Easy plat in shard zones (Premium request) : EverQuest 2 Submissions

[dekonr]

We all know about solo grey shard runs... Mentor to 50 using the chronomage, zone into Everfrost/Commonlands/Lavastorm shard instances, grey out the zone by unmentoring, yada yada, easy shards and AA.

Well, while you have an instance created for level 50, go rementor to 60 and kill the Key Mobs. Even though the chest does not yield a shard at low levels, there's still 3-5pp in the chest.

This is easiest by far in Everfrost because the Key Mobs there DO NOT hit you with Mandate (that detrimental that locks your targeting) so you can do this solo there quite easily.

It helps a lot if you clear some trash around or enroute to the key mob while you are unmentored before you come back at 60. This will save you lots of time. Being able to FD helps too by not needing to clear as much trash to get to the key mob.

I can get about 12-15p guaranteed in 30-45 minutes (not counting shard mission update time) every day by following these steps...
- Self Mentor to 50
- Enter each of the 3 Everfrost zones once to set a 30-minute timer for each zone at level 50
- When you enter the 3rd, Unmentor and kill the first named to lock the timers. Re-enter each of the other zones and do the same before the 30 minutes is up
- kill trash in the way of the key mobs as needed.
- Go re-mentor to 60
- Go back to Everfrost and kill all 3 key mobs, loot the keys and open the chests for 3-5pp each.

Key Mobs in Commonlands and Lavastorm instances cast Mandate. I've done this in the Commonland shard zones, but brought a 2nd toon along to pull and take the Mandate from the Key Mob (might work with a pet, have not tested). It works in Hollow Tower too if you have the time, but when I tried to do this in Deep Forge the key mob wasn't there in a level 50 instance for some reason.

Enjoy your plat, and I hope you find this guide useful.

Dekon Reign

[Tault_admin]

Can members say yay or nay to this so we may give tu bucks and/or premium. If you nay the submission remember to include as to why.

[tault_eq_muse]

Nay for premium (but worth TUBs) -- the information is incomplete, inaccurate, but useful; well-known, and a decent way to make modest coin (3-15p in half an hour, every day).

Foremost, yes, EF is the way to go. =^)

Inaccuracy:
1. Chests are 1p 07g to 5p 10g (in hundreds of runs) -- so while most classes can clear the three Miraguls (EF) in 30 mins, that's only 3-15p (not 12-15). Not everyone will be able to solo the golem in Anathema however (they did make him easier in GU 54 at least).

To confirm:
1. Yes, Deep Forge only spawns the key mob if unmentored.

Missing information:
1. Befallen-Caverns chest does not give plat in a mentored instance (have run four times since latest GU)
2. Befallen-Halls takes a long time to set and clear to spawn key mob; also, some classes won't be able to solo.
3. Few classes can solo the bridge mob in Befallen-Necrotic.

... meaning, Befallen isn't an option.

4. The jailer in Najena's Hollow Tower is a tough solo with his stoneskin + superheal; classes with a couple quick-cast interrupts can though.

... meaning Najena's dungeons aren't an option.

So **only** Miraguls (EF) is a quick and mostly-doable option for everyone.

To clarify:
1. Since mentored instances last 30 minutes before resetting (if you don't kill a named/key mob), you can zone into each one (say in EF) mentored to L50 (all in a row), then unmentor and clear scrubs (in each) as needed to access key mobs and chests, *then* re-mentor (to 60 this time) and run all three back-to-back. You don't need to kill named mobs to set/hold, unless it'll take you more than 30 minutes to finish your run.
(your first time or two, you might consider taking the OP's suggestion and killing named mobs to hold the zone for you though)

2. You MUST still be mentored to 60 when you OPEN the chests (not just kill the key mob) in order to get the coin. Even with a key, if the zone is grey, you get nothing from the chest.

[dekonr]

I appreciate your careful review, but I need to correct some of your points:

1. I've cleared the 3 EF zones 5 times, the 3 Befallen ones 3 times (minus HoF one of the times), and HT twice. I've never got less than 3pp from any chest (in 25 chests). Maybe I'm lucky, but I'd say odds are very good you get at least 3pp per chest.

