You would think sirgog could've just asked someone with a chest in the bank to record a video while he was going at it, or something.

I find the challenges ok to play, so are better than others, but I have never pulled anything but junk from the chest in anyone of them. So congraz rest...

Kobold's still hate you!   

Well, if they have upped the loot to get players in, maybe I will try them again just to take a crack at something nice.  Otherwise though, they hold no interest for me.  I play DDO for more immersion and the challenges don't provide that for me.

Darkrok wrote on Jan 4^th, 2012 at 9:43am:

Just before New Years, I recall getting around 1.5k XP/min on one of the lava cave ones on level 15/16 characters. I think we five-starred it, barb and FvS, on a challenge where buying less than 9 minutes of time was worth a star. We barely got the final star - the FvS took down the giant with a second or two to spare while I babysat kobolds.

I don't recall getting the repetition XP penalty on challenges, so that may help too, if you can run it the tenth time for the same XP as the first. While not the best XP/min in the game, I was surprised to see over 1k/min.

(checking leaderboards, I have a 5-star, Time is Money, level 15 challenge, probably on level 16 chars)

hgm-chi wrote on Jan 4^th, 2012 at 12:41pm:

I've never played Farmville, but have seen it played. The challenges do not appear to be like Farmville. Two are quite like Crystal Cove (extraplanar, lava caves), but the optionals and quest mechanics add enough flavor to make them interesting. One is a bit like protecting Coyle in Threnal except that the extractors don't fight back, and you have more than one of them to protect (Kobold Island). The other is a pure smash-dash-and-kill (Rushmore).

Of the four, I don't enjoy Kobold Island at all. I have mixed feelings about Rushmore, and enjoy the other two. I find that it is more difficult to pug challenges in a group without voice chat.

I'm going to go for favour at some point and then see what interesting loot I'm close to. Probably a rapier for the Soul and possibly a ring and a belt for the monk. Undecided. But they don't seem too bad to grind for, at least to get the base items,

hgm-chi wrote on Jan 4^th, 2012 at 1:22pm:

After a half-dozen completions, the storyline in any quest is reduced to an annoying run back and forth between the quest entrance and some NPCs that you have to talk to before you can proceed. Delera's parts 1 and 3 are widely viewed as obstacles to the tasty XP from window farming parts 2 and 4. Before the bravery bonus, who actually ran the Shadow Crypt flagging quests instead of just using an opener?

The whole game is a hamster wheel. The challenges have just as much storyline as other quests like helping Scragg in the Harbour, or Proof is in the Poison - either helping the Kobold Union get the goods, or getting rid of Dr. Rushmore, whose mansion appeared overnight on an empty lot in Stormreach. Getting four or five stars may lack the complexity of raids like Titan, but teamwork and adapatability is a real requirement in the challenges, instead of a rote series of steps, repeated the same every time. The challenges have more randomness than something like wiz-king, where every spawn is basically the same.

For the ones that have realistic star levels (collecting 10,000 crystals is not realistic for me) working to get extra stars is fun. It is best with friends though, using voice and working together.

hgm-chi wrote on Jan 4^th, 2012 at 1:22pm:


As opposed to say, DQ, where you run through, and pull a slot machine at the end to see if you get a Torc. Maybe you'll get insanely lucky on your first run, maybe it will show up on your 20th completion list, or maybe you'll be the cursed one who needs 80 times or more.

Or epics? Is that mechanic better? Running quests until you hate them, dozens or hundreds of completions just for one item, hoping and waiting for three different slot machines to deliver your scroll, seal, and shard? I know which loot mechanic I would characterize as broken, and it isn't the challenges.

hgm-chi wrote on Jan 4^th, 2012 at 5:57pm:

This is the reason I have so few epics - totally not worth the grind for me; BUT I do occationally run some, and that means once in a great while I will get (or trade) for something to make....

I would much rather build a new char or TR an old one

Kimberlite wrote on Jan 4^th, 2012 at 7:10pm:


My caster loved running around in triple earth HP boots. Earthgrab guard procced quite a bit, and the +50% damage was a nice addition when I can just turn around and zap something.

Then I made conopp, and ran out of slots.

Quote:

D'oh. For some reason, I had read it as rock boots protecting against earthgrab. I'm a noob.

JDollar wrote on Jan 5^th, 2012 at 1:57pm:


I personally plan on getting the bracers for my sorc (air savant, now I don't need to shuffle around gear for the eCloak of the Zephyr) and the boots, arti ring, and a calomel (either ml 16 with dragon bane crafted or ml 20, can't decide) on my WF paladin. I know I sacrifice a ToD ring for the arti ring (hell, I've already got the Encrusted I'll be replacing), but it's a great item to have around, and it'll let me where my eMoron belt (which keeps my strength even, unless I ever pull a +4 tome).

IMO, there are two loot "mechanics" possible in a game - farming and grinding. Farming is running something in order to pull a set, more or less guaranteed reward that you can later use to make what you want. Grinding is running content in order to get a small percent chance of getting the items you want. Grinding is good for those "Holy Grail" items like the eRoSS, that is powerful but hardly necessary. I much prefer farming for items that are deemed "necessary" for a certain build, since grinding for necessary gear leaves too much up to luck.

Montrose wrote on Jan 5^th, 2012 at 8:52pm:



See, I tried them a few times on Lama and they just didn't seem soloable at all, then. Particularly given the kobolds seemed to die so ridiculously easily on the kobold ones.

Have they tweaked the difficulty? Should I try them again?

I probably need to make myself a list of stuff I'd like - that would motivate me a bit more I'm sure...