GE V4.0 is of teh uber luvs!

Seeing this and this put my heart racing...

FOR JOY!!!

I'll just make a quick reaction post here for what I like!

Favorite teams is teh gudnes and hawtness!

Now, I can organize teams to play with! No more clicking here and there just to get started! :D

The Map is cleaner!

This way, I can easily pinpoint which NPC to go to without figuring out who's in the crowd!!!

Is all! This is teh yumyumz!

The Noble's Court: Introduction

As a way to reward players who have done so much to grind and level up, IAH Games has a unique reward program. It is in the form of the "Noble's Court." IAH Games came up with a history that during the war between Brestia and Vespanola, one of the reasons why Vespanola won was they had all of their military forces bear symbols of power (jn form of banners or flags). These symbols intimidated the Brestian forces but this was regarded as an insult to Vespanola itself. These symbols of power they happen to bear are the symbols of the noble classes of Vespanola. Whether or not a soldier or an officer is of noble blood, they took these symbols of power for them to display during the battlefield. This was known as "Operation N."

The main reason why this "operation" was reinstated by Sir Lyndon is to unite the continent of the ongoing threat of Montoro's forces. Political struggles between the Royalists and the Republicans only made the situation complicated. It is up to the pioneering families to make a stand and a name for themselves to one day fight as a unified force against Montoro's ever-growing threats.

This appealed to me since I was a long time player of the game itself and maybe I'd deserve a reward or two. Now this is how it works:

• Achieve a certain family level (depending on nobility rank's goal)
• Report to the Noble's Court Officer located at Auch, Reboldoeux or Coimbra
• Receive your flags (along with other goodies, not applicable to Righteous flags)

These back items are mainly for decoration purposes but they do flaunt an image of power, showing your prestige of reaching such rank. It isn't easy getting your family level to at least 20 because it will involve a big number of characters with high levels. Aside from the flags, you will also recieve the following items:

• 1x Hrin's Liquor
• 10x Triumph Fillers
• 10x Mystic Ampules
• 10x Soul Crystals
• 50x Progressive Health-fillers
• 50x Progressive Soul-fillers
• 1x Ancient Shelter Pass (1 Day)
• 1x Field Survival Manual - Expert (1 Day)
• 1x Combat Manual - Expert (1 Day)
• 1x Tactics Manual - Expert (1 Day)

Also, they also give out special versions of such flags. These flags are labeled as "Righteous" because of the special buffs you will receive while wearing them. The main difference is that these "Righteous" flags only last for 30 days from the day you equip them for the first time and they don't come with the other items that come bundled with the regular flags (mentioned earlier). So far, all Righteous flags grant +1 Defense Rating and +10% Attack Speed.

Which role will you play?

I'll make sure to cover up the different ranks as I progress. I'm slow but no way to go but up!

What to expect from Granado Espada V3.2

For a mere 95 MB, I'd say that this major patch is relatively the smallest amongst the updates I've downloaded in my career in Granado Espada. But nevertheless, major things are going to be added to this newest expansion and out of the three new features, two of them only caught my appeal.

Team Arena!

Stolen shot from Hrin's blog!

Based from what I have read, this new PVP type feels like playing an advanced Warcraft 3 map that's designed for each player to defend their bases from waves of attacks and to defeat the opposing force, just like the famous "Defense of the Ancients (a.k.a. DotA)." It'll involve killing to earn coins to get buffs to the edge over the opposing force and summon bosses to defend your base. Nothing much to say. I'm not a big fan of PVP because I am usually the first one to die (when sent as a front liner).

New Pets!


Stolen pics from Hrin's blog again!

Two new pets will be arriving and they sure are promising! The Pigling (the pig, obviously) has a better item retrieval rate and range compared to the Pilfurr but its activity rate runs out quickly. Well, the price of accelerated abilities (not to mention its a pig, so itt eats a lot!). Of course, the Pan Pan has caught my charms and it's gotta be a useful pet in a unique way! According to this blog, it gives a special buff that stacks on top of EXP and Item Rate manuals. How's that as an added bonus! Of course, I need to be able to check them out myself to see them to believe (and review) them!

Combination Buff!

A stolen shot from this article!

Known as the MCC Buff from kGE, we're finally getting this feature which allows the player to experience a special buff when a combination of characters are used in the field. I did write something about it but it's best you check out this article instead!

