Defense against negative levels

[0ldschool]

FYI, newbie on my first character, now at Level 17. I’m still running Gianthold at the moment to get my saga reward.

I find lately that negative levels are typically the most dangerous thing that I face with any regular frequency, running level 14'ish quests on Elite. I thought that I had this beat when I got my UMD up, but found out that when I’m hit with 4 negative levels my UMD plummets and Greater Restoration scrolls are not an option. I’ve been using my Gloomy potions of Restoration from Revels, but at this rate those won’t last much longer.

If I understand DDOwiki correctly, my options to prevent this are Death Ward and Negative Energy Absorption items.

Death Ward: There are no permanent Death Ward items. I have Potions of Gloomy Death Ward, but again those will run out quickly. I don’t have a Death Ward clickie, but I’m not sure if 7 minutes once per quest is going to be enough for me. As a first timer, I don’t know when I’m going to run into it, and I take a lot longer than 7 minutes to run a quest. I also have the option of getting a hireling to cast Death Ward on me over and over. Again, not ideal.

Negative Energy Absorption: I pulled a Death’s Locket from Prison of Planes. It has 5 charges per day. If I wear it, I will lose a Realistic 5 of Natural Armor 7 necklace, which is a LOT to give up IMHO. My lack of knowledge of the quests doesn’t allow me to switch in and out items for each quests or even within quest for different encounters. I try to optimize for anything that may come my way.

Is there something I can do to better defend against the negative levels full time, or is the real answer here that I simply won’t likely have anything close to full time protection? The truth may be that I must learn when it is needed by first running quests, and then in the future firing up a clickie or hireling Death Ward when I know what’s coming.

Thanks for your help.

[Zretch]

FYI, newbie on my first character, now at Level 17. I’m still running Gianthold at the moment to get my saga reward.

I find lately that negative levels are typically the most dangerous thing that I face with any regular frequency, running level 14'ish quests on Elite. I thought that I had this beat when I got my UMD up, but found out that when I’m hit with 4 negative levels my UMD plummets and Greater Restoration scrolls are not an option. I’ve been using my Gloomy potions of Restoration from Revels, but at this rate those won’t last much longer.

If I understand DDOwiki correctly, my options to prevent this are Death Ward and Negative Energy Absorption items.

Death Ward: There are no permanent Death Ward items. I have Potions of Gloomy Death Ward, but again those will run out quickly. I don’t have a Death Ward clickie, but I’m not sure if 7 minutes once per quest is going to be enough for me. As a first timer, I don’t know when I’m going to run into it, and I take a lot longer than 7 minutes to run a quest. I also have the option of getting a hireling to cast Death Ward on me over and over. Again, not ideal.

Negative Energy Absorption: I pulled a Death’s Locket from Prison of Planes. It has 5 charges per day. If I wear it, I will lose a Realistic 5 of Natural Armor 7 necklace, which is a LOT to give up IMHO. My lack of knowledge of the quests doesn’t allow me to switch in and out items for each quests or even within quest for different encounters. I try to optimize for anything that may come my way.

Is there something I can do to better defend against the negative levels full time, or is the real answer here that I simply won’t likely have anything close to full time protection? The truth may be that I must learn when it is needed by first running quests, and then in the future firing up a clickie or hireling Death Ward when I know what’s coming.

Thanks for your help.

Death ward clickes are not exclusive. Farm up 3-4 of them and use them as you need. A shrine will reset all of them. I carry 4 Visors when I level up in heroics. At cap, there's the new necklace out of WPM which gives 3 charges of 15 minute Mass Death Ward (level 29 item).

If you're a dagger build, the Vistani tree has immunity to negative energy drain as an enhancment.
Paladins have Sealed Soul in tier 5 KotC.
Warlocks get Death Ward as a spell in a Tainted Scholar core.
When you hit epics, Shadowdancer has sealed soul as a tier 5 ability.
When you hit epics, a 4 (or maybe 5) piece purity sentient set gives immunity to negative energy drain.

Spell absorption can also absorb neg level spells. You can carry more than one spell absorption item (like a jeweled cloak or ioun stone) and swap them when they run out. Once again, a shrine will refill them all.

[Frogger1234]

FYI, newbie on my first character, now at Level 17. I’m still running Gianthold at the moment to get my saga reward.

I find lately that negative levels are typically the most dangerous thing that I face with any regular frequency, running level 14'ish quests on Elite. I thought that I had this beat when I got my UMD up, but found out that when I’m hit with 4 negative levels my UMD plummets and Greater Restoration scrolls are not an option. I’ve been using my Gloomy potions of Restoration from Revels, but at this rate those won’t last much longer.

If I understand DDOwiki correctly, my options to prevent this are Death Ward and Negative Energy Absorption items.

Death Ward: There are no permanent Death Ward items. I have Potions of Gloomy Death Ward, but again those will run out quickly. I don’t have a Death Ward clickie, but I’m not sure if 7 minutes once per quest is going to be enough for me. As a first timer, I don’t know when I’m going to run into it, and I take a lot longer than 7 minutes to run a quest. I also have the option of getting a hireling to cast Death Ward on me over and over. Again, not ideal.

