Divine Journey. Suggestions for new players.

When I first started my journey in 12 Dark Secrets, I was lost and wasn't sure what to do. As most people do when they start a New Server, is to run around town and talk to the NPCs. In my case I did some of that but you mostly want to hunt and see what the challenges are. Starting off you can talk to all of the NPCs in town but i suggest taking notes so you remember who is where, though your quest journal should help but it doesn't keep track of every single NPC, just the main quests.When you first start you can check the donation chest unless your a purist that wants to do everything on their own, which is fine! =)

I Play as a Pure cleric but see below and see the other books on Clerics and Druids for the quests.

Starting off. Do the Dock quest in town. Its fairly simple and you get a item for the other part of the quest in town. at lvl 1 you may have a hard time with the part two dock quest. A simple solution is to go to the Eastlands and seek out the farmer. When you finish his quest to reduce the goblin population and kill the chief(wait until level 4 or so) you can stay there and get his other quest. It is simply gaining 100 gold for each goblin killed but turn in before the server reset or you might not get credit for this. 2000 gold for killing 20 bonus goblins is some nice pocket change for a low level. He'll give you a key, seek out his brother in the south road Inn(the mines quest is a must do). Also, in Eastlands you can kill the beetles and gain a shield from the mother beetle and a minor regen ring from a goblin. Right next door is the Druid grove. You can do some quests and also get a special scimitar. The scimitar is a nice quest weapon because you can upgrade it in the smithy in town for gold. They also check your player level but upgrade to level 10 then at levels 20,30,40 you can upgrade to the highest possible. The Druid also gives a quest for the Orcs back in Eastlands which hang out in the far corner. This quest gives a ton of money, so it will help keep you stocked in potions and some upgrades. It is a important item since at higher levels, when upgraded it adds a lot of damage to sunbeam as a focus item.



Continuing your journey..

If you've finished all the local quests just keep in mind some areas are for higher leveled players or groups. the zone immediately to the right of orcs is a giant area. They are weak but still hit hard. The ogres and trolls in the ruined city to the left of the map. You won't be going there for awhile. One of the 12 dark secrets is hidden in the lower troll areas. That one just read the journal note of the dead soldier for the clue. Don't even think about going to the area beyond the ogres for a long while. Probably level 20 or grouped. The Zombies there are enhance and deceptively quick, strong and will end you fast. The Bone archers will also kill you. You may be able to do the first area with undead ogres before level 20 but bring a friend!.

Remember if your lower level  you can repeat the Dock quests and fight sharks in the lower area. Please put your water breathing ring on. You will certainly drown otherwise and be a sharks snack!
Also-Talk to the bum in town. He has a secret that can make some quick cash. Check with the librarian. She also has quests. The Mar-veil historian will have to be talked to at some point. it's worth it for the background and portal service.

The Portal. It is a hub in the temple that leads everywhere. You will need to get the portal rune which is a quest. You will more than likely need a higher players help getting it. Other books cover it but it is hidden far down the south path in the ape area. You need to use your search skill and then some way of disarming the traps. You can still use the portal but if you don't have the portal rune you can't use it from anywhere, you have to run back to the portal location.

Level 10 and beyond..

Crossed Blades points of interest

The Bank.
In Crossed blades town you can store your gold and they have a chest on the right side where you can store up to 80 items.

The Owl.
Seek out the Great Owl near Crossed Blades for hints on the 12 Dark Secrets quest line.
The private Store
You can shop here if you are level 20.
This is where you buy the demon ward for UW and have to charge it in the fire forge from Gathol Labyrinth look for the fire door(door 3). They also buy some items at a higher price than the temple vendor.

The Dragon. When you are done with the 12 Dark Secrets quests you can go to Elder Plane and save the claws to trade with the Dragon.

Ape area and Golem puzzle. From cross blades portal or if you ran all the way from a city with a name south road. The lower transition near the guard tower. You'll find that first there is a golem area with a silent speaker. You essentially have to kill the golems but leave their stones there after you destroy the pillars. but kill a few rounds of them before you solve the puzzle. the cabin below also has a npc that lets you have extra golem stones if you want them. Transitioning from there is the ape are which can be hard if you fight huge apes. They can give good experience. There is a lost temple here with lizard folk. The next transition is to Gathol Ruins.

