Archive
Beginner’s Guide: The MMO Trinity – Tank
Most of you probably know about the MMO Trinity, which is Tank, Healer, and DPS (Damage Per Second). However, with this blog swinging towards a new MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, some people may be looking around for information on classes and not know what they are looking at when it comes to their class role. So I have decided to take it upon myself to explain the MMO Trinity as if my audience has never heard of it.
Hate it or love it, most MMOs are built with the idea that there will be someone to take the big hits, someone to heal back up the big hits, and someone to dish out the big hits. That is just a fact of life. There have been other class roles defined by different games, such as Pullers, Support, and Chippers (only know this last one from Rappelz, was kinda like Debuffer). Support is the only class-role besides the Trinity that has seen wide usage.
Tanks are arguably the make-it-or-break-it class-role. Granted, heals are important, but if the tank does their job poorly, the entire group can die. Tanks are built for two things: taking damage and irritating the crap out of monsters. Read more…
Beginner’s Guide: The MMO Trinity – DPS
Most of you probably know about the MMO Trinity, which is Tank, Healer, and DPS (Damage Per Second). However, with this blog swinging towards a new MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, some people may be looking around for information on classes and not know what they are looking at when it comes to their class role. So I have decided to take it upon myself to explain the MMO Trinity as if my audience has never heard of it.
Hate it or love it, most MMOs are built with the idea that there will be someone to take the big hits, someone to heal back up the big hits, and someone to dish out the big hits. That is just a fact of life. There have been other class roles defined by different games, such as Pullers, Support, and Chippers (only know this last one from Rappelz, was kinda like Debuffer). Support is the only class-role besides the Trinity that has seen wide usage.
DPS is the most played, least-respected class role of all time. Ever heard of Huntards? Basically, you have a player that memorizes a rotation and pwns noobs. Their actual skill is measured in Damage Per Second, and they can practically watch TV without failing at their job. Read more…
A Smörgåsbord of Writing!
I’m not dead…
…though my silence on my blog would have everyone believe otherwise.
I have literally barely had time to play LOTRO, much less to write about it. But I am approaching the end of the semester, and I am contemplating changes to the blog.
Writers
I am excited that I may be bringing in guest writers from time-to-time. I have several friends in real life that enjoy all manner of gaming, and they may come and write a few things a month for me! I may have some art, some more in-character stories, more opinion pieces, and game-videos. I am greatly looking forward to having them on, and I will have them write introduction pieces so you can get to know them. Keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.
Game-additions
As some of you may know, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be coming out in about…27 days. I may get to play in 22 days, depending on the pre-order. I pre-ordered the first day it was available, so I probably will get really early access.
I will start incorporating SWTOR into the blog here, but I will still be doing LOTRO, don’t you worry. I have started leading raids for my kinship, Southern Cross (on Vilya), so I will continue to do that. I will not devote much time to alts, unlike in the past, and I will instead spend that time on one character in Star Wars.
So what changes?
I will still bring to you great guides and articles (hopefully great, I try!). I will still have gear comments (with a post on Update 5 gear coming your way soon). I will What will change is my focus a little bit, and the writing will be more varied, both because I will have multiple writers on The Fanatical Swordsman, and because we will be writing on multiple games.
I hope you will enjoy the SWTOR part of the blog as well, and I hope you still keep coming back for your LOTRO fix as well!
P.S. Leave a comment if you also plan to play SWTOR. I’d like to know what you want to see on this blog!
Gearing up in Isengard or “Yay math!”
Ah, gearing up. The constant fight for the “best” items for your class, level, and playstyle. With a new level cap and stat changes, the old gear is worthless and the new gear is just out of reach.
Draigoch armor set
Rise of Isengard shipped with one new armor set per class. The first four pieces (boots, gloves, chest, and legs) are available by bartering Superior Fourth Marks. The last two pieces (shoulders and helm) only drop from the Draigoch raid, thus this armor set is known as the “Draigoch set” or the “Dragon set.” I just hope they don’t shorten it like they did with the “Hele set” (Helegrod). I don’t want to be walking around in the “Drag set”…
"Dragon" is way cooler...
Superior 4th Marks, or “S4Ms” as they are seen in chat, are granted upon completion of Challenge modes of any 3- or 6-man Classic instance and 12-man Skirmishes, sans Icy Crevasse and Attack At Dawn, and they are also found in chests at the end of those instances. Challenge modes grant 3 Superior 4th Marks apiece. Read more…
O, The Lives I Have Taken…
It all started with ore…
I am afraid that’s how a lot of my stories start. Even in real life.
Not really, I kid.
But seriously, this story did start with ore. You see, this all started on September 20th, when I was getting ready for Isengard with my Captain. Specifically, I had decided that I needed to finish off mastery of Tier 5 and Tier 6 of Prospecting, so I would be ready for all of the Skarn that is coming in Isengard (Skarn is the new Tier of ore, just fyi).
Since I needed a bunch of Tier 5 ore, I decided to go to Eregion to make a large loop prospecting Ancient Silver and Ancient Iron, roughly centered on Echad Eregion.
Then I had the (then) brilliant thought, “Hey I should look and see if there are any deeds that I need to complete in Eregion while I am at it. I might as well kill things as I go.” Read more…
Rhekk
Geldarion
Torvox
The Fanatical Swordsman 