Reasons I love living in the Seattle Area/The PNW

     I have lived in the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest my entire life.  I'd love to live here for the rest of my life as well.  Besides the familiarity, there are a lot of reasons why I hope that will be the case, and I'm going to share them with you.  
    First, we have (I think) the best weather in the country.  Sure, there's southern California and Florida and Arizona, but they can have unbearably hot summers and not enough cool days in the year.  We have one or two unbearably hot days all year.  Our winters can be cold for those who aren't used to it, but once you've lived here a while, they become extremely mild and tolerable.  It's why winter is my favorite season.  Oddly, we get a lot of precipitation in the winter months but not that much snow.  But on the rare times that we do get snow, it's beautiful.  I don't know if I'd change a single thing about our climate.  I wouldn't even change the rain, which helps make our area so green.  And you can't beat our springs and falls, both beautiful in different ways.
    Another thing I love is our sports teams.  The Mariners ended their playoff drought and are and have been a very likable team for years.  The Seahawks are among the Top 10 NFL franchises regarding ownership, success, stadium, and fans.  We also have a few other teams that I enjoy following, including the Sounders, Kraken, Storm, and Huskies, all of whom have had at least a modicum of recent success in various sports.  Not one of our franchises is unlikable.  The only negative thing is we are still without an NBA team, something that hopefully changes soon.  Once we have the Sonics back, our sports scene will be one of the best in the country.  Our stadiums are consistently ranked in the top half of stadiums in their league, and there's no bad place to catch a sports game in the Seattle area.
    As I've gotten older, I've realized that I'd much prefer to live in a blue state and a Democratic market.  Fortunately, that's the case now.  That's the reason I wouldn't be happy in Florida or Texas.  Washington is one of the bluest states in the country.  Unfortunately, we have that weird cousin we call Eastern Washington that leans more right, but hopefully, over time, that'll at least become purple-ish (mix red and blue).  I enjoy being on the left, where women have control over their bodies and everyone has equal rights.  Imagine living in a red state where they try to restrict what kids learn because they think they will be "indoctrinated".  
    One thing I love about our area is how many people and companies have ties to the Pacific Northwest.  We're home to Starbucks, Microsoft, and Amazon, and Nintendo of America.  We have been the home to Chris Pratt, Rainn Wilson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Kenny G.  Outside of perhaps Silicon Valley, the Seattle area is arguably the largest tech center in the world.  So many video game companies (outside of Microsoft and Nintendo) have been located around here, including Bungie and Humongous Entertainment.  I love hearing about ties to our area, knowing virtually every other city pales in comparison.
    We have great food options as well, with most national chains having plenty of locations here to choose from.  In the past decade or so, we got Chick-Fil-A.  Perhaps someday we will get In-N-Out, but we have our own version, "Dicks Drive-In".  Not to mention there are tons of locally owned and operated restaurants that are among some of the best in the nation.  A lot of southern chains have not made their way up here, which is a bit of a shame.  The thing the Seattle food scene is lacking is good southern options.  But we're one of the best in the country in selections for steak, seafood, Asian cuisines, and in my opinion, Hispanic foods.  
    The biggest downside to living around here is the housing market and how costly it is.  We have one of the highest costs of living in the country and about the fewest amount of on-the-market homes available.  A lot of people, myself and my family included, keep moving further and further away from Seattle/Bellevue.  But I still can't imagine living in another state.  I could maybe see myself in Oregon, but that would be only if a job or opportunity presented itself there.  
    If anyone was thinking of moving here, I would highly recommend it.  Granted, I am biased, but I think we have one of the "homiest" places in the country.  You'll want to live here, start a family, and enjoy everything Washington has to offer.  I know I want to.  

Rating Dungeon Siege Areas and Towns

 Dungeon Siege is one of my favorite video games of all time.  I've replayed it close to a dozen times over the years (probably more).  I love customizing my team.  I recently played through and beat the game with wizards only.  It was not easy.  I thought I'd go through and rank each area and town in the game out of 10.  

