Thanks but no thanks on the birthday fun...

[zebulartemp]

I thought I'd hop in for a little bit and have a bit of soloing fun, for that is all my health generally lets me do. Seen the advertisement about the 5th birthday event and got all excited and set sail for Smuggler's Rest.

After getting my pirate cap from the box and looking over what I'd need to get it a +5 tumble, I left down the docks to land where there were some ogres or orcs or something. Someone was fighting one of them all by his-self so I went in to help with the other one. 3 hits and I am dead.

I am a level 4 ranger, level 1 cleric and level 2 rogue. I'd understand if there were quests in the area that were for groups only, but this starting zone should have been applicable to all levels. Not get your %$$ handed to you. This event should be open to all play-styles and not smack a crippled solo player in the face.

It's going to be a long time before I buy any more of your Turbine points and I defiantly won't be reactivating my Veteran account now.

Thanks but no thanks. Happy Birthday...

[protokon]

mobs are spawned based on lvl characters in that area.

If your standing next to a lvl 20, your gonna end up fighting much higher CR mobs.

what did you expect, CR 2 kobolds running around? how is that challenging for anyone beyond lvl 1?

[zebulartemp]

mobs are spawned based on lvl characters in that area.

If your standing next to a lvl 20, your gonna end up fighting much higher CR mobs.

what did you expect, CR 2 kobolds running around? how is that challenging for anyone beyond lvl 1?

Then every player/group should have had their own starting instance. That's what I'd expect.

[Blank_Zero]

It was the same thing for the Mabar event. But I guess you weren't there.

[Falco_Easts]

Hey you think you're annoyed now, wait until the bannings start...

[Alabore]

I guess I'll have to be on a dissenting note with OP.

So far event is feeling just about right, on my 1/11 rog/rng.
The lad is reasonably well kitted out with paralysing and bodyfeeder gear; only bugbear buccaneers truly posed a serious threat - with their fortification bypassing blows - but windcallers are no pushovers either.

Of course overcrowding can be a problem, at times.
One lvl 20 left a trail of untouched cr20 minotaurs, and he even had the gall of coming back stealing MY kill, after I managed to maul the wicked beast down to size...



On the whole, a bit grindy, but that comes with the territory.
I liked the extra bits, such as random treasure chests and extra drops.

...

The mine part seemed fun enough; as other players mentioned, it did remind me of Warcraft - the RTS - with Kobold quips and general gameplay.
So far I've only managed to scratch the surface of it, and get only a few shards, but there is potential to it - too bad it's a special event, and not a permanent feature.
It was an interesting change in pace - and I give kudos to devs for developing/lifting/copying/stealing/smithing fun mechanics.

Hat crafting/redeeming showed yet again that dynamically creating gear and even updating its appearance is fully within engine capabilities.
Would like to see more of it - maybe in a few couple months we'll be able to dynamically change char/gear appearance - with in-game plat too.

...

I am not sure I'll be able to get any significant loot from this event - a lot of grinding involved, and I'm not sure what I need, yet.
It took me a couple Risia events, and two Mabar nights to get my lazy backside moving and start collecting.
But I'll try to grab hats for all of my alts.
Some of them look nice.

Thumbs... or should I say, hooks...? up.

[undercover69]

The event is fun, and as some pointed out its a shame its an event and not a permanent thing.

There is some room for improvement though. Went there with my lvl20 and had to be careful about clusters of mobs, specially clusters of the blue hat minotaurs, they are ugly! Then with a lvl 15, cleric, and to my surprise the best spell I cant use: Blade Barrier. Killing with destruction gets nasty when they start making saves but hey, cleric can heal himself. Nonetheless the cleric felt gimpy. Tried with a sorc... thats BLISS! Best class ever to run around the isle... where are those clusters anyways? A single mob, 2??? Put 20 together already! If my mario skills were uptodate I'd be taking those higher level left-overs from grinding groups.

And yes, they hit too hard for lower level chars. Only place I've seen so many deaths were some Amrath quest, dont recall which. The difficulty of the mobs has absolutely nothing to do with all but Sub-T, which is harder still to solo at level. What I'm suggesting is that at very low levels things are much easier, then gets progressively harder til the current difficulty at lvl 20. I imagine that most thieves soloing this area have a lot of difficulty they didnt have, lets say, when they were lvl 3 and went to cerulian hills (or any at-level wilderness). Not to mention that kiting got the shaft. If you keep running backwards and shooting they just disappear, not AA friendly.