I can't wait to some of the Combo Buffs that I can make! I'll make a new post in Combo buffs and my personal opinion on each! Remember to download the patch and get it ready!

MCC Buffs unveiled!!!

I recalled this entry from BlackSword because this is what I saw from our Japanese Fansite! Yep! If you have a certain combination of characters, you will be granted an MCC Buff!

Here's data that I attempted to get and translate from the site itself (all added information is just my suggested understanding or for labeling purposes):

If we work together, there is no impossibility.

This new feature allows a special buff to be activated if you assemble your MCC team with a specific set of characters. Each MCC Buff is different and powerful as it is applied.

Town Soldier Team

Team: Reboldoeux Solider, Coimbra Trooper and Auch Trooper
Buff: Attack class (ATK Rating) +1, defense class (DEF Rating) +1

Love Triangle

Team: Gavin, Edward and Selva
Buff: Attack power (ATK) +5, attack speed +10%, defensive power (DEF) +20

Sharpshooters

MCC: Najib Sharif, Grace Bernelli and Lorch Furholden
Buff: On-target hit ratio (Accuracy?) +10%, attack speed +5%, penetration +5

Martial Artists

Team: Jean, Gracielo and Soho the Wind
Buff: HP+1000, defensive power (DEF) +5, defense class (DEF Rating) +1

Ustiur Rescue Knights

Team: Grandice, Romina and Rescue Knight
Buff: Drift speed (Movement Speed?) +10%, state abnormal resistance +10

2 Boys and a girl/Kids Team

Team: Ramiro, Tiburon and Claire
Buff: Defense class (DEF Rating) +1, HP+2000

These are the six MCC buffs that version 3.1.0 has to offer. More may be coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Me? At Veteran? Come on!

It has come to my attention that someone mistook me as a Veteran. Why? A player checked my profile and saw that my Family Level is at 17. When I told him my highest level was 79, he didn't believe me. To substantiate this, I told him that I have 30 characters in my family plus the fact that I'm in a Level 52 Faction that granted the +3 Family Level boost. He immediately apologized for his wrong assumption but I forgave him. This "incident" prompted me to ask a friend what's the usual Family Level for Veterans. He told me that it was around 14 - 16 and it may include being with a faction that grants the additional Family Level boost. Taking this into consideration, I am thankful to reach such a family level without reaching Veteran (and belonging to a faction that has the boost). As of now, I have 31 characters (I recently added a Male Scout because I got the Korean Costume due to the large influx of Bok-Jo-Ris I have acquired!) and a base Family Level of 14. Apply +3 to that and you get 17. Wow... 17%+ HP and 7%+ ATK. Hey hey hey! Don't assume that I'm a Vet because of my current situation right now. I'll be a vet soon... Maybe in two months time?

Allow me to give you, the reader, a lecture on the level systems here so you can tell the difference between Character Level, Stance Level and Family Level.

Character Level:
This is the level of the character that is in your party. The major factor of a character's level is the ability for him/her to be able use weapons, armor, accessories and costumes as long as the character meets the level requirements. Level 1 characters start off with 200 SP but it increases per 20 SP every five levels. At every level, a character's HP increases slightly as well. To increase a character's level, you have to gain EXP by defeating the monsters and/or use EXP cards. In the Player-Kill (PK) servers, there is a danger to lose EXP and therefore get demoted to a lower level. The maximum limit right now is Level 100 but you can reach as high as Level 120 by purchasing Veteran Scrolls (to reach the Level 110 Limit) and Expert Scrolls (to reach the Level 120 Limit).

Stance Level:
This is the level of a character's stance. The major factor of the stance level is the ability to use skills related to the stance once reaching certain levels. You also earn points per level to increase the skills related to the stance. All stances have a level limit of 25. When learning new stance via Stance Books (purchased from Master Room), there are some stances that have level requirements in either Character or Stance or even both.

