Time vs XP vs Favor Vs ...

[AggThri]

Hello.
I am pretty sure I am doing something wrong, but a few opinions would be nice.
I try most quests on elite at level, so a lvl 10 quest at lvl 12 and so on). If I can't do it after a few frustrating tries I switch to hard, feeling I 'lost' some favor.
The line between trivial and frustrating seems to be very thin.

But doing it on hard the first time. Completing it the first time, or having at least a better chance at this, gets me to the next story faster.
I started on elite because I wanted favor fast, but if I can do more quests in the same time the favor should average out, doesn't it?

I am on my first life and I would like to know if I should forget about elite. Maybe doing a hard one, one level behind?
(I know some of this was answered in my other thread, but I wanted to ask again and more to the point, I hope that is ok.)

PS: Offtopic: Does the news thingy only talk about the ingame store, or would it tell me if Shadowfell and Underdark are on sale, too?

[Fedora1]

If you find yourself unable to run quests at level on elite the first time, then you would be better off runnning them on hard to continue to gain xp. Come back to those quests once you hit L20 (or whatever) and grab any favor you still need/want. You will blow through them quickly (no xp) - this is usually referred to as "favor cleanup" and you will often times see LFMs stated as such.

[AggThri]

If you find yourself unable to run quests at level on elite the first time, then you would be better off runnning them on hard to continue to gain xp. Come back to those quests once you hit L20 (or whatever) and grab any favor you still need/want. You will blow through them quickly (no xp) - this is usually referred to as "favor cleanup" and you will often times see LFMs stated as such.

It is not that I can't do it. Or can't do it with one death because I was sloppy.
But then there are the times were I have a fight and die without understanding why.
Or have to run back to quest and my session is gone.
Those are the times I am annoyed.
Or when you have no problem the whole quest, and the last room destroyes you in seconds.
Difficult is ok. But sudden shifts are annoying ^^^

I'll try how doing it on hard pans out, even if it feels like loosing something, and sometimes like it is to easy.

[Fedora1]

It is not that I can't do it. Or can't do it with one death because I was sloppy.
But then there are the times were I have a fight and die without understanding why.
Or have to run back to quest and my session is gone.
Those are the times I am annoyed.
Or when you have no problem the whole quest, and the last room destroyes you in seconds.
Difficult is ok. But sudden shifts are annoying ^^^

I'll try how doing it on hard pans out, even if it feels like loosing something, and sometimes like it is to easy.

I understand.

And yes, the difference between Normal and Hard is very minimal, while the jump from Hard to Elite is much greater.

Same for epics. EN and EH are only marginally different, and then a big jump to EE. I don't solo reaper much, but R1-2 seem a lot like EE with reapers and self-healing limitations, and champs can be tough. However a decent group that can run EE won't see a lot of difference between EE and R1-3 except in certain quests.

[FuzzyDuck81]

I understand.

And yes, the difference between Normal and Hard is very minimal, while the jump from Hard to Elite is much greater.

Same for epics. EN and EH are only marginally different, and then a big jump to EE. I don't solo reaper much, but R1-2 seem a lot like EE with reapers and self-healing limitations, and champs can be tough. However a decent group that can run EE won't see a lot of difference between EE and R1-3 except in certain quests.

Agreed... and in some ways, so long as you've got a group that can cooperate decently & has some ability to heal each other, R1 can sometimes be easier than EE since you can get the lost souls to restore SP if you aren't willing or able to drink SP potions.

[C-Dog]

As Fedora pointed out, you can get full Favor later when you're way over-level for the quest, no problem. So just wait a few levels (or more) and come back and crush Elite and still pick up "some" experience - whatever works.

Occasionally you'll see an LFM marked "Favor Clean up" (or words to that effect) - usually a (very!) high level alt running an "all welcome" zerg to mop up favor for one Patron group or another, or just chasing 1750*, or whatever.

* And on that note, even if you're F2P/Premium and Favor is your only source of DDO Points, don't spend too much time trying to complete every last quest on Elite for 100.00% of possible favor. Just level up fast, grab your +2 tome at 1750 (and, once, grab Favored Soul at 2500, and 3000 if you want Vet II), and push straight on to reincarnate and you'll get more favor than if you stop and wait to exhaust every last source.

o http://ddowiki.com/page/Favor#Total_Favor


But then there are the times were I have a fight and die without understanding why...
...
Or when you have no problem the whole quest, and the last room destroyes you in seconds.
You can look at the Combat Log (far right default window in /chat) - that should give you some clues.

Also, the DDOWiki can often tell you what you'll be facing/were facing - some end-bosses have some nasty tricks, helpful to know in advance to avoid the obvious, predictable fail.


Or have to run back to quest and my session is gone.
A session persists (I think?) 5 minutes after you exit/release. If you release to a tavern, you should be able to buy food/drink that heals you in 1 minute - which will also reset all boosts/clickies.

Just make sure you've bound to a nearby tavern, and you should "never" have this problem.


