Six More Nomad Attempts
Entry posted by Merch Gwyar
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Before I go into how epicly Nomad kicked my backside today, I want to give some shout-outs and thanks. First of all, a huge, huge thank you to Den the Men. He not only lent me his Bandos Godsword for 24 hours, but also his warrior ring. This latter involved me pawning my dwarf cannon with him, as he couldn't loan two things out at once. Thank you also to Dr Leviathan, who gave me 19 Sara Brews and then later on sold me another 50. Thanks too to I Kitra I, who gave me a present of 9 and a half Sara Brews. I've now depleted the brews in three banks. >.< Thank you to Eman, Dr Leviathan, I Kitra I and Cossack127 for waiting around at the Soul Wars tent, to encourage me when I was despairing. Thank you to all of the numerous people in Canting sending blessings, love and support via the chat channel.
So what went so wrong? I eagerly logged on after running errands and going to appointments. Whilst lagging yesterday, I'd read dozens of guides. I'd fetched my Void Range from my house after reading Neo Avatar's blog. I was chomping at the bit and couldn't wait to get started. I'd also read a guide which recommended the hand cannon instead of rune crossbow and ruby bolts. I told Den the Men that I was going in with a Bandos Godsword and a hand cannon. He replied, 'Wow! You're really serious about this!' I nodded. This was personal. This was revenge. Unfortunately, between logging out in the morning and logging back in in the afternoon, I'd started lagging again. I spotted it (unmissable really) as I boosted my stats at the digsite and Oo'glog. By the time I was struggling to even get into the tent, I knew that this would never do.
I tried the computer downstairs. It's new. It's got Windows 7. It's wired. There was no lag at all. However, I was now at an unfamiliar computer, with unfamiliar weaponry, on a chair that seemed too high, with a monitor that is Daz Rhyfelwr level of dark, doing everything with an unfamiliar mouse. I was also desperately trying to remember all those little tips I'd picked up the day before. Was that use rapid restore prayer or rapid heal? Protect mage or melee? Etc. In short, I walked in, had the conversation, then was so busy faffing with BGS specs and prayers that I was dead before I'd even sipped a single Sara Brew.
I logged off and came back upstairs to my own Vista and wirelessed computer. I ran CCleaner, the anti-virus, the AdAware and then deleted the Runescape folder, as directed by Neo. I let Jagex auto-place me into a world and experimentally went to boost my stats at the digsite and Oo'glog. It all seemed suddenly fine again. I went in again. Nomad was hitting high and I was hitting low. I couldn't believe how many times the godsword hit without making a dent, while the hand cannon hit constant Os. I was focusing on the Godsword, only using the handcannon for barrage and clone moments. Also, I was trying to use a tactic described in a guide, which was unfamiliar, so I seemed to be running all over without getting as many hits as Nomad was getting. He was only half health when I died.
By now I was frustrated and shaken. All I wanted from life was someone with combat know-how to sit down with me and go over my options. I'd lost faith in the hand cannon, while only the fact that I know that the Godsword Officially Pwns meant that I hadn't quite lost faith in that. That meant that I was doing something wrong with it. I asked around outside the tent, but there were only people there dismissing my Void Armour (it nerfs my accuracy apparently) and generally sending my spirits plummeting. I decided to try ruby bolts, rune crossbow and godsword, but by the time I was in Oo'glog, my confidence was on the floor. It wasn't so much Nomad per se, as my lack of knowledge about these amazing weapons that I had to play with. There was also pressure. The Godsword goes back to Den the Men tomorrow morning and I wouldn't be on this evening. I have things to do tomorrow morning too. In my mind, frustrated by my ignorance, it seemed like I had all of the tools, but I was fighting worse than usual.
