Maybe it is old news, but just discovered this gem on Pox Wiki, quoted below. It's a conspiracy theory! Gotta love it! This just goes to show how fanatical some players get about their favorite game. Personally, I think the developers created eight very strong individual factions, each with their own strengths and weakness, but which together as either Protectorate or Wrath make for pretty balanced and diverse opponents. Plus, continuing development means constant tweaking, new rune additions, and new synergies, all of which contribute to an ever-changing power curve. I would take the following info with a grain of salt, but a fun read nonetheless.
"Lighthouse is a rumored secret society within the community of Poxnora.
Lighthouse was first mentioned in a thread started by Sarahzoe in reference to a group of prominent players that were behind the Nora Freeze nerf. The story is that Sarahzoe was contacted by Lighthouse to create a series of threads to try and sway the community to prevent the Nora Freeze nerf, and later to retract the nerf or "fix" the rune. phaeton426 and ssez are rumored to be at the head of Lighthouse, which is perpetuated by the creation of a guild called, Lighthouse by phaeton426 and ssez. Others feel that this was only an attention grabbing scheme by all three or one, Sarahzoe, phaeton426, and ssez. Whatever the truth may be one thing is for sure. Nobody knows as yet whether or not Lighthouse really exists.
As the original "Whistle Blower" on the Lighthouse, I do know a few things. I was contacted by a person who claimed to be a member of this organization. I learned that it was started by a group of 5 or 6 friends who lived in and around Chicago. The initial purpose was to make sure that Protectorate factions maintained some sort of playing advantage over Wrath factions. Their method of choice was to use the forums to alter popular opinion and thus persuade the developers to make changes that were advantages to the Protectorate.
Whether they still exist or not, it is likely that they did at one point. The evidence to support this is all over the forums. My guess is they are still around but are significantly more careful who they try to recruit. I also suspect that many if not all of the original members are no longer involved. When I was first contacted, I thought it would be cool to join but quickly changed my mind and declined. If you, the reader, ever get an invitation, I would think twice before getting involved."
From Pox Wiki, http://www.poxwiki.com/Lighthouse
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
I Purchased Four Exclusive Rune Packs!
Just purchased four of the exclusive rune packs at Target. They carry a $10 pack (no exclusive rune), and a $25 pack, which includes one exclusive (protectorate) rune and a 100-rune pack. Will edit my post once I enter the codes to let you know which runes I got!
Update: redeemed my four rune packs and here is what I got:
3x Dwarven Windfury (Exclusive)
1x Sacred Tundra Amulet (Exclusive)
1x Dwarven King
1x Faultbreaker
1x Carrion Colossus
This purchase was a great success, with two titans and three Windfuries, currently the most sought after rune in the game. The Windfury is very powerful, being ranged, with a strong melee attack and survivability, so this rune should hold its high value extremely well over time.
Update: redeemed my four rune packs and here is what I got:
3x Dwarven Windfury (Exclusive)
1x Sacred Tundra Amulet (Exclusive)
1x Dwarven King
1x Faultbreaker
1x Carrion Colossus
This purchase was a great success, with two titans and three Windfuries, currently the most sought after rune in the game. The Windfury is very powerful, being ranged, with a strong melee attack and survivability, so this rune should hold its high value extremely well over time.
Beverage of Choice While Playing Pox Nora?
What is your beverage choice and/or snack while playing Pox Nora? My favorite is beer. Yes, I have an unhealthy affinity for the stuff. And gummy bears.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
General Game Strategies, Part 1
For newer players, here are some game tips and strategies I picked up along the way. FYI: I consider myself a n00b and casual player because although I have in times past achieved around rank 500 with my Forsaken Wastes battlegroup, I play around with crazy deckbuilding schemes, play un-playable champs just for fun, and generally play all factions (though I mainly play FW, UD, ST, SP). Advice:
- Pay for a set of runes, at least a 100 pack, but I recommend spending what you normally spend on any good, new PC game, i.e. $35-$50. The bigger the rune pack, the better the value!
