First Level 55 Player in RFO-Ph: Symour of Bellato
31.March.2008

First Level 55 Player in RFO-Ph: Symour of Bellato Nexus
by GM Vyrien

The player who was the first level 50 player is now the first level 55 player in the Philippine servers! Symour, current Archon of the Bellato in Nexus, has been a member of good standing in the community, known not only for his character's power, but for his own leadership qualities. His humility and perseverance could only be idolized by his peers. Besides being Archon, he is also the guild leader of >DemonZ<.

He has been able to bring good things to their guild, leading them to a spot in the Level Up! Live 2007 finals. The bond they share among each other has been admirable, and was shown to me first hand when I called Symour for an in-game interview: half of his guild came over for a picture!

Left to Right: Ramedesu, nelren, BossChip, riskberserk, tongbalitz, yUjLikE, MamaAmelia, Remate, topeto, PhenOmE, Masanori, SacredSpear, PapaRoach, Jettie, Symour (In level 55 melee armors, wielding a level 55 spear), PhantomPhreak, january13, sanllove143, jhonericka3, memex, matrox, JGT, f0rtell, Sasuke29

The Interview: On Inspiration, Perseverance, and Brotherhood
Vyrien: What is your inspiration to become the first person to reach level 55?
Symour: Well, I wanted to boost the morale of Bellato Nexus. I wanted us to dominate like the Empire [Accretia] did.

Vyrien: Like the Empire? Do you consider Accretia as your main rival?
Symour: Hmmm, yes. The Empire still holds the longest winning streak.

Vyrien: I see. If you could kill anyone right now in Accretia, who would it be and why?
Symour: Anyone who stands in Bellato's way.

Symour

Vyrien: Okay, let me ask you about the road you travelled to get to level 55. Did you have a strategy in mind to accomplish this quickly?
Symour: Yes, before Crimson Dawn, we already planned ahead and searched other RF Forums for strategies and insights.

After our defeat at LU Live 2007, we wanted to prepare better for the next tournament. We analyzed our mistakes and used our experience to our advantage, instead of letting it take us down.

Ginawa naming isang inspirasyon ang aming pagkatalo noong nakaraang laban namin doon at tinanggap namin bilang hamon sa sarili upang makamit ang ganitong antas at hamon sa paunahan sa 55. =)

Vyrien: What did you feel the instant you reached level 55?
Symour: Masaya, pero halos ganito rin ang pakiramdam noong ako'y naging unang level 50 noon. Gusto ko lamang ipakita na iba ang talento at makipagkumpitensya sa gamer ng ibang bansa.

(Happy, but the feeling that I got was just like what I felt when I became the first level 50 player. I just wanted to prove to gamers from other countries the talent and the competitiveness of a Filipino gamer.)

Vyrien: What was the first thing you did outside of the game, upon reaching level 55? Did you have a party?
Symour: Nagkaroon ng munting salo-salo dito sa lugar ko ng mga magkakaibigan sa loob at labas ng guild. Habang ginagawa namin 'tong interview at Chip War nandito kaming lahat.

(We had a simple get-together at my place with friends both from inside and outside the guild. We're all together now for this interview and for the Chip War earlier.)

Symour in his level 55 armors.

Vyrien: What did you do first in-game upon reaching level 55?
Symour: 5 AM Chip War! Hehe.

Vyrien: Did you guys win that one?
Symour: Yes, we got the 5 AM CW, though we KS'ed (kill-steal) it from the empire. >:) We stole their candy.

Vyrien: Nice work. In your levelling, how often do you play? Do you play everyday?
Symour: May shift kami. For example, ako sa 7 AM to 1 PM Chip War, then si Jettie after, then may new pilot sa graveyard shift. Sakto sa summer vacation kaya we make it possible.

(We have shifts. For example, I play 7 AM to 1 PM Chip War, then Jettie, then a new pilot for the graveyard shift. We have a lot of time on our hands because of the summer vacation.)

Vyrien: Ah. I hope I have a pilot for work, too!
Symour: Hehehe. o.0 Actually, we already planned this one even before, ever since we found out about the level cap.