The Gathol Labyrinth area which can be either accessed through the portal(or run from crossed blades, through ape area and past golems) which the entire area is a lower level Drow Area is fine to level for awhile. There are Drow clerics who can ruin your day. Even the fighters can be tough if you have no gear or are low level. One of the secrets is here as well so you need to defeat the priestesses and fight to the end. There is also a vendor here just past the angry drow that assault you through the middle door way. She will buy the dropped items but you may want to keep one of everything in case it is a quest item.
Gathol Ruins.
The abandoned city except for the lizardfolk that have taken over. When you reach 10 or so you will find your hunting area is more than likely the ruins of Gathol. From here you can kill lizard folk for the +1 long swords they drop for some ok gold. There are doors that lead into the labyrinth. Refer to the other book on exact door locations outside and inside the labyrinth. Keep in mind many Monsters will kill you at this level. If you have the strength to proceed. Assault the lizard folk fortress. Its the abandoned castle on the far side of them map. You can gain a secret and a pet you can summon that upgrades as you level. The little mephit/imp eventually becomes a wraith then a giant demon but is good for getting mobs attention while you cast. It also does leech Experience but I found a tough pet was helpful.
You will have to learn to navigate the maze and which areas to avoid. If you can find the gargoyles area they are easy experience and gold. The leaders also drop a stoneskin item. They may be hard to get to if you are low level as you have to pass through Epic kobalds to get to them. Check the book on the labyrinths doors. there may be a way in from the city.

Bandit Area and crystal caves.
From south path. You can find the crystal caves. a hidden transition if you search near the bandit leader. He also drops decent armor. One of the secrets is here as well as good xp until your 20 if you stay there.

Epic Gathol Labyrinth
Once you have maxed out to 20 you can gain several more levels in the Labyrinth by fighting Umberhulks,Golems, Epic Kobalds and even the dark warriors( a hole in the wall from gargoyles-through epic kobalds) You start to get a decent amount of gold at this point. You will probably have to save for upgrading your scimitar or armor if your a divine caster.
You also will only keep epic experience points. All other experience is thrown out.

Other Epic Areas
From the portal room you can go to several areas. Some areas such as parts of the elder plane may have locked out areas if you do not possess the proper keys.

The Room with 7 doors.
Mar-veils tomb is accessed here as well as a secret and Haste Boots.
From the North door go right and use your search skill to find the entrance. also in the same area fight your way through to the end which is a transition to a pocket plane where you will talk to a elder being and earn haste.

Beryl Grotto.
A place for 20's to level but also holds a secret

The Dwarven Town
Mithriflin is the name of the Deep Dwarves town. It is a hub that you will want to visit.  You get there by going to crossed bladed portal then go to the little cave near the south transition and guard tower. Talk to the Archeologist there and run down the long hall way after the first transition. The Dwarves dislike all but Dwarves but there is a solution. You have to earn mithral to gain faction for things like appearance changes, access to black smiths and vendors plus keys to the other areas. You can even get portal access from the pillar to save time. Two areas to get mithral are the Rothe farm in the tunnel and the armored giants(Mar veil custodian to giants then run down to epic giants). until you get 400 rep you can't get the key. There is a NPC that wanders around town. you need to talk to him to get the mithral key once you have donated 400 mithral. Talk to the NPC by the scale lookiing device first then you can begin giving mithral. others have more detailed books on mithral if you want more information.

UnderWorld(UW)
Accessed from the temple through Death himself.
It's a hard place to solo but if you are level 30 or so it can be done but you need negative protection items. As a Cleric i have some memorized but its not enough time to get the spell off before your protection goes down. Refer to other books for UW items. There is a belt that has infinite negative protection. I use the deck of cards that you can recharge. The deck costs quite a bit but the advantage is it is faster to get off than my spells. The areas themselves will dispell negative protection so you need to get the timing down and rebuff when it goes down. Demons explode and will kill you. If you are protected then the explosion is nullified. Some Demons are immune to certain things but refer to the demon books in the library. UW has a lot to it and some upgrades require items from them like demon blood or skins, which do not always drop. There are many areas here but refer to those books on what demons, drops, effective fighting and Bosses.

Key Epic items and UnderWorld
There are items you can find or earn that give incredible benefits at a cost.
Some UW equip can give casters many bonuses. A lot of extra high level spells for all casters.
Negative protection and regeneration. The draw back is they suck exp per minute. I tend to only use these for UW or hard fights.You can get some of these curses removed through questing from what i hear.

Elder Planes
Is actually several areas and pocket dimensions. You need items(some for upgrades) and keys to progress here. I'm not going to write a guide here as I have not been through every one yet and there are books written already. It is just a main focus to keep in mind for progression on the server.


