Mini-Guide to the Kobold Island: Kobold Chaos Cannith Challenge for melee characters

[EnjoyTheJourney]

My favorite challenge is Kobold Island: Kobold Chaos, and below is a method that a melee character can use for it.

I purchase and then set up a Magefire Cannon at each small extractor, after starting them up one by one, and then upgrade the small extractors to level 2. Parts are gathered from kobolds while traveling between small extractors. The final preparatory step is to purchase a Magefire Cannon from a small extractor to plunk down in front of a large extractor, kill the red boss at the large extractor with that cannon's help, and then get that large extractor running. With five magefire cannons set up to guard the five active extractors, I let time run out while my assassin guards the large extractor, together with the nearby Magefire Cannon.

This is a simple process and it reliably works, typically leading to between 1500 to 2000 dragonshards before time runs out, and over 200 ingredients -- my best so far is 283 ingredients, but that can surely be higher with more practice.

My character for this has been a no-twink, poorly geared level 8 assassin; if he can do it, then other melee characters can do it better.

[Jsbeer]

Thanks for this - I will definitely try this out.

[XL_Jockey]

My only problem when doing something similar was when enemies got behind the extractor. The canon couldn't hit them back there, so I'd have to keep going back to help out. If there were two enemies, and the first was targeted by the canon but couldn't be hit, it didn't matter where the second one was.

[EnjoyTheJourney]

My only problem when doing something similar was when enemies got behind the extractor. The canon couldn't hit them back there, so I'd have to keep going back to help out. If there were two enemies, and the first was targeted by the canon but couldn't be hit, it didn't matter where the second one was.

If you set up the cannon several feet from the extractor, then the odds of this happening seem to be substantially reduced.

Until I read this tip myself in a forum thread, I was setting up cannons practically right on top of extractors and they were getting shut down fairly regularly. Now, not as much.

[EllisDee37]

Does it seem to anyone else that this week's update increased the mob spawn rate on kobold chaos by 500%?

[LrdSlvrhnd]

Haven't done it since the update so I can't talk about monster boost, but this is pretty much how I've done it on my L12 barb. Having good striders and expeditious retreat/haste clickies/pots really helps to get around the island.

And yes, set the turret a bit away from the extractor - I've never had a problem with it being unable to shoot through. The only problem is when an archer is either over a ridge or came up to it from the other side of where I set up the turret (and so starts shooting while out of detection range).

I usually start with Extractor 2 (south - behind you as you enter) rather than Extractor 1 (straight ahead) simply because going 2-3-4-1 seems easier than 1-4-3-2, and doesn't backtrack quite as much as 1-2-3-4 would.

Start, turn around, hit the kobold camp and in the hollow, start up 2, hit the kobold camps to the west while 10 crystals extract, build a turret and set it up a bit away (angled towards the beach, rather than trying to cover the hollow. You're not gonna hit any archers there anyway, and towards the beach lets it get archers coming from that direction).

Go up the hill to #3, start it and buy another turret, setting it up a bit to the NW to try to cover at least one side, then go due north and clear out the two camps and altar. Head west and start up #4, then build a turret against the bluff (it would probably work at least as well on the beach side of it, but that would require going around *g*)

Follow the path to #1, hitting the two altars on the way, and start it up... then hang out to upgrade it, THEN build a turret, and head back to #2. In Kobold Chaos (if I'm going for XP as well as ingredients) I'll run up to the SW altar and hit it, then upgrade #2, then #3, then #4.

KC for XP, I'll run up and around to the final altar in the NW and then jump down and kill the redname protecting it (unless it's the wheep or water ele, then I'm just as apt to go to the NE large). As soon as I get 300, I'll start up the large even if I'm still fighting the redname - worst case, it takes a bit of damage and I get a bunch of free shots.

It's pretty much guaranteed (except on Disruptor, when I might not even start up a large) that I'll upgrade to L2, and a 95% certainty for L3, so a little bit of damage is fine - extractors (and turrets, for that matter) get totally repaired when you level it up.

I've done this at-level with my L12 barbarian & L12 ranger/L1 rogue (as well as with two more ranger levels) with no hirelings, pets or healing pots, my capped bard with a summoned bearded devil, & monk w/ Shard of Xoriat monster (mainly 'cause, hey, I have the shard, might as well!) at every level from 16 on (both also no hirelings or pot usage).

Also, once you start that large up... don't worry about the smalls. At all. MAYBE go hit the nearest one if it starts getting in trouble, the large has a good supply of HP left, and/or you're going to upgrade it again anyway... but that's it.

[Deathdefy]

Does it seem to anyone else that this week's update increased the mob spawn rate on kobold chaos by 500%?

I nearly wrote about this too!

On CR 15 (but solo so scaling yay), felt smashed on level 12 where I have previously happily waltzed around sans Greensteel as a level 10.

I was willing to put it down to bad luck on spawn locations / me placing cannons badly, but the 3 upgraded cannons at the NE and 2 upgraded cannons at the NW that usually hold back the hordes for a while without too much fuss died in like a minute once left unattended on both of my attempts. Similarly I felt like there were just more mob wave spawns (same number of mobs per wave though) even during the running around defending smalls phase.

Reckon you could be onto something.