Originally Posted by
Pikeman
To the OP: I understand your frustration. It is difficult to have to deal with people that are incapable of performing tasks that you find trivial. It is especially trying on one's patience when these people seemingly refuse to listen as you try in vain to instruct them. As a parent of young children I am all too familiar with the concept. However, speaking as a new-comer to the 13th Eclipse, I would like you to consider some of the frustrations of trying to learn the quest.
Before attempting to run the shroud I decided to search for information in these forums and on ddowiki. I read a fair bit and thought I understood the quest. I was greatly mistaken. The information on ddowiki is superficial, and the walkthrough I found on the forum was grossly inadequate. The other (non-walkthrough) comments on the forums were much like yours - complaining about what people did wrong, but in such a way that the uninitiated could not easily learn much from it.
I still have yet to find a walkthrough that adequately explains what needs to be done for each part of the quest (if you have a link, please share). Here are some of the surprizes that I found and areas that I am still confused about after 4 completions (and having identified myself to the groups as new for each):
Part 1
-I had no map of the area, and no idea where the portals would appear or the the pattern that must be run to hit each in sequence.
-Is there a "correct" sequence?
-Is there a way to study-up on this outside the quest? Or should I just keep following all of the other blue dots over and over again until I remember by repetition?
-Do the portal keepers spawn randomly? Only after a certain period of time? Does this have anything to do with the order in which you beat the portals?
-I thought my +5 metalline of pure good great axe would be a good portal beater (confused harry beater with portal beater). I noticed yellow numbers and asked the group what I should use instead...they said "doesn't matter". Thanks....
-I failed to understand that GCB would overcome portal DR (does it...I'm still not certain). It's not clear from the weapon description for GCB why it should.
Part 2
-The leader instructed "not to run through the middle". Um, my map is all black except for the spot where I am standing...what/where the heck is "the middle"?
-Hey, look at that...there is a spot where you can regen hps and mana! Who knew!?
-Why do you have to separate all the red nameds? Lead them from the center so they can't rez quickly, sure. But why do they need to be separated exactly?
-I am sure there's lots of other stuff about this part that I don't know, and don't even know enough to ask. So far my strategy is to hide in a corner, wait for someone to bring a red named to me, jump in, get it to 10% hps and wait for the leader to say "finish him". This is literally ALL I KNOW about this part after 4 runs. Oh, that and that one of the casters goes off some place to destroy a crystal or something when the bosses are all dead.
Part 3 (this one is just the best)
-I read-up on lights out before hand. Practiced. Read the wikipedia article on the mathematical theory behind it. I was READY and stoked for this one.
-Failed hard. First time through I landed on the 5X5. I tried the "step on every spot below an off light method"...hmmm didn't work out for some reason. Odd. OK lets try the solver. Great, the solver gives me a solution. Now I'll just step...wait i didn't step on that one...or that one...***!? I was expecting a puzzle, not some ultraprecise jumping nonsense. Ultimately had to ask for help. The leader says "OK no problem, where is your room?" Ummm my map is all black except for the square I am in....
-When they found me, they solved the puzzle in like 3 seconds. Sigh.
-It was not until my fourth run that I realized that the sequence is: solve puzzle, run to central fountain, return to puzzle, interact with spout/fountain.
-I have heard stories about "breaking crystals" and losing chests. But I am only vaguely aware of what is involved in all that.
-I have yet to complete that cycle for myself (but hey, I solved a puzzle all on my own last time. Huzzah!). I have not experienced "clearing the center" (what is there to clear?). And I have no idea what this "prismatic wall" is that the OP spoke of.
Part 4
-Well, this part was actually fairly well explained in the various forum posts that I read before hand. So I donned my firestorm greaves and my harry beater and hacked away, secure behind my 532 hps. Thus, I consider part four to be the easiest part of the shroud.
Part 5
-Why is the group running over to that corner? Oh, rez spot. cool.
-Why do we need to separate all the red nameds?
-Why do we need to box in one last guy...oh so the casters can go get mana.
-Why is there a mini-harry and a giant-harry?
-I heard a story about harry teleporting people...does that really happen?
OK, I think I'm done.