Catacombs - how do you think?

Sharkith · Post by **Sharkith** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:31 am

This might seem like an odd thing to post since well we are looking at the new Darkness Rising add on and we have had some significant patch updates recently. However any time I read about Catacombs here and elsewhere I have this perception that people always complain about how the fast levelling (instanced dungeons and what not) has killed groups and how graphically it looks a bit better but could be so much better and so on. Then of course there are the new classes which are the focus of a lot of discussions.

Other things I hear people say are that ToA has better drops and so on. Look closer. One thing about ToA I dislike is its farmability where this refers to the team of an ML9 Animist (or ML9 Chanter) + FoP. The fragmentation of groups as a result where things drop so rarely that people either form one man teams BB+FoP and animist and then farm til their heart is content. Or they team up with their mate and do likewise. Try that in Catacombs.

What I cannot figure is why people have not talked about the areas in Catacombs, their design and some of the drops. Last night we had a guild group return to the Deadlands of Annwan to settle an score with Warlord Klomal (http://camelot.allakhazam.com/db/search.html?cmob=10120 ). Moving through the dungeon to him is not easy task. I would like to see a ToA farming team composed of animist and fop get to him.

The mobs pop so fast behind that a FG has to keep moving. You have to have a nice combination of different skills and the focus is on maintaing movement. You can camp but then that is only in a few places and even then your not going to get anything unless you can really challenge one of the three bosses in there Two out of the three you can probably do with this duo team - but just try Klomal (;)).

Playing last night brought back times for us when we were with friends facing the challenge of the game. It brought back that group spirit that gets lost in ToA. We had people saying we have to do this more, and ok it is PvE - but it is good high intensity PvE and it was a lot of fun.

In the end we killed Warlord Klomal and had over 20 drops from one trip to Catacombs and a lot of those were well worth the effort. We will be back for a weekly session exploring all these areas not necessarily for exp but for the hell of it. A lot of the zones are a real challenge and we feel worth exploring. So when you think of Catacombs think a bit beyond the obvious.

Have others had similar experiences?

Sharkith

Mojo · Post by **Mojo** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:39 am

All the things that you mentioned about farming with bb+chanter and fast leveling in cata's are a must for me and are the only reason i still play. I am not often on for long enough to get groups as i play 1 fixed day a week the rest is and hr or so when i can fit it in. During the times i can play i have to log in and be active, i would not be able to do that if i had to rely on groups.

Any group requried event i need like ml's then i sign up using these boards, but i am still restricted by the days I play.

I understand your points, but for me its fine how it is because i have the choice of a group or not, i don't have to rely on a group to play the game i have been playing since pryd opened.

Nedo · Post by **Nedo** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:45 am

We were foolish enough to suggest a drop from Gelwin the Mad http://camelot.allakhazam.com/db/search.html?cmob=9376 to 1 of our guildies which led us to "lets just go kill the sod few times wont take long". Oh did I regret that

Getting to him was like you describe, real fast pops, little room beetween popzones and so on. But when we got to him and finally killed him few times I think most of us had had a good laugh tbh.

I think balance is the issue why peeps dont go Cata to hunt drops. Artis and ML drops > cata drops in many ways. At least from how I see it.

Alexandrinus · Post by **Alexandrinus** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:53 am

i think for the most people RVR is the endgame, and PVE is only a way to get good itiems for this endgame.ToA is fine because you also could get good scrolls with a tank and a BB (and so money and good itiems) without having a farming char like a animist, chanter or menta.
i once entered a insta dungeon and dindt like it,i dont use catacombs, i even dont use the grafic boost from catacoms because i get to much lag in RVR.

Sharkith · Post by **Sharkith** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:02 am

[quote="Nedo"]We were foolish enough to suggest a drop from Gelwin the Mad http://camelot.allakhazam.com/db/search.html?cmob=9376 to 1 of our guildies which led us to "lets just go kill the sod few times wont take long". Oh did I regret that ]

funny you should mention it but I need his Jewels. We are planning to go down there and kick him in the jewels sometime next week (any tips?). After that it will be the other zones including the instanced dungeons. People who think the ToA drops are better need to look again. The Shade Jewel (Jewel of the Dread Stalker) from the possessed spirit is going for 25plat here:

(http://www.prydwen.net/showthread.php?t=5166 )

As for the RvR end game - I agree with that however it is nice to do something different and challenging with good friends.

Sharkith

Sharkith · Post by **Sharkith** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:05 am

Mojo wrote:I understand your points, but for me its fine how it is because i have the choice of a group or not, i don't have to rely on a group to play the game i have been playing since pryd opened.

well if you would like to try this sometime let some of us know and we can plan a group event in advance.

I am only chasing two or three drops in there but it is > ToA anyday because of the need to have a solid group of people and it brings them together for a common purpose. Thats what ToA destroyed IMHO ofc.

Sharkith

Alexandrinus · Post by **Alexandrinus** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:06 am

Sharkith wrote:
As for the RvR end game - I agree with that however it is nice to do something different and challenging with good friends.

Sharkith

you right had some fun doing two quest yesterday......../slaps silly BM

Nedo · Post by **Nedo** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:33 am

Sharkith wrote:funny you should mention it but I need his Jewels. We are planning to go down there and kick him in the jewels sometime next week (any tips?). After that it will be the other zones including the instanced dungeons. People who think the ToA drops are better need to look again. The Shade Jewel (Jewel of the Dread Stalker) from the possessed spirit is going for 25plat here:

Sharkith

Mob itself is no worries at all tbh. Way there is....dunno....35 or so purple groups that pop fast allmost within aggro range of each other. Groups is....3-4 mobs a time so have to basically charge into them and fight or pull and kill very very fast.

Cata for sure has some nice drops that sell well, my statement about TOA > Cata was more in general and that I still think.

Arcsalin · Post by **Arcsalin** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:27 pm

Personally i've found catacombs fun but generally a lonely experience, no bb, no group, bit silly if you ask me. I find instances dull and monotonous as after you do one toon, it's the same rinse and repeat over and over with no one to level with. I've not seen much in the way of drops save for midgard exc which can be quite nice for pve. I just hope darkness rising manages to eliminate the 'i've got a bb FO everyone else' culture and bind people together like it was in the old days when people were all for the same cause/endgame. Grouping is fun and at least you are making your time fun in game because you have other people around you.

Sharkith · Post by **Sharkith** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 1:01 pm

Arcsalin wrote:Personally i've found catacombs fun but generally a lonely experience, no bb, no group, bit silly if you ask me. I find instances dull and monotonous as after you do one toon, it's the same rinse and repeat over and over with no one to level with. I've not seen much in the way of drops save for midgard exc which can be quite nice for pve. I just hope darkness rising manages to eliminate the 'i've got a bb FO everyone else' culture and bind people together like it was in the old days when people were all for the same cause/endgame. Grouping is fun and at least you are making your time fun in game because you have other people around you.

well like I said to Mojo I would invite you to come along then sometime and maybe we can group up and head into those parts you have not been able to do? It requires considerable skill and group work in comparison to a lot of encounters and it is entertaining. Who knows perhso you would like to join us in going after Gelvin's family jewels? No wonder he is described as Gelvin the mad.