Dark Age Of Camelot: Marking Time

Lately, I find myself spinning my wheels, looking forward. Looking forward in time to player housing, towards the controversial patch, towards Trials of Atlantis. Towards Level 50 for the second time, and the /level command. Squinting to see what Mythic has planned for Realm versus Realm combat.

I don't care for waiting. It makes me fidgety, because I know that something waits there, just around the corner, and it will change things for me and for those that I spend my time with. I try to ponder how it will affect the things that I do. I try to plan for it, modifying the way I play and the things I do in anticipation. But teases me, taunting me from not far away.

My husband plays a Berserker. My friends play Berserkers and Shadowblades. I have a Shadowzerker and a Critblade of my own. The reactions to the upcoming patch are mixed, at best. No matter my opinion on the necessity of the changes, I do believe that we have not seen the end of the adjustments. No amount of testing can truly show what will occur in the game at large. You can never know what a change will bring until it is in the hands of the user base. Were I a developer, I would not have made the changes in this manner, but I believe in Mythic's dedication to a balanced game. I want the patch to go in so that we can see the true effects, and further modifications can begin.

For myself, my main character is a Hunter. Since I opened the box to install the game, I have had a plan for the final spec template for her. I stumbled onto Branin's Hunter FAQ, and decided which of his templates fit me best. But now, this patch has thrown that order into chaos. I have spent since the moment the changes were announced replotting my training. 50 Bow, 34 Spear, 33 Stealth, 32 Beastcraft? Is Penetrating Arrow 3 going to be worth sacrificing points for? What about 45 Bow, 39 Spear, 33 Stealth and 32 Beastcraft? My current plan is 46 Bow, 44 Spear, 27 Stealth, 32 Beastcraft, but that may change at the drop of a hat. I need the patch to go in to save my sanity. (Input? blackbird@warcry.com is the place to send it.)

My beloved tradeskilling has been put on hold as I save for a house. I check the Foundations website every day, hoping for a listing of prices. I have a mental plan for what amenities my house will have. I have my husband and good in-game friend planning to pitch in coin with me. I want a merchant to sell our tradeskilling goods while we are not there. I want a vault. I want a two-story house. I want to take up virtual gardening. I haven't even started saving for my masterpiece armor suit.

Not that I will need it. I cannot stay off the Frontiers. Levelling has all but ceased as I traipse out to Emain Macha day after day, shooting people from afar and getting turned into pudding by Infiltrators and Nightshades. I should be spending that time soloing, or frantically searching for groups. But day after day, night after night, I am running over the fields of green in search of someone that I can make into a pincushion.

And what in the world is Mythic up to with RvR combat? I want to know what they have planned. I am excited to see what is in the works. New areas? New ways to open Darkness Falls? New siege warfare? I am starving for realm content, and I am only ranked at 3L0. I can only imagine how people who have been out there longer feel.

Trials of Atlantis. What new races? I love new races. How many alts will I reroll to make them the new race? And what will it be? Personally, I am hoping for svartalfar for Midgard. How will underwater combat work? I want to see the new master levels. My alt creation and advancement are on hold, both for the /level command (and that impossible 50th season) and for the new races.

The wheels, they spin beneath me, and the scent of burned rubber is making me lightheaded. So much on the horizon. So many new possibilities, for play and roleplay both. They are teasing me, just out of reach, and I am half mad with wanting to see what will come.