Introduction

Today I’m going to be reviewing and I suppose kind of recapping the Accursed Play bundle that was released at the beginning of the summer. Smaller bundles like this- that offer gauntlets rather than houses -can be kind of overlooked or forgotten a bit after release, hence why I didn’t want to let this one pass by without a review. Another reason why I wanted to write about this- despite the fact it’s been a little while (had to study abroad in England ya’ll, so I’m a bit behind) is that I feel like there were a lot of really notable aspects of this bundle! Let’s call “action” on this article!…yikes… 

If you’re someone with a summer birthday (like me!) or someone who takes a while to mull over purchases, this article is for you! So, without further ado, let’s talk about the first item in the bundle! Another reason was because there’s just so much potential for clever wordplay here, so I’d suggest you strap in.

Dramaturgist Gear

Now, you know me and details and this gear really earns a standing ovation takes the cake (yeah we weren’t gonna make it out of that sentence without me using an idiomatic expression). In fact, in terms of coloring I liked black on black a lot, because it really highlights all that wonderful golden detail. Seriously though, give me black on black gear any time, it’s like my gear comfort zone. The other thing I love about this is that wonderful little ruff around the neck! (Totally makes me wish they’d make an Elizabethan dress with a ruff.)

It’s also quite versatile gear in terms of look. It doesn’t necessarily have to translate into “theater actor.” One could simply be an Elizabethan minstrel or page. This versatility goes even further when one starts mixing and matching the gear pieces. Normally I’d also grumble about the lack of difference between the male and female sets, but in this case I do think that the floral pattern somewhat makes up for it.

Looks absolutely sick with Pairs supremely well with “The Mightier Quill.” Further, I suspect that the “Artist’s Armaments” or any of the mandolin wands would as well! In my opinion this works as a wonderful series of outfits: The actor, the writer, the artist, and the minstrel – all you have to do is pair the right wand! Julia Lionflower, putting too much thought into gear since…idk now…2009?

I can really see this robe becoming a popular stitch. When the bundle first came out I already saw the gear around the commons! I mean, I’m biased, but This goes to show how much people appreciate details and care with gear design!

Stats wise, this gear is much like other bundle gear- at least at high levels. Interestingly, I quite like its stats for very low level characters, so I actually redeemed it for my level 12! For the level it gives quite a nice boost to universal resist and damage!

Drama Llama Pet

I’m also gonna take a moment to point out that this pet is called the “Drama Llama.” Which, in and of itself, definitely made me chuckle. Equipped with a virulent plague card, he has a versatile range has the potential to be a great actor player pet, able to both work for pvp and be a fun companion! Brilliantly cute for people that really like llamas (which is really a good part of the population). But let’s get down to the most important nugget about this pet: Guys. He’s holding a llama skull rather than just a human one. Hilarious!

Wand

I really like the concept of this wand a lot! However, it’s a shame that the face of the mask is downwards, so you can’t really see it. Like most bundle wands the stats don’t really stand out to me. If you love theater, want to decorate the walls in your Royal Playhouse, or really want to just complete this look, though I’d definitely recommend this wand to you!

Mount

If you don’t mind actively running everyone over This is a really fun mount! Its size (and relative newness) also makes it really quite a showstopper. You know what can’t be stopped? All my puns. The first time I equipped it I had no less than three people stop and stare at me! For anyone that likes boat mounts, like the paddleboat, this is a serious upgrade! I also think this would work wonderfully for anyone that leans pirate-y in terms of their aesthetics. I was a bit surprised, though, that this is just a standard 40% speed upgrade mount. (Considering the fact that most of the recent bundle mounts have had additional stat boosts or an extra speed boost.)

Gauntlet

Tried out the top tier version of this gauntlet with Catherine! As we went through I took some notes for anyone that wants to try for a moment in the spotlight try out this run!

Fight 1

• They aren’t messing around
• Enemies start out with a lot of pips and know how to conserve them to hit hard
• Thought this would be easy, but surprisingly not quite as much as I thought
• If doing this gauntlet with less than four players, make sure and shield while waiting for shadows, unless you have good resist
• Stuns work

Fight 2

• Much easier than the first and quite straightforward – totally manageable with two players
• Enemies don’t hit as hard as fight 1
• Stuns work here too

Fight 3

• The key is to have a high enough piercing to wand/small hit him into submission
• That is not to say (at least in a two person team) that you ignore your partner who is hitting big and stop shielding them
• This last fight can be rough without a full team, especially if you trigger the doom and gloom!
• Stun works here too!
• Super awesome effects
• Don’t get intimidated by the 100% resist aura
• Become piercing masters Pack your shrikes and your infalls, but not your piercing bubbles
• Gaze will trigger the bubble cheat
• No feints while the minion is alive, they’ll transfer the feint to themselves
• Boss hits with death spells, but they’re actually shadow so bring towers
• Another fight where you can’t sit around and bide your time – the hits will wear you down, especially if doom get triggered by an accidental bubble, rather than an emergency heal

Conclusion

It’s time for us to close the curtain on this article In short: How does this bundle stack up against other recent bundle additions? Firstly, it’s a natural fit for theater buffs or anyone that is versed in plays (specifically Macbeth the cursed play) well enough to get all the humor.

I think this gear is really special. That simple fact allows this to stand next to bundles with full houses rather than just the ones with gauntlets. I was somewhat let down by the gear in the previous Battlemage bundle, but really impressed by the house. So, I’d say that if you want to play with a medieval theme and you aren’t going for armor or dresses, this gear is a great alternative to run through your Battlemage Keep in. At the very least I’ll be displaying it there when my lower level character is finished with it!

Aside from the gear I feel like everything else in the bundle is really quality, especially the design of this gauntlet. It’s not one that you’d run for the challenge of it, it’s one you run for the fun of it and the potential selfies photomancy screencaps in the Stranger Things room main theater.

As always, thanks for reading! If you have this bundle (or just have a buddy that’s got one that’s done all the work for you), I wish you many fun (and slightly spooky) gauntlet runs to come!