*#!$@n Skeleton Archers!

[Anzanel]

I'm using a melee character at the moment (WF fighter, THF, lvl 9) and the skeleton archers in Delera's are just p¡ssing me off since they take so long to kill (usually while 2-4 more of them are shooting at me.) I got a +1 holy maul yesterday, thinking it would pwn the çrap out of them and...it STILL hardly damages them. On normal. VVTF?

What weapon should I get that will actually do some damage? (I don't mind switching weapons just for the archers.) Or should I just not go into Delera's unless there's a FireWaller in the party?

Any help/info will be appreciated.

[FlyingTurtle]

Holy maul should pwn them in 3-4 hits or so on normal. I think you're probably missing a lot, they have annoyingly high AC. Turn off your Power Attack and try to get Heroism or Strength boosts. Make sure you've got your Insight goggles from Korthos and your Anger's Set or whatever from Korthos. They're one of your few options for stackable +to hit boosts.

Also, get an Armoire of Invincibility, I mean, an armor of invulnerability, it will really help the pain from the pew pew pew.

[Vellrad]

You just must take good bludgeoning weapon. You taken crappy bludgeoning weapon. Or maybe its not the weapon, its the user. What ur STR? Hit rate? etc?

[AyumiAmakusa]

Bring a wizard hireling

[Mobeius]

I'm using a melee character at the moment (WF fighter, THF, lvl 9) and the skeleton archers in Delera's are just p¡ssing me off since they take so long to kill (usually while 2-4 more of them are shooting at me.) I got a +1 holy maul yesterday, thinking it would pwn the çrap out of them and...it STILL hardly damages them. On normal. VVTF?

What weapon should I get that will actually do some damage? (I don't mind switching weapons just for the archers.) Or should I just not go into Delera's unless there's a FireWaller in the party?

Any help/info will be appreciated.

I am guessing you are primarily talkiing about Blackbone Archers?

Blur and Displacement are great from breaking the big archer rooms. Stone Skin. Elemental Resists help ( I forget they do fire or lightening). If possible use terrain to block arrow shots.

Offensively its a beat down, Bludgeon + Holy or Pure Good, Disruption items rock.

[Anzanel]

I hit almost every time, but it only takes about 1/10 of their HP each time -_- (Skeleton Arcus I think they're called?) I got the spearblock item from Korthos for the next time I run Delera's, so I figure that should help too.

Vellrad - mind telling me what a good bludgeoning weapon is, instead of just poo-pooing on someone posting in the New Player forum?

I had 25 str last time I checked. Forgot my hit rate, but I know it's not THAT low o_O

[HGM-Chi]

Blunt holy weapon is fine, or flaming of PG would be too, higher the + the better, obviously. They are the toughest things in there, really, so don't be too dismayed. If you're not worried about your conquest bonus you can leave a lot of them behind. Just kill the ones you have to to get doors to open, run past the rest.

[BattleCircle]

It's a beat down. They are tougher than most but holy/pure good works best. Blunt is the best against them but not really a must have. If all else fails you can always use the holy club that whatsisname gives you.

and if you don't have to kill them DON"T. Meaning if the doors are not locked just run past them.

[FlyingTurtle]

I hit almost every time, but it only takes about 1/10 of their HP each time -_- (Skeleton Arcus I think they're called?) I got the spearblock item from Korthos for the next time I run Delera's, so I figure that should help too.

Vellrad - mind telling me what a good bludgeoning weapon is, instead of just poo-pooing on someone posting in the New Player forum?

I had 25 str last time I checked. Forgot my hit rate, but I know it's not THAT low o_O

I had a thought. Are you dragging around a full party of pikers?

Try it solo. They'll go down in 3-4 hits, I guarantee it.

[SaneDitto]

Yeah, Skeleton Arcii are the Stone Walls (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StoneWall) of the zone. If you can't get a pyromaniac volunteer to drop a Wall of Fire and laugh, grab your Cursespewing/Holy bludgeoner of Disruption/Undead Bane, corner one, and wail away. Rinse, repeat ad nauseam.

[Vellrad]

Your maul deals 1d10+1 damage, plus your STR modifer*1,5 (or *2 can't remember whats additional bonus for using 2 handed weapon). As far as I remember skeletons in D&D got no mind or free will, so they are neutral (unlike in average games, where all undead are evil). Your holy weapon deals 2d6 damage, but only for evil opponents.

Now, if you will have something with another bonus damage type, that will apply for skeletons, you'll notice pretty damage boost. Try finding +2 or +3 acid or fire weapon. The best would be pure good, because it adds 1d6 damage to all non-evil mobs. And good monsters lives only in 2 quests.

