Post by Variaz on Apr 28, 2008 10:04:58 GMT -5
There is a good chance you will hate me for what I did with these two quests, especially the second one that uses a monster feature that I silently implemented without never saying anything about it. ;D
That said, I will give you some tips on these two quests, as they can be tricky.
THE HARRINGTON MANSION QUEST
Ok, you've been following advices, talking to characters(and you met a dwarf that also happens to sell some pretty hot axes, litterally. ), and finally got to a place with monsters. Armed with your powerful blues and artifacts, you strike at the Imp of Greed with all your might, cast spells of great power, and....the imp doesn't die. It doesn't have any resistances, it's not a boss, it just didn't do any damages. What's going on?? Is this a bug?
Well, no. The Imps of Greed feeds on one's wealth, and the more total wealth ones carries, the less damages the imps will take. And what's more valuable than blues and artifacts? That's right. In order to stand a chance against the imps, you must not carry valuable items, as they soak an amount of damages based on three times the total value of all items you carry. While Monks won't have much trouble, Enchanters will live their worst nightmare. But you have to use weaker, possibly non-enchanted items. Here are some tips I can give you:
- If you play a crafter/enchanter, craft your items, but do not give them any bonuses. Even if you can't sell these, they are still considered very valuable.
- Archers should consider using Multiple Arrows. It can work very well to bypass fixed amount of damages soaking. Gunners should use Magic Bullets, as they won't be worth anything compared to real bullets. Gunners could also use Immolating Shot, then drop their gun. It's risky for losing your gun, but it will allow you to damage the imps.
- Give up your shield, and use a two-handed weapon for this fight.
- Spellcasters should consider using some summons, but depending on your build, you might be able to cast your way out of this quest without the need of powerful items.
- Martial Arts. Need I say more?
Finally, the Nymph you meet at the end of the quest has the same ability, but much more hp and powerful magics. Fighting her could be tough(although you do get the first strike), but...violence isn't always the only solution, right?
(Hint: how about trying to boost your Charisma before speaking to her? Just carry a Licialhyd with you(drop it while you fight the imps)).
INFILTRATING THE LANCERS HQ
Yay, undeads! Starts off as a standard undead-bashing quest, with enemies you've probably met before already. It starts great, though the dead kobold left a note warning of a powerful enemy. Hmmm....ok. So you proceed, find a wall you can break, break it, and.... there comes the Restless Dead. You hit it...it recovers. It keeps recovering.
And what's those "Lives" things? 2 lives?? "I have to kill it more than one time?? But....but....do you realize that it can give insane hps to enemies??? "
Yes, I'm aware of that. ;D Nasty surprise, huh? Moreover, this particular enemy will always recover those lives and all it's hp whenever it acts. (keep in mind that this is exclusive to this monster, lives don't allow monsters to recover). So if it moves, attacks, cast a spell...it will recover. It has the standard undead resistances/weaknesses, but also Fire immunity and a 25% Sound resistance.
So how do you kill that thing? Well, first of all, you do not actually have to kill it. If you can jump over it or avoid it, get the parchement and get out, you'll win the quest. But you'd better get used to fighting these guys, as they are regular depth 40 enemies later on(albeit uncommon). So here's some tips on defeating the Restless Deads:
- Rage animates this monster, so to kill it, you have to calm it, obviously. But undeads are immune to paralysis/sleep, right? Well, this particular one is NOT immune to paralysis/sleep! After all, it's not pure necromancy, rage is part of it too and while it gives it a serious advantage, it also gives it an additional weakness. And by chance, there is a Book of Alteration [Paralyze], lying on the ground in this quest. If you don't use Alteration, you can use any paralysis/sleep inducing abilities. As long as you can keep it from acting, you'll be fine.
- Melee fighters, especially Light Lords, should consider combining Element Strike and Combat Feats. A Light Strike might be enough to knock off a life point out of it. If you use three in a row, you might be able to kill it before it has a chance to act.
- Beware the lives. Turn Undead will not instantly destroy it, it will only take away a life point. Better paralyze/sleep it first before using Turn Undead.
- This monster is powerful, but it's not a Unique. Things that don't work on uniques will work on this one.
Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to encounter an elite/boss version of this monster, just run and restart the quest, or just beat the quest without killing it(it won't be worth anything anyway, since it's not unique). You could use Retrograde Darkness, but it will still have very high hp and stats.
Well, hope that helps. Finally, one extra piece of advice: Restless Deads makes EXCELLENT summons. And if you're a Soul Guardian, why don't you try capturing one of the Imps? They would make a nice Simulacrum, wouldn't they?
