Are Sand Beetles Really My Only Option?

[Jooda]

Recently returned player, still trying to relearn the game

My issue is that at level 21 as a Cleric, with the gear I have at this point, it seems like the only mobs I can grind for leveling seem to be Sand Beetles. Why? Because every time I try to fight anything else, they all seem to use Piercing damage, which is around 40+ on each hit to me, and my gear seems to be horrible for that type of damage. Crush damage, I'm ok with, it's in the 30's and I can handle that.

So I guess my question is, what am I missing here? There doesn't seem to be any options for better weapons at my level, nor gear, so I feel like I'm stuck. Other mobs I should be going after? Everything I run into at level 19-24 all seem to do piercing damage. Is solo grinding sort of a non-starter here?

Killing Sand Beetles over and over is getting pretty old :P Any advice would be appreciated

[Hoberton]

Need a bit more information. What type of armor are you using, what techs do you have on them, what weapon are you using, what techs do you have on it and what heal spells are you set up with for healing yourself? Do you have any other schools so far that may help Cleric?

[AmonGwareth]

Don't grind, go do quests. Lots of quests on Lesser Aradoth. Maybe you missed some? Lots more starting at Sable Shores for T2.

[Jooda]

Need a bit more information. What type of armor are you using, what techs do you have on them, what weapon are you using, what techs do you on it and what heal spells are you set up with for healing yourself? Do you have any other schools so far that may help Cleric?

See I can already tell I'm missing a lot of info, for example, I have no idea what "techs" are :P I literally started in 2004 and came back last month, and have no clue on a lot of this stuff.

I'm using a hammer that does 17-25 or so damage. All the others I've seen don't have a damage bump until I reach level 25.

Armor, I'll have to post that tonight. Literally much of what I have is from 2004 (which is probably part of my problem), though it does seem to be on par with what I've seen for sale at my level.

Healing spells, well I have the self heal, the group heal I got from the cleric quest, and another single person heal which I cannot recall the name of.

Again, my main issue seems to be that if I fight a mob that has piercing damage, my health just chips away fast, faster than I can heal or do damage to the mob.

Thanks for your help

[Velea]

My honest suggestion is to start a new character.

If you go through from Spirit Isle to New Trismus, etc, you will find that there are a ton of quests (especially after this update goes to live) and you will be much better equipped to continue on through to level 40 and beyond. And you should have a much better understanding of the basics of the game as well.

[Jooda]

Don't grind, go do quests. Lots of quests on Lesser Aradoth. Maybe you missed some? Lots more starting at Sable Shores for T2.

I've searched and searched, and it appears to me I've done every quest I can do? I still have a few that need to be finished, but all of the last parts involve gathering resources (rock salt - can't do it, can't get to Abandoned Isle, etc).

Feel free to point me to any I may have missed, as I love doing quests. I've done all of the ones I can find in Kion and the surrounding areas, which seems to be my only option at level 21. For some reason, the Cleric instructor in Kion won't give me what I thought was another qust series, even though on the Wiki it says she gives it out after level 20, so I'm kind of confused about that.

[Jooda]

My honest suggestion is to start a new character.

If you go through from Spirit Isle to New Trismus, etc, you will find that there are a ton of quests (especially after this update goes to live) and you will be much better equipped to continue on through to level 40 and beyond. And you should have a much better understanding of the basics of the game as well.

Sentimentally and otherwise, I'm kind of attached to this character I actually went to New Trismus and did all of the quests there I could find, and got the "Hero of New Trismus" title as well.

[Jooda]

Don't grind, go do quests. Lots of quests on Lesser Aradoth. Maybe you missed some? Lots more starting at Sable Shores for T2.

Also, I tried to take the town marshall and Trophy hunter quests for the next tier, and with every mob I've tried the same issue remains - I can't seem to handle piercing damage.

[AmonGwareth]

If you've come back since 2004 then you are most likely missing a TON of quests in the game. The game is now tiered so Tier1 (levels 1-20) begins in New Trismus and continues on Lesser Aradoth. Tier2 (levels 21-40) is across the bay on the Dalimond Peninsula.

My suggestion would be to go to Kion, check there for quests. Then proceed to Parsinia (west coast) and then Sslanis. From there check Sable Shores on the western coast of the Dalimond Peninsula.

You should also look at picking up some gear. There are refurbished gear vendors in Kion and on New Trismus. Thats T1 gear that is slightly worse than regular crafted gear. But, it will help in a pinch.

I'd also recommend asking your fellow players what they would recommend. Perhaps in-game where they can also offer immediate assistance if they choose to.

