Post by Tallaith on Jul 3, 2010 16:45:25 GMT -5
The crafting instances in Moria are a great way to earn experience, item experience and runes, reputation with both factions (kindred is needed with one faction or the other for level 60 legendary traits), crafting resources, cash from vendor loot (unless things have significantly changed, if I killed every mob and looted everything they dropped I averaged making close to one gold per set of two instances, unless I happened upon rare crit items, recipes, or second-age weapons and auctioned them for even more money) and tokens that can be exchanged for crafting "trunks" of random items for each production trade, item experience, or Lothlorien gold leaves.
Many people don't know much about these instances. I think they're a wonderful, if slightly repetitive, way to gain levels, cash, reputation, and shinies for the barter merchants in Lothlorien The quests in Lothlorien make it difficult after the initial run-through to earn gold leaves, though silver branches are plentiful. In my opinion, as far as overall productivity related to the amount of time spent running around killing things, doing the crafting instances is superior to trying to wedge into "The Battle for Lothlorien" or doing general low-yield grinding.
So, without further rambling, here's my guide to the Moria crafting instances.
FAQs
~ Do you actually have to craft something to get in, or do crafting inside the instance?
No. They're called "crafting instances" because each set features a particular profession's resource nodes, item drops, and recipes. As a Yeoman I've been frustrated because I'm not a "gathering" profession, though some instances drop lots of hides and recipes for tailoring. Trades like Prospector or Forester will find abundant resources to gather, as will Scholars and most other gathering professions.
~ How exactly do they work?
The instances are set up in pairs, with three sets spread throughout Moria. There are Dwarves standing outside each instance who offer quests that reward Iron Garrison tokens, which can be exchanged with the barter merchants at any of the three locations for a key to a locked "trunk" of random crafting items for each profession. Tokens can also be exchanged for item experience runes or Lothlorien gold leaves. The quests are identical for each set of instances, consisting of a slayer-type quest that requires killing a certain number of mobs and a collection quest that requires gathering dropped items from defeated mobs. There's also a quest to defeat the boss of each instance that rewards a token.
The Hadubab quest-givers
~ What level are they? Can they be done in fellowships?
The level requirements vary per instance but the mobs are around 58-60. They instances are solo-only so they're designed as such and with a bit of patience can be done quickly and easily, even if a player is slightly under-level.
~ How long do they take? Are they timed?
Each instance has a one hour timer. Another crafting instance can't be started unless the starting quest from the previous one is completed (this is the "boss slayer" quest). The starting quest can't be canceled so it can either time out on it's own or the quest can be completed to unlock the availability of other instances. When the first quest is accepted, the timer begins. There are two other quests that accepting the first unlocks though they aren't timed. I can do a set of two crafting instances in about 30-40 minutes, though I'm allowed an hour to do EACH. With practice they're very simple and quick to complete. Please note: each instance has a lock on the same sort of timer as Carn Dum, around 2-3 days before the nodes respawn to prevent over-farming. It is possible to enter the instance and kill mobs, however the nodes to gather will not be present until the locks are timed out.
~ What kinds of mobs will I find? What about the final boss?
The regular mobs are non-elite and are easy to defeat based on a player's class, level, and personal skill level. The boss at the end is designed to be soloed but I recommend bringing a few morale, power, and other potions as well as some buff food to add an extra advantage. Each instance has a set of two mobs that changes with every reset; for example, on Monday an instance may have crazy bat-women and on Tuesday it may feature bloodthirsty rolly-polly bugs. The same two mob types always occur in the same instance though the frequency of each is completely random. The AI pathing remains identical every time for each mob type.
~ Does each set of instances offer ONLY resources for the specified crafts?
No. While each set of instances specializes in a particular profession's materials and provides an abundance of nodes and drops for that trade, they also have a lesser proportion of items for other crafts. Mob drop items include standard vendor trash, potions, item experience scrolls, legendary and regular weapons, armour, recipes, crafting crit items and occasional components, gem shards for weapon title instances, and a variety of other items standard to end-game mob loot.
~ What kind of quest rewards are there?
There are three available quests per instance. Each instance offers reputation with either the Iron Garrison Guards or Iron Garrison Miners. There's also a small amount of silver, experience and item experience comparable to that gained through other regular quests, and one Iron Garrison token per quest completed (for a total of three per instance if all quests are done).
A Lothlorien barter item merchant
~ What exactly can I barter Iron Garrison tokens for? How much do the barter items cost?
