Lost Pages of Taborea: What just happened?
There are always plenty of memories to make and share with others, as MMOs tend to be never-ending playgrounds for us to romp around in. And after recalling major events for Runes of Magic's second birthday, I've been stuck in fond-memory mode. Two years of playing RoM is a lot of time to build up memories, too. I've gone through many a server, guild and character since I started, and I've both made memories with friends and remembered events the game itself created.
Sometimes a developer forgets to turn off a light switch, a new bug appears, or a new patch brings unintended changes. I remember a handful of times some pretty interesting things have happened. Mysterious statues popping up, bosses appearing in houses, and other anomalies await after the break.
Mysterious stone frogs
Some of you will remember a frog event in which you needed to kill frog kings. At one point on Artemis, these frog kings turned into large gray stone statues of said frogs. That statue is an interesting item because it's very one-of-a-kind. There are no other items quite like the frog statue. It's not a reskin of any items and it's not even similar in design to any other item in the game. It's also rare, which adds to the mysteriousness of this story.
Back in January of this year, someone posted a message on the RoM forum about his guild leader walking into his house only to discover one of these giant statues just sitting in the corner. It was an odd but funny little thing that just happened. What was it? Why was it there? No one knows. To make it even more interesting, the forum poster came back to report that the statue had vanished only to reappear in another guild member's house. Since the post, a few others reported having frog statues in their homes as well. This mysterious frog statue visited a handful of players and then vanished without word as to why. Weird, right?
It's one of those oddball things that struck me in a special kind of oddball way. It was all very zen-like. The statue itself was like a serene figure quietly watching over things. The way it appeared was sudden and mysterious but not jarring. Some players jokingly speculated it was a message from Frogster that the company has its eye on us; others just enjoyed having a large frog sitting in their home for a time. We may never know the reason for the random frog statues, but it makes for great dinner conversation.
Boss welcomes you home
Another player-housing tale was a bit more nefarious but wildly popular at the time. I was never privy to it when it happened, but I got to listen and read about the boss that players found in their houses. In a short span of time one day, players were suddenly being greeted by a boss' fist as they entered their houses. It was sudden and random and deadly... and pretty funny.
I've never found definitive proof, but the most common explanation for the event was that a GM summoned a boss inside his house and logged off without removing it. Said boss then began house jumping -- somehow -- and went on a killing spree. Players would enter their houses only to be pounced on by a ninja-house-boss of death. Stories like this are incredibly fun and emphasize the organic nature of MMOs.
Mad, mad XP
This next story just happened to me and isn't so much a weird anomaly as it is just really surprising. As many are aware, Frogster turned the generator to over-load and started dishing out 500% XP on mobs and quests this past Saturday for RoM's anniversary. I'm not one who's really into level-grinding, but I love many parts of the game and leveling is included. I'd be a dirty liar if I said it wasn't a little fun to run through levels so fast.
Months ago I splurged and purchased a superior experience charm to slowly fill it up with extra XP as I leveled. I had almost forgotten about it because it takes so long to fill the sucker up with one million XP, especially when I'd activated it when my character was below level 20. I remembered it for the event, though. I couldn't wait to pop some XP potions on top of the 500% and quickly finish filling the charm up. By this time, my main was just tipping into the 50s, so I decided to use the charm on my level 25 secondary character.
Now, I'm sure some of you were as pleasantly surprised as I was when I used the charm and discovered it applied the 500% bonus. It was already the largest XP charm money could buy at one million. I popped that bad dog, and it instantly applied five million XP to my secondary. It took my rogue from level 25 to level 41 instantly. Well, pretty much instantly. RoM has this gate -- of sorts -- that if you apply so much XP instantly, it will only take you up one level. To activate the other levels you just have to kill something that gives you XP. So I had a joyous time running around Aslan and Ystra killing reindeer and ferrets, leveling up with every kill. In hindsight, I should have recorded the event for posterity. It was sick, boring, and exciting all at the same time.
Conclusion
Whether because of a GM having some fun, the game bugging out, or player-made escapades, some events will always become cherished memories. It's hard not to have at least one memory if you've played for any length of time -- veterans like yours truly have two years under our belts. And that is what the comments section is for. Were you one of the lucky recipients of the frog statue? Or one of the not-so-lucky to find a boss in your living room? Share your memories with everyone as we move into year three of playing RoM.
Each Monday, Jeremy Stratton delivers Lost Pages of Taborea, a column filled with guides, news, and opinions for Runes of Magic. Whether it's a community roundup for new players or an in-depth look at the Rogue/Priest combo, you'll find it all here. Send your questions to jeremy@massively.com.
