I ordered EotN... so... - Guild Wars Forums

TheGizzy · Nov 17, 2010, 12:03 PM // 12:03

Newegg had an irresistible price on EotN, so I ordered it tonight. Should be here in a few days. I'm currently playing Prophecies, haven't bought Nightfall or Factions yet since I'm waiting for a good deal on those as well. I'm playing a lvl20 E/Ra who just finished the Sanctum Cay mission tonight. Yay me!

My question is this - what would be some of the benefits and/or drawbacks to my adding EotN to my account right away? I only ordered it tonight because the sale was so good... I obviously haven't even finished Prophecies yet and still have quite a ways to go before I do. But I'm certainly curious about the EotN content, and wanting to know if there are aspects to it which would help me along in my current Missions/Quests/general explorations.

I've gathered that EotN adds some explorable areas, additional Missions/Quests... but is there anything else to it? Things I might find desirable based on where I am now? Or should I just hold off activating it until I've completed Prophecies?

Thanks for any tips you're able to offer!

*Darcy* · Nov 17, 2010, 12:06 PM // 12:06

It adds some heroes. You get a level 20 monk and ele almost immediately, then Gwen, a mesmer. The rest require doing quests to obtain. But, unless you are a purist, having Ogden (monk) and Vekk (ele) will help you out along your Prophecies path.

bsoltan · Nov 17, 2010, 12:13 PM // 12:13

There is no disadvantage to activating the key now. The only thing you will notice is that when you travel to the Lions Arch outpost you will get a message pop up explaining to speak to someone to get the quest to travel to Eye of the North.
If you don't follow this quest then it won't have any impact on your current game.

As Darcy says, simply completing this first quest to get to the Eye of the North outpost will give you access to some heroes which you can then use on your Prophecies campaign and although they start at Level 20 you will be able to equip them with skills you've unlocked so far and you can give them any Armor Upgrades and Weapons you find.

The additional Campaigns and Expansions do not imapct any of the other main storylines in any way so you can add them to your existing account without any effect to your current gameplay.

DeanBB · Nov 17, 2010, 01:13 PM // 13:13

There will also be a skill trainer at the Eye that may have some skills of interest to you. There are no new Elite skills, other than PvE skills, but you may be able to capture something useful in EOTN before you could in Prophecies.

I'd say the heroes make it more than worth it, even if you don't have super builds for them yet.

Waldir · Nov 17, 2010, 01:55 PM // 13:55

Overpowered pve skills = easy pve

Shana Something · Nov 17, 2010, 02:09 PM // 14:09

EotN will also allow you to access max level armor and weapons immediately.

Just sayin'.

bsoltan · Nov 17, 2010, 02:57 PM // 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shana Something

EotN will also allow you to access max level armor and weapons immediately.

Just sayin'.

So does Crystal Desert if you know where to look.

FengShuiDove · Nov 17, 2010, 03:03 PM // 15:03

There's no reason not to add it immediately. As said, you have to actually do a quest to get to Boreal Station (the first outpost in Eye of the North expansion). My suggestion: add GW:EN as soon as you get it. Travel to Boreal Station and then to the Eye of the North outpost. Get some awesome new skills from the trainer in the Eye. Go back and finish Prophecies, then head back into EN campaign.

Also, get Factions and Nightfall

.

End · Nov 17, 2010, 06:35 PM // 18:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsoltan

So does Crystal Desert if you know where to look.

You mean that max armor that you can't put insignias on?
Not as helpful as ones I can drop insignias on.

BrettM · Nov 17, 2010, 07:18 PM // 19:18

The EotN question has been answered well. However, I would point out that you should not just be looking for good deals on Nightfall and Factions. The best deals are often on the Trilogy.

The Trilogy has one key code, not three, which will add the two campaigns you are missing, ignoring Prophecies since you already have it. This is not really a "waste" if you got a good deal on the package compared to the cost of buying the two campaigns separately.

caballo_oscuro · Nov 17, 2010, 08:20 PM // 20:20

You should definitely add gw:en although you probably won't have a huge amount of skills to get you through it yet.

Getting the other two campaigns will net you alot of goodies, heroes, skills, weapons etc. Eye of the North is intended for experienced players though so if you haven't hit lvl 20 in prophecies, you'll find alot of the content in gwen, especially dungeons difficult, even with the buff to lvl 20.