[Andaras]

Jooda,

I hear ya. Cleric as a "single" Adventure class is wimpy, frustrating,
and the difficulty becomes greater as your level advances tiers.
Let's not forget that Cleric doesn't get "top of the line" abilities
for Melee. (AU 9/lvl, 1HC 9/lvl) The saving grace for Cleric is
the Shield use (10/lvl) and line of Heal spells. (Revitalize, Improved
Revitalize, Lesser Health, Health, Major Health, Group Heal, and
Ressurection - though you cannot cast that last on yourself.)

At lvl 21, you are seeing your skills/armor fall behind what is
current for the mobs you need to hunt. You currently can only wear
Bronze Platemail, and use a Fine Bronze Warhammer. (At level 100
you'll finish wearing Mithril Scalemail, Sheild Use 1000, and a Lvl 90
Mace)

My suggestion:

- Do NOT start another character from scratch, you'll just have the
same problems.
- Amon has it mostly right, look for Quests on Lesser Aradoth that you
can do, maybe also in Dalimond. The Quests from Sable Shore will just frustrate you more - Beetles and Skulks use Pierce damage.
- Make sure you have all your Heal spells for use in combat, if possible
get them remade with "Heal Increase I" tech for extra healing boosts.
- If you are not entirely opposed to Multi-classing: Take another
Adventure school to help boost the limited Cleric combat abilities.
- Consider taking a Craft school that will boost your Strength stat.
Fitter is best for that @ 10/lvl.
- If you don't already have a set, get yourself some Bronze Health Jewelry.

I'd offer to help next time I am logged in, but IIRC you are on Chaos, yes?

Hope you find this helpful,
Andaras, Saris Adventurer - Order

[Sigi]

You could try the small ruxus near the farm near Dali.

[Jooda]

My suggestion:

- Do NOT start another character from scratch, you'll just have the
same problems.

I won't be - I may start an alt later but for now I want to build this character

- Amon has it mostly right, look for Quests on Lesser Aradoth that you
can do, maybe also in Dalimond. The Quests from Sable Shore will just frustrate you more - Beetles and Skulks use Pierce damage.

I'm pretty sure that I've found every quest there, unless there are "hidden" spots with quest givers that I am missing?

- Make sure you have all your Heal spells for use in combat, if possible
get them remade with "Heal Increase I" tech for extra healing boosts.

Got them all set, and I did get the Health Increase lastweek and added itto a spell

- If you are not entirely opposed to Multi-classing: Take another
Adventure school to help boost the limited Cleric combat abilities.

Apparently when I started, I had taken Scout as a secondary. However, I cannot figure out how to level just that school. When I go to the trainer, they offer to switch me fully over to Scout, so not sure what I'm doing wrong there.

- Consider taking a Craft school that will boost your Strength stat.
Fitter is best for that @ 10/lvl.

I will try that - when I started I chose Gatherer, lvl 10 now on that.

- If you don't already have a set, get yourself some Bronze Health Jewelry.

Grabbed some off the Consigner last weekend, great stuff


Thanks for your advice!!

[Jooda]

My suggestion would be to go to Kion, check there for quests. Then proceed to Parsinia (west coast) and then Sslanis. From there check Sable Shores on the western coast of the Dalimond Peninsula.

I really have, but it doesn't seem like there are that many? And the few that I have not finished all involve gathering large amounts of resources, like Rock Salt which I can't even get to :P I'm pretty certain I've done every quest in Kion, and could only find a couple in Sslanis (the Stores Report is one, I'm stuck on it). Sable Shores has quest givers, or do you mean taking the Town Marshall and Trophy quests for that area? Most of those I can't seem to do solo due to the mobs being stronger even at or slightly below my level. Parsinia itself has quest givers as well? I didn't seem to find any last time I passed through, but I didn't scour the place.

You should also look at picking up some gear. There are refurbished gear vendors in Kion and on New Trismus. Thats T1 gear that is slightly worse than regular crafted gear. But, it will help in a pinch.

Actually did that when I first started playing again, so I believe I have the best that I can get as far as non-crafted goes.

Thanks for your help

[Garfonso]

Is solo grinding sort of a non-starter here?

For everything apart from dragons solo grinding is horrible, especially for the first school. Cleric even gives some more headache than other schools (although there are even worse schools).

My suggestion is that you try to find one of those hundreds of small dragons that seem to pop into game everyday and level up to lvl 30 to start flying and ask them to group up. They can do by far more damage than you ever will to any mob out there and sometimes can need some heals. So they benefit a bit from you, too. Leveling will be much faster in a group, especially if you have a dragon damage dealer.

However, I cannot figure out how to level just that school. When I go to the trainer, they offer to switch me fully over to Scout, so not sure what I'm doing wrong there.

