Curse

S_Serpent · Mar 04, 2006, 08:46 AM // 08:46

I soloed the queen yesterday (I think before the change that made it easy to pull her) with my E/Mo. Sadly didn't get the green, but for me it was the pleasure of just soloing her that made me do it. I rather do otherthings then mindlessly go and farm for that green monk it, I rather get all elite skills unlocked instead (I didn't get to that yet - but got the most I wanted already).

Aleria · Mar 04, 2006, 09:02 AM // 09:02

Yes Gaile I have killed the Queen and her Brood with henchies.
First time with my Smiting Monk before the update and got the Green item from her.

Then tried after the update with my Ranger and Mesmer and just henchies and managed to kill both her and her Brood with both Characters. No green item those times. But that doesn't matter I just wanted to see how I went with my other characters.
I must say it was a nice challenge

Thanks for the great Update and wonderful Game.

Mustache Mayhem · Mar 04, 2006, 03:09 PM // 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katari

Actualty, the queen is still a bit funny with her movements. She does not return to her start position, so if you can get her to move, she'll stay there. Getting her to move is easy enough, just hurt a scarb nearby, and she'll go heal it. Once she's out past the traps, you can lure her again. However, now you need to get nearly within melee range of for her to follow. It's a bit tricky, but the end result is that you still don't need to kill that circle of scarbs that protects her.

yep katari I had the same funny thing happen after the queen update.. at first I thought she does'nt leave but then when I set off traps on the frontline she finally moves.. I died a couple times before I could pull her out =] I'll try to get her while on marrows later- good tip.. when she's outside her brood she does'nt attack just runs back and forth probably a glitch

^^ yeah no elite! mustache ride out

LifeInfusion · Mar 04, 2006, 03:25 PM // 15:25

Not that amazing, it is just collectors...
+ insightful + enchanting + new skin.

Francis Crawford · Mar 04, 2006, 03:35 PM // 15:35

I must confess to never having done the run personally in a team of three or less, but even after the update it looks like a pretty easy four-person job and doable for three. Worst case is you have one total party kill at the choke point before you get to her, and/or aren't able to clear the rest of the area for more loot after she's dead.

I have a build, untested, that I'm almost sure will work for a three-person team, and I imagine there are literally dozens of other builds that would work too.

I imagine, however, that any two-person build will require a lot of skill to make work. Right now the main ideas that occur to me are:

1. Two hammer warriors (not sure how to keep them alive through the mob at the chokepoint)

2. A two person Gale knockdown chain (no idea how to keep them alive through the chokepoint unless one is a healer, and in that case I don't see how to do enough damage)

3. MM and a disrupter, but again there's a strain on healing

Basically, it's tough to win with two people unless there's a lot of damage, considerable healing, and considerable disruption, and that's a lot to ask for from the builds.

And invincibuilds would tend to fail to enchantment stripping, Distracting Shot, and life stealing. That includes both 55 HP and Permanent Obsidian Flesh.

I am in awe of any of you who can reliably solo her. I don't see how to solo either the chokepoint mob or the queen herself, let alone both with the same build. Except maybe with a Ne/Mo MM ...

Lord Iowerth · Mar 04, 2006, 03:56 PM // 15:56

I was thinking something along the lines of a mini-MF build with a HA monk, resmer, MM, and a mesmer saccer that can switch out armor and eat a candy cane to do some proper interrupts once you have an army ...

... only problem is, when you mention this sort of thing in an obviously PvE area, people tend to respond with "Huh?" or "It's *MESMER* not resmer."

Mustache Mayhem · Mar 04, 2006, 04:22 PM // 16:22

actually a 2 man team- a warrior to tank and monk/mesmer is fastest.. did that run once and we got a few done in no time.. solo not bad once you get the timing down on the boss.. I just did that trick katari was talkin about- same build as above and no deaths just now

Zehnchu · Mar 04, 2006, 04:44 PM // 16:44

Did it with a six member group, with in six runs the staff dropped twice in a row for me and three times for another guild member.

