Dark Elf Guide
Tier 1 – From beach landings to the darkness of the shadowlands.
Aim of the guide
To provide the fastest, most lore rich tour through the invasion of Ulthuan.
This guide will focus on completing many quests in optimized circuits for maximum XP/Hour while still exploring and experiencing the atmosphere and elements of WAR.
The guide will include large parts PvE but will also take into account suitable PvP and Public Quests to make sure influence and Renown ranks does not fall behind. All of this is optional however, the information is there but the guide makes it possible to circumvent the undesired parts.
Color coding
For use in the guide to easily identify what is being referred to.
Purple: Quests
Light Blue: People
Green: Locations
Orange: Items
Dark Red: PvP Related
Tips for speed
Here are a few tips for keeping downtime low and xp/hour high:
- Always use the "Flee" skill when running between camps or even encounters with more than 20 seconds in between them. Action Points regenerate fast and until we get a mount this will get you places you need to go faster.
- Try and have potions ready for healing at all times. If there is a choice between potions after a quest select the heal ones, it will enable you to fight bigger fights and more importantly saves you a death and a long run if ever you are in a tight spot.
- Focus on maximum damage masteries even if playing a more healing based class. It is always possible to respec to a PvP or PvE spec later.
With that said – let's begin :)
Prologue
The beaches of The Blighted Isle
After the introduction cut-scene is over you find your character on the northern beaches of The Blighted Isle – let the invasion begin.
Grab the 2 quests in sight: Blood Feud from Gorthan Rakar and Tomes of Knowledge from Janesa.
- After getting the quests, turn around and run directly east. Kill 4
Sea Guards and return quest to Gorthan. Get the follow up The Joys of War.
- Go south towards the Reaper Bolt Throwers in the horizon. Once close enough interact with any of one of them and enter sniper mode. Use the bolt thrower to kill any 4
Elves. - After the last kill sniper mode will automatically disengage. In the distance, on the shore, there is a high elf ship – go to it. Do not worry about the elves, they won't hit you unless you attack first.
Go aboard the ship and climb the lookout post / ramp on the left. On top there will be a scroll. Interact with it to get quest Desperate Plans.
Return to Gorthan and hand in both quests. This should make you reach rank 2 – congratulations on your first ding :)
Get the follow up Lingering Darkness.
- Run up the hill to the west, till you reach the second flat plateau (it will have a guy doing magic standing on it). Go a bit further up the hill till you complete Tomes of Knowledge
and enjoy your chance to take in the full awesomeness of the Black Arc before you.Also kill 6 Dark Sprites to complete other quest. Return to Janesa and hand in the quest. Get the follow up.
- Talk to Valanek by the boat to complete the quest.
And that's the end of the prologue circuit.
- - - - - - -
Run up the hill from before and follow the trail till you get to the camp ahead. Hand in Lingering Darkness to Nehmora the Hag and get the two quests she has: Fallen Kin
and Dance of Khaine.
Now turn around and run south-east towards the slave pits. Ignore the quest giver you run past for now, that is for Khaine's Embrace PvP – you will get the chance later. (If you are big on PvP you can always take it now, the same quest will be given later, but it is entirely dependent on playing style). Once there get For Amusement's Sake from Overseer Rathus standing next to the pit gate.
Close to him, slightly further south is Saril Zaen, a noteworthy person (meaning that meeting him with give a Tome Unlock) who is also a Kill Collector, targeting High Elf footsoldiers. That means that from now on:
Kill every high elf soldier you encounter!!
Turn in his Kill Quest – it gives 82 xp per kill you have made, not bad! Head south towards the camp, but veer to the left and go up the small hill with the tree just before you get there. Here you should find Karaa Ravenseer who gives you the quest Birds of a Feather and a quest item Ravenseer's Mark.
To complete his quest use the mark (you can find it under the quest items tab in your bag) 4 times in succession to transport to various lookout points, including one that shows off a titanic battle between two dragons.
Once done teleporting, hand in the completed Birds of a Feather. Jump down the hill and enter the camp. You need to gather up all the quests, there should be three people all standing around the fountain that each has one or more quests. Get all of them. You quest list should now look like this:
- Fallen Kin
- Dance of Khaine
- For Amusement's Sake
- Guile's Strength
- Use of Allies
- Lionbane
- Pages of Power
- Halls of Aenarion
Also set your rally point to this camp by talking to the camp leader (has the triple skull symbol over his head). He is also the one who will give you any potential influence rewards.
Isha's Garden
Circuit number 1 – Dragons, Books and Elves in the woods.
