|
Post by jelricle on Nov 11, 2021 19:36:10 GMT
Editing to point out I meant the Aaarrggghhhcane _Archives_. Not the academy. Sorry about that. Whoo-hoo! Changing the subject of my first post changed the topic for the thread!!
Are you kidding me?! I finally hack my sad bespoke shifter build through the Archive stacks, kill the big baddie at the back and don't get any tag!!! Then I find that there is an entire second "rift fortress" level behind the stacks filled with my acid eating nemesis, archive golems. :_( *sigh* Okay. rant finished. On to the Questions: Does anybody know how to advance in the Rift Fortress? I activated that device that sends energy to another part of the fortress, but all the doors were still locked.
|
|
|
Post by jelricle on Nov 11, 2021 19:36:51 GMT
Oh fudge . . . Am I supposed to pick the locks? I was so exhausted, I did not even think of that!
|
|
|
Post by boroie on Nov 12, 2021 16:55:52 GMT
Edit: just re-read your post properly this time. In the first door to the left there is a bunch of golems and one of them is a mini. He drops a key. Open the next door on the right of the corridor with that key and liberate another key from the next set of mobs. Then there are double doors on the left, only open one of these. At the back of that room is another bunch of mobs with a single key. Then clear the area with the power device, click it and open the door at the very end of the corridor with your last key.
Once you hit the energy device, go into the next big room and there are 3 small chambers at the end of it. The middle one has a bridge to another area that is blocked. On the left and right chamber there is a teleporter that brings you to the boss room. There are 2 bosses and the big one does horrendous knockdown. Additionally he is protected by a magical shell that you cannot penetrate with your weapons, hopefully there is a way of breaking that shell in that room... (watch your combat log for when the shell is broken).
|
|
|
Post by jelricle on Nov 13, 2021 2:35:12 GMT
Edit: just re-read your post properly this time. In the first door to the left there is a bunch of golems and one of them is a mini. He drops a key. Open the next door on the right of the corridor with that key and liberate another key from the next set of mobs. Then there are double doors on the left, only open one of these. At the back of that room is another bunch of mobs with a single key. Then clear the area with the power device, click it and open the door at the very end of the corridor with your last key. Once you hit the energy device, go into the next big room and there are 3 small chambers at the end of it. The middle one has a bridge to another area that is blocked. On the left and right chamber there is a teleporter that brings you to the boss room. There are 2 bosses and the big one does horrendous knockdown. Additionally he is protected by a magical shell that you cannot penetrate with your weapons, hopefully there is a way of breaking that shell in that room... (watch your combat log for when the shell is broken). Aaaarrrrggghhh!!! What is it with the arcane asylum and killing mini-boss1 to get Key A to reach miniboss2 who has key B -- And all the keys have the same name and description, so its not like you can build up a stash! BTW, we need an Archive Drops page on the wiki so I can see what I am missing out on. :-) *sigh* I think I need to take a break while I work on a strategy for those darn archive golems. Maybe I'll give Zorgbot's hive a try in the meantime. We really need a way to get out of that well, if you fall into it by accident. I was once got trapped there when I was in my forties, so somebody ported over to help me. Unfortunately, I died moments before Zorgbot, so I did not get the tag. Let's see if I can handle it, now in my fifties (although I will need to shackle to 54 for the drops)
|
|
|
Post by chirality on Nov 13, 2021 3:45:13 GMT
I think those "trap" trans zones (PoM is the same, so be careful there) are intentional, so that's unlikely to change.
It's weird that you didn't get the tag while dead. I thought the change that let you tag even if dead or out of party was mod-wide. Does it not work that way for some LL runs? Or maybe it's because of the "updated" tagging system for some LL runs including that one?
|
|
|
Post by simpetar on Nov 13, 2021 8:23:53 GMT
Yep, I'll agree with you that Archives aren't an easy run for (couple) first times, especially if you are in your 50s, whether naturally or shackled for the loot. Probably the most desirable loot from there is the scrolls; luckily they are found on the upper floor so you don't have to go to Rift Fortress. Spoilers ahead Golems are vulnerable to what golems are usually vulnerable. Deathless are vulnerable to what deathless (= good undead)are usually vulnerable. Fumes are vulnerable to what fumes are vulnerable. Same for summoned creatures. It is all foreshadowing end game stuff, so if you know how to deal with machines, fumes, undead and summons in hells / abyss / elysium etc. you can use your knowledge here. Just a heads up, the last bosses are tricky if you try to solo them. I definitely recommend bringing a buddy with you (or at least have a stockpile of BBoD and GS scrolls). That fight involves some actual mechanics, other than "poke them with pointy sticks until they stop moving". The good news is that the boss room is huge and if you get far enough, you can safely rest and recuperate.
|
|
|
Post by boroie on Nov 15, 2021 0:19:53 GMT
Maybe I'll give Zorgbot's hive a try in the meantime. We really need a way to get out of that well, if you fall into it by accident. I was once got trapped there when I was in my forties, so somebody ported over to help me. Unfortunately, I died moments before Zorgbot, so I did not get the tag. Let's see if I can handle it, now in my fifties (although I will need to shackle to 54 for the drops) Prepare for pain. Definitely review the wiki before charging in. Also as was said earlier, you should have gotten the tag even if dead or out of party. There are a couple of nice items worth shackling for, well maybe just one. The other items (level 55) drop regardless of shackle as does the artifact. For arcane archive there are some nice items there. The dispel armor, the scrolls (though of debatable use - they lock to a character and vanish on reincarnate, besides dont do anything a supernatural aug doesnt do), there is a nice plate armor for lowbies there too and potentially a key to a new area in 3 days time.
