Pack Analysis: The Harrowing Nightmare Pack

Pack Name:                       Harrowing Nightmare Pack
Pack Type:                        Gear
Number of Cards:              7
Total Number of Items:     142
Cost:                                  299 Crowns
Availability:                       Currently in Crowns Shop during Halloween

Description

This pack is pretty new (as at the time of writing) and is another Halloween themed pack.  There are some very nice features to this pack, but this pack's appeal is definitely targeted.  I figured I had better get to this one before Halloween arrives!

There are some quite unique items in this pack, and I know that I purchased a LOT of them before I got what it was that I was after.  I think you'll find that if you check Tabitha's post, you'll see she did the same, but for a very different item!!

With the relatively low number of items in this pack, chances to pick up the item you are after are not bad.

But enough about what we have been doing or have done.  Hopefully this analysis will help you when you are trying to figure out what the best thing is to do with your own stash of Crowns.

Pets - 7

This pack only has one new pet, the Harrowed Bones.  He is a cool looking character and has some nice abilities, even at 1st generation.

Other than that, these are pets we have seen before, in fact, many of them are from the original Nightmare pack.  With the Penumbra Drake (the first pet with cards that change with age) and the sought after Deer Knight in the team, there are some really good options here.  Even the Ghost Hound is a great 1st generation Pet.

If you are unlucky, you might find yourself with a Black Cat or Pale Maiden or even a Grim Scarab, but pretty much everything else is a solid pet.

Mounts - 3 Permanent, 9 Temporary
Well, this is what Tabitha loved.  In fact, so much, she kept buying packs until she got her permanent
Harro-"wings".

The Harrowings mounts look amazing and there is nothing like them in the game.  They hold you in quite a unique way and have a haunting kind of look to them.   That said, they are not 'Morgrim' wings, so I won't be buying this pack in order to get one of these.

There are also a couple of temporary broomsticks, and some of the retired Bat Wings mount (which most definitely are Morgrim wings and I do have a permanent set of these).

If you like the Harrowings, you'll be hooked on this pack.

Snacks - 28

The array of Snacks are just a few of the little pack-fillers. There are no real stand-outs here, but there are a few Rank 7 Snacks, which are also nice to have.

Treasure Cards - 32

The treasure cards are not the reason to buy this pack. There is a bunch of typically Death based TCs here, but again, other than a few useful ones like Hex (that you can buy at the Bazaar...) I cannot see TCs as a reason to want these packs.

Seeds - 1

The Deadly Ninja Fig is the only one in this pack (that has been discovered so far!) and let me tell you, this seed is a trap.  With an unbelievably long growth cycle, I don't care what they drop, these seeds are a real no-no for me, and will ALL find their way down the throat of my nearest pet!!

If you really must grow these plants, the only cool thing is watching the little ninja pigs that grow inside this plant, snatching the seeds off the tree and hiding again :)

Reagents - 9

Nothing really special here, and all can be acquired without spending your hard-earned Crowns on a pack.

Clothing - 9

There are 3 different outfits in this pack, and each hat, robe and set of boots can drop separately.  It is when you get the full set that it transforms you into a creepy creature of Halloween.

The visuals on this gear is great.  I really like the way the hat and robes work together, and the boots finish the job nicely.

As usual, each set has a different focus.

Nightfall Torment - This gear re-introduces Stun Block and, at level 100, you can get a massive 61%. Along with that is a handy 22% piercing but the Damage, Critical and Critical Block all range between different, individual schools.  Not really that useful to a single Wizard school.

NightTide Torment - This gear has zero Stun Block, but tidy amounts of Defense, with a total of 30% universal Defense at Level 100.  There is also 34% universal Damage and 12% universal Accuracy. Again the Critical and Critical Block is split between different, individual schools.  I cannot quite see the reason for this yet, and I'd be interested in your opinion.

Midnight Torment - This gear is pretty much all out attack, with Accuracy, Critical and Damage as the theme.  The trouble is, again, the Hat has a Fire focus, the Robe has a Life focus (this I can understand as many Fireys carry Life Amulets) but then the boots are Ice?!?

As an additional summary, the stats are OK and the Health bonus on some gear is good, but the boosts are less than what I have with some of my crafted gear!

So, other than the look, I am pretty confused about the boosts that come with this gear.

Wands - 7

Now this is where things really get interesting.  This is the reason I bought a heap of these packs.

These wands have the biggest Critical in the game! To recap on my previous post:

     -- At Level 100 --

• Storm:    223
• Fire:       209
• Balance: 195
• Myth:     195
• Death:    195
• Life:       181
• Ice:        165

This is serious Critical.  I lost track of how many packs I bought, but that much Critical was too much to pass up.  That said, as soon as I got it, I stitched it.  I don't know what it is with those guitar wands, but they just do not work for me...especially the way they cast.

Even the low level wands, while their might not be a Critical boost (starts at Level 40+), the healing boosts can come in very handy!

The other very interesting thing about this wand is that the Wand spell (we call them 'jabs' lol) come from 2 different schools.  This gives you a lot of flexibility when trying to get rid of those annoying debuffs, like Weakness, without losing all of your school buffs, yet when you want to, you can then boost your school jab and do some serious damage for zero pips.

Housing Items - 37

Anyone who has been in the Wizard world for a while will have seen pretty much all of these items. They are nicely themed and most of them are worth considering to spook up your house.

As there are only 37, this means they won't be the heavy distraction that you find in some of the other packs.

Morgrim's Verdict

Low Level Wizards
This isn't the best pack for you, it just depends what you are looking for.  The look of the gear is nice

and the Harrowings really appeal to some.  Also, the wands are OK.

All in all though, I don't know that this is the best value for money - but if it is a cool Halloween look, maybe that would be your motivator.

High Level Wizard
I guess I have to look to my own reaction.  If you have any attacking bone in your body - buy this pack...at least until you get your Wand.  After that, for me at least, it was all over, although all those Temporary mounts were a little annoying, just filling up backpack slots.

There really isn't anything else in this pack that would appeal to me at a practical level.

That said, many higher level Wizards do enjoy the themes of the game and it is one of the reasons they keep coming back, so perhaps the look of the gear also has some merit, certainly, I cannot understand the stats on the gear, and I wouldn't waste my money getting it for that purpose.

So, there we have it for another pack - let me know if you agree with my Verdict!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

(This post is accurate as of October 2014)