With the dust setting from the introduction of Halas, and the Druid Circle world event, it’s time to check in again with Maltheas, and the Extreme Questers! When I last put together a leaderboard, just before Halas went live, it looked like this:
There’s big changes this month, as for the first time I’m including the 60-69 level range:
The level 49 Icelad, sitting on 3063, is extremely impressive, and I wonder if I can find another 400 doable quests before Maltheas himself reaches that level. He’s certainly the one to beat at the moment. The folks sitting on 49, 59, and 69 make me wonder if they are in fact Battlegrounds characters trying to max their AA points, rather than specifically extreme questers, but I’ll enjoy competing with them whatever their goal is!
Adding the level 60+ folks has obviously knocked Maltheas down the table a bit, but that is all good, because it gives me a bit more of an impetus. It’s important to be reminded that, even though Maltheas is doing well for his level, there’s a couple of thousand folks with more quests done lurking up ahead in the higher level tables.
Around a hundred of the new quests Malth has done are from the Halas and Frostfang Sea additions, with another 24 from the Druid Circle event. The rest come from a range of sources, particularly pushing deeper into the land of Everfrost, and the tier 4 heroic dungeons. Everfrost is pushing Maltheas to his very limits, and since I took the pictures for the new leaderboard I’ve let him to rise to level 42, allowing him a couple of equipment upgrades though nothing of much use in the way of new spells, so hopefully he can push a bit further.
Doing Frostfang and Everfrost so close together has left me a little snowblinded, so I’m glad of the opportunities to revisit greener lands that I have had recently when occasionally lending Stillwater and Deyotol a hand. I’m a bit of a soloist by nature, but it makes a nice change to share an adventure or two.
 Maltheas vs Undertow - An Extreme Battle!
I’ve been helping a couple of newer players find their footing in EQ2 recently, and it has reminded me of how many aspects of Norrathian life are not immediately obvious to newer players. One example are the overland ring events. I’m not talking about the Druid Circle event that is still ongoing in EQ2. Rings events are always around, and always profitable, if you know where to look.
Ring events tend to involve a small gathering of monsters, clustered around an object of some sort. It could be a nest, or a campfire, or a tent, or any number of other things. You can tell something is going on because the object is targetable, and will come up with a white name in your target window.
Here is an example of one the the overland ring events in Antonica. The rat nest is probably the earliest ring event that a Qeynos side character will encounter. There are usually a few of them along the road which runs alongside the city moat.
 The Rat Nest Ring Event in Everquest 2. At first, it will just be surrounded by ordinary creatures. If you defeat all of those, then another sort of monster will appear, which we’ll call the intermediate monster, in this case a large moat rat. If you defeat that, then there is a good chance that a named monster, the Two-toed Rat, will appear. Like most Named monsters, it is guaranteed to drop a chest, making it a great source of loot for low level Qeynosians (or folks in need of low level loot to transmute). Many also grant AA xp. There are a few quests that require you to kill or catalogue intermediate or Named enemies from ring events, so it is important to be aware of them for that reason also.
The Rat Nest Ring Event is the simplest sort, with your only possibilities being either getting a named, or not. Other ring events may also have a chance of a glowing object appearing in the world. Using that object will give your group a buff for a time, perhaps even turning you all into lions or wolves for a while!
For another example, the Antonican camps with gnoll youths and gnoll mystics, if cleared, have the intermediate monster “Darkpaw Packleader”. Killing him may lead to a glowing buff object, the named “Tark Searfang”, or even both (or neither)! There are several other sorts of gnoll camp in Antonica, each with their own possibilities.
Some ring event spots can play host to a Distressed Merchant. These poor folks have had their escape route cut off. If only someone would get rid of these nasty monsters, the merchant would be extremely grateful!
 Everquest 2 - Maltheas saves a distressed merchant In addition to being able to do your selling and repairing with such a merchant, they also sell a number of creature catalogue quest books that you can’t get anywhere else, so saving a distressed merchant can be great for building up your library!
