The best way to learn about lairs etc

Hi all,

The levelling in SWL is so much faster than TSW, and I’m heading towards 50 just questing/solo. I never quite got this far in TSW. When I hit post-50, I’d like to experience some other stuff, such as lairs, raids, etc. but where to start? I’ve read basic descriptions, but I’d hate to join a group activity only to ruin it for everyone else because I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

So, any suggestions for particularly useful beginner guides or info for this kind of stuff post-level 50?

Thanks

Sticky in the Orochi Labs section :

1 Like

Also the journey begins at level 50. But jokes aside look for a cabal to join and that’s your biggest step to getting involved with endgame content.

1 Like

Many thanks!

First time you are doing any group content, simply tell people this is your first time and people will give you some rough instructions. Odds are good at this point in the game’s life span that there are people who are experienced enough and geared well enough to give you enough slack while you are learning.

4 Likes

Thanks, that’s good to know.

Don’t stress it too much! For some reason there’s been a fair influx of new people recently as well, so you are in good company.

Endgame content is split into stuff you do solo, and stuff you need a 5-10 member group for. Endgame stuff is also split into “elite level” or e#, which is a measure of your gear strength. It counts not just your talismans and weapons but also equipped glyphs and signets. This is the time for you to start worrying about “do I have the gear that I really want to invest time and effort into, and if not, where can I get it?” Elite levels start at e1 and go up to a different max level depending the activity: max e10 for dungeons and raids, e17 for Dark Agartha and faction missions, and functionally limitless for Occult Defense, though the highest anyone’s ever been is wave 45 which is equivalent to e22 or so.

Solo stuff

  • Missions in Tokyo and South Africa for distillates and cosmetics
  • Occult Defense scenarios to get glyph distillates, and chance at Nemain signets and agent dossiers
  • Faction missions - once you get to e3 gear level you unlock special missions that scale with gear level. These are basically scenario-level rewards that you can clear quickly, and beating all of them gives you some cosmetics and an agent dossier.
  • Dark Agartha - fun randomized boss rush that rewards an item that lets you boost a glyph or talisman from 3 pips to 4 pips. Costs AP and SP to enter Dark Agartha, so will slow down your upgrading of capstones and ability passives if you haven’t bought them all yet.

Group stuff

  • New York raid: People often ask for others to join for NYR SM or such, this is the “story mode” and least difficult version of the raid. Just join a group asking for members, follow everyone closely, and get your rewards in the end.
  • Dungeons: There is a group finder but it is hard to get random pickup groups these days. You might see it pop for e1 stuff, but not other difficulty levels really. It is easiest to advertise in chat and join groups that way.
  • Group Occult Defense: A lot more fun than solo OD. People tend to start on very late waves, but you can find some groups that want to go from wave 1.
  • Megabosses: You’ll see people call out “Now summoning [Some Guy] 2/6 come join!” in Agartha from time to time, especially during EU and US prime time hours. Up to 40 people can join in a beatdown on a loot pinata-style boss. There are mechanics here that might pose a danger to you, but for the most part it is just DPS for 3-6 minutes until the bosses is dead, collect rewards, rinse, repeat. To join a group, first right-click the person’s name in chat, select “Meet Up” to warp to their instance of Agartha, then run over to the “Public Raids” jump pad to get to the portal.
  • Lairs: Since you asked about these specifically, will go into some detail. For the most part killing mobs and surviving in lairs is easy, people greatly outgear the enemies. The real challenge is organization and communication. All 10 lair members need to 1) get the 3 missions at the start, 2) stay on the same steps of those missions (wait for people who died, make sure both groups are picking up mission items, make sure everyone gets credit for a mission step, etc). Clearing the lair missions grants each member an item needed to summon the lair bosses, which is the juicy reward part of the lair. There are some lairs that are a hassle because of the mechanics or lame bosses (KM, SD and SF lairs in particular) and they don’t get run as much. Basically, if it’s your first time in the lair, say so. Someone will tell you “make sure to pick up the stone” or “be sure to look at this enemy to get mission credit” or “you should put on XX gadget or use YY ability to kept DoTs off yourself.” If you think you missed a step or didn’t get credit or someone asks “Is anyone NOT 3/3 on missions?” be sure to communicate quickly to avoid making the backtracking more painful.

For group stuff, everyone else has already said it but it bears repeating, join a cabal. People will invite cabal members to activites first, your fellow members can help advise you on gearing and builds, and like any mmo stuff is just better with a group of people.

If you don’t have a cabal and want to join a friendly one, I can recommend League of Monster Slayers!

4 Likes

Just to add that when you reach e3, you will unlock the first mission, then e4 will unlock the next, and the third at e5. :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Uppastbedtime – thanks so much for going to all that trouble – very useful!

Thanks to you, too, AWOL.

What a helpful community this is.

2 Likes