Back to the Tomb

The visit to the Tomb of Theos for Barbarienne, under the kind levelling efforts of Zenderfly, didn't quite go as planned today. After publishing yesterday's blog entry it finally occurred to me that on the Cariae server a morning trip anywhere expensive and dangerous isn't really a good idea, since the server tends to conk out at around 11:10am UK time, kicking out all the players who are actually doing something, such as fighting, and a few others for good measure.

I mentioned this to Zen when she logged on as arranged at ten; we could just about have fitted in a single hour, but the sensible option was to leave things to the afternoon, when there might just be time for three hours before the one-day party recall card ended... and if it ended early, I could easily send Damor a one-hour one to keep us going. So that was what we decided to do, meeting up again at about one o'clock.

That meant I had an hour or so to spare, preferably not on the Cariae "disconnections 'R 'us" server, so JohnWellington, my level 33 sorcerer, took a trip out to the Auzura version of Prokion Temple. It wasn't a hugely long session, but John added 8.71% and 48 skill points, while RedRider, who joined him for the Combat party boost she gives, and the general boost from lowering the average level of the party (or something), got 7.81% and 45 skill points.

RedRider reached level 25, so to celebrate she spent all but two of her skill points, which means that her passive skills are now maximised. She still needs a bit of work on some of the general skills, though, but ought to get plenty more skill points as she progresses through the new level. Reaching level 25 means that she can be in a Combat party with a level 35 type such as SirDarth now.

There was a little pet-levelling over the slightly early lunch; there had been some in the early part of the morning too of course, and in fact Cariae's Galahad had pulled off another successful overnight session. And then Barbarienne and Keerella logged in for the afternoon.

We set things up much as before, with Zenderfly making the run down to the Grave Room on Cariae-3; I sent Damor a Teleport book (15 aeria points, so cheaper than sending a Summon scroll, 19 ap, to Zen), so she joined Zen down there, and used Recall to bring Kee and Barb in.

I was a bit too eager starting my platinum blessed iris and other potions for the first hour, seeing that Zenderfly had started fighting her first Sphinx Commander, so Zen didn't transfer her Scra-Chi type pet, AutumStorm, across until the break between hour one and hour two. He started on 83.65% of the way through level 46, and did reach level 47 just before we finished, which was useful, as when Zen traded him to Kee his health was only about 2, and they regain health very slowly. Levelling up got his health back to 100%.

Someone else in the room was asking what experience I was getting per kill, to which I answered "270 to 300 million", which confirmed his suspicions that something was wrong with his set-up, as even with a pbi and boosters he was only getting half that. Zen had the answer, though, she suggested that his guild had set his experience gain to 50%, they probably needed guild points but it was a bit bad to do the freezing without telling him. Luckily one of that guild's advisers was online and was able to temporarily kick him, so that he could continue his session at the full rate.

The first hour was good, using 70 experience boosters and moving Barb up by 18.08%, meaning that she reached level 101 - so, four more stat points to Dexterity, which helps a little. The room had started to get crowded, after that, which meant Zen often had to wait and lure a Sphinx Commander down from the ceiling, and there was a bit of lag as well (meaning that sometimes Zen's Recall wasn't in time to remove her from the fight while the Sphinx Commander in question was still alive), so that only 55 experience boosters were used, meaning that Barb just added 14.75%. On the feeling that things could only get worse, and that the one-day Recall card would run out soon anyway, Zen sensibly decided that a third hour wasn't worth trying, so we left it at that.

Well, a new level, and 32.83% experience gain, plus 3 more skill points, makes for a pretty good session, I'd say. Zen was advising me to play as Barb more; I don't think we are likely to team up tomorrow, as places like the Tomb of Theos do get too busy at the weekend, as we found, but there may well be another session on Monday - I'd vote for six to nine or so in the evening.

Since the session had been shorter than expected, there was a little time before the food break, which I spent mainly finding a few platinum adrenaline potions in undownloaded packages, and downloading them to Barbarienne, along with some more experience boosters. Some loot got transferred to my Cariae-based merchant MistressDomina too. Earlier Zen had used me to help transfer some of her items between characters, and also got rid of some tool aids - she dropped so many in one go that I had to put a number of Barb's things into storage before I could actually pick them up. So at some point I must do some mining, to use some of those.

After the break, it was time to take the Cariae incarnation of RedRackham out to Prokion Temple - the room I go for was clear, so Karella joined him in a Combat party. I stayed quite a while, and Red got comfortably into level 34, the final level before he becomes a pet-leveller, adding 40.89% experience and 126 skill points. Karella gained 12.06% and 123 skill points, taking her up to 42% of the way through level 27, so she won't need to get rid of that level's experience for another session or two.

I had a number of visitors - a rogue called xlBrandonlx seemed to know what she was doing, but a sorcerer called ritinha00 was a bit low for the room I think and didn't stay long - it is probably no coincidence that a rogue with the similar name of ritinaaa000 arrived soon afterwards, but even using a power potion for extra attack and defence, things didn't go too well. And full marks to a rogue called RMZM who looked in, saw that the room was already occupied, and went away!

There was still some time left, so as a change of pace from Tombs and Temples I switched to the Katar server, and got my healer there, Kaerella again, up from level 13 to level 14, mainly on sasquatches and werewolves. By the end she had just enough skill points for the fifth level of Heal, though there are plenty of other skills that need more levels.

CaptainScarlet had been pet-levelling while Kae was in action, and continued until log-out time, getting his horse safely into level 35. XxGALAHADxX went out to the Cariae version of Merac once Kaerella had finished, and was busy getting his horse through the lower reaches of level 29 when last seen.