W/Mo Farming @ Snake Dance

This is a guide to help you farm Mountain Trolls at Snake Dance with a Warrior/Monk.

STATS
Healing Prayers: 10
Strength: 10 (9 + 1)
Axe Mastery: 10 (9 + 1)
Tactics: 10 (8 + 2)

EQUIPMENT
Well, you can really use anything you want, but I chose to use...

Sundering Chaos Axe of Fortitude
Slashing Damage: 6-28 (req. 11 Axe Mastery)
Damage +14% (while enchanted)
Health +27
Armor Penetration +10% (Chance: 10%)

Crimson Carapace Shield
Armor: 12 (req. 8 Tactics)
Health +45 (while enchanted)
Received damage -2 (while enchanted)

15k Gladiator's / 1.5k Ascalon Helm.

SKILLS
Cyclone Axe
Bonetti's Defense
Gladiator's Defense {E}
Balanced Stance
Sprint
Mending
Vigorous Spirit
Live Vicariously

PROCEDURE
When you first start, cast mending so as to keep yourself alive on the run. You will encounter many a Herder's who will try to knock you down, but just cast Balanced Stance to negate that. Balanced Stance is in NO WAY required for this run, but it does relieve you of the stress of being knocked down countless times. Now, run into the middle of Snake Dance where the hordes of Mountain Troll's are. Hopefully (for me it's 50/50), the Dwarves won't spawn and make the Trolls all disappear. If they do, either restart, or simply continue to kill. But if they don't, get ready to slay. By now you should already have Mending cast. If not cast it and run in, and if so, just run in.

Quickly gather your group of Mountain Trolls and cast Cyclone Axe to fill your adrenaline, and immediately cast Bonetti's afterwards. While Bonetti's is active, cast Live Vicariously, then Cyclone Axe, and Bonetti's again. You should have completely refilled your health, and if not, still be close to full. If not, do not worry. Now, while you have Bonetti's active for a second time, cast Vigorous Spirit, then proceed to cast Cyclone Axe and Gladiator's Defense.

(I choose to do it in that order simply because Vigorous Spirit lasts for 30s, and Gladiator's Defense takes 30s to recharge. That just means that when Gladiator's is recharged, you must cast Bonetti's -> Vigorous Spirit -> Cyclone Axe -> Gladiator's Defense.)

While Gladiator's Defense is active, proceed to hit [1] and then [2] over and over again. You are basically just buying time (and keeping yourself healed) until you can cast Gladiator's Defense again, which is your main damage dealer. After you kill one group, proceed to the next, and so on.

IN ACTION
Group A (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-001.jpg)
Fighting Group A (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-002.jpg)
Group A drops (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-003.jpg)
Group B (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-004.jpg)
Fighting Group B (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-005.jpg)
Group B drops (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-006.jpg)
Map (http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...h/farm-007.jpg)
(the pictures are a bit small, but you should get the jist of it)

How long does it take usually for this run? And how much do you usually make in a run?

I solo snake all the time and you make much more money just soloing desert griffons. 1 run in snake will take about an hour and yoiu will get about 10k on a good run. I get about 15k an hour soloing griffons. Snake dance is good for runes and the chests, that is about it. I have a build to solo snake with w/mo, w/e, w/r, and a w/me. It's not hard just long and boring. I kill everything in the zone except the bosses. To make money the quickest just solo the griffons and the trolls. There is 2 spots where youi can get about 20-40 trolls on you and take them all out at around the same time.

even a 55monk can do it, just that its annoying to run past the heretics in the beginning of the map

Why not use Live Vicariously in place of Vigorous Spirit? Sure you don't get the 1 energy regen, but with Bonetti's that shouldn't be a problem anyway. Over the period of one minute, LV is far cheaper, too.

My best W/Mo solo build works in a lot of places and not all that casting.

1) Living Vicarously
2) Defy Pain (one of the single best solo elite skills in the game).
3) Bonetti's Defense
4) Balthazar's Aura
5) Cyclone Axe
6) Vigorous Spirit
7) Balthazar's Spirit
8) Shields Up (can be replaced when not encountering a lot of missle mobs, healing breeze comes in handy here when facing mobs with casters that degen or remove enchantments.)

Note: If you are feeling really brave, nix Balthazar's Spirit for another skill of your choice and rely only on bonetti's defense to give you energy. I like Balthazar's spirit since bonetti's doesn't give any energy when an archer or caster is pounding you.

Gladiators Armor (for boots or gloves; either knights or ascalon for the -2 dmg reduction globally) w/+12 Energy +5 Armor w/enchanted +45 hp w/enchanted Healing Ankh offhand. (can buy this in Droknar's).

