LDoA question - Guild Wars Forums

Absolute Destiny · May 22, 2012, 03:19 PM // 15:19

There have been several LDoA threads, but I'd like some advice for my particular character situation.

I didn't read through any LDoA advice before deciding I wanted to do it.
I just started a new Prophecies character (a Ranger), and started playing through, grabbing every quest available trying to get to level 10.

I assumed I could just do the daily quests ad infinitum until I got to level 20.

I've gotten the hang of the quests, though Utini Wupwup isn't worth the effort of actually killing him.
I've done the rinse-and-repeat Farmer Hamnet quest, killing and rezoning over and over.

I'm at 13 now, and the grind is starting to wear on me.

The main reason I wanted to do LDoA was to make the first part of Prophecies (pre-Lion's Arch) easier to get through in order to get heroes.
I have a ton of max equpment ready for my Ranger when I get him out of Pre (tomes, etc).

Am I doing it for the wrong reason, thus causing the grind to irritate me more than it would?

I don't have any of the bonus stuff (fire imp, max weapon, etc.), and I've already accepted all the quest rewards (again, didn't read beforehand) so it doesn't seem like there's a way to make it easier/faster.

Olle · May 22, 2012, 03:29 PM // 15:29

If you are bored of pre then dont, you should not do something boring just cause.
If you want to ease up the game, get a run to LA-as you are already lvl 10+>Eotn>gunnars hold> boxing=lvl 20 + Vekk, Gwen, Ogden.

**cosyfiep** · May 22, 2012, 03:35 PM // 15:35

ldoa is not for making post easier (the foes around lions arch are about low to mid teens and you will be about that level when you get there if you play the game---foes in post ascalon are 3-8 level), its for people who are bored and wanted to stay IN pre.

I would leave now and forget about ldoa if you reason is to make the rest of the game easier--it wont, you wont get any xp from the foes in ascalon and the next part either.

zpsycho · May 22, 2012, 03:45 PM // 15:45

Well if you are doing it for the title then you should keep to the grind as if you are looking for GWAMM then you will need all the titles you can get and it seems youre doing good so far and the grinding gets faster and slower as you level because of monster levels so just know it will take some time and do it. But my perma pre is still well under 20 and I never intend to get him to 20 because then I can't use my imp who is so OP in Pre imo. but if you arent out for GWAMM and you dont want a perma pre. then there are many other titles much easier then this and you can always get survivor now if you decide you still want a grind.

drowze · May 22, 2012, 03:50 PM // 15:50

What cosyfiep said: you won't be getting any xp from the foes in the first half of the game. I found it utterly boring to play through old ascalon at lvl20 and ended up getting a run to LA, which you can do at any level. So yeah, if you don't plan to stay in pre for a long time to enjoy the atmosphere or don't want the title for titlehunting sake, then there is no reason to stay in pre any longer.
And gl/hf with your new ranger^^

projectmercy · May 22, 2012, 04:02 PM // 16:02

LDoA is pretty much that, boring grinding. Ideally, you don't turn in any but the minimum quests until you hit either level 16 or level 19. Not having the fire imp summon is a huge penalty to LDoA. Truthfully, I would say Fire Imp makes it considerably less tedious, beyond the fact you have to deal with his attacking everything he comes across.

The flow goes something like this:

Start out running around grabbing skills and killing everything you find along the way. Level to 5 or 6. Pick up your collector armor during this time. This takes about an hour or so.
Move up to Wizards Folly and kill Ice Elementals until you hit 7 or 8. Takes about 2 hours, the fire imp wrecks face here.
Farm "Charr at the Wall" and the Rogue Bull until you hit 10. This takes another 1-3 hours depending on how much ice elemental farming you did. You can also farm Red Iris Flowers while running up from
Now you're 10, you can pick up the vanguard quests. Pick one up, but just keep it around for the AC boost. GO across the wall and murder every charr there until level 11 or 12. This is probably another 3-4 hours.
Once 11 or 12, just do charr boss runs until you hit 14. Hopefully you can get some decent loot, some charr kits, and some isignia/runes to upgrade your gear
Now you're 14, it's time to grind vanguard quests.

So, with vanguard quests, you'll find they're cyclical in how much XP you get for grinding them. The levels of the monsters in the quest are based on 3 tiers. 10-13, 14-16, 17-20. As a result of this, when you're at the bottom of the tier, you get a good 50 xp a kill from the grunts, which goes quickly. When you get near the top of it, you're only getting 16 from the kill. This is why you generally save your quest XP for level 16 (the bottom of one hump) or level 19 (the bottom of the other). Some people seem to do it at 9, because they want to get through the "Charr at the wall" grind as quickly as possible, but that's only because they don't realize how much easier it is than the 16/19 grind.

