Salazar
10-15-2007, 10:14 AM
Introduction
Like many of us you probably think of a new build and want to try it out, for some of you watching it evolve slowly will be half the fun, but to find there are mistakes is frustrating indeed. During the course of this guide you should have a good idea of a given builds strengths and what could potentially be improved. A character generator can only take it so far; for many people trying it out for real is the only solution. Getting a new build to 7 quickly is the point of this particular guide. Level 7 is generally a good level for most builds and you can quite comfortably do the Vault of Night series and also Tempests Spine to reach level8 if you feel you need more time to test your build.
Some of you will disagree with my methods, and some will even disagree with the whole power levelling principle, but personally for me, being low level is nothing short of a drag. By the end of this guide we should have a 4th bag slot and access to House P buffs.
XPS, Conquest, Purpose and Loot.
Power levelling is all about XPS (XP/Second), getting conquest bonus is seldom if ever the best route to high XPS, there are a few exceptions but on the whole, conquest bonus is not the best way to go. I personally feel there is higher XPS to be found quick running a quest many times without the bonuses, than doing the same quest fewer times with bonuses. Only personal experience will tell you if conquest is worth the trouble.
Know your quests, or find some like minded quick running individual who does. Wondering around aimlessly finding objectives will kill your XPS, as will not having the right tools for the job. Buy fear removal pots and hand them out to people, casters love fearing players at low level. Running around with no striding boots isn’t good for your XPS either. Use the best striders you can get and if available always send your lowbie an Expedious Retreat clickie as soon as possible. Acrobats ring from waterworks gives you 5% striding. Addictions to haste are no bad thing. Loot at the lower end of the level range is mostly junk, I’ve seen Maces of Smiting and Dwarven Throwers come out of TangleRoot and Gwylans Stand but those are utter exceptions. Bothering to loot chests that are any further a field than on your direct route will reduce your XPS.
Groups, Difficulty and Group Management.
Constructing a group is critical to some quests, but at lower levels it’s not so important. With possible the exception of (STK) Shan-To-Kor Part 3 requiring a caster you can go on these quests with just about anyone. You don’t need a full group, and assuming at least a few guys can heal, go without a bard or cleric. Waiting for a cleric is terrible for your XPS. As lower level players leave, replace them with slightly higher level players, to keep your average level in-line with the level of the quest you’re doing, one average level higher can make a huge difference.
The Elite difficulty setting is sometimes not as difficult as the Hard difficulty setting. For example in WW (Water Works) hard you will get held, that makes it messy, whereas on Elite, they will just try and lightning bolt you, an electricity resist potion mostly counters this. If your group struggles with WW hard they may have an easier time in WW elite. Doing quests when you are too low a level may give you a +10% or +20% bonus to your XP but if you struggle it may take longer, and your XPS actually may go down. As team leader it is up to you to gauge what your group can accomplish, if you make a mistake and wipe badly then move on, and come back when you have a higher level group. As with everything in life, Indecision is worse than a bad decision. It’s better to do a quest quickly with slightly higher level character than to struggle with lower level characters. Struggling to complete a quest adversely affects moral, whereas blitzing it in a blaze of adrenaline increases moral, which brings me on to my next point.
Congratulate your group on a job well done, a Melee on his DPS, a caster on his DPS/Crowd Control/Haste or a Healer on his heals. Keeping moral up is vital when you’re a team leader. High moral will make people inclined to remain in your party when a given quest is complete. This will reduce your LFM downtime, counter-act the micro-manage effect and also make you some friends.
Don’t be afraid to micromanage your group, there is nothing wrong with checking everyone has advanced correctly after WW Part2. This is especially applicable in TangleRoot. If you are repeating a quest straight away, remind your comrades to repeat their quests after they get their end reward. Check your caster has the right spells for the Construct in STK part3. Your group may begin to call you Mom, but being called Mom seldom reduces your XPS.
My next statement will be controversial but I will say it anyway.
Playing with less experienced players will drain your XPS. In all walks of life there are different leagues for different ranges of experience, the principle here is exactly the same. Stating “Experienced Alts Preferred” in your LFM (Looking For More) does not make you a bad person. I personally do help less experienced players, as the friends list of my X capped characters will show, BUT right now we are interested in testing if our build is viable and successful in the quickest possible time, grouping with less experienced or even slow players will not allow you to achieve this. Furthermore the less experienced or slower people probably won't enjoy being in a group of fast runners, that said, a new player who is conscientious and understands what's happening can be a joy to quick run with.
