TSDaedalus

The timing on this could not possibly be worse for me. I have 4 common fragments to my name at the moment. AFTER this weekend's double xp event would have been MUCH better. Ah well.

I also feel like 24 hours is a huge tease. 48 would be ok though.

I have been waiting for this titan to come back for approximately the last 54 weeks. We have some unfinished business. 

My guild is horrible for coordination because there are players from all over the world. Plus, there are only a handful of really active players. I understand this and so I go titan hunting by myself. Chances are minimal that we'll get a secure, but that's just the way it is at the moment. I accept this and see this as a problem with my guild, not with the way HCS chooses to run titan events.

This strategy is only available during the Oidhche Shamhna events at the end of October. Otherwise, you'll have to buy them on the Auction House.

Make sure you're using a Potion of Discovery and some form of Animal Magnetism potion, preferably taken after a Zombie Brew. Also, make sure your Preferences aren't set to auto-fragment or discard stuff just in case. Kill a bunch of Halloween Revenants. This is easier if you DON'T use a Reveal potion so you don't have to worry about the spooks and vapors. They should drop Zombie Coffins. Click the coffins, hope you get Zombie Brews in your mailbox instead of the goo or the carcasses.

Thank you to cucubaubau for equipping so I could take the screenshot!

The only ones I pay attention to at all are the Supersonic offers. The others seem kind of hit or miss.

I agree with yodamus. I've been playing for 2+ years (religiously), but there are those in my guild who have been playing for 6, 7 or even 8 years on and off. I have no plans to hang up my hat because there is still so much to explore and accomplish.

FS seems to revolve primarily around levelling. Your world map is a bird's eye view with very limited graphics. You walk around. You click to attack the creature, but don't see combat literally. You get gold, xp, and sometimes item drops. There is a very active marketplace for equipment, potions, etc. Many people spend a lot of their time being merchants, just buying and selling. Your stats are heavily influenced by the gear you wear, as well as skill buffs that you cast on yourself or others cast on your character. If you're having a hard time finding people to give you buffs, there is a marketplace for buffs as well. Along with levelling, there is also PvP in a variety of forms. You can just straight up attack another player to get their gold. You can participate in a "ladder" or the "arena" for prizes and glory against others of a similar level range. And there's a bounty board where people post bounties as retribution for attacks. If you accept a bounty that a [supposed] victim has posted, you attack the player with the bounty on their head to get the reward the victim has set.

Guilds are a HUGE part of the game. You will excel MUCH more easily if you become part of a guild, especially an active one. Guilds provide stat increases via buildings listed on the guild page, as well as via relic control. It's considerably easier to get buffs for free from guildies, be they for levelling, PvP, or otherwise. There is GvG also which is essentially group PvP.

As you progress through levels, there are quests to accomplish that give you extra xp, or gold, or items. Plus, every now and then there are global events where everyone is supposed to kill a bunch of the same creature. The more creatures the FS community at large kills, the greater the rewards. Sometimes there are events that release a certain kind of creature that would have special item drops that can be resources or items for inventing recipes. And there are also people who make in game currency via composing. Composing is where you take junk items, break them down into fragments, and use those fragments to make potions. The more you compose, the higher your composing level. The higher your composing level, the more powerful the potions that you are able to make.

So yeah, FS is basically PvE (PvW), PvP, and GvG, but the framework that HCS has built around that core is so complex and involved that you can be involved for years and still not even scratch the surface of many game elements.

Come on in! The water's great!

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Edits (to answer your questions more directly):

1) Like other freemium model games, you can pay actual money for in game currency (Fallen Sword Points) in order to upgrade and progress faster. BUT, you don't have to by any means. I've chosen to pay $5 here and there, but there's no reason why you would need to spend real money. I'd guess that most players play for free and keep it that way. You can progress quite quickly regardless if you learn and follow good advice.

2) Heck no. Join anyway. The idea that there are other players of super high levels doesn't affect you negatively at all. You'll actually want to join a guild that has a couple of high level players because you'll have better access to resources.

3) The trailer video is pure hogwash with no basis in reality whatsoever. The screenshots are much more accurate. Is it fun anyway? Yes.

4) If I have to choose a favorite color, I'd say some sort of blue as well. Additionally, a blue chicken would be bad***. That is all.

There's still not much on the Ladder rewards that makes me want to play.   I'm not going to do PvP just to get rewards that are going to help me do PvP better.

