Nexxon.... is not well liked for their customer support, it's really quite lacking most of the time.
Nad they're greedy, the cash shop proves that if nothing else. The problem lies in DFO being free to play but with a cash shop, some features that feel like they should be free cost you money, and that's a bummer.
The most egregious offender is the the Item Sale Stall. It costs equivalent to $4 in Nx and is practically required in order to afford good weapons and armor. It works like this, you set up shop in town and set prices for up to 14 items in your shop, people passing buy can click your shop and buy things for the marked prices. The problem is that a lot of people have shops, and good weapons and armor can cost a LOT of gold, so you need a Sale Stall to buy things from other Sale Stalls and it all puts cash into nexxons pocket, really. The only way to sell things without a cash shop is to manually hawk your wares in town and open up trade screens with people and haggle over prices, it's really hassle if you have a lot to sell.
Other MMOs have auction houses or free trade stalls, maybe paid for with in game money, but for the sole purpose of making a buck there is no auction house and you must purchase the ability to set up a stall. All of this wouldn't even be so bad, but the stalls expire every 30 days, so you have to spend another $4 to keep the cycle going.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Mythic "Priest Patch"
DFO is still in Open Beta, meaning it's not yet complete. The Priest class, for example, is missing it's fourth sub-class, Avenger. Several other priest classes are missing a few skills also, like exorcist and monk.
Supposedly, at some point in the future, we will get the same patch that eastern DFO got to fix priests. It will reset skill points for all priest subclasses I believe, and grant new skills to each of them. It is unclear right now whether Avenger will actually come out with this, since apparently it's not out in DFO china either.
Priests aren't the only class to get love with this patch though, word on the street is that a lot of classes are going to get some new skills, new graphics for skills, and tweaks to existing skills. when it comes along it should really show the game evolving and balancing itself out, the proof of Beta in action.
Hopefully it won't come with 24 hours of downtime, like the last few 'upgrades.'
Supposedly, at some point in the future, we will get the same patch that eastern DFO got to fix priests. It will reset skill points for all priest subclasses I believe, and grant new skills to each of them. It is unclear right now whether Avenger will actually come out with this, since apparently it's not out in DFO china either.
Priests aren't the only class to get love with this patch though, word on the street is that a lot of classes are going to get some new skills, new graphics for skills, and tweaks to existing skills. when it comes along it should really show the game evolving and balancing itself out, the proof of Beta in action.
Hopefully it won't come with 24 hours of downtime, like the last few 'upgrades.'
GBL = Generated By Lucifer
The GBL set of dungeons; Branch, Lab, and Hatchery, are largely considered to be the worst dungeons in the game. The quests are all repetitive and time-consuming, and the bosses are the hardest up to that point. The exp you get from these dungeons is worse than those that are lower level and easier. Some parties literally cannot put out enough damage to kill the Hatchery boss.
Having just gotten my summoner up to 35, I headed to GBL with the hope of quickly pounding out some GBL quests. Unfortunately, there is almost never anyone in the GBL channel "Coastal Junction," and usually not many people there in other channels. After aboutt 15 minutes of waiting I got into a party and cleared the first GBL dngeon, Branch, twice. I did about 15 more runs and only completed about 7 quests, i still have an almost full quest log for GBL dungeons.
Nexxon already lowered the experience required to level in this game by about 75% in the last 22 weeks, but GBL still feels like an endless grind, just because the quests are so repetitive. If you can afford it I highly recommend unlocking the Chamber of Blood in behemoth, starting with the quest Mercellus' Journal at lvl 36. It's much faster and easier to level to 37 and unlock storm peaks in Chamber of blood than GBL.
Having just gotten my summoner up to 35, I headed to GBL with the hope of quickly pounding out some GBL quests. Unfortunately, there is almost never anyone in the GBL channel "Coastal Junction," and usually not many people there in other channels. After aboutt 15 minutes of waiting I got into a party and cleared the first GBL dngeon, Branch, twice. I did about 15 more runs and only completed about 7 quests, i still have an almost full quest log for GBL dungeons.
