Dungeon - Chrysol Mines (lots of pics)

[Thorgarr]

I began doing these little dungeon review type things over on tentonhammer. I've since noticed that apparently this is the more popular of community forums so I will change homes and begin doing it here.

General Info:

Name: Cryshol Mines
Area: Tauthien Delta, North Eastern Qalia
Level Range: 17-20
Dot range: 3-5 (mostly 4)
Mob Types: Gnomes, Mechanized Armor, Gargoyles, and Oozes
Terrain: Moderate sized outdoor area with 3 dots, desert ruins; Large indoor mines, and underground chasm fortress.

Chrysol Mines is a very neat dungeon that I had the pleasure of running pretty much all day yesterday. It is located North/North East of Mekalia, in Thauthien Delta.

(Some local scenery and a shot inside Mekalia if you haven't seen it)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/qalia.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mekalia.jpg

The entrance to Cryshol Mines is through the bunker located about 500m North/North East of the East Angoer bunker. This bunker is guarded by lv 16-17 3 dot gnomes. In the basement of the bunker is an acceleration tunnel which takes you straight under the nearby mountain range at about 450% run speed. The adjoining bunker is located within an otherwise unaccessable (other than climbing over the mountain) valley, where there is a large outdoor ruin area filled with more 3 dot gnomes and the occasional named 4 dot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines1.jpg

Two sections of the mines are visible here, the left mine section have approximately 20 mobs max, all of the lower level variety of 4 dot gnomes, these gnomes drop the "Toy-" named samples for the collection quest. The right section is the main part of the dungeon. Most of the spawns are 2 or 3 at a time, with nearby adds and wanderers. 2 Healers or at the least a good psionicist is almost a necessity in here.

My group consisted of 2 healers (cleric/disciple), 2 dps (monk/druid), and 2 tanks (DK/pal). This group setup seemed to work very well, and proved itself again when I returned later with a similarly configured group.

After a couple groups of gnomes, there is a junction of the 3 major tunnels of the mine section of the dungeon. The branch to the left leads to a dead end, and has oozes and gnomes, whom drop the "Dia-" named samples for the quest. The branch to the Middle leads to an elevator down to the fortress, and has gnomes, and 1 mechanized armor at the end, these drop "Sapph-" named samples for the quest. The branch to the right also leads to another elevator, with the same type of mobs as the middle, these drop the "Emor-" named samples for the quest.

Shots of the mine sections:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines2.jpg

The elevators take you down to the Fortress section of the dungeon:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines13.jpg

The basic layout of this area is that there are two major platforms with sand and trees, the part you stepped out on, which covers the width of the chasm that have a few 3 pop spawns of gnomes, and the one on the opposite side that has a fortress, guarded by 4 mechanized armors, and containing the General boss mob or his ph. Crisscrossing the breadth of the abyss between these two areas is a narrow network of natural stone bridges which connect small islands together. All the wanderers are mechanized units, that have knockback spells, and when are killed spawn gnome drivers. On each island are 3-4 gnome Constables, who are paladin mobs apparently, as they Lay of Hands at about 50% hp.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines8.jpg

Another problem in this area is that every 20 minutes or so a yellow name (read, unkos...easier to pick them out) gnome sniper will spawn and wander around. The sniper AE's bridges whenever you walk on them for about 1700 dmg. The sniper only has about 100 hp though and will not AE invisible/stealthed targets. So the plan with that is just to send out a rogue or invisble group member to take him down when he spawns.