The poll was really rough around the edges. I think the cows are making decisions without really knowing what the community wants.

Reflections on the poll:

- I get the impression from the comments I saw that at least a few 'no' votes were based on impulsive knee-jerk reactions to the change in routine and it wouldn't have made any difference in what the change was. Big + intimidating = NO.

- I think a lot of negativity spawned from how the roll out happened. There were non-PvP players logging in after long periods of inactivity. I'd say it's highly possible that they saw massive XP loss and immediately voted 'no' without a second thought.

- There were people voting in the poll that had absolutely zero experience with the new system. I know that's unavoidable, but maybe just putting the poll in the forum with a link to it in the news feed would make people vote with a little more thought rather than emotion. I'd assume that those who would be willing to seek out the poll and vote would be those who are more active in the game and are more core to HCS's customer base. Do you think that the poll would have turned out differently if it were just people who participated in Seasons? My hunch is that it would have.

- It's hard to tell who voted based on their reaction to the BB changes and who voted based on their reaction to Ladder vs. Seasons reactions. Voting on comprehensive change doesn't give as much usable feedback as does voting on specific parts of the change. Hoof/Grim/etc., the poll was flawed. I think HCS is making decisions without getting enough information about why people voted 'no' and without knowing enough about what the community wants. I'm not sure there's much to be done about it at this point without looking incompetent, but keeping Seasons as an event I think is a good call. More below.

Reflections on Seasons (making lemonade from the lemons):

- The best parts of this Seasons experiment are the rewards, the ease of entry into PvP for all levels, the forum for hitting between a wide variety of levels in addition to a structure with level bands, and the inhibition of bullying due to structural design. Keep these and we'll be good.

- I learned a lot about PvP.

- I jumped in with both feet without knowing exactly what was going to happen. The cows recognized that faith (and willingness to beta test, essentially) and rewarded it. And I am grateful for that recognition.

- I am MUCH more active in the forums than I ever was before. That participation is likely to continue. Being ever the pragmatist, I hope I can be helpful to HCS and to other players.

- This experience led me to go out of my way to learn how to edit the Wiki. Perhaps I can use that experience to help it catch up a little over time.

- Looks like, based on recent updates (this thread included), that the cows have learned more about how to develop and progress the game. However, I don't have any experience to compare that to since I haven't paid attention to other large changes.

- I'm psyched that Seasons isn't going away entirely.

- I'm excited to see what the landscape looks like after the storm quiets down. So far it looks like new opportunities and new adventures. <That came out entirely too corny and overdramatic, but I'm too lazy to rephrase.>

- I have new medals. Nifty.

- When all settles down, FS will come out better and stronger than it was before.

- Participating in Seasons added a social aspect/opportunities to the game for a lot of people.

- Khutch, Petos, darknin12, and bloody18 are now more wealthy than before my hunt last night. You're welcome.

Question:

- Does this mean PvP prestige is coming back? I did like that part. Everybody progresses faster when we work together.

In my opinion there is really only 2 reasons to be defending the new pvp setup.

 

You like it because there is no xp loss or not enough anyways to be acceptable and the crazy rewards.

I won't deny that I like Seasons for those 2 reasons, but I also appreciate the entertainment of participating in a new (for me) area of the game, learning about PvP strategy, and learning about new buffs and equipment setups I'd never considered before. I was going to say that I also kind of like the added shot of adrenaline regarding the risk of being hit mid hunt, but I've lost almost 6 million gold tonight before doing deposits and/or buying fsp. Sooooo, the previously perceived plus has lost a bit of its luster.

2. Level differences in PvP Season. There are levels 300 in Titan and Crystal. This is NOT an issue. Players complaining can opt out or level up.

 

3. Loss of XP in PvP Seasons needs to be reinstated. That was removed before the opt out option was implemented. Zero excuse now and counterproductive.

 

7. Medals: I like the new ones and will eventually work towards them if the Seasons stays around. However…

 

7a. Dominance should be made a “legacy” and a new one created. My Dominance medal says I did something I never did. I would prefer to keep my Dominance medal and have a new one available for the “new ideology”. Yes, new players will NEVER be able to get it. Hey, first benefit for us old players.

 

7b. Same goes for Smasher. I know changes already happened, but the current ideology is an insult and ridiculous. PS. I hate the fact that unrated hits (true PVP) were made to not count. HCS should have ridden that out.