My ranting is over, let us begin!
Level 1:
Put up a LFM for levels 1-4 stating “WW_QUICK_ run, experienced alts preferred” and let the group gather whilst you do the solo quests, leave and re-join to enter solo instances if you must.
Euphonia’s challenge is good XP for the lowbie. 1.3K XP for 2 minutes work. Then teleport and do the Sigmund quests. Go outside and do all of the Lord Goodblade quests on normal running past most things, then repeat the rare scrolls on hard and elite, you don’t even need to kill anything in this quest, assuming you can get the doors open without being interrupted. Casters: charm person works wonders.
Level 2:
By now your group should be well formed, go and quick run WW on normal, everyone should know exactly what they’re doing and this should be easy as pie. Remind your new friends to advance after part2 and to repeat after getting their reward.
Rinse and repeat WW until you’re level 3 or close. Your goal is to find the dead body in part4 and avenge the killing in 0 minutes. =)
Level 3/ Level4:
Do WW on hard and then on elite, be sure to inform your group they’re far less likely to be held on elite but that they need electricity resist potions, experienced alts should have these already. If you fail miserably on hard or elite then abandon your efforts and move to STK.
STK is a great quest for fast XP, quick run STK and then repeat part3 over and over any way you know how…
Your group should be of a generally higher level, and having played together for a fair while should be a more cohesive unit. Go back and attempt WW on hard or elite or both, if you’ve already successfully completed this then move on to STK hard and then elite. Once again if you fail miserably move on to TangleRoot, you will need to come back to STK later for coin lord favour.
Level4/Level 5:
TangleRoot! Love it or hate it, it gives good loot and good XP for our level. Your goal here is to quick run TR(TangleRoot) in around 35minutes un-Hasted or 25-30 minutes Hasted. The reason I left this quest so late is because you’re far more likely to have a caster with haste. Haste is amazing in TangleRoot, as is charm person, don’t forget to inform your caster that it’s a very good idea to use it in every part except the first.
You will do this quest a whole bunch of times over, but that’s not a bad thing as some of the TR rewards are as follows:
• Flesh Render Goggles: 1 charge of Deathward.
• +3 CON belt
• +3 STR gloves
• +3 DEX bracers
• Wizardry 2 gemstone.
• Devotion Item.
During TR people will generally get bored and decide to drop, when they drop try and replace them with slightly higher levels of 5-6 ready for doing TR on hard and then elite. I cannot stress how much heightened charm person will help you here.
Level 6:
At this point you have a couple of choices, it largely depends on how much you despise Delara’s tomb. You can potentially go and do a few runs of StormCleave and Gwylans Stand. Your XPS will probably go down but the smile on your face may go up, it’s up to you, you’re the leader, make the call! After you’re finished with either, or if you’d prefer to skip these quests then move directly on to Delara’s Tomb.
Halt Undead is great for the mobs you must kill in Delara’s and any mobs you don’t need to kill, move on! Right now! And remind everyone to move on too! =) Quick run Delara’s part1 and then repeat Delara’s part2 over and over anyway you know how… Delara’s part2 is often overlooked but it can be done in 5-10 minutes or less. 1-6K XP depending on your level and the times repeated. When you’re sick of Delara’s part2 move on to part3.
Finally we have Thrall of the Necromancer, this is the daddy of all levelling quests; 1-8K XP and once again, it can be done in 5-10 minutes or less. Repeat Thrall of the Necromancer multiple times anyway you know how… You should be close to level 7 or already level 7 by now, if you’re not then go and do any of the quests I have stated previously on hard/elite if you missed them.
Congratulations on reaching level 7 in a day, you have done well. If you wish to continue up to level8 quickly I would suggest Tempests Spine runs and VON (Vault of Night) 1-5, Repeat 3-5 any way you know how… You can kill Velah if you wish but that will lock you out of being able to open the quests yourself for a while, so I would avoid doing VON6
If you would like to chat I am Khyber, my name right now is Siuhan.
