Post by Valiancy on Feb 27, 2016 23:21:04 GMT -8
Shadow Missions are wonderful little excursions with all sorts of fun baddies to beat up and wail on. Depending on the difficulty you choose, it can be a fun challenge or an easy farm.
The favorite SM for quick cash is Conflict on Hard mode or Elite because of the cash output; 14,700g on HM, and 19,600g on Elite. Top that off with some nifty shadow crystals of your choosing and you'll be fumbling to play inventory tetris when a boat load of shinies drop on the ground after completing the mission. It is also one of the quickest, if you have a full (Four person) team of people that can kill everything with their little toe.
It requires three to four people and has many other quirks about it that I personally find less than desirable when looking for easy, laid-back gold earning.
For starters the shadow archers in this one are so much more than just annoying. They have ridiculous range and because of the spawn pattern and way the field is laid out they take advantage of it without even trying to. If you are to do this SM, I'd suggest stomping them like you would a sizable spider. If they exist, they will shoot you in the face. A lot. Being shot in the face is not very fun, either. So stomp them archers, kill them with fire, just make sure they can't go pewpew no more.
There are some ice mines on the map as well that will either give you a very minor advantage (the mean ol' baddies step into it) or a slightly larger disadvantage (you or the NPCs step into it and become frozen ducks). However, the ice mines do have a set spawn location so if you keep that in mind you can use them to your advantage.
A row of barrier spikes is in the field as well, and although you can take cover behind them from the melee opponents, the archers like to shoot through them in some blatant disregard for rules and logic. Reminder: Overkill the archers.
You will have two soldiers and three archer NPCs "assisting" you in the fight but if any combination of two die, the mission fails. If the NPC archers had a redonkadonk range like the mean Shadow archers, maybe they would be a tad more useful.
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Now, Val's most favorite SM for money and quick experience ever is Battle for Tailteann II.
Party size is 1-3 people, so solo or group is possible. It yields more money per run than Conflict but will generally take a little while longer depending on your own comfort level with it, mission rank, etc.
Ice mines are strewn across the main path of the map. Run it on basic a handful of times and just remember the general locations of where they are to avoid if you so wish. Or learn the hard way like I did
As for the monsters, they spawn in manageable groups of four to five as you progress to the boss room. There are archers, lancers, and warriors. I still recommend taking out the archers first because getting shot in the face does still hurt, but they can't take advantage of their stupid range because of the way the confines of this map.
At the start there's a wall of barrier spikes blocking the main gate with a couple ice mines. If you stick to the right hand side by the gate wall and shimmy on through you should be fine. The first group of mobs is directly behind this barricade, and aggroes fairly quickly so do be careful. Run straight and you'll find the next group spawned.
For the fourth spawn, go left around the barrier spikes to avoid the ice mine. Go down the hill from here and follow the road to kill the fifth spawn; The sixth and final group is over the next hill.
In the boss room is a cluster of lancers, archers, fighters, and warriors around a Shadow Commander. Take the little guys out so they don't interfere, or go after the head honcho first. As long as you get it done, it doesn't matter how you do it.
A couple things to note for Mr.Commander,
The favorite SM for quick cash is Conflict on Hard mode or Elite because of the cash output; 14,700g on HM, and 19,600g on Elite. Top that off with some nifty shadow crystals of your choosing and you'll be fumbling to play inventory tetris when a boat load of shinies drop on the ground after completing the mission. It is also one of the quickest, if you have a full (Four person) team of people that can kill everything with their little toe.
It requires three to four people and has many other quirks about it that I personally find less than desirable when looking for easy, laid-back gold earning.
For starters the shadow archers in this one are so much more than just annoying. They have ridiculous range and because of the spawn pattern and way the field is laid out they take advantage of it without even trying to. If you are to do this SM, I'd suggest stomping them like you would a sizable spider. If they exist, they will shoot you in the face. A lot. Being shot in the face is not very fun, either. So stomp them archers, kill them with fire, just make sure they can't go pewpew no more.
There are some ice mines on the map as well that will either give you a very minor advantage (the mean ol' baddies step into it) or a slightly larger disadvantage (you or the NPCs step into it and become frozen ducks). However, the ice mines do have a set spawn location so if you keep that in mind you can use them to your advantage.
A row of barrier spikes is in the field as well, and although you can take cover behind them from the melee opponents, the archers like to shoot through them in some blatant disregard for rules and logic. Reminder: Overkill the archers.
You will have two soldiers and three archer NPCs "assisting" you in the fight but if any combination of two die, the mission fails. If the NPC archers had a redonkadonk range like the mean Shadow archers, maybe they would be a tad more useful.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, Val's most favorite SM for money and quick experience ever is Battle for Tailteann II.
Party size is 1-3 people, so solo or group is possible. It yields more money per run than Conflict but will generally take a little while longer depending on your own comfort level with it, mission rank, etc.
Ice mines are strewn across the main path of the map. Run it on basic a handful of times and just remember the general locations of where they are to avoid if you so wish. Or learn the hard way like I did
As for the monsters, they spawn in manageable groups of four to five as you progress to the boss room. There are archers, lancers, and warriors. I still recommend taking out the archers first because getting shot in the face does still hurt, but they can't take advantage of their stupid range because of the way the confines of this map.
At the start there's a wall of barrier spikes blocking the main gate with a couple ice mines. If you stick to the right hand side by the gate wall and shimmy on through you should be fine. The first group of mobs is directly behind this barricade, and aggroes fairly quickly so do be careful. Run straight and you'll find the next group spawned.
For the fourth spawn, go left around the barrier spikes to avoid the ice mine. Go down the hill from here and follow the road to kill the fifth spawn; The sixth and final group is over the next hill.
In the boss room is a cluster of lancers, archers, fighters, and warriors around a Shadow Commander. Take the little guys out so they don't interfere, or go after the head honcho first. As long as you get it done, it doesn't matter how you do it.
A couple things to note for Mr.Commander,
- If you see a question mark bubble over his head, stay away from him. This attack is an npc version of Life Drain and does percentage damage, slows, and you may not attack while he has it active. Stay out of his range until he finishes his little tantrum then resume with the butt kicking.
- After some time he may summon a George. Er...golem. They're unusually speedy for a pile of rocks so kill the little pebble man if you need to.
The quickest run I've done of this mission was ~four and a half minutes. I run it regularly for money, experience, and Royal Alch points so I know it like the back of my hand. Just give me a shout if you want help to try it and I'll tag along to show you the ropes =)
