I hit 95 the other day and have been doing the quests in Vesspyr Isles, and just started the Advanced Solo Instances there as well. Have a couple pieces of yellow gemmed gear now. I have almost all my AA, and am wondering: can I start the AoM content now, or do I need to get in some kind of fully gemmed ToV gear before I proceed? Also wanted to say to the devs: The whole Vesspyr Isle is amazing. I have really enjoyed doing this content. It must have been so fun to play when it was first released. As a returning player, I was thrilled to reach this content and experience it. I'm still working on the Signature quest... good stuff.
You should be able to start on AoM without having fully gemmed ToV gear. Might be a bit challenging at first. Not sure, since the only toon I've started hunting there with had mostly cryptic gemmed pieces ( I was lazy and never did get the helm). The quest line will quickly start giving you gear on par (but with more mitigation) with 4/4 cryptic gear.
I purposely took my Ranger through the AoM quest line first since he was only in the ToV quest gear and 1 piece of cryptic. He had no problems doing the quest series especially as the gear is all upgrades so you get better as you go along. I think he only died 3 times doing the entire quest series and all of those were stupid deaths on my part - falling damage from not paying attention to where I was jumping and running through a door without looking at what was on the other side and ending up with 3 encounters. So, yeah, if you're in at least ToV quest gear and 300+ AA's you're good to go for the AoM quests.
Yes, you can start the AoM questline with crappy gear. As others have mentioned, you get new gear from completing the quests. However, have you completed all the ToV sig quests yet? I would do those first. (The final ToV sig quest requires a raid, so you can skip that part if you want.) Will take your level into 96 or so before you head over and start the AoM sig quest.
The final ToV signature quest doesnt require a raid infact no one but you can enter that zone Talk to the dragon when your in there and she buffs the holy hell outa your hps and skils so you can kill the epic mobs inside....just like the final sig quest in AoM you get a special set of skills to deal with the x4 epic mobs at the end
the level 95 tranquil armor sets are moderately popular. they are a good way to compare your present gear and if your gear is worse you can buy the sets. just search based on level 95, handcrafted tier, ryathian (sp?) set. if i recall is the health ones and i've sold a few pieces since getting my armorer to 100
I did that sig quest line for Vesspyr. I really enjoyed all of that; very fun. That last quest, yes, she buffs the heck out of you and you go solo 4x mobs. That was entertaining in the Nexus. Anyway, thanks for the info folks. I was able to jump into AoM with the ToV gear (I had a couple of Cryptic gemmed pieces, but it would have been doable in just the quested gear alone). Once you get the quest advanced far enough in Tranquil, I found out you can buy gear from the merchant in Phantom Sea. I'm currently wearing a nearly full set of Doldrum. For tanks. seems like the best set. I like the added mitigation and HP bonus, and unlike the crafted stuff, you can reforge this, so I was able to get my stats where I wanted them. Anxious to finish off my AA now and level to 100, so I can put on some decent resist gear and hit the Heroic zones.
I felt super **** on my Berserker that only had the new 95 crafted (tranquil gear). If I didn't have a mercenary I don't think I could have handled taking ~1-2 minutes per mob even at the start of the zone. But I didn't really have any problems other than boredom I suppose. And lol @ the word it censored. Don't think Ive ever thought of it as a swearword.
The merc is, IMO, a must-have feature. I wouldn't want to do much of the content without it. I think the content is really well-tuned for a merc. I run ACT sometimes, and my merc (Collector's Edition) often does upwards of 70% of the damage in encounters. I do what Paladins should do; I run up to a bunch of mobs, engage, spam AoE, and watch my merc burn 'em down while I hold aggro. Good times...
