(N)EverQuest Scrolls

Mage Project – the last grind

by on Jan.31, 2008, under Mage Project

Why “The Last”? Because I have no intention of taking 76-80 as a grind.

I spent the last few days grinding my way from 71 to 76. I finished off the AAs that I felt I would have some reasonable use (and were available at 71), and moved on. That means full pet and spell damage AAs, plus some utility. All of this, with minor exceptions, was done at one of two camps in Nobles’ Causeway.

The first camp, which I prefer, was the NW section containing the spawns for Ridgerunner Drunt and the Aggressive Murkglider. The mobs involved were various higher level (for NC) dragorns, and murkglider stalkers. Even at 71, I could clear this area and med to full before respawns; at 75, I could add in a couple of extra mobs if I wished. This camp has the best opportunity for named spawns, meaning various muramite runes, and drops a lot of trade skill items for selling via barter in the Bazaar.

The second camp is the south east corner, from the ukun packmaster spawn down to just north of the mage 1.5 air elemental spawn spot. There are various battle-scarred bazu, murkglider stingers, and stalking ferans; the named possibilities are the ukun packmaster (which sees invis), and any of the bazu can spawn a level 68 massive bazu. Random mobs see invis in this area, unlike the NW camp. The only trade skill drops are the sunshard ores. It’s a bigger, higher level, camp, with always more mobs available to pull. I bypass the feran bull spawn, as that is always a double pull – fine if going for loot, not so fine for experience.

At the NC camps, I was getting 12-13% level experience per lesson in 75; 13% at 74, 14% at 73, and 16% at 72. One other spot I tried was the pit in Tactics, for 8% level/lesson at 73; easy fights, but poor experience and drops.

The minor exception was some time spent completing the 68-69 DoD spell arcs, including Raging Servant. I also researched the missing 69/70 spells. Other things of note: I finished DoN tier 1 progression (2 free AAs and a stat cap raise), and now only need the group task for tier 2 and the Molten Orb spell. I am missing the Saga Skins quests for PoR progression and the PoR spell. I have completed the monocle tasks for Dreadspire Keep access.

From 71 to 75, I bought most of the spells as rank II in the Bazaar; the exception was Rampaging Servant, which I used the time spent pre-70 on Shark Teeth and Shark Hunting tasks for buccaneer faction, and bought the rank 1 version. I am still missing the summoned nuke, and any of the other TBS spells from that range. That includes the TSS 71 Malosinise, which hasn’t appeared at a reasonable price (under 20kpp). TBS spells are: Beam of Molten Slag, Annihilate the Unnatural and Iceflame Body.

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