About the cove, the only problems I saw were kobolds getting stuck and again, much harder to solo. I really thought dungeon would scale and be *doable solo but the running back and forth to be at several places at the same time makes it quite difficult. And they make their saves MUCH more often than I have ever seen.

Anyways, a little fine-tuning on the island and I'd really like to have it more often. How about every 1st saturday of the month the sailor (Catalin?) shows up at Stormreach Harbor, eh? He can leave monday morning after partying a bit in the town

[cdemeritt]

ok, I feel for you OP... yeah in an area where you have no control over who is running up behind you just as a mob spawns, you'll likely to get ganked often... However, here are some easy alternatives...

1. if you have a high level alt that can handle the area and has a shared bank, use them to farm doubloons... you'll need 200 silver and 100 gold doubloons to trade for Pirates Grog... this allows any humanoid across eberron a chance to drop doubloons and map pieces (not sure if does the compasses as well or not), you then can go to your private place an farm away... (what my lvl 5 bard is planning)

2. if you don't have a high level toon or shard bank, you can buy Pirates Grog from the DDO store....

3. ignore the event... you will miss out on a little bit, but not too much.

[HumanJHawkins]

After getting my pirate cap from the box and looking over what I'd need to get it a +5 tumble, I left down the docks to land where there were some ogres or orcs or something. Someone was fighting one of them all by his-self so I went in to help with the other one. 3 hits and I am dead.

Bad luck that you experienced this before being in there long enough to see how it works. All you have to do is go a short distance away from anyone and approach whatever enemy you find.

The place is highly populated with enemies, but they scale down to your difficulty. If you attack something that was activated by soeone else, it's like russian roulette. But the only annoyance when you activate your own mobs is that someone else might come along and kill it before you do. (Usually this is unintentional... I know I got into a lot of battles that were probably someone else's just because there were two of us there at the same time.)

Anyway, if you're just not interested, then there isn't much to say, but I bet if you give it another try you will see that it is pretty fun, fair, and easy to succeed at. The quest itself is really fun, though it may take a couple of tries to figure it out and succeed.

[ArloOne]

Another option, just join a group collecting coins in the instance. Most will take anyone, your collecting numbers will skyrocket...and most will careless if if you with the main group or just piking...if you need to go afk or decide to just drop...most people are very social during events like this..anyway have fun!

[phillymiket]

I hopped in on a lowbie during the preview just to check it out and got ganked right off the bat.

I came back and ran away from the crowds and found an out of the way corner to get level appropriate spawns. It went much better.

Of course I'm grinding it for real on high level toons.
Like all things, higher level toons can get more out of it in less time but that make sense to me.

Find or start a group in your level range and stake out an area then you will have more spawns in your range and some fellows to add support.

This event does seem more a group thing. Maybe your trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by trying to solo on a lowish level character.

[simsiim]

Only problem I saw was a higher level can clear out a lower level if they want to farm in that spot, Not saying any one is doing that on purpose, But I find a few good spots to just wait for the spawn and every once a while a higher level shows up and their mobs spawns right where my mobs spawn, I can't do anything but wait for them to kill everything or leave, or leave myself or just go in there knowing I may be squashed .
If I am using my Ranger, I just break out the long bow, and try and hit my Mobs.

I've also witness the higher levels just running see's a lower level then one hits all the lower mobs then run off as their level mobs spawn .

Once I was standing there prep to heal another player ( I came across while passing by) , they saw me then left, guess they thought they was invading my mobs, and they still had mobs there.

I have see both sides, players just ignoring others spawned mobs, to find their own, and seen some that just have no reason to even kill something 1/4th their level

Staying in the cavern is the best deal there.
I have troubles doing that cove, have yet to not fail , guess I'll have to party, can't seem to do it soloing, even when I was in Lamannia

Sounds like the OP got the wrong impression, and just had a bad first experience, Unknowingly by them, but like already mentioned , Mobs level spawns to the the players level, After a short time you'll recognize which mobs not to mess with , and know if a higher level was or is near by

[bryanmeerkat]

It was the same thing for the Mabar event. But I guess you weren't there.