Sweeping Thunder · Mar 04, 2006, 05:01 PM // 17:01

@Gaile,

After the March 3rd patch I took my Nec, running curses and blood, along with just the casters henchies, and I was able to get to the Queen and kill her. Granted Alesia was acting as my TANK, but a pure casting team worked well. I killed the individual roaming scarab patrols near the Queen first, then I went after the scarabs surrounding the Queen. With casters keeping their distant (minus Alesia), we didn't have too much trouble with all the traps that are set surrounding the Queen nest. I found that once you have about of the half the surrounding scarabs killed, you can easily pull the Queen away from the nest. I took 5 henchies and was lucky enough to get my green weapon on my third try.

With my W/Mo, I am still able to solo farm the Minotaurs in the zone for XP and drops. I just added Purge Condtions for when I stumble into traps set by the scarabs. So you can still farm the area, there are new challenges in the zone with all the scarabs, and it is fun to have something new to do. I am enjoying the change in this zone.

AeroLion · Mar 04, 2006, 07:52 PM // 19:52

Out of curiousity, has anyone killed the queen with a pre-ascension character and tried to cap Mark of Protection off her?

It would be a nice elite to have at that point in the game.

Str0b0 · Mar 04, 2006, 08:09 PM // 20:09

Quick question on this one. I did this run last night before they updated her in today. Last night it was easy as hell. I saw a bunch of people complaining about the traps but the queen herself is the only one that comes after you if you pull. Is this still true or does the whole group move now? Also my strategy for the run was pretty simple incase anyone is curious. I did this with my guildie nuker and my SS necro. Spinal shivers and Vilnars staff kept her from getting her protection spells up and metero shower kept her in one spot. Took us about 5 minutes per run. Tanks are totally unnecessary since you can use firestorm as a defensive spell if you get run up on by the patrols.

Caleb · Mar 04, 2006, 09:08 PM // 21:08

Well thanks to the huge amount of interest in this item, the price has fallen to 7k in ascalon ...

Luckily it only took me one try to get one on my own, 7k is pretty cheap. By the end of the weekend mine will be worth 5k...

Str0b0 · Mar 04, 2006, 09:14 PM // 21:14

lucky me I loaded up on like 10 of them last night while they were still new and got 20K a piece for them. Still I could turn a profit at 7K a piece with the ease of this run. What I really want to know is how aggressively the queen defends her nest after the update today.

TideSwayer · Mar 04, 2006, 11:47 PM // 23:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caleb The Pontiff

Well thanks to the huge amount of interest in this item, the price has fallen to 7k in ascalon ...

Luckily it only took me one try to get one on my own, 7k is pretty cheap. By the end of the weekend mine will be worth 5k...

Awesome. The quicker the price drops on the staff, the quicker the green-only farmers (ie. those who don't even pick up anything else that drops) will gtho of that area for good while the scarabs are still dropping nice purples, golds, and dyes.

Kool Pajamas · Mar 05, 2006, 01:27 AM // 01:27

I did 8 runs with a groups of 3 and 4 and NOBODY got a green. That thing is pathetic.

thunderpower · Mar 05, 2006, 04:26 AM // 04:26

The staff is good for 55 monk... in case you get enough dp to use it without an offhand. But is it worth it?

Former Ruling · Mar 05, 2006, 04:37 AM // 04:37

I've done about ~15 runs with only 1 Refuge dropping, not me for of course

Str0b0 · Mar 05, 2006, 05:49 PM // 17:49

Her behavior is now more aggressive and her minions will move more in defense of the nest but it's still pretty easy.

Francis Crawford · Mar 05, 2006, 05:55 PM // 17:55

I did a four person run this morning, and two dropped. And one of them was for me!!

Well, actually, I'll give it to my lovely wife. But it's for us!!

BTW, even today I've killed the queen pretty easily in four-person teams, and with some difficulty in a monkless 3-person team that wasn't designed to be monkless (i.e., the monk's mother called him away from the computer mid-run). The updates about aggroing her don't seem to make a big difference, with one exception -- the roving necro mobs are more likely to show up before she's dead. If I go on more runs, I'm considering whether to just deliberately kill them ourselves first to get it over with.

Str0b0 · Mar 05, 2006, 06:05 PM // 18:05

It's easier to take out the roving mobs first. Like I said I did this with my guildie nuker and my SS necro with spinal shivers to keep her from casting and we had no problem so long as you take out the patroling mobs first