- The sample battlegroups are rarely updated and, depending on which faction you pick, may not provide a good enough deck to beat another trial player!
- The game has eight factions, play them all or you are wasting money by paying for 1/8th of a game. This also goes for playing all game types & modes, using the trader, chat, forums, etc.
- You should focus on building one main faction into your PvP winning deck, because runes can get expensive, and you need many rares and/or some exotics to make it to higher ranks. Once you have at least one competetive deck in any faction, then you can build another from any faction, and keep doing so.
- The more competetive (PvP), winning (PvP or Campaign), or fun (Any Game Mode) decks you have successfully built, the more fun the game as a whole will become, because switching to a new faction & deck will break any monotony or playstyle rut you are presently in.
- Build you decks with a sensible mixture of melee and ranged troops. While playing, use your archers to provide backup to the melee champions, but keep close so as not to be separated and picked off by spells, stealth units, etc.
- For PvP, always include some way of ridding the enemy of his pesky overpowered equipment. There are champion abilities and spells that do this, e.g. Shatter, Disarm, Recycle.
- Winning the game is all about Nora, plain and simple. Control the Nora, and you control the map, control the map and you control the game, control the game and you win!
- Before you do anything else, capture the Nora Font closest to your base (shrine). This will generate the Nora "income" per turn you need to summon units, play spells, etc.
- Always have a viable defense plan for your primary Nora Font (closest to your shrine), secondary Nora Font (any other you control), and shrine. Tides turn quickly, and you need to be able to swim with or against the current, and not drown. Think of your defense planning as your waterwings against Davey Jones Locker.
- Try to include units with varying movement abilities - leap, flying, teleport, high speed - in order to remain a threat on various maps with differing terrain.
- Never rush an enemy group of champions with a single champions of yours, no matter how powerful. Lone melee exotics can be killed easily by a group of ordinary common runes.
- Conserve Nora from turn to turn, do not use it all on any given turn. This gives you a "safety blanket" to cast spells from or otherwise surprise the enemy. One good surprise can change the direction of the game.
- Conserve AP on all your champions. Try to move and or attack, but keep at least 2-3 extra AP available per champion at the end of your turn. Next turn you may be able to move and attack twice if your speed is upgraded correctly, which is devastating to the enemy.
- Run champions that may attack at 9 speed, so that they may move and attack on the same turn, or move one space and attack twice if needed. Upgrade a few of your best champions to 11 speed, in order to guarantee two attacks per turn, but as this makes them cost a lot, do this sparingly, with maybe two or three maximum, like heroes, titans, exotics.
- Ten champions per battlegroup is a good rule of thumb, then I recommend 7 spells, 2 relics, and one equipment. One relic should be your faction's Battle Standard flag if you have one and play full faction, otherwise one offensive and one defensive relic.
- Use full faction, multi-faction, or multi-rune synergies to gain a power edge over your opponent before the game even begins, in deck building. For example, powerful combos like the Dragon Skull relic (SL) + Firestorm spell (US) make use of amplify fire damage plus a (now amplified) fire damage spell with damage over time, utilizing a multi-faction synergy. You can do this in full faction by using powerful synergies like Demon Champions and the Beckon Demon ability of the Darkelf Priestess to gain a lot of ground quickly.
- Equipment can turn the tide in any one-on-one champion face off. Place a shield or weapon equipment on any good melee champion, and you increase its power level considerably. Do this while contesting a font, and you almost guarantee yourself a win, short-term or even final.
- Play any combos, decks, or factions you do not fully understand, to learn their pros & cons.
- Upgrade all melee champions, at least with speed 9, but after that only with absolutely necessary abilities for your deck and rune synergy and overall strategy to work. A very nora efficient deck will usually win over a more costly, highly upgraded deck, due to faster respawn times, cheaper deployment, more units on the field, extra nora in reserve, etc.
