Neoquest Notes

[persephone_kore]

Normal mode: Don't really remember much, except that the enemies at the end are hard! I don't think I had a lot of resources left when I beat Jahbal, so I'm uneasy about Evil mode.
Edit: Starting again with another pet, may see what happens.


Evil mode:
-Stayed close to the city, healing regularly at Boraxis, until I could beat the imps easily, then moved out for the Plains Aishas and Plains Lupes (still carefully!) and got materials for armor.
-Took guide's advice and waited until level 6 before entering cave.
-Hunt, hunt, hunt.
-All life points so far, but none in Resurrection. Only a chance anyway, so going for certainty.
-Hit level 12 partway through fourth level of Dank Cave (the maze).
-Leveling up appears to be getting more expensive after that point. I think I got level 12 at 12K XP. Level 13 required 13400 XP.
-It would technically be possible to fight one's way back out of the Dank Cave and get better armor as soon as the last ingredient is acquired. But it would also be dull, even sneaking.
-Used 5 weak healing potions on the way to Xantan (after level 6, may have used some early), one by accident, one to top up before meeting him.
-Unlike NQII, you fight when you step onto an enemy, not next to him.
-Tackled Xantan at level 13. Used 1 Standard Healing Potions. He had 96 HP (compare to 80 in Normal).
-Hit level 14 at 14900.
-Used 9 Weak Healing Potions and 12 Standard Healing Potions on the way to Kreai. May have tried to go too fast. Doubled back on hitting a greater shaman and fought scorpions etc. up to level 15. Doubled back again to hit 16 when the ~13-level enemies seemed strong enough I didn't want 14s at that time.
-Hit level 15 at 16400.
-Fights to level 16: 21
-Tackled Kreai at level 17, with one skill point given to Shock Weapons. His health: 156
-Did not heal enough. Got hit with 40 ice damage and died. Oops.
-Fought wimpy monsters for glowing stones.
-Got impatient and started moving through jungle ruin (dungeon 1) on normal to Kreai.
-Defeated Kreai by using Standard Healing Potion whenever I dropped into yellow. (About three, I think. Would not have worked so well if he'd stunned me and then used ice or fire a couple of times.)
-Gors is level 20, I believe. Working toward level 22 by hanging out around the last teleporter to reach him. (This keeps enemies manageable -- mostly 15-17 -- and I hope level 21 will allow me to collect a good supply of potions there.)
-Fought Gors (180HP) at level 22, with 8 in first three Life levels and 1 in each Shock level. Thought I was doing well, but got stunned and poisoned. Dead.
-Hunted back to Gors. Hit level 23, then sneaked up to him. Put one more point in Shock Weapons. Plan: Use Standard Healing Potion upon dropping to 100, Strong if I drop below 70. (Used Strong more often. Won. Finally.)
-Got Nature and Storm wands from Denethrir; trying Storm. Need to hit level 27/28 before tackling Rollay Scaleback.
-Storm Wand can spontaneously stun for one round with Thunder Strike.
-Nature Wand can spontaneously heal with Spirit of Oak, up to 25HP.
-Reaching level 24 in Scaleback's dungeon was actually not very hard, although I wonder if the Storm Wand would prevent the temptation to wait and hope the Nature Wand kicks in.
-Beat Scaleback pretty easily at level 27 (was generous with potions). Climbed the tower, got level 28 on the way.
-Monsters on the way to Swamp Edge City and in the desert only go up to around 19 or 20. Golems carry glowing stones, which means I don't have to go looking for the Plains Lupes and Aishas again, thank goodness. Golems, Grarrls, etc., get up to the low 20s. Consider going to get armor from swamp before facing Scaleback, maybe Gors?
-For Rikti and Leirobas's armors, actual names of things:
--Rikti: giant spider leg (giant sand spyder), dust spider pincer (giant dust spyder), sand iguana eye (from sand skeith, "skeith's eye"), desert cobra fang (from desert cobrall)
--Leirobas: drop of giant spider blood (giant sand spider), drop of desert cobra venom (desert cobrall), pinch of crystallized sand (from desert zombie, oddly enough; I never got it from a mummy), glob of dried iguana spit (from sand skeith)
-Carved oak staff (for Erick) is from Plains Grarrls.
-Hrm. Dawnshine Generator Shield (Rikti) can reflect damage back. What would Leirobas's robes do? Have they a special property?
-Don't bother going straight back with the piece of crystal. Can't get anything until I have a gemstone from next level down.

