Zorb
11-05-2005, 01:15 PM
A map of Eastern Wastes is at EQ Maps (http://eqmaps.com/m3/ewastes2.jpg).
So far, I haven't found anything that's better XP and treasure than the orc fortress in Eastern Wastes. The downside is that there is no merchant immediately available (although you can zone into Crystal Caverns and sell there). You will get a ton of velium weapons (which your pet will like), words, runes, orc fang earrings, ry'gorr armor, etc.
I originally started hunting here to get Words of the Haunting for my 33 pet spell, which allegedly drop from Centurions. They haven't dropped yet, although the other two words (Dark Paths and Suffering) have dropped about ten times apiece, and several other words have dropped as well.
During the time I spent here, I was either soloing or playing with a druid of my level. Both times the XP was great, and it was of course made even better by my double-XP Veteran AA. Because I am a gnome and prone to forget things sometimes, there were plenty of times when I forgot to click my double-XP Veteran AA, but it didn't matter, the XP was still good.
The fort is set up in such a way that you can pull as much or as little as you want. You will have plenty of time to med, but if you don't want to med, there's always *something* to pull, either from within the orc fortress or outside of it.
If you go there and there are hundreds upon hundreds of orcs and giants lined up outside of the orc fortress, that means someone has started one of the quests for the Coldain Ring. This can be good or bad. It's good if the players are still there and are slaughtering orcs and giants wholesale, because oftentimes they'll let you loot all of their mobs (kind of like those guys at the parades who wear fezzes and drive mini go-karts). It's bad if the players have left, because then you have to wait for everything to de-pop (or petition for it). In all the time I spent there, it happened twice, and both times I was a little zamboni gnome who made a nice profit.
Have SoW or Jboots
It's not required, but having SoW at all times makes aggro kiting the mobs (especially the Ry'Gorr Elite guards, who have SoW speed) a LOT easier. Either do the camp with a SoW caster or have SoW pots on hand.
Be Careful of Aggroing the Orcs in the Inside Building
Inside the orc fortress, there are four stone pillars with an orc next to each one of them. The pillars are placed around the interior orc building, which houses a bunch of higher-level orcs, some of which are casters. Pull the front two however you'd like, but when pulling the back ones, always go around and to the right to pull them, and stick close to the wall. This usually will prevent you from aggroing the orcs inside the building. So for the far-back left orc, pull the long way around and you'll be fine. And don't send your pet after any of the orcs until they've cleared the side areas.
If you pull the middle back mob (the one that stands right next to the building across from the Crystal Caverns entrance), you will probably aggro everything inside the orc building.
In Case You Aggro the Orcs Inside the Building
If you aggro the mobs from inside the orc building, you should just zone or feign death. You probably won't know if you've aggroed Firbrand the Black and his friends until you get outside of the outer wall--it's bad pathing and they'll just pop up on top of you. If you aggroed the Oracle of Ry'Gorr, you'll know ahead of time, because he's the only caster there, and you'll see his casting message. If that's the case, zone into Crystal Caverns! Another option is to drag the orcs to the Coldain camp nearby (it's to the north of the orc fortress, see the map link above)--the dwarves will kill the orcs.
Be Careful Zoning Out of Crystal Caverns
Watch out for the zone-out of Crystal Caverns--there is an ice dwarf NPC named Rodrick Tardok, and he is yellow at level 38. He's aligned with the orcs, and he drops stuff used for Garadain's Proof and Coldain Traitors quests.
Breaking the Spawns
There are two spawns that will require you to either FD break two orcs or else just kite them both at the same time. I usually just kited them both at the same time. The first spawn is the two guards outside the entrance to the fortress. The second spawn is two guards outside the entrance to the interior building. In both cases, both orcs will aggro if you aggro one of them, so be prepared to deal with two orcs instead of one. Once you break the spawn, though, you will have continuous single-pulls.
Gravy Train
You will have ample opportunity to kill wandering snow griffins and giants. Snow griffins sometimes drop the rare Snow Griffin Egg, which are used for the Coldain Prayer Shawl quest. The giants drop fine steel weapons, velium weapons, toes, and platinum, and they also build faction with the dwarves in Thurgadin.
Etc.
Once you get those basics down, this place is really great XP and treasure. I started here at 31. I'm 38 now and it's still great XP, and there are still plenty of yellows and reds--although now that I've got Chilling Embrace and Venom of the Snake, I no longer fear the Ry'Gorr Elite Guards. For the centurions, one set of Dooming Darkness, Heat Blood, and Boil Blood will kill them. For the Legionaires, I usually have to recast my fire DoTs to kill them, or I'll stack a poison DoT and it will take care of the rest. You can pull as often as you want--there is never a shortage of mobs, period.
I stopped XPing here at level 38 because I went on a DoD Monster Mission rampage and leveled up to 54 very quickly, but I'm certain that I could've kept XPing here for a long time after level 38.
Finally, this is also a good place to kill giants to build Coldain faction.
My Spell/Buff Line-Up
Dooming Darkness
Heat Blood
Boil Blood
Venom of the Snake
Chilling Embrace
Spirit Tap
Feign Death
Call of Bones/Augment Death/Scourge
I usually have temp for me and my pet, which makes XP go faster, but it's not absolutely necessary.
