Ginnunga news

As the seasons slowly change a long winter has finally given way to spring. While some enjoy the warm rays of the sun a lot of Ginnungans seem to prefer the cold harsh backlight of a monitor. How surprising. To help keep us indoors we've recently found a new little game which has us mesmerized, Neverwinter. A good chunk of DDO, a half pint of WAR and a sprinkle of TERA results in a quite enjoyable experience, and it's all free.



We're playing on the server BEHOLDER, so if you're looking for an excuse to stay out of the sun feel free to hit us up and take part in epic dungeon crawls, roleplaying and PvP!

Register and download here:
Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter

For most Ginnungans Diablo 3 was a passionate, but short lasting, romance. We charged in, kicked copious amounts of ass, and were out the door like a barbarian whirlwind.
But some lingered. Some refused to give up the carnage. Some wanted more blood, more items, more experience and more trophies. Some were not satisfied. One of those was our Belgium Brawler, Eaglix.
Early on he set a goal for himself, to not only beat Hardcore, where your character is lost when you die, but to completely and utterly dominate it. During the months he has posted regular updates of his progress. We congratulated him when he hit Paragon level 60. Then 70, And then 80, AND THEN 90!

But Eaglix wasn't satisfied. Eaglix didn't settle for anything but perfection.

So he kept on fighting. Kept on leaping into monsters. Kept on slaying and pillaging the darkest corners of the Diablo universe. Kept on pushing and pushing, until finally the 11th of april it happened.



Eaglix became the 435th hardcore paragon level 100 character in the world and 138th in Europe. For a game that has sold over 12 000 000 copies (that's twelve MILLION children!) world wide, that's certainly something to take pride in.

Eaglix Barbarian in all its glory.

We of course caught up with our legendary barbarian for a few questions:

When were you the closest to dying?
I was close to dying more than once, but it's hard to say when the closest time was. In certain situations you can be close to dying with 100% hit points. It only takes getting stuck when you shouldn't. I remember getting stuck a few times when I was in the Paragon level 90s. I was lucky to get out each time, but it was only a matter of seconds.
I am still mortal and always will be. Death really lurks around every corner. I learned never to make plans on hardcore, as I can be dead the very next click.

Did you ever feel like giving up?
The road was very long. Where you need about 2 million experience for the first Paragon level, you need 320 million for the last. If it wasn't for all the people I met and played with I would never have had the courage to go on.
Therefore I also want to thank everyone who supported me during this long journey. I met a lof of nice people from different countries all over Europe.

What is the next goal?
As I said before, I learned not to make goals when playing Hardcore. I will still play this character to try my luck in finding more awesome items, but I also got a Monk ready to be leveled.
In the end I'd like to get all 5 Diablo classes going on Hardcore, but I don't know yet if it would be for casual leveling or to try another Paragon 100. Only time will tell.

Any shout-outs?
I want to give a shout-out to SickChicken for being the first Ginnungan I played with on Hardcore. We went from 0 to 60 together. We did die on the way, but we both eventually got there.
I also want to thank Dakiestu for the many Paragon hunts we did together. Qanelar also, who joined us for a quick 30 Paragon levels. Both very nice Ginnungans to play with.
I also want to greet my two closest followers on the softcore side, TheJudge, who is currently Paragon level 99, and Shades, who is 96.
Foxdies, for being my inspiration when I started playing Hardcore (he had already quit though).
Trenix, Aganom, Swiftpwns, Zyphi, Archantos, Dendil and the many other Ginnungans (can't name you all guys) who sent me encouraging chat messages along the way!
Last but not least (not Ginnungans this time) the many players I encountered on this long journey. Specially the Lithuanian people and co on skype and more recently the Germans on TeamSpeak! Definitely a nice community out there.

There you have it, the words of a true beast. Once again, congratulations from us all!

This years guild gathering will be held in Bordeaux, France and the main events will take place 26-28th of July.

Garta and Llew are planning the activities during the gathering.

