold ring to place in my platinum ring. I think it's only fair as I bought the thing and I want it to continue to be useful to me.

2. Running in Place. This is a bug that has plagued the game ever since I started playing back in December 2011. Through all the patches this seems to be a bug that they seem to have difficulty fixing. It's a particularly frustrating bug. Once or twice I got killed because I couldn't run away fast enough. I thought I had got it made by successfully running away but he suddenly stops but still runs in place and I got knocked dead from behind by a pursuing monster.

3. Scream of Rage. I have to reiterate the frustration I felt when the developers opted to remove this skill from the Dragon Knight with the R048 Patch (I talk about this more in length here). Needless to say, I'm screaming with rage about this. Furiously.

4. Foreground Obscures Action. Another frustrating thing about playing the game that I've encountered since the beginning. Sometimes you can't help where you end up fighting and, sometimes, that ends up behind foreground elements that make it difficult to see what's going on. And when I can't see what's going on, it's hard to know how to deal with enemies and, once or twice, this has killed me.

5. Expensive Health Potions. There are a lot of paid elements in this game but it's something I clearly understand since I also run a business myself and it's a business I want to profit from. As I've mentioned before, this is a free game and you do get the chance to get a lot of these items for free provided you have the patience. However, it may take months of constant playing to craft something like say, a Polished gem. It would take weeks of constant playing to get enough Andermant to buy a lot of the good stuff. What you are actually paying for (if ever you decide to pay for anything) is the convenience to get these things quickly and easily. And if you want to enjoy the game more, that's exactly what you're going to do.

I understand this psychology completely.

However, I must emphasize that of all the things to make money from, Health Potions shouldn't be it. You do get free health potion drops once in a while but it's rare and you need a lot of health potions in this game to constantly keep playing, especially in later levels.

I do strongly suggest to the developers that if there's one thing I hope they can let go is to allow players to buy Health Potions with coins rather than Andermant. Coins I got in abundance. And Health Potions are an essential part of playing the game. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.

There are a few other things I'm sure and I'll make another post about it in the weeks to come.

I know the developers have been aware of these issues for some time and I've been assured in the forum that this will be worked out in the future but I'm writing these down in any case just to remind them that this are still things that frustrates players, well, particularly me.

Komikero: I Finally Killed Khalys Solo!

After realizing I could kill Khalys solo back when I was level 37, I decided to try again at a much later time after completing some other quests. I only got back to the task of killing Khalys when I was at level 39.

Surely this time, she won't stand a chance.

After receiving an unexpected bonus from the game, I equipped myself with 999 Essence of Destruction, a Delicious Hero's Breakfast which gave me additional 400 Life for one hour, and set off for Khalys' Elisium.

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Being careful not to repeat the mistakes I had when I first attempted to kill Khalys, I took my time, stayed calm, kept myself alert, and never allowed myself to be complacent. Since I had a generous amount of health potions, I used them whenever my life was at half, never allowing Khalys to get a lucky strike against me.

Fighting Khalys is kind of frustrating because after every minute or so, she teleports to the middle of the room and unleashes an incredible amount of energy that can kill you as she slowly regenerates. Fortunately, there are areas in the room where you can stand on where you can protect yourself from this relentless energy barrage (pictured above). Good thing also that while she does regenerate, she doesn't regenerate all the way through. Your damage is still higher than her amount of regeneration, so over time, you do chip away at her life.

She then teleports again to one of the corners of the room where you can run after her and fight her there. While you're running towards her, she unleashes one or two homing energy beams that follow you wherever  you go which deals out an incredible amount of damage. Fortunately again, scattered around the room are powerful health orbs that you can walk on to instantly regain your health.

This tedious pattern of fighting goes on and on as you slowly reduce Khalys' life.

After 10 minutes of pummeling her with Angry Strike, Scream of Rage, and Smash, I was finally able to kill her. After a couple of months of swearing revenge after the first time she killed me, it felt like complete and utter victory.

