It's my cake day! 1 Year of PL.
So I checked out my account history in the Spacetime Nexus and have been playing now for a year. I thought I would post a little bit about the experience, comparing then and now. Feel free to read about my journey. A tribute to 1 year of what I affectionately call "the game".
The beginning...
I joined just before Valentines day and didn't really know anything about the game. PL was my first MMO of any kind, but not my first RPG. I created my character (Bird) and started in to Forest Haven. At first I thought it was ok, the controls were a little clunky and took some getting used to. I played through the first few maps and got lost with the infinite spawning zombies but eventually I figured out what was up. Around this time, my girlfriend created a character and we started playing together. I remember the commotion and excitement was about the Sewers, which had been released not too long before I started playing.
When I started playing, the first 2 campaigns were free, and the rest cost platinum. By the time I cleared the FH and DF zones I decided that I enjoyed the game enough to go out and buy an iTunes card, and I purchased all areas for the entire game. I was charmed by the game, and I was starting to figure out things like stats and skills and how to survive as a bird. I was so astonished the game was mobile, and that it was cross platform!
The noob era...
I call this the noob era because I really thought I understood the game and how it worked, but looking back, I really didn't. I didn't know about the Join Game/Host Game thing until I hit level 45, until that point I just thought it was luck if I ended up in a map with some people to help, usually I just solo'd. The swamps were hard, I really hated the swamps. It was also during this time that I hit level 30, and discovered this "elite Frozen Nightmare" thing. I was initially very driven by quests, so I thought since I was level 30 it was time to complete these level 30 quests. Well that was hard! I kinda thought I was gonna get some super-awesome magic special items for completing the quests... so I was pretty heart-broken when the items were useless a few levels later. I wasn't discouraged though... I still loved the game. Around level 45 I stopped playing continually in maps and started exploring the towns and this is when I discovered the CS. The CS taught me about rarities and gave me an appreciation for the prices and gear that were available. Up to this point, the only gear I ever owned were drops from playing through the levels. I was amazed by the creativity of STS and loved the things they did with the game. I even grabbed a Big Luck in it's first coming, for St Patricks day.
I still had much more of the game to cover and learn, but by this point I was totally in love with the game, and tho I had only been playing for a month, I was in love. I started recognizing players and gear and imagined the day that I would have all of the best items and would be as good as them... that I would be a legend.
The renaissance...
Around level 50, I had collected some Cyber gear and and had completed most of the AO quests. This was still in the times of the original Alien Oasis, when there was no town. One day I decided that I would search online and see what kind of resources and guides were available online for PL. I was unsure of the popularity and was skeptical that I would find anything on my quest to be a Legend.
Boy was I wrong... I found these forums... and hidden within was the Archer Class Discussion thread. It was filled with troves and troves of information. Physiologic, a player I had never met, had tons of guides detailing skills and play styles, strategy and information. He posted reviews and guides of the gear. It really taught me so much, and it taught me the items in the game that were sought after, and helped me appreciate pinks and where they drop. This took me from being a noob new to the game to someone who had goals and ideas in mind. I was closer to becoming a legend! I wish I could have thanked him, but I don't think he plays anymore.
The level cap...
As I approached the level cap I started to discover and enjoy the social aspect of the game. I was still grinding it out in AO3 up to level 53, because the sewers were hard! I started chatting with people and having conversations, instead of grinding it out hard in dungeons. I loved helping other players, teaching them how to fight Gurgox and passing on tidbits of knowledge to people I ran in to, who needed help. This was fun and very rewarding. This must be what it feels like to become a Legend, I thought.
The game still having not lost its charm, I continued my faithful grind to the level cap, 56. Back in these days, elixirs weren't a thing, they could be purchased with gold! It was a long grind to 56, it took me 2 weeks of playing every day. The grind was long, but I learned much. I finally farmed some gear and started trying out different sets and utilitizing the CS. Even after the long grind... I still loved PL. If anything, more than ever!
The plateau...
Once I hit 56, I continued to farm and explore. Going back to complete any missed quests and tie up any loose ends. I still had more gear and other goals in mind, so I was happy to continue to farm and play the game. But Balefort Sewers was our cap for a long time, and I started to get bored. What happened to the PL glory days? Where was the creativity and awesomeness that STS had come to stand for? I didn't find an answer.
I still logged in every day, but I didn't know what to do.
Discovering PVP
While trying to find an answer to my boredom, I found PVP. I had decent gear, I was pretty good at the game, I could play most levels without dying, I knew how to kill the bosses, I have good reflexes and strategy. "This will be fun and easy I thought." WRONG.
PVP was hard. The players were very skilled, I died instantly it seemed. Sometimes I would luck out and get a kill, but usually I just got my butt handed to me.
I am pretty persistent though... I didn't wanna give up so easy. A few days... I would learn... I would get better. That didn't happen. Guess I'm not meant to be a Legend after all...
GCD...
For those who have joined since GCD (Global Cool Down). There was a time when skills didn't lock out for a brief period, so you could spam all 12 skills in like 2 seconds if you tried. With the implementation of GCD... this all changed.
