A Mixed Bunch

Memree kept going most of the night in the guild hall before the memory ran out - I think there were only six Christmas Gift Boxes there when she returned at breakfast time, but two of them dropped platinum drop boosters, which is better than average. Katar's level 10 version of Barbarienne joined her there for the morning - I didn't have time for any actual playing, unfortunately, as I had to make a trip to the local Royal Mail sorting office, and do a little shopping as well.

The afternoon however started with Memree and Kaerella going to Katar-4's Prokion Temple, for Kae to have another pssp hour; Kaerella gained 397 skill points, taking her store of unused sp above 13k now, while adding 7.72% experience. Memree gained 36.72%, as the active one in the combat party, and 133 skill points again, plus 1039 pet points and 415 guild points; she continued there briefly to get the skill points total up to 140, which added another 0.91%, 37 pet points, and 10 guild points as well, then back in town was able to get the final level of advanced farming, plus the first level of herb trunk processing.

After that, well, Memree needed a trip to Misty Canyon, and thirteen more deaths. There was a mage at work on the first Introducer Camio, so I kept clear, and annoyed the next one along. It's all much quicker than running around Prokion Temple to die used to be, and I don't even need to remove my armour and accessories.

The early evening food break started slightly early, so that I'd be ready in good time for one of [GM]Valsharyn's Mad Monster Spawns, which, as previously noted, aren't the regular kind of MMS, they have some thought and active participation put into them, with monsters for lower level people on one side, occasionally, while the higher level types play with a few Flutons. So, butchers, and beast hunters and treants and blood wolves were spawned, as well as Balrogs - I think these were the ones that appear at the end of the first personal dungeon, rather than the Juno "raid boss" type, but they look suitably dramatic.

The drops were suitably generous, which make up for the deaths involved - or at least they do for RedRider, who doesn't have a mass of skill points to lose. I still wouldn't be keen to take Rage along, level 72 would be a bit tricky, easily vulnerable to attacks from the high level Almas, Blood Terrains, Flutons, Patriarch Botises, and various cube guards, and getting nothing from the low-level monsters.

"Event is finally over, after 90 minutes and four additional waves of monsters and drops :D!! Good hunting everyone, use your items wisely! :)"

It wasn't long after that concluded that a "hide and seek" commenced, on Auzura-1, but despite riding around Juno until RedRider's horse was pretty hungry, I didn't come across the GM - Valsharyn again. The problem was that every time she was found, she moved - at least, I don't think she actually took up a new position for five minutes, which meant for a lot of the time she was nowhere to be found. Still, I fought some blood wolves, and did get a pan flute as a drop...

Meanwhile, ColonelScarlet was hard at work. I think huxy may have dropped by early in the evening, I did catch a glimpse of someone on a white horse riding away, but otherwise things were quiet, and productive, until at about 7:35, UK time, I did see huxy, and this time he immediately killed my bandits and rode off. I guess he gets naughty when he gets bored, sigh... at least the Christmas Gift Box that spawned by ColonelScarlet a few minutes after that dropped a platinum drop booster.

The idea of having separate monster spawns for high-level and low-level players seems to be catching on, as the US server MMS tomorrow is announced as in two different locations, well apart; the usual location is for the high level people, and a completely different spot will be for lower level players. It will be interesting to see how that works out.

Another new idea is a "scavenger hunt" - if 500 of the item in question are turned in to a GM on Friday, then there will be "several hours" of 50% extra experience and skill exp. Nobody can start saving the items yet, as they are Christmas Balls - and, at least until some sort of patch during maintenance tomorrow puts things right, they are one of the items that vanish from one's inventory when a character logs out.

Memree logged in over on Katar to find out where the coordinates for the lower-level MMS led her - which was down to the south-west corner of the map, and the great horn beasts close to the lake there. As the great horn beasts are level 24 and aggressive, it would be best not to be too low-level there!

And for the last active part of the evening, it was my level 50 cleric Kaerella, over on Cariae-1, who returned to action, with another shorter session with the akane giants out in the Dratan desert. Adding 5.77% and 39 skill points, plus 376 pet points, may not seem much, but it all moves us along. ColonelScarlet, meanwhile, had got the horse into level 33, so, once that level is completed, there are only three more to go. Ratel's healer Jacqueline logged in, and we chatted for a while; being in South Africa, Ratel hasn't actually ever experienced snow. He doesn't know what he's missing...