It would be really advantageous to play through prophecies, factions and nightfall and then tackle the bulk of gwen, but you can go any way you want to. Hope you have plenty of fun with it.

[edit]
Btw getting factions and nf as well as prophecies will net you a hero, MOX. Eye of the north gets you access to the hall of monuments where you can see all your accomplishments which will net you bonus items for GuildWars 2, see hom.guildwars2.com for what you'll get.

Gennadios · Nov 17, 2010, 08:29 PM // 20:29

Thank you for the heads up btw. I was milling getting it for my second acct since I acquired one. The newegg price was awesome.

TheGizzy · Nov 17, 2010, 08:52 PM // 20:52

Wow, thanks everyone... that was fast!

@BrettM - yup, I should have clarified that I was expecting it to be the Trilogy that goes on sale. Interesting side-note on that: Someone I met in-game was telling me that WalMart carries the "Complete Collection" setup (P,F,N & EotN) for $40. They do... though it's not available online right now and it's hit or miss if the local stores have it. It sounded like a great deal, but further research into the set shows it only gives two additional toon slots (6 total) instead of the 4 more (bringing total to 8) I'd get by getting Factions & Nightfall via the Trilogy or through separate purchase.

So I check Steam & Amazon each day for the Trilogy to be on sale, and now I'll be watching NewEgg as well since that's where I found EotN for such a nice deal.

@Everyone - the heroes definitely sound intriguing. I wouldn't say I'm a "purist" LOL though I have been sticking to the storyline as closely as I can. The only exception to this was a friend who very much wanted to run me to LA before the Halloween decorations came down so I could see them. I would have been there on my own within a couple of days, so I went. The decorations were still up when we started the run... by the time we arrived, they were gone and we were getting the persistent "There's a new build...reboot" messages. LOL The gods of Tyria were clearly making their opinions about running ahead known. *grinning*

Stepping outside Prophet's Pass last night, just to poke around a bit before I went to bed, I found those jade scarab thingys really challenging... they killed my Fire Attunement & Aura of Restoration quickly, and I was burning through Energy pretty fast trying to kill them, so I definitely need to rethink my strategy there. I'm sure a few heroes would help... but I'm hoping to figure it out on my own, first, based on what skills I have available to me right now. I like a challenge... but I really hate the scarab/spider/devourer things... they make uber-creepy noises. LOL

Better armor/weapons/skills would probably help, too - and it's not because I'm a "purist" that I likely won't end up getting those yet... it's simply that one thing I HAVE learned in playing this is that I really still have zero idea of what's truly helpful versus what just looks flashy/sounds good. I've realized after the fact that I disposed of what would have been useful weapons, or that skills I thought were really great turned out to be not-so-useful after all. So I'm trying to proceed slowly & carefully when picking and choosing what I do with those things... I think I have pretty good armor now (Flameforged Elementalist +51 from outside Stingray Strand) with helpful insignias & runes in all of it, and I'm keeping an eye out for an Insightful Staff Head +5 and a Fortitude Wrap +30 for a nice little Raven staff I found. I'm pretty sure I merch'd both BEFORE I understood what they were/how to use them/what "maxed mods" were. LOL

I find it all pretty exciting, to be honest... the whole process, the unknowns, and the learning something new - even if it's after I've made a mistake like merch'ing something I could really have used. *grins* I was positively gleeful the other day when I realized the Zaishen Mission was finally something I had access to (The Great Wall), and now I'll get to do The Wilds & Aurora again for it as well.

I'm a bit like a kid in a candy store here. LOL

TheGizzy · Nov 17, 2010, 09:06 PM // 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by caballo_oscuro

You should definitely add gw:en although you probably won't have a huge amount of skills to get you through it yet.

Getting the other two campaigns will net you alot of goodies, heroes, skills, weapons etc. Eye of the North is intended for experienced players though so if you haven't hit lvl 20 in prophecies, you'll find alot of the content in gwen, especially dungeons difficult, even with the buff to lvl 20.

It would be really advantageous to play through prophecies, factions and nightfall and then tackle the bulk of gwen, but you can go any way you want to. Hope you have plenty of fun with it.

