My tips on quest survival

[Kalari]

You are your own best asset in surviving a quest..

Seriously folks many times I read threads about what a class is supposed to do or not supposed to do during a party/raid. I have agreed with some opinions and disagreed and each time I kept thinking this.. Many people assume that an class is only capable of certain things and cannot do other tasks or at worst that the person behind the class symbol knows enough about their class to handle the task.

Its why I am of solid belief that even though this game is "group" oriented you are your best asset in survival in any quest even a raid. If you are pugging you do not know what you are going to get. And if you have run long enough in this game you should know by now what items you can wear, what potions you can buy and what your class can do to keep yourself buffed, protected and alive.

Does this mean I support lazy classes who can buff but do not? Or who can heal but do not?

Hell no

But people rely a little too much on others to make their game experience easy and that is where the disappointments will come in. Now new players wont be able to do some of this stuff right off the bat but this is the way I bring up all my alts.

1. At low levels I pick up any potions that drop especially resists, they stack up to 100 so you can have tons of free resists without worrying if the clr, mage or buffer can get you. If you have umd try to get yourself a wand, or run the following quests (Information is key and Tangleroot will net you the favor points to get resists from House P). Turning in collectibles for items like healing potions, blindness and curse removal will help you in the long run as well.

2. Check the reward lists for items such as resist and protection clickies, resist 20 items, false life items (that add to the hp and the spell if you want the clickie for extra hp). Tangleroot has visor of the flesh render guards that give you a death ward clickie and are bound to account. These things still come in handy for my high level melees when im soloing and need a quick death ward. Or do not have a death block item such as armor or silver flame amulets..

3. Finding weapons that help mitigate damage, paralyzers can help you when you are up against mobs that do crit damage like trolls, ogres and orcs. Many times in my first days here I did not scan my rewards list properly only grabbing stuff for my class such as potions or robes ignoring the weapons and I can only imagine how many nice weapons I passed up back then. Having items spells or weapons that immobilize mobs will help yourself and your party's chance of survival.

I could go on but this wall of text is big enough point blank you are your greatest asset in a quest, if you play to have others watch you well then don't be surprised if you run into trouble where x doesnt heal you right or y doesnt get your buffs. There are humans that play behind that avatar and we dont all play the same way. Its easier to be able to take care of yourself then it is to expect people to care for you.

[Eladiun]

3. Finding weapons that help mitigate damage, paralyzers can help you when you are up against mobs that do crit damage like trolls, ogres and orcs. Many times in my first days here I did not scan my rewards list properly only grabbing stuff for my class such as potions or robes ignoring the weapons and I can only imagine how many nice weapons I passed up back then. Having items spells or weapons that immobilize mobs will help yourself and your party's chance of survival.

Paralyzers can make certain quests a great deal easier Madstone is one that comes to mind. Other situational weapons like cursespewers, smiters, destruction can all be very handy... You should always have Holy,Cold, Fire weapons at low levels.

[Kalari]

Paralyzers can make certain quests a great deal easier Madstone is one that comes to mind. Other situational weapons like cursespewers, smiters, destruction can all be very handy... You should always have Holy,Cold, Fire weapons at low levels.

Yep agreed and thanks I think leaving tips especially for the new comers will help them out. Too many are getting trapped into the "I need this class to succeed" mentality. When they can do so much to make sure of their own survival.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Kalari again."

/sigh

[ArichValtrahn]

Its a sad commentary on the DDO community when we need to give players tips because teammates are so unreliable.

[Kalari]

Its a sad commentary on the DDO community when we need to give players tips because teammates are so unreliable.

I think its more sad that people really expect others to conform to their wants instead of trying to make themselves more rounded players. And you know knowing how to take care of yourself comes in handy for even when people in your party can get you since in normal parties sp can run out and there are times where your actually helping by getting yourself.

Seriously I know its a group game but too many players expect to just log in a alt join a group and be hand held threw a quest instead of learning how to keep themselves a live. If thats fun for you fine but theres a reason many clerics/favored souls and even some bards now go anonymous. Wed like to have fun while questing too.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Ran New Invasion on hard (advertised for elite) with a bunch of lvl 20s the other day.

Cleric DCed..... it appeared to me that I was the only person left in the group that had any means of healing what-so-ever.

Someone also asked me (anyone) to cure their exhaustion.

I just cannot understand that.

[Kalari]

These are the same types that will leave lesser restore potions sitting in the chest when thats all you need to get rid of that :/

trust me that annoys me as well

[wamjratl1]

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Kalari again."

/sigh

It's cool it got it.

[Spoonwelder]

Another aspect of staying alive is knowing your way around in a quest...where is the hole that drops out of the floor, where the traps are, what corner not to go around without being fully buffed and ready to fight.....etc...

These are all learned things, my tip is try casual first.....if you get stomped on casual - you weren't ready level or gearwise and that will give you some hints as to what you need to know.

My example - first time into prison of the mind (VoN2) with a full crew - went in hard and had no idea where anything was, what happened if you fell of the ledges etc....so I was going cautious and the rest of the group was zooming along, I round a corner go left where they went right and run into 3 left over ice mephits without having my resists up....ding. Sit around waiting for the group to get back to me - get my stone past the wind blasts and to the shrine. Feel like an absolute dork (tho I did tell them I had never done it...I still felt stupid). In the end we finished, but I missed 1/2 of the quest and never really understood where we were at any one point. So the next day I go back in on casual - as a L11 Cleric I went in alone and walked through everything except the first beholder. After that I had an understanding of what I needed to do at the various points in the quest and next time in I won't be a burden on the group and will be ready with the right spells/buffs at the right time.

