Discuss Vanguard’s Rogue class and this review in the forum

In my ongoing effort to try out each of the classes post release/patch changes I rolled Halfling Rogue and was not disappointed. As always I played the toon to level 10, played a bit solo, and some grouped to check out the classes strengths, weaknesses and overall group role.

Rogues are a lot of fun and I am incredibly impressed with the Vanguards version including their DPS and game play. Soloing Rogues can do some fantastic damage – togather wityh a tank to hold the mob in place, rogues destroy mobs. Dual wield from the start (another thing I like about Vanguard) blads are whirring and blood is flying from the opening attack to the satifying thud of the mobs carcass falling dead at your feet.

Stalking/In-Combat Stealth
The stalking element is a fantastic idea that has been well implemented. Essentially, you approach an enemy cloaked, and begin your attacks, if the mob is focused on another attacker (IE a tank) you continue to remain cloaked and build up higher damage attacks – on the other hand if you are ‘percieved’ you break stealth and continue to attack normally.

Backstab/Ravage
As one would expect when playing a Rogue, they do a lot more damage in surprise open attacks and in-combat attacks on mob flanks. As a level 8-9 Rogue I was often able to stealth behind same-level (or higher) 2 dot mobs and one shot them (using the Keen Eye buff and Ravage attack) – Tremendous!

The Rogue & Solo Combat
Through-out my 1-9 leveling last night if the mood struck me, I was able to rush headlong into combat and take out same-level mobs (or even 2-3 levels higher) pretty quickly with no real problems. Preferably using Stealth > Stalk > Ravage > Attack tactics made battles almost instantaniuous with mobs of the same level and still really quick for mobs 2-3 levels higher. I was able to solo same-level or 1-2 levels lower 3 dots mobs, with some difficulty and it took a bit long (as it should).

The Rogue & Small Group Combat
With a Paladin tank as my comrade I was able to  annihilate same-level range mobs (+1-3 levels) as quickly as we could pull them in. Against same-level (and even 1-2 levels higher) 3 dot mobs staying in the in-combat stealth/Stalking mode augmented my damage -  the longer we battled, the higher my damage output, and being able to fit in multiple backstabs brought down the normally problematic 3 dots fairly quickly.

All in all I was extremely impressed with the Rogue class and look forward to playing this alt more than my others…what can I say – I’m addicted now 

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Discuss Vanguard’s Psionicist class and this review in the forum

In my ongoing effort to review each of the classes post release/patch changes I took a stab at the Psionicist class. As I haven’t had a Mordebi character since Beta I thought it was time to give one a run – besides I thought the racial ability would come in handy (8sec mex + 100% deaggro)

The Psionicist turned out to be a lot of fun – as always I played him up to level 10, soloed and grouped for a bit to get a better idea of the classes strengths, weaknesses and overall group role. Although the Psi can punch out some decent DOT and direct damage, I’d say his best trait is some great CC. looking ahead to the spells available a few levels higher it becomes even more appearant.

Psionicist DPS
Soloing – You start out with a weak, but effective mental lance – its a quick cast that does direct damage and can be spammed on enemies as they close in on you – it has a suffecient range to make kiting a good idea, you’re definately not built for a fist fight. Grouping – Soon you’re equipped with a nice DOT which is quite effective once you have something/someone to hold the mob in place

Psionicist CC
Soloing – you’re never solo as long as you’re a Psi – your enemy becomes your best friend since you can replicate any mob and create a copy capable of holding aggro for a time – pleanty of time for you to take out the first of most 2 pulls. As you level up you can hold enough aggro in this mirror to get off a DOT with-out pulling aggro to you.
Group – the Psi is a must have in dungeons and heavy mob fighting – controlling the flow of mobs is the difference between a tough pull and a complete wipe. Even at lower levels the Psi seem perfectly adept at CCing one mob and delivering decent DPS to the others – at higher levels you can begin to control even more mobs through mind control (suggestion), mirrors, mezzes, timeshifts etc.

Psionicist Buffs & Debuffs
As a Psi you share a connection with other Psi’s around the world increasing yourmana/energy regen mana/energy rate, additionally you expand your mind and the minds of your companions adding a decent amount of intel & wisdom increasing the casters damage output and manapool.

As a Psi you should be able to solo fairly well, and be a great add to any dungeon bound group. As alwasy this is just a review of my expierience (short) with the Psi class, share your experiences with us – strengths, weaknesses, likes dislikes etc.

