Hark! Be that the Town Crier I spy? He brings us tidings from the far reaches of Norrath's influence. Be they dismal, strange, or otherwise? Let us observe as he waxes eloquent about current affairs. The Crier is a bit more tired than usual this week, as Grimwell pushed him into the vast landscape of known by the fearful name of 'blogland' and demanded secret information from those locales, as well as our familiar haunts.

In a quick jaunt through the Druids Grove, the Town Crier discovered that they have opened a new Guild Spotlight forum intended for those who wish to record the great heroics of their guild. Be sure to enshrine your guilds accomplishments with this fine new offering.

Through a small amount of bribery and lip-reading, the Town Crier also discovered that the Druids are looking for a few new specialists as noted in the Community News section of the official forums. Be sure to check this information out, if you would like to know more.

The Town Crier is quick, so he avoided being clobbered by the Ten Ton Hammer even though he was laughing after hearing Coyote's tale about 'Why Fae Can't Betray!' If you are in the mood to have a good laugh, it is surely the right medicine. If you would prefer more meat to your news, let it be known that the fine folks at the Hammer have also devised a Guide to the Butcherblock Mountains. Included in the guide is a reliable breakdown of activities for people based on their level range.

Next up was a quick visit to WarCry, where the Town Crier was brought up to date by Arthais with "Much Ado About Jack Thompson." If you've never understood why this gentleman's name continues to show up in video game headlines, this is an excellent summary of what the man's been after.

The Town Crier then performed a rescue mission at the EQII Vault, saving Owlchick from a rough interrogation being handled by a crack team of gnome specialists! They did force some information from her though, which you can read about here.

The last report before the Town Crier headed out into Blog-Land harkens from the Casters Realm. Gemdiver detailed some fine advice about upgrading your PC to get more bang out of it. His motivation was to make ready for the release of Vanguard, these tips are sure to help you find improvements in EQII as well.

The Blog-Lands

It was a dangerous mission, but the Town Crier ventured forth into the land of blogs, and brings this news back for everyone to share!

In his Character Journal, Mrrx talks about playing EQII after configuring a new PC. It's always good news when a gamer gets a new PC, and Mrrx did a fine job of detailing how he turned the settings on the new computer all the way to eleven!

"After a while I noticed I was stressing things a bit, and then I decided, what the heck. Let's see what happens when I choose the top quality level. And the game barely hiccuped. It's gorgeous with the finely-rendered models and shadows. The combat is barely recognizable - with all the effects shooting around, and the smoothness with which they're drawn. I love it."

You may note that he also expressed some frustration in getting through Splitpaw, if you know of a handy guide, the Town Crier is sure that Mrrx would love to be told.

The Crier's last stop before being chased out of the land of blogs was at the MMORPG Guides blog, where he discovered a fine detail on Heroic Opportunities in EQII. If you are looking for a quick heads up on exactly what is going on with Heroic Opportunities, you should surely check their entry out.

"Heroic Opportunities can do anything from adding damage to the attack, de-buffing, buffing, healing, increasing stats… They can do a great many things that even I have not discovered all the facets of yet."

That be the end of the Town Criers report for this week. Be sure to check back again in seven days, as he ventures forth again to bring back tidings from the lands beyond!

Want to discuss the Town Crier? You can in this very thread!