There are ring events all around Norrath, especially in the older overland zones. Keep your eyes open, and who knows what you’ll find, and who you’ll meet!
WordPress 3 came out today, and I’ve just backed up and upgraded the site. So far as I can tell, everything is working fine, but I apologise in advance for any weirdness that raises its head.
 It's Quacker Yig!!! Oh, Quacker Yig. Your name speaks of formless and ancient horrors from beyond time and space, but you’re so cute! What is your purpose amongst us? Do you mean us harm, or are you here to guide us to wisdom? Do you desire to devour our souls, or just a few morsels of moistened bread? Such are the mysteries of Quacker Yig.
As half of the EQ2 servers are down for 7 hours or so for extended maintenance (though not mine, which is just down for about an hour for the patch), let’s have a quick peek at today’s update notes!
The important change for me in today’s update is the Halas Writs. Until now, they’ve had a very small level range, meaning you would only ever be offered one at once. This meant that if you only used the chronomancers for automentoring, their five-level steps were too wide for you to be able to get all the writs. That’s being sorted, hopefully giving new players a bit more of a choice of writ.
A shrub which shows your progress on the Druid Circles event is also useful, but comes too late to be much help to most servers. This is not the first time that a progress counter has been added long after the start of an event. Something to keep in mind for the next one.
The full notes are after the leap:
Continue reading Everquest 2 – Quacker Yig brings forth the June 10th 2010 patch notes
I occasionally get asked what quests Maltheas is working on, so in the absence of any desire to talk about the iPhone 4, I thought I’d share his current quest journal!
In the early days of EQ2, collections counted towards your quest limit! Thankfully those dark days for questers are no longer with us, but we are still often up against the generous limit of 90 active quests. Maltheas has 5 free slots at the moment, after a serious effort to clear up some tome quests, which will quickly vanish the next time he decides to load up.
 Maltheas' Quest Journal The lowest level one there, “A Key to the Past” has been a thorn in my side for about four years. It is a quest set in a peculiar little instance called the Tomb of Valor in Stormhold. A chamber is filled with wandering undead, and sarcophagi which begin to open. You need to quickly close them again, or else more undead appear. While being attacked you can’t shut sarcophagi, so it starts going downhill from there. Malth is at the point where he is in very little danger down there, but he still can’t deal with the undead fast enough to keep all the sarcophagi shut and get Lord Chesgard to spawn. I haven’t given that a go for a couple of levels, so should probably have another try sometime soon. I’d probably do better if I did not feel bound to chronomancer down to a level where the undead are green, to give them a fighting chance!
Most of the greener ones are in heroic dungeons, such as Runnyeye. Heroic dungeons are soloable, but you do have to accept that it’s going to be a bit of a slog, and you usually need to be a few levels higher than if you were grouping. Maltheas can currently get about halfway through Runnyeye before it starts getting totally impossible, and it’s the quests that need to go further that remain. Deathfist Citadel is similarly unpleasant, and only the sewers beneath it are survivable at the moment. The green Nektulos quests are actually in the D’Morte Burial Chambers, from the old Bloodline Chronicles adventure pack.
For every quest there is a time, and their time has not yet come. Extreme Questers enjoy pushing their limits, but at some point you have to accept that certain things are impossible at your current level!
 N'Kzak the Unnatural - A battle for another day. I’m probably going to let Maltheas level in the next few days, once I’ve cleared up the rest of the quests in his journal that I think might be doable. Levelling to 42 is tempting, as you get a big power boost from being able to use mastercrafted gear, but I’ll try to see what 41 can manage first. Maybe that will be the magic number that brings Lord Chesgard to his well-deserved end.
Do you have a quest, in whatever MMO you play, that has been sitting in your quest journal for years?
On May the 10th, Codemasters, who run the European LOTRO servers, ran a special £75 lifetime subscription promotion. At the time, this seemed an awesome deal.
 Codemasters' Lifetime Subscription Offer Three weeks later, however, Turbine have announced that Lotro is going free to play for both US and European servers.
Announcing The Lord of the Rings Online’s Move to Free-to-Play!
