When exploring I found that some areas have extremely odd and hard spawns. The webbed woods having many phase spiders. The bogs I have seen trolls, shambling mounds. Now for a path a level 2-4 should be able to take (I only assume this because there are level 2-4 quests that are only reachable that way) it seems rather hard for them. I'd suggest there being a raft to these quests or a relatively safer path, or scaling of the spawns.
Nevermind. I kind of just found a different way. However the spawns are still pretty tough. Group with the highest being level 6 spawning a shambling mound.
No
I disagree. The island is a wild and untamed wilderness where people have not walked in some time. It is and should be very dangerous to walk openly. Also if you look around a bit I think you will find what you seek.
I wasn't saying the island is supposed to be tame and not challenging. Though when I wrote the first post I thought the only way to get to said level 2-4 quests was that route, which I have figured out is false. Though if anyone expects a level 2-4 to beat a spawn of trolls or a shambling mound, I doubt that will happen.
How about a PARTY of level 2-4s? With nifty consumables?
What if they hire guides who are higher level?
At the risk of gaining the reputation of a guy who wants an easier gaming experience, I'd like to say that it'd be definately nice to be able to explore a reasonable amount of this new island without having to worry about goblins that can see through your skill focus in hide/move silently, and other dangerous beasties... (perhaps it can be where the further from the ziggurat you go, the more powerful the said beasties are.) That way I don't have to try and get a group of level 9s together to adequatly explore the server.
Not that it should be really really easy. Just toned down a tad. Especially the uncanny spot checks that all these creatures seem to have rolled up. Often.
Personally I don’t send my PC’s after the pile of wood any more. Twice now I’ve been fugue’d by damnable leopards I don’t see until they hit my weenie PC’s ass. I think that pile of wood should in the least be moved closer to the transition point.
I don't think it takes L9's to explore. My L3 with no gear made it around just fine to most parts of the island. You can always hire a local guide or ask a druid or hire a team to explore.
It's dangerous out there and I think it should be that way.
The jaguars are pretty freaking intense. This is very good when you're out in the wild, but not so good when you're level 3 and trying to do a quest. My guess is that the jaguars are following PCs across transitions into the gate area and dropping the scent once the PC makes it to the stairs. After that, they just wander randomly.
I, too, thought the 2-4 quest all the way across the island was a bit odd. I had no idea there was any other way to get to it. Is that a spoiler? The first time I ever got anywhere near it, I was level 5 in a party of 8.
A group of five level 4-6's (and a level 7), are able to walk in a complete circle around the island with little trouble. It's also great fun. Don't explore alone, guys, groups are much more awesome.
There are PCs that can make it alone through the webbed woods and kill the spiders quite easily.
I think people are missing the point a bit.
I've gone through the woods in a 2-man group on my way to *spoiler" and completely trashed the spiders. 16 Con Dwarf Cleric FTW :).
But.
You have lvl2-4 quests were lvl 2-4s are going to be scared to go (with good reason, freaking TROLLS for one), and in an area they can't know about to go and put a party together.
It doesn;t help that as Howland said here (http://www.escapefromunderdark.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20444), the spawns don't go away until killed. So spiders especially can accumulate to ridiculous levels. I would suggest making it easy to get to the level 2-4 quest region (ferry with a toll), but leaving the tough spawns in the middle to make it still a challenge to reach the other areas leading from there.
Quote from: petey512;88854Especially the uncanny spot checks that all these creatures seem to have rolled up. Often.
Try exploring at night. I know we're not used to having this huge fiery orb of anti-stealth hanging over our heads, but it's definitely there now and best avoided by stealth types.
.... Nightrisers.... Unless theyr'e gone now??
Nightrisers only appear within the city walls. At night in the wilds, you just have to worry about gigantic werewolves with natural DR tearing your face off and loling at your corpse ;).
Also, about those 2-4 quests. My mage has on occasion done paid invis runs for lowbie PCs. Getting them over there for information about the interior of the Ishishtia shrine, or a first pick of any items they loot from the quests.
Just my two cents, traveling on the surface should be about the same it was in the underdark... very difficult! The exceptions to the rule are three-fold.
1. You are an excellent scout and your character is completely devoted to it.
2. You are traveling in a strong, safe party of people.
3. You have ways at your disposal to go invisible as a last resort.
So...what are you suggesting?
Sorry, It wasn't very clear to me.