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Discuss Vanguard’s Shaman class and this review in the forum

In an ongoing effort to check out all the classes (again post release/patch changes) I rolled myself a Lesser Giant Shaman and I’ve had myself a blast so far. For the record I know a Vulmane has better racial stats for a shaman, but my wife was trying out new races/classes and wanted to start in a new starting area so we hit up Halgarad and made a pair of Lesser Giants, complete with matching last names 

As with all my class reviews, I played my Lesser Giant Shaman up to level 10 to get an idea of the classes strengths, weaknesses and central group role.

I’ve started a number of class/race combos and first impressions of the Shaman class were a bit mixed. I was trying to wrap my mind around what the shaman’s central purpose/strength might be in a group, but it seemed rather vague. My shammy did decent (but not overly impressive) in all areas – melee dmg, DOT & direct spell dmg, CC, buffs and healing- and has a resurrect. I came to realize they are purposefully versitile – jack of all trades, master of none it seems – which makes them a decent add to any group or guild.

Shaman Healing
The first heal you get is a realitivly short cast (1.5 secs) heal that ‘does the job’ in self healing or when healing your newb Dread Knight tank/wife   
Soloing – multi-pull mobs can become challenging since the bigger heals take a bit of time to cast and can be interupted multiple times (3.0 secs). (thankfully one of your early buffs is a 20% reduction in casting time)
Grouping – if called on to do so shaman can be decent main-healer in grinding groups (not certain about dungeons/instances), but energy consumption seems to be less effecient than other healing classes, so you’ll want to give them plenty of time to regen after each altercation.

Shaman Melee
Although at early levels it’s nothing to write home about, shaman can deliver a bit of melee damage – in fact one of your level 4 spells is an insta-cast melee attack. 
Soloing – never being one to like being hit, I prefer to get close enough to use my melee only as a finisher, or a low-on-mana option
Grouping – you wear leather armor so you don’t have to worry about casting from the outfield, with a tank holding aggro you can get in the middle of it all and drop some melee damage while you watch your group for healing needs.

Shaman CC
Soloing – the 2 roots and one ‘slow’ you get by level 10 are suffecient to keep many single pulls at bay long enough to destroy them with-out getting a scratch and with-out needing to kite too much.
Grouping – Shaman won’t take the place of a Psi but can help mitigate the chaos of adds, healers getting aggro, or ‘oopsie’ 4-5 pulls.

Again, as always, this is just a look at Shaman up to level 10 – most classes really start to shine post level 10, so I’d love to hear about your Shaman, or shaman that you’ve grouped with.

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Discuss Vanguard’s Druid Class and this review in the forum

In my effort to try out all the classes again post release/patch changes I rolled a Half Elf Druid (played him up to level 10) when my wife tried out a new Kojani Bard (< <...meh )

My first impression was - "Wow, I stomp mobs before they ever touch me", my Second impression was "a mob touched me and I crumbled into a million pieces"

I'd gotten used to playing Melee & Tank classes who can take a few hits. Turns out newb casters cannot. I'm sure that after a while with some decent gear you can take a few hits, but early on it seems casters are paper missle launchers - delivering heavy firepower, but quickly going down in a blaze of glory.

Then I got in the caster groove and started to kite (you've GOTTA love Vanguards 'cast and walk at the same time' situation) thats the ticket - once you start to kite a bit, you're unstoppable.

By level 10 you have a decent root/DOT, a DOT, a timed cast direct damage, an instant direct damage, a DPS/Aggro 'pet', a weak HOT and a decent insta heal

I saved my pennies from quests and mob trash until I got to Tanvu and hit the Exchange Broker where I spent 4 silver on some decent cloth gear (nothing fancy).  On my main, I crafted 2 basic low level focus items for my alt Druid (Usually available for 1-5s each at the exchange broker) these made a decent difference.

At this point I can pull and crush any near level 2 dot mob with-out ever getting touched.  I can chain pull (pull1 kill1 > pull1 kill1) 4-5 single mobs or a couple sets of 2 pull mobs before I run low on mana. Some ‘energy’ gear would help tremendously, but I wasn’t prepared to twink this alt just yet.