Points will be given for secret areas, things to do besides fighting, and cool bosses.  Points will be taken away for being too long and annoying enemies.  I'll also give or take away points based on the town's or area's overall aesthetic.  In chronological order...

Farmlands - 7/10
It's a solid start to the game.  The Krug are a good first enemy to fight.  There's a hidden area with a bear that I didn't see on my first couple of playthroughs.  I like the basement area where you have to beat a Krug "boss."  I have to take points away, however, because in this area, I have to leave items behind on the ground.  There are no merchants until Stonebridge, and you typically don't get the Transmute spell early enough.  And the inventory is only so much until you can get pack mules.

Crypt of the Sacred Blood - 6/10
Again, I hate having to leave items behind.  I'm not going to backtrack for all of them.  The skeleton enemies are easy enough if you have a ranged weapon/attack and just keep your distance.  I just think it's pretty boring.  As you'll see, I'm not the biggest fan of underground areas.  I like how you finally get your first companion in Ulora, but until then, this area is a bit of a drag.  And of course, the dungeon ends soon after meeting her.

Stonebridge - 8.5/10
I love Stonebridge.  There's so much to do.  In fact, if I had a critique, it's that there's too much to do.  It's the first town in the game, and for beginners, it's easy to miss things.  For example, the first few times I played, I missed the Ordus' Axe quest and even missed finding Rusk!  As for the aesthetic, it loses a 1/2 point or so with me because everyone in the town is so gloomy and upset about the recent Krug attack.  

Ruins of Wesrin Cross - 5.5/10
Another underground part and another part I don't particularly like.  My least favorite part of Wesrin Cross is the underground tunnel maze.  I hate thinking that there's an area I missed, and it's very difficult to know for sure.  Then, of course, there's the giant area with about a hundred enemies, resulting in a giant spider boss at the end.  Let's just say I'm always so glad to be done with this area.

Glitterdelve Mines - 6.5/10
I'm not a huge fan of the mines, either.  Sure, you get Gloern at the start, but he's okay at best (and typically falls behind guys like Rusk and Kroduk).  It's pretty repetitive, with little to no payoff.  I don't like the moving platforms and trying to fit my entire party, pack mule(s) and all, on them.  The rock beasts are always tough.  This rating would be higher if the previous area wasn't also underground.  Fortunately, there's a merchant right before this area.

Glacern - 9.5/10
I LOVE Glacern.  It's the best town in the game.  My favorite part of the game is when I first enter Glacern and hear that awesome music.  If you haven't listened, I recommend checking it out.  There's so much to do in Glacern: Adding Kroduk and Lorun, talking to the Overseer, talking to Ada.  There's even an underground basement area in one of the houses.  Also, there's a mini-quest involving finding the three volumes of Fedwyyr's Way.  I just love Glacern.  It's the perfect size, too.  I can't give it a perfect rating because I wish the merchants weren't separate (The spells and potion merchant and the armor and weapons merchant).  

Alpine Cavern Ice Caves - 7/10
It's an okay area.  The enemies aren't too annoying, although the sound they make sort of is.  There is a nice payoff in finding Merik near the end.  It can be challenging if you get too many ice beasts fighting you at once, so you must be careful.  I just don't like the feeling of being in a cave with no daylight coming through.

Caves - 5.5/10
It's just so dark.  The enemies, like lungers, suck.  The music and aesthetic is one of the worst in the game.  It's not terribly difficult, at least.  But there aren't any hidden areas or merchants (you have a rude merchant, Jeriah, beforehand and a merchant after, though).  I have never been fond of this area, but they somehow have to transition from snow to a forest.

Traveler Camp/Dark Forest - 8.5/10
I lumped these two together as no defined barriers (walls) separate the camp from the forest.  Anyway, I do really enjoy this part.  You get merchants at the start and get an archer you can add to your group in Phaedriel.  Then there is the forest, where you encounter your only human enemies in the game, the bandits.  They are tough but beatable, so long as you take on as few of them at once as possible.  And I count three secret areas, from the riverside camp to the secret bandit fortress to the Lost Witch.  And the bandit camp where the bandit boss is has a ton of great loot.  I only wish I didn't have to go back to the previous merchant as much.