Now to the boss mob. To get to the boss mob you will first need to assemble a key. To find out about this you first can go talk to the Architect. To get to him, you jump down one of three "warp holes" that are in the middle of 3 different islands in the area. Yes, Super Mario Style without the 'plunka plunka plunk'. Pictured here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines10.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines11.jpg

You get a lev buff when you enter this area (that sometimes fades after a while), so you can just float down slowly into the holes to get to warp. I have color coded an overview picture I took of the area, and matched colored circles (the warp holes) to respective outlined areas (the destinations):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines7.jpg

Blue - Architect
Red - Right ledge
Yellow - Left ledge

The Architect will give you quite a bit of lore and inform you that the only way to enter the General's keep is to obtain both key peices from the Keepers. The Keepers are named gargoyles, 1 spawns on each ledge. Due to our group composition, we were able to have 1 tank, 1 dps, and 1 healer at each ledge to camp the key droppers and summon back and forth between them as need be. The first mob you see when you warp to a ledge is the ph/named, the 3 outside the cave on the actual ledge are not associated with the named spawns. These are relatively rare spawns, probably about 10% or less.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mines12.jpg

The same person needs to loot both pieces of the key as they are no trade. Once you have both pieces, the person with them needs to take the warp hole to the Architect platform. As soon as they warp, they will recieve a quest for the key. Then they just need to talk to the Architect and complete the quest to recieve the whole key which will unlock the doors in the fortress. He is a 5 dot lv 20, and has the armor, as well as the actual gnome boss that pops out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/boss1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/boss2.jpg

All in all a very cool dungeon, probably will be grinding levels out there quite a bit.

There is also another boss up in the tower of the fortress that I have not figured out how to get to yet. I have heard rumors that the spare/broken mechanized armor suits (seen below) are activated and used to jump up there. I have a lead on what is needed to activate them, but I won't divulge any information until I have verified this.

Loot:

Boss:
Rare medium healer bracers

Named drivers:
Heroic Shield
Rare heavy breastplate
Uncommon medium boots

Named gargoyles:
Rare light robe (very nice one too)
Rare heavy shoulders

Named sniper (still 1 shot kill):
Rare quiver

I will try to update with more pics and loot drops as I do the dungeon more. See you in game!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Pacmanpth/mech.jpg

[laizze]

Nice job...i would think about linking the pictures though

[Thorgarr]

Ya, I was thinking about that. I'll see what other people say and change accordingly.

[Noldor]

Fantastic write up, man! We had a group wipe in there and it was too late for me to continue with them (had class in the morning). After seeing your shots, i may have to scrounge together a group for it.

[Tark]

I've been following your write-ups on the TTH board as well, and I gotta say, I am very impressed. They are very well done!

Please keep it up! :)

Tark

[Tuche]

I've been following your write-ups on the TTH board as well, and I gotta say, I am very impressed. They are very well done!

Please keep it up! :)

Tark
link pleasE ?

[Gholam]

I do not like the art side of things...

[rook818]

Holy crap! Best post ever! Great write up. Great pics.

I give this post a gold star. A++ :D

[Safire]

Holy crap! Best post ever! Great write up. Great pics.

I give this post a gold star. A++ :D

/agree!

great post man, very nice.

I think I will take my sorceress over there and see if I can explore that place.

[Naelael]

Great review. too bad all the other ones arent up here!

As for the pictures... I love them. Quite honestly if I had to go through the effort of clicking links I dont know if I would do it. Nobody here should have any issues with having those pictures posted, we are all on broadband.

[Nólaquen]

Awesome post! Moving to the "good threads" forum. ;)

[Safire]

Great review. too bad all the other ones arent up here!

As for the pictures... I love them. Quite honestly if I had to go through the frrot of clicking links I dont know if I would do it. Nobody here should have any issues with having those pictures posted, we are all on broadband.

I agree.

you could size them down i reckon, but all in all - if you can't see the pics - you can't go there anyhow...

[Kyzan]

I believe our static group was the first to try to discover the secrets of this mine on our server. Walked out of there with quite a few discoveries the only problem we had Was the elevator when we went down everyone disappeared. and seemed like everyone was running circles on the elevator needless to say due to some unpleasent bugs like players getting kicked and finding them selves in other parts of the world when in this cave system we had to abandon our exploration and by the time we were ready to go at it again we had out leveled it.

