I have been playing on the PTS (for the first time in 4 years) and it has been one of the most fun times I've had playing L2 in a while. I've enjoyed trying the different weapons and dueling in the arena. I've also enjoyed trying to enchant and element weapons and armor. It's not something that I usually do very often on the live server so it's been a refreshing change of pace.
However...
I have been dismayed at just how expensive this game can be to get a decent weapon and armor. God bless the people that are able to ride it out on the live servers because it's at least 3 to 5 times more expensive there. So far I've only got this:
Full morai armor and jewelry (+3 on each part)
a +5 carus dagger +165 w/SA
a +3 icarus blunt +150 w/SA, and some
icarus dual daggers
a couple of fully elemented pieces of armor
I failed like 7 crafts of armor and blew up like 6 icarus daggers trying for +5 (I lost my nerve after one actually made it). I've bought about 300 element stones and 20 element crystals and I watched it fail to add the element over and over again. I don't even want to think about what the other people were spending that kept getting +7 enchants safely over and over again.
All in all, I've spent almost 2.5 billion adena and I haven't even got all my armor elemented and my weapon still isn't at 300.
AND THIS IS ON A SERVER WHERE MATERIALS, STONES, AND ENCHANTS ARE READILY AVAILABLE AND EXTREMELY CHEAP BY COMPARISON!!!
I'm still enjoying this PTS though, and I've found a couple of text issues that I hope will be addressed. I also love that little speed buff you get on fantasy island as It makes my dwarf looks like she's running on crack :D. But man, I would never hope to have half the stuff I'm getting here on the live servers unless I quit my job and devote my life to playing this game 24/7.
Good job on the PTS...It's the first time I've spent playing this game for 6 hours straight in a very long time.
i made the PTS setup guide after several PTS's..... one after the other.. the same questions and issues kept popping up over and over and over again....
either way... in the entire time i've played the PTS.. i've NEVER ever gotten all my armor to +6.... or managed to get anything above a +6 or 7 weapon, or anything much beyond that in terms of good gear....
This pts however.. due to the exorbant amount of adena..... i managed to craft myself a moirai MW heavy set... (although can unseal/varnish it.. seven signs still not up).... get 2x duals to +14 back to back (which makes me wonder/wish i had just picked one dual and went straight to +28 perhaps)...... got a few peices of my armor to +6.... rest is +4/5.... managed to get my duals to 300 element with more stones used then crystals to obtain it.... my luck with crystals is actually better then stones interestingly enough.
So far.... i haven't really experienced much beyond just testing out how my character would be provided with the elements and duals and other new fuctions if it were all available on live...
IF i were to choose anything to be able to go to life with me from pts..
I think i'd pick my duals...... But it's a hard choice between that and the MW Moirai heavy..... even though i don't know how much of a stat changer it would be yet... so i may even want the MW moirai over the +14 duals.. i don't know... But for the time being.. definitely wish i could have my +14 duals on life.. and i'd be very happy. 592patk (which is equvilent to "between" a +6 and +7 top S84 dual)
Judas, I'm really glad that you're having some luck with Attribute Crystals as my experience with them blows big time! I'm all for random, but when 17 out of 20 fails, it left a sour taste in my mouth for elementing all together.
But one other thing. I'm really enjoying playing a fortune seeker on the test server. The dual dagger thing (while not all that powerful) really adds a bit of flexibility to the character. I might just ditch my TH and roll me a munchkin when this goes live.
Judas, I'm really glad that you're having some luck with Attribute Crystals as my experience with them blows big time! I'm all for random, but when 17 out of 20 fails, it left a sour taste in my mouth for elementing all together.
But one other thing. I'm really enjoying playing a fortune seeker on the test server. The dual dagger thing (while not all that powerful) really adds a bit of flexibility to the character. I might just ditch my TH and roll me a munchkin when this goes live.
WWW
well it's one thing i've been managing to be lucky at..
i have had nothing but failures in the crafting ring on the official.. and the stones have been a flip flop in the applying ..... but since starting element crystals.... i've had some pretty **** good luck..... even to even make my clan leader red in the face considering the numer of element crystals he's poured into his dagger.. which is about 10-15x more then i have.. and he still doesn't have the lvl of element that i do.
My success rate with stones initially was about 70%... which is above normal, most people would average it at around 50% give or take per person.. course someone ALWAYS has to be at the low end of the spectrum.. and others at the high end....
Since the initial 150 applied to my duals quite some time ago.... i've tried appling to armor.. .with very little to no luck recently..... currently sitting at about 30% now..
as for my crystals... i'm now at around 65% success rate..... provided i did do my math right.... if i hadn't failed the last 3 crystals in a row.... i'd be at about 72%
This pts however.. due to the exorbant amount of adena..... i managed to craft myself a moirai MW heavy set... (although can unseal/varnish it.. seven signs still not up)....
You know you can unseal it at the blacksmith at Gludio airport right?