Free hints and advice for F2P and Prem in HCL3

[fatherpirate]

Good info there.

Crafting is important in HCL.

[arminius]

Thank you for the crafting advice, I will definitely check out the tutorial guy in House K asap!

[tinyelvis]

I've never done any crafting at all, ever, in all the years I've played. Is it obvious what to do to make the feather fall and underwater action items? Like is the recipe shown when you click on the crafting thingy-bobber, or is it something that takes a recipe list that is un-intuitive like Shroud ingredients and their effects?

You really dont need feather fall. They drop like rain... the first being level one cloak in 30% of chests in borderlands. Underwater action items are really rare. But honestly, just buy the potions.

Crafting is good idea in HC though. It probably does not need stating, but dont run with your crafter.

[tinyelvis]

You don't have to opt in to the favor or reaper challenges at all to benefit from hardcore.

You can simply run quests on normal for favor, backpack space and bank space. You earn first-time server favor bonuses and can transfer the character to your home server for free. So maybe level a character on your main account plus one or more bank accounts so they can hold more plat and more items and be be optimal bank characters all while earning first-time favor rewards. Maybe 500 favor or so for fast normal runs to level 13 with a few hard repeats for House K and Coin Lords to get the bank space.

No need or requirement to do anything risky - you can simply focus on other benefits besides cosmetics.

Why not just do this on regular servers where you dont have a chance of dying.

[FTPDDO]

Why not just do this on regular servers where you dont have a chance of dying.

You miss out on the first-time server bonuses. For your first 100 favor on hardcore you get 125 DDO points and it would take 500 favor on your main server to do the same. So if you are going to make another character it might as well be on hardcore.

If the character dies - no problem just pick it up when it's transferred back over.

[Drunkendex]

Post HCL3 advice.

Bank Elieri if you own starter pack.

free second Elieri on server of your choice.

[fatherpirate]

I want to thank everyone who contributed and will contribute to this thread.
Thank You

PEACE

[fatherpirate]

If possible, use summon monster scrolls instead of memorizing the spell.
Your wasting a spell slot because summon monster scrolls do not suffer
spell failure.

If you choose to use gold seal hirelings, you can use ones that are 2 levels above you,
so if you need a gold seal rogue and your lvl 3, buy a lvl 5

gold seal hireling lose time if in your backpack, but not in a bank ... if you
don't need them for a run, store them in the bank to save money.

If your solo and you look down a hall and see more than 2 champions, it might be
better to just exit out and restart that run than die and start over from scratch.

[tinyelvis]

You miss out on the first-time server bonuses. For your first 100 favor on hardcore you get 125 DDO points and it would take 500 favor on your main server to do the same. So if you are going to make another character it might as well be on hardcore.

If the character dies - no problem just pick it up when it's transferred back over.

So for a few dozen more turbine points you think it is better to run a toon to level 13 (or higher if you intend to get the portable hole from giant hold) in hardcore than on the regular server? I am a veteran player and have lost characters before lvl 13 on hardcore. That sounds like a big risk to me.

If you plan on purpose building a mule, take my advice... do it on the regular servers. For one you can start at level five (with vet status) or better yet try 7 since most coin lord quests can be achieved from that level. This does not even consider all the advantages of a high level guild; possibly support from a crafter; and most importantly, you wont loose everything when you die.

But, having said all that... I have put past high level HC characters to work as mules on my regular server. Poor guys... they busted their butts only to ultimately be used as a second rate Sherpa.

[fatherpirate]

So for a few dozen more turbine points you think it is better to run a toon to level 13 (or higher if you intend to get the portable hole from giant hold) in hardcore than on the regular server? I am a veteran player and have lost characters before lvl 13 on hardcore. That sounds like a big risk to me.

If you plan on purpose building a mule, take my advice... do it on the regular servers. For one you can start at level five (with vet status) or better yet try 7 since most coin lord quests can be achieved from that level. This does not even consider all the advantages of a high level guild; possibly support from a crafter; and most importantly, you wont loose everything when you die.

But, having said all that... I have put past high level HC characters to work as mules on my regular server. Poor guys... they busted their butts only to ultimately be used as a second rate Sherpa.

This thread is intended for advice and hints to F2P and Prem players trying HCL for the first time.
I would kindly request we refrain from subjects unrelated to that.
thank you

[KoobTheProud]

If your solo and you look down a hall and see more than 2 champions, it might be
better to just exit out and restart that run than die and start over from scratch.

There are lots of situations where this is true.