--
A note says, "I have explored all that I can down here; there is nothing more to be learned. So I leave this note for any others who may venture down here in the future.

The Archmagus of Roo, an ancient wizard, has been trapped in these dungeons for ages. He is in a room in the southeast of the dungeon. It is locked, however, and the key is held by one of his servants, who is locked in a separate room. The key to THAT room, in turn, is held by yet another servant... in all, there are six keys that must be found before the Archmagus can be reached. The first key is held by a ghastly initiate, in the room immediately ahead of you. Get the key from him, and travel to the northeast corner of the dungeon, where you will find the next key. From there, you will need to travel to the southernmost room, and then to the room in the northwest, the room to the far east of here, and then the central room to acquire the key that will let you reach the Archmagus.

I do not know whether the Archmagus will be receptive to visitors, but somehow I doubt it. Even after all this time, he is still immensely powerful, so you must be cautious. Good luck, adventurer.

-- Udalin Stonebreaker"
--

-Have reached level 30 before heading downstairs.
-Spectral magic in Haunted... er, Spooky Forest, temple/undead critters.
-Upon acquiring emerald (and first key, as I was on the way), headed back allll the way around to see Leirobas again. Stopping in desert to try to hunt sand skeiths.
-Er, right. Forgot I needed to fight the Archmagus to get the Coruscating Gem for the staff. Duh. Oh well, I got the Sorcerous Robe to try out. We'll see if it does anything interesting.
-It didn't, all through Temple of Roo level 2. Switched back to the Dawnshine Generator Shield for the Archmagus.
-Hit level 33 before fighting the Archmagus of Roo (level 32), and he was HARD. Came very close to dying when he stunned me for three rounds. (Ow.) Eventually wore him down.
-Let Erick clean the gem. Went back and got the other four jewels. (Generally, wait for this point.) Can get all staffs.
Growing Jewel -- gently glowing greenish crystal sphere -- turns light bright green, staff to olive green.
Radiant Jewel -- gently glowing whitish crystal sphere -- turns light to "a deep, shimmering grey color" and the staff to black
Stunning Jewel -- gently glowing yellowish crystal sphere -- turns light to "a deep, pulsing gold color" and the staff to?
Chilling Jewel -- gently glowing bluish crystal sphere -- "deep, frozen blue color" staff to azure
Blazing Jewel -- gently glowing reddish crystal sphere -- "deep, violent red color" staff to crimson

Techo Cave 1: Mr. Irgo: Mr. Irgo says, "I need you to collect things for me. The first is a set of gems, or rather, pieces of the living rock creatures that inhabit these caves. I need a piece of agate, a piece of chrysolite, and a piece of serpentine. If you bring me these, I will chip off a fragment of each and create a new piece of armour for you: an energy absorber."

"The second set of things I need are pieces of the drakonids who live here: an eye, a hide, and a heart. Bring me these and I can draw some of their magical power away to make you an robe of protection."

Life Staff: Spirit of Growth -- heal 100 (every 22 rounds, in Evil)
Spectral Staff: Rage of Light -- "increasing your attack and defense"
Shock Staff: Weakness -- decreasing enemy's defense
Ice Staff: Ice Shield -- surround you with a shield of ice ("Your Ice Shield freezes a greater agate dervish for 10 ice damage") -- small damage reflected for some rounds
Fire Staff: Blast enemy with 40 fire damage every... er... several rounds.
--Possibly only one Special use per fight, that or more than a dozen or so rounds, at least for Life.