(You can also create a free 2nd account, and set up an "opener" toon, and dual box - perfectly legal in DDO, and really helpful for future alts for F2P/Premium characters. Having a 2nd alt, on a 2nd account, piking at the entry will keep the instance open indefinitely, and/or (esp if built fast/stealthy*) can be used as a "rescue" for the main character.

* A Rogue w/ DM Passage Dimension Door, splash of 1 Barb (for even more speed) is a great choice - can also do Traps for non-trappy main alts. But a Wind-walk Sorcie is another, and a great buffer. Ymmv, depending on your main build.)

[Fivetigers33]

My advice would be either find groups for elite or solo quests on Hard. Don't worry about favor. As long as you aren't repeating the same few quests over and over and over, your favor will add up and you will earn DDO points. Whenever you TR back to level 1, all your favor resets so it doesn't really matter what difficulty you did quests on during your previous life. You will get to do them (or different ones this time) over again and re-earn favor and more ddo points.

The main thing is you don't want to waste time. As long as you are completing quests you are earning both xp and favor. If it takes you twice as long to do quests on Elite as it would take on Hard, you will probably level up and accumulate favor quicker by just running quests on Hard. And as a first life toon, there is more than enough xp in the game to get you to level 20 just running quests on hard.

[Qhualor]

I would suggest running hard if elite is getting too challenging for you. You can always go back as a higher level and get the elite favor when it should be easier to complete.

The feeling of "losing" something is what helped lead us to Reaper and ignoring the other difficulties.

[Enoach]

One of the things to keep in mind is forward progress is better then standing still.

I view favor in this way. Elite is Full favor, Hard is 2/3 favor and Normal is 1/3 favor

Also, Favor is not what progresses your character level wise, XP does that. Even a hard favor streak can add a decent amount of XP to the pool.

---
Now you mentioned that you are finding you "die" and are not sure what it was that killed you.

One of the ways to help you better understand this is to examine the Combat Log.

Things you might find...
1. Instant Death/Vorpal effect killed you - Research what can prevent that (ie deathblock item)
2. You are getting bombarded with Magic Missile effect - What can fix that
3. You are constantly failing a "Save" could be reflex, fortitude or will. What can reduce that being an issue
4. You are being overwhelmed by numbers
5. You keep falling into an ambush

etc. One of the key things I do after each quest is think about what went right, wrong and what I found worked or didn't work or even what I wish I would have had available to me at the time of the encounter (having a scratch pad next to your keyboard to write the "wish list" is a good way to avoid having to remember)

Note: part of my job is handling Post-Mortems on projects so this thought process has become second nature to me.

[Thrudh]

For quests that you have never run before, I would suggest hard just to learn them, and you can enjoy the story and the optionals.

Plus solo is definitely a good idea for quests you've never run before for the same reason. A fast-moving group repeating the same quest for the 20th time isn't much fun for someone new to a quest.

[MichaelKindrhead]

PS: Offtopic: Does the news thingy only talk about the ingame store, or would it tell me if Shadowfell and Underdark are on sale, too?

When the expansions do go on sale they do make announcments/ posts about it, and I may be wrong but I think is usually happens around late dec (xmas-ish).

[Niminae]

Now you mentioned that you are finding you "die" and are not sure what it was that killed you.

One of the ways to help you better understand this is to examine the Combat Log.

Things you might find...
1. Instant Death/Vorpal effect killed you - Research what can prevent that (ie deathblock item)
2. You are getting bombarded with Magic Missile effect - What can fix that
3. You are constantly failing a "Save" could be reflex, fortitude or will. What can reduce that being an issue
4. You are being overwhelmed by numbers
5. You keep falling into an ambush


Another thing to look for is being killed by criticals. By level 8 you can be wearing an augment which provides 100% fortification, but that requires a lucky drop or 12 Astral Shards. Level 9 you can pick up Adamantine Ore in A Relic of a Sovereign Past and turn them in for a neck piece with 100% Fort. And the wiki has a list (http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Fortification_%2B100%25_items) if you need more options.

[Fedora1]

When the expansions do go on sale they do make announcments/ posts about it, and I may be wrong but I think is usually happens around late dec (xmas-ish).

Sometimes around late November as well. Thanksgiving (US) or Christmas generally see some nice sales on expansions.

[AggThri]

Another thing to look for is being killed by criticals. By level 8 you can be wearing an augment which provides 100% fortification, but that requires a lucky drop or 12 Astral Shards. Level 9 you can pick up Adamantine Ore in A Relic of a Sovereign Past and turn them in for a neck piece with 100% Fort. And the wiki has a list (http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Fortification_%2B100%25_items) if you need more options.

I worked hard on defensive stuff (and hanging behind in dps I think), but some equipment is a bit behind, too.
The crits could well be it. I only have 62% fortification.
Mainly it happens when there are a lot of enemies and I didn't know they where there and don't have my defensive buffs on. I only use resistances to the elements, when I know I need them.
Most of it was hubris running without henchman on elite on level with suboptimal gear. A lot of them I could do, but sometimes a skill check was to high or something surprised me.
I did the last one I had trouble with on hard again and had trouble (but didn't die) at the same place. Even knowing what would happen... Others after that I could do on elite. So it's a process