- Have some means of Nora generation in your deck, in addition to shrines and fonts. Some faction bonuses help (SP or FW's Boon of the Undead ability), otherwise use relics (Unholy Tomb, Nora Mine), champions (Scorched Dwarf, Nora Beast), or spells (Marsh Song, Thorn Collection). Backup or extra nora can give you the edge.
- Keep track of respawn times and cooldowns when building your battlegroup, and also in-game while planning your strategy, or engaging in any battlefield tactics.
- Try out new battlegroups in the Anything Goes (AG) room prior to the PvP ladder. If you cannot win in AG, tweak your battlegroup and try again, or scrap it and build another.
- Have some type of stealth detection in your battlegroup.
- Have at least one highly specialized defensive unit handy, for emergency shrine or font defense.
- Use a relic offensively at an enemy nora font (place it in the nora font's zone and that font will go neutral when your turn ends to deny the enemy of nora and contest the font), in order to buy yourself some time for strategy and tactics. This works best when backed up by at least one champion, since relics are relatively light on HP and easy to destroy.
- Play campaigns or in AG in order to gain CP (experience points) to upgrade your champions for a viable PvP deck, or to add value to them in order to trade for other champions in the Trader.
- In the Rune Trader, almost all single same-rarity rune trades are denied or fail because outbid. As a general rule, if you trade a same-rarity rune as the one you want, then add at least two sweeteners (that don't suck), you will win the bid.
- Use the Rune Crafter to create any runes you might need or are missing. The cost is usually higher than what you receive, but in some cases crafting might be a lot cheaper than in the Trader.
- Purchase essential runes immediately in the Single Rune Store, rather than trying to trade for them. Trading for an entire battlegroup, especially for rares or exotics, can take weeks.
- If you can afford it, buy only jumbo 250 rune packs, because your return investment and value are much higher since you get many more rare runes, and thus 10% opportunity for exotics.
- Exotics are a strong trading commodity. Keep this in mind always.
- Learn rune trade values well before you ever use the Rune Trader.
- Don't ever, ever, ever, accept a trade based on promises or placeholders and not actual runes, unless you need to learn the lesson that not all people are honest and want to help you.
- Don't ever click a URL link in a trade offer, it may be a scam that you will regret greatly.
- Be polite and mature in chat, while in-game and out. Be a community leader, not loser.
- Help new players, because with each expansion, the game becomes increasingly complex.
- Pay for a set of runes, at least a 100 pack, but I recommend spending what you normally spend on any good, new PC game, i.e. $35-$50. The bigger the rune pack, the better the value!
- The sample battlegroups are rarely updated and, depending on which faction you pick, may not provide a good enough deck to beat another trial player!
- The game has eight factions, play them all or you are wasting money by paying for 1/8th of a game. This also goes for playing all game types & modes, using the trader, chat, forums, etc.
- You should focus on building one main faction into your PvP winning deck, because runes can get expensive, and you need many rares and/or some exotics to make it to higher ranks. Once you have at least one competetive deck in any faction, then you can build another from any faction, and keep doing so.
- The more competetive (PvP), winning (PvP or Campaign), or fun (Any Game Mode) decks you have successfully built, the more fun the game as a whole will become, because switching to a new faction & deck will break any monotony or playstyle rut you are presently in.
- Build you decks with a sensible mixture of melee and ranged troops. While playing, use your archers to provide backup to the melee champions, but keep close so as not to be separated and picked off by spells, stealth units, etc.
- For PvP, always include some way of ridding the enemy of his pesky overpowered equipment. There are champion abilities and spells that do this, e.g. Shatter, Disarm, Recycle.
- Winning the game is all about Nora, plain and simple. Control the Nora, and you control the map, control the map and you control the game, control the game and you win!
- Before you do anything else, capture the Nora Font closest to your base (shrine). This will generate the Nora "income" per turn you need to summon units, play spells, etc.
- Always have a viable defense plan for your primary Nora Font (closest to your shrine), secondary Nora Font (any other you control), and shrine. Tides turn quickly, and you need to be able to swim with or against the current, and not drown. Think of your defense planning as your waterwings against Davey Jones Locker.