Utini WupWup is actually a really good quest. Primarily because you can go out and farm Utini himself without much wasted killing. Bosses give double XP, and Utini will be at the bracket's base level (or 18 in the last one), meaning you can get 120-160 xp for each kill (plus a smattering for the guys around him). It's useful for the 16/19 grind when killing bandits for Farmer's is not paning out (or you're sick of it).

Personally, I find some of the quests to be overly difficult and not worth the time, not even for the 1k XP. The undead ones especially. There's far too much degen + conditions to make it an enjoyable experience. It's OK if you're a monk with regen and smiting, otherwise I skip it.

All told, it takes about 30-40 hours from creation to LDoA. The fire imp helps immensely. If you're a warrior or ranger, the bonus weapons help a lot. And while ranger is not that great for the rest of GW PvE, it's pretty decent in Pre, especially with the bonus bow.

I've done 3 LDoA's since march (ranger, warrior, elem), and I have a 4th that's almost there that I set perma-pre (ranger). So, I did this a few times.

Absolute Destiny · May 22, 2012, 04:22 PM // 16:22

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Got the hell out of Pre and am suddenly having fun with this character again.

Olle · May 22, 2012, 04:27 PM // 16:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Absolute Destiny

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Got the hell out of Pre and am suddenly having fun with this character again.

NEVER do something you dont want to

sais the guy who ran over 500 FULL HM Eotn books...

Shpongle · May 22, 2012, 11:30 PM // 23:30

i was in pre 4 weeks and it was a hell lot of fun, got my ldoa in a super fun way by leeching off of others and opening gates for free

and used my pet alot, the imp and healed him (w/mo)

Niila · May 23, 2012, 06:44 AM // 06:44

I did my ldoa by just taking 1k exp quests every day, but not grinding them. Just killing the mobs along the way and completing it every day. This surely does take longer but it's not so mind-numbing and an excellent way to get you daily 30 minutes of gaming. (I had actually stopped playing GW already)

May 22, 2012, 03:19 PM // 15:19	#1
Absolute Destiny Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oklahoma City Guild: Forgotten Realms [FR] Profession: W/	LDoA question There have been several LDoA threads, but I'd like some advice for my particular character situation. I didn't read through any LDoA advice before deciding I wanted to do it. I just started a new Prophecies character (a Ranger), and started playing through, grabbing every quest available trying to get to level 10. I assumed I could just do the daily quests ad infinitum until I got to level 20. I've gotten the hang of the quests, though Utini Wupwup isn't worth the effort of actually killing him. I've done the rinse-and-repeat Farmer Hamnet quest, killing and rezoning over and over. I'm at 13 now, and the grind is starting to wear on me. The main reason I wanted to do LDoA was to make the first part of Prophecies (pre-Lion's Arch) easier to get through in order to get heroes. I have a ton of max equpment ready for my Ranger when I get him out of Pre (tomes, etc). Am I doing it for the wrong reason, thus causing the grind to irritate me more than it would? I don't have any of the bonus stuff (fire imp, max weapon, etc.), and I've already accepted all the quest rewards (again, didn't read beforehand) so it doesn't seem like there's a way to make it easier/faster.

May 22, 2012, 03:35 PM // 15:35	#3
cosyfiep are we there yet? Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: in a land far far away Guild: guild? I am supposed to have a guild? Profession: Rt/	ldoa is not for making post easier (the foes around lions arch are about low to mid teens and you will be about that level when you get there if you play the game---foes in post ascalon are 3-8 level), its for people who are bored and wanted to stay IN pre. I would leave now and forget about ldoa if you reason is to make the rest of the game easier--it wont, you wont get any xp from the foes in ascalon and the next part either. __________________ where is the 'all you can eat' cookie bar?