Family Level:
Now, I haven't gotten solid info but I'll do my best to share what I can about this. Family Level dictates on how much the total experience that all your family members (including the ones in the barracks) have. I noticed that this increased when I add new characters with levels starting beyond 44. Family Level plays an important role in the game as it allows you to be privileged to vote during the elections, make a faction of your own, enter into player-killing mode (in the Cervantes, Vivaldi and Caravaggio servers) and gain bonuses. Bonuses, I say? Well, you gain an HP Bonus by percent depending on your Family Level. Once reaching Family Level 11, you get +1% ATK Bonus and it adds up per Family Level. To give you a gist on how this works, here's something I can think up:

Family Level 1: +1% HP Bonus
Family Level 2: +2% HP Bonus
Family Level 3: +3% HP Bonus
Family Level 4: +4% HP Bonus
Family Level 5: +5% HP Bonus
Family Level 6: +6% HP Bonus
Family Level 7: +7% HP Bonus
Family Level 8: +8% HP Bonus
Family Level 9: +9% HP Bonus
Family Level 10: +10% HP Bonus

Family Level 11: +11% HP Bonus and +1% ATK Bonus
Family Level 12: +12% HP Bonus and +2% ATK Bonus
Family Level 13: +13% HP Bonus and +3% ATK Bonus
Family Level 14: +14% HP Bonus and +4% ATK Bonus
Family Level 15: +15% HP Bonus and +5% ATK Bonus
Family Level 16: +16% HP Bonus and +6% ATK Bonus
Family Level 17: +17% HP Bonus and +7% ATK Bonus

So far, there is no limit that I know of. If there is anyone knowledgeable about this system, please let me know what I can provide here! Wow. Looks like I was able to get that off my chest. Wait for more posts, alright?

Hey... Isn't it way too early or way too late for Halloween?

The Forgotten Territory Experience

I was really tempted to use my Forgotten Territory pass since it promises good EXP. The good EXP actually comes from the heavy spawn rate the occurs in these dungeons. My original plan was to just level up Jack and Diego but looks like I decided to use my Combat Manual - Expert item along as well. I activated the both of them at December 21, 2007, 9:43 PM, GMT +8.

I started off as Celso (Gracielo), Freyja (Brunie) and Joanne (Emilia). I was really surprised on how much monsters was in these dungeons and the rate they keep coming back. I went on for a semi-24-hour marathon to level up my other characters to 48. Celso and Freyja were able to reach the goal. After that, I switched Celso and Freyja for Iqbal (Najib Sharif) and Alana (Catherine). Alana's dolls had no problem in wiping out the the room clean without the danger of dying! It got really late, so I had to get some sleep.

I logged in again right after waking up the next morning. This time, I leveled up Jacki (Adelina) and Lauryn (Grace). It was kind of tricky to grind in these dungeons because sometimes to you can't keep up with the spawn rate! My advice is that you bring a character who is capable of hitting more than one target and/or has skills that targets a good number of mobs. After that, I decided to grind Clint (Jack) and Cletus (Diego). Oh boy, it was tricky using their skills but a faction mate taught me how to utilize them for 1-spot grinding. Since the Forgotten Territory Dungeons have high mob spawns, there would be no problem in staying one spot while the structures did their job without ever having to relocate. I am thankful to have them at least reach level 16 (and above) in their skills. Now, I know what it's like to build a "fortress" with cannons and rotating blades to attack the monsters while using fences to lure them to their demise! I couldn't get them to level 48 since I was pretty worried about the supply of Soul Potions and Toolset Boxes. I ended up leveling them up to 36. My last attempt to "powerlevel" was Alphonse (Panfilo) and Syeri (Idge). I thought I couldn't make it by 9:43 PM to reach level 48 but looks like I did the (almost) impossible! I decided to hang a little longer in the Forgotten Territory Dungeon until I was booted out! Well, thanks for the fun time at FT! :D

Hmmm... It seems I'm breaking some promises here. Well, I gotta admit I got hooked into the game ever since Bahia Island's implemented. I'll list down here on what I should write next:

• Bahia Island experiences
• New characters (yes, I expanded my barracks), their names of origin and family photos
  
• Finished Claude and Najib Sharif's quests
• Reaching Level 64 (main team)
• Christmas Event
• A Granado Espada UI Skin I'm making
  
• Round up of 2007

Well, I hope I can keep my word. Oh yeah, I got a job as a call center agent as well! It means that my time playing in Granado Espada is severely affected but I need to work if I want them premium goods! That's life, guys. A guy needs to be able to stand in his own two feet soon. Thanks for reading and I'll get back on these topics (and I promise pictures!)

Update on Gracielo and more opinions on v2.1.18

Well, I did promise that I'd blog about Gracielo, so here's my end of the bargain!

When the business model was announced and after researching the premium item mall, I find the business model a fair deal. Looks like we can only expand our barracks, personal shop and warp slots by using G-Points to purchase the licenses we need for expansion. Since I have only one slot left, I decided to choose...