Negative Energy Absorption: I pulled a Death’s Locket from Prison of Planes. It has 5 charges per day. If I wear it, I will lose a Realistic 5 of Natural Armor 7 necklace, which is a LOT to give up IMHO. My lack of knowledge of the quests doesn’t allow me to switch in and out items for each quests or even within quest for different encounters. I try to optimize for anything that may come my way.

Is there something I can do to better defend against the negative levels full time, or is the real answer here that I simply won’t likely have anything close to full time protection? The truth may be that I must learn when it is needed by first running quests, and then in the future firing up a clickie or hireling Death Ward when I know what’s coming.

Thanks for your help.

There are Cleric and Favored Soul hirelings with mass death ward

There are items with death ward clickies:
Visor of the Flesh Render Guards
Rose Quartz Sigil Stone
The Visor of the Flesh Render Guards is pretty easy to get. I usually carry a couple.

[vms4ever]

The end rewards of the tangleroot chain includes visor of the flesh render guard's that are ML 5 deathward clickies that are NOT exclusive. Note that the deathward effect continues after the visor is removed. If you are willing to run the chain multiple times you can obtain enough of them to provide an adaquate length of deathward coverage.

They are BTA which reduces the aggravation level.

[droid327]

Hirelings with DW are a perfectly viable option by the point you're at. IIRC theirs lasts 15 mins, and its Cleric hires so odds are you're running with them anyway while solo...also, Hires can have (Greater) Resto as well, so they can both prevent and cure neg levels for you - IIRC the Lev 16 Cleric hire Natasha Thorston has Heal, Resurrection, DW and Greater Resto, so she's basically the ideal healbot.

Keep in mind that even if you get negged too low to UMD Greater Resto scrolls you might still be able to UMD regular Resto scrolls, so maybe keep a stack of those too.

Also, while most spells that inflict neg levels on you dont have a save, they are all stopped by Spell Resistance - so if you can get that up, that may help at least slow down the rate you're losing levels.

But the best defense against being negged is simply to know what negs you, know where they are, and kill them before they can get you too badly

[ComicRelief]

*snip*
Is there something I can do to better defend against the negative levels full time, or is the real answer here that I simply won’t likely have anything close to full time protection? The truth may be that I must learn when it is needed by first running quests, and then in the future firing up a clickie or hireling Death Ward when I know what’s coming.

Thanks for your help.

For heroics, I don't think there is (but I could be wrong). Once you reach level 20 and assuming you have access to Epic Destinies, there are a couple of ED abilities that are better (such as "Sealed Soul" in Shadowdancer)...but you have to level up to them, first.

Then again, I don't worry too much about the neg levels, but that's me. My current record (on my L30 toon) is 18 negative levels (ouch!).


(BTW, "Sealed Soul" is a tier 5 ability, which means it can't be twisted, unfortunately...)

[0ldschool]

Death ward clickes are not exclusive. Farm up 3-4 of them and use them as you need.

The non-exclusive part is big news for me. I would have assumed that they all run on the same timer, sounds like they don't. Thanks! Now I get why Visors are farmed so heavily.

At cap, there's the new necklace out of WPM which gives 3 charges of 15 minute Mass Death Ward (level 29 item).

Cool. I also notice the ML20 Epic Dusk Heart, with one 15 minute charge. I'm not too far away from that.

Spell absorption can also absorb neg level spells. You can carry more than one spell absorption item (like a jeweled cloak or ioun stone) and swap them when they run out. Once again, a shrine will refill them all.

OK, another good one. I've been told that the Jeweled Cloak is worth the effort, just not lucky enough to pull one yet.

Thanks everyone.

[Kenpai]

I also notice the ML20 Epic Dusk Heart, with one 15 minute charge. I'm not too far away from that.

I would not count on having an Epic item from the Sands.
Especially not an Epic item that drops from the explorer area in the Sands.
Once you get into King's Forest you can trade Cleric commendations for ML:1 CL:20 Death Ward potions at a rate of 1:1.

[vms4ever]

If you're going to include epics, shadowdancer epic destiny includes sealed soul which gives immunity to neg levels

[Enoach]

I would not count on having an Epic item from the Sands.
Especially not an Epic item that drops from the explorer area in the Sands.
Once you get into King's Forest you can trade Cleric commendations for ML:1 CL:20 Death Ward potions at a rate of 1:1.

It is rare, the Epic Rose Quartz Sigil Stone is easier to obtain then the Epic Dusk Heart

--
As a note there are other options to avoid level drain
1. Being of the Race Warforged or Bladeforge
2. Be in Undead Shroud using the Wizard Pale Master Tree
3. Take the Sealed Life Enhancement (Tier 5 Knight of the Chalice)

[spyder7723]

Oldschool. I love you man. You are such a breath of fresh air compared to other new players screaming that things are impossible and need nerfed.

The easiest way to get deathward clickies is running tangleroot. Get a couple of them and it will be enough. Remember they recharge when you shrine so you just need enough to get to the next shrine.

