January 11, 2009

When in Thanos
by Loreis

The Swamps of Thanos. Not my first choice for a romantic evening, but soloing there can be fun. As with any high level zone, a few tips that I recently had shoved down my throat by The Dark Strider. If you decide to solo Thanos, bring your A game. Sneak, be invisible, and be prepared to run. Giant mosquitoes are fabulous kills, especially if you are good aligned and get kickback as a mage. Crocodiles-again great mobs, some load sanctuary orbs, as do the buggies. Venus Flytraps load animal skins, which is sort of...well...icky. BUT. When you enter the Swamps of Thanos, you have a few options as to where you can meander. I like east. Why? Because I may be a hero, and a Mage, but I cannot solo the King of the Crocodiles. I've tried. It did not end well, at least not for me.

Also east and a little north, are undead corpses. Most of you who have ventured into Thanos with a form have probably heard,

"Don't cast harm on the corpses".

Harm heals that which is confused about its' mortal coil. So, as you kill, so also you heal, and your form leader will whap you with a fish. Soloing, remember the same thing. It can be very disconcerting to have the upper hand, then "c harm" and whoops, there went 100 of your hitpoints and that corpse is looking positively chipper. No harming the undead. Muy importante!

As to some of the larger, more unpleasant mobs in Thanos. I went on an orb hunt a few weeks ago, and having purloined 5, I thought I would just kill a large room of nasty beasts and be on my way. Like that would ever happen. I have a target on the back of my robe, coupled with a sign that reads "Please kill me, I want to die". As I snuck around a corner, there he was. The Dark Strider. He was wielding his blade, glaring at me. I honestly never saw it coming, as I was trying like heck to flee flee flee flee sneak flee for the love of Vryce flee flee!!! As I fell, I saw the tiniest of grins appear on the Strider's face, and his head tilted ever so slightly to the left.

"Hm."

My corpse lay upon the mossy ground, blood pouring from numerous wounds. The Strider knelt down, and looked into my empty eyes.

"Have a lovely holiday season, Loreis. I better see my name in print, or I'll find you."

And he was gone. The Necromancer, not having that far to travel as I had died right above his office, slapped me around a bit and away I went to find an altar. All the while I was running, I kept thinking back to The Dark Strider's comment. What did he mean, he'll find me? He can't leave Thanos....can he?

I prostrated myself before an altar and life was granted back into my soul. Dressing and shoving things back into my containers, I telepathed a friend, and told him of my little adventure.

"Oh my Gods, he threatened you??"

"Well, it can't happen, he can't leave Thanos, so I really...."

"No, you don't understand. He'll hire people, dragons, Vharthogs, you name it. You better write this down, or you won't live to see the New Medievian Year!"

So, with trembling hands, I wrote upon paper with my sapphire quill, the story of the one time I met The Dark Strider, alone, in The Swamps of Thanos. It's a great experience zone, solo as a high level, or in a form. Orbs a plenty to be found, treasure if you run the whole zone, and quite a few clanmembers have levelled there. Oh. If you happen to go within, oh I guess the next two weeks, and you happen to bump into The Dark Strider, can you please tell him Loreis wrote it all down, and to please get the grizzly bear to stop following me? It's creeping out my bloodline...

Thanks.

Loreis-out