The only thing you do wrong here is that you don't switch. That's the mechanic of the game. Go to the trainer, switch school. Your old school won't be lost, it will just be "on hold", like your scout currently is. That will change your level and most of your abilities (there is the concept of "mastering". Everthing till half your level of your school will be "mastered", so you keep that even if you switch school. Unless it say it can't be mastered that is, maybe you've seen that on some abilities already). And the xp you earn now will go into that active school so you level there.

The earned xp are calculated after your rating which is your current school level pumped up a bit by all your other school levels.

One mob people really like to suggest are golems, especially gem golems. Do they also do piercing damage? Don't know. Did you try them?

Regarding Quests:
There are quite some quests in Brustigo also, or around that (maybe some are still above your level). Quest givers are quite a bit scattered. For example the guard in sable shore gives some quests regarding the forrest skulk hunters. And on the road that leads out of Bristugo to the south there is some guy that wants you to squash mud flies.
And they are all scattered over the south of Dalimond also... the guard in the first village there will give you some quests about the brown back wolfes. Although they are really a PITA. My lvl 35 ranger could only very carefully manage them alone, although they were in the twenties.

Haven't investigated LA lately, so I can't speak of that. But I was in sslanis and there about all the non-trainer npcs had their quest bucket signaling to me that they have quests available for me. Did you talk to all the guards scattered around? There really are plenty of quests now.

Not sure how fast that will level you up though... are those quests really "balanced" for bipeds, too? I remember my dragon earning about 5 levels for doing all of his dragon ability quests, which he needed to to every 10 levels. So leveling up was real fast even without doing additional quests... So if you can reach lvl 40 by mainly doing quests as a dragon, that would still mean about 5 lvls of grinding for a biped if there is no compensation for the ability quests. Don't know how it really is, though... I'll search for some more quests with my little ranger soon and try to get from 35 to 40 with quests.

Actually did that when I first started playing again, so I believe I have the best that I can get as far as non-crafted goes.

Maybe you should just hit somebody and ask if he can do you an unteched t1 armor. If you start fitter (which I also suggest for the strength stat and maybe also weaver for the dexterity stat) you can even create the bronze bars for him, so it should really take only some 1-2 minutes to create that armor for you.

I hope some of these considerations might help you.

[Velea]

Why do you say you can't get to Salt Rock? There's quite a bit on Saritova and Scorpion Island, as well as Abandoned Island. You have to attune to Abandoned Island, but you do not have to attune to the destinations on the other two.

[TheRock]

Hi Jooda, I would suggest you start warrior to get better armor. Warrior skills are 10 per lvl in shield, pierce, slash and crush and armor which will help cleric a lot as you grow. I would recommend you lvl both the warrior and the cleric togather but keep the warrior 1 or 2 lvls higher than cleric. At lvl 91 warrior you should have armor use of 910 which will allow your cleric to wear platemail at lvl 91.
happy hunting

[Jooda]

For everything apart from dragons solo grinding is horrible, especially for the first school. Cleric even gives some more headache than other schools (although there are even worse schools).

Thanks very much for these suggestions, I will try them out - really appreciate it

So is Scout an OK 2nd school for me? I LOVE playing Ranger-type classes, so I'm all about using a bow if I can.

I'm really not a big fan of playing Warriors, so I don't think that's going to be an option for me, heh.

[Jooda]

Why do you say you can't get to Salt Rock? There's quite a bit on Saritova and Scorpion Island, as well as Abandoned Island. You have to attune to Abandoned Island, but you do not have to attune to the destinations on the other two.

I did not know that - I was told it was only on Abandoned Island.

Where is "Saritova"? And where on Scorpion Island do I head to? (big place isn't it?)

Thanks again for your advice

[Finkledbody]

Jooda. Get in there and play!!

No better way to learn than first hand experience.

Besides that, everyone has there own way and each will tell you the "best path".

Do it the way you like it.


Only suggestion I have?! Keep that gear updated!!

Like it was said before, teched items are good.

Want it easy?

Go here

http://sharpnetwork.net/istaria/schools.asp
^easy drop down menus to learn about the different classes^


\/Want to learn about bonuses?\/
http://sharpnetwork.net/istaria/stat_attributes.asp


Maybe you want it all?
http://sharpnetwork.net/istaria/index.asp
Thats it my friend. happy hunting

[Northwind]

I would recommend you lvl both the warrior and the cleric togather but keep the warrior 1 or 2 lvls higher than cleric.

Hehe, somehow that's exactly how i tried to start my human on F2P account as first char and first contact with the game.
At lvl 15 warr /10 cle I had troubles doin quests and killing stuff.

Now i have a dragon ancient, 100 crafting, 100 lairshaping and a nice lair while the biped is in exactly the same state.

Not trying to bring you to despair, but leveling a biped for the first adventure class in crap gear is a major pita