Eastern Swamp - 8/10
I used to hate this area.  Now I like it.  It's a massive area, and the path becomes less defined.  The enemies are fairly annoying.  I like the crypt/graveyard area, and man, those corpses can swarm on you quickly.  You find a wizard in Andiemus you can add, and soon after, a merchant who is a sight for sore eyes (although she's a creepy old lady).  I also like how there's an area where a part of your party can fall through the ground to an area below.  It always catches me off guard.  

Underground Factory - 6.5/10
There's no official name for this area that I have seen, but it's after the swamp where you find Merik's staff.  Anyway, this factory area has a ton of tough enemies that can seem endless, hence the tough rating I gave it.  A boss is guarding Merik's staff, who is very tough.  But fortunately, he has a ton of good loot.  There is a secret area or two, which does help keep things interesting if you can find them.

Temple Ruins - 7.5/10
This includes the preceding forest, as I consider that sizable enough to be included.  I like this area.  The merchant, Thayne, is a funny dude ("I'm very sure I shall be SEEING you again...").  I'd bet a lot of money his voice actor also voiced Baron Dumas in No One Lives Forever.  Anyway, there's a quest where you have to go underground and fight a bunch of lungers and other enemies, which isn't particularly fun.  But I love being able to return to Thayne many times to sell the gear I've found.  

Fortress Kroth - 7/10
I'm fairly indifferent to this area.  It's all right.  You stumble across Boryev, who's an interesting solider/sorcerer hybrid you can add to your party.  The skeleton enemies are ok to fight as they're extremely slow.  I don't like fighting the boss, though.  He is tough.  But what must be included is the actual Fortress, where you meet two merchants and Rhut at the end.  Rhut isn't worth it unless you want a team of all-melee fighters.  I love the music at Fortress Kroth though, second best to Glacern.  But there's not as much to do.  

Cliffs of Fire - 7.5/10
First, you meet Ulfgrim, who is the third dwarf melee fighter (and he costs a lot of gold), so I hardly ever add him to my party.  What pushes this rating up for me are the breathtaking views you get as you rise in elevation.  I love how the paths intercross each other as you go higher; that was an interesting design concept.  The enemies are okay, but they can be tough.  I do like the payoff at the end with finding the good Droogs and their leader who you can trade with.  It didn't hit me until recently that she is the second-to-last merchant in the game.

Dragon's Rathe - 6.5/10
It's not a big area, but it has perhaps the most memorable boss in the game, the giant dragon.  I remember the dragon has over 30,000 hit points, so it always takes a long time to take the dragon down.  Fortunately, it's worth it, as the dragon is surrounded by a ton of loot.  The battle can be long and tedious as you just repeatedly attack it, so it loses points there.

Castle Ehb - 9/10
First off, you have the area before the castle, which includes a secret area with skeleton fighters and a maze.  There's some loot there, but not a ton.  You also get the last possible addition to your party in Lord Bolingar.  He's a good melee fighter if you need one.  Then you get to the castle, which I love exploring.  You go through its many rooms, including where the king slept and the throne room.  You go all around and above it to find an elevator that takes you below the Castle.  Of course, the Seck enemies are very tough and must be cautiously approached.

Underneath Castle Ehb - 8.5/10
Again, no official name, but there's a lot you go through.  You get to the King, who gives you a key.  You also meet your final merchant of the game, who you interestingly talk to through jail doors.  I can just picture each side sending armor and weapons through the bars.  After the merchant, there's more fighting, including some weird Cyclops-like prisoner named Swanny.  You can get his club if you defeat him.  Then you can get to the Chamber of Stars area, which unlocks the absolute best loot in the game if you use the key given to you by the king.  Next is the lava area, which leads to the final area and the game's final boss in Gom.  This is a very solid finish to the game.  The Chamber of Stars is certainly a highlight.