I easily made my way into the stronghold by myself, clearing the way of Ra’Jin as I went. I started to hear the abducted woman call out for help, so I continued deeper into the stronghold. The way grew more difficult and I succumbed to a roamer one time and to an accidental multiple pull another time. It was then that I teamed up with another person playing a rogue and things went smoother.

The rogue is neat because it can “stealth” its way around. I could still see the outline of the rogue, but the enemy could not. This lead to a problem when I was following the rogue around a corner. The rogue, used to not having to worry about aggro, ran past several enemies that can’t be seen until you go around the corner. This, of course, led to my demise yet again. We regrouped, and waited for the abducted woman to appear again. When she appeared, I hailed her, and got quite a surprise. She turned into a mean Ra’Jin warrior that I could not have defeated solo. It was touch and go, but between my nuking as fast as I could and the rogues melee, we defeated him and completed the quest. After that, the rogue and I parted ways, and I went searching for more adventure.

I was sent to a remote Lao’Jin outpost to a man named Toak, who is a Disciple of Shaof. Toak told me that this is a retreat where the inhabitants have given up their bodies to live in harmony with Jin. I am to clear the way so that others can safely get to the retreat. I was given the quests named The Hills Are Alive and Objects For Study.

The Hills Are Alive quest had me go out to the surrounding countryside and kill Enraged Undergrowth’s, which are sort of like a bundle of tree roots that have grown legs and walk around. Objects For Study was similar in that it wanted me to slay a few different types of mobs so that the Lao’Jin could study them and find out why they are evil.

After completing those quests, I was sent off to find a man named Pao Min, located not far from a place called the Magi Hold. Magi Hold, I am told, is the home of imperial enemies. Once I located Pao Min, I decided to call it a night. It was another productive night that ended with me halfway through level 12 and enough money to buy all my spells.

–Wolfen

I blew on the horn when I was in the Jin Master’s room and that was a mistake. A large creature popped into the small room and started beating me down. Since I am a squishy druid, I didn’t last long. I died, released my spirit, and returned to claim my body.

For the next try, I made sure that I was outside with plenty of room to run around. My root spell didn’t want to stick on him, so I had to run, cast a damage spell, get hit, run some more, heal, run, damage spell, etc. It was still touch and go and I won by the slimmest of margins. I would post a screenshot of it but the fight kept me so busy I didn’t have a chance to take one. So, for the first picture, I give you a shot of Vanguard’s version of a Bind Stone.

After completing the first three steps of the Final Tests of Jin, I was sent off to find four more people who will test my skills further to see if I am worthy of Lao’Jin. Their names are Taien, Kalen, Nyrasir, and a Water Serpent. If I complete their tasks, I will be given the Blessing of Faith. I found three of these people near a pool hidden away in a grotto. The Water Serpent was some distance away and down at the edge of the beach.

All the quests centered around the same theme. I had to go out and kill a certain number of this and a certain number of that. Too many of the quests I have completed so far have followed this formula. A little more imagination could have been used with these quests. But, considering the rush this game was in to get launched, I suppose the designers didn’t have much time for creativity.

Be that as it may, some of the tasks were interesting. The Water Serpent had its eggs stolen by some evil lizards and needed them returned to her. I had to work my way into a cave full of the lizards to liberate the eggs. It was easily done solo, I just needed to be patient and clear the way back into the cave (for the record, every quest I have complete up to this point was done solo).

Another quest involved eliminating some creatures known as Sanctorum. I had to slay some of them and also a creature that roamed around their area. It looked like the cave troll from the Lord of the Rings movies and it was accompanied by two pets. I only saw one pet when I pulled it, so when the second pet showed up I wasn’t prepared and they took me down, but not before I killed big momma. When I revived and went back, the dead creature was still there, so I looted the required item and moved on.

I completed all the tasks and turned in everything. The quest experience rewards were huge and it really made me feel like I was adequately rewarded for all my effort. I do wish that quest rewards would give out more armor pieces. Most of them give experience and cash. Very rarely will I get an armor item I can use. I have many armor slots still empty.

I also have two group quests that I came across the other night. With such a low population on the newbie areas, I’m not sure if I will get them done or not.

I end this post with a screenshot that shows the game map. I think this map needs serious work. It looks like a low quality JPG that was put in as a placeholder and was never fixed. Take a page from World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online and correct this please.

–Wolfen

Even though I consider my first night playing the game smoother than anticipated, the game does have some glaring flaws and glitches. The first of which is unless you have a decent gaming computer with a good video card, you will not get the best gaming experience out of Vanguard. The game has been greatly optimized since beta, but it still has a long way to go.

The game still stutters and hitches, even with my Nvidia 8800GT card with 512mb of video RAM. It is very smooth when I’m out in the country by myself, but it really slows down when you get nearer the cities. This is with the base options set to High. Vanguard’s graphic design is based on realism, and you pay a heavy price for making things look as real as possible. I prefer this style of graphics, so the occasional hitch or stutter doesn’t bother me at all. There is a wide range of graphical options, so it would be easy to lower the settings to make it play better on slower machines.

My half-elf druid started on the Kojan continent, which is a series of islands. The culture is Asian-based and leans heavily towards a Samurai style. The inhabitants worship a way of life known as “Jin” that permeates everything they do. There is a “good” Jin known as Lao’Jin, and an “evil” Jin known as Ra’jin. The two Jins are at war with one another, each trying to become the dominant way of life.

Most quests during these early levels almost always have something to do with Jin. In fact, as I continued to gain levels, the Jin quest line became more and more heavy-handed. I am now level 11 and I can say that I am completely tired of the subject of Jin. I hope a new type of quest line starts soon, because I need a new subject to keep my attention.

With that said about the long Jin quest line, the bad also comes with some good. There is a wealth of quests and I never lacked for something to do. I still have many quests in my quest log at level 11. I just wish they all didn’t have something to do with Jin.

My druid plays like a cross between a wizard and a standard druid. I have big nukes and powerful damage over time spells. I can root and snare, which allows for solo kiting. Small heals help if I get beat on. So far, I really enjoy this style of character. It seems to have the best of both worlds. Time will tell if it stays this way as I level up.

The world is massive, beautiful, and fun. It is also very under-populated. Even with just four servers, it is obvious that most players gave this game a wide berth. I also average two crashes to the desktop each night, so the developers still have much to do.

My next postings will get back to my gaming adventures. I will detail the good along with the bad, of which I have encountered plenty of both. You will get the true opinion of a so-called “veteran noob,” so that the average player can get an idea of what to expect when playing this game.

–Wolfen