[Bhairava]

Scholar
*
63 posts
In my first couple of attempts at creating a newbie Vah Shir, I quickly came to the conclusion that I hated the Luclin newbie zones. Not to mention that, on my modest system, the lag throughout Luclin is virtually unbearable. So, I decided to take him to my old stomping grounds in Freeport.

Ah, but getting there... that proved ... challenging. The ONLY way from Shar Vahl to Shadowhaven is through these horrible caverns, and that means walking past the not-too-friendly Fiends and Bandits.

But it CAN be done. Here's how.

First, take the north exit out of Shar Vahl to Hollowshade Moor. Follow the zone wall to the right until you come upon a cave entrance near the edge of a lake; this is the entrance to Paludal. Beware - aggro creatures DO wander near the zone wall in Hollowshade, and a few of my attempted runs to Shadow Haven were cut tragically short by this fact. But they are sparse enough that if you keep your eyes open, you should be able to avoid them.

Upon entering the caverns, you will be greeted by a variety of bugs and mushrooms. They are not KOS, so just ignore them. Follow the tunnel until you can see it open up into a larger watery room; you will also encounter your first set of Phlarg Fiends.

Because of my numerous unsuccessful runs through the caverns, I have developed quite an aversion to these <shudder> ghastly abominations. They have a gigantic aggro range, are quite social, and are thus very deadly to the unsuspecting newbie. But they do have a weakness .. you can sneak past them.

All Vah Shir are blessed with innate sneaking ability. It is this skill which will allow you to survive the trip through these caverns. When you approach the first set of fiends target one with its back to you. Engage your sneak skill. If it still scowls at you, the sneak attempt failed - wait a few seconds for the button to become active again, an re-try. As soon as it cons indifferent, you'll know that you're sneaking. (Another way to tell if you're sneaking is that, when sneak works, you will walk very slowly.) From now on, your goal is to stay near to Fiends that have their backs to you. Luckily, most of the fiends are stationary and will all face the same direction, so you will be able to walk behind several fiends without being spotted. Just remember - you can get close to them, but whatever you do, DO NOT GET IN **FRONT** OF THEM!!! If you hear their attack emote "a plerg phlarg fiend hisses threateningly filling the air with the stench of moldy decay", then CONGRATULATIONS! You have just earned a trip back to Shar Vahl, compliments of the fiend you just aggroed!

When you enter the first fiend area, bear right. Rememer to hug the wall tightly and stay behind the fiends. You will come upon a tunnel to the right guarded by a fiend - sneak past and enter. You should now be headed West. When the tunnel forks, bear to the left. You'll come upon another watery area with fiends. Hang a left, ducking to walk through a jagged rock formation just behind another fiend. Stay on the wall to the left until you come upon another tunnel to the left, which you'll take. You should be headed South now. When the road forks up ahead, go right.

The next fiend - populated area you'll encounter is a large room with a substantial drop-off into a lake below. Your exit is to the south, but you can't go that way from here - there are wandering fiends that way. Instead, we'll be taking the scenic route. Head right. Stay high upon the wall behind the fiends; you'll occasionally run into a fiend that's wandering your way along the main path, but you should be able to stay out of its aggro range on the wall. Head north, and you'll eventually be clear of the fiends and ready for your next challenge; the recondite bandits.

Now, first /con a bandit. If you're dubious, the rest of your trip through Paludal will be much less stressful. This was the case with my agnostic bard. However, my Tunare-worshipping shaman (on the Sullon Zek server) was not nearly as popular. If you're KOS to the bandits, there's a bit more work to be done.

Watch out for the wandering bandits (again, stay up on the wall) and continue to head north toward the camp. Follow the wall to the right. At one point, you'll come upon the north end of the camp, and a seemingly unavoidable set of three bandits. But, AHA! The bandits are facing away from another. You can sneak in between them. Be careful, of course, and always /con to make sure you're out of view. Follow the wall again and begin to head to the south. Continue to watch out for wandering bandits.

One note: on the path to the south, you'll reach a very small spot where the path becomes submerged, and you must swim a few feet. Be aware that there is a giant piranah called "a large wetfang" in the water here. It's KOS when you're in the water, so make sure it's not nearby before you make this swim.

Continue to follow the wall to the right until you reach the south bandit camp. If yellow eyes is up, bear in mind he is on the same faction as the bandits; if you're not KOS to them, you're not KOS to him either, in spite of how freaky he looks. If you are KOS, simply continue to hug the wall to the right. Be aware of people camping the bandits; a train WILL ***** things up for you. Once you're on a nicer looking path to the south, you should be home free to Shadow Haven.

And there you have it. Feel free to post if I've made any horrendous errors. And enjoy your liberation from the lag-pit known as Luclin!

EpicOfDay,
Cazic Thule Server