Raiders Reward Box

[Dulcimerist]

I finally have characters who can use their old Raiders Reward Box. What's generally the best thing to grab out of there?

My TWF dagger-wielding rogue can open hers. She will be the same build for her next couple of lives.

My THF great axe barbarian is a level away from opening his. He will stay in epic play for quite a while, and will eventually TR into the same build.

The items out of that can be looted in one of the Eveningstar raids? How often do those items pop in the raid?

[Swimms]

They drop the same as items in any other raid, it is just that not very many people run the raid. I was on a break from DDO when the content launched but I am told that the raid was buggy and could be difficult to complete thus the raider's boxes. I used one of mine for Pinion (long bow) which I have used on two ranger AA lives on the way to 30 and I have seen other people taking Needle (light repeating xbow). Doesn't sound like you need a bow on either toon but I believe those are decent choices for the boxes.

[unbongwah]

I finally have characters who can use their old Raiders Reward Box. What's generally the best thing to grab out of there?

http://ddowiki.com/page/Raider%27s_Reward_Box

You can use them either to pull a CitW weapon or 5 Heroism comms you could use to upgrade an existing CitW weapon. [The comms also drop in Fall of Truth.] None are what I would consider best-in-slot for late-/endgame - except maybe Needle? not sure how it stacks up to other light repeaters - but most of the weapons are still pretty good for their ML, IMO. So if you need something for running epic PLs, they're still a good choice, not least because they're free.

The items out of that can be looted in one of the Eveningstar raids? How often do those items pop in the raid?

It's a raid, so: you will pull what you want only after you stop wanting it. Presuming you can find anyone else who still runs it, of course.

[Dulcimerist]

Thanks for the info! The repeater might be cool if I decide to change things up and to a mechanic life on my rogue.

I've heard mixed opinions regarding Agony, the dagger that's available in the box. I've been leaning toward Agony, but the rapier and short sword look pretty cool as well.

[unbongwah]

The proc-on-hit effects on Agony are nice; and it's useful if you don't have Imp Deception slotted elsewhere. But it's definitely inferior to say Assassin's Kiss. So whether it's worth claiming for an Assassin or Vistani build largely depends on what else you've got in your weapons locker.

Balizarde has a few things going for it: it's the only rapier with an inherent x3 crit multiplier; it's keen so even if you didn't focus on piercing weapons you can use it (I have a khopesh-specced Tempest who uses Bali in mid-epics because I'm lazy and didn't want to farm a second khop); and it's got a couple of useful static bonuses (Good Luck, Dodge) which saves on gear slots (because - again - I'm lazy).

Celestia has the virtue of being one of the most unique weapons in DDO: it's the only weapon with the Light material property, which makes it capable of bypassing all DR (except light immunity of course). But that's also its biggest downside, as virtually anything which changes Celestia's material type or Enhancement bonus also breaks its Light property (thus losing its DR bypass). You actually have to be very careful how you build your toon if you want to wield Celestia without overriding the Light property which makes it desirable in the first place.

[Dulcimerist]

I'm still dual-wielding Guardian of the Liturgy, and I also have a dagger with vorpal and assassinate +3 with a red augment slot. I haven't been able to find a good epic weapon yet.

I only have regular deception on. Although I have Golden Guile for improved deception, I've been using the ML14 Jorgundal's Collar for the attack and movement speed.

I'm a bit torn between all three pointy objects from the Raiders Reward Box. Agony could help me right now, but in the long term I could get better daggers and instead get the rapier or short sword with the box. It sounds as though if I run the raid, other party members might be more likely to pass me an Agony, but would want to hang on to the other two if they drop.

[EllisDee37]

I wouldn't open it yet. Wait until you have a clear and undeniable need for something it offers.