It did feel great but, at the same time, rather anti climactic. Since Khalys is Level 26, I didn't receive any experience points in killing her (although I did receive XP rewards points later on for completing this quest), and the loot she left behind were all rather useless to me, now that I'm Level 39.

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The best item I got was a Level 26 Extraordinary Chain Belt, and it was useless because  I already have a much better belt. The other items were an Improved Handaxe, a Studded Helmet, and a measly 10 Andermants. You would think a giant boss like Khalys would give out a Unique Item and at least 100 Andermants.

Again, I did receive Andermants and coins for completing the quest but still, I felt that beating her should have been more rewarding than this, considering how difficult it was to kill her.

Anyway, I got so excited at finally killing Khalys that I almost left the room without actually finishing the quest. Good thing I clicked on the map and saw a huge question mark in the room, indicating that there was something else I needed to do.

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All right! Now it's off to kill Sigrisimarr Frostclaw!

Komikero: Awesome Freebies! + Essences!

What keeps me playing Drakensang, and why it's a lot of fun to play is the awesome freebies that you get along the way.

Today I received an email from Drakensang-Online telling me to "Get your power boost bonus now!"

I'm like REALLY? I checked out what it was and the email said:

Greetings!
Sinister creatures from Anderworld are terrorizing the good men and women of Duria!
Rush to their aid and conquer those evil beasts with new battle skills and this strengthening bonus:
Your code*: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More energy: 10 health potions,
5 powerful spirit guards
More strength in battle: 5 kaboom explosives,
999 essences of destruction
Individual equipment: 5 pots of lunar silver dye

And true enough, when I started playing and looked at my inventory, this is what I got!

Exactly what the email said! And the thing is, they're all pretty useful! I can certainly use the extra health potions (as they drop rarely and are expensive to buy). I've used the Kaboom! Explosive once or twice and they're pretty effective. The Powerful Spirit Guards are also useful because they are items you can use to resurrect your character at the exact same spot he dies so you can continue fighting.

The dye is not particularly useful, but it's awesome anyway because I like dyeing my character. My character is all red and that's not because he's get Extraordinary gear. That's because I've been dyeing him red from red dyes I've got from the Valentine's Day event last February.

The most awesome freebie here is the 999 Essence Of Destruction. Oh man...even when I had Andermant to burn I held off buying this essence because it was too expensive. I just fantasized and dreamed about it, but I never thought I'd actually have it.

Essences are items you use to supplement your damage, and there are various essences you can buy that offers an escalating amount of extra damage, depending on the level of your character.

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Bought by Coins
Weak Essence of Aggression +5 Damage, 5 Silvers, Level 1
Ordinary Essence of Aggression + 16 Damage, 30 Silvers, Level 10
Larger Essence of Aggression  +26 Damage,  35 Silvers, Level 20
Mighty Essence of Aggression +34 Damage, 40 Silvers, Level 30
Potent Essence of Aggression +40 Damage, 45 Silvers, Level 40

Bought by Andermants
Essence of Combat + 100% Damage, 300 Andermant, Level 1
Essence of War +200% Damage, 600 Andermant, Level 1
Essence of Destruction  +300% Damage, 1,200 Andermant, Level 1

All of these essences get dropped by enemies when they are killed, except Essence of War and Destruction.

Essence of Destruction is the most powerful essence of all and, equipped with this, I believe I can kill anything...even Herald! But I'd start with Khalys first. Although with Khalys, I'm pretty sure to use up all 999 of it.

And all these freebies are on top of the Daily Log-In Bonus that you receive as long as you log in and play daily. This bonus gives you two free items. One is a jewel pouch which gives you a free random jewel and the other is a Box of Surprises which can contain practically anything from potions, to weapons, to essences and other stuff.

Thanks to Drakensang-Online for all the free stuff that makes the game even more fun to play!

You are...GOLD!

I started wondering what will happen when I get to 99 pieces of gold and then some. Will I get extra Andermants or will a new coin be introduced (such as platinum maybe)?

Anybody knows?