[edit]
Btw getting factions and nf as well as prophecies will net you a hero, MOX. Eye of the north gets you access to the hall of monuments where you can see all your accomplishments which will net you bonus items for GuildWars 2, see hom.guildwars2.com for what you'll get.

My toon is a lvl20 elementalist/ranger. I think I've earned three skill points since I hit lvl20, if that helps anyone figure out how far along I am in terms of toon development? I cleared Sanctum Cay yesterday - though it took me four tries, and I finally had to decide to complete the bonus in one try and the mission in another. I also have to go back and do the bonus on Aurora Glade... I got so caught up in holding the crystal stands against the White Mantle that I forgot I wasn't supposed to tune all of them until I'd killed the Demagogue. LOL

I was a lvl12 before I ever left pre. I was having so much fun going beyond the gate and killing charr that I didn't want to leave. But it's helped me move up pretty quickly in post, and with the armor I got from Stingray Strand, my toon is pretty buff for an elementalist.

Well, until I have to deal with creepy crawlies that make shudder-worthy clicky noises... then I scream and run like a little girl. *grins* I keep trying to tell my husband that it's his responsibility to come kill THOSE bugs for me too, just like he does here at home... but for some reason, he's just not buying it.

End · Nov 17, 2010, 09:21 PM // 21:21

Glyph of lesser energy may be your friend if your having energy issues and comming up against lots of enchant removal.

And turn your sounds off in the desert xD

Ratman · Nov 17, 2010, 10:01 PM // 22:01

Adding eotn as mentiont above will be a great addition.
You get some fun content and though the story isn't amazing, it's still fun and you'll find some intresting new allies and foes.

And about the bugs in the dessert, more annoying sounds means more fun dancing on their copses.

gremlin · Nov 17, 2010, 10:21 PM // 22:21

Its good to add eye while your still on Prophesies because it feels part of that campaign and it fits seamlessly into the prophesies world map.

Any more info would be a spoiler but its a great campaign with lots of good adventuring.

I think I like it best after Prophesies.

Star_Jewel · Nov 17, 2010, 11:25 PM // 23:25

I love reading your posts, TheGizzy. You remind me so much of myself when I first started. Y'know, before I got all jaded and title-grindy.

So my post doesn't get deleted for not being an answer: I agree that once GW-EN arrives, you should add it and consider popping to Boreal Station for max armor. Getting collector armor that can't be fully upgraded or crafting less-than-max armor is a waste of time and money, IMO. Once you've got max armor, you can rune up and focus on playing. Then all your cash and salvaged mats can be saved for "pretty armor" which you can work towards when you get other campaigns/areas unlocked.

Spookii · Nov 18, 2010, 02:06 AM // 02:06

Definitely add it to your account! It will not affect any of your gameplay until you want to go to EotN. And even if you decide to go to EotN, you're still free to go back to Prophecies.

Don't think of it as installing a new game ontop of what you already have. Think of it as opening a gate to another part of the game that you didn't have access to before.

You're free to come and go as you please.

TheGizzy · Nov 18, 2010, 06:19 AM // 06:19

I love this forum. *grins*

UPS says EotN will be here on Friday, and after reading all of your replies, I'm going to add it as soon as it arrives. I've just arrived in Augury Rock tonight, and began reading carefully through the Wiki pages on the missions necessary to ascend. It's clear to me that unless I party up with others, I really do need those heroes to be able to go much further. My choice of being an Elementalist/Ranger probably wasn't the wisest - it's not a particularly effective combination, and other than my pet or rare instances where I must "pull or die," I don't really make use of my Ranger skills.

As much as I love games/gaming in general, I'm not really "smart" about it... and honestly, I'm usually generally the weakest link in partying up with others of equal/greater strength (levels, armor, skills, etc.). I've loads of enthusiasm obviously LOL but very little else to bring to a party at this level.

So I think those heroes are definitely an important draw for me, and I'll be looking more closely at the skills and such as well.

I did get through Prophet's Path - finally figured out how to handle those bugs, in part thanks to what I've learned here.