To say that I felt like crying is a bit of an over-statement, but I certainly had low spirits. I went into Canting, asking if anyone there had combat knowledge. It was all light-hearted in there, so I kept it light too, not actually telling them how gutted I was right now. Kamou quipped that the solution to winning is to kill your enemy before you died yourself. Zoorhana did suggest the Godsword/ruby bolts combo, which is what I'd asked on. I agreed to try it. I jumped into the spas and returned to Soul Wars. People there were offering advice that made me feel like I couldn't do it. In that state of mind, I returned to Nomad. I didn't get very far before, whilst rushing to get behind a pillar, I stepped on a landmine, while having low hitpoints. I was outside in the graveyard, having lost Shelley, who was carrying half of my super restores, as well as Sara Brews this time. I collected my stuff and just sat on the floor ready to cry.
By now, Zach, Eman, Dr Leviathan and Kitra were in. The latter three rushed to Soul Wars, there to give me a pep talk. Kitra gave me 9 and a half Sara Brews. Eman sat on the floor beside me and outlined his strategy. He was there, combat level 111, with his questcape on. It was possible. I knew it was possible. Dr Leviathan outlined armour advice. I went from sitting in the dirt in a graveyard to being buoyed enough to give it another go. I had to succeed this time, as beyond this point, I was out of Sara Brews again. All of Canting were cheering me on and I stepped into Nomad determined and confident that I could do it. I tried to put Eman's strategy into operation, but mistimed things and died. The absolute and utter worst of this was that I was in there with Kitra and Dr Leviathan's Sara Brews. As I died so quickly, then the majority of those disappeared with Shelley. It felt as though I'd wasted them. Pus I had no more to go on with. I felt so ashamed of myself. Though the others urged me to carry on, I decided to cut my losses and log off. I apologised and said my goodbyes.
A cup of tea, a cigarette and a couple of chapters of Diana Gabaldon's 'Echo in the Bone' later, I was feeling much better. I logged on and set about crafting, fletching and all those other fun things that don't involve suicide runs and wasting millions of gp. I put a bid on at the GE for more Sara Brews, but generally chilled out in-game for a while. I met up with Eman again, who gave me some more motivational speeches. In truth, I was feeling a lot better about things. After 3 hours of failed fighting, the break had done me the power of good. I mentioned that I had a bid on at the GE, but then Dr Leviathan was beside me offering to sell me 50 more Saras. I bought them off him and went for yet another round.
This one was great. This time I did everything right. I used Eman's strategy. I hit high. The Godsword was used only for its special, but twice it hit in the 20s. I dodged attacks like they were the useless buzzing of a fly. It worked. Oh my Guthix, it worked. It was like some strange, intricate, deadly dance, but one which I was winning. Everything was in slow motion. I was doing this and I was going to win. There was a scary moment when I lagged, but I survived it. It went all the way until Nomad was saying, 'This. Ends. Now.' I still had almost a full inventory of Sara Brews left! I'd emptied Shelley of his brews, but I had plenty to go on with. I was going to winning. Absolutely going to win. But I recalled that I should be switching to protect to melee. I healed myself fully, took a restore sip, went to prayers.... yes, I lost focus. I missed Nomad screaming at me to face him. I only remembered him when he'd teleported himself back to the centre and rehealed himself fully.
I could have kicked myself. I didn't have enough to start that whole fight again, so I basically suicided.
The final round was almost as polished. It was all going great, right up until the moment when I misclicked and stepped on a landmine with low health. Nomad also had low health. I was actually expecting him to go into beserker mode at any second. :P
So that's it at the end of play today. I know what to do. I know how to do it. I just haven't made it to the end yet. I'm out of Sara Brews again and only have enough super restore potions for one last fight (and then only if I heavily supplement it with ordinary restore potions). I've learned little things like you can hide for as long as you like behind a pillar, whilst the clones are out. Nomad doesn't reheal himself. I've also pretty much perfected the hit and run strategy of Eman's. I'm getting really good at resource management. Both of the final times, I came out with a lot of Sara Brews left. Plus I've learned that it's really not worth going in there if you're overly frustrated. In short, given enough supplies, I know that I will eventually kill Nomad. It's just taking a lot of money in the meantime.
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