- Try to include units with varying movement abilities - leap, flying, teleport, high speed - in order to remain a threat on various maps with differing terrain.
- Never rush an enemy group of champions with a single champions of yours, no matter how powerful. Lone melee exotics can be killed easily by a group of ordinary common runes.
- Conserve Nora from turn to turn, do not use it all on any given turn. This gives you a "safety blanket" to cast spells from or otherwise surprise the enemy. One good surprise can change the direction of the game.
- Conserve AP on all your champions. Try to move and or attack, but keep at least 2-3 extra AP available per champion at the end of your turn. Next turn you may be able to move and attack twice if your speed is upgraded correctly, which is devastating to the enemy.
- Run champions that may attack at 9 speed, so that they may move and attack on the same turn, or move one space and attack twice if needed. Upgrade a few of your best champions to 11 speed, in order to guarantee two attacks per turn, but as this makes them cost a lot, do this sparingly, with maybe two or three maximum, like heroes, titans, exotics.
- Ten champions per battlegroup is a good rule of thumb, then I recommend 7 spells, 2 relics, and one equipment. One relic should be your faction's Battle Standard flag if you have one and play full faction, otherwise one offensive and one defensive relic.
- Use full faction, multi-faction, or multi-rune synergies to gain a power edge over your opponent before the game even begins, in deck building. For example, powerful combos like the Dragon Skull relic (SL) + Firestorm spell (US) make use of amplify fire damage plus a (now amplified) fire damage spell with damage over time, utilizing a multi-faction synergy. You can do this in full faction by using powerful synergies like Demon Champions and the Beckon Demon ability of the Darkelf Priestess to gain a lot of ground quickly.
- Equipment can turn the tide in any one-on-one champion face off. Place a shield or weapon equipment on any good melee champion, and you increase its power level considerably. Do this while contesting a font, and you almost guarantee yourself a win, short-term or even final.
- Play any combos, decks, or factions you do not fully understand, to learn their pros & cons.
- Upgrade all melee champions, at least with speed 9, but after that only with absolutely necessary abilities for your deck and rune synergy and overall strategy to work. A very nora efficient deck will usually win over a more costly, highly upgraded deck, due to faster respawn times, cheaper deployment, more units on the field, extra nora in reserve, etc.
- Have some means of Nora generation in your deck, in addition to shrines and fonts. Some faction bonuses help (SP or FW's Boon of the Undead ability), otherwise use relics (Unholy Tomb, Nora Mine), champions (Scorched Dwarf, Nora Beast), or spells (Marsh Song, Thorn Collection). Backup or extra nora can give you the edge.
- Keep track of respawn times and cooldowns when building your battlegroup, and also in-game while planning your strategy, or engaging in any battlefield tactics.
- Try out new battlegroups in the Anything Goes (AG) room prior to the PvP ladder. If you cannot win in AG, tweak your battlegroup and try again, or scrap it and build another.
- Have some type of stealth detection in your battlegroup.
- Have at least one highly specialized defensive unit handy, for emergency shrine or font defense.
- Use a relic offensively at an enemy nora font (place it in the nora font's zone and that font will go neutral when your turn ends to deny the enemy of nora and contest the font), in order to buy yourself some time for strategy and tactics. This works best when backed up by at least one champion, since relics are relatively light on HP and easy to destroy.
- Play campaigns or in AG in order to gain CP (experience points) to upgrade your champions for a viable PvP deck, or to add value to them in order to trade for other champions in the Trader.
- In the Rune Trader, almost all single same-rarity rune trades are denied or fail because outbid. As a general rule, if you trade a same-rarity rune as the one you want, then add at least two sweeteners (that don't suck), you will win the bid.
- Use the Rune Crafter to create any runes you might need or are missing. The cost is usually higher than what you receive, but in some cases crafting might be a lot cheaper than in the Trader.