=)
Like many of us you probably think of a new build and want to try it out, for some of you watching it evolve slowly will be half the fun, but to find there are mistakes is frustrating indeed. During the course of this guide you should have a good idea of a given builds strengths and what could potentially be improved. A character generator can only take it so far; for many people trying it out for real is the only solution. Getting a new build to 7 quickly is the point of this particular guide. Level 7 is generally a good level for most builds and you can quite comfortably do the Vault of Night series and also Tempests Spine to reach level8 if you feel you need more time to test your build.
Some of you will disagree with my methods, and some will even disagree with the whole power levelling principle, but personally for me, being low level is nothing short of a drag. By the end of this guide we should have a 4th bag slot and access to House P buffs.
XPS, Conquest, Purpose and Loot.
Power levelling is all about XPS (XP/Second), getting conquest bonus is seldom if ever the best route to high XPS, there are a few exceptions but on the whole, conquest bonus is not the best way to go. I personally feel there is higher XPS to be found quick running a quest many times without the bonuses, than doing the same quest fewer times with bonuses. Only personal experience will tell you if conquest is worth the trouble.
Know your quests, or find some like minded quick running individual who does. Wondering around aimlessly finding objectives will kill your XPS, as will not having the right tools for the job. Buy fear removal pots and hand them out to people, casters love fearing players at low level. Running around with no striding boots isn’t good for your XPS either. Use the best striders you can get and if available always send your lowbie an Expedious Retreat clickie as soon as possible. Acrobats ring from waterworks gives you 5% striding. Addictions to haste are no bad thing. Loot at the lower end of the level range is mostly junk, I’ve seen Maces of Smiting and Dwarven Throwers come out of TangleRoot and Gwylans Stand but those are utter exceptions. Bothering to loot chests that are any further a field than on your direct route will reduce your XPS.
Groups, Difficulty and Group Management.
Constructing a group is critical to some quests, but at lower levels it’s not so important. With possible the exception of (STK) Shan-To-Kor Part 3 requiring a caster you can go on these quests with just about anyone. You don’t need a full group, and assuming at least a few guys can heal, go without a bard or cleric. Waiting for a cleric is terrible for your XPS. As lower level players leave, replace them with slightly higher level players, to keep your average level in-line with the level of the quest you’re doing, one average level higher can make a huge difference.
The Elite difficulty setting is sometimes not as difficult as the Hard difficulty setting. For example in WW (Water Works) hard you will get held, that makes it messy, whereas on Elite, they will just try and lightning bolt you, an electricity resist potion mostly counters this. If your group struggles with WW hard they may have an easier time in WW elite. Doing quests when you are too low a level may give you a +10% or +20% bonus to your XP but if you struggle it may take longer, and your XPS actually may go down. As team leader it is up to you to gauge what your group can accomplish, if you make a mistake and wipe badly then move on, and come back when you have a higher level group. As with everything in life, Indecision is worse than a bad decision. It’s better to do a quest quickly with slightly higher level character than to struggle with lower level characters. Struggling to complete a quest adversely affects moral, whereas blitzing it in a blaze of adrenaline increases moral, which brings me on to my next point.
Congratulate your group on a job well done, a Melee on his DPS, a caster on his DPS/Crowd Control/Haste or a Healer on his heals. Keeping moral up is vital when you’re a team leader. High moral will make people inclined to remain in your party when a given quest is complete. This will reduce your LFM downtime, counter-act the micro-manage effect and also make you some friends.
Don’t be afraid to micromanage your group, there is nothing wrong with checking everyone has advanced correctly after WW Part2. This is especially applicable in TangleRoot. If you are repeating a quest straight away, remind your comrades to repeat their quests after they get their end reward. Check your caster has the right spells for the Construct in STK part3. Your group may begin to call you Mom, but being called Mom seldom reduces your XPS.
My next statement will be controversial but I will say it anyway.
Playing with less experienced players will drain your XPS. In all walks of life there are different leagues for different ranges of experience, the principle here is exactly the same. Stating “Experienced Alts Preferred” in your LFM (Looking For More) does not make you a bad person. I personally do help less experienced players, as the friends list of my X capped characters will show, BUT right now we are interested in testing if our build is viable and successful in the quickest possible time, grouping with less experienced or even slow players will not allow you to achieve this. Furthermore the less experienced or slower people probably won't enjoy being in a group of fast runners, that said, a new player who is conscientious and understands what's happening can be a joy to quick run with.