May 22, 2012, 04:02 PM // 16:02	#6
projectmercy Academy Page Join Date: Apr 2012	LDoA is pretty much that, boring grinding. Ideally, you don't turn in any but the minimum quests until you hit either level 16 or level 19. Not having the fire imp summon is a huge penalty to LDoA. Truthfully, I would say Fire Imp makes it considerably less tedious, beyond the fact you have to deal with his attacking everything he comes across. The flow goes something like this: Start out running around grabbing skills and killing everything you find along the way. Level to 5 or 6. Pick up your collector armor during this time. This takes about an hour or so. Move up to Wizards Folly and kill Ice Elementals until you hit 7 or 8. Takes about 2 hours, the fire imp wrecks face here. Farm "Charr at the Wall" and the Rogue Bull until you hit 10. This takes another 1-3 hours depending on how much ice elemental farming you did. You can also farm Red Iris Flowers while running up from Now you're 10, you can pick up the vanguard quests. Pick one up, but just keep it around for the AC boost. GO across the wall and murder every charr there until level 11 or 12. This is probably another 3-4 hours. Once 11 or 12, just do charr boss runs until you hit 14. Hopefully you can get some decent loot, some charr kits, and some isignia/runes to upgrade your gear Now you're 14, it's time to grind vanguard quests. So, with vanguard quests, you'll find they're cyclical in how much XP you get for grinding them. The levels of the monsters in the quest are based on 3 tiers. 10-13, 14-16, 17-20. As a result of this, when you're at the bottom of the tier, you get a good 50 xp a kill from the grunts, which goes quickly. When you get near the top of it, you're only getting 16 from the kill. This is why you generally save your quest XP for level 16 (the bottom of one hump) or level 19 (the bottom of the other). Some people seem to do it at 9, because they want to get through the "Charr at the wall" grind as quickly as possible, but that's only because they don't realize how much easier it is than the 16/19 grind. Utini WupWup is actually a really good quest. Primarily because you can go out and farm Utini himself without much wasted killing. Bosses give double XP, and Utini will be at the bracket's base level (or 18 in the last one), meaning you can get 120-160 xp for each kill (plus a smattering for the guys around him). It's useful for the 16/19 grind when killing bandits for Farmer's is not paning out (or you're sick of it). Personally, I find some of the quests to be overly difficult and not worth the time, not even for the 1k XP. The undead ones especially. There's far too much degen + conditions to make it an enjoyable experience. It's OK if you're a monk with regen and smiting, otherwise I skip it. All told, it takes about 30-40 hours from creation to LDoA. The fire imp helps immensely. If you're a warrior or ranger, the bonus weapons help a lot. And while ranger is not that great for the rest of GW PvE, it's pretty decent in Pre, especially with the bonus bow. I've done 3 LDoA's since march (ranger, warrior, elem), and I have a 4th that's almost there that I set perma-pre (ranger). So, I did this a few times. Last edited by projectmercy; May 23, 2012 at 04:40 PM // 16:40..

May 22, 2012, 03:29 PM // 15:29	#2
Olle Furnace Stoker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ign: Miniature Julia Guild: Teh Academy[PhD] Profession: W/	If you are bored of pre then dont, you should not do something boring just cause. If you want to ease up the game, get a run to LA-as you are already lvl 10+>Eotn>gunnars hold> boxing=lvl 20 + Vekk, Gwen, Ogden.

May 22, 2012, 03:45 PM // 15:45	#4
zpsycho Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: America Guild: Yall Ghetto Profession: W/	Well if you are doing it for the title then you should keep to the grind as if you are looking for GWAMM then you will need all the titles you can get and it seems youre doing good so far and the grinding gets faster and slower as you level because of monster levels so just know it will take some time and do it. But my perma pre is still well under 20 and I never intend to get him to 20 because then I can't use my imp who is so OP in Pre imo. but if you arent out for GWAMM and you dont want a perma pre. then there are many other titles much easier then this and you can always get survivor now if you decide you still want a grind.

May 22, 2012, 03:50 PM // 15:50	#5
drowze Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Apr 2006 Guild: SaGa Profession: N/	What cosyfiep said: you won't be getting any xp from the foes in the first half of the game. I found it utterly boring to play through old ascalon at lvl20 and ended up getting a run to LA, which you can do at any level. So yeah, if you don't plan to stay in pre for a long time to enjoy the atmosphere or don't want the title for titlehunting sake, then there is no reason to stay in pre any longer. And gl/hf with your new ranger^^

May 22, 2012, 04:22 PM // 16:22	#7
Absolute Destiny Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oklahoma City Guild: Forgotten Realms [FR] Profession: W/	Thanks for the advice, guys. Got the hell out of Pre and am suddenly having fun with this character again.

May 22, 2012, 11:30 PM // 23:30	#9
Shpongle Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2012 Location: Shpongholia Guild: DMT Profession: W/	i was in pre 4 weeks and it was a hell lot of fun, got my ldoa in a super fun way by leeching off of others and opening gates for free and used my pet alot, the imp and healed him (w/mo)

May 23, 2012, 06:44 AM // 06:44	#10
Niila Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Oct 2006	I did my ldoa by just taking 1k exp quests every day, but not grinding them. Just killing the mobs along the way and completing it every day. This surely does take longer but it's not so mind-numbing and an excellent way to get you daily 30 minutes of gaming. (I had actually stopped playing GW already)