Orion testet Melees...

[Ziv]

The Terrifying Truth of Low Level Melees

So today I begin the Melee test as well as polish up the teaser for shipment to MS.

I'm flying solo while Wumpus goes through the creatures making sure that the stats match the new levels that I have ascribed to them in the data spread. So I need to make a decision, hybrid or no?

I decide once again to go against the hybrid character. I love the challenge of the no spell fighter. It's been my main since beta 0. But I decide that I want to keep myself in line with my more recent character who is a gimp.

Don't ask why just read.

I start a macer:

Str 90
End 40
Coo 90
Quick 90
Foc 10
Self 10

Spec:

Mace
Arcane Lore
Melee Defense

Train

Item Enchantment

I hold 4 points over.

I hop in and run through the Newbie academy to get myself to 5 for testing and along the way pick up healing. I create a crude healing kit for myself. "I am a savage cheater."

Now for the fun part, Newbie zone outside of Holtburg. I'm fighting things that are about 5 to 9 levels over me with little no fear. They're not hitting me often enough to deal significant damage but they are doing enough to be a true nuisance. 1/2 hour in I am level 6, and I have enough to upgrade my armor to al 50 all over. (By this point I was already in posession of some nice AL 77 leather but I decided to downgrade to keep the test rolling.

I headed back out with the new clothing and made some more expenditures to bring my mace skill up. I'm surviving most fights, though I am dying when I get really cocky and try to take out those things that are double my level. Should do that yet. Banderling Guards are a very rough fight, but I dodge them enough to stay toe to toe with them. I need to run off once a battle to heal up quick. When I lose my BD1, SK1, Heartseeker1, and Defender 1 from my academy mace things get very hairy very quickly. I usually end up pushing up the daisies.

I run through 2 more buff sessions. I am now level 8 and feeling good.

I level up to 25. I adjust my stats as follows:

Str 160
End 90
Coo 160
Qui 160
Foc 40
Self 20

Health is 90
Stam is 130
Mana is 30

Mace 220
Melee D 210
Arcane Lore 105

Item Enchantment 70
Healing 125
Magic Defense is 50

I am Aluvian by the by. Everything is stock out of the box. I move to the low level content after getting some new armor and prots. In total I have the following. Armor 3, Pierce 3, Strength 3, Quick 1(Dualed with Pierce 3 Aluvian only incredibly lucky pull from a medium loot source)Bludgeon Pro 3, Fire 3, Lightning 3. Not a bad set up. Maybe too good.

I roll out around Arwic again. I like the area it is good for testing. I am doing well against everything save the war using creatures which is very typical. I am still earning enough experience to feel good about life and walk away with 2 deaths. Much better than the newbie area.

I am still taking down the same creatures that I was with archer, albeit a little slower. I am seeing that the tighter variance on my mace coupled with my strength yields damage that is comparable to the greater arrow and the 100% bow so I feel good about that. So the fact that I am on the average 5 seconds back on the kill compared to what the archer was doing doesn't get me down. My resists aren't as often either but I knew that would happen.

All in all I am clocking about the same xp per hour as the Archer and things are going well. I am done for the day though when I hit 26 about an hour into the low session. One thing that I know for a fact is that took a lot less damage in that time. But I blew through more healing kits and stam potions.

So far the testing looks good. Tomorrow I am going to be working on April for the most part but I'll try to get more in for the melee test.

We're in the home stretch now and things are looking better and better!

Now I can't wait for you all to see the changes.