Kill Collector (Target): Saril Zaen (Any High Elf)
A general note for the entire circuit: As mentioned earlier the Kill Collector seems to be after any High Elf in this area, giving a chance for a massive XP payout. There are going to be a lot of High Elves during the circuit and they are all week. Therefore if you spot one a High Elf make sure to kill him. Happy hunting : )
There are two items of interest right near town so start by getting those. First one is a Scroll
(S) lying near the broken sections of wall on your left when you run westwards out of the camp. Interact with it to get a Tome Unlock.
The other item of interest, an Ornate Chest (C1), is over by the closets tower, at the base of the wall facing the camp. Interact with it to get the quest Trinity of Evil. This quest requires you to locate the other two chests, but don't worry those will be part of the circuit. Now let's get started.
1 & 2: Run west into the open area between the towers. The first two steps are completed simultaneously, as while trying to find the parchments on the ground, kill the 5
Sword Novices standing around fighting your fellow Dark elves. The parchments can be quite hard to see, so look closely when fighting the novices.
3: When done, turn south and you should see Archers standing on the top of small slope before a forest. Occasionally they are charged by some Orcs but pay no attention to that. Fight your way through their line till the forest, killing all 5 required for Use of Allies.
4: Once through the archer line it's time to kill Lions. There should be quite a few roaming around this northern part of this little grove and if not then they respawn very fast. Kill 5 to complete the quest.
5: At the southern end of the forest is a goblin called Thamp'Zum. Turn in Use of Allies to him and get your reward.
6: Head due east to the cage with the Cold ones. Interact with the gate to let them loose.
Return to camp and hand in the cold one quest at Beastmaster Maughann. Get the quest Maughann's Challenge from him in return.
7: Head south to the grove in the horizon beyond the cold ones and then turn east to get to the deepest part of the forest. Find Larethon Silverlake and kill her.
8: Head north out of the grove towards to the courtyard in front of you. On the right, by the base of the tower is the next chest for our quest.
A good thing to keep in mind is that if the PQ is on downtime, complete step 9 and come back and the timer should be done.
Public Quest: Spires of Narthain (Normal)
Description: Centered around a courtyard full of elves, this public quest is the first one encountered. Due to the fact that it is so close to the camp and because there are always a lot of new people starting, it has almost always enough players to see it through.
Stage 1: Kill 30 Soldiers
Stage 2: Kill 15 Sun Mages
Stage 3: Kill Sunlathir
Recommendation: Do it! Even if you aren't going for the PQ rewards or the Influence rewards there are always so many people around that this is bound to be completed. All the high elves killed counts towards your total for the Kill Collector too so there is no excuse not to max the INF and get some rewards.
9: On the other side of the courtyard is a tower with a staircase leading down. Follow it into the basement below. On the first ramp down is the last chest for the quest. Interact to complete the quest.
Follow this map to find the 4 books.
Once the 4th one is opened an Aenarion Eidolon spirit will appear – kill it to complete the quest.
10: If done with the public quest, head north to the forest and find Shadow Swords. They are spread out over a small area and remember that only they will count towards Fallen Kin. Kill 6 of them to complete the quest.
11: Deeper into the forest you will find a Blade-walker. Open your quest inventory and use the Phaos Gem on one of them to mesmerize them. Hurry north-west out of the forest back to the slave pens for a quest turn in.
12: Turn in the other quest here and talk to the Kill Collector. He will have a repeatable quest that will reward you for killing the High Elves. I got 4200+ XP at my turn in, so hopefully you should have similar numbers.
13: Head back to the Hag's camp North West of the slave pens. If you did the PvP quest for the scenario hand that in and also hand in the outstanding quest to the hag.
Return to the main camp and hand in all the quests you have completed and also get any influence rewards and remember to train. Accept any follow up quest given. You should be close to Rank 5 or just dinged. I managed an average of 50.000 XP/Hour for this circuit but my run had a few problems so hopefully you should have done even better : )
End of circuit.
Follow the road south till you get to the next camp Akrana's Storm. Hand in the quests that lead us to this camp and get all the quests in the camp (minus the one that takes you to the Khaine's Embrace scenario if you aren't into PvP).
You should now have the following quests in your log:
- Nimosar's Fall
- Dark Ambition
- Legend and Infamy
- Must Have
- Hated Kin
- Prize of War
- Need to know
Also remember to set your rally point to this camp if you want to warp back at any time. The rally master is Akrana and she is right by the entrance to the camp.
Akrana's Storm
Circuit number 2 –Skeletons, treachery and a burning city.
