Jun 2008: Madra Ice Field

*The actual article for this area is Madra Ice Field
Builder: Versalia
Source: Tactics Ogre
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[ 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.
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Master Vivi's Area Review:
Descriptions 8/10
I really like the coloring done on all of the Mobs (NPC'S), and the room names as well.
The room descriptions use the same words over and over (I saw 5 rivers on one room description),
but other than that, its very well put together.
Balance 7.5/10 
As previously stated, the Revenant Souls are very easy, and only end up getting about one
round on me (100 damage). The Princess, and Denim are Very hard (probably too hard), but they might not be meant to be killed. The Snow leopards keep you on your toes, as some are aggro. The dragons are very legitimate monsters to fight, and have perfect balance. 
Attraction 9/10 
The quests here are very intricate, well put together, and just plain cool. Though I can't say much, because that would be giving out deed info, it is well worth coming for. The equipment from this area is also very nice, well worth coming for.
Linkage 10/10
I thought this area couldn't be placed at a more perfect location. If such a place existed in real life, it would certainly be near a Frosty forest, and near an underground city with Witches and pumpkinheads. :)
Personal 10/10
Overall, the Madra Ice Fields are a very good place to come. With cool equipment, room descs, mob names, and interactions, what is there not to like about it. Though there is some overpowered mobs
in the area, I am sure they were meant to be like that. This is my favorite area so far. Good luck exploring it!
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Player: Ageatii
Review Date: 4/17/10
Descriptions: Room descriptions are well written and there is a specific mood set into the area. Mob descriptions are good as well. Several key items lack extra descriptions.
Balance: Nothing was too threatening here (didn't try killing NPCs that I was supposed to help), and in general the area is not challenging enough. Several of the enemies are ridiculously easy, specifically the snow leopards, revenant souls and baby dragons.
At this point in the game, even "trash mobs" need to be a challenge. The enemies related to the quest were more difficult for varying reasons, such as sapping away your money, and the quest boss was a challenge.
Attractions: There is a fishing spot somewhere, but it only brings up low level fish for food, and a weak enemy. A miniquest involving dragon breeding or something similar exists, and the reward is cute. The extra reward for certain other classes is incredibly arbitrary.
The area centralizes around the activities that occur during the quest.
Connections: There is a whole history told by several NPCs in this area that to my knowledge is never mentioned outside of Madra, including references to "the far away continent of Zeteginea" which I did not know existed. I'm not sure if this is all pre-CoD history.
Brigantes is mentioned in the area as if no one knows it is still active, but it's incredibly easy for the casual player to reach (easier to access than the ice fields themselves). This doesn't make any sense.
A central figure in the quest is somehow related to another thing in another area (i don't know how much to spoil), but it's a nice connection.
Misc Issues:
-When I agreed to help Orias in the beginning and finished fighting, she wouldn't respond to talk. I had no idea how I was supposed to help until I stumbled upon one of the camps.
-Dialogue for many key mobs doesn't seem to change when I complete the quest
-Some key dialogue is missed because of combat spam
-The Oubliette involves a syntax hunt
Category:Area of the Month