Yes Mabar was badly desighned too , lets hope they keep up this run of form into the future.

[Philibusta]

Yes Mabar was badly desighned too , lets hope they keep up this run of form into the future.

LOL this event IS Mabar, all over again!

Map Peices = The items in Mabar to turn in for Motes
Over-the-top-tough Pirates = Over-the-top-tough Undead
Compass = Ethereal Key
Kobold Cave/Crystal Cove = Dragon's Lair
Et ctera, et cetera....

"I know, let's take the Mabar event, throw a different skin on it, and convince everyone it's actually something new!!"

Besides, I have the same gripe as the OP. Way too hard to solo. No way should level 20's even be put into the same instances as level 4's. I took my 2 rogue/11 ranger there and spent more time in the tavern rezzing than I did doing the actual event.

One thing I noticed about this event though, at least some of the reward items are geared to classes other than casters. Thats different than Mabar.

Anyways, yeah. I just figured if I'm gonna spend that much time dying, might as well be while I'm actually earning XP.

Happy Freakin Birthday.

[SiliconShadow]

That is the whole point it isn't designed to solo.

[donfilibuster]

There's a lot of things where a soloer are at disadvantage in this event but being smacked down by picking at the wrong guy is not one of them.

Soloers should at least try to figure it out before calling things broken.
Soloers can still ask around how it is done and see if there's any tips.

For example, you don't need to do the island at all, get your first compass from the store.
This is where it differs from mabar, u don't spend the day in the island, you need to do the coves.
Afterwards turn some gems you get from the cove for coins and those coins to get new compass.

The cove isn't solo friendly either, so the tip is to PUG with other five soloers.
You don't need a balanced party, just to kill stuff while the designated torcher works.
You'll get more kills in a group for more gems even with the random handout.

[Philibusta]

Which is exactly one of MY points. This event, like so much other stuff in DDO, could use a little touch to make it more solo-friendly.

If people like grouping, cool. Some of us, however, would prefer to be able to play the game without having to deal with zerging idiots, people that generally dont know what theyre doing, the uber-players that think that if your build "isn't EXACTLY this way" that you're gimped, the small-minded fools that swear there's only ONE proper way to accomplish a quest; in general, all that **** you deal with when grouping.

And yes, Ive tried it. Grouping, that is. I ran in pugs for a while when I first started playing. Gave it up and soloed for a bit, then gave the grouping thing another go. No, still aggravating enough to make the game unenjoyable. In short, grouping IS the reason I no longer group.

[darkrune]

3 hits and I am dead.

I am a level 4 ranger, level 1 cleric and level 2 rogue.

Not to be too harsh as apparently I tend to upset people that report me for harrassment cause they don't like what say, but you might want to look at the forums and read about multiclassing.

Your toon just might not be strong enough for the level of monster that you will face, but without knowing details of your build I am just basing this on past experiences.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

I am a level 4 ranger, level 1 cleric and level 2 rogue.

I think I may have identified your problem

[simsiim]

well, just going to the DDO store to get your compass is not just going to work, there has to be map pieces collected first to open up the Cove. The more players participating in that the quicker it is to reopen the Cove.

That part is extremely solo friendly, but it's not multi-Level friendly.
The cove on the other hand can be a pain if the workers are not working, but you set your own level of difficulty.
My last run the workers were not following the torches, just half way to where they needed to go, took me my last 4 minutes just to get one worker to finally get to the Crystals, and every 45 seconds (+/- 10secs) I was hearing "INCOMING"
I've never had a run like that before, I've always had the workers collecting, but this group, I dunno, Union or not I wanted them all fired , and collect the crystals myself.

I opt to not party because it was suppose to snow, and one flake drops on the dish, so does the connection, I didn't want to be in a party and look like I was piking or have a DC mid way. In Lamannia I never completed either, but been close 96/100, but on live my average is like 48/100 , the workers are just less responsive then they were in Lamannia .
results like that makes the event pointless for me, but hey I have to deal with the connection issues but the Workers (game) making my time used wasted just hurts more.
I really want to upgrade that hat I got, so I'll stick with it, and suffer, and see what I can complete. At the rate I'm able to collect the ingredients, (which are not the ones I need for my level items ) I doubt I'll reach half my goal

when the island is not so populated and over run by level 20's it is quite enjoyable