If you’re coming to VG from WoW, you’re sure to notice the distinctly different focus of the Druid class – while you can heal a bit, your primary role (unlike a WoW Druid) is pouring on DPS

Druid Healing
HOT – The first heal you get is a pretty weak HOT (heal over time), and not much help if you’re already struggling in a fight – it heals about 12-20 HP every 2-3 seconds (guess) so generally it won’t save you if you’re already below half health against a decent melee combatant. It is however a great post combat heal getting you back in battle ready by the time you find another mob to pull.
Insta-cast Heal – The second heal is decent insta-cast hitting you up with 150-200+ HP – enough to save you from doom in a pinch, or to back up a tank partner (or a Bard who thinks she’s a tank), but it’s not going to make you main Tank Healer in a raid. (leave that to the heal Spec Rangers  

Druid CC
By level 10 you have some decent soloing CC – a DOT/root, a solid/slow root, and an aggro/damage dealing pet of sorts. The pet is really more of a quick cast DOT that keeps a bit of aggro and does a bit of damage nice for those 2 pulls against melee mobs that otherwise interupt casting. The DOT root you get early on is decent and allows for a nice long 2nd cast before you start getting interupted by melee attacks – it gets the mob with-in looting distance just before you unleash the insta-cast beam o’ death

Druid DPS
At level 10 I’m doing some decent DPS, but then again I’m double fisting 2 focus items now   - 
Grouping – be careful about over aggroing in a group, make sure the tank has suffecient aggro then unleash the elements & burn ‘em down
Soloing – I have a developed a decent little system for combat that generally keeps me unscathed. I open just inside casting range with the long cast DOT, followed immediately by the short cast root/DOT which generally holds long enough for me to lay down at least one lighting strike (sometimes 2) before the mob is released (very angry at me) just in time for me to pierce him head to toe by a beam. Again, generally a same level 2dot mob (or even 1-2 higher) is dead before making it to me, falling politely at my feet to be looted and or skinned.

Kiting – Solo Casters Best Friend
For heavy hitters (guys who interupt long casts) or most 3 dots I prefer to kite them since it generally takes a few extra casts to lay them out. Again for former WoW casters you’ve GOT to love the cast AND move system of Vanguard – you movement is slowed, but you don’t stop casting. I find myselfs constantly moving as a caster, staying engaged with my surroundings and always looking out for mobs I might otherwise aggro. With a Root that also slows attacker movement speed for a time you can generally kite mobs for quite a while before they make it with-in reach. If you run low on health and mana early on re-rooting & kiting is generally more effective than your HOT. with decent armor at higher levels this may not be the case.

Again, as always, this is only a look at my experience with a Druid up to level 10. Generally the classes really srtart to shine post level 10, so tell us about your Druid, or Druids you’ve grouped with. Strengths weaknesses etc

Discuss Vanguard’s Druid Class and this review in the forum

If you’ve played MMORPG’s for any length of time you’re well aware of the benefit a team mate’s buffs & crowd control abilities bring to an engagement. Vanguard goes a step further – In addition to damage improvement & mitigation buffs and aggro management Sigil introduced a whole new layer to combat strategy by pairing up synergistic cross-class combat weaknesses & exploitations. This means that players of one class can land blows that create a weakness in enemies, which players of another class may be able to exploit. Think of it as setting up the volley ball for your team mates spike.

Check out the complete VG Weaknesses & Exploits chart

Each class has moves that subject their target to a lasting effect such as a Monks ‘Ashen Hand’ ability which can render the target ‘vulnerable’. This is creates a weakness that other classes can exploit. Once the target is effected by a weakness, certain abilities can exploit the weakness – some players can exploit the weaknesses they create, sometimes a weakness can be exploited by another player of a different class. If you have a move that you don’t use very often because it seems to output nominal damage, you may want to review the VG Weakness & Exploits chart carefully, chances are it creates a weakness that a well picked partner can exploit. What would normally be 2 nominally effective moves, by two seperate fighters, now becomes a deadly combination dealing significant damage (set > spike!)

Below is a great example of a fairly powerful duo – a Monk and a Warrior – they share a number of synergistic weakness/exploit opportunities. One possible scenario could go like this… Monk attacks with ‘Ashen Hand’ (creates weakness Vulnerable) > Warrior exploits with ‘Devastating Blow’ (creates weakness Staggered) > Monk exploits using ‘Deadly Adder Hand’ (creating weakness Afflicted) > Warrior exploits using ‘Savage Cut’

Check out the complete VG Weaknesses & Exploits chart

Effective strategy that includes leveraging the various class abilities, managing aggro and now exploiting weakness can significantly improve your group damage output, and overall combat effectiveness. If you haven’t been giving it much attention to the little icons that pop up under your targets, now you can(and should). Armed with the information from the VG Weakness & Exploits chart and a bit of experimentation & practice you can deal with mobs much more efficently.