- Purchase essential runes immediately in the Single Rune Store, rather than trying to trade for them. Trading for an entire battlegroup, especially for rares or exotics, can take weeks.
- If you can afford it, buy only jumbo 250 rune packs, because your return investment and value are much higher since you get many more rare runes, and thus 10% opportunity for exotics.
- Exotics are a strong trading commodity. Keep this in mind always.
- Learn rune trade values well before you ever use the Rune Trader.
- Don't ever, ever, ever, accept a trade based on promises or placeholders and not actual runes, unless you need to learn the lesson that not all people are honest and want to help you.
- Don't ever click a URL link in a trade offer, it may be a scam that you will regret greatly.
- Be polite and mature in chat, while in-game and out. Be a community leader, not loser.
- Help new players, because with each expansion, the game becomes increasingly complex.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
New Exclusive Runes!
Rune Type: Spell
Cooldown : 7
For the rest of this turn, each ranged champion you control does 50% more damage on its next attack.
Cooldown : 7
For the rest of this turn, each ranged champion you control does 50% more damage on its next attack.
Sacred Tundra Amulet
Savage Tundra, Exclusive
Nora Cost : 30
Rune Type : Equipment
This equipment has different effects for the races it is equipped on. Jakei gain Provoke: Whenever this unit is attacked or damaged, it gains 2 AP. Lonx gain Readiness: Bonus to defense that is equal to triple the Champions current AP. Yeti gain Bestial Fury: When activated, Yeti becomes impervious to melee damage until end of next turn.
Dwarven Windfury
Ironfist Stronghold, Exclusive
Base Nora: 72
Attack : 8
Defense : 15
Speed : 7
Damage : 9
Hit Points : 45
Attack : 8
Defense : 15
Speed : 7
Damage : 9
Hit Points : 45
Abilities:
- Attack - Physical
- Arrow Throw 1
- Dodge 1
- Sweep - All surrounding enemy units within 2 spaces take 8 Physical damage and are knocked back 2 spaces.
Upgrades:
- Arrow Throw 2
- Berserker 1,2,3
- Dodge 2,3
- Stun
Rune Type: Equipment
This equipment has different effects for the races it is equipped on. Equipped Moga gain Evasive 2. Equipped Cyclops gains Blood-Bond 2. (When an allied Cyclops is destroyed, this Cyclops gains 4 AP.) Equipped Voil gain Battlemaster 2.
This equipment has different effects for the races it is equipped on. Equipped Moga gain Evasive 2. Equipped Cyclops gains Blood-Bond 2. (When an allied Cyclops is destroyed, this Cyclops gains 4 AP.) Equipped Voil gain Battlemaster 2.
Cooldown : 8
Your next deployed Underdepths champion is deployed free of charge and gains Short-lived 1 and Bloodless.
Your next deployed Underdepths champion is deployed free of charge and gains Short-lived 1 and Bloodless.
Abilities:
-Apprentice - This unit loses 10 max health and Lich champions you control gain an additional 5 health.
-Attack - Magical
-Call Master - When this unit is deployed, Liches you deploy in the same turn will cost 10% less nora. If no other Liches are deployed this turn, this unit takes 20 damage at end of turn.
-Immunity - Disease
Indentured: Lich - If you do not control a lich at the end of your turn, this unit is destroyed.
-Vulnerable - Whenever this unit makes an attack, its defense is reduced by 5 until the end of next turn.
Upgrades:
-Attack - Magical
-Call Master - When this unit is deployed, Liches you deploy in the same turn will cost 10% less nora. If no other Liches are deployed this turn, this unit takes 20 damage at end of turn.
-Immunity - Disease
Indentured: Lich - If you do not control a lich at the end of your turn, this unit is destroyed.
-Vulnerable - Whenever this unit makes an attack, its defense is reduced by 5 until the end of next turn.
Upgrades:
-Devour Skeleton - Destroy target Skeleton that you own within 5 spaces. This unit gains an additional 10 health.
