In the Fen Country

So today I want to discuss what is my favourite wilderness, The Red Fens. I will save the dungeons for a later date but want to discuss the first really big slayer in the wilderness game. Yes all 7,500 of them! And nice that I can use a classical music reference to title this entry.

So 7,500 monsters to slay in an area with a base value of just under 150k experience including explorers and rares. For me, having bought both expansion packs, all my characters have tomes of at least 10% bonus add in Voice of the Master (5%) and the experience bonus from a guild airship (4%) and I start with just under 20% bonus in the wilderness. So realistically the Red Fens are worth 175k experience to me. Yeah definitely big numbers around level 9. Even with a third life character it is most of the experience required  to jump a level. With a first lifer the amount of experience that can be gained could push you through 2 levels. Certainly for those of us who enjoy the wilderness this is a good value option with our time,

Just hope I picked up all 3 crests

Now don't get me wrong 7,500 is a massive number, I have done it on several characters without any slayer boosts. But now with the boosts rather than 71 runs in the Fens I can do it in 23 or 24 with the major slayer boost. Now we are still talking 9 potions and about 8 hours 20 minutes but that is a lot less than the day and a third it takes without the boost (and any sleep if you really want to push it).

For me once I do my first run and get all the explorers I have a route that takes me all round the edge of the wilderness and lets me have a crack at 11 of the rares. Also the route I like finishes near the summoning altar where you need the 3 crests dotted around the wilderness to summon Anogoreth the abishai who likes to get hurt, disappear and then come back to die. The 3 crests can be found at the burned out ravenseye village, somewhere around the base of the Ziggurat and in the Mudpot. Now the crests do move around a little so just because you found them in one place once don't expect them to be in the same place next time.

Adding to the body count

Now apart from Nab Ren, who is a bit of a pain sometimes, the other monsters are relatively bearable. I do dislike wisps as they have a bad habit of scaring my characters and then you just have to wait till it wears off to carry on slaying. Now for me slaying is good when you don't want to think as the route is something I have done so many times I can do it half asleep (and often do). With the 200% boost on the slayer 2500 kills is a lot less painful and it is viable to do in a day. Add in an experience boost at the high end taken just before your 5,000 and it will last till the 7500 if you are using a 3 hour or more experience elixir and 3 of the 200% slayer boosts. I am thinking of a near 50% bonus for the two last points where you get experience.

For those who don't spend turbine points on these things then the graft is a lot harder and yeah having done it questing is the better option with limited time. I "solo" with a cleric hireling and it is a choice that was frustrating before the 200% boost. A lot of the time I missed out of the top end as I would run quests as well and find them a more viable use of my gaming time.

Finally I want to bring up my real bugbear on this, the lack of favour on wildernesses. Clearing 7,500 monsters out to help the drow and House Kundarak you would think there would be a big chunk of favour for putting the time and effort into clearing the area for them. Turbine come on be good about this and give favour in the Wildernesses based on the slayer count. Better you it would drive up the sales of slayer boosts = more money for turbine and make some of the favour targets a little less elitist!