|
|
|
Post by chirality on Nov 15, 2021 19:48:49 GMT
Offtopic, but just to linger and ramble on this: the scrolls (though of debatable use - they lock to a character and vanish on reincarnate, besides dont do anything a supernatural aug doesnt do), there is a nice plate armor for lowbies there too and potentially a key to a new area in 3 days time. This demonstrates the difficulty in designing loot (in general, but let's say "for this game" and stay focused). It's really not easy to devise new gear that slots perfectly into the niche of "crunchy enough of a carrot to make you want to farm for it, across player experience tiers, but not overpowered." There was definitely a lot of thought put into the run and its drops, and I think this sentiment about the scrolls shows that it's almost impossible to create something in the pre-endgame that vets find useful, that isn't laser-scoped for a particular useful grind purpose. In other words, once you start to get rich, the only non-endgame stuff that retains its value are things that directly enable or improve the efficiency of getting through the earlier game itself. I think the scrolls are really cool as a concept and in practice, but it's true they feel a bit weak. I would love to see some way to "upgrade" them, but then I've always been a big sucker for/advocate of that kind of approach--evolving gear to match player's career status. I think the counterargument to that is devaluation of stuff that already is valuable endgame or representative of being rich. For example, if you could upgrade the scrolls to (let's say) CL55, what impact does that have on the value of existing mechanisms that provide CL55? That's not an easy question to wrangle with, either. The scrolls offer a QoL perk in that they don't need to be swapped, which is one of the more obnoxious parts about NWN and in HG buff gear. I think not being reinc-proof was intended to a) nudge you to do the run again and b) match the relatively-mediocre "power level" in the first place (in other words, we would hope a "moliated scroll" that casts at CL55 would persist after reinc--speaking of which, that'd be a cool use for crucible in the post-HSboot apocalypse, eh?). Overall, the scrolls may not seem like even very useful for newbs if augs are so bountiful, but at the same time, I think part of the idea was that it'd be adding value to the mod and adding QoL for players to have a "guaranteed" source of things that otherwise you don't really get up to your elbows in until you have a couple hundred LL runs under your belt. Anyway, this is not at all a "response" or "debate," I was just using your post as a springboard. I think it's an interesting discussion. I think the scrolls concept had the best intentions and very careful implementation, so the point is that basically (with any game like this, but, again, let's say "with this game") it is extremely difficult to design loot and not end up falling short or overshooting the mark.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2021 20:33:28 GMT
The scrolls are as you say, underwhelming. I love the muliation idea making them Reinc proof. Quite honestly if the scrolls persisted through reinc I’d grind them for every toon. The fact they don’t is there entire reason they’re trash.
Moliation making them reinc proof is the key for value on them. Otherwise it’s a total waste.
|
|
|
Post by boroie on Nov 15, 2021 23:39:51 GMT
I think the scrolls are fun, I like collecting them. But not going through reinc is annoying. I actually really like Arcane Archives, I think its a great design (apart from the deathless shooting through the walls in the fortress!) and the boss is cool.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2021 0:22:16 GMT
100% agree the run is amazing. The scrolls are fun too. The fact they’re lost on reincarnation is the only thing that kills it. To Chirality’s point, creating loot is hard and this run did an incredible job. That minor adjustment, especially with the augs pretty plentiful as is will ensure it’s viability and sustained use. Very few if any rewards should not be permanent.
|
|
|
Post by yune on Nov 16, 2021 0:26:42 GMT
The dispel armor is endgame tier and so is the flesh to stone plate. The 50% neg on the plate is quite helpful for black slaad. The biggest issue with the run is the walls on the third map not blocking line of sight. Also there's no point to killing the dragon unless you are tagging since it doesn't drop anything. Just kill the human and hop servers, no need to bother with the ballistae.
|
|
|
Post by jelricle on Nov 16, 2021 1:46:09 GMT
Separately, I apologize profusely for saying Academy instead of Archives in the subject. Thank you all for not killing the newb.
Hey, changing the subject of my first post changed the title of the thread!!
|
|
|
Post by jelricle on Nov 16, 2021 1:55:52 GMT
I think those "trap" trans zones (PoM is the same, so be careful there) are intentional, so that's unlikely to change. It's weird that you didn't get the tag while dead. I thought the change that let you tag even if dead or out of party was mod-wide. Does it not work that way for some LL runs? Or maybe it's because of the "updated" tagging system for some LL runs including that one? Actually, I just checked. The pit of Moliation has a rope you can use to get out
|
|
|
Post by chirality on Nov 16, 2021 4:53:50 GMT
That's right, it's not the same. because it does let you out. My bad. I did type "it's the same." What I meant was that it's also a trap, not that it also doesn't let you out. I was just trying to "warn" you that it's also a trap if you hadn't been there before.
|
|