Vyrien: Do you have any tips that you can give our readers, for those who want to reach level 55?
Symour: Hmm, yes.

For the Bellato, dodge type is best at the Cartella Bio Lab for easy mobbing.

Mas maganda kung wag mag-AFK (Away From Keyboard) yung partymates para mas mabilis mapatay ang mobs sa biolab. As much as possible, gising lahat!

(Better if no one goes away from keyboard while levelling, so killing mobs is faster. Everyone should be awake!)

And we have wealth jades! =)

Vyrien: What classes were in your party?
Symour: 2 Berserkers, 2 Rangers, 2 Soul Chandras, 2 Arch Magi.

Vyrien: Ah, looks like an LU Live tournament line up.
Symour: It can still change depending on the rules.

Vyrien: How much help were the wealth jades able to give? How many wealth jades did you use?
Symour: Yep, malaking tulong if hitter ka or nuker, pero kung leech or afk experience, wala siyang use. =)

(Yes. It's a big help if you're a hitter or a nuker, but if you plan to leech or level while AFK, it's useless.)

I used 5 wealth jades. Our whole party had 5 wealth jades.

Vyrien: Did you have a hard time levelling? What did you have to go through to get to 55?
Symour: We actually had a hard time levelling from 51 to 52 than 53 to 55.

Vyrien: Why is that?
Symour: It was because of getting "experience down" from dying. I think we used almost 150 pieces of "I fear no death" pills (100% experience regain pills).

The monsters in Beast Mountain / Outcast Land are hard to tank because of their high hit rate, unlike in the Cartellan Bio Lab, whose monsters have low hit rate.

Monsters in the Bio Lab give high experience, but you need to be at least level 52+ to meet their level requirements. Most important is 171+ dodge.

Vyrien: What equipment did you use while levelling?
Symour: Perfect Dodge Elemental rings and amulets, +5 Favor Intense level 50 Melee Set, +5 Mercy Melee Boots, and premium burst potions for fast killing purposes.

Vyrien: Do your parents know that you're level 55 already?
Symour: Alam naman, saby kami gumraduate ng character ko. =)

(Yes, they do. My character and I graduated at the same time!)

Vyrien: What a nice graduation gift. Did RF get in the way of your studies?
Symour: Not really, since I have reliable pilots. I had no problems with studies, but as for my love life... next question please. >:)

Vyrien: Okay, I'll not ask anything about that...
Symour: lol

Vyrien: What if you did get a girlfriend, and she told you not to play RF anymore? What will you do or say?
Symour: GF malabo eh... kasi may asawa na ako eh hihihih shhh

(Getting a girlfriend right now isn't possible, since I already have a wife! Shhhh!)

But I teach her how to play online games.

Vyrien: She also plays RF?
Symour: Minsan naglalaro kaming dalawa at nagaaway dahil sa RF. 'Pag nacCP down, AWAY NA 'TO!

(We play at the same time, and sometimes fight about RF. Whenever I lose CP while she's piloting, expect a fight!)

Intermission: A little conversation about talics.

Vyrien: All right, final message to our readers?
Symour: Uhmmm salamat sa lahat ng naniniwala pa rin sakin sa Bellato Nexus. Salamat sa mga kaibigan ko sa iba't ibang server, sa mga nagcongrats sakin, sa mga pamily ko sa >DemonZ<, sa mga GM's tulad niyo. Always remember: Study hard, play harder (joke lang bwahaha).

Walang hindi nakukuha sa pinaghihirapan!

(Thanks to everyone who still believes in me in Bellato Nexus. Thanks to all my friends in the various servers, to those who congratulated me, to my family in the >DemonZ< guild, and to GM's like you. Always remember: Study hard, play harder (just kidding bwahaha). Nothing is impossible to anyone who perseveres!)

Advanced congratulations to all those who will be getting to level 55!

Vyrien: Thanks, and congratulations once again for becoming the first level 55 player.
Symour: Last message for the Bellato.

Vyrien: Sure, go ahead.
Symour: Keep the fire burning. We will bring back the glory to the Federation.