Gracielo!!!

For his name, I chose "Celso" and it is also a random name generated from Behind The Name. It is also the same site that I generated a name for my M'Boma. Celso's name came from this following definition:

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of the Roman family name Celsus, which meant "tall" in Latin.

Since Gracielo is Spanish but sounds Italian (his accent's like Mario from Super Mario Bros.) to me, this name was a fitting choice. Plus, Gracielo is tall!

After getting him, I decided to do his quest getting the Chapter of Wind stance book. After so much effort in doing the quest (because it will cause the player to play as Gracielo only), I finally got my Gracielo to learn the Chapter of Wind! Yay! :D

Okay, let me give my summarized opinions for the other features:

• The Baron Items - I can't say much since I'm not from a PK server but I it would be cool to have some of the items. I also realized that the life of a Baron is definitely not for me!
• Veteran Stances - If I reach level 100, I will consider buying a Veteran Recipe to gain such status.
• Item Mall - I will buy the necessities (barracks, warp slots, items for Irawan) and costumes! I like to be a fashionista! :D
• Forgotten Territory Pass - I'll pass that pass. Pun intended.
• Andre's Costume Box - It's a gamble. It's either I sell my extras or take a chance in getting a free random premium item.
• Glass Switchboard - Pretty nifty if I have glasses that do not correspond to my character's gender and class requirements. Saves me the burden from trying to get a compatible pair via a rare random drop. But I haven't gotten any glasses yet! :P
• Anvil for Ring Destruction - There's a tiny chance I will use this, for I must value any ring that comes to my possession. Whether I have that skill or not, I'm keeping my rings.

Finally, I got that off my chest. Next update will cover my recent mission-going sessions with three other members of the RedSign faction to the Highway Level 2, Interchange Level 1, Trinity Level 2 and Spotlight Level 2 missions! :D Now, who were my companions?

Alright! I got a new video card!

I was able to replace my video card and I finally get to play GE once again! A lot of things has happened in the course of two weeks and boy am I really excited to share it right now!

First of all, I'd like to thank NineMoons for her Trivia Bonanza and Lady Veya for awarding me as the "Best Fanblog" for the Philippines. In participating in the events, I was entitled to a prize: "Divine Angel Wings!" That makes two of them as well! This is the first time I have ever won prizes from an MMORPG! I was really happy when I got informed that I won such items! Believe me, it's my very first time to win MMORPG events!

I started playing again in the last days of v2.0.9 (I did miss the 2x EXP rate) and I was so excited to upgrading to v2.1.18. When the day finally came (August 16, 2007), I was eager to start and I was able to claim my wings! :D Irawan's first instanced mission got crowded that I couldn't access it yet. But a day after, I was able to access it at the price of heavy lag. Looks like everyone wants a piece of the new RNPC. Understanding his quest, the main reason why he is considered a item mall/cash shop RNPC is because the items he will need (Soul Crystals, Hrin's Ampoule and Triumph Filler) are premium items only acquired from the Premium Item merchant. Although you will get these items at level 76, it is only half of what Irawan needs (10 of each).

For the other features, I will discuss them now. A new office in Coimbra opened and it is the Pegadilla. This serves as a Mercenary Office where I can enlist other characters that have undergone mercenary application and apply my character to be a mercenary. Looks like this is the "Character Trading Feature" that the game promised in the future. By the looks of it, I think RNPCs can become "Mercenaries for Hire" as well as the basic professions of the game.

In order for m character to be a mercenary, I need to:

• Have a level 50 character
  
• Must bring two family members alongside the mercenary applicant
• The character must be fully unequipped
• Have the premium item "Mercenary License" in my inventory

The mercenary character (now transformed into a card) will lose 20% of total EXP, so the character will de-level. I can now trade this character's card like an unused RNPC card. I like this feature but I doubt I'll be able to use it.

Now if I wanted to "hire" the mercenary to my family, all I have to do is to head for the Pegadilla and look for the Mercenary Officer. I need to have the mercenary (character) card with me and prepare 100,000 Vis as a fee of hiring the character. I can could also check the stats of the character and give him/her a name that I want. Looks like I have to be careful if I decide to buy a mercenary card. Having a space in the barracks is a must! :P

There are other features to discuss but I guess that'll have to wait! :D