Needless to say A VERY good write up Im sorry we never went back to really see how pretty this place was.

[Safire]

moving this thread as quickly as you did basically killed it.

I think 1000's more views would happen if it stayed in general longer.....

[Naelael]

Yeah... Honestly the only reason I even clicked on this is because I couldnt find it in the "normal" forum. I don't ever come in here...

[Thorgarr]

lol what did I do wrong? Did I post this in the wrong section of the forums or something?

Thanks a bunch for all of the nice compliments, I'll be trying to do more of these as I have time. I'll also try to copy over the ones from TTH. I'll update the first post with a couple more pictures I got the other day.

[Safire]

lol what did I do wrong? Did I post this in the wrong section of the forums or something?

Thanks a bunch for all of the nice compliments, I'll be trying to do more of these as I have time. I'll also try to copy over the ones from TTH. I'll update the first post with a couple more pictures I got the other day.

No - you posted it perfectly, but then a SV mod thought he'd be nice and moved it here into the back room for safe keeping.

only problem is... no one browses this forum so...

[Evilbunnies]

I thought I would add a few things here since you are missing them.

The real boss of the instance is a gargoyle(Prince Har'zul Ratheth) that spawns on the top of the tall steeple looking thing in the middle of the wall where the general spawns.

You need the rings that drop from the pilots to control a J2E suit(required a healer with summon uses it) you jump up onto the wall and onto where you fight him(the roof of the room the general is in.) He the summons the group up. You then have a bard(I have no clue how in the hell you would pull him without it because its seemingly impossible to get ontop of where he is even with the old lev decent speed. He then uses the jump on the suit and levs over to him and pulls to where the group is.

[Thorgarr]

You need the rings that drop from the pilots to control a J2E suit(required a healer with summon uses it) you jump up onto the wall and onto where you fight him(the roof of the room the general is in.)

That is the problem. I'm assuming you did this in beta? The rings no longer drop from the pilots unless they changed it since I was there or the drop rate is ridiculously rare. I've been there probably 12 hours total and haven't seen a ring drop.

[Ishtavin]

/cheer, cant way to see the next ones

[Evilbunnies]

The rings still droped as of the second week into release. If they don't drop anymore me and my group of friends have around 6 or so we pass around. There was a night we were in there farming named and were getting 2 every 3 named pilots or so.

We never got one from Noxin(sp) the caster one was the only one that would drop for us.

[Darwin]

That is the problem. I'm assuming you did this in beta? The rings no longer drop from the pilots unless they changed it since I was there or the drop rate is ridiculously rare. I've been there probably 12 hours total and haven't seen a ring drop.

I can vouch for the rings dropping still. Just last night I picked up the Ignition A one (melee)

[Isys_Varking]

The rings do drop off the Pilots, we got one a few weeks ago, here's a screenie of the suit being controlled:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Paiton/ScreenShot_00027.jpg

[ryushkin]

Is it just me? Id like to see the screenshots but cant?

[Zodiak]

Thanks for posting this I would like to see more and could I get a link to your other posts on the other forum or could you possibly post them here? THanks!

[skeeby]

amazing post friend =)

[Thorgarr]

May not be doing any for a while unfortunately. Real life has kind of caught up to me and I'm going to have to be focusing a lot more on school than VG until the semester is up. I may try to still do one installment every couple of weekends of so. Damn RL responsibilities...why couldn't I have been a humanities/business major, lol (no disrespect meant to those of you out there, but this high level calculus and statics type stuff is getting kind of rough).

[lamour]

Last night we had a ring (one is enough, is it?), our BM wore the suit, but we justs did not find out where and how to get him up to the roof. Could anyone please post details about it? We tried I think to climb/jump every wall inside and outside the fortress...

Thanks!

[Zahrim]

Don't link the pics, keep them as is...I have Broadband for a reason. ;)