Now I think I'm going to kill some time backtracking a bit, doing a little material farming, re-doing some Missions I really enjoyed (I loved Gates of Kryta, ducking behind Oink's house and killing the undead there - and Oink just rocks!!!) and waiting impatiently for EotN to arrive so I can check that out this weekend.

I'm also going to go examine some of the builds people have shared... I have a feeling that I'm really not using my toon effectively, and that there are skill combinations I have not yet considered.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me on this... and I definitely welcome any additional ones you might have. I'm learning a lot here!

Nov 17, 2010, 12:03 PM // 12:03	#1
TheGizzy Krytan Explorer Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: A giant mitten Guild: TeAe Profession: E/R	I ordered EotN... so... Newegg had an irresistible price on EotN, so I ordered it tonight. Should be here in a few days. I'm currently playing Prophecies, haven't bought Nightfall or Factions yet since I'm waiting for a good deal on those as well. I'm playing a lvl20 E/Ra who just finished the Sanctum Cay mission tonight. Yay me! My question is this - what would be some of the benefits and/or drawbacks to my adding EotN to my account right away? I only ordered it tonight because the sale was so good... I obviously haven't even finished Prophecies yet and still have quite a ways to go before I do. But I'm certainly curious about the EotN content, and wanting to know if there are aspects to it which would help me along in my current Missions/Quests/general explorations. I've gathered that EotN adds some explorable areas, additional Missions/Quests... but is there anything else to it? Things I might find desirable based on where I am now? Or should I just hold off activating it until I've completed Prophecies? Thanks for any tips you're able to offer!

Nov 17, 2010, 08:20 PM // 20:20	#11
caballo_oscuro Krytan Explorer Join Date: Aug 2008 Guild: Aura	You should definitely add gw:en although you probably won't have a huge amount of skills to get you through it yet. Getting the other two campaigns will net you alot of goodies, heroes, skills, weapons etc. Eye of the North is intended for experienced players though so if you haven't hit lvl 20 in prophecies, you'll find alot of the content in gwen, especially dungeons difficult, even with the buff to lvl 20. It would be really advantageous to play through prophecies, factions and nightfall and then tackle the bulk of gwen, but you can go any way you want to. Hope you have plenty of fun with it. [edit] Btw getting factions and nf as well as prophecies will net you a hero, MOX. Eye of the north gets you access to the hall of monuments where you can see all your accomplishments which will net you bonus items for GuildWars 2, see hom.guildwars2.com for what you'll get. Last edited by caballo_oscuro; Nov 17, 2010 at 08:37 PM // 20:37..

Nov 17, 2010, 12:06 PM // 12:06	#2
Darcy Never Too Old Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rhode Island where there are no GW contests Guild: Order of First Profession: W/R	It adds some heroes. You get a level 20 monk and ele almost immediately, then Gwen, a mesmer. The rest require doing quests to obtain. But, unless you are a purist, having Ogden (monk) and Vekk (ele) will help you out along your Prophecies path.

Nov 17, 2010, 12:13 PM // 12:13	#3
bsoltan Site Contributor Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK Guild: [SoF]	There is no disadvantage to activating the key now. The only thing you will notice is that when you travel to the Lions Arch outpost you will get a message pop up explaining to speak to someone to get the quest to travel to Eye of the North. If you don't follow this quest then it won't have any impact on your current game. As Darcy says, simply completing this first quest to get to the Eye of the North outpost will give you access to some heroes which you can then use on your Prophecies campaign and although they start at Level 20 you will be able to equip them with skills you've unlocked so far and you can give them any Armor Upgrades and Weapons you find. The additional Campaigns and Expansions do not imapct any of the other main storylines in any way so you can add them to your existing account without any effect to your current gameplay.

Nov 17, 2010, 01:13 PM // 13:13	#4
DeanBB Forge Runner Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Arizona Guild: Wizardry Players Guild, http://4guildwars.7.forumer.com	There will also be a skill trainer at the Eye that may have some skills of interest to you. There are no new Elite skills, other than PvE skills, but you may be able to capture something useful in EOTN before you could in Prophecies. I'd say the heroes make it more than worth it, even if you don't have super builds for them yet.

