Guide:Nicholas the Traveler Farming/November 2009

Week of November 30th (2 Frosted Griffon Wings per gift)

 * Leaving from Camp Rankor into Snake Dance there are a significant number of Blessed Griffon mobs as well as Dolyak Masters and Summit Giant Herders. Since these (3) groups tend to co-mingle, it's wise to carry an anti-knockdown skill. Dolyak Masters and Summit Giant Herders groups can be avoided entirely however. For a prepared group, most mobs are pestiferous rather than dangerous, but take care not to aggro multiple groups of Dolyak Masters as their healing efforts can overwhelm any group. Ray of Judgement works well, as the Blessed Griffons don't seem to recognize this as an AoE spell. A 600/Smite duo is very fast and effective against all enemies in the area except the monk boss if it spawns and can clear most everything up to the Mountain Trolls. An Ele Terra Farm style is also effective but be careful of the Azure Shadow pop-ups interrupting critical spells with Signet of Judgement, Ward of Stability is a good option as the only interrupts are knockdowns. Both 600 and Terra work best in HM, which increases the number of spawns and attack rate. Spellbreaker (600) or constantly maintained Obsidian Flesh (Terra) is mandatory as the Stone Summit Heretics (that are mixed in with the Griffons) have Shatter Enchantment which will put an end to a Terra and hamper a 600.
 * There are 12-15 Blessed Griffons near the Battledepths Portal in Varajar Fells. Spirit spam Solo easy in normal mode, just space spirits accordingly and don't bring any hex spells (ie painful bond), Also a 55 monk/elem combo can solo area...bring and spam Lava Font as the Griffons like to get close. 2-3 wings per run about 5-10 mins. Zone in/out,repeat...only a few ice elementals to deal with, but they go down pretty easy, but they do cause knock-down if you're moving, so plan accordingly.

Note: Spirit Spammers should bring Summon Spirits to keep their spirits out of the AoE damage of Symbol of Wrath

Week of November 23rd (3 Mursaat Tokens per gift)

 * In the Ice Floe by the exit to the Frozen Forest there is a large group of Ice Imps and a Mursatt group including a boss not far away. A Perma can use the Ice Imps to pump out damage with Sliver armor to take the Group out in <2 Minutes.  Note that Spectral Agony will go through Shadow Form, so make sure to bring a self heal (Shadow Refuge works well), and make sure all of your armor is infused.  When the group is dead, collect your drops, die, spawn at the shrine, zone and repeat.  If you run into the Monk Boss simply kill the rest of his group and leave him as he is hard to kill w/o a damage buff.  It is slow, but you can get 15 or so in ~1 hour.


 * Another method is to leave from Thunderhead Keep and clear the Mursaat from that area. This requires care not to aggro multiple groups, but this area of Ice Floe contains the bulk of the area's Mursaat. Once cleared, map travel to Marhan's Grotto. On leaving the Grotto, keep to the left side, and follow the route to the shore (by the Royal Ice Boat), where Nicholas can be found. Mursaat on this route are widely separated, and should not be a problem. This route also avoids most of the Ice Imp mobs.


 * A spirit spammer(Rt/ or Any/Rt) with infused armor can solo farm the Jade Bow and Jade Armor (in normal mode) on either side of the portal between the Ice Floe and Frozen Forest. There are about 12 Jade on each side, with 1 or 2 tokens dropping with each side cleared. Spec a few points into Healing Prayers, and bring Restful Breeze to stay alive, while your spirits do the damage. Avoiding arrows not too difficult, with timed side to side movements. Bring a merchant stone and/or a fully charged salvage kit, alot of sub-par drops in this area. The Mursaat Monks may be a problem, as your spirits may not target or out-damage them.


 * Repeatedly kill the mobs at the beginning of the Ring of Fire mission. Many different types of builds can do this, including 600s. Be aware that, despite the terminology, Spectral Agony does trigger Spirit Bond (i.e. is damage, not health loss). You may want to avoid Mursaat Monks as a 600, as your damage most likely will not be sufficient to kill them.


 * An Echo/Spiteful Spirit necro (or other non-line-of-sight damage dealer that doesn't cause scatter) can solo several groups of Jade Bows by hiding behind walls at the beginning of normal mode Abaddon's Mouth (and several other groups with the help of a healer hero). Bring a full group of H/H to take out bosses and other groups that give you trouble and flag them out of compass range to take out the Bows. Bring your healer in to help with groups you'll be taking damage from. And watch out for patrols!

Week of November 16th (3 Plague Idol per gift)

 * Am Fah can be found in most areas of Kaineng City, but one of the simplest farming routes is between The Marketplace and Nahpui Quarter along the eastern corridor of Wajjun Bazaar. The green dots on the map indicate the area populated by Am Fah.
 * Note: The Am Fah in this area will be non-hostile if you have started the quest Seek out Brother Tosai but have not finished the quest Masters of Corruption. Am Fah in other areas are not affected by that quest chain.
 * Spirit spammers and 600/smite duos can farm Am Fah easily. You just have to be cautious about avoiding the Am Fah Marksmen's traps. None of the Am Fah use interrupts so the 600 tank doesn't need Mantra of Resolve. Am Fah Necromancers can be annoying with their Soul Feast, so bring along Pain Inverter to help kill them and the Am Fah Healers quicker.

Week of November 9th (1 Guardian Moss per gift)

 * A spirit spammer can farm the island guardians outside Boreas Seabed without too much trouble. However, the drop rate of Guardian Moss seems to be quite low, so many trips will likely be required. Its often easiest to deal with the surrounding mobs of Rot Wallows first. An Avatar of Dwayna Dervish is also reasonably effective in the same spot.
 * A glass arrow turret build with a flatbow can farm one of the guardian alone too.
 * Right outside of Bai Paasu Reach, south of the exit there is an Elder Guardian ele boss, Seacrash, Elder Guardian. It is possible to farm him with a 600/smite team: simply pull him away from the group and avoid the small patrol of Wallows. Seacrash will follow the 600 while rest of the mob returns to their original position. Takes only 2 minutes to kill the boss, and he yields some very decent drops, sometimes 1-3 mosses at time.
 * The Boss Scourgewind, Elder Guardian can be found just outside of Leviathan Pits. The two patrols of wallows can be taken out first independently, then Scourgewind on his own.
 * tip: spirit spammer builds can cast spirits in a tight bundle just outside of aggro range and then aggro guardians with Asuran spell Pain Inverter. Guardians respond with Signet of Judgement and then die instantly from the resulting -720hp spike. Fight Wallows depending on drop if desired.

Week of November 2nd (5 Tempered Glass Vials)

 * Buy some dust if you don't have any and craft some.
 * An easy place to craft is at Kaineng Center near the dye and rune traders and labeled as Xue Yi [materials]
 * Farm drops that give you dust when salvaged, for example, Losaru Mane etc.
 * Tip: When you go outside Durheim Archives, you might as well die and spawn at the shrine next to Nicholas.