Today is an important day for LOTRO: we’ve announced that this fall, LOTRO will begin offering a Free-to-Play option! Players will be able to download the game and adventure in Middle-earth for free. With Free-to-Play comes the addition of the LOTRO Store, where players will have immediate in-game access to a wide variety of special items, account services, and convenience items.
The best part is – as existing subscribers you’re automatically enrolled in our VIP program! As a VIP you’ll continue to get unlimited access to the game and all of the content you already enjoy, in addition to some extra perks!
Still have questions? Here’s a quick FAQ about the key points of LOTRO Free-to-Play:
Is this the same model you used with DDO?
It’s very similar in a large number of ways. The basic structure is the same with some changes made to support LOTRO’s different game world and wide-open environment. Customer levels, the LOTRO Store, and other aspects of LOTRO Free-to-Play are all very similar to those of Dungeons and Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™.
I already subscribe to LOTRO. Is there any benefit to staying a subscriber?
Of course! Once the game goes live you’ll keep all your current privileges, and also accrue 500 free Turbine Points per month to spend as you wish. We also have a set of Loyalty Reward Special Offers just for our veteran players – as long as you maintain your subscription in good standing you may be eligible for up to 3,000 points. If you stay active over the summer you will also earn an additional bonus of 500 Turbine Points per month until launch! For more details see the Loyalty Reward Special Offer Terms & Conditions for full details.
I have a lifetime subscription to LOTRO. What will Free-to-Play mean for me?
As a lifetime subscriber to LOTRO, you will keep all of your membership privileges and are automatically upgraded to VIP status. You will receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month like the other VIPs, but you do not have to pay a monthly fee since you are a lifetime member. All you have to do is keep playing the game and visit the LOTRO Store to spend your free Turbine Points. Lifetime members may also qualify for a special one-time Loyalty Reward of 1,000 Turbine Points. See the Loyalty Reward Special Offer Terms & Conditions for full details.
I am a LOTRO Founder. What will Free-to-Play mean for me?
As a LOTRO Founder, you automatically become a VIP and will keep all of your membership privileges as long as you pay your monthly fee. You will automatically receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month and you can spend them at your leisure in the LOTRO Store. Founding members may also qualify for a special one-time Loyalty Reward of 500 Turbine Points. See the Loyalty Reward Special Offer Terms & Conditions for full details.
When does LOTRO F2P go live?
Free-to-Play will go live when Volume 3, Book 2 releases this fall.
Is Free-to-Play the only thing to look forward to for Volume 3, Book2?
No! Volume 3, Book 2 will continue the Volume 3 Epic Story as the Rangers head south. An all new area, Enedwaith, will be available as well as some exciting new features and many updates to the game including DX11 support! We’ll have more information about Volume 3, Book 2 as we approach launch. Keep an eye out for Developer Diaries and other information throughout the summer!
I still have questions. Where can I ask them?
If you still have questions after reading the full FAQ, please use the LOTRO Free-to-Play discussion forum for questions and comments!
We’re very excited about LOTRO’s move to Free-to-Play and we can’t wait for you to see all the incredible changes the team has already made to the game. Make sure you read Executive Producer Kate Paiz’s letter to the community for some great information on where LOTRO is going!
Sure, lifetime subscribers will get free points every month, but even so, it is a very different situation to the one they signed up for. Given that Turbine and Codemasters certainly knew three weeks ago that they would be going free to play, this seems to me to be somewhat duplicitious. It might certainly have affected player’s decisions on whether or not they would buy a lifetime sub or not. It feels a little like insider trading on Codemasters’ part. Codemasters should immediately offer refunds to anyone who signed up for their lifetime subscription offer.