That said, I will give you some tips on these two quests, as they can be tricky.
THE HARRINGTON MANSION QUEST
Ok, you've been following advices, talking to characters(and you met a dwarf that also happens to sell some pretty hot axes, litterally. ), and finally got to a place with monsters. Armed with your powerful blues and artifacts, you strike at the Imp of Greed with all your might, cast spells of great power, and....the imp doesn't die. It doesn't have any resistances, it's not a boss, it just didn't do any damages. What's going on?? Is this a bug?
Well, no. The Imps of Greed feeds on one's wealth, and the more total wealth ones carries, the less damages the imps will take. And what's more valuable than blues and artifacts? That's right. In order to stand a chance against the imps, you must not carry valuable items, as they soak an amount of damages based on three times the total value of all items you carry. While Monks won't have much trouble, Enchanters will live their worst nightmare. But you have to use weaker, possibly non-enchanted items. Here are some tips I can give you:
- If you play a crafter/enchanter, craft your items, but do not give them any bonuses. Even if you can't sell these, they are still considered very valuable.
- Archers should consider using Multiple Arrows. It can work very well to bypass fixed amount of damages soaking. Gunners should use Magic Bullets, as they won't be worth anything compared to real bullets. Gunners could also use Immolating Shot, then drop their gun. It's risky for losing your gun, but it will allow you to damage the imps.
- Give up your shield, and use a two-handed weapon for this fight.
- Spellcasters should consider using some summons, but depending on your build, you might be able to cast your way out of this quest without the need of powerful items.
- Martial Arts. Need I say more?
Finally, the Nymph you meet at the end of the quest has the same ability, but much more hp and powerful magics. Fighting her could be tough(although you do get the first strike), but...violence isn't always the only solution, right?
(Hint: how about trying to boost your Charisma before speaking to her? Just carry a Licialhyd with you(drop it while you fight the imps)).
INFILTRATING THE LANCERS HQ
Yay, undeads! Starts off as a standard undead-bashing quest, with enemies you've probably met before already. It starts great, though the dead kobold left a note warning of a powerful enemy. Hmmm....ok. So you proceed, find a wall you can break, break it, and.... there comes the Restless Dead. You hit it...it recovers. It keeps recovering.
And what's those "Lives" things? 2 lives?? "I have to kill it more than one time?? But....but....do you realize that it can give insane hps to enemies??? "
Yes, I'm aware of that. ;D Nasty surprise, huh? Moreover, this particular enemy will always recover those lives and all it's hp whenever it acts. (keep in mind that this is exclusive to this monster, lives don't allow monsters to recover). So if it moves, attacks, cast a spell...it will recover. It has the standard undead resistances/weaknesses, but also Fire immunity and a 25% Sound resistance.
So how do you kill that thing? Well, first of all, you do not actually have to kill it. If you can jump over it or avoid it, get the parchement and get out, you'll win the quest. But you'd better get used to fighting these guys, as they are regular depth 40 enemies later on(albeit uncommon). So here's some tips on defeating the Restless Deads:
- Rage animates this monster, so to kill it, you have to calm it, obviously. But undeads are immune to paralysis/sleep, right? Well, this particular one is NOT immune to paralysis/sleep! After all, it's not pure necromancy, rage is part of it too and while it gives it a serious advantage, it also gives it an additional weakness. And by chance, there is a Book of Alteration [Paralyze], lying on the ground in this quest. If you don't use Alteration, you can use any paralysis/sleep inducing abilities. As long as you can keep it from acting, you'll be fine.
- Melee fighters, especially Light Lords, should consider combining Element Strike and Combat Feats. A Light Strike might be enough to knock off a life point out of it. If you use three in a row, you might be able to kill it before it has a chance to act.
- Beware the lives. Turn Undead will not instantly destroy it, it will only take away a life point. Better paralyze/sleep it first before using Turn Undead.
- This monster is powerful, but it's not a Unique. Things that don't work on uniques will work on this one.
Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to encounter an elite/boss version of this monster, just run and restart the quest, or just beat the quest without killing it(it won't be worth anything anyway, since it's not unique). You could use Retrograde Darkness, but it will still have very high hp and stats.
Well, hope that helps. Finally, one extra piece of advice: Restless Deads makes EXCELLENT summons. And if you're a Soul Guardian, why don't you try capturing one of the Imps? They would make a nice Simulacrum, wouldn't they?