Sands Epics strategies

[nomaddog]

So, I've been a little bored recently and have decided to start running some epics with guildies out in the Sands. We attempted an OOB last night, but got careless and just tried to zerg it. Dungeon alert killed us. Figure we need to start killing more stuff.

Having never run Chains of Flame epic, Wiz-King epic only 1 time, and piking an ADQ1 epic, I was wondering what strategies most parties use in each of these quests. Sure it'd be fun to explore, but I want to have a reasonable chance at success. Thanks in advance for any tips, tricks, or hints people could provide.

[SoloPhalanx]

From my experience:

OoB - Run until you open a lever with scorrow inside. Set a Disco inside, web on the door, kill, open the side door, kill/loot, run to the next.

CoF - Be patient. Being able to torc is awesome, but unecessary after you get used to it. Nice one to run.

DQ1 - Mephits side can be a pain, but nothing too hard, should be pretty simple. Try to pull a couple at a time.

Wiz King - Not much experience with this one, but Undeath to Death and Halt Undead (which can be scrolled) make this one simple. End fight can be hard with the wraiths who have somewhat random-ish aggro. Having undispellable (ship buffed) cold resist helps the melees on Rayum but is far from necessary.

Hope that was of some help. Keep in mind Sands mobs have higher saves than most of the others you find, so Wail Wail, Circle, Wail won't work that well (although coupled with a Symbol+CDespair combo it can be marvelous at times). CC is required and not optional!

[krackythehoodedone]

Find yourself a decent bunch of players who know the quest. The best way to learn is get in their.

I could spend a few hours telling you what to do.

Just remember you might see the top players blow Desert Epics away but they are the hardest of the Epics.

OOB, good co-ordination and CC

Chains..Long long and need to string out Mana + nasty nasty traps

Wizzy, Specialist Holy/Blunt weapons required and traps. I continue to be amazed at those who turn up w/o and do exactly what the big guy sais ''you will be staying here a long tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime''

DQ1, Again a long haul for the blue bars. Conserve your mana and have good CC

[Sarisa]

For OOB, my regular groups use Web and clouds as CC, and make sure to have enough DPS to kill off the trailing trash at the choke points. Be sure to raise the bridges back up behind you. The first scorrow gate is the hardest, be careful of the trips here. Having permanent FoM helps a lot.

Also be sure to carry curse potions. The Scorpions and the first aspect can both do a cursed wounds DoT effect, and curse potions will cure it.

A good Bard helps a lot.

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For Wiz King, either a heavy caster or a heavy melee group works. Web for the mummies, Halt Undead (scrolls work) for the skeletons. Music of the Dead works, but it breaks on a hit (works like Fascinate, not Enthrall or Halt Undead). Undead to Death and Implosion are both effective instant-kills, and the RS Burst works wonders. The trapped levers can be survived with Divine Intervention, or by sacrificing a hireling or an Arti dog, if you can't disable it. The other traps can all be avoided.

Raiyum is fairly quickly killed in an all out brawl, as long as someone can control the semi-random aggro Wraiths. Prepare to be massively dispel'ed, and be hit by several high DC high damage Disintegrates, along with other nasty spells. Raiyum also has high AC, so try to have as much non-dispellable gear or buffs on to boost up your to-hit. Raiyum can also be drawn out of his room and kited through traps for a very slow but safer kill if your party is not up to killing him. I would not count on this behaviour remaining forever.

Note that you have to do all three towers to get the epic chest, it's down in the treasure room.

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Chains has a reputation for being difficult, but it's not that bad if you take things slow. The traps are wicked, so a trapper is almost essential in most groups. There are only two shrines, so you will need to conserve SP. My easiest runs typically go with 1 divine, 2 arcanes (one of whom is an 18/2 wiz/rog), and either three DPS with good damage/to-hit/stuns; two melee DPS with stuns and a good AA with an assortment of CC bows and melee weapons; or two DPS with stuns and a good Bard.

Some of the ambush rooms are much easier with a Bard than without. A Bard also helps with the to-hit situation, as the last boss Hruvayah has Malicia and Turigulon grade AC.

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ADQ1 is either a resource drain, where you have to carefully manage every spell cast (ie a typical 4 DPS/1 caster/1 healer group), or a (relatively speaking) fairly easy split up and solo/duo a wing in a heavy caster group. In heavy caster groups, it's usually done by dragging most of the free trash to the Scorpion pit, and raining death from above.

Lailat in the final fight is exceptionally nasty to melee, both because of her high damage and because of the lag inducing and equipment destroying Disjunction balls. She's much easier and more manageable to DoT and run (and AA's/Arti's are good in that case too).

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Also, while I love these quests, and run them all whenever possible, don't plan on making many items in any reasonable timespan. The drop rates for shards (especially explorer area shards), and for raid seals is horribly bad. OOB Seals can also be on the rarer side.