So started messing around with my intended Iconic completionist GrouseZiggy and realised I need to test him out. So as I prefer squishy (non warforged) I really needed to find out what he can and can't do. I have run Paladins before but they have all been sword and board until now with both Ziggy and the newly created Roland using two handed weapons, so I needed to get my head round cleaving everything.
Lock up your daughters
First port of call was good old Whisperdoom, I know this was well below level but you don't test something you are uncomfortable with at full strength until you at least know how things work plus it is always good for favor. Not found a really comfortable way of getting the right keyboard layout so combat doesn't functions the way I want. I had a melee mindset but with all the combat abilities that Ziggy has I am findng I am playing closer to how I run a caster than a melee. Certainly taking a little time and I hate having too many clickies on hotbars which so many others use, personal choice.
Just how many more do I need?
I have a habit of power leveling characters and Ziggy is no exception, he has got a lot of his experience through running in gianthold. The slayer boosts have made a massive difference as 9000 slays is a big number and hard work in GH but halfway there so will smash my way through the bodies. Nice step into Orchard after which is my favourite wilderness for speed to get the big numbers. A short route with maximum benefit from the wagon train and the rats in the mound of bones.
Shiney and Pointy
I do have one other non squishy character, AgentGrouse the warforged articier with his defender MrBond. All I need is an adventure with plenty of gold and a villian who uses a giant swinging axe to chop up his opponents. I do find that I have had to struggle with certain races and force myself to play them, mainly because I know what works for me and tend to stick with what I know, but it is nice to challenge my precepts with races that I normally avoid. Certainly AgentGrouse will always be warforged and because of Mrbond (yes I do use the accent in my head) he will always be an artificer.
So Mike Oldfield gives us then title this time and I think it is incredibly appropriate given the fact we are going to discuss my current progress and where I have shifted and concentrated my focus. If you read this blog you would know I have started an Iconic Hero Ziggy but he has suffered because I have gone back to characters I was into prior to him coming along. I am hoping that I will have 2 characters to reincarnate next week if I put the time into the second one.
Standby for action (I do love old tv)
Now Merlin is already to reincarnate, this is after 3 Wizard, 3 Sorcerer, 3 Favored Soul and 3 Warlock lives. Because of the bonus to evocation from past lives it really seems that Merlin will take the Air Savant route in what I am expecting to be his final heroic life. The progress has been slow but given his past life bonuses he should be pretty good for running with a hireling healer. Now he is ready to level and I have to say the main reason is the ease with slayer bonuses he had of hitting the 7500 slayer in Orchard. There has been a lot of grind with certain quests in one case to the point where I am at the point of never wanting to run it again (at least for a couple of weeks).... I hate runways and fashion.
Still a little way to go
Next up is Conan the Monk, I know just looks so bleah but this is just his second life and he has another 2 as Monk to come before 3 fighter lives and back to Barbarian 3 times. Because this is early in his multi life cycle there were others I could have chosen to work on but as I am working on a caster with a legendary name thought I would work on a Melee type at the same time. Because of the amount of lives yet to run I am more comnfortable with him except when running a quest that works better if you have a ranged solution. Shuriken are not the fastest solution to a giant Mindflayer and because I have completed the slays in Orchard Conan is now in Merida banging out the slays there. I am not sure if I will do the 10k or stop at 6k and jump to Reavers yet???
One thing I did notice in Orchard that I hadn't seen before or seen notification of is the werewolves and vampires near the entrance along with the silver flame paladins up by the Black Abbot graveyard, now as I haven't done epic Orchard I don't know if there are CR14 to 16 Werewolves in there but I certainly don't remember ever seeing them before. Lag? I missed a slight change to heroic Orchard? Or some dev is playing with my head? Not sure so confusion reigns.
Colour coordinated with the Panda
Yes I quest but I do enjoy wilderness a lot even if I do get through a ton of slayer boosts each week. I tend to spend most of turbine points on those boosts. I did almost move to my ranger Tanis rather than Conan but I will say Tanis does look right with a Panda but Conan got the vote over both Tanis and Ziggy for the time being. But I change my mind constantly so no idea what I will be like once Merlin and Conan rise from the ashes to start their next lives.