Nov 17, 2010, 01:55 PM // 13:55	#5
Waldir Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Dec 2005 Guild: --------------- Profession: Mo/Me	Overpowered pve skills = easy pve

Nov 17, 2010, 02:09 PM // 14:09	#6
Shana Something Academy Page Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: TEXAS! Guild: Fellowship of Greeters [FOG] Profession: Rt/	EotN will also allow you to access max level armor and weapons immediately. Just sayin'.

Nov 17, 2010, 03:03 PM // 15:03	#8
FengShuiDove Forge Runner Join Date: Sep 2007 Guild: Trinity of the Ascended [ToA] Profession: A/	There's no reason not to add it immediately. As said, you have to actually do a quest to get to Boreal Station (the first outpost in Eye of the North expansion). My suggestion: add GW:EN as soon as you get it. Travel to Boreal Station and then to the Eye of the North outpost. Get some awesome new skills from the trainer in the Eye. Go back and finish Prophecies, then head back into EN campaign. Also, get Factions and Nightfall .

Nov 17, 2010, 07:18 PM // 19:18	#10
BrettM Desert Nomad Join Date: Aug 2008 Guild: Fuzzy Physics Institute Profession: E/	The EotN question has been answered well. However, I would point out that you should not just be looking for good deals on Nightfall and Factions. The best deals are often on the Trilogy. The Trilogy has one key code, not three, which will add the two campaigns you are missing, ignoring Prophecies since you already have it. This is not really a "waste" if you got a good deal on the package compared to the cost of buying the two campaigns separately.

Nov 17, 2010, 08:29 PM // 20:29	#12
Gennadios Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jun 2009 Profession: N/A	Thank you for the heads up btw. I was milling getting it for my second acct since I acquired one. The newegg price was awesome.

Nov 17, 2010, 08:52 PM // 20:52	#13
TheGizzy Krytan Explorer Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: A giant mitten Guild: TeAe Profession: E/R	Wow, thanks everyone... that was fast! @BrettM - yup, I should have clarified that I was expecting it to be the Trilogy that goes on sale. Interesting side-note on that: Someone I met in-game was telling me that WalMart carries the "Complete Collection" setup (P,F,N & EotN) for $40. They do... though it's not available online right now and it's hit or miss if the local stores have it. It sounded like a great deal, but further research into the set shows it only gives two additional toon slots (6 total) instead of the 4 more (bringing total to 8) I'd get by getting Factions & Nightfall via the Trilogy or through separate purchase. So I check Steam & Amazon each day for the Trilogy to be on sale, and now I'll be watching NewEgg as well since that's where I found EotN for such a nice deal. @Everyone - the heroes definitely sound intriguing. I wouldn't say I'm a "purist" LOL though I have been sticking to the storyline as closely as I can. The only exception to this was a friend who very much wanted to run me to LA before the Halloween decorations came down so I could see them. I would have been there on my own within a couple of days, so I went. The decorations were still up when we started the run... by the time we arrived, they were gone and we were getting the persistent "There's a new build...reboot" messages. LOL The gods of Tyria were clearly making their opinions about running ahead known. grinning Stepping outside Prophet's Pass last night, just to poke around a bit before I went to bed, I found those jade scarab thingys really challenging... they killed my Fire Attunement & Aura of Restoration quickly, and I was burning through Energy pretty fast trying to kill them, so I definitely need to rethink my strategy there. I'm sure a few heroes would help... but I'm hoping to figure it out on my own, first, based on what skills I have available to me right now. I like a challenge... but I really hate the scarab/spider/devourer things... they make uber-creepy noises. LOL Better armor/weapons/skills would probably help, too - and it's not because I'm a "purist" that I likely won't end up getting those yet... it's simply that one thing I HAVE learned in playing this is that I really still have zero idea of what's truly helpful versus what just looks flashy/sounds good. I've realized after the fact that I disposed of what would have been useful weapons, or that skills I thought were really great turned out to be not-so-useful after all. So I'm trying to proceed slowly & carefully when picking and choosing what I do with those things... I think I have pretty good armor now (Flameforged Elementalist +51 from outside Stingray Strand) with helpful insignias & runes in all of it, and I'm keeping an eye out for an Insightful Staff Head +5 and a Fortitude Wrap +30 for a nice little Raven staff I found. I'm pretty sure I merch'd both BEFORE I understood what they were/how to use them/what "maxed mods" were. LOL I find it all pretty exciting, to be honest... the whole process, the unknowns, and the learning something new - even if it's after I've made a mistake like merch'ing something I could really have used. grins I was positively gleeful the other day when I realized the Zaishen Mission was finally something I had access to (The Great Wall), and now I'll get to do The Wilds & Aurora again for it as well. I'm a bit like a kid in a candy store here. LOL