A Sturdy Iron Key unlocks the resource chest that offers random items for each crafting trade (the items are randomized though the trade can be selected). The key costs six tokens.
Examples of runes for item experience are as follows:
1 token: Worn Heritage Rune of Learning, adds 5000 IXP
3 tokens: Worn Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 15000 IXP
6 tokens: Simple Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 40000 IXP
12 tokens: Detailed Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 100000 IXP
18 tokens: Complex Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 190000 IXP
An example of the runes
Lothlorien gold leaves cost three tokens each.
Lothlorien gold branches
~ Are crafting instances repeatable?
Yes. The instances are repeatable on a global lock timer that works like the raid locks for other instances and dungeons in Moria. The wait before the instance can be done again depends on what time it was completed; the quest-giver can detail the exact amount of time remaining on the cool-down. On average, each instance can be completed once daily,
~ Are these instances like skirmishes? Can I use my skirmish soldier?
Nope and nope. Unlike skirmishes, the crafting instances don't have "daily" special quests. They're solo-only.
~ Where can I find the instances and which crafting resources can I expect to find at each one?
Here's the summary of where they are, how to get there, and other assorted information about each. This may be slightly incomplete as I don't have time at the moment to complete each instance AND write up this handy guide. The accuracy is also at the mercy of Turbine's whims and this guide may become outdated.
HADUBAB: Scholar resource instances. Located in Durin's Way, 5.48S, 108.87W on the Durin's Way map. Look for the blue "Reputation Trader" flags on the map and a pair of quest rings.
NPC Darri offers the Mekeb-fahem "When Scholars Attack" quest set, minimum level 53.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Miners per completed quest.
NPC Orvar Steeleye offers the Mekeb-farak "Closing the Books" quest set, minimum level 55.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Guards per completed quest.
How to get there: The easiest path is to catch a regular "slow" rent-a-goat from Twenty-first Hall to Dolven View and dismount at the quest site. I've also run there from Twenty-first but it's well worth the silver spent on the ride to not have to deal with possible missed turns and mob spawns.
Map to Hadubab
MEZER-SEREJ: Wood resource instances. Located in Moria Central Halls, 7.23S, 104.75W on the Zelem-Melek map. Look for the blue "Reputation Trader" flags on the map and a pair of quest rings.
NPC Burkni offers the Bult-Kar "Cut at the Root" quest set, minimum level 53.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Guards per completed quest.
NPC Torfi offers the Sejer-Tharakh "Awls Well That Ends Well" quest set, minimum level 55.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Miners per completed quest.
How to get there: Go out the south arch of Twenty-first hall and turn left. Go down a flight of stairs and continue to a drop-off. Jump off the edge (there's a ledge to land on to the left or right to prevent broken legs before stepping off and falling to the bottom) and turn right. There are several mobs spaced in the area, including warg riders, but trust me: this is the easiest way to get there. Run past the first hallway on the right and the instances are located in the next archway on the right. Keep an eye out for sneaky or stealthed mobs between the pillars just outside the instance entrance.
Map to Mezer-Serej
GHARAF-FEHEM: Ore resource instances. Located in Moria Lower Deeps, 13.11S, 105.65W on the Redhorn Lodes map. Look for the blue "Reputation Trader" flags on the map and a pair of quest rings.
NPC Alwar offers the Tumun-Ghar "Taking Back What is Ours" quest set, minimum level 53.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Miners per completed quest.
NPC Hersiir offers the Fulz-Zahar "Protecting the Mine" quest set, minimum level 55.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Guard per completed quest.
How to get there: This one sounds very complicated. From the stable-master in Orc-Watch, go east down the stairs next to the mailbox. From here the path is a zig-zag down to the bottom level. Continue down the stairs, over the bridge, and down the flight of stairs to the left. Continue down the stairs and north over the second bridge. Follow the path to the right and down MORE stairs. At the bottom of the third set, bear right and over a small bridge to the south. There are three paths at the foot of the bridge: one goes to the right of the dividing structure, one goes slightly left, and the other is a large path on the far left. Go down the center path, the one immediately to the left of the divider (there should almost immediately be the announcement for entering Malmezel). There are several gredbeg, deep-claws, and white-hands but there's no other route that I know of that's even remotely reasonable to get to the instances. The instances are located a short run from the three-way intersection, set back on the right in a tunnel. The entrance is brightly-lit and there's a mine cart on a short piece of tracks at the very beginning (I'm including a few screenies to help place it visually). It's fairly easy to just outrun aggro and let it drop before reaching the entrance.
