sometimes i do stupid things without knowing, but it's especially tragic when i do stupid stuff while i am fully aware.
i have rerolled so many characters that i have levelling newbs up down to a science.
here's how it works: i have a complete set of explorer gear (armor, shield and jewelry) that i use for my first 15 or so levels, hunting the drudge hideout first, then the shoushi grotto, then finally the first two pincer runs and the olthoi arcade. once you get lore up to a usable level, it's time to look for level4 and 5 item buffs, or work on becoming 3 schooled, and casting level 3 spells. once you hit something like 15th to 20th, you hit the lugian citadel, and at 20th it's time to move into lesser olthoi armor. from there, you should be street legal and can hunt for your own loot.
this isn't a quick process since i really don't do buff bots, but it is fairly efficient. wendigo, my xbow tank, has made the jump from explorer armor to olthoi gear, with an unimbued simulacra helm that i found in a shop. i have him some level4 item buffs, including cold and acid protects (which he will use to hunt the sclavus cit), and a nice pair of armor6 pants. i cheated a little and used nai to drop some buffs on him to activate the stuff, but he is essentially ready to hunt. the only problem is he is lacking the physical protects such as blade, bludge, and pierce.
this makes hunting in the arcade pretty challenging since bugs can do hella piecing damage if you aren't protected.
i figured his meleeD was gonna make up for his lack of protects, but i was clearly mistaken. my first trip there i met some impatient shrew named tinkle bell. she aksed me where i was going and for some stupid reason i said i told her (actually it was greed, remembering the very productive run i had with ratspike a few weeks ago). she got all impatient when i was buying arrows. her impatience grew when i realized i could only buy shafts in redspire and had to fletch a bunch of them.
we finally got to the arcade and i realized too late that i had no stamina potions. i got killed when i bottomed out and had to run back. our little fellowship was concerned over my bod, which was sweet, but i knew exactly where it was, so i wasn't concerned. i used the free trip to the lifestone to buy stamina potions, and ran back in. i joined up with tinkle, who didn't know her way around the arcade, and was trying to join the others who were hunting the servants on the bottom floor.
people who hunt the arcade always head straight for the servants and wait around for them to spawn. i don't know why they do that. it's retarded, if you ask me, since there are hundreds of bugs on the drone level who, while being worth 33% less XP are easier to kill and 4 times as plentiful. i am all for hunting serviant if no one is on the servant floor, but if it's camped, just go somewhere else.
this is why i don't normally fellow in the arcade.
the arcade is a great place for low level chars to hunt cuz it's good XP, olthoi don't cast war spells, and you can decide how far in you want to go. i also like the OHN for the same reasons.
anyway, i get back to my bod, and lead tinkle to the drones floor, and stupid me, i get waffled again. at this point i just give up and log out, and i will have to go back thru my items and stuff to find a pierce protect.
i have one on a bracelet, so i just need to find a ring with the same quickness or coordination buffs provided by my current bracelets.
so for now, wendigo sucks until i can find a better protect for him. once i get that he should be able to hunt the scalvus cit and, hopefully, OHN. i am not sure what to do with him from here. he is already template complete, perhaps i will spec magicD, but that would pretty much make him lesleah hope, with lockpick and an Xbow.