Nexxon already lowered the experience required to level in this game by about 75% in the last 22 weeks, but GBL still feels like an endless grind, just because the quests are so repetitive. If you can afford it I highly recommend unlocking the Chamber of Blood in behemoth, starting with the quest Mercellus' Journal at lvl 36. It's much faster and easier to level to 37 and unlock storm peaks in Chamber of blood than GBL.
Lordy Lordy Help Me I'm Forty.
The current level cap in DFO, in North America at least, is 40. In the Korean and Chinese versions the current cap is 60, but we're still in beta and as such stuck with 40. The problem is there's really not that much to do at the current cap.
Oh sure, you could indulge in Player Versus Player combat, but that's not my personal cup of tea. You could do the quests you've got, even though you lose the exp, maybe you'll find a +5 SP book?
Meh.
All these options are pretty lackluster really, PvP seems to be what most people do, and you get a new quest to pvp at level 40. Personally I've been trying to farm the highest level dungeon available, Spider Cavern.
The Boss of spider cavern is pretty easy as a blade master, you can Triple slash behind him when needed and Wave Wheel Slash when he super armors. It's getting to him solo that's the problem, the normal monsters in the area are absolutely brutal. the Ghouls cause poison when you back-attack them, the Lady Specters have a nasty grab and a punishing ranged attack, and the spiders.... are actually pretty easy to kill, even the poison spewing ones.
So I started grouping to do spider runs, depending on the group it can go really well or really chaotically. I've found Nen Masters, Berserkers, Brawlers, and Spitfires to be extremely powerful here.
So far i've only found a handful of greens and a Flesk Steiner Light Saber, but i hear there's pink drops from the boss.
Oh sure, you could indulge in Player Versus Player combat, but that's not my personal cup of tea. You could do the quests you've got, even though you lose the exp, maybe you'll find a +5 SP book?
Meh.
All these options are pretty lackluster really, PvP seems to be what most people do, and you get a new quest to pvp at level 40. Personally I've been trying to farm the highest level dungeon available, Spider Cavern.
The Boss of spider cavern is pretty easy as a blade master, you can Triple slash behind him when needed and Wave Wheel Slash when he super armors. It's getting to him solo that's the problem, the normal monsters in the area are absolutely brutal. the Ghouls cause poison when you back-attack them, the Lady Specters have a nasty grab and a punishing ranged attack, and the spiders.... are actually pretty easy to kill, even the poison spewing ones.
So I started grouping to do spider runs, depending on the group it can go really well or really chaotically. I've found Nen Masters, Berserkers, Brawlers, and Spitfires to be extremely powerful here.
So far i've only found a handful of greens and a Flesk Steiner Light Saber, but i hear there's pink drops from the boss.
Peer to Peer MMO
To connect with other Dungeon Fighters, DFO uses what is called a Peer to Peer system. This means that while you're in town, the game server is what you are connected to, but once you enter a dungeon, you are connected to the Party leader. This vastly reduces the strain on the game's servers, but causes a couple of problems when partying.
When you start a party, you're computer will attempt to 'sync up' with that of the host and the other party members. If one person has trouble syncing with another party member, lag will occur in dungeon.
The worst form lag can take in DFO is a frozen monster. When one person in the party cannot correctly sync with the host, but syncs with everyone else, monsters will become unhittable and immobile, frozen, which stops the progress of the party and is generally annoying. When this happens, if you see that you are the person lagging with the host and causing the freeze, it is polite to leave the party, so they can continue on.
DFO provides a connection indicator on party members' portraits, so you can easily tell if you're syncing with someone or not.
When you start a party, you're computer will attempt to 'sync up' with that of the host and the other party members. If one person has trouble syncing with another party member, lag will occur in dungeon.
The worst form lag can take in DFO is a frozen monster. When one person in the party cannot correctly sync with the host, but syncs with everyone else, monsters will become unhittable and immobile, frozen, which stops the progress of the party and is generally annoying. When this happens, if you see that you are the person lagging with the host and causing the freeze, it is polite to leave the party, so they can continue on.
DFO provides a connection indicator on party members' portraits, so you can easily tell if you're syncing with someone or not.