Your weapon should deel 1d10+10 (or +14) damage, for total 15-25 (or 19-29)
If you could get acid +2 maul, you should be dealing 1d10+11 (or +15) bludgeoning damage, and additional 1d6 acid damage, for total 13-27 (or 17-36) damage. You could also increase your damage by spending AP on right enchancements, and using action boost: damage.

Of course, you can always grab yourself undead bane weapon, for extra +2d6+2 damage and +2 to hit.

[FlyingTurtle]

As far as I remember skeletons in D&D got no mind or free will, so they are neutral (unlike in average games, where all undead are evil).

Wrong. All undead are evil in DDO.

[stoolcannon]

You just must take good bludgeoning weapon. You taken crappy bludgeoning weapon. Or maybe its not the weapon, its the user. What ur STR? Hit rate? etc?

a holy maul is most definitely not a crappy weapon for delaras. I used that to blaze through the entire chain on elite with just my trusty pocket cleric as a level 6 barbarian.

[Vellrad]

Wrong. All undead are evil in DDO.

Seriously?
>.<
Another unmentioned change from PnP.
So this means holy weapo should work.

[LunaCee]

Wrong. All undead are evil in DDO.

I'll have to say you are wrong. Most? Yes, but not all.

I take it you've not had a run in with a certain Doomsphere in Necropolis IV.

[PurdueDave]

You can run past a surprising number of these annoying repair bill generators.

[Matuse]

Originally Posted by FlyingTurtle View Post
Wrong. All undead are evil in DDO.

Seriously?
>.<
Another unmentioned change from PnP.
So this means holy weapo should work.

It's not an unmentioned change from PnP. All undead are evil there too.

However, not ALL undead in DDO are evil. There is one (who appears in two quests) who is lawful good.

As for the skeleton arcuses in Delera's, they have ludicrously inflated HP, and you are honestly better off just ignoring them whenever possible. They don't chase you at all, so run right past.

[Cendaer]

You can run past a surprising number of these annoying repair bill generators.

^^This^^ right here.

Unless you're actually going for conquest, keep in mind that those skeleton archers won't follow you if you run past them.

[Ciaran]

What you miss in conquest you can regain easily by repeating the series. Seriously, if they are causing you too much grief just run past all the ones you can, killing only those that are necessary to advance (opening doors) or to take Dungeon Alert down to green or get rid of it altogether. You'll likely be making several runs of Delera's to get the gear you are after anyway, so skip the headaches as much as possible.

Holy, Pure Good, Flaming, Acid, Force, Shock; pretty much ANYTHING but Frost or Unholy (which doesn't drop anymore) all of these work well on skeletons. Having these items on a bludgeoning weapon is helpful for breaking DR.

[rimble]

Yeah, there's a few things around that level that stand out as big pains in the butt. Hopefully this U7 release note:


Armor Class values were adjusted down for a number of older monsters whose values were outside of the current standard range. This includes certain vampire bosses, the troll boss of the Tharashk Arena quest, various armored skeletons, various scorpions, and several more.

...might tone them down appropriately.

[Impaqt]

Skippin them wont even hurt your conquest rate in most dungeons.

Use Tactics. Everyone beat on the same Skelly at the same time. This concept seems unimaginable to many groups for some reason. a group of 3 or so can take a arcer down in 2 seconds. Alone, 6+. thats a LOT of extra arrows flying around.

or just skip them. Skeletal archers are considers "Turrets" in DDO. skipping them does NOT add to DA.

[Ciaran]

Skippin them wont even hurt your conquest rate in most dungeons.

Use Tactics. Everyone beat on the same Skelly at the same time. This concept seems unimaginable to many groups for some reason. a group of 3 or so can take a arcer down in 2 seconds. Alone, 6+. thats a LOT of extra arrows flying around.

or just skip them. Skeletal archers are considers "Turrets" in DDO. skipping them does NOT add to DA.

Really? I could've sworn that killing them decreased DA for me. Good to know.


Yeah, there's a few things around that level that stand out as big pains in the butt. Hopefully this U7 release note:



...might tone them down appropriately.

:(

Geez, it's not like they were THAT difficult.

Hate the dumbing down of some things...

[Impaqt]

Really? I could've sworn that killing them decreased DA for me. Good to know.

ANy mob that spawns and just fires arrows and wont move if you run past it is considered a "Turret" Most skeletal archers wont budge from their location unless you start whacking on them.

[taurean430]

A halt undead clickie works on the skellies in Deleras. You can also trip the skeleton archers. This would be most viable to use on the skellies you have to fight in there to advance past a locked door or closed gate. Otherwise, just run past them.