Point of interest
Gorg the Traitor
A NPC that appears in random places to attack players. Ask the Hag in the alley on his where abouts(upper right in town). 1000 gp will get you details. you need 10 heads to give to the guard captain by the temple for a Gog helm. Also keep one of his books for the librarian quest.


Caster Tactics.
To Melee or cast? I found at earlier levels it was easier to Melee. When I got to higher and Epic levels i found I couldn't compete. I still depend on my pet to help tank and draw attention. Once you get SoV(Storm of Vengeance) most fights are essentially casting 2 or 3 SoVs. pet tanking while I watch his health. and off tank if needed buffing my self with temporary boosts. Buff your pet with empowered Bulls Strength and Endurance. Now you can still off tank certain enemies that don't have a super high AC. If nothing is effective you can memorize other spells. Sometimes harm or implosion may work. SunBeam works well against undead and some demons but moderate damage until you hit 40 and max out skills. If you are lucky enough to have the infinite heal (not the potion)you can destroy some undead outright. Otherwise use sunbeam. Some enemies will target you due to high damage from SoV. A good tactic for epic fights is cast SOV twice, set pet to guard you, drink a heal potion then cast sunbeam,Implosion or Harm and follow the pattern of casting and healing. Your pet will also take some attackers off of you. If you have the infinite heal item you can heal your pets or allies with epic healing.


Check the forums for locations of focus items to make SoV more powerful as well.


I would suggest starting with 14 intelligence and saving skill points that you won't need until level 40 when you take either Ranger or Druid for your last level and maxing out your Animal Empathy. Why Animal Empathy as a cleric? Well, its a cross class quest and the divine classes share the same spells. I would recommend sun domain as one. The other is your choice really but my stoneskin has saved me many times at lower levels. Keep in mind there are the Celestial quests at higher levels that you will need to seek items for(Accessed through the temple). Those are just good aligned quests in general but I don't think there is a alignment requirement for using them. There is also leaf armor you can acquire but it takes a lot of money for the items. I happened to have a sponsor. A player that played as a cleric and had the items I needed. I selected the robes because they are upgradeable and you can get your full Dexterity bonus.
It's all about maxing out your skills and focus as well. Concentration, Lore, Spellcraft and later Animal Empathy. You will also get items that boost these that will add damage to your spells. taking focus and epic skill focus is a good idea. Epic spells for Mummy and Ruin were suggested since they both are upgradeable. The spells you will use most at higher levels will be" Storm of Vengeance, Sun Beam, Harm and Implosion. it's good to invest in epic spells focus as well so you get better DC for your spells. Try to take most of your levels in your primary class as well to be effective.

Casters at low levels have a advantage but that quickly changes as you level so your tactics must change as well. You will find that some Monsters and hostile NPCs can resist magic, at least certain types. Your summons will help you for a long while but buffing them properly and resting every several minutes. On some servers a cleric can tank fairly well but as you level into your 20's you will see this really isn't the case. Many players have also played for a long time and have wished their stats up and have very good gear through hours of questing. Hence the players who have 1400 hit points in the player roster. They are also mainly level 30-40. Now you are probably wondering how a level 18 Divine caster(or arcane caster) can compete. My advice is don't worry about that now. Focus on questing and completing the 12 dark secrets which are like a server quest line that every one has to do to continue.

Final suggestions. Refer to a leveling Cleric. I just found it before I published my Book. Also thanks to Cyrus Bane and TueBits for the knowledge and help. basically the same things were said from adventuring cleric but it was knowledge i gained while adventuring and through other players(not trying to just repeat here).

Read the Books that pertain to what your doing and your character. There are books on builds,skill points, feats and everything else.
Your first wishes should be for Constitution. Hit points are still king and it helps the more you have. At this point you have put your points into Wisdom anyway. All stats have a use. If you go leaf armor(robes) you can use your dexterity bonus. High Wisdom gets you more spells and better DC, Intelligence for skill points. Strength for AB and carry weight. Charisma improves many things like turning or Strength domain power and duration. You can also re level if you made a mistake on feats with a wish.
If you ever need some help you can ask players or search the forums here. DM's are wanting to help if they are still on they will give suggestions.

Book By Valthicus Gloomhaven

Fantastic Book. I did a quick Scan.

Before one of us gives you a Publish Contract..

I need you to put your name at the bottom of the book so I know who it belongs to. "toon name" who gets the contract.


L0BSTER

Thanks. I forgot to sign my Characters name. I also added a second line after the first paragraph saying what I play.