I spent it all!

Well…almost all of it.

I’m talking about the 12,000 Andermants that I received as a gift from Vanslaugh, Drakensang-Online’s community manager a few days ago, of course. I was hesitant to spend it at first but I figured what the hell! So off I went and gone on a spending spree.

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I’d like to think that I spent it wisely. Here’s the stuff that I spent it on:

• Two (2) additional lines of slots on my inventory
• Upgraded my Extraordinary Adventurer’s Sword
• Added slots to some items so I can use up a few gems I picked up

I didn’t buy health potions because I pick those up more often nowadays anyway (the same goes for Essence of Combat). I was tempted to buy a Fruit of Insight (increases XP rewards by 100%) but I’m still getting used to my new skills and I figure I won’t be able to maximize the increased rewards yet (I’ll try it out later when I’m more seasoned). I was also considering buying a new item but decided against it in the end because I’m thinking I’m going to pick one up later anyway or maybe I’ll take a leaf from Gerry’s book and try crafting.

So, what do you guys think? Andermants well spent?

From Rags to Riches

When I had little I frequently spent it all and spent it fast.

I bought potions, added slots to my weapon (one typo there and that would’ve come out very wrong), and gotten a few trivial items of no real consequence. Whatever Andermants I came upon during battle was quickly used up.

Andermants

I recently was given a gift, together with Gerry (in-game name: Komikero) and Ysa (in-game name: Xvii), of 12,000 Andermants from Vanslaugh, a community manager from Drakensang-Online and I suddenly found myself relatively rich (or at least relatively well-off). From my history you’d think I’d be spending the Andermants left and right but just the opposite: I found myself spending less.

I have no doubt I’d be spending those Andermants in the near future but for now I’m just enjoying the fact that I have so much virtual moolah in my virtual pockets.

What was your most indulgent purchase in Drakensang-Online?

Farming Tips: Pick up Signets, Amulets, and Rings ONLY

From time to time, I make it a point to go to Slifmoor just to dish out pain and punishment to its otherworldly denizens and collect the loot they surrender just so I can avoid buying ‘em with Andermant, Drakensang-Online’s in-game currency (bought with real world money).

At the beginning my strategy consisted of basically picking up everything that the monsters I dispatched dropped and sold them to the blacksmith. It became tedious after a while because I had to go back to the Urban Area frequently making hard to build momentum. It was also mildly frustrating because it was taking so long to fill my coffers so I decided a new strategy was in order.

Nowadays, when out farming, I only pick up the following items:

• Essences (Combat, Aggression)
• Healing Potions
• Signets, Amulets, and Rings

Essences and Healing Potions are pretty self-explanatory but why Signets, Amulets, and Rings only? Three words: they’re worth more.

Most Signets, Amulets, and Rings will go for 2-6 silver pieces depending on the type compared to armor and weapons which are usually worth only a few copper pieces to a couple of silver coins at the most. There are exceptions of course but they’re pretty hard to come by.

So, each trip I make to the blacksmith to sell stuff actually yields more money as compared to before when I keep bringing in things like belt and fangs.

Having said that, make sure to check the non-Signets, Amulets, and Rings items that gets dropped by the monsters you kill. You never know when a Magical or Legendary is going to cross your path so it’s best to check rather than regret it later. Of course, if you never knew to begin with there’s no reason to regret it, is there?

Apparently, ignorance is bliss!

Komikero: Level 37 Dragon Knight

Hello guys! It's Gerry Alanguilan again. Today, I'll be talking about my Dragon Knight character, holding currently at Level 37.

All these items above have been found while playing the game (as opposed to buying stuff with Andermant bought with real money). I used to have a Legendary Necklace, which I got through crafting, but for some reason it's disappeared. And I don't know how it happened. I think it was when I was trading medallions I found that my Legendary Necklace got dragged to the trading window instead.

I guess when fighting level 40 Dragons it can get pretty nerve wracking and I get confused.

