The Sword's Edge
Issue 52: 9th March 2021 - Forged in fire, tempered through wisdom, sharpened by resolve.
In our newsletter a year ago today, it is fair to say that none of us had really even considered how quickly we were all going to have to adapt to new changes and ways of living in our real lives. That said - it is quite incredible to reflect on the year and how much we as a cabal, and as a gaming community have continued being there for each other, sharing support when those around us have had struggles and on many occasions, just continued playing because that is why we are here. Sometimes it is good to have somewhere to retreat to and that it feels so normal in a world that hasn't been.
A topic that often comes up in cabal chat is about positivity. How it is possible to log in and share a positive view point, even when the world around us is shouting about uncertainties, unpredictability and unease. It can be hard - but the reality is, is that when we do manage it as a group, we can carry each other to a point where we are in game just having fun. I know myself how logging in to a negative discussion, or someone mouthing off in general chat can sometimes have an affect on me that makes me just want to log out again. Very few people in game know how our day was. Or how their actions impact someone else.
We are all responsible for our own well being. In our cabal - we all agree to uphold the general conduct we have as a cabal, and we also maintain an open door for suggestions, change and developing how we go forwards as a community. Being positive about challenges we face (even if we crash every time we zone in Kaidan *winks*) however big or small it feels, being realistic about what we want to achieve (if something is not happening already, that we step up and help something be organised or form a team) and keeping our communication positive together does make a difference. In my opinion it makes a very positive difference, it increases the optimism in our cabal and helps us grow stronger.
Although I have a rather large bias about Nine Swords, I want to say thank you. I am thankful you are all in the cabal and that each of you enhances the community we continue building together.
See you all in game,
~ Katelin
Valentines 2021
It was great to see so many members of the cabal enjoying the Valentines content in game again this year. Despite the problems with opening the loot on the first couple of days, so many of you went at the event with gusto - and were usually found over the period duking it out in Rosenbrawl or showing the masked woman in the mission "A Friendly Competition" what for. I know which of you have an astonishing amount of cake collected - let's see how quickly we run out in raids over the coming year. I am going to go out on a limb and say we won't deplete all our supplies *grins*
Was of course also fantastic that lots of our newer members got achievements completed for the event! Thank you to everyone that helped each other out.
Need help with your build?
I am a firm believer that you cannot massively screw up your build until your red gear is "wrong" - I mean, up until that point, although you can slow yourself down and not have an optimal build, it is fixable right.
Well I thought I was doing ok, I have always been pretty ok at tanking, and dpsing most things has been ok... but ok was likely the key word. I was doing "ok". However, one of our members thought I could do better, and saw I was also interested in doing better. I hadn't realised how much help I needed and wanted though until Rifla and I sat down for a chat. We reviewed my gear, glyph distribution and what I was doing and we made a plan - in a shared excel sheet. I could then see where I wanted to make changes, and if Rifla was bored enough, he could see where I was making progress.
Now I know, even with a lot of work ahead - I am doing more than ok. My dps output has noticeably increased. What is more significant to me though, is that we made this plan a month ago - and I stuck to it, and really see a difference.
I am not telling you this because I want to brag about it. I am telling you so that you all realise that we do have members that want to help you .. if you want to be helped. You do have to invest the time, MoF and patience in this too! When you get help, you aren't going to get a shiny bag of all the talismans, weapons, glyphs and signets that you are potentially missing (though if we have anything you can use in our cabal bank, you should likely think about requesting it!) - but having a plan can make things feel much less confusing and all over the place. Concentrating on levelling certain talismans instead of all of them at once will also help you see how much progress you are making.
If you want help - head on over to our build research forum area. Make a new thread just for you, and list what gear you are using and your build. Maybe also tell us what you are using that build for.
Our divisions need you!
Swords, have you been considering joining one of the divisions in our cabal? Well, many hands makes light work - and we definitely could use some help.
As a member of our cabal, you can join a division that is focused on your favourite activity. When you join a division, you're not limited solely to this aspect of the game! You should still get involved in anything else in the cabal that interests you. Joining a division helps us see where your main focus is and you can contribute to the activities that your Division handles - your contribution and focus within a division will without a doubt help Nine Swords continue to grow.
Where do we need help?
Well, almost everywhere - and what you can do really does depend on you. You should find a roll that compliments how you enjoy playing and also benefits the cabal. Nine Swords is split into nine divisions, these divisions help to plan events, support the cabal and help to maintain an active community.
Think realistically about the time you can invest, whether you can really commit to something scheduled - or perhaps that you want to do something regularly.. but in an unstructured way.
Almost any skill you may have, could fit to a task we have in our cabal. If you love running lairs every day, why not join the PvE division and also help us also organise regional and world boss summonings? If you enjoy chatting with others, recruitment could be a good fit for you - or maybe you could run workshops about an area in game where you have a sound knowledge. If you are artistic, then perhaps you could team up with our events or PR divisions to help promote events / things going on (you only have to look at the gorgeous artwork in our newsletter from DigitalWraith and the stunning videos, graphic novels and adverts that HolloPoint creates for you to see too that there is the potential to unleash some amazing creativity together!) .
Maybe you are a wonderful writer and have ideas how this newsletter could be more interesting or you want to share short stories! Or you love the fantastic stories and dialogs we hear from NPCs in game and want to weave that into new roleplaying opportunities.
Honestly, if you want to get involved - you just have to take that first step and say so! We really do want you to.
Whatever you think you could take on, talk with our leadership team. You can approach any of us. If the area you are interested in is not our own division, we will get in touch with the leader of that division to tell them you are interested, and we can all give you suggestions and advice. Leaders are shown in our cabal roster in game with the rank 4/5.
What are you hunting for?
A suggestion made this last month, ended up with our Bank Requests Forum area taking on a slightly new scope.
The suggestion made was to help members in the cabal who are looking for something specific to post it too! Can definitely see this helping anyone looking for Signets as it is so often the case that the Auction House just "never" has the ones you are looking for. Please remember that if you post that you are looking for something, and you end up finding it or someone else finding it for you that you say so in the thread, then we can continue to move the fulfilled request posts.
Issue 53 of The Sword's Edge...
Issue 53 of our newsletter will be released on the 9th May 2021 - see you then!
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