Out of mana at a crucial juncture and don't want to buy a store pot? Leave the instance with hireling inside, recover full mana with a bar drink, re-enter at a 10% XP penalty. You still get full rep and you're probably out-leveling your gear on a regular basis anyway.

Hireling died and you can't get him to a shrine? Either de-summon him and wait the required cooldown to re-summon or de-summon him, recall out of the instance and summon him again at entrance when you re-enter. Either way you're going back to the entrance if he isn't a gold seal.

Hardcore turns so many things on their head because of the way the risk/reward structure is altered.

Run in a group at r1 for the extra XP (tons of extra XP there)?

Risk is much higher. You level faster through content. You outstrip your gear faster. You die randomly much more often.

Hardcore is about being alive with your objectives completed in 3 months time. Anything that significantly increases your death rate works against that.

So, this is the HCL where most players are just running Elite at +4 levels with the plan being to get to 30 and then start running Legendary r1 if that's where the tide takes them. Not exactly so hardcore now is it?

[myliftkk_v2]

I often wonder whether I should do a character who can disarm traps, because I read that traps are "the No.1 killer" ?
Or whether I should rather do a character which has very good saves ?

Robo-Wiz/Rog Eldritch Knight works well to get to 10 easy with few headaches. Gear up in Borderlands. Pummel stuff until you can open RL on normal, farm RL for gear, then pummel again.

One glaring weak spot is dumping STR makes you susceptible to taint of shadow death (which is a tiny handful of quests where there is a risk - necro 2 really).

[myliftkk_v2]

Good info there.

Crafting is important in HCL.

Build choice can make crafting totally unnecessary. Just be willing to farm gear.

[partybasher]

Thanks to everyone who posted!

My tips-

- This weekend is extra challenge ingredients. Some of the low level challenge rewards are pretty good, and worth the time investment.

- Use the shared bank as a "checkpoint" for gear- if you get a nice piece of gear that's irrelevant to your build (and you decide not to pass it to your party)- put it in the shared bank. Do the same whenever you out-level a good item. That way, if you'll need to start over, you'll be able to use it.



This is my first time in HC, so I have two questions-
1. re: the shadowfell epic tome of learning- assuming I want to transfer it to an existing toon on live servers, is that possible? The MotU heroic tome is BTA so will be easy to move, but I don't remember, and can't find info on the SF tome once you open the SF gift box thing.

2. People of who do HC reaper- when you do start reaper instead of elite? Borderlands/harbor, or do you wait longer?

[Riddle_of_Steel]

MAKE
A
BANK
MULE

Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. If you die you can't access your AH or bank. Your Bank Mule's job is to post all auctions and clean out the bank. If you are going to craft make them your crafter as well and never, ever, EVER adventure with them.

HC Season 1 had a lot a shards that were "wasted" entirely because dead toons couldn't go pick up their sales.

[Riddle_of_Steel]

….

2. People of who do HC reaper- when you do start reaper instead of elite? Borderlands/harbor, or do you wait longer?

There are basically two answers here.

A. The instant you can
or
B. The instant you can after your TR

That's basically it.

[fatherpirate]

on who uses the AH

BIG YES, either use your crafter - who does not adventure
or use a bank toon who also does not adventure.

also, if you want to create a guild (mainly applies to VIP but am sure some non-vip do it)
Have your crafter be the guild leader - simplifies many things.

[Blase]

Remember that this is a first life character with no crafted gear and no level 150 guild buffs.

Once you start running level 3 quests on elite, or level 4 quests on hard, champions start showing up. They can and will one shot you.

There is no shame in running normal. Traps aren't instant kills, and there are no champs.

You'll end up farming Heroic Ravenloft and a bit of Sharn for gear anyways.

My recommendation? Elite through the harbor, then drop to hard for Catacombs, then normal your way all the way to 30. Farm up some ravenloft/sharn epic gear, then run the easiest of the level 30's on R1. You can knock out 10 reaper points really easily on level 30 r1. At that point, if you deconstructed from 20-30, you have the ability to crank out some really nice lower level gear, and your next character can try to push for elite favor.

But that is just me.

[Hobgoblin]

i havnt read all of these responses, but it should also be said -


u dont have to solo. group up!

[KoobTheProud]

There are basically two answers here.

A. The instant you can
or
B. The instant you can after your TR

That's basically it.

At 30 in Legendary r1. Much quicker to pick up r10 and r20. Less risk because your toon is much better geared and takes far fewer instances.