Also consider combining tactics for specific encounters. Beholders for example will dispel DW then priced to pile on neg levels at a very high rate. A way to stop this is cast dw/use dw clickie/ drink dw pot plus equip a spell absorption item such as the upgraded pale lavendar ioun stone. To clarify: dw AND soell absorption prevent the every drain attack. Once the charges on the spell absorption item are drained the dw will be dispelled. Word of warning, the pale lav initially has limited charges, only once it is upgraded do those charges replenish when shrining.

A couple other things that are sorta on topic. One of the eveningstar traders trades deathward and restoration pots for commendations. I forget which one but i wanna say its cleric or druid. Also save your remnants. You will eventually have enough to trade them in for an eternal flask of deathward. And flask of displacement and my personal favorite: freedom of movement. They share a 10 minute comedown with each other so you can only use one at a time howevet i suggest eventuality getting them all unless you can cast the spell. And even then get them all cause you will eventually want to tr. Having fom at level 1 (or displacement )is freaking awesome.

Also one of the collectible traders in the necropolis had restoration pots.

The jewelled cloak seems to be in the chain end reward list often for me.

[Knobull]

I have been running Tangleroot for 9 years and not once have I been offered the Visor of the Flesh Render Guards in the end rewards. So don't count on that.

As a result, before the levels where hires with deathward are available, I just let the negative levels time out: go to the store, watch a TV program, do the dishes... then when you get back, the negative levels have expired, you can heal and resume the quest. I look at it like a forced gaming break, get up move around, get the blood flowing. Other times, I just log off for the day.

[spyder7723]

I have been running Tangleroot for 9 years and not once have I been offered the Visor of the Flesh Render Guards in the end rewards. So don't count on that.

As a result, before the levels where hires with deathward are available, I just let the negative levels time out: go to the store, watch a TV program, do the dishes... then when you get back, the negative levels have expired, you can heal and resume the quest. I look at it like a forced gaming break, get up move around, get the blood flowing. Other times, I just log off for the day.

This surprises me. I had collected so many of them that even my rarely played alts have 2 or 3. How may times have you actually ran it in those 9 years?

Edit: just checked the wiki. They are GUARANTEED to be in the end reward list every 3rd completion. And those quests are fast. You can run that whole chain in under an hour at level, on a level 17 it would be even faster.

[dogsoldier]

The lvl 13/16/18/20/25 FvS hires can cast death ward.

Also, for neg absorb, the Silver Flame Talisman (from Necro I,II,III) has 10 charges at ML11 (upgrade at end quest for each series).

[RootinTuutin]

OK, another good one. I've been told that the Jeweled Cloak is worth the effort, just not lucky enough to pull one yet.

These are not necessarily bound, so you can often find them on the AH for cheap. And they are especially good with beholders. Beholders will just throw anti magic and dispel your deathward and then neg level you anyway.

[Knobull]

This surprises me. I had collected so many of them that even my rarely played alts have 2 or 3. How may times have you actually ran it in those 9 years?

Edit: just checked the wiki. They are GUARANTEED to be in the end reward list every 3rd completion. And those quests are fast. You can run that whole chain in under an hour at level, on a level 17 it would be even faster.

Weird. I'd say I have run it at least 4 times per year over 9 years. Never has the visor been offered. Maybe the three completions have to be within a certain period of time?

These are not bound, so you can often find them on the AH for cheap. And they are especially good with beholders. Beholders will just throw anti magic and dispel your deathward and then neg level you anyway.

These, I have three of. They do work well for lower level beholders, but are pretty much useless against higher level beholders like the ones in the Orchard who spam rays like they're going out of style. 5 charges is not nearly enough and my twitch skills are no where near good enough to swap gear mid combat.

[Krelar]

Weird. I'd say I have run it at least 4 times per year over 9 years. Never has the visor been offered. Maybe the three completions have to be within a certain period of time?

Reincarnating resets the counter. Also it hasn't had that feature the entire time, it was added in U13 which was early 2012.

[spyder7723]

Weird. I'd say I have run it at least 4 times per year over 9 years. Never has the visor been offered. Maybe the three completions have to be within a certain period of time?



These, I have three of. They do work well for lower level beholders, but are pretty much useless against higher level beholders like the ones in the Orchard who spam rays like they're going out of style. 5 charges is not nearly enough and my twitch skills are no where near good enough to swap gear mid combat.

the epic version has 20 charges. nothing that I know of blocks the con drain of doomsphere rays. that's why we have easy to get restoration pots. if you run the necro chain by the time you get to the doomsphere you will have enough of the collectibles to get a handful of restoration pots. or if you are a collectible junky like me and been playing 9 years, you already have 500 of them. the trader is in the lower necropolis. I think its the one over by the person that gives the quest bloody crypt.

[RTN]

Also, for neg absorb, the Silver Flame Talisman (from Necro I,II,III) has 10 charges at ML11 (upgrade at end quest for each series).

This is my recommendation. I know you don't want to give up the neck slot, but the fully upgraded Silver Flame Talisman is well worth it.

[MacRighteous]

If you are a divine then Unyielding Sovereignty is a great oh-snap button that clears negative levels.