Just outside the entrance
Gharaf-Fehem entrance
Map to Gharaf-Fehem
So. This isn't too shabby, I hope, considering I'm sleep-deprived and typed this whole thing with one hand while holding a colicky baby. Good luck and enjoy the instances!
Many people don't know much about these instances. I think they're a wonderful, if slightly repetitive, way to gain levels, cash, reputation, and shinies for the barter merchants in Lothlorien The quests in Lothlorien make it difficult after the initial run-through to earn gold leaves, though silver branches are plentiful. In my opinion, as far as overall productivity related to the amount of time spent running around killing things, doing the crafting instances is superior to trying to wedge into "The Battle for Lothlorien" or doing general low-yield grinding.
So, without further rambling, here's my guide to the Moria crafting instances.
FAQs
~ Do you actually have to craft something to get in, or do crafting inside the instance?
No. They're called "crafting instances" because each set features a particular profession's resource nodes, item drops, and recipes. As a Yeoman I've been frustrated because I'm not a "gathering" profession, though some instances drop lots of hides and recipes for tailoring. Trades like Prospector or Forester will find abundant resources to gather, as will Scholars and most other gathering professions.
~ How exactly do they work?
The instances are set up in pairs, with three sets spread throughout Moria. There are Dwarves standing outside each instance who offer quests that reward Iron Garrison tokens, which can be exchanged with the barter merchants at any of the three locations for a key to a locked "trunk" of random crafting items for each profession. Tokens can also be exchanged for item experience runes or Lothlorien gold leaves. The quests are identical for each set of instances, consisting of a slayer-type quest that requires killing a certain number of mobs and a collection quest that requires gathering dropped items from defeated mobs. There's also a quest to defeat the boss of each instance that rewards a token.
The Hadubab quest-givers
~ What level are they? Can they be done in fellowships?
The level requirements vary per instance but the mobs are around 58-60. They instances are solo-only so they're designed as such and with a bit of patience can be done quickly and easily, even if a player is slightly under-level.
~ How long do they take? Are they timed?
Each instance has a one hour timer. Another crafting instance can't be started unless the starting quest from the previous one is completed (this is the "boss slayer" quest). The starting quest can't be canceled so it can either time out on it's own or the quest can be completed to unlock the availability of other instances. When the first quest is accepted, the timer begins. There are two other quests that accepting the first unlocks though they aren't timed. I can do a set of two crafting instances in about 30-40 minutes, though I'm allowed an hour to do EACH. With practice they're very simple and quick to complete. Please note: each instance has a lock on the same sort of timer as Carn Dum, around 2-3 days before the nodes respawn to prevent over-farming. It is possible to enter the instance and kill mobs, however the nodes to gather will not be present until the locks are timed out.
~ What kinds of mobs will I find? What about the final boss?
The regular mobs are non-elite and are easy to defeat based on a player's class, level, and personal skill level. The boss at the end is designed to be soloed but I recommend bringing a few morale, power, and other potions as well as some buff food to add an extra advantage. Each instance has a set of two mobs that changes with every reset; for example, on Monday an instance may have crazy bat-women and on Tuesday it may feature bloodthirsty rolly-polly bugs. The same two mob types always occur in the same instance though the frequency of each is completely random. The AI pathing remains identical every time for each mob type.
~ Does each set of instances offer ONLY resources for the specified crafts?
No. While each set of instances specializes in a particular profession's materials and provides an abundance of nodes and drops for that trade, they also have a lesser proportion of items for other crafts. Mob drop items include standard vendor trash, potions, item experience scrolls, legendary and regular weapons, armour, recipes, crafting crit items and occasional components, gem shards for weapon title instances, and a variety of other items standard to end-game mob loot.
~ What kind of quest rewards are there?
There are three available quests per instance. Each instance offers reputation with either the Iron Garrison Guards or Iron Garrison Miners. There's also a small amount of silver, experience and item experience comparable to that gained through other regular quests, and one Iron Garrison token per quest completed (for a total of three per instance if all quests are done).
A Lothlorien barter item merchant
~ What exactly can I barter Iron Garrison tokens for? How much do the barter items cost?
A Sturdy Iron Key unlocks the resource chest that offers random items for each crafting trade (the items are randomized though the trade can be selected). The key costs six tokens.
Examples of runes for item experience are as follows:
1 token: Worn Heritage Rune of Learning, adds 5000 IXP
3 tokens: Worn Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 15000 IXP
6 tokens: Simple Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 40000 IXP
12 tokens: Detailed Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 100000 IXP
18 tokens: Complex Heritage Rune of Legend, adds 190000 IXP
An example of the runes
Lothlorien gold leaves cost three tokens each.