Me? I'm suggesting no change. If you want to explore, do one of those three things.
I like the random dangerousness of the wilderness.
*Looks at Nuclear*
You're a DM, you can just WTFDMkill anything that attacks you. . . or annoys you, so it doesn't exactly hurt you. ;)
Though I haven't explored much as a 'scout', I will admit it can be irratating at times to be jumped by a lot of spiders (Then again, I've always had higher levels with me)
Avoid places with lots of Spiders, then!
The wilds are awesomely dangerous, that is what makes EfU cool. Challenges, even when you're not looking for them!
A challenge is one thing, but at time it is down right outrageous.
I was attacked by: Goblin Elite, Goblin Archer, Hunter Spider and a Cobra all at the same time. And I don't mean fight one and another showed up... I mean BAM.. hit with all 4 at once.
This in my opinion makes it not just difficult, but stupid. Why would I create anything new? Why would I put all the time and trouble of getting involved in a plot when stuff like this is what takes me down?
The character was created during the first week EFU:A was opened... she was not a weakling, and lived in the Wyldes. She is now dead... not it the Epic battle she had been working for, but to outrageous spawns. That is NOT what this is to be about.
difficult yes.... STUPID NO.
@PL: Why? We aren't IN the UD! O_O. I actually found there less dangerous for exploring (though admittedly I did do it
with a maxed H/MS perma-Camouflaged Ranger or an invis spamming Bard ;)) as there were a LOT fewer high stealth ambushers, and there weren't hordes of Spiders on the main routes or invis-immune Musk Creepers all over the place.
I agree, people without stealth, invis or badassery should be AFRAID. But, people shouldn't have to minmax and scrape everything to get acceptable stealth.
Especially as there is a 1 person newbie quests that takes you into an area that can spawn:
Cats
Musk Creepers
Werewolves
Bears.
Quote from: Luke Danger;102570*Looks at Nuclear*
You're a DM, you can just WTFDMkill anything that attacks you. . . or annoys you, so it doesn't exactly hurt you. ;)
Though I haven't explored much as a 'scout', I will admit it can be irratating at times to be jumped by a lot of spiders (Then again, I've always had higher levels with me)
Y'know, I know it's supposed to be a big secret and everything, but we can play too ¬_¬
The wilderness does not need to be toned down.
It is exactly how it's intended to be.
You are not supposed to be able to walk around the island alone. It's a PW Story server. Play with other people, and you'll not only survive, but do exponentially better.
I, for one, would be enormously disappointed if travel were made any simpler than it already is, and this is coming from somebody who's been dying five or six times a day lately.
Well as a ranger with high Hide and Move Silently I am constantly getting ganked by just about everything from spiders, cats, gobln assasins, etc. I give my chance of walking from the Zig to the Stargazers about a 60%, while a walk to the Isle of Bliss 40%, and a walk to my camp about 5%. Some can do it as they stated here and other forum posts while I cannot. I will assume that this is due to understanding the mechanics better. So I cannot ask to make sneaking about the isle easier. Could I ask to make me better at being at NWN mechanics?
I would say that I could sneak around the UD much easier than up on the surface. Well I could get around to places like the Dark Lake with a variety of classes but of course not around Transyer. With Invisibility potions at around 150 a pop, I need between 300 to 600 gp worth each time I got online. That is just not going to happen. And be a guide for folk through the wilds, now that would be a joke and people would think I a fake.
I do believe that I will stick to city slickers in future reincarnations as I did back in the UD. I just don't have the ability that others who are good at being stealthy. But it also will mean that once again I will miss out on a variety of secrets and miss out on seeing various places, so perhaps I just need more practice. A new year's resolution perhaps.
Underdark was well, dark, sneaking was terribly easy there, surface is much harder to sneak upon however, not to mention many spawns on the surface have high listen and or spot.
Musk creepers were put into the module to eat wizards alive.
Unhappy. Don't explore because is dangerous and need meet a group, only the places around Zigg are safe (*sic*), and only the same quest are done. No trade routes, no ore mining, no florest harverst, no newer quests, and EFUA been small than it is.
I reckon the wilderness should be harder, too long have I soloed the island many times.
I got the bejeezus zapped outta me by a shambling mound after being stunned repeatedly by a creeper.... But to be fair I easilly got 1000 xp in exploration points, so I think things have been toned down enough...