 

9. Punishment: This is what I think is the worst aspect of this change. Guilds can no longer protect their players by reacting to wrongs against them. Unfortunately, most players in game think this is related to the “PvP Guilds”. I’m sorry, but that’s a load of crap.

 

With this change, absolutely anyone in game can smack the crap out of my guildies for gold and I won’t personally be able to do anything. Before, I could know that “PvP Guild #1 player” smacked my guildie and would deal. Now, “player #1 from any guild” can do the same and there is zero recourse.

 

From what I’ve skimmed (and it isn’t much), gold hitting is now actually condoned. In fact, I’m actually now more prone to do it whenever I feel like to whoever I feel like. For me, as an FS player than indulges in all aspects of the game; it’s a disgrace. I'm not in the top PvPing guilds... in fact, we aren't a PvP guild at all. However, I no longer have the capability whatsoever of discouraging players from hitting my Guildies.

2. Thank you!!! 

3. I wouldn't be heartbroken if some XP loss was reinstated I guess. But I did lose almost 2 levels in a week due to bounties even without direct XP loss in Seasons.

7. I do think it's a little easier than expected to get the Dominance and Smasher medals. I haven't attacked anyone (yet) since the seeding season finished and I've been making considerable progress towards my Dominance medal by squatting in the Titan League despite my inactivity.

9. I did like the ability of the previous BB to delevel a player who is being unreasonable. Sometimes leveling out of range is either too slow or not functional for the victim without help.

There is absolutely zero problem with the idea that low levels can hit higher levels and vice versa (in Titan League anyway). If you're able to win attacks on high level players, great. If not, LEVEL UP!! ...or learn how and when to hit. For me anyway, Seasons required me to learn a substantial amount in order to be competitive. However, I was able to finish in Crystal by using the knowledge I was gaining and by being strategic, NOT by being EOC. On the other hand, EOC players SHOULD have an advantage simply because they HAVE attained a higher level. After all, they've put in years of playing! If you've spent years hanging out at one level, could it be time to move along a little bit? Anyway, Seasons is more than fair in as far as how different level ranges are treated. The high levels do have some advantage, BUT the system still makes it so lower levels can be competitive.

It doesn't matter that the old system of prestige is gone. The rewards for Seasons are good enough, regardless of League, to justify at least occasional participation by the levelers that hit for prestige (like me). If you want benefit from a single attack, go find somebody with a lot of gold and hit them.

The BB is fine. I like that it adds risk to Seasons. I haven't noticed if the system works like this already or not, but I think the gold amount threshold for auto-posting should be lower for lower level players and higher for higher level players. That makes it accessible to many levels of hunters.

The reward for Crystal League was:
(3) Seasonal Trophies - will be used for inventing equipment (recipes will be found in a new store in the Colosseum of Gurgriss)
(1) PvP prestige potion - level 10, 300 minutes
(1) Crystal Rank Season Chest (can be opened 12 times)
 
The very bottom of my page here has a table showing the contents of the Season Chests. I could use some help filling in the gaps.

http://goo.gl/1l70un
 
*EDIT* All of the info in the Season Chest chart has been filled in. However, I still need to verify the Bronze pot levels. For the Bronze, I filled in numbers that were between Silver and Wood.

*EDIT* All the reward info is now complete!