Collectors: dmg +15% w/enchanted +20% damage "customized" Axe - Vampiric 3/1 w/+5 Armor of Defense (this is my main weapon, I switch to this once contact is made don't want to give up hp's until being hit, use any other non-vampiric weapon until you get melee contact)

Collectors: dmg +15% w/enchanted +20% customized - Axe -
Vampiric 3/1 w/+29 hit points. (I switch to this if things start to go bad and I need an extra 29 hit points. I have had battles where I won by 1 hp left too. )

Healing 10
Smite 4
Strength 11 (with +1 minor strength)
Axe 10 (with +1 minor axe and +1 axe helm)
Tactis 8 (with +1 minor tactics)

When you first enter the zone put on balthazars spirit, then wait till you get back to 38 energy and cast living vicarously, this should leave you with 33 energy (my build). I usually do the aviaks and trolls in "Talus Chute" they are a lot closer than those in Snake dance and you don't have to run past anything to get to them.

Go left and usually first thing is 2 aviak fierce and 2 aviak braves. Be sure and go after the fierce first as they have heavy missle dmg. Just before your radar circle somes in attack range cast vigorous spirit, then keep on running and start attacking the first fierce, throwing up "Shields UP" as soon as you take your first arrow hit. With Vigorous Spirit and Living Vicarously you are getting +20 health for every hit. The normal sequence follows here use cyclone axe often, use DEFY PAIN immediately when it comes up and keep it up, it will come up faster than it finishes so you get 244 extra health constantly once you initialize it. Don't need no stinkin healing breeze. If you want to slow kill then nix "Balthazar's Aura" for any other attack skill of your choice, the low adrinilin skills are nice here like penetrating blow. I go ahead and use Balthazar's Aura (because later when taking on Named Troll Bosses you'll need it or you can just bypass them and just kill the surrounding garbage and run away from the named boss trolls.) With this build you only have to cast 1 spell and have the availabilty to cast 2 spells. Vigorous Spirit is a must. Balthazars Aura is a nicety. Yeah they run, but, many do not (especially when taking on the massive amount of trolls in the troll cave) main thing when you see one run, immediately switch targets to one that stays, damage is damage and there's no possible way to lose if you can press a button. lol

On aviaks I use Balthazar's aura sparingly, usually after I've killed the first fierce and on the 2nd one. Those archer birds can be rough and you don't want them aggroing anything else. Once only the braves are left you can run with them to the next troll group if you want and then use balthazar's aura and kill 2 birds with one stone. lol

You can even use this build to take on the boulder Giants as long as there is not more than 3 or 4. It's harder, but, I've gone on to kill them as well. 4 is pretty hard, 3 is a cinch, just takes awhile.

Encountering aviaks (avicara birdmen) with (1) Wise and only (1) you'll need to go after the Wise first here as it will be degening you and disenchanting and use Balthazar's Aura immediately. You won't be able to handle more than (4) birds and if there are (2) fierce and (1) Wise and a couple of Braves it's very hard, but, not impossible. Always remember go after casters first, archers 2nd and leave warriors for last. You'll want to get your enchants back up as soon as possible else you WILL die. Since they both only cost 5 energy each this should be easily done and DEFY pain should save you long enough to kill that Wise and get on that fierce as quickly as possible and don't forget to use "SHIELDS UP" during these battles. Heh I did a few times and died.

Note: When down to the last enemy let it build your energy back up to max 38 by hitting you (from Balthazars Aura and Bonetti's Defense). It won't kill you and then you don't have to click off Balthazars Spirit and Living Vicarously everytime just to build back energy faster. A lot of times I go around and collect the dropped items while the last mob is pounding on me. lol
This is why you want a melee mob left at the end, they will build your energy back faster than a caster or archer cause of bonetti's defense and balthazar's spirit.

If you want a more defensive build, nix the +12 energy ankh and use a 16 armor +45 hp -2 dmg reduction tactics or strength shield (w/enchanted preferred). If you don't have one of these shields, there is a collectors shield in the game that is 12 Armor +45 hps -2 dmg reduction (tactics 8 required) w/enchanted. I prefer the Ankh because I can get off a Balthazar's Aura, Vigorous Spirit and cyclone axe immediately when I want to. And the Armor is only 2pts less than using the 12 Armor shield (Axe +5 Armor and Ankh +5 Armor).

And there you have it, the "perfect" soloing build for 'most' places. (ducking from the flak I'm about to received)

Quote: Originally Posted by Sol_Vie

ah, yes, i wanna see someone farm Lornars pass solo

tried it

and failed T_T

i will try again!!!

I can farm Lornar's Pass solo BEFORE the first tunnel (because of the wurms).

Many of the skills required to get past those wurms really weaken your ability to farm the other creatures in Lornar's effectively because of the extra few slots that they occupy.

farm trolls outside of forge... 2-3mins

And what do we get from those trollies outside droks? Mountain troll tusks and raven staffs.. No thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by Ajantis

The trolls outside of droks never seem to drop anything good for me. I just solo them so i can get keys and use them on the chests that sometimes spawn in the cave.

i like this guide =) helps me a lot

thx =)