Kill Collector (target): Riakahd Flameblade (Shadow Warrior Elves)
General notes for this circuit:
Along the way we will do quests that will bring us through or close to all of the three Public Quests in this zone. I recommend you do them for the lore, the XP and the rewards. They are usually fun and you can almost always solo the first two steps. The Kill Collector is after Shadow Warriors, which is any high elf ranger (the ones with bows and dark green outfits) type, so kill any of them you see.
Most mobs encountered in this circuit are easy and you should be able to take on two at once, but watch your health. Also remember that you can join a PvP scenario any time and you will get transported back to where you were once its over, meaning no disruption to the circuit. It's a good idea to keep your rank up as well. Try and get 1/3 of Influence at each Public Quest at the first visit. Let's begin.
1: Run eastwards out of the camp and follow the trail towards the small forest up the hill. Kill 8 Venomblade Spite to complete Hated Kin as you progress deeper into the forest.
Public Quest: Mistwood Grove (Easy)
Description: A desecration of a forest inhabited by dryads. It is the easiest public quest of this area and therefore also yields the lowest rewards.
Stage 1: Kill 75 Venomroot Spites
Stage 2: Kill 8 Venombough Dryads
Stage 3: Kill Branchwraith Ylrisea
Recommendation: The rewards are not worth the time you have to spend here unless you are in a group or spot others going through it. It should be possible to take it down in a group of 2 or 3. Regardless, try and get a third of the total Influence required by taking out the spites and dryads.
2: Deep in the forest, almost all the way on the otherside close to the hills on the right side you will find Manbane, needed for Dark Ambition. Interact with it to pick it up.
Further still along this route you will find a Defiled Body. Interact with it to get a Tome Unlock.
3: Return to camp and enter the big tent. On your right is a weapons rack. Interact with it to coat the weapons with the poison root you just acquired in the forest. Hand in all completed quests and get follow ups.
Go to the west of the tent. Interact with the dead elf on the ground to plant evidence and complete the quest. Enter the tent and turn in the quest to Kerryn Darkwater. Get the follow up.
Behind the ten is another item of interest, a House Uthorin Ensign. Interact with this banner to get another tome unlock.
4: Across the road on the west side of the camp is another small forest, this one filled with Shadow Warriors of various names and skill. You will need to kill 5 Dark Isle Shadows. They can be found in the first part of the forest but because of the kill collector bounty on all types of shadow warriors you might as well take a run all the way through the forest, killing everything in sight, as you complete the quest.
5: Wandering on the edge of the forest as you come out is Ilsaeth Burningmere. Even though he is a fellow dark elf and marked as such, attack him and kill him swiftly. Don't let the guards help or you might not get recognition for the kill.
6: Hand in the quest you completed and get the follow up. Run east out of the city, towards the hill and the little enclave on your right, staying close to the water.
When you can, go up a small ridge on your left so you get above the enclave and you should see a camp and some more elven rangers. Wandering between the camps in these hills is Arelyn Silentstep. Kill her to complete Dark Ambition.
7: Position yourself on the ridge behind the enclave below, and slide down the ridge so you land close to the trees. This way we are close to our target in the camp without having to fight our way through. Right in front of you should be Merdia Fensong.
Use the Syrth Toxin in your inventory on her to complete Hated Kin.
8: Go south out of the enclave and up the hill to get to Nimosar. Right in front should be the 3 Bolt Throwers that we will need to destroy. Kill the guards around them so they don't cause trouble first.
Public Quest: Nimosar (Hard)
Description: The main public quest of this area, the burning of Nimosar is the most worthwhile of and difficult one. It has the potential of rewarding lucky warriors with a gold bag so it is definitely something worth fighting for and with its close proximity to the road and town there should be plenty of chances.
Stage 1: Kill 100 Nimosar Defenders
Stage 2: Destroy 12 Braziers
Stage 3: Kill Erinas Songblade and his 4 Silverhelms.
Recommendation: It is actually possible to complete this one with only 3 players in a well organized group, but you will probably need more to be sure. The rewards are very good and there are usually a lot of people it so give it a few plays. A round can last as little as 3 minutes so if you don't win the top prize the first time - try again. Regardless of whether you choose to play it for the rewards, at least get the second 1/3 of Influence needed. The mobs here give more INF then the other PQ's in the area as well.
The tactic I have used against him is to kite him out of the front exit (closest to the camp) and then even if someone dies they can be back in the battle before all other is dead and he never regains full life. Watch the timer though and nuke him as fast as possible.