-Went straight in through caves to Sunny City and Gali Yoj; probably should have hung around and hunted until I could actually handle level 37 monsters instead of sneaking through at 34! Will want to hit 42 before tackling the critters in the Mountain Fortress.
-What's up with the island? Gali Yoj mentions it, and according to the instructions "every" locked door has a key, but what IS it? Who has it? There's no follow-up question for it, unlike every other thing she mentions in the caves!
-Fighting Drakonids is kind of disturbing: take an eye, hide, or heart while the critter is still alive?!
-Definitely should have leveled up sooner. Getting very bored in entrance to Mountain Fortress. Need to hit level 38 before entering, but level 38 enemies are a little more manageable than same-level enemies were in Jungle Ruin. May tackle a boss at 40 instead of waiting until 42.
-Fought all enemies. Fire is scary: can blast for 100.

Moonstone Staff: GAH! Still heals 4/round, but only heals up to 30 at random.
Firedrop Staff: Blast Furnace -- up to 30 damage at random.
Shadowgem Staff: Can cast _____ to raise your resistance.
Iceheart Staff: Cast Ice Wind, which can freeze enemy, but not right away.
Thunderstar Staff: Randomly casts Staggering Stun -- two rounds.

Worked up to level 47 (or was it 46?) before entering Palace. 49 by end of level 1. Hit 50 in level 2 and sneaked.
Tackling Jahbal with Life at 10-8-8, Shock at 5-5-5-5, and Spectral at 2-2-2-2.

Jahbal has 840HP.
ALWAYS heal if health is below 150, and frequently when it isn't.
Defeated, using... well, I lost track of the potions, but think it was three Spirit, three Superior, and some Greater.

Mastermind has 1000 HP.
Same rule.
Won, think I used more potions.

Insane Mode:
Play VERY CONSERVATIVELY. Am currently using Shock/Spectral with no Life.
Got into level 3 of cave at level 11 and decided I needed to back up and level to at least 12 (going for 13) on the second level down.
"Safe" seems to be five levels ahead of the monsters, at this point -- I'm picking up potions faster than I'm using them, anyway.
I hit level 14 (29800 XP)immediately before battling Xantan, who still has 96 HP. I had 28 weak and 12 standard healing potions, and am at 90HP myself, with all Shock Magic at 3 and all Spectral at 2.
Absorption worked on the first round, but he didn't hit me until it wore off. Hit for 14 several rounds in, though by this point I had him down to 43. Xantan resisted 2nd absorption attempt immediately after, and shortly hit me again for 12, but was then at 24 himself. I resisted a blast with fire.
I did not go back and get new armor before fighting Xantan. I might go get new armor from Leirobas before fighting to the bosses in the Jungle Ruins, though.
Enemies in North Coast and edge of Haunted Plains are not hard -- 5-6. For now, however, back down for shiny new wand and armor in Neopia City.
In the Jungle Ruins, the base level is a nuisance due to mostly 6-7 level enemies, not enough for good points, whereas the next level down starts at 10-11. Fortunately better equipment means this is doable. Worked up to level 15 in first corridor, good since in next met killer buzz at level 12.
Defeated Krei at level 18 (just barely), not too hard.
Started getting Strong Healing Potion a good way into Dungeon Level 2.
Level 16 enemies are tough at level 18, may want to hang back with them until 19.
Hit level 17 enemies near entrance to teleporter maze. Was close to level 19; backed up a bit to level up. Spent 25th skill point on Life Weapons.
Hit level 22 and fought Gors the Mighty, being very liberal with potions. Won fairly easily. 1 each in 3 levels of Life, 3 in all levels of Shock and Spectral except 4 in Shock Weapons.
Got Nature, Mountain, and Storm wands. Mountain can give power of Absorbing Stone. No idea what this means.
Defeated Rollay Scaleback at level 26, using Nature Wand and Dawnshine Generator Shield. (Did go back to get it from desert, I think after Gors. DGS appears to have stopped doing reflection at this level though. Bleh.)