2. The Golem in Anathema does NOT need to be killed to get to the key mob or the chest there.

3. Admittedly, I have been too wrapped up with Frostfell to have done these plat runs post GU54, so I will do my runs again and see if I get the same results. Very odd that they removed the plat for a mentored chest in JUST Befallen-Caverns, I'll have to check that out.

4. I would think most classes could kill a level 50-55 Heroic mob at level 80. Named mobs, including the Bridge Guy in NA, and the Jailer in HT, do not need to be killed at level, nor at 60, to set zone timers or simply get them out of the way to progress through the zone. However, I did mention that the key mobs in those zones could not be solo'd, so saying these named mobs can't be solo'd is kind of a moot point anyway for the purposes of this guide since you won't be alone anyway if your intention is plat chests.

4a. Maybe I should have prefaced this guide with "If you can not kill a level 53-ish Heroic mob mentored down to 60 from 80, then this guide is not for you." One would also assume if you can kill the key mob at mentored-60, killing the named in the same level zones shouldn't be a problem un-mentored back to 80.

4b. Speaking of the Jailor in HT, you do know you have to move him away from his little tornados each time he casts one to avoid the Stoneskin/Mega Heal, right? No interrupts needed, just know the encounter.

5. Maybe this is different after GU54 as well, but I was able to get plat from a chest in NA after I un-mentored to 80 to grey-out and run passed all the mobs before the chest.

Just to clarify, the point of my post was to highlight EF instances specifically as a way to make easy coin because the keys mobs there do not cast mandate, making them easily solo-able. That's the point I thought was not well-known.

I thank you again for your review, and I hope you will consider my corrections. I will post again my personal findings once I've had time to run these again in the post GU54 world.

[bigp58]

How to cancel a chronomagic after you are mentored down. I dont see a buff and the trainer wont talk to me anymore.

[tault_eq_muse]

How to cancel a chronomagic after you are mentored down. I dont see a buff and the trainer wont talk to me anymore.

In the default UI, you can right-click on the small level number at the upper-right of your (self)target box and unmentor.

[tault_eq_muse]

I appreciate your careful review, but I need to correct some of your points: [...]

r1: Parsing just the logs I [still] have on the two toons I use most, I've over 300 grey runs of Scion/Anathema/Crucible. While the most common result is 2p+{3-7}g, followed by 3.x plat ... there's nearly ask many 1.x as 5.x plat chests. I think it's fair to say you can reasonably expect 6-9p for the three EFs, but might see as little as 3p or as much as 15p from time to time.

r2: You're right -- I was thinking about sharding. The beholder-esque mob and tomb mob are easy solo. mea culpa

r3: I've done CoA (green'd) for alt loot during several GUs -- and I've never seen a mentored CoA chest give me coin (I try every time!)

r4: You implied they could be solo'd, but with difficulty. You never said they couldn't (and, they can -- not easily).

r4b: Yup, I've killed the Jailor solo before on most toons. But if you're not interrupting him, and not high DPS, you can find yourself out of room from moving him around. I wouldn't presume an L75 in MC/Expert is going to kill the Jailor, unless one of a minority of classes; at L80 in raid gear, most should be able to. There's a lot of toons in-between.

r5: I tested the EF three just before GU54 hit, and in all three, greyed-out = chest gave nothing when opened (i.e.: greened in key mob to get key, dropped mentor, clicked chest). Same for HoF (someone needed an Eidolon kill). I'd be happy if they'd let me collect Befallen plat they way I do Mirgul plat.

Really, with edits, it's a solid guide to "Typically making 6-9p daily from grey running Everfrost shard instances in ~30 mins". Instead it goes with an implied "do this with all grey shard zones you created" and half-retreats with "This is easiest by far in Everfrost" (meaning the others are solo'able, but EF is easiest).

So what's pumped as a guide to eight "guaranteed" 3-5p chests daily, is really for three chests without a guarantee. But even without the mislead, I stand by my nay -- good guide, worth TUBs, not worth premium on its own.

I appreciate your taking the time to post the guide, and look forward to more good work in the future.

Edit: Checked (15 Dec 09), and a mentored-but-green CoA still gave no coin from opening the shard chest. =/
Edit 2: Checked (17 Dec 09) -- Crucible and Scion *did* give coin while opening chest grey; Halls of the Forsaked did NOT.
Edit 3: Checked (19 Dec 09) -- Anathema *did* give coin from chest opened while grey. So EF/Miraguls zones are THE way to go.