Forum Handle: Illyria22
Main Character Handle: Illyria1
Main Character Bluepill Name: Kate Dodson
Server: Recursion
Organization: Machines

Where in the real life world do you live? New Jersey

How long have you played The Matrix Online? I have been playing since beta began in November of 2004.

What other MMOs have you played? In addition to The Matrix Online, I currently play City of Heroes/Villains and Hellgate: London. I have tried a few other games, like Lord of the Rings Online and RF Online, but they just did not capture my interest like these do.

What type of work do you do? I am a veterinarian.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing The Matrix Online? I love hiking and being out in nature. I am a big supporter of the environmental movement, as well as Riane Eisler's Partnership initiative. I also enjoy ancient history and I love anything to do with science.

What is your highest character level in The Matrix Online? My highest-level character is 50.

How or why did you choose your main character's name? I am a big fan of Joss Whedon and his television show 'Angel' had just ended a few months before I got into beta. In the last season, one of the main characters had been taken over, replaced actually, by a very powerful demon called Illyria. Therefore, this character, a scientist, goes from someone very sweet and kind to something completely different; but even so, some of her original personality remained inside, influencing the being that had taken over her body. My character's back-story is not quite like that, but there are a few similarities. She was a scientist who became something very different after she was awakened.

What archetype and ability tree is your main character? Illyria1 is an inquisitive genius, and she is currently a Master Knife Thrower.

Why did you choose the archetype and ability tree that you did? My first ability tree was martial arts and I loved it for PVP. I never thought I would enjoy any other tree nearly as much. With the loss of multi-lock in CR2, I was persuaded to try Master Knife Thrower and I was surprised to find out that I liked it even more than Martial Arts! Although, I am thinking of trying out guns again, I have not used them recently.

Is your main character in a crew, if so what rank is the character? She is in a crew and she is a rank 1 captain.

Is your main character in a faction, if so which one and what is their faction rank? I am a member of The Collective. I am also a council member, one of the faction leaders.

What was your favorite chapter? My favorite chapter was Chapter 8, "The Fall of the Truce". We got to see everyone's true colors after the truce ended. We saw which people stood by their beliefs and the hangers-on who jumped ship as soon as the going got tough. The fall of the truce was great for the game's storyline, but from my character's point of view, it was the worst thing that could have happened! My character had been such a supporter of the truce, because she felt it gave us humans a chance to prove that we were not all as bad as our ancestors who had started the war against the Machines. She wanted to show that we could live in peace with them, that we did not want to try to destroy or dominate them again. When the truce ended, she was very disappointed. She took it as a sign that Zion was headed down the same old path again.

What is your favorite neighborhood? I love Murasaki, especially the park.

Who is your favorite NPC? My favorite NPCs are the agents that spawn on unsuspecting people that didn't tag their nodes.

What is the most $info you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? My most expensive purchase was the Machine organization key, for 100 million $info.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so what is it and why do you keep it? I don't do this for items as much as I do for emails. I can be somewhat sentimental that way, especially with emails from certain people.

What do you like best about The Matrix Online? My favorite thing about The Matrix Online is that it is a game based in the Matrix universe where you are not automatically working for Zion. That is what appealed to me most when I heard that this game was being developed. I have joked that I disliked Zion by the end of the movie's first scene and that I was a Machinist by halfway through the film, but it really is true. The first movie really presented things in a black-or-white manner, which is why I like the second and third movies much better. That is why I am glad this game takes place after the three movies and not before them. Choice is such an important concept in the Matrix storyline; and in The Matrix Online, you have the opportunity to make a choice that is beyond that of red pill or blue pill.

Describe your best experience playing The Matrix Online. My best experience would have been kissing an agent on the last night of beta, after he saved me from a high-level Zionite who had been trying to kill me!

Do you run or work for a Matrix Online Fan Site or Radio Station? No, I do not.

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