Love to hear your comments below, or join the forum discussion

Dungeon:
Temple of Dailuk

Location:
North by Northwest of Ahgram in Central Qalia

Level Range of Mobs:
16-20, 3 and 4 dots. Some quest spawning 5 dot mobs. 

Overview:

1. The town outside has many quest chains, some are done outside the dungeon.  Most of the main quests for inside the dungeon are at the base of the tower, and at the very top. Repairs available at small town a bit E of the quest town.
2. There are a few different types of mobs: hounds, human covenant people, gargoyles.  Most are stationary or have a slow patrol, but there are a few roamers, mostly around the entrance area where there are a lot of humans.
3. Many of the human covenant casters have an AOE rain of fire spell that can really hurt cloth wearers, so stand back on those pulls, and watch agro on double pulls if you can’t handle it.  Counter spell can really help.
4. With a balanced trio or more averaging level 18+, you can grind lots of the 3 dots, but there are so many 4 dots all over that the battles tend to run very long.  DPS is really needed to speed up the encounters, or you’ll need to bring a full group- or just be a little bit higher level. 
5. Re-spawn isn’t much of an issue if you are able to handle double pulls on occasion, but if you are taking major breaks after single pulls, might want to hang outside and grind for a while with the other quests.
6. Because of the large number of 4 dots inside the temples (buildings with basements that have roughly 15-20 gargoyles) this can be a great place to camp with a good group, and grind out some good exp.
7. Loot drops aren’t too great, money drops isn’t great either, but so many quests chains makes it worth it regardless.
8. Many of the quests are kill quests or collection quests that have you killing specific mobs, so be sure to turn in quests whenever possible, and look at the types of mobs you are pulling since they all look similar.
9. This temple can be very crowded since it’s a main leveling area, additional mobs can be pulled from high above- gargoyles are perched on top of the buildings and walls and can be arrowed or spelled down. 

Walk through:

Once inside the Temple of Dailuk, there are lots of Covenant people who are key kills for several of the quests.  There are pockets of hounds all over, with gargoyles in several areas as well.  The temples and houses (just names for the buildings with actual entrances to them) are scattered throughout, but there are only a few of them, each with 15-20 gargoyles inside the basement, all 4 dot.  

Many of the quests are chains, asking you to kill several different types of mobs, but once you finish purifying the temple chain, you will receive a ring that requires you to stand in several locations all around the temple.  Have your group fight around, and stand in the different locations, using your compass to guide you.  None of the locations are difficult to find and most of them are altars outside, or just the very inside doorway of a temple.  

After finishing this quest, you will be on the quest to kill Kraelix, but the quest is very vague about how to spawn him.  Just inside the temple head to the right, and you will see a group of “summoners of Kraelix” who are all humans that throw fire angled at one another.  They stand in an area called “the altar of Scorn.” That may not be the exact wording but look for the word SCORN, and I say that because the summoners can take 45 minutes to an hour to re-spawn (and I’ve waited, so trust me).  If you can kill all the summoners, you have about 10 seconds before the “Protectors of Kraelix” spawn, there are 4-5 of them, and they are level 20, 4 dots.  You need to take them out to spawn Kraelix. 

He is supposed to spawn where you are located, but has been known to spawn in other areas.  He is also ONLY supposed to be vulnerable to your group, since your group took out the protectors/summoners, but that may very well be bugged also.  Once you kill Kraelix you can take his trinket and go summon the Xarkrafi in his house.  Go to the temple of Xarkrafi (might be the house of Xarkrafi, not sure but only one of the two exists) and go to the basement, clearing all gargoyles, using the trinket to summon Xarkrafi.  

There are other Elite quests for this zone including summoning Dailuk ( a level 21 5 dot mob in the temple of Dailuk) with the dust you can obtain from killing a spirit named Veraguut spawning around the back of the temple of Dailuk.  Go to the basement of the actual temple of Dailuk and clear all the gargoyles, then put the dust on the orb to summon the level 21 5 dot.  He spawns other mobs during the encounter as well, multiple groups needed if you are around level 23 or so.   

