Asuran Fists: Step Three

Neyla

More Korrigans, more points.

and returned to Boyahda Tree to finish off my latent effect on the trial knuckles. The place was full again, and this time a couple of NPC-levelers dropped down to our camp and started killing everything. We moved to another area, but there wasn't any real safe place to charm mandies. Figuring the NPC pricks couldn't stay forever, we went back to our original spot. We burned off another Empress Band charge while we were at it, so I'm now a healthy 8k into the level.

While I was scampering off to Port Bastok to get my key item from Oggbi, Neyla headed down into Toraimorai Canal for another shot at Oni. He's been down there just about every day this week, trying to get it to drop its weapon. He doesn't really need it, but at this point it's becoming a matter of honor.

I got my key item and returned to Windurst to switch over to Beastmaster. Neyla had knocked off quite a bit of Oni's HP bar by the time I got there, so we chucked leeches and pugils at it until it died. No drop, of course.

With that finished, we headed for San d'Oria and crawled into the Bostaunieux Oubliette for our meeting with Bodach.

Neyla wasn't kidding about the sheer number of leeches. There are four leeches in his pop area, so we despawned two and charmed the others. I popped him and we started.

This

I've always wanted to do the Asuran Fists taru backflip, and now I can!

was one of the freakier fights I've had. Bodach hits like a truck and has nasty AoE attacks, so the leeches didn't last very long. We did our best to stagger the pets so there was always one tanking him, but I had a bad habit of getting hate when I'd cast Sneak to keep myself from being attacked by the other leeches. I couldn't even get a decent screenshot, since I was too busy trying to keep my taru ass alive.

I ended up in the red a few times, dreading the AoE attack that would finish me off when I'd be standing too close. I got very lucky, though. We whittled him down and I cast Sneak on myself to run in and get the key item after he died. It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would -- probably close to twenty minutes from start to finish -- but I'm not sure it's something I'd want to try again.

I made my final trip to Bastok to get Asuran Fists from Oggbi and then met Neyla out at Beaucedine Glacier to try out my new move on the pots and goblins running around the outpost. It's just freakin' awesome to have this Monk-defining weaponskill.

Like those skateboarders who like to film their moves, we worked hard to get a pic of me doing the taru backflip. It happens a lot faster than I expected, but I got the pic above and Neyla took the uber-cool shot below.

I'm very content.


Taru backflip, baby!

Asuran Fists: Step Two

Neyla

Korrigans make excellent tanks.

and I hit Boyahda Tree today to begin working off points toward Asuran Fists. The place was packed to overflowing, it seemed. A BRD/BST and RDM/BST duo were camped near the entrance to the upper level, charming pets and fighting goobues. Other full BSTs were running around, and a mage duo was fighting crabs near the waterfall.

We went downstairs to a camp where we've merited before, a spot full of charmable mobs and plenty of crabs and goobues. Neyla was on Beastmaster and used Korrigans to tank Steelshells. With Decimation into Dragon Kick, I could close out a Light skillchain for maximum points. I was MNK/WHM and rested regularly so I could toss out buffs and cures as needed.

We'd managed to knock out 125 points before I had to leave for Limbus. I'd used my Empress Band when I arrived and burned off the charge while we worked, so at least now I have a 3k buffer.

Enough people turned up that we could do the first floor of Temenos Central, which only has six monsters. We killed a Yovra on the way and tried to farm some Aern organs while Dreucent ran back to Jeuno to buy the soap. We did the run and pocketed two Ancient Beastcoins for our troubles with another twelve for the bank.

I

I won't miss fighting Yovras.

was asked to lot the chip, which is as neat a way to postpone my retirement from Limbus as it gets. I'll be sticking around for one last Ultima fight, which should hit around the same time.

While I was running around Temenos Central, Neyla was scoping out the Bostaunieux Oubliette. I hadn't gotten around to finding the pop area for the Asuran Fists NM to see if it was viable for us to kill him as Beastmasters, so he said he'd check it out. He hadn't been thrilled about the idea when I first proposed it, but his mood lightened considerably when he saw the sheer number of leeches available as pets.

"We could pull this off," he said.

We'll finish working off my points tomorrow and give it a shot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping like hell it works.

Asuran Fists: Step One

I went seeking all day Monday but had no luck getting a party. I wasn't really worried about it, since I was playing through Half-Life 2 for the first time. Neyla and Nanunanoo were waiting for Besieged to start and I considered joining them once I'd given up hopes of an invitation, but I was really tired and went to sleep instead.

Today

Oggbi gives me the trial knuckles in Port Bastok.

I got lucky because Nyosan and Areya (from my Limbus group) were putting a party together and saw me seeking. We traveled through Nyzul Isle to the Caedarva Mire camp with all the flayer mobs and started the slaughter. Rizli had made a party and was camped beside us, which made me chuckle a little.

The experience points rolled in and I grew closer and closer to 71, trying like hell to avoid getting my hopes up. I was about 5k away when Areya said she had to leave for work in 30 minutes, so I was going nuts hoping we'd pull it off. I managed to disconnect twice, which caused me to howl at my computer in frustration.

I was 1k away when she had to leave, but everyone else said we could get that with no problem. I got my level and traveled to Port Bastok to get my trial knuckles. Neyla and I are going to start working off the points Thursday or Friday.

I've read that two Beastmasters can kill the Asuran Fists NM using the leeches in the area, but I have to scope out the camp before Neyla will agree to try it. He capped his xp on BST, but he's still pretty squeamish about death.

/sigh

I'd

Well... at least it's xp.

hoped today's "Test Your Mite" ENM and escort would put me 20k into Lv. 70 on Monk, but we lost the fight. Wulfgar was called away by his HNM/Sky linkshell before he could join us, then Ghaleon lost hate on Pasuk and it beat me to death while Cmdrfly was distracted. So much for that dream.

Neyla and I hit the Necropolis for the escort mission. I said I'd be content if I managed to break 1,000xp from the scroll and got 1,040. I'm hoping like hell I manage to get a party on Monday and reach 71.

I want Asuran Fists, damn it!