People were angry!!! I couldn't believe how upset people were. I found it a bit annoying, a bit tricky, getting used to a new style of play, but I got used to it. The PVP circle had changed. Now when I joined a map, I could sometimes kill people. They struggled with GCD, but I kinda liked it. It was like a handicap to bring people down to a level I could operate at. It was good, but I still sucked. And as the experienced crowd either quit or got used to it, I fell back to my bottom-tier.
Me become a Legend? Nope.
The merchant...
No reason to grind, no reason to PVP (since I sucked!). I started buying and selling. Finding cheap prices or people looking for quick Cash in Balefort. Every day I followed the prices and learned supply and demand. I managed to make 3 Million gold and was very impressed with myself. Up to level cap the most gold I ever had was about 50k. After a while, this too got boring. I didn't aspire to be a great merchant, I wanted to be a legend.
Around this time, I also learned about a special niche of PVP called "twinking". I had lots of cash, and broken dreams that needed avenging... so I gave it a go.
The twink...
I wanted to try something new, so I made a mage. I bought all the best gear I could, and eventually settled on level 25. Up to that point mages seemed like complete junk, getting destroyed by bears at lower levels due to the inconveniece of not recieving Blessing of Might until level 22.
I was absolutely in love with mages. And I was completely enthralled with twinking. Unlike endgame PVP where I died instantly, twinking was slower and easier to understand. Some people were good, there were plenty of noobs like me, too. It took a while to learn, but it was easy enough.
I created more twinks, more levels, more fun. I was starting to love PVP, but I still sucked at the endgame. I made plenty of friends, and my love for PL was completely rekindled.
A new era...
Word finally came down that Star LEgends was out and that 2 new maps were coming for us to enjoy. I was very excited by the news, and couldn't wait the for the new content. There was only one problem....
I had a dilemma!!
I loved my twink mages more than my endgame bird. I so badly wished I had made a mage from the start, so I could use it for the endgame. By this point though, I was so tired of PvE that I just couldn't stand the idea of going from level 1-55 with a new character. But if I wanted to do it, I needed to do it before the level cap went up. I wanted to use the mage to explore Nuri and Mt Fang.
After some very long sessions of grinding, and thanks to the implementation of the Elixirs, I was able to power-level Remixi to level 56 before the cap. I started to PVP, and with my new found skills from twinking, I was able to hold my own in the end-game PVP landscape.
Nuri's...
With the release of Nuri's I began grinding, completely excited to get some new content and absolutely desperate to see the new gear.
It was amazing. People didn't seem overly impressed by it, but everyone was super happy to have some new maps. It had been a long time since we had something new. I hit level cap again, and was pleasantly surprised at the implementation of the Elite Vanity bonuses. I was very glad I levelled my mage. I was madly in love (read: addicted) to PL again.
I now had a presence in PVP and loved to play CTF. I started to establish myself as an OK player. I started to recognize and make friends in the PVP circle. Things were great. I was a pally and just loved to play PVP. Gone were the days of boredom at level cap. Now I can PVP and have fun.
Maybe I am back on the track of becoming a Legend?
Fang...
Coming much more quickly than everyone expected, the level cap was raised again. I grinded hard, and was able to hit level cap in just a few days. Although I was not the first, I was probably in the first 50 to hit the new cap.
I grinded hard, even after hitting the cap, on the hunt for the best gear. I lucked out big and got a drop of a Sanguine Longbow which sold nearly immediately with a hefty price tag of 5.5 Million gold.
I was able to buy and craft my set and got back in the PVP arena. I have continued to play and thrive in PVP. This is where we are today. I continue my quest to reach the top and become a Legend.
I renamed my character, DrinkHaterade. A name more fitting for the haters and whiners of the PVP circle. While I do not feel I have reached Legendary status, I have tried hard, learned a lot and would finally say that I have lost my greenhorn status.
In closing...
It has been a long year. I have played a lot and learned a lot. I think that I have become somewhat jaded. As I reflected back to write this piece, I have realized that my love for the game then was probably stronger than it is now. The climb to the top was a journey that I looked forward to every day. My love for the game now is sheer competition and numbers. It's fun, but now I play to win. Before I played to play.
I also felt that through this reflection, I have remembered the magic and awe that STS is capable of. I have been a harsh critic of some of the policies and implementations that have happened in the game, but I still feel like STS has created a wonderful product and is still capable of things that will make players new and old, happy. I will continue to criticize and be an advocate for us, the players. But I also wait, wide-eyed and excited for anything new and wonderful that STS will create. From these wonderful, new and original Valentines day items, to Humania and beyond.
I think that this best sums it up: Noobs idolize and dream of being great players, and the great players idolize and dream they could still love the game the same way that the noobs do.
Maybe one day I will get to be a Legend...
If you enjoyed this post, show me some PL birthday love! Thank my post :P
made my eyes water! What happend to your gf? 
Originally Posted by Appleisaac
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