I will also ask the group to bring some of their own Restorations to handle the neg levels from the beholder so I don't have to waste mana on that. That will probably be ignored tho.

[Kalari]

Yep there is nothing wrong with learning the quests via casual if people dont want to feel like a burden or at least to learn what they are up against.

Finding low level bane weapons can make quests against kobolds and trogs (reptilian bane) undead (undead bane) hobgoblin bane, lesser giant banes work on trolls, ogres and giants (great for running threw threnal ruins).

Running the Necropolis series and getting your silver flame amulets upgraded will save a cleric/favored soul sp from you getting de leveled from a pesky beholder to. And if your fatigued or exhausted a quick sip of a lesser restore pot will get you back in business.

The mantle of the world shapper is a cloak you can swap to when dealing with spell tossing creatures and beholders as well.

[Calebro]

I will also ask the group to bring some of their own Restorations to handle the neg levels from the beholder so I don't have to waste mana on that. That will probably be ignored tho.

That will probably be ignored, but not for the reason you think.
Potions don't do it. Restoration isn't as easy to come by as you think.

Running the Necropolis series and getting your silver flame amulets upgraded will save a cleric/favored soul sp from you getting de leveled from a pesky beholder to. And if your fatigued or exhausted a quick sip of a lesser restore pot will get you back in business.

The mantle of the world shapper is a cloak you can swap to when dealing with spell tossing creatures and beholders as well.

Most of the population is f2p, and anywhere that you find any items to help with this are not.
As I recently dropped to Premium status, I am keenly aware of the lack ofquiality prevention items in f2p quests. I now have a list of AdvPacks to buy just to keep up with things like this.

Most of the population simply won't have the items they need for these things.

[Spoonwelder]

I rescind my earlier comment - forgot that lesser restores can't remove negative levels. The issue I have is that the restoration spell only removes one level (correct me if I am wrong) so multiple levels from being hit by a beholder will smoke my mana pool. So somehow we all have to share the pain.

[Calebro]

In a few levels that won't be an issue anymore.

[sigtrent]

Paralyzers can make certain quests a great deal easier Madstone is one that comes to mind. Other situational weapons like cursespewers, smiters, destruction can all be very handy...

And if you TWF you can combine them... I recently put together a weapon set for my rogue with a main hand paralyzer and an of hand curse spewer. It peeters out at higher levels but with a rogue if you are solo or in a small group even creatures a bit below you can be a threat since your defenses are generally not tank like. I found it really helps me clean out the trash and face multiple mobs without getting torn up and burning through pots and wands.

[ArgentMage]

I rescind my earlier comment - forgot that lesser restores can't remove negative levels. The issue I have is that the restoration spell only removes one level (correct me if I am wrong) so multiple levels from being hit by a beholder will smoke my mana pool. So somehow we all have to share the pain.

Don't forget about Unyielding Sovereignty. Sure, you can only use it once every
10 minutes, but after a beholder encounter, it can do a lot for no mana.

[Spoonwelder]

Don't forget about Unyielding Sovereignty. Sure, you can only use it once every
10 minutes, but after a beholder encounter, it can do a lot for no mana.

Yeah - i gotta redo my enhancements again to add this in.....another option is to let people die and then get them to a res shrine....and 5 heals is cheaper than 30+restores!

[Kalari]

That will probably be ignored, but not for the reason you think.
Potions don't do it. Restoration isn't as easy to come by as you think.

Most of the population is f2p, and anywhere that you find any items to help with this are not.
As I recently dropped to Premium status, I am keenly aware of the lack ofquiality prevention items in f2p quests. I now have a list of AdvPacks to buy just to keep up with things like this.

Most of the population simply won't have the items they need for these things.

True but they can still get free potions such as the hp ones you get from simply gathering collectibles. Now Tangle root is not free so I dont think they can get the remove blindness or curse potions offered in the bug bear, but they can still get lesser hp potions up to serious from various collectors they can also scan rewards lists for clickies and the like and break barrels and crates anywhere for random potion drops. Even with my resources for my higher level characters when im on my lowbie I grab whatever drops when im breaking stuff because its easier then breaking my established characters buying stuff all the time.

[Calebro]

True but they can still get free potions such as the hp ones you get from simply gathering collectibles. Now Tangle root is not free so I dont think they can get the remove blindness or curse potions offered in the bug bear, but they can still get lesser hp potions up to serious from various collectors they can also scan rewards lists for clickies and the like and break barrels and crates anywhere for random potion drops. Even with my resources for my higher level characters when im on my lowbie I grab whatever drops when im breaking stuff because its easier then breaking my established characters buying stuff all the time.

I don't disagree on any particular point, I just think we take for granted the things we're used to having. These same things aren't available to the casual/average player anymore.
A fact that I've recently been slapped in the face with once again.

[Frodo_Lives]

The best survival tip I can think off has nothing to do with gear, build, class, or ability.

The best way for an individual or party to improve their chances to successfully complete a quest is to stick together! If you are doing a quest that you are not really all that familiar with than stay close to 1) the leader or 2) the healer. Nothing turns a quest south faster than a party member or two running off on their own when they can't handle what they are about to run into.

If you want to be remembered as a good party member I do recommend buffing others if you have the ability which will save the clerics and arcanes their sp. I know I am more likely to heal the ranger who passed out resists than the paladin who didn't.