Satyr Islands

[GalemThawn]

In the recent Nadia discussions, the Satyr Islands have been brought up as a crazy and difficult place to hunt. Isn't that the way they are supposed to be?

I've hunted the Satyr islands some. Not as much as some others. I even know some that spend, or have spent a LOT of their hunting time out there.

From my experience, even solo, I found the islands to be as difficult as expected. Very challenging and fun. It's one of the places that no matter what specialized armor I wear, I can't dominate the mobs.

So, what are the real expectations of 'most' players. Surely the majority doesn't want a to simply harvest comps there like a level 100 Gatherer on Flax.

Please understand, I'm not trying to say other players tactics suck or start a flame war of 'elites' vs 'casuals'. I'm seriously curious just how easy/difficult players expect these islands to be. Should there be just less types? Take away the spiders and fyakki?

[AmonGwareth]

From my point of view (and yes its not as a player) I feel that each of hte islands should have a purpose, a goal. You should fight from one end to the other for a reason.

The problem as I see it now is that the spawns were haphazardly assigned during the merge without a real plan or even any documentation about what is where. I want to fix it, I just have to evaluate it and rip it apart first.

They should indeed be difficult, but they should each be unique.

Note: Thats a long term wish, nothing I am doing right now.

[Takora Drakan]

The satyr islands are not hard, if you know what you are doing there. Players expect that t5 comps are a walk in the park, those are higlevel and elite mobs, deal with them. There are many savespots on the island, you have to know them. And even I as a dragon can farm the islands quite easy if I want, it doesn't require to have a multiclassed biped for that. Watch the mobs and learn their pathing and spawn zones. If you know your enemy you will beat it.

[lightning claw]

The satyr islands are not hard, if you know what you are doing there. Players expect that t5 comps are a walk in the park, those are higlevel and elite mobs, deal with them. There are many savespots on the island, you have to know them. And even I as a dragon can farm the islands quite easy if I want, it doesn't require to have a multiclassed biped for that. Watch the mobs and learn their pathing and spawn zones. If you know your enemy you will beat it.

+1
100% agree with you

Death in game is a Learning experience

[Zexoin]

One thing you seem to forget, but bipeds CAN'T FLY. It's easy to get to a safe spot as a dragon, it's not as a biped.

But I agree, the Satyr isles shouldn't be a cakewalk. They should be a tough place, it's WA after all. But the greater the difficulty is, the better the reward should be. This is not the case at the moment.
I like Amon's idea of reorganizing the isle, with a goal for each of them. I can't wait to see that.

[Firebrand]

And bipeds don't have the one shot kill cheat that most Dragons use without counting...

[Zexoin]

And bipeds don't have the one shot kill cheat that most Dragons use without counting...

Gold Burst ftw. xD

[GalemThawn]

Speaking of Dragons flying, the Amon will have to (and I'm confident he will) keep that in mind when developing/designing the islands. If the goal is simply at the opposite end and you have to fight through, Dragons might have the option to just fly over everything and get to the end. It will be interesting (even if in the distant future) to see what ideas are implemented.

[Sigi]

Some weird magic could prevent dragon flight at the Satyr Islands

[Veruliyam]

Take away the very thing that makes us unique in the world?!?!

I think not!!!

How about waypoints on the ground that you have to touch down for/run through?

[Teto Frum]

You'd still be unique none of the rest of us run on all fours *chuckles*

[Veruliyam]

Heheh.

[Jayne]

I think one of the main challenges of the satyrs as they are is getting from one end to the other. Yes the mobs are in groups and are mixed, thats the whole point. If they werent and all blues vex were at one end of on island then a dragon can just fly and land there. What of the rest of us???

Yes I agree and always have, I like challenge. They are the WA, they should be as they are, hard.

Please dont do what was done and drop a group of zombie ogres all by themselves in their own area.

That was the main challenge to get a zombie ogre toe, you had to contend with the wraith group. Now all you do is go east and find them alone, and they are easy to kill. The challenge was killing them in a wraith group in the past, thats what made them difficult.

If I wanted easy i would buy a game for the playstation and buy the cheat guide.

[Vortura]

I love the Satyr Islands. Always have after I got the courage to give it a decent try. Love it to death which is almost guaranteed for my hunting partners.

I loved finding a lvl85 wraith, because I knew there was a higher chance it would spawn ogre zombies, and I could easily deal with the other spawned mobs. If you kept the wraith alive, and got rid of it's aggro, it would return to it's spot and spawn more critters, and every now and then another ogre zombie appeared. Many times you could keep "farming" the wraith like this for days, until maintenance reset everything or someone came along and killed it. Before the ogre zombie "road of plenty" you would expect to kill a ogre zombie every 15-20 mins and walk away with 2 or 3 toes if you've been particularly fortunate during a 2-3 hour session. I remember teaching Kwinn about how to properly hunt these things. ahh those were the days

Diviners, hate those. I can't kill them solo if they are lvl90 and above. I'm very envious of those who can deal with them, or multiple shaman.
Your standard WA mobs, will drop their sternums, werewolf skulls, wrappings etc around 1 in 10 kills.