The Way Loot Works
Loot works a bit differently in DFO than it does in some similar online games. Namely in the way rare drops occur. There are 3 places loot can come from, aside from Quest loot, which is static.
1. It can drop off a monster in a dungeon.
2. It can drop off the Boss Monster in a dungeon. This is seperate due to his higher level loot table.
3. When you beat a dungeon, loot can drop from the treasure cards available.
Simple, Right? Like every other game, loot comes from playing it, duh.
Here's where it veers off course, in most similar games, every single monster has an individual loot table, a list of things it can possibly drop. In DFO, monsters loot tables are different based only on level.
Allow me to explain....
A monster that can drop a level 25 or 30 purple item (Purple item levels jump by 5), can also drop any white, blue, or green item of the same level. That's right, the entirety of items that are the same level are possible drops, making it incredibly difficult to farm for a particular item, even if you know it's level range. The same goes for boss and treasure card drops as well.
The chance that a treasure card will possess loot can be enhanced by partying in a full group of 4 and by running the dungeon on a higher level (Expert, Master, or King)
1. It can drop off a monster in a dungeon.
2. It can drop off the Boss Monster in a dungeon. This is seperate due to his higher level loot table.
3. When you beat a dungeon, loot can drop from the treasure cards available.
Simple, Right? Like every other game, loot comes from playing it, duh.
Here's where it veers off course, in most similar games, every single monster has an individual loot table, a list of things it can possibly drop. In DFO, monsters loot tables are different based only on level.
Allow me to explain....
A monster that can drop a level 25 or 30 purple item (Purple item levels jump by 5), can also drop any white, blue, or green item of the same level. That's right, the entirety of items that are the same level are possible drops, making it incredibly difficult to farm for a particular item, even if you know it's level range. The same goes for boss and treasure card drops as well.
The chance that a treasure card will possess loot can be enhanced by partying in a full group of 4 and by running the dungeon on a higher level (Expert, Master, or King)
Christmas in Arad
Christmas has come to DFO, and there's never been a better time to start that new character, or heck, a new account even.
There are 3 Christmas quests going on until January 3rd, I believe. Each one has you searching for monsters that rarely and randomly spawn inside any dungeon, even the low level and starter dungeons. collecting 15 items from each of these monsters will get you some neat new holiday-themed avatar items; a Rudolph Nose, a Holly Badge, and a Snowman Doll. These avatars don't have any stat bonuses on them, but they never expire, are a badge of pride, and are super duper cute.
In addition, while you're new low level character is searching high and low for Xmas items and treasures, snow will occasionally fall in Arad, granting double exp gain for 1 or 2 hours. The low level grind just got a lot shorter!
Finally, Nexxon has put up 2 special packages in the cash shop. a premium package and a not-so-premium package. The Holiday Spirit Title (Premium Only) is the best title you can get so far, and it has a 2% chance of summoning Santa Clobber.
Seriously. You summon Santa to help you fight, and he's awesome. He gets priest moves like Crucifix Wind, Giant Weapon Launcher, Fast Heal, and Strike. He's pretty darn awesome to have around and he looks really cool.
Happy Holidays!
There are 3 Christmas quests going on until January 3rd, I believe. Each one has you searching for monsters that rarely and randomly spawn inside any dungeon, even the low level and starter dungeons. collecting 15 items from each of these monsters will get you some neat new holiday-themed avatar items; a Rudolph Nose, a Holly Badge, and a Snowman Doll. These avatars don't have any stat bonuses on them, but they never expire, are a badge of pride, and are super duper cute.
In addition, while you're new low level character is searching high and low for Xmas items and treasures, snow will occasionally fall in Arad, granting double exp gain for 1 or 2 hours. The low level grind just got a lot shorter!
Finally, Nexxon has put up 2 special packages in the cash shop. a premium package and a not-so-premium package. The Holiday Spirit Title (Premium Only) is the best title you can get so far, and it has a 2% chance of summoning Santa Clobber.
Seriously. You summon Santa to help you fight, and he's awesome. He gets priest moves like Crucifix Wind, Giant Weapon Launcher, Fast Heal, and Strike. He's pretty darn awesome to have around and he looks really cool.
Happy Holidays!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)