Nov 17, 2010, 09:21 PM // 21:21	#15
End Forge Runner Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rubbing Potassium on water fountains. Guild: LF guild that teaches MTSC (did it long ago before gw2 came out and I quit...but I barely remember) Profession: N/A	Glyph of lesser energy may be your friend if your having energy issues and comming up against lots of enchant removal. And turn your sounds off in the desert xD

Nov 17, 2010, 10:01 PM // 22:01	#16
Ratman Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The Netherlands Guild: TLP/MU Profession: R/	Adding eotn as mentiont above will be a great addition. You get some fun content and though the story isn't amazing, it's still fun and you'll find some intresting new allies and foes. And about the bugs in the dessert, more annoying sounds means more fun dancing on their copses.

Nov 17, 2010, 10:21 PM // 22:21	#17
gremlin Furnace Stoker Join Date: Oct 2006 Guild: GWAR Profession: Me/Mo	Its good to add eye while your still on Prophesies because it feels part of that campaign and it fits seamlessly into the prophesies world map. Any more info would be a spoiler but its a great campaign with lots of good adventuring. I think I like it best after Prophesies.

Nov 17, 2010, 11:25 PM // 23:25	#18
Star_Jewel Jungle Guide Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Denizen of Tyria since Feb. 2009	I love reading your posts, TheGizzy. You remind me so much of myself when I first started. Y'know, before I got all jaded and title-grindy. So my post doesn't get deleted for not being an answer: I agree that once GW-EN arrives, you should add it and consider popping to Boreal Station for max armor. Getting collector armor that can't be fully upgraded or crafting less-than-max armor is a waste of time and money, IMO. Once you've got max armor, you can rune up and focus on playing. Then all your cash and salvaged mats can be saved for "pretty armor" which you can work towards when you get other campaigns/areas unlocked.

Nov 18, 2010, 02:06 AM // 02:06	#19
Spookii Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Southeast, USA Profession: N/	Definitely add it to your account! It will not affect any of your gameplay until you want to go to EotN. And even if you decide to go to EotN, you're still free to go back to Prophecies. Don't think of it as installing a new game ontop of what you already have. Think of it as opening a gate to another part of the game that you didn't have access to before. You're free to come and go as you please.

Nov 18, 2010, 06:19 AM // 06:19	#20
TheGizzy Krytan Explorer Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: A giant mitten Guild: TeAe Profession: E/R	I love this forum. grins UPS says EotN will be here on Friday, and after reading all of your replies, I'm going to add it as soon as it arrives. I've just arrived in Augury Rock tonight, and began reading carefully through the Wiki pages on the missions necessary to ascend. It's clear to me that unless I party up with others, I really do need those heroes to be able to go much further. My choice of being an Elementalist/Ranger probably wasn't the wisest - it's not a particularly effective combination, and other than my pet or rare instances where I must "pull or die," I don't really make use of my Ranger skills. As much as I love games/gaming in general, I'm not really "smart" about it... and honestly, I'm usually generally the weakest link in partying up with others of equal/greater strength (levels, armor, skills, etc.). I've loads of enthusiasm obviously LOL but very little else to bring to a party at this level. So I think those heroes are definitely an important draw for me, and I'll be looking more closely at the skills and such as well. I did get through Prophet's Path - finally figured out how to handle those bugs, in part thanks to what I've learned here. Now I think I'm going to kill some time backtracking a bit, doing a little material farming, re-doing some Missions I really enjoyed (I loved Gates of Kryta, ducking behind Oink's house and killing the undead there - and Oink just rocks!!!) and waiting impatiently for EotN to arrive so I can check that out this weekend. I'm also going to go examine some of the builds people have shared... I have a feeling that I'm really not using my toon effectively, and that there are skill combinations I have not yet considered. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me on this... and I definitely welcome any additional ones you might have. I'm learning a lot here!