Final View:

Visually, this dungeon is average, but gothic.  The gargoyles is a very nice touch, and the overall creativity with the quests chains and difficulty scaling to 5 dot level 21’s is very nice to see.  Leveling in here is monotonous because every pull is the same of 3 types of mobs, and can get very old with little reward.  On the other hand, its easy to get into a rhythm with a good 3 or 4 group, as long as you have the dps to really rock the 4 dot mobs.  If it’s not crowded, you can walk around looking for the names that occasionally spawn on the rocks and pick them off for good loot, but since its usually a hot spot, its rough to find decent mobs. 

With the recent addition of teleporters in Khal and Ahgram, this place is very popular for extremely low levels (15-16 even) so its really easy to get trained with higher mobs.  I suggest getting a good group and going deeper into a temple, and holding it all day for really good 4 dot experience and loot; better loot tables and exp.  There are so many quests, and most are kill/collection quests, you get a ton of exp just grouping up and farming.  I highly recommend this place for any group in the level range, and with so many mobs everywhere- it’s easy to take a small group and farm singles 3 or 4 dots.

Crafting is a grind, so how can you maximize the experience gained over time?
I spent some time gathering data on the experience made per make, and per work order turn in.  The results were different then I expected, and definitely changed the way I do the crafting grind. I will be using round numbers for examples, but the experience does vary slightly.  Also, the hard numbers being used in this guide are from level 9-11 Blacksmithing, some of the numbers will vary depending on your crafting level and your trade skill, but the methods outlined in this guide remain to be the fastest route to gaining crafting levels, despite your level or trade.
 
Ok, let me first explain a few things about work orders (WO’s), and let’s set up some acronyms for easy reference. 

3 Standard Work Order Types:
Make an item, make a set, and make a batch. We’ll refer to them as…

1. WO1 – make a… (1 item)
2. WO3 – make a set of… (3 items)
3. WO5 – make a batch of… (5 items)

4 Standard Difficulty Levels:
Very easy, east, moderate and difficult. We’ll refer to them using…

1. VE – Very Easy
2. E – Easy
3. M – Moderate
4. D – Difficult

For example, a MWO5 would be a moderate work order for a batch (5 items). 
When you process a WO, you get experience when you make each item, but you get much more experience when you turn in the completed WO.  For this discussion, a Bonus is the experience gained when you turn in a WO.

Lets talk numbers
[NOTE: see bottom of guide for more information on the numbers; where, what levels, what craft, etc.]

Difficulty changes the experience:
The difficulty of the WO determines how much experience you will receive, but the change is very small. 
VEWO – offer no exp per make, and a negligible bonus
EWO – offer about 100-125 exp per make, and 500-600 exp bonus
MWO – offer about 115-175 exp per make, and 525-675 exp bonus
DWO - offer about 140-200 exp per make, and 575-750 exp bonus
 
WO1-WO3-WO5 differences:
Each item you make in the same WO will give you increased exp.  For example, if you take a WO5 and make all B quality items, your first item would be the lowest exp gained, and each one after would yield more exp. This makes sense, because you have a chance to mess up on every item, meaning the 5th make in a WO5 is the toughest to make. The growth of experience through a WO5 finishes with the 5th item being roughly double the exp of the first make. 

Sample 1: An example of all B quality made items in a MWO5:

1. Item 1 – 115
2. Item 2 – 130
3. Item 3 – 150
4. Item 4 – 175
5. Item 5 – 200

There is only a slight difference between WO1, WO3, and WO5 bonus experience.  So, since the bonus experience is essentially the same for doing a WO1 as it is for doing a WO5, and its much faster and effecient to complete 5 separate WO1’s and cashing in on the 5 separate bonuses, than it is to create 5 items for a single WO5, with only a single bonus – it makes since to focus on completing WO1′s if you’re looking to level up quickly.

Sample 2: Do 1 x MWO5, your XP would go something like this:

1. Item 1 – 115
2. Item 2 – 130
3. Item 3 – 150
4. Item 4 – 175
5. Item 5 – 200
6. Bonus - 700
7. Totaling – 1470

Sample 3: Do 5 x MWO1’s, your XP would go something like this:

1. Item 1 – 120
2. Bonus 1 – 600
     

3. Item 2 – 120
4. Bonus 2 – 600
    

5. Item 3 – 120
6. Bonus 3 – 600
    

7. Item 4 – 120
8. Bonus 4 – 600
    

9. Item 5 – 120
10. Bonus 5 – 600
        

11. Totaling 3600

Quite a bit of difference in time and effort doing 5 x WO1’s rather than 1 x WO5′s. Worse case scenario you find you’re unable to complete a session because of complications – you’ve only wasted the investment into that single item and not potentially 4 other items completed previously.