Information about travel alternatives and accommodations can be found in the private thread in "The Gathering" on the forum.

Insert images of cheese, wine, and naked women running through the burning streets of Paris.

Ginnunga's and non-Ginnunga's, we wish you all the very best for 2013! May it be filled with Epic Games, Legendary Battles and lots of good 'ole fun.

Since our Guildwars2 adventure was shorter then we would hope for we are sorta in the mists about what new game to focus on. All us leftovers could ofcourse pick up WoW and join our friends on Nordrassil, but I have a feeling that that isnt going to happen. ;)
So untill we have a new MMO we can sink our teeth in we will probably be playing all kind of F2P/cheap/Awesome random games that we come across. A whole bunch of us always hangs out on Teamspeak, which ofcourse is not only for when we play MMO's. So don't forget to come and hang out with your friendly neighberhood Cog&Friends while you play some games.

Guildleader of the Year Award 2012 recognizes the best guildleader of 2012 and possibly all time.

Winner

• Ernesto

Nominees

• Ernesto

Ginnunga is proud to present an exclusive interview with this years winner.

Congratulations to the award Ernesto! Our readers would love to pick your brain a little.

How long have you been a guildleader?
13 years by now.


What is your next game?
We are going to be playing Guild Wars 2.


Why did you win the award this year?
It is fairly simple. A great guildleader is easily recognized by his prowess and intelligence. A good guildleader also rules with a firm hand. Forcing the guildmembers to vote for you is a small task, especially since a proper leader ensures that he is the only name on the ballot.


We have heard that you are often refered to as a King, or simply The King(tm), when did you first receive this title?
I first gained my crown when I slayed the mighty red dragon Lord Nagafen in the year 2000. The peasants thought that if they'd refer to me as their king, I would share the treasure. Naturally I did not.




Being such a fantastic guildleader, we presume that you never have any problems controlling the commoners. Would you have any advice to the other guildleaders out there?
Rule by fear. Kill everyone, all the time. If someone questions you, you have been too slow at killing them. Never react to events, be proactive and ensure absolute dominance from the get-go.

The guildmembers that survive the first onslaught will love you for your power, but it is also important to keep them in that state, so you do not have to kill more of them. The easiest way to do this is to pretend that you are kind and just. Redistribute some of the taxes that they are caned into giving you. Less than a percent of your wealth is an appropriate number. That way, the silly fools will think that they have economic safety under your wings.

Ensure to project your power with such force that even your enemies will want to bathe in your radiance. Slaves are very receptive to such things.




Classic management theory dictates that one should rule by example, what is your take on this?
This is actually true, and quite simple for someone of my caliber. Be the first to charge in, be the one that kills the most and punish the weak. The weak enjoys being punished by their betters and since everyone wants to be like me, there is a chain of punishment leading down to the weakest, who hopefully gets punished so severely that they fall down. When they have fallen down, it is fairly easy to take all their possessions and adding it to my personal guildbank and then dispose of the fallen. The guildmembers will happily bury one of their own for a few copperscraps, or for free, if you just threaten them sufficiently.


Other than being the strongest and the best at everything, are there any other things that a guildleader could do to become Guild Leader of the Year?
I like to collect symbols of victory and power. A great example was my castle of Oren which came with a pet dragon that I obtained by forcing people to give it to me, as a gift of reverence.




Would you consider yourself a fair and just guildleader?
Absolutely, I am always right in everything and hence, everything I do must then be fair and just.


This all sounds absolutely amazing. It must be such a privilege to be a part of a guild led by the Guildleader of the Year 2012. How do I become one of your loyal followers?
You can read about our Recruitment in Guild Wars 2 and follow the instructions. I am very keen on groveling and long winded letters of declared obedience, so the longer and well written the application, the better.

After Miraxx expressed his love for Ginnunga by getting an awesome tattoo, our own Ove had one done also to further increate the hype for Ginnunga in GW2!





Now that is what I call dedication!

