Surefall Druid

6 November 2002

Pine Druid Armor

Talk to Salmekia and make a list of items required for the newbie armor. Most of it is droppable, and most of that can be bought from vendors, if players have sold to them. Each item also requires the equivalent gnoll ruined leather piece, which is heavy, but can be worn as armor. These all drop in Blackburrow, but can be bought from vendors easily. Good places to look for player sold armor are the druid and ranger guild, the bard build, and the first couple of vendors found in each zone (yes, Tubal Weaver, and the shop just before reaching the monks guild are both good sources). You should be aware that rangers have an identical shopping list to druid, with the single exception that they need ruined gnoll chain armor. With their early track, unless you manage to team with a ranger to share drops, you'll be late to get the necessary loot.

While collecting items for the armor, I usually recommend either collecting minor armor drops, doing a quest that gives armor pieces, or making patchwork armor; however, there are none of these in Surefall or Qeynos. So make money from rat and snake loot, and use it to buy ruined gnoll leather armor and field rat pelts. Hides for patchwork can't be collected in Qeynos Hills, for two reasons - first, you need ruined cat pelts, and there are no cats, only wolves and bears which make the wrong size armor, and secondly, Holly Windstalker will kill anyone she sees fighting a wolf or bear - whoever started it. Cats can be found in West Karana, but by the time it is safe to hunt them, the newbie quests should be complete.

No drop items required are the gnoll fang, eight large whiskered bat furs, one giant whiskered bat fur and six giant field rat whiskers - which are rare drops from an uncommon animal.

The full shopping list is:

full suit of ruined gnoll leather armor
34 spiderling silks
8 large whiskered bat furs (NO DROP)
one giant whiskered bat fur (NO DROP)
4 giant field rat whiskers (NO DROP)
4 giant field rat pelts
1 large field rat pelt
gnoll fang (NO DROP)
1 large king snake skin
sharpening stone(s)
the head of a bloodsaber defiler (NO DROP)

The gnoll armor drops from patrolling gnolls and guardsmen in Blackburrow - if you are of a suitable level (10-12+) drop down the tree trunk trap into a pool surrounded by patrolling gnolls and guards, they won't aggro while you are fully in the water, but the wandering mobs on the bottom floor can be killed from level 6 upwards. Spiderling silks can be found in West Karana, but are most common in the newbie area of Everfrost. Wooly spiderlings will still give experience up to level 6, and is is just about possible to make the trip through Blackburrow and past the gnoll guards at 5. If you have the Planes of Power expansion, you can easily and safely reach this area whenever you wish, using the book in North Qeynos. Watch out for vengeful skeletons, which look exactly like decaying skeletons until they are within aggro range of you, and are several levels too high. You can buy a large sewing kit from the vendors near the Halas entrance in Everfrost, which is a useful container to have later, as it can hold giant sized items, as well as being a way of making silk threads without having to track down a loom; and take the time to go into Halas to collect a small stack of sharpening stones from the vendor behind the smithy that sells ores. While in Halas, go to the bank to collect a bard letter to deliver to Qeynos. Spiderlings also exist in West Karana near the first set of bandits, but are much scarcer than in Everfrost. Large whiskered bats are common in Qeynos Hills, and often corpses are left to rot with the furs you require on them. Giant field rats spawn all over the hills, and seem to be most common in the south end newbie area, at the far west and east of that end of the zone. Giant whiskered bats seem to be most common on the hills to the west of the Sayers shop, and large king snakes in the hills between the Sayers and Blackburrow entrance, on either side of the path. All of these you can start to fight and kill from 4 to 6 quite comfortably solo; you will be 8 before giant whiskered bats are dark blue, however.

The bloodsaber defiler is a necro, about level 10 - 12, and will aggro if you come near her; she is behind a secret entrance to the Surefall caves just behind the druid guild, and so an intrepid newbie druid is very likely to have an early bad experience with her while exploring behind the druid guid tree. Higher level druids are very likely to pull and kill her if they see low level druids around, so you may be lucky and be able to loot the head early on; if you have to kill her yourself, wait for a small group and until you are level 12 - you will be both feared and dotted.

Equipped with a sewing kit, and with tailoring skill boosted by combining 34 (or more) spiderling silks into silk thread, make your way into West Karana. Follow the path east to the first set of buildings north of the path, where you will find a patterns vendor who has patterns for gorget, belt, mantle and cloak. If you are lucky, one of the vendors near here will have several ruined cat pelts for sale. Combine one of these with one pattern in your sewing kit, until you have filled out all the slots left empty by the newbie armor; and, if you are still missing some items, make patchwork armor to fit empty slots, to sell once you have your newbie armor made. You are quite likely to get aggro from wandering lions passing by this area, so I don't suggest doing this until level 6 or more.

[Everquest Articles | Home Page | Company]