My ranting is over, let us begin!
Level 1:
Put up a LFM for levels 1-4 stating “WW_QUICK_ run, experienced alts preferred” and let the group gather whilst you do the solo quests, leave and re-join to enter solo instances if you must.
Euphonia’s challenge is good XP for the lowbie. 1.3K XP for 2 minutes work. Then teleport and do the Sigmund quests. Go outside and do all of the Lord Goodblade quests on normal running past most things, then repeat the rare scrolls on hard and elite, you don’t even need to kill anything in this quest, assuming you can get the doors open without being interrupted. Casters: charm person works wonders.
Level 2:
By now your group should be well formed, go and quick run WW on normal, everyone should know exactly what they’re doing and this should be easy as pie. Remind your new friends to advance after part2 and to repeat after getting their reward.
Rinse and repeat WW until you’re level 3 or close. Your goal is to find the dead body in part4 and avenge the killing in 0 minutes. =)
Level 3/ Level4:
Do WW on hard and then on elite, be sure to inform your group they’re far less likely to be held on elite but that they need electricity resist potions, experienced alts should have these already. If you fail miserably on hard or elite then abandon your efforts and move to STK.
STK is a great quest for fast XP, quick run STK and then repeat part3 over and over any way you know how…
Your group should be of a generally higher level, and having played together for a fair while should be a more cohesive unit. Go back and attempt WW on hard or elite or both, if you’ve already successfully completed this then move on to STK hard and then elite. Once again if you fail miserably move on to TangleRoot, you will need to come back to STK later for coin lord favour.
Level4/Level 5:
TangleRoot! Love it or hate it, it gives good loot and good XP for our level. Your goal here is to quick run TR(TangleRoot) in around 35minutes un-Hasted or 25-30 minutes Hasted. The reason I left this quest so late is because you’re far more likely to have a caster with haste. Haste is amazing in TangleRoot, as is charm person, don’t forget to inform your caster that it’s a very good idea to use it in every part except the first.
You will do this quest a whole bunch of times over, but that’s not a bad thing as some of the TR rewards are as follows:
• Flesh Render Goggles: 1 charge of Deathward.
• +3 CON belt
• +3 STR gloves
• +3 DEX bracers
• Wizardry 2 gemstone.
• Devotion Item.
During TR people will generally get bored and decide to drop, when they drop try and replace them with slightly higher levels of 5-6 ready for doing TR on hard and then elite. I cannot stress how much heightened charm person will help you here.
Level 6:
At this point you have a couple of choices, it largely depends on how much you despise Delara’s tomb. You can potentially go and do a few runs of StormCleave and Gwylans Stand. Your XPS will probably go down but the smile on your face may go up, it’s up to you, you’re the leader, make the call! After you’re finished with either, or if you’d prefer to skip these quests then move directly on to Delara’s Tomb.
Halt Undead is great for the mobs you must kill in Delara’s and any mobs you don’t need to kill, move on! Right now! And remind everyone to move on too! =) Quick run Delara’s part1 and then repeat Delara’s part2 over and over anyway you know how… Delara’s part2 is often overlooked but it can be done in 5-10 minutes or less. 1-6K XP depending on your level and the times repeated. When you’re sick of Delara’s part2 move on to part3.
Finally we have Thrall of the Necromancer, this is the daddy of all levelling quests; 1-8K XP and once again, it can be done in 5-10 minutes or less. Repeat Thrall of the Necromancer multiple times anyway you know how… You should be close to level 7 or already level 7 by now, if you’re not then go and do any of the quests I have stated previously on hard/elite if you missed them.
Congratulations on reaching level 7 in a day, you have done well. If you wish to continue up to level8 quickly I would suggest Tempests Spine runs and VON (Vault of Night) 1-5, Repeat 3-5 any way you know how… You can kill Velah if you wish but that will lock you out of being able to open the quests yourself for a while, so I would avoid doing VON6
If you would like to chat I am Khyber, my name right now is Siuhan.
=)