Hardcore does not even begin to describe it! At this years gathering, after a pile of drinks, I told Miraxx that he would receive a lifetime membership if he tattoo's our logo.

Little did I know, that Mr Miraxx does not simply DO drunken craptalk. So, today a message on my phone. A message with an image. An image of absolute awesomeness. No longer is he a mere mortal. Now, he is Ginnunga for life.


Apparently it hurt a little, but since every drop of ink going into his skin, was a drop of legends, it did not matter.

I smell a challenge coming up for Gromk, who just lost his title as Mr Awesome.

Have you broken your friends leg while reaching for a can of beans?
Have you crawled through a supermarket while stealing coke?
Have you been shot by Tumble while peacefully breaking into a house?
Have you experienced a zombie apocalypse?

If not, you probably haven't played DayZ. For those that are unfamiliar it's a mod for the game Arma II which puts you smack in the middle of a apocalyptic zombie nightmare. Humanity has been all but extinct by a virus and the few survivors remaining try desperately to scavenge food, drinks, medical supplies and weapons to survive against the horde of undead scouring the land.

As if that wasn't enough you live in constant fear of other survivors that want nothing more than to hit you like a piñata and steal your hard earned possessions.

The past week some of us have been living this nightmare. Dying, sneaking, dying, hunting, dying, looting, dying, running, dying and... did i mention dying?
Led by Dansul and Trenixen our rugged band of survivors have raided airports, hospitals and villages in search for anything that's more helpful than a empty tin can, cause there's obviously ALOT of those around in an apocalyptic future.

Calyn wanted to make sure i mentioned him "conquering" a castle meanwhile the rest of us were busy shooting stuff in the face.


There has also been some rumors about axewielding psychopaths roaming the countryside. These are all lies.


If you want to scavenge, slay and survive like a pro, don't hesitate to check out http://dayzmod.com/ and look us up. Just don't be surprised when the last thing you hear is the shotgun-blast behind you and Tumble going "Ooooooops".

Teh NEWz.

There is not that much going on, it's just us playing Diablo3, GW2 Beta Events and complaining about all the broken stuff these games have to offer. Of course we are also watching new awesome tv shows, epic movies and looking forward to all kinds of winwin movies in the movie/tv review section.

We would also like to show how dedicated the great Meriel is to the guild! On the right you can see her magnificent interpretation of our incredibly hardcore logo!





Also a few points of interest:

• Calyn is back from China and is busy being almost rid of his jetlag.
  
• Deathstorm is getting ridiculously good items in D3, we hate him for it.
  
• Ernesto is pregnant, It's probably being boiled in wine as we speak.
  
• Meilink is promoted Colonel Clueless.
  
• Dendil is wrong.
  
• Coots is looking for someone to hike to the gathering with. (call 0800-HIKEWITHCOOTS)
  
• Janne finally figured out how Diablo3 works.
  
• Fox is HARDCORE TO THE BONE.
  
• Gromit is old.
  
• So is Meriel.
  
• Kolapz is showing the world pictures of Croatian people that are in love with Irish people.
  
• Gromk has a Mac. (lol)
  
• Netster is trying to find Venus.
  
• Sammerkand is fapping to a lesbian succubus.
  
• I have Teh Plan™.
  
• Katrinn is going to kill Ernesto because he is old and she is awesome.
  
• Eaglix is making babies. (Maybe he should talk to Ern)
  
• Drexa is grumpy.
  
• Naicha is building an aquarium for snails.
  
• Sarya wants to eat Naicha's snails.
  
• Civen is M.I.A.
  
• Gart is bringing wine!
  
• EVERYONE will sleep with Ove.

Members from all over Europe are flying in as usual for this glorious feast of nerds and friends! - The attendance list is filling up nicely and we seems to be getting around 40-50 attendees this year as well! Good show guys and girls!

The Guild Gathering will take place in Sweden, Östersund between the 18th to 22nd of July.

Let us make last years gathering in Amsterdam bow down in shame! This will be legendary!