Jun 2008: Madra Ice Field
From Cod
[ Lyrith ] Madra Ice Fields < 71-80 >
These frosty ice fields are guard the entrance to brigantes, one of the funner places in the mud, and getting through them isn't always a piece of cake. Just accessing them can be hard as it takes a long walk from Truce, and there are alot of areas that can prove dangerous for those who don't mean to fight here, and are just passing through. Still, once you get the hang of some of the ins and outs, this is a decent place to grab a few levels.
Descriptions 9/10
The descriptions here are very well thought out and wordy, even for the smaller and seemingly less important areas. All the mobs are easily recognizable and interesting to look at, since there is a great number of monsters and npc's alike. Someone did a hell of a job with all the colors, so the mobs stick out nicely.
Balance 7/10
Ehh, it's kinda hard to say. The revenant souls that wander about don't seem to hurt me at all, and I was able to kill them before I even hit level 70, making it a big plus; clearly the easiest mob to deal with here. The others seem to fit into the range nicely, although the warlocks will keep even some of the higher level players on their toes with their magics. There are a few mobs here and there, quest related I'd say, that are extremely over powered for the given level range, although I am not completely sure if they are supposed to be attacked. All in all, if you stick to the wandering trash mobs you can get your levels easy, although the real rewards clearly lie in the quest
Attractions 9/10
The main attraction here is clearly the big quest that can be done involving the two camps found here. I won't say much (heck, I don't know much), but this quest seems very elaborate, as NPC's seem to have ALOT to talk about regarding background information and all kinds of fun stuff. There are alot of NPC's involved, and all of them will at least tell you something, some clearly alot wordier than others. Other attractions clearly include the fun you can have in the snow field itself. It's a confusing place at best, and getting around can be a bit of a pain, as you have to deal with the cold temperature at times as well as confusing pathing. There are alot of one-way paths and dead ends that need to be learned about to do well here.
Linkage 10/10
The madra ice field area seems to be one of the most logically placed ones in the game. North of the Frosty forest and home to the underground city of brigantes, it certainly is a pain in the ass to travel through, but it definitely fits in. Still, it's better to just get someone to sell you a warp pipe rather than to try and pass through this, unless you are completely sure of what way to go.
Personal 6/10
I liked the time I spent killing trash mobs, and the parts of the quest I was able to activate were actually alot of fun! I like flavor text, and the npc's are interesting and easiy to interact with. I don't like having to walk through here though, there's one mob in particular that will just jump out at you and kick your ass, and if you are the type to get lost easily, you'll probably run into that one more than once. Still, if you stick to the area closest to brigantes and kill stuff there, it isn't so bad.