Exp vs. Reward

My general philosophy is to level up first, then go for reward.  Why spend time doing WO5’s for gear and some extra loot, when you can level quickly and hit up much higher level WO5’s later.  Obviously, if you are in it for loot, then doing WO5’s will get you more, but leveling faster will allow for better rewards and better crafting recipes quicker.

General Strategy for leveling crafting

Each level you gain points within your specific skill sets (view your skills/skill points by opening your character screen selecting the “Crafting” tab on the left, then selecting the “Skills” tab on the bottom). 

At the beginning of a level, I generally do several EWO1’s for Refining and Finishing to max out my skills.  Don’t forget to use the locks and such, so that you can max out what you want. 

Next, I move on to MWO1’s and produce C quality items.  Why C?  C’s are almost a guarantee and require less time & materials to accomplish, so I do C’s constantly throughout the level.  Sometimes, I’ll notice that I’m getting into C pretty easily and push for B’s, but never at the gamble of losing the item. B quality items will get you higher experience and higher rewards, but getting greedy can cause problems completing a WO which slows you down. Aiming for a C quality will always be a safe bet.

I hope this has been helpful.  At the time of my research, I was around level 10, blacksmith.  I am now a much higher weapon smith, and the pattern is still the same.  Experience has grown quite a bit, and the difference between Easy and Moderates has increased as well.  So, the only change that is worth mentioning so far, is that getting to Moderates quickly is important.

Helpful tips:

1. When you level, you get more points to add to your attributes, so do some easy WO’s to get those points maxed out
2. Complications do NOT have to be tended to, near the end of a make, its common to power through them if their affect is “very low” or “low”
3. Other continents do not allow you to train at their trainers until you are level 11 and have completed the main “style” quest on each continent

NOTES ABOUT ABOVE GUIDE:
The research for the numbers above was done mostly during the levels 9-11, blacksmithing.   The numbers are rough estimates for easier discussion, because the data collected varied slightly. As your level increases, all the experience gains grow as well. 
With my own experience, Difficult WO’s proved to be a big gamble, where a good portion of the WO’s had too many complications to complete even C quality items.  If, by some chance, you are able to complete DWO1’s with a very high success rate, that would probably be the best way to level. 

Dungeon:
Gulgrethor Fortress 

Location:
East on the path from Gulkar’s Encampment, a town at the south end of the island with Martok. The path leads right by a holding point for Orcs, and into the Fortress.

Level Range of Mobs:
15-19, 3 and 4 dots

Screenshots:
Gulgrethor Fortress screenshots

Overview:

1. Entrance has 15’s with 3 dots, almost all single pulls.  From there you find increasing levels, double and triple pulls, 4 dots, as well as stealthers all over.
2. Once inside the main cave, several quests are available to your right on a platform, most are chains for more quests.
3. There are lots of different types of mobs: animals, melee’rs, casters, stealthers, flying, wandering guards… very important to look at what you want to attack first on every pull- and expect at least a stealth add every time.
4. With a balanced group averaging level 14, you can get pretty deep and tackle some of the 18 bosses.  But, with a low level group, crowd control strategy is very important to go the distance and save your healers some mana.
5. There are specific undead mobs that die, releasing multiple Cursed Spirits.  These spirits can be devastating with their stacking dots, and because they spawn on top of one another, it’s difficult to grab agro of several quickly.
6. This dungeon is huge compared to the Gardens, so plan to have a way out or recall available.  Getting to the back of the fortress can take about 30-40 minutes, and that is just going around the rim, and avoiding mobs along the way.
7. Re-pop happens at a relatively fast rate.  If you sit around too long, you are going to be popped on, so you have to keep moving forward, or at least staying close together.
8. While it’s great experience for lower levels, it can take a lot of time to kill mobs, so pay close attention to where you stand while fighting exceptionally long battles and avoid the agro from re-pops or roaming guards.

Walk through:

Quests are on your right as you enter the main area of the Fortress.  You can go down the right or left side, both eventually lead down to the ramp allowing ground level access to the dungeon.  Taking the right side is a much shorter distance to the ramp, and also has a shortcut that will be outlined in a minute.  First lets explain how to maneuver around this dungeon.  When you go down the right side you will get to the ramp leading down.  Once on ground level you are facing the main structure, and there are a few directions to go. 

