Waiting out the usual maintenance...

...and hoping there will be no more surprises like last week's unexpected changes to Summoner Catherine and to the Construction stance users Diego / Yeganeh and Jack the Engineer.

Now that the main team on Cervantes has relocated to the City of Auch, allow me to share some thoughts on that place with you.

- I'm beginning to think I like Auch more than any of the other towns. I mean, the streets are clean and wide, and the buildings really feel like one is in a city. Must be my inner city rat talking.

[I was born and raised in heavily populated urban areas, and have only recently moved out to the suburbs.]

The background music is nice and rousing. Also, Auch is where the Republican leader Simon Ayende is headquartered, so I'm actually in my preferred political party's host city.

- I obtained the Auch Infantry character card, and I wish someone told me how easy that fight was. Basically, you talk to a soldier who's standing guard near the city's exit. He'll sort of challenge you to a fight. When you say yes, he warps you to the mission room. Then you just pound on him and his fellow soldiers until one of them cries "uncle", and you're good. Fun for families of 4x level.

- The adjacent map, where the Golden Well is located, was, last night, apparently THE place for very high level monsters to hang out. Saw a Sabel Tiger and a Thoracotomy while I was looking around for a Hengestone in there. With a little judicious running around them, my team was not killed.

- Speaking of my team, we're within striking distance of the next set of weaponry AND armor, and it's a good thing I got some good stuff lined up for them for some time now. I got back that staff I lent out to a faction buddy; another faction buddy gave me some really nice gear for my fighter; and I'd picked up a good piece of leather armor for my scout in my travels.

- Another reason for me to love missions: we get an absurd range of weapons from doing them, and since I don't use more than half of them anyway, I chip them. So now, I have an absurd range of Enhancement Chips waiting to be used on my next team's weapons. Win-win all around.

- Speaking of missions: last night a team of Æphemerals [NineMoons, Gotte, Thoraine, Kraft, and Intrepido] did a bunch of Spotlight 1's, one really exciting Trinity 2 - a deluge of Escudo Pecher! Too bad no one was doing the quest at that time! - and a startlingly "dry", according to the others, Highway 2. "Dry" because there were very few spawned monsters. My faction buddies were actually wondering where the bosses were....

- Speaking of Æphemerals: everybody join a faction! Seriously! Because at the very least they can answer your questions about the game; and at the very most they can even make stuff for you and / or give you Vis and / or give you items that they picked up and don't need but you might want. [Thanks, guys.]

- Also, we're recruiting! Please PM NineMoons [I'm filling in as recruiter while faction leader Harbin isn't in] on Cervantes server. No requirements except the ability to understand the English language and a sense of humor.

Can't wait for 1600 my time.....

***

A Notice from the Self-Plugging Department:

If you're in the Philippines and you're a fan, player, and / or curious about Granado Espada, and particularly if you're just starting out in the game, please buy the July print edition of Game! Magazine! I wrote the feature article on starting out in the game there!