Being a winner, having the edge.

I recently re-read a short post over on blogtropia which has prompted me to rethink my whole approach to EU. Many Entropians complain of constant losses and the constant need to deposit. I mean let's face it, for there to be winners within EU there has to be losers. I must admit that when I first read the blogtropia post, "I didn't get it", not truly. I didn't get what it takes to be a winner, I didn't get that winners make their own luck.

All you have to do is look at the newly successful Entropians, neo-ubers, those that weren't here since gold but have still made EU a profitable venture. My own soc mate Slither is a case in point, he is a successful profit making crafter, he has dedicated himself to crafting, he always has a handle on prices, efficiency, how to craft, when to craft, what sells, what doesn't sell, which BP's to buy, when to go all out and try and loot them, the list goes on...

Let's take Stryker, or Neo Sharp or Neo/711 all have come to EU late, but all have realised early that to be a winner, they needed to have the best gear and skills, so they bought the gear and/or skills then with this and through the profits made through hunting efficiently, invested more into their avatars, became more efficent. These neo-ubers (excuse the pun) are the winners in EU, they have the edge and they are using it!

The problem is with EU, the price to achieve the edge, the "cost" of the edge if you like, gets more expensive everyday. Shadow Armor, Skills, Mod Fap, Mod Merc, individually these are incredibly expensive, but collectively they consitute a fortune, much above most Entropian's means.

So how do we go about being a winner in EU? Unless you are blessed with the huge first-starter advantage that some players have, the only way to be a winner is to invest in something which gives you the edge. For some neo-ubers like Dub, Deathifier, or Neverdie, this has been an investment in something unique. Dub's "Bessie" his modified finder, Deathifier's Treasure Island, Neverdie's Spacestation, all of these players have taken the opportunity to invest in something at the time when their investment was a huge risk, and in each case the reward has far exceeded this initial investment.

So the next big unique thing that Mindark puts up for sale, will surely have a big investor and ultimately given previous form, a big winner.