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At this point, I no longer have any quests to finish, except for killing Khalys and Sigrisimarr, which I absolutely cannot kill on my own. I'll probably team up with Jonas and Ysa at some point when I'm free from deadlines.

What I do now to gain experience is to farm lower levels for Andermant, Crystals of Truth, and Essences of Combat. When I have enough blue essences, I go to Liar's Lair on difficult setting. There I get level 39 and  level 40 monsters: usually skeleton swordsmen, bog monsters, and dragons. The best thing? NO freakin' archers! My Level 37 DK can pretty much deal with these monsters capably, especially considering the new DK skills.

At first I thought the new DK skills, namely the "Iron Brow" and "Ground Breaker" were a little too weak and that the "Paralyzing Onslaught" is still more powerful. But I realized upon playing that I could use those three skills one after the other to keep monsters almost continually stunned. There would be a few seconds between using the skills where the monster would be "awake" but it's not enough time for it to actually attack or cause me damage. I found this amazingly useful with beating more difficult enemies.

I've used this technique quite effectively with boss dragons as well as the level 40 dragons.

With these new skills, the Dragon Knight has become amazingly powerful. I used to save up Andermant to buy Essences of War to combat the higher level creatures, but with the new skills, I can manage well enough with Essences of Combat.

The Evil Miller

If you find yourself in the Resistance Command Center (RCC) pay the Evil Miller over at Stonekeep a visit if you can. It’s going to be worth your while though I’m sure he’s not going to be too happy to see you seeing as you’re there to, you know…kill him.

This particular trick was taught to me by Ysa Arce (in-game name: Xvii) who learned it from one of her party mates during one of her quests. The Evil Miller apparently gives high rewards in terms of XP points (assuming you succeed in giving him the boot).

The place is easy enough to get to from the RCC. Check out the map below:

It's just a short run from the RCC to Stonekeep but make no mistake: there're going to be Level 32 Dragons barring your way. It's probably best to party up with a few other characters to stack the odds in your favor but, if you're an experienced prudent warrior with a Level 32 rank or higher, you can probably fly solo if you wish.

You can opt to teleport instead if you got Andermant to burn. It'll set you back 40 Andermants however so I opt to just walk the whole way and slay a few dragons in between.

Once you reach Stonekeep, you'll find the Evil Miller at the following location:

Dispatch the unholy creature and see your Experience Points rise!

UPDATE: Vanslaugh, Community Manager for Drakensang-Online just informed me that the massive amount of XP for killing the MOB was given to the players by mistake. The MOB was bugged and gave a wrong amount of XP to the player. This bug was fixed with today’s server restart.

For those players who managed to strike while the iron was hot, consider yourselves lucky!

Drakensangers 4

Following is the translation for our non-Pinoy speaking readers:

Panel 1
Jonasdiego: How much is the Essence of Combat?
Essence Merchant: 300 Andermants. Final price.
Jonasdiego: Wow! That's expensive! Is there no discount?

Panel 2
Essence Merchant: Try the Essence of Aggression. You can buy it with silver.
Jonasdiego: Can I get it on credit?
Essence Merchant: Fucker!

Item Farming in Drakenang-Online

As my Dragon Knight character levelled up and I moved from region to region in Drakensang-Online, I noticed that kill rewards (items you get from killing monsters such as potions, weapons, armor, and jewels) were becoming less and less frequent.

It got so bad at one point that I actually had to resort to using Andermant (in-game currency that you can buy with real money) to get some of the stuff that I needed and this can get really expensive if you don’t watch it.

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To taper off my Andermant spending, I decided it would be worth my while to go item farming for stuff that I’m going to need later (in my case, health potions and essences tops my list) in future quests and adventures especially against increasingly tougher creatures.

Thus far, Slifmoor offers the most in terms of kill rewards (the skeleton warriors in particular are most profitable). The place is not going to do much in the way of XP points especially if you’re already a bit advanced (my character is currently Level 30) but you do get to pick up more items compared to other regions (at least in my experience).

Where do you guys usually go item farming?