It’s going to be interesting to see how they retrofit the game to work as a profitmaking F2P. DDO’s modular structure lent itself to this far better than Lotro would seem to. Here are the features of LOTRO that will be monetised. Along with the predictable bag, character slot, and gold limitations are some more surprising ones like a limit on traits. Monster play will be VIP only.:
| VIP |
Premium Player |
Free Player |
500/month Free
Can purchase more
Or earn through gameplay |
Purchasable
Or earn through gameplay |
Purchasable
Or earn through gameplay |
| Free |
Free |
Free |
| Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
| 4 |
4 |
4 |
| 7 |
7 |
7 |
| Purchasable |
Purchasable |
Purchasable |
| 50 |
50 |
50 |
5/server
Can purchase more |
3/server
Can purchase more |
1/server
Can purchase more |
| Eriador |
Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land
Can purchase more |
Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land
Can purchase more |
| 5 bags |
3 bags
Can purchase 2 more |
3 bags
Can purchase 2 more |
| Unlimited |
5 Gold
Can purchase cap removal |
2 Gold
Can purchase cap removal |
| Priority |
High |
Standard |
| Unlimited |
Limited |
Limited |
| Unlimited |
Limited |
Limited |
| Unlimited |
Limited |
Limited |
| Automatic |
Not available |
Not available |
| Purchasable |
Purchasable |
Purchasable |
9
More in Mirkwood Expansion |
4
Can purchase more |
4
Can purchase more |
| Requires Mines of Moria Expansion |
Requires Mines of Moria Expansion |
Requires Mines of Moria Expansion |
| All |
1 or 2 slots per trait type
Can purchase more |
1 or 2 slots per trait type
Can purchase more |
Tier 1-5 available
Tier 6 available with Mines of Moriaâ„¢ Expansion |
Tier 1-5 available
Tier 6 available with Mines of Moriaâ„¢ Expansion |
Tier 1-5 available
Tier 6 available with Mines of Moriaâ„¢ Expansion |
| Unlimited |
Limited
Can purchase more |
Limited
Can purchase more |
| Available |
Available |
Available |
| Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
| Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
| Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Included with 20 slots
Can purchase more |
Purchasable |
Purchasable |
| Can earn and spend |
Can earn but cannot spend |
Can earn but cannot spend |
| Unlimited |
Not available |
Not available |
| Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Limited |
| Full access |
Full access for 30 days following the purchase of points |
Self-service online |
|
* Purchasers of the Mines of Moriaâ„¢ expansion get access to the Mines of Moria region and content, premium classes (Rune-Keeper and Warden), legendary items feature, Tier 6 crafting feature, 2 extra character slots and a level cap of 60. Purchasers of the Siege of Mirkwoodâ„¢ expansion get access to the Siege of Mirkwood region and content, a level cap of 65 and the Siege of Mirkwood skirmishes.
** Purchasers of the LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack get 2 extra character slots and 20 slots of shared bank storage across all characters on the same servers.
My garden would horrify most real gardeners. Most of what I do to it involves ripping out the ever-encroaching bindweed coming under the fence from neighbours who consider them “ornamental”, and trying to make it as pleasant a place for nature as possible. Here are a few things I found in my garden adventures today. My little camera, as usual, struggles with getting close enough, but they’re just about usable:
 Seven Spotted Ladybird  Galls on a Sycamore leaf These alien-like red structures are called galls. Although they look a little like cocoons, they’re created by the plant itself as a reaction to having eggs injected into the leaf by an insect. It creates the gall to isolate the eggs from the rest of its structure, but the eggs are just as happy in the gall as in the leaf, so it all works out. These ones are probably the work of the Sycamore Gall Mite, Aculops acericola.
 Red Poppy This is a poppy of Genus Papaver. I’m not quite sure of the species. It doesn’t look much like the corn poppy we associate with Flanders field, with the flower being about 6 inches across. It looks a bit more like the Oriental Poppy, but that doesn’t look quite right either. There’s over a hundred species in Papaver, and most don’t have pictures on the internet. It doesn’t matter that much though, as the insects love these whatever they’re called!
 Cuckoo Spit - Froghopper Froth My rubbishy camera refused to focus properly on this. It’s knows as Cuckoo Spit in the UK, but for once the Cuckoos are innocent. It is a protective froth of processed plant sap made by the nymph stage of a relative of the aphid known as the froghopper. The froth protects the nymph from predation and drying out.
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