9: Follow the southwestern road towards another small camp, next to a tower. Close to the tower, by the base at the wall on the left of the flying sorceress, if you climb the slope coming from the town, you should see a book.
More specifically it's the Tome of l'Khar. Kill the elves around it and interact with it to complete Must Have. Get the follow up.
Also, you just entered the last Public Quest of the area.
Public Quest: The Watchtower (Normal)
Description: The whole public quest is centered on the watchtower and fighting the magical defenders around it. It is the normal leveled quest of the area but usually sparsely populated.
Stage 1: Kill 100 Adepts
Stage 2: Kill sorceresses and place the stones they drop at 6 pillars.
Stage 3: Kill Archmage Lithoral
Recommendation: I have never actually seen anyone else around this public quest and the rewards are not as good as Nimosar. So if you are in it for the rewards go there instead. Like with the other ones, get at least 1/3 Influence so you will have maxed out by the time you leave this area.
10: On the other side of this little area is Adept Telrothnal wandering about. Find him and eliminate him.
11: Head south towards the broken pillar down the hill. Kill the guardians around it and interact with the pillar to complete Need to Know. Get the follow up.
12: Go north and keep left after the watchtower area, up the hill, till you find Volruc Kinslayer. Talk to him to complete Legend and Infamy. Get the follow up.
13: Head back to the main Camp. Hand in all the quests and get the follow ups. You should have completed the Influence quests so get your rewards and the follow up quest Competent Retainer.
14: Take another run through the forest next to the camp, killing as many as you want, making sure that you complete Competent Retainer and the kills needed for Legend and Infamy before continuing. Remember that any of these elves killed will yield a bonus with the kill collector in the end.
15: Follow the road leading south out of the camp across the bridge. On your right, next to a some boulders and a few sprites you should find Sorceress Ravia. Hand in the quest and get follow up Must Have.
16: The road leading west up the hill from here leads to the Lore House, where we now have several quests. A general tip is try to stay on the outside of the walled enclave as you can still reach most items and enemies needed and you won't have to get stuck in an overwhelming battle due to the very fast respawn times.
Follow the map above, completing the objectives counterclockwise. Start with the skull.
It is on the first table on your left. Interact with it to complete Must Have but be aware that a skeleton might spawn when you pick it up.
Simply being close enough to the Lore House should also have completed the quest of the same name, but if not you have to fight a bit closer to the centre fountain.
Next find Keeper Nalsurith. She should be patrolling around the center so you can wait till she comes to you.
Eliminate her to get her key and use it to open the Noble's Chest. This should complete Prize of War and give a follow up.
To complete this, find Caethlana Moonwidov and eliminate her. She too drops a key that you must use on her chest to find her necklace. Take another follow up and leave this area.
17: Return to Sorceress Ravia and get the follow up to the skull quest. She now tasks you with killing 4 Unicorns which are fortunately right nearby. Since we have a quest to hand in to Volruc Kinslayer you might as well go to his position and there should be enough unicorns on the way and back to complete the quest.
Once you get to Volruc, interact with the pikes in front of him to place the skulls from the shadow warriors we killed earlier. Each interaction places 2 skulls so you only need to do it 4 times. Once done, complete the quest and get the follow up. A small encounter plays out that you can stay and watch or simply head back to Sorceress Ravia
to complete Must Have.
After accepting the follow up she will summon Kharaidon whom you must defeat to lift your curse and also complete this quest line. Rewards include 3 different resistance necklaces so choose the one must fitting of your class.
18: Head back and turn in your last quests. Get all follow ups – don't worry that some of them are still in this area, they do not lead back to this camp so this is our last time here. Also turn in your killing quest to Riakahd Flameblade
the Kill Collector. You should get a nice bonus of XP but it all depends on how deep your earlier forest runs where and how many Shadow Warriors you eliminated.
Remember to sell your junk and any items you don't need and train your skills if you haven't before. You should be Rank 7 by now or very close to it.
19: Head back to Nimosar and find 2 Guardians and 3 Warriors. Eliminate them and the last kill should also give you the Whitewrath Crest. Search your quest item inventory and use the item to complete the quest.
20: Head south out of town, following the road towards the next camp and the next chapter.
Unfortunately I had a few disconnects so I'm not able to provide an XP/Hour for this section, but the general speed of these quests were very high so time spent here should be short. The tactic described in the Nimosar PQ does actually work as I – on my original playthrough – was able to get a blue loot bag by finishing 2nd after me and two others successfully died and sprinted back to constantly keep the battle against the boss going.
Good luck and if anyone want to share their XP/Hour so we can have some measurements, that would be great : )
End of Circuit.
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