Hope this helps a little.
Z.
So far, I haven't found anything that's better XP and treasure than the orc fortress in Eastern Wastes. The downside is that there is no merchant immediately available (although you can zone into Crystal Caverns and sell there). You will get a ton of velium weapons (which your pet will like), words, runes, orc fang earrings, ry'gorr armor, etc.
I originally started hunting here to get Words of the Haunting for my 33 pet spell, which allegedly drop from Centurions. They haven't dropped yet, although the other two words (Dark Paths and Suffering) have dropped about ten times apiece, and several other words have dropped as well.
During the time I spent here, I was either soloing or playing with a druid of my level. Both times the XP was great, and it was of course made even better by my double-XP Veteran AA. Because I am a gnome and prone to forget things sometimes, there were plenty of times when I forgot to click my double-XP Veteran AA, but it didn't matter, the XP was still good.
The fort is set up in such a way that you can pull as much or as little as you want. You will have plenty of time to med, but if you don't want to med, there's always *something* to pull, either from within the orc fortress or outside of it.
If you go there and there are hundreds upon hundreds of orcs and giants lined up outside of the orc fortress, that means someone has started one of the quests for the Coldain Ring. This can be good or bad. It's good if the players are still there and are slaughtering orcs and giants wholesale, because oftentimes they'll let you loot all of their mobs (kind of like those guys at the parades who wear fezzes and drive mini go-karts). It's bad if the players have left, because then you have to wait for everything to de-pop (or petition for it). In all the time I spent there, it happened twice, and both times I was a little zamboni gnome who made a nice profit.
Have SoW or Jboots
It's not required, but having SoW at all times makes aggro kiting the mobs (especially the Ry'Gorr Elite guards, who have SoW speed) a LOT easier. Either do the camp with a SoW caster or have SoW pots on hand.
Be Careful of Aggroing the Orcs in the Inside Building
Inside the orc fortress, there are four stone pillars with an orc next to each one of them. The pillars are placed around the interior orc building, which houses a bunch of higher-level orcs, some of which are casters. Pull the front two however you'd like, but when pulling the back ones, always go around and to the right to pull them, and stick close to the wall. This usually will prevent you from aggroing the orcs inside the building. So for the far-back left orc, pull the long way around and you'll be fine. And don't send your pet after any of the orcs until they've cleared the side areas.
If you pull the middle back mob (the one that stands right next to the building across from the Crystal Caverns entrance), you will probably aggro everything inside the orc building.
In Case You Aggro the Orcs Inside the Building
If you aggro the mobs from inside the orc building, you should just zone or feign death. You probably won't know if you've aggroed Firbrand the Black and his friends until you get outside of the outer wall--it's bad pathing and they'll just pop up on top of you. If you aggroed the Oracle of Ry'Gorr, you'll know ahead of time, because he's the only caster there, and you'll see his casting message. If that's the case, zone into Crystal Caverns! Another option is to drag the orcs to the Coldain camp nearby (it's to the north of the orc fortress, see the map link above)--the dwarves will kill the orcs.
Be Careful Zoning Out of Crystal Caverns
Watch out for the zone-out of Crystal Caverns--there is an ice dwarf NPC named Rodrick Tardok, and he is yellow at level 38. He's aligned with the orcs, and he drops stuff used for Garadain's Proof and Coldain Traitors quests.
Breaking the Spawns
There are two spawns that will require you to either FD break two orcs or else just kite them both at the same time. I usually just kited them both at the same time. The first spawn is the two guards outside the entrance to the fortress. The second spawn is two guards outside the entrance to the interior building. In both cases, both orcs will aggro if you aggro one of them, so be prepared to deal with two orcs instead of one. Once you break the spawn, though, you will have continuous single-pulls.
Gravy Train
You will have ample opportunity to kill wandering snow griffins and giants. Snow griffins sometimes drop the rare Snow Griffin Egg, which are used for the Coldain Prayer Shawl quest. The giants drop fine steel weapons, velium weapons, toes, and platinum, and they also build faction with the dwarves in Thurgadin.
Etc.
Once you get those basics down, this place is really great XP and treasure. I started here at 31. I'm 38 now and it's still great XP, and there are still plenty of yellows and reds--although now that I've got Chilling Embrace and Venom of the Snake, I no longer fear the Ry'Gorr Elite Guards. For the centurions, one set of Dooming Darkness, Heat Blood, and Boil Blood will kill them. For the Legionaires, I usually have to recast my fire DoTs to kill them, or I'll stack a poison DoT and it will take care of the rest. You can pull as often as you want--there is never a shortage of mobs, period.
I stopped XPing here at level 38 because I went on a DoD Monster Mission rampage and leveled up to 54 very quickly, but I'm certain that I could've kept XPing here for a long time after level 38.
Finally, this is also a good place to kill giants to build Coldain faction.
My Spell/Buff Line-Up
Dooming Darkness
Heat Blood
Boil Blood
Venom of the Snake
Chilling Embrace
Spirit Tap
Feign Death
Call of Bones/Augment Death/Scourge
I usually have temp for me and my pet, which makes XP go faster, but it's not absolutely necessary.
Hope this helps a little.
Z.