Going inside the structure doesn’t really accomplish much unless you are looking for a lot of the large flying bat eye mobs- there are a bunch in the courtyard.  The ramps to the second level of the structure are all on the outside.  Our group usually headed to the left, avoiding mobs, and staying farther away from the fortress, until we saw a quick path to the ramp.  Once up the ramp, its pretty easy to see how to get around.  Several patrols that spawn regularly can cause additional agro, but other then that its pretty easy double pulls, with the undead and revenants spawning Cursed Spirits (hating these yet?).  The patrols are often named (Soul Seeker and Rampage) which both drop guaranteed loot, so keep looking for them to re-spawn.  Well, now that we know how to get around…

What’s the deal with this big structure in the middle and the 4 corners with orbs, the towers, AND why are there harbringer bosses at every corner… sometimes different bosses— it seems almost random????  Ok, let’s explain the whole ordeal.  First, there are quest chains that you have to go through.  Most are kill quests, some are collection quests.  Eventually you will get to a quest that requires you to go to the 4 orbs, and another quest to gather all 4 harbringer heads.  At each orb there is a harbringer that also has a named rare that can spawn.  The named rare will take a different form (wolf, spider, dragon, etc) and will be able to be pulled alone.  

Each harbringer is different, and some have some nasty abilities like AOE poisons, so be ready with all buffs just incase.  The harbringers will have 2 mobs near them and it’s expected to have a 3 pull, although 2 pulls have been done.  Killing an actual harbringer is the only way to get the head of a harbringer for the quest, but regardless of what is waiting at an orb, you can kill it and finish the orb quest.  Each rare spawn is a guaranteed loot drop, and most of the loot is good for the level.  If the group is good enough, waiting on re-spawns is the worst part about the loot farming or quest completing. 

There is a final quest located in Martok, that asks you to kill a rare form of another harbringer, not 100% sure of his name, possibly Viliconis.  He is the last harbringer boss at the top level of the fortress.  It’s not too difficult to reach him, except for the one mid level room that has several wandering mobs.  When you reach this room, its best to pull as many mobs as you can straight down the middle and when you see a chance- head directly down the middle to the staircase, it’s a safe spot to battle whatever agro you get.  From there you can rest then advance upwards and eventually reach the harbringer.  The last harbringer is supposed to be like the other harbringers, where his rare form has a chance at spawning, but this one is a very low chance at spawning.  For this quest, you need the rare version, so be prepared to camp the room a while.

Final View:

This dungeon is stunning.  There is so much to look at, and all of it looks great.  Huge chains come from different angles… Large Ziggurat-like structures, some with towers… Several staircases, ramps, walkways, walls- almost labyrinth qualities… Walking around the rim, fighting as you make your way to the back of the fortress- you can see bosses on the ground floor- one looks somewhat like a spider, another more like a dragon, several “Soulseekers” which are huge flying mobs resembling bats.

Once you reach the back of the fortress, its difficult to choose a path because there is so much available to you.  Variety of mobs in this dungeon is at it’s best, eye candy all over, increasing difficulty with bosses scattered with no clear cut paths, and roaming patrols keep you looking over your shoulder… Yes, this is what Vanguard is all about. 

Quick Tips:

Fighting on the Ramps:
The fortress is a big place, with lots of ramps and lots of double, triple pulls, even adds.  Its important to make sure you are fighting in safe areas.  Our group found that when you are running around on the 2nd level farming orbs and harbringer pulls, the safest place to pull and fight was the first long ramp up to the orbs in every corner.  The only mobs you will find are patrols that spawn in intervals, and the mobs at top and bottom of ramp, so pulling harbringers to the middle of the ramp is completely safe.

The Short-Cut:
This saved us a TON of time when we got to farming this place.  When you enter the main fortress/cave area and head down the right side, pass the quest givers on your left, you will see a corner stone below you that you can jump to.  It’s a corner stone that is linked to a ramp going up to an orb, so it’s a quick jump to the 2nd level of the fortress.  Look at where you are jumping to, the left side of the corner stone has 2 mobs (when the walker moves to the right side of the corner stone), and make sure there is no big axe patrolman coming… then have your tank jump first.  Have him jump and run through the mobs, carrying them to the ramp that leads down ward to the main 2nd level of the fortress.  Fight on the safe ramp area, then you are ready to pull the harbringer, or move to another orb.

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