Epic readiness

[DANTEIL]

There is a thread that used to be here (on ddowiki now) called "Help! Am I raid ready?"

I wonder if there's anything that would be especially useful for new players to know about being Epic Quest ready. E.g., must-have items, must-have HP/SP etc. Obviously, I'm mostly asking for myself, since I haven't tried to join a group posting for an Epic quest yet, but perhaps there are some useful benchmarks that would be good for anyone. Also, are there particular Epic quests that are more new-friendly than others?

Or is it one of those things like, "If you have to ask, then you aren't ready." :)

[Inkblack]

To do epics, you must:

- be level 20

Other pluses:
- be able to play as part of a group
- be able to give or follow clear instructions
- know how to use crowd control to your advantage
- run the quest enough to know what's coming

That's plenty to be able to get in and mess around with a few friends. Remember, if you are using a ton of resources you don't have to complete. You can always call it early and rethink your strategy.

Ink

[Angelus_dead]

Obviously, I'm mostly asking for myself, since I haven't tried to join a group posting for an Epic quest yet
How about you just step into an epic dungeon, kill 2-5 mobs, and see how it goes?

[wamjratl1]

Or is it one of those things like, "If you have to ask, then you aren't ready." :)

Kind of but not always.

For melees, weighted 5% weapons are really nice to have - mob HP are ******** high so auto-crits are nice. Other than that, it depends on the quest. Greensteel is helpful, certainly. Dragontouched armor also uselful since you can combine slots. Raid gear that fits your character Really, epic is about DPS, survivability and playing in a smart group, IMO (realizing that so is most of the game, at level, but even more so in epic). You have to coordinate and listen.

Oh and crit-firewalls are extra-nice.

[Belwaar]

Remember, if you are using a ton of resources you don't have to complete. You can always call it early and rethink your strategy.

Ink

This is great advice. Why waste tons of resources, when just take a minute to rethink your strategy and come back in guns blazing!

Another thing to note, is that you'll know you're epic ready, when you know the difference between just rushing to the next mob and trying to kill it, and approaching it with different strategies in mind. It takes some thinking and you can't just rush in blindly...although that works sometimes too :p

[ddoer]

There is a thread that used to be here (on ddowiki now) called "Help! Am I raid ready?"

I wonder if there's anything that would be especially useful for new players to know about being Epic Quest ready. E.g., must-have items, must-have HP/SP etc. Obviously, I'm mostly asking for myself, since I haven't tried to join a group posting for an Epic quest yet, but perhaps there are some useful benchmarks that would be good for anyone. Also, are there particular Epic quests that are more new-friendly than others?

Or is it one of those things like, "If you have to ask, then you aren't ready." :)

i read from your signature that you run a wiz 20.

obviously, there is no absolutely requirement or benchmark and anything i am saying are just my opinion for wiz:

int 38+, hp 350+, sp 2000+. it is for demonstrating you have a reasonable understanding in building a wiz more than any practical need in epic quests.
have GS SP item, HP item, and get an exceptional int item from ToD ring or GS weapon
got some standard raid loots. again, you don't definitely need those raid loots to perform good on epic, but i probably won't consider you in my epic group unless you have at least 2-3 raid loots because you are probably not very experienced. some raid items could actually help you to perform better, e.g. Gloves of the Glacier from VoD could reduce your mana cost, spell pen 8 item such as glacier bracer from vod will help you land your otto irresistible dance or wave of exhaustion against some mobs with SR


for some epic quests, such as von1, with proper tactic, most wiz could do the job. but for some others, such as oob and dq2, a gimp'd caster will simply be an liability of the party.

I've checked your build. you are pretty close to my benchmark except you don't have too many raid items. but, be frank, i won't consider you in my group. without the heal scroll bug, you won't be able to heal yourself and it means you'll need the healer to babysit you. in many epic quests, the caster is expected to cast fw to grab aggro and keep himself alive. (you could use safe spot, or stand behind a line, but you still will take damage)

[DANTEIL]

i read from your signature that you run a wiz 20.

obviously, there is no absolutely requirement or benchmark and anything i am saying are just my opinion for wiz:

int 38+, hp 350+, sp 2000+. it is for demonstrating you have a reasonable understanding in building a wiz more than any practical need in epic quests.
have GS SP item, HP item, and get an exceptional int item from ToD ring or GS weapon
got some standard raid loots. again, you don't definitely need those raid loots to perform good on epic, but i probably won't consider you in my epic group unless you have at least 2-3 raid loots because you are probably not very experienced. some raid items could actually help you to perform better, e.g. Gloves of the Glacier from VoD could reduce your mana cost, spell pen 8 item such as glacier bracer from vod will help you land your otto irresistible dance or wave of exhaustion against some mobs with SR


for some epic quests, such as von1, with proper tactic, most wiz could do the job. but for some others, such as oob and dq2, a gimp'd caster will simply be an liability of the party.

I've checked your build. you are pretty close to my benchmark except you don't have too many raid items. but, be frank, i won't consider you in my group. without the heal scroll bug, you won't be able to heal yourself and it means you'll need the healer to babysit you. in many epic quests, the caster is expected to cast fw to grab aggro and keep himself alive. (you could use safe spot, or stand behind a line, but you still will take damage)

Thanks.. this is useful information and a great reality check. Yes, I have considered just 'stepping into' an Epic group but I wanted to have some foreknowledge what the situation was going to be like. I can definitely listen and work well with a group if the strategy is clear, but obviously if I don't have certain gear/stats then there is only so much I am going to be able to do or contribute. I know now to focus mostly on additional raids, etc. for gear first... much appreciated.

[ddoer]

Thanks.. this is useful information and a great reality check. Yes, I have considered just 'stepping into' an Epic group but I wanted to have some foreknowledge what the situation was going to be like. I can definitely listen and work well with a group if the strategy is clear, but obviously if I don't have certain gear/stats then there is only so much I am going to be able to do or contribute. I know now to focus mostly on additional raids, etc. for gear first... much appreciated.

i actually would suggest you to give it a try first instead of waiting to grind your raid items. (as i have mentioned, those items or my benchmark stats are mainly for showing you are an experienced player more than practical need) just see how well you perform now. Join easy epic quests such as von1,2 first and try those desert epic quests later. Try to find a LFM posted by someone from a reputable guild of your server or just check his myddo page to see if the guy with star is an experienced player. Joining a group with 5 noobs won't help you to understand what you actually need on epic.

[MarcusCole]

For me, I have found the single most important factor of those that DDOer listed to be hp. After running my original 28pt caster in epics (he had 240hp at the time :eek: ) I just plain stopped playing him. After a GR to about the same amount of sp and not quite double the HP, it made all the difference. But then again, thats just me.

[moops]

Your on a Caster, most strategy Ive seen revolves around the caster---while its nice if you can heal yourself--many can't and Ive had no prob healing them, much is about where you stand or how you kite.. . Just to have a caster we sometimes run with casters whom basically are Mules that have no raid gear and their firewall works just fine.

Now here is what you can do all by yourself just to see what it is like:

1-Wiz King--many people farm the beginning of this by themselves for scrolls, on a caster its even easier cuz there are some good places to stand and put your firewalls down. If you are familar enough with this quest some casters go in by themselves and clear the whole thing. . .

2-OOB again the beginning--there is a spot to stand there, or you can practice kiting and staying alive.

3-VON 1- The mobs at the beginning are wimps, you can invis yourself and get to an area further in, find a place to jump up to, and firewall. You can also try to dance stuff here.

4-VON 2- Just go in and try to kill a couple beholders, makes stuff dance, etc.

Nothing stops you from walking into these quests by yourself :)