Of my characters who each got two raider's boxes:

• My evasion paladin took sireth with one and 5 comms with the other to help upgrade it, and has been a pally/acrobat ever since.
• My tempest trapmonkey took pinion with one and has carried it ever since. He still hasn't opened the second one.
• My kensei warpriest took Cleaver but never once even equipped it. (He was using eAGA, and then upgraded to Epic Riftmaker). I greatly regret wasting that box. I can't remember if I took comms with the second or I still have it.
• My Pale Trapper and Necro Cleric never opened either box.

The unopened boxes just chill out in the TR cache, not taking up inventory or bank space.

[Dulcimerist]

I wouldn't open it yet. Wait until you have a clear and undeniable need for something it offers.
The unopened boxes just chill out in the TR cache, not taking up inventory or bank space.

That sounds like solid advice! I'll have to see about farming up some Assassin's Kisses for my short-term killing needs!

I did read a thread from a year ago about someone losing a Raiders Reward Box when they TR'ed, so that's freaking me out quite a bit. I personally lost DDO Store items I had in the bank/inventory, so the thought of losing more cool items is stressing me out really bad. It happened to be this very same character who lost those expensive items, so I fear that she might be cursed (or bugged) in some manner.

[EllisDee37]

I did read a thread from a year ago about someone losing a Raiders Reward Box when they TR'ed, so that's freaking me out quite a bit. I personally lost DDO Store items I had in the bank/inventory, so the thought of losing more cool items is stressing me out really bad. It happened to be this very same character who lost those expensive items, so I fear that she might be cursed (or bugged) in some manner.

I understand the concern, but opening the box turns the box into an item, meaning there's no net change in the risk of losing it. If it were 10 different items you combined into a single item I could see the incentive to combine them to reduce the chance of losing one of the 10, but 1 for 1 is no real difference in terms of mitigating risk.

[FuzzyDuck81]

I'd suggest picking up Celestia - don't worry about breaking its DR-bypassing capabilities & concentrate on it's other advantages:

-being made of light, it's immune to damage from rusts & oozes, making it a great backup weapon for situational use in a number of epic quests
-it has old-school radiance, which blinds enemies on a crit with no internal cooldown, great if you have sneak attack dice
-the greater sunburst proc blinds enemies in a radius, helping to ensure entire groups of mobs can't hit you as easily & are vulnerable to sneak attacks from party members... as well as being an effective anti-eyeball nuke

[Saekee]

I'd suggest picking up Celestia - don't worry about breaking its DR-bypassing capabilities & concentrate on it's other advantages:

-being made of light, it's immune to damage from rusts & oozes, making it a great backup weapon for situational use in a number of epic quests
-it has old-school radiance, which blinds enemies on a crit with no internal cooldown, great if you have sneak attack dice
-the greater sunburst proc blinds enemies in a radius, helping to ensure entire groups of mobs can't hit you as easily & are vulnerable to sneak attacks from party members... as well as being an effective anti-eyeball nuke

and it makes a great offhand weapon since the sunburst & detonation also proc on the mainhand. I took two of them...

[unbongwah]

and it makes a great offhand weapon since the sunburst & detonation also proc on the mainhand.

Out of curiosity, do you know if that applies to animal forms now? I've got to regear my druids post-U38, but I've got a Celestia on at least one of them; so wondering what to put in the offhand if I don't go with 2H weapons.

[Dulcimerist]

Thanks for the advice on Celestia! I currently have the Weapon Finesse feat, so my enhancements give me DEX to hit and damage with it. I might not have that feat next life, but Celestia looks good even without DEX to damage. This in offhand and an Assassin's Kiss in the main hand might be a good combo. That would make the climb to level 30 for a double TR a bit more comfortable, and I know I would use it during the next several lives.

I do see that my True Neutral rogue will need to UMD the Celestia. I maxed UMD, so the 32 is probably good to go.

[Whitering]

Put me on the board for taking a Celestia. Most of the rest are equaled by base TF. Those 23-26 levels are also some of the quickest. Celestia works super well as an offhand, or a mainhand controller. I used it as a tree, but trees are dead.