Creature Handler Archive

One year ago...

I started up the CH tree. My first petsweretwo GSPs, Seeker and Kitty. We spent many nights hunting baz-nitch leveling BH just the three of us. I died plenty. If I got in over my head it was all over with. There were no vehicles for a quick escape and 75% of the time mobs would spawn on top of you with no warning. It was excitement, and lots of it.

Back then leveling was not the same as grinding. We had fun leveling a profession, enjoying every bump in power on every box we acheived. My 2 GSP combo was something to be feared. I was a BH with /eyeshot and another 450+ damage on tap from Seeker and Kitty.

Then came the big nerf. I lost the ability to wield even one of my pets and was stuck with a kaadu for top end pet. I made the decision to go for broke and get master. One of my good friends was going to retire from CH and had a pet which I'd always dreamed of. A pre-nerf webmaster named Poison! I worked and worked to get the ability to wield a CL50 pet.

Reaching the level I needed I headed to meet my friend who had kept CH for days longer than he wanted just so I could have his pets.Turns out theCL hadbeen nerfedon the webmaster the night before and I was unable to take control. The next two days was my first grind, I had to push to get master. Hunted Kamurith Defilers to no end, layer after layer, hour after hour, mindless grinding. At the time they had no armor and no resists and you would get 1400 xp per kill using Seeker and Kitty. Master was made and Poison attained.

The months went byand my Graul Mauler duosteadily gained more play time and Seeker and Kitty took a back seat to the overwhelming tanking power of the giant apes and Poison the webmaster and his ability to tank AT-STs.

I had dreaded the ever looming threat of the "Nerf from Hell" which every CH expected and fought tooth and nail against. We were helpless, post after post was ignored begging not to ruin us. Too late.

I logged in one day to find my graul maulers being eaten alive by a pack of giant baz-nitch. This was not good at all. Pulled Poison out to find he was nothing more than a hermit spider on steroids. I almost cried.

Days turned into months and holos were introduced. I was forced to make a descision to either buy a new BE pet or hang up my leash. As luck, if you can call it that, would have it my second holocron told me to master bio-engineer. Now making and controling my own pets I could handle. I spent 42 hours straight hunting and drawing DNA frommutant rancors and frenzied grauls with no combat skills except my weak tamed pets which frequently died in my quest for their replacement.

My new army wasfaster, more powerful, anddrew even more "oohs and aahs", Poison excluded. There justwasn't the connection with my demon spawn that there was with my tames. This mademy next decision easier.I was mastering Doc and CM and skill points just didn't alow my pets to join me on this journey.

Three months later....

Twenty-five professions down and no jedi. My life savings were thrown away on the holo-grind, my weapons were close to blowing up in my hand, and I was in the worst spot I had ever been in. I had been a crafter, doctor, dancer, and defence stacker but nothng compared to my experience back in the day.

To creature handler I go! Well in the past months I had reached a level of professional grinding. I knew the in's and out's of CH and grinding so I began. I soon found out that two pets, even being twice as difficult to control effectively, did not yeild you double xp. I couldhurt a dev for this. I reached MCH within 4-5 days regardless, camping POIs and grinding enraged rancors.

I would bring out my funny, lesser known pets, and have them do a little jig in the starports to entertain people. I soon found that entertaining was about the only thing they were good for. My current profession is TKA and the time it took to pull pets out at every mission wasn't worth the extra 500 damage my pet would do before my TKA skills took the mob out. With a good understanding of TKA I could tank for 2-3 times longer than my best pet.

Present...

I've said my goodbyes, surrendered the skills, and doubt if I'll ever see my friends again. Kitty is dead, Seeker is getting old, and my Graul Maulers are only good for raising mission levels and scratching there butts. We had a good run I think. We were top of the food chain and latercattle to slaughter. I will missthe days of commanding my personal army and striking fear in the hearts of pistoleers but those days are over. Good bye my friends, my soldiers, my pets.