Depths of Darkhollow guide is done

At long last it is done - http://www.raspersrealm.com/Everquest/DoDH/index.html

6 static zones
111 rare mobs
36 group missions
23 raids
1050 pieces of loot
35 new spells

What a huge expansion! In just under 6 months I've put together 5 expansions worth of guides (PoP, GoD, OoW, DoN, and now DoDH). I'm going to sit out Prophecy of Ro, take a week off to relax a bit before starting on TSS. Word of note, I'm going to start TSS at the Sunderock/Steppes level, skipping over Moors, Hive, Roost, and Mesa. It is going to be big enough without including the low level content which most people just jump over anyway.

Thank You

I haven't had a chance to look through all of it yet, but props again. Your guides are simple and effective. I always like having guides that don't involve navigating and having to stomach the visual appeal of ZAM.

You can't sit out POR, your guidance may be the only thing that makes POR tolerable for future TLPs

Thank you!

Down with Zam!!!!

Thanks Rasper, you rock

Thank you so much for all the hard work you've put into these guides, Rasper. They are one of the most useful resources out there.

No guide can help that.... and I pieced together much/most of the progression portion for Allah's.

POR "exists". The only way to make it palatable would be to tie it into a double launch (DoDH +PoR)

In an ideal world with unlimited time and no health issues, I'd migrate all the guides to the new format. But trying to keep up with Selo progression limits the time and Dystonia limits it further, so PoR migration was sacrificed.

There is the old version (which uses frames /cringe) for progression at least - http://www.raspersrealm.com/Everquest/PoR/index.html

thanks for this!

It needs to go the other way. PoR + TSS joint launch. If there is ever a moment when the best available gear comes from Deathknell, we have problems.

But.... No one wants DK gear when they can get TSS gear. Maybe an earring clicky or Ghostrider.

DK has supplemental gear to DPoB. It takes like 1.5-2hrs to clear (mostly due do script timers).

TSS at least fills up a few raid nights. DoDH and PoR combines -might- equal what TSS offers, if you toss in Suchun/Sullon on the side, and an occasional ToB boss for the 1-3 BiS.

That's the point. If I never have to ever raid DK again, that's fine with me. Worst raid zone ever.

As someone who has never done DoDH before - is there a lot of content or what? I didn't even really read through anything but the raid portion - haven't looked at the group missions yet.

As far as raiding. There are smaller group/raid portions needed to get access. As well as 5 flag raids which you will probably do once. Then 9 bosses in the end zone. With the exception of the monocle (think sigs) needed to get into DP you wont be backflagging much. I imagine most guilds will be on a DP/Anguish cycle until PoR.

The group game has a lot of arcs to complete for spells, mask clicky etc. So ya there is a lot of content. IMO enough to skip PoR and spend 2 months in DoDh while you wait for TSS.

Kinda what I was thinking with the little reading I did. What's so bad about PoR that everyone on it all the time?

The 5 flag raids are just basically to get someone able to request the next, similar to DoN progression? Anyone can get in so long as someone can trigger?

No. You need to do the raids in order to access the final zone. There are backflags, but everyone needs to be flagged one way or anothere, or piggied in.

PoR is miserable for a number of reasons. Some of the earlier raids are fun, and even some of DK's raids are not bad. A lot of the progression however is tedious, and everyone needs to do it. The final encounter of the expansion is absolutely terrible--The raid mostly stands around doing nothing while one person clicks an item each minute, until you've got thirty clicks in on the boss. So for all practical purposes the raid consists of a half hour of doing nothing, followed by a short and trivial tank and spank. This comes after DoDH, which had the most epic final fight of any expansion up to that point--a huge letdown. In addition, there are only four events in DK, making it by far the smallest raid end zone in the history of the game.

Yeah...

The big pain with PoR is the "Becoming the Vessel" task. NRo(Tak) 1-3, and Skylance 1-3 are quick and easy. Most people will at least want to do Mission 3 from each for the spell/skill/aura.
Becoming the Vessel it just awful. Saga Skins is awful (Pre-req for getting "Becoming the vessel" but only 1 person needs to have it). When PoR first launched, you could get up to 9 groups on the quest and "raid" it.. That got nerfed real quick.

Absolutely spot-on for DK. DK's downfall from being fun is the timed scripts. Event 1: 15 mins of smacking the same gargoyles, merely as a DPS check + mana check.... then the other gargs come active, you kill and win. Event 2: Kill bats, wait.. Kill bats, disarm traps, wait... kill bats, disarm traps, kill zombies, wait...... kill bats, disarm traps, kill zombies, "exhaust" orcs.. win. Arguably the worst event in the instance. Event 3: pull trash, OT named, pull trash, OT named, pull trash, OT named. Burn down the stunny trash as it comes in. Kill all 3 bosses, keeping within 10% of each other. Easiest and quickest event. Then.. finally... ARo.... the culmination of all your hard work..... Click a fetter.. Mez adds, kill the 1-3 non-mezzables. Repeat 30ish times.. tank-n-spank after...

The hardest/best raids (IMO) were in Sullon's tower. Suchun was "okay" but really trivial after DPoB. Daosheen is an absolute borefest.

For a non-raider, PoR offers a lot of different stuff to do and it really isn't a "bad" expansion from that aspect... From a raid standpoint, it's pretty darn disappointing. For TLP's, there just isn't the population (even on the best TLP's) to warrant a full slot to PoR. The only thing it brings are the "circle of" clickies and a unique looking mount.

Since TLP's are the only real reason to address much/any of the older content... I'd definitely be for some change. Becoming the vessel, for sure, needs a "fix" Sverag almost always being giants.. needs a fix. I doubt much can be done about DK events.. they'll just always be disappointing after killing Mayong.

I do still think it should launch with DPoB.. even though Mayong is supposed to ascend and then begin the conquest of ToB etc.. Maybe have it launch the next day after Mayong gets killed. People can still skip it.. but it does add a little more content, some spells/skills, and supplemental loot to what you get in DPoB.

Don't forget fighting to get the non-instanced dragons and porthio