- I finally got it through my head that armor works differently in PvP compared to PvE. If I hit somebody who has a higher armor stat than my damage stat, I might hit successfully, but each hit is going to do only 1 damage... and I will eventually lose that battle.
- A setup with high attack and high defense seems to work the best both for attacking and defending.
- Damage is only important as far as having enough to get past the defender's armor/hp. Past that, damage is not important.
- When defending, you want the attacker to miss. every. time. Therefore, your defense can't be too high.
- To get a high defense, you need the proper gear AND the proper buffs. Just half of the equation is not good enough.
- The best buffs I've found for defending are Deflect, Shield Wall, Nightmare Visage, and Barricade. You'll also need Dispel Curse, Sealed, Demoralize, Empower, Keen Edge (boosts NV), Force Shield, and Flinch. Since I was wearing a weapon with high attack and defense stats, EW1000 also helped a good deal.
- If you're set up well, chances are decent that the attacker will miss the first hit. In that situation, you want enough attack to be able to hit them back successfully. Again, Keen Edge is your friend.
- Any buff that says something about base attack, base defense, base armor, and/or base damage is worthless for me because my base stats (Attributes) are next to nothing. The possible exception to this is maybe using a Potion of Fury that has a Berserk high enough to actually work with my 1,993 base damage points. Now that I know this, I'm seriously considering paying for a skills reset because I have a lot of skill points assigned to ineffective buffs.
- When attacking, you still want a high defense because it's rare to finish the fight in the first hit.
- The best buffs I've found for attacking (besides Shield Wall, Sealed, Demoralize, Empower, Keen Edge, Flinch, and Enchant Weapon) are Anti-Deflect, Anti-Deflect, and Anti-Deflect. Also incredibly useful are, Dark Curse, Dark Curse, and Dark Curse.
- You're going to attack the same players more than once, so Spell Leech and Spell Breaker aren't bad ideas.
- Keep in mind that buffs that say x% chance of blah blah blah are not guaranteed.
- Make sure the buffs you're using will actually work in PvP. For example, Death Dealer only works against creatures.
- Do NOT use Nightmare Visage or Barricade when attacking. You need that attack (and probably damage too), so don't transfer it to defense.
- I found that it was often a good idea to pay more in the buff market for a buff from a seller who has Extend, 135% Sustain, and a level 10 Mage Tower in comparison to a less expensive buff that isn't going to last as long.
- I wasted a lot of stamina learning the ropes in the beginning. After a while, I listened to what others were saying on the forums and just stopped attacking. I built up stamina and then went on an attacking spree just a couple hours before the end of the season. I chose a time when most people were not only offline, but by that point their defensive buffs had run out too. This guaranteed me a spot in the Crystal League because there wasn't enough time for people to attack me back to drop me to Gold before the end of the season. However, this also means that I didn't spend too much time in the Crystal League making it harder for me to get a Dominance medal.
- If your attack is deflected, you don't lose the 50 stamina.
- Since each bounty attack costs 50 stamina, make sure that the reward per hit is at least as much as the gold you would get from hitting creatures with 50 stamina... unless you're going for a bounty medal.
- You need all the stamina you can get for attacking during the Season. So don't bounty hunt if you're also participating in the Season.
- Advancing through the Wood League takes 10 successful attacks. The Bronze League takes 20 successful attacks. The Silver League takes 40. Gold takes 60. So if you want to make it into Crystal, you need an absolute minimum of 130 successful attacks. Your attack success ratio depends on gear, buffs, and how much gold you want to spend skipping stronger players. For the purpose of example, let's say you have a 75% win rate. That means if you attack 260 times, you'll lose 65 times. Each loss doesn't just spend the stamina, it also cancels out one win. Not only do you NOT get the win, you also have to win one extra time to get back to where you were. So 65 losses cancels out 65 wins. Out of 260 total attacks, 75% hit rate means you'll get the 130 wins. However, if you have your 130 wins to get into Crystal, just one loss pushes you back to Gold. So plan on creating a buffer of a number of wins so you can't be pushed back easily. Let's say 20 more wins or 40 total attacks. This brings us to a total of 300 attacks. Multiply by 50 stamina each, and that brings us to a lump sum of 15,000 stamina necessary over the course of the season. If you do your attacks all at once at the end of the season, this may be all you need. If you want to go for the Dominance medal and spend some time in the Crystal League from the beginning, you will need to attack more often to account for the additional losses of being attacked by players jockeying for position. In order to stay in Crystal for the whole time, plan on doubling the stamina needed. If you're staying in Crystal, you won't be wearing stam gear because it's undefensible. For example's sake, let's say 90 stam/hr giving us 2,160 per day. 2,160 * 8 = 17,280. So to stay in Crystal the entire time, you better have a full 15k stam bank at the beginning of the season. If you only want to make Crystal at the end, you should be ok with a stam bank of 10,000. This also doesn't take into account any times you buff yourself though.
- Plan on using the buff market a LOT. I dropped about 50fsp to keep myself continuously buffed for defense. Now that I am more informed as to which buffs I need and which ones I don't, I'll be paying substantially less. Also, if you stay in the Wood League until the very end, you'll save a ton.

Everyones xp gain is within the same +-40... Everyone has access to guilds that have epics aswell so that number is drastically lower...I don't see the point in how much your max stam is...at the end of the day when you've been playing the seasons for awhile its all down to stamina GAIN.

...another reason why I'd like epic gear that I can actually wear if I'm going to do PvP. As it stands, I can't wear epics and be competitive. That's a problem.