Kwellen groups you have to be prepared for. By that I mean energy resist and wards. Expect to spend a bit of time stunned and rapidly losing health. The energy node comps are few and far between. Don't be disappointed if you only get 1 comp for every 20 kills, feel lucky.

Vexators are almost always non social, expect to spend some time stunned and being beaten to death. Expect a comp drop rate of 1 in 5 for blue and 1 in 20 for red.

Abominations are by far the weaklings, and non social. Sometimes they just stand still and let you kill them. Other times they flurry at you and can drop your health very quickly, but if you've got Cloak of Thorns/spiked scales, they beat themselves to death on this very quickly. You should feel unlucky if you don't get a comp drop on at least every second abomination. Often they drop 2 or maybe 3 comps.

Aegrors hit hard, and their accompanying flies can also be a pain. I like watching their belly wobble as the hirt the dirt dead. Comps about 1 in 10..maybe less.

I do have problems with the wraith groups. I mean, the game has problems. If I'm stuck with mobs I can't kill and they can't kill me, all you have to do is kill the wraith and keep yourself alive. After a while, the mobs will vanish while you're fighting them. Quite a handy lifesaving feature, but still a problem.

Despite what many think, you don't have to be wearing fully teched equipment or have the best crystals or even be heavily or lightly multiclassed biped to hunt the islands. You just need to start slow and work out your strengths and their weaknesses. There's enough info in these forums to make a good start with that. You can be a lvl85 mage in T3 and T4 armour with unteched spells and be successful.

Spiders and Fyakki are annoying because they get in the way, and the palsy/famine/etc wisps I especially dislike because I am forever forgetting to change back to my normal weapon without the special damage conversion crystal.


Reorganising the islands would be interesting, because as mentioned previously, it currently doesn't make much sense. Hopefully this can be done and still remain difficult for groups but able to be hunted solo (if you're careful).

[Creme]

From my point of view (and yes its not as a player) I feel that each of hte islands should have a purpose, a goal. You should fight from one end to the other for a reason.

The problem as I see it now is that the spawns were haphazardly assigned during the merge without a real plan or even any documentation about what is where. I want to fix it, I just have to evaluate it and rip it apart first.

They should indeed be difficult, but they should each be unique.

Note: Thats a long term wish, nothing I am doing right now.

As I see it, the islands are unique (and difficult) and that's what makes them fun.

I have to use a different "strategy" on each island, as the layouts are all different, the mob spawn locations are different, the spots to "pull" mobs are different.

I switch islands depending on which mobs I'm hunting, as some are better for hunting as a biped, some better as a dragon and which mobs I'm trying to go after as either.

I like the islands because you can't just run from one side of the island to the other and pull everything and kill it.

I don't find that any of the mobs are unduly difficult to kill, as long as you have a strategy, take your time and are patient.

I can hunt successfullly on the islands either as a biped or a dragon; I also know a good number of dragons that hunt there very successfully, as well as many bipeds that hunt there successfully. It really is, as someone mentioned, learning the spawn patterns/locations and that takes trial and error.

[velveeta]

i confess - i have never been to the satyr islands....i don't even know how to get to them, as far as i know......

but they sound like something i should look into.......

[Veruliyam]

, , and again, !!!

Never been?!? I've been! Acquired a few death points doing it, too. Trying to get elnathian silver and whatnot.

Allows one to practice hit & run tactics.

Hit one mob with all you have, loot, fly up and heal.

Run off when they decide to group on you.

[Valornyx]

People know me best as a dragon perhaps - but I have a number of bipeds (including Valdaar R169 - not an underpowered biped it must be admitted) but I do not have much problem holding my own on the satyr islands with a careful, considered, approach. If you run right through the middle and get a bunch of mobs on you - you're going to be quickly toasted - but if you think your way through it, time your runs, and pick your "safe zones" - you can get right into the heart of the islands.

Actually I quite like the challenge of hunting there since you do have to plan your way through it a lot more than most other places.

You will likely make a number of goofs and rack up a good supply of DPs until you work out the lie of the land and the spawn zones - but once learned it is actually a fun place to hunt as a biped .. dragon is much easier (with flight).

edit - except for the little green balls of spite!! - I never like them since I always forget to change out my weapons/crystals and get smoked.

[Zexoin]

edit - except for the little green balls of spite!! - I never like them since I always forget to change out my weapons/crystals and get smoked.

I 'spiked scale' them to death

[CallakDW]

I don't feel that pulling one or two mobs to designated "safe spots" which is most people's idea of "knowing how to hunt there" is really fun IMO. I would like the islands to be easy enough that it is fun to fight, on the ground, from one end to the other, down the center path with a 5 member party, and the ocasional rezable death, but without whiping out. I don't think even the strongest known gifted group can do this as it stands right now.