-Fear 1,2,3
-Life Siphon
Six new runes have been released, exclusive tradeable runes that are only available in 100 packs purchased at either Target (Protectorate) or Best Buy (Wrath). You may ask why only six of eight factions are represented with the new runes, and I assure you, i have absolutely no idea, but Sundered Lands and Another do not currently yet have an exclusive rune. The runes are as follows (above):
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Highest Non-Exotic Melee Damage Champions
Here is a roster of the "Highest Non-Exotic Melee Damage Champions." Very useful info when planning a battlegroup.
Zombie Behemoth
Forsaken Wastes, Common
Forsaken Wastes, Common
Base Nora: 55
Attack : 15
Common
Defense : 15
Speed : 7
Damage : 15
Hit Points : 52
Abilities: Boon of the Undead, Knockback 1, Lichbound, Unstoppable
Attack : 15
Common
Defense : 15
Speed : 7
Damage : 15
Hit Points : 52
Abilities: Boon of the Undead, Knockback 1, Lichbound, Unstoppable
Upgrades: Constriction, Knockback 2, Vulnerability: Fire
Base Nora: 60
Attack : 12
Defense : 27
Speed : 6
Damage : 17
Hit Points : 50
Abilities: Dwarfbound, Knockback 1, Unstoppable
Attack : 12
Defense : 27
Speed : 6
Damage : 17
Hit Points : 50
Abilities: Dwarfbound, Knockback 1, Unstoppable
Upgrades: Fearless, Knockback 2, 3, Vulnerability: Magical
Pit Dragon
Underdepths, Rare
Underdepths, Rare
Base Nora: 71
Attack : 16
Defense : 13
Speed : 8
Damage : 20
Hit Points : 55
Abilities: Attack - Physical
Attack : 16
Defense : 13
Speed : 8
Damage : 20
Hit Points : 55
Abilities: Attack - Physical
Upgrades: Resist Magic 1,2,3, Resist Poison 1,2,3
Base Nora: 70
Attack : 14
Defense : 15
Speed : 7
Damage: 17
Hit Points: 50
Attack : 14
Defense : 15
Speed : 7
Damage: 17
Hit Points: 50
Abilities: Blood Frenzy 2, Resist Fire 1
Upgrades: Blood Frenzy 3, Iron Will, Power Attack 1,2,3, Resist Fire 2, 3
Base Nora: 45
Attack : 10
Defense : 10
Speed : 6
Damage: 17
Hit Points: 12
Abilities: Death Nova Frost 3, Flght, Vulnerability Sonic
Attack : 10
Defense : 10
Speed : 6
Damage: 17
Hit Points: 12
Abilities: Death Nova Frost 3, Flght, Vulnerability Sonic
Attack : 16
Defense : 18
Speed : 7
Damage: 15
Hit Points: 50
Defense : 18
Speed : 7
Damage: 15
Hit Points: 50
Abilities: Elf Bound, Knockback 1, Unstoppable
Upgrades: Pulverize 1, Vulnerability: Fire
Destroyer
Sundered Lands, Rare
Sundered Lands, Rare
Base Nora: 63
Attack : 12
Defense : 14
Speed : 9
Damage: 14
Hit Points: 49
Attack : 12
Defense : 14
Speed : 9
Damage: 14
Hit Points: 49
Abilities: Charge 2
Upgrades: Charge 3, Execute, Regeneration 1, Rend
Base Nora: 34
Attack : 11
Defense : 11
Speed: 8
Damage: 16
Hit Points: 52
Defense : 11
Speed: 8
Damage: 16
Hit Points: 52
Abilities: Nemesis - Earthmover
Upgrades: Lay Fire Trap 1,2,3
Death Guard
Forsaken Wastes, Uncommon
Base Nora: 35
Attack : 12
Defense : 20
Speed : 8
Damage: 15
Hit Points: 40
Abilities: Bodyguard, Boon of the Undead, Short-Lived, Knockback 1, Spite 1
Upgrades: Blood Rage, Short-Lived 2
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