Lothlorien gold branches
~ Are crafting instances repeatable?
Yes. The instances are repeatable on a global lock timer that works like the raid locks for other instances and dungeons in Moria. The wait before the instance can be done again depends on what time it was completed; the quest-giver can detail the exact amount of time remaining on the cool-down. On average, each instance can be completed once daily,
~ Are these instances like skirmishes? Can I use my skirmish soldier?
Nope and nope. Unlike skirmishes, the crafting instances don't have "daily" special quests. They're solo-only.
~ Where can I find the instances and which crafting resources can I expect to find at each one?
Here's the summary of where they are, how to get there, and other assorted information about each. This may be slightly incomplete as I don't have time at the moment to complete each instance AND write up this handy guide. The accuracy is also at the mercy of Turbine's whims and this guide may become outdated.
HADUBAB: Scholar resource instances. Located in Durin's Way, 5.48S, 108.87W on the Durin's Way map. Look for the blue "Reputation Trader" flags on the map and a pair of quest rings.
NPC Darri offers the Mekeb-fahem "When Scholars Attack" quest set, minimum level 53.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Miners per completed quest.
NPC Orvar Steeleye offers the Mekeb-farak "Closing the Books" quest set, minimum level 55.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Guards per completed quest.
How to get there: The easiest path is to catch a regular "slow" rent-a-goat from Twenty-first Hall to Dolven View and dismount at the quest site. I've also run there from Twenty-first but it's well worth the silver spent on the ride to not have to deal with possible missed turns and mob spawns.
Map to Hadubab
MEZER-SEREJ: Wood resource instances. Located in Moria Central Halls, 7.23S, 104.75W on the Zelem-Melek map. Look for the blue "Reputation Trader" flags on the map and a pair of quest rings.
NPC Burkni offers the Bult-Kar "Cut at the Root" quest set, minimum level 53.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Guards per completed quest.
NPC Torfi offers the Sejer-Tharakh "Awls Well That Ends Well" quest set, minimum level 55.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Miners per completed quest.
How to get there: Go out the south arch of Twenty-first hall and turn left. Go down a flight of stairs and continue to a drop-off. Jump off the edge (there's a ledge to land on to the left or right to prevent broken legs before stepping off and falling to the bottom) and turn right. There are several mobs spaced in the area, including warg riders, but trust me: this is the easiest way to get there. Run past the first hallway on the right and the instances are located in the next archway on the right. Keep an eye out for sneaky or stealthed mobs between the pillars just outside the instance entrance.
Map to Mezer-Serej
GHARAF-FEHEM: Ore resource instances. Located in Moria Lower Deeps, 13.11S, 105.65W on the Redhorn Lodes map. Look for the blue "Reputation Trader" flags on the map and a pair of quest rings.
NPC Alwar offers the Tumun-Ghar "Taking Back What is Ours" quest set, minimum level 53.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Miners per completed quest.
NPC Hersiir offers the Fulz-Zahar "Protecting the Mine" quest set, minimum level 55.
Rewards include 1 Iron Garrison token per completed quest and +700 reputation with the Iron Garrison Guard per completed quest.
How to get there: This one sounds very complicated. From the stable-master in Orc-Watch, go east down the stairs next to the mailbox. From here the path is a zig-zag down to the bottom level. Continue down the stairs, over the bridge, and down the flight of stairs to the left. Continue down the stairs and north over the second bridge. Follow the path to the right and down MORE stairs. At the bottom of the third set, bear right and over a small bridge to the south. There are three paths at the foot of the bridge: one goes to the right of the dividing structure, one goes slightly left, and the other is a large path on the far left. Go down the center path, the one immediately to the left of the divider (there should almost immediately be the announcement for entering Malmezel). There are several gredbeg, deep-claws, and white-hands but there's no other route that I know of that's even remotely reasonable to get to the instances. The instances are located a short run from the three-way intersection, set back on the right in a tunnel. The entrance is brightly-lit and there's a mine cart on a short piece of tracks at the very beginning (I'm including a few screenies to help place it visually). It's fairly easy to just outrun aggro and let it drop before reaching the entrance.
Just outside the entrance
Gharaf-Fehem entrance
Map to Gharaf-Fehem
So. This isn't too shabby, I hope, considering I'm sleep-deprived and typed this whole thing with one hand while holding a colicky baby. Good luck and enjoy the instances!