Esianti: Palace of the Winds...question

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Rayzen, Dec 29, 2018.

  1. Rayzen Elder

    Ok, so I am wondering about something with this strange progression. By strange, I mean the fact you need to progress into a tier 2 zone in order to progress into a tier 1 zone. Anyways...assuming you've got your one smoke trial down, and have done the proper quests in Empyr, and Aalishai; Can you zone straight into Esianti from Stratos, without doing trials? I'm just asking for the sake of curiousity. I can and will do the progression either way...just wondering.
  2. Qbert Gallifreyan

    Once you've done the quests to get to Esianti's writ, you can come and go as you please. You need to do all of the progression first.
  3. Rayzen Elder

    TY for the Answer. I just finished fight fire, and when the bonus xp is over, I'm going to give the trials a shot. Just need to figure out which is easiest to start. I've been reading some are ridiculous. I'm a little slow out of the gate, but I always get there. ty again.
  4. Vdidar Augur

    Wending Ways is easiest imo. Takes a long time but easy.
  5. NeverPayForLag Augur

    It is not only strange but somehow inconsistent...

    My first look into Esianti now. The further into the expansion, the more there is a mix between T2 and T1 drops. I somehow don't understand the logic herein.

    The first expansion part is locked behind a relatively difficult and highend part.
    Then I have now the named which drops T2 and T3/TS parts to get you up and running for the missions like used in previous expansions
    Then there are missions which are at first quite a challenge and drop T2/T3 parts.

    Then it starts to get strange. I have to run back into Stratos for quest parts and these missions drop then T1 stuff while everybody should have been now equipment beyond that? Btw. I had T1 drops from nearly every mission. If there would be a way to port somebody in - then this would be an idea - but to get these missions done you have to have a minimum gear set and then the T1 drops do not make really any sense anymore....do they?

    Should these missions be downed first before dropping named? This would be very....mh.... odd...
    And if you are raider then you simply don't need anything from that...

    And for the normal zones the port spells do not work unflagged but fellowship does - makes even less logic...unless there is another way...

    The loot table is somehow very odd...

    Anybody at Mearatas stage has an answer?
  6. Qbert Gallifreyan

    I'm just guessing here, but:

    • Clearly, Stratos is T1. Clear the first mission (Fight Fire) and you get into Plane of Smoke temporarily.
    • Clear a Smoke mission (which drops MOSTLY T1 . . . but sometimes T3 drops (diminished)) and you have 2.5 day access to Empyr, which is a T2 zone.
    • I still haven't done the Empyr mission (massive mana loss of 75k from the start? no thanks, I'll mess around with that later), but it is the same deal as Smoke - T1 stuff with occasional diminished bits.
    • Passing through Empyr quests (mission not required though), you get to Aalishai, where again the mission is T1 stuff with the occasional diminished. This and some tie-in quests gets you to Esianti permanently.
    • Esianti is a permanent T1 zone. My speculation is that the developers anticipated people finishing the required steps to get into Esianti while the Smoke trial's 2.5 day lockout was in place. Then, you have both of the open T1 zones to play in and gear up in (Stratos + Esianti).
    • The wrinkle of course is that static Plane of Smoke is T1 . . . I would have expected it to be T2. I don't see a lot of random non-raider types getting into static Plane of Smoke.
    • Obviously there are more quests than this to get into further content, but when you've made it this far, you're tackled T1 content (though some of it takes place in T2 . . . it drops T1 stuff) and theoretically are ready to handle T2 and/or can keep farming up some gear in the now two T1 open zones.
    • When you do progress, the mission in Esianti, for example, drops T2 gear, so the progression missions consider where you are (T1 vs. T2) for the reward level - not necessarily where the mission physically takes place.
    I've done everything through and including Relic Raider (minus three Smoke trials and minus the Empyr mission because the merc healers just aren't hangin' to be able to eat massive mana drains so I'll wait to pound my head against that until I have the last few bits done post-Mearatas). I always run with two cleric mercenaries and one wizard mercenary.
  7. NeverPayForLag Augur

    I am not surprised. I doubt that the most people except some small numbers have done all Trials.
    I even do not expect that I will do them till next expansion. They are horrible. I could tag every toon with lfgs for some elite players but that is a thing which will cost me too much time and if I have to quit because RL calls, that would suck.

    I can handly so far every Empyr, Stratos and Aalishai named. But honestly the Trials are far from being beaten. Stupidly I popped my fellowship in Esianti and now I cannot enter back into Empyr or Aalishai and have to do the trial again.

    Empyr and Aalishai are fun. The tank is nearly T2 ready. But in these now open parts only T1 is dropping. Honestly the gap between the Trials and the T1 zones are far beyond anything. Even the missions and quests so far upto Esianti was playable. A Challenge but playable.

    But the Trials are the devil.
    I wished they would not destroy the fun in this whole expansion with this darn lockout. :(

    Whoever came at this design idea should get hanged...o_O