Solo Elite Drake (first map).....First Impressions

[GoodSyntax]

Ok, so I'm actually a bit embarrassed to post this one, but it was my first attempt to solo Drake, and it was....difficult.

Frankly, the challenges I encountered are that you have to clear SO many mobs before the boss(es) spawn. That, along with the fact that there are so many ranged mobs, and reset points are so far away, make this map much harder than it would seem to be.

The tribesman's melee attack hits hard enough to be an OHKO on a Rogue with 1450 armor, 3k HP and Scorch Shielding. The tribesman's ranged attack hits for a solid 30% hp. Put together one of these healing tribesman along with a few archers, and it spells trouble.

I am not comfortable sharing my strategy on this map yet, because it was more exploration, rather than strategy. Kill some mobs, see if boss spawned, kill some more, see if spawned again....rinse and repeat.

Overall impression, these maps are tough. Traditional strategies don't seem to work well here. A lot of this is exploratory right now, and as we collectively run these maps, and gain further insight, I can only assume it will get easier. As of now, given current gear and basic strategies that have proven effective in other elite maps, I believe that this may be a bit too intense for anyone that isn't completely comfortable running elite maps. Undergeared parties will not find success, and novice parties will struggle mightily at first.

Soloing these maps are only for the criminally stupid.

[Hiosahaf]

I'm criminally stupid :|

[keikali]

I love to be criminally stupid. Its the best part playing these games!

[Limsi]

If GoodSyntax (Kalizza) says it's tough, then it must be really bad..or close to impossible to solo.

[GoodSyntax]

I love to be criminally stupid. Its the best part playing these games!

I completely agree! Very few people even attempt to solo these maps, but I genuinely love the challenge. The strategies behind soloing are so much more intricate and graceful than what we do in a good party. Running with a good party as a Rogue simply means spam skills, prioritize targets and do as much damage as quickly as you can.

If GoodSyntax (Kalizza) says it's tough, then it must be really bad..or close to impossible to solo.

It's tough because there are so many ranged mobs in these new maps. My typical reset strategies help a little bit, but when you are facing 3 or 4 archers, plus one of those self-healing tribesman (all of which deal massive damage), it really challenges your ability to pot and attack at the same time. In these new maps, using the walls and other terrain to shed aggro is critical.

Basically, to succeed when soloing on this map you will need to be extremely proficient at:

1. Ranging and single target pulls
2. Strafing and/or NoxBox
3. Melee/ranged mob separation strategies
4. Utilization of terrain/choke points to shed aggro
5. Potting while moving and attacking

I must admit, as brutal as it seems right now, I'm loving the difficulty of these new maps. It is so refreshing to be at a such a severe disadvantage and to feel so undergeared, unlike in Shuyal, where once you attained top gear, you were grossly OP and elites weren't all that challenging. The mere fact that lv36 Architect Quills of Brutality are still the top daggers this season (besides Razors, which I don't own) really illustrates how overgeared the average player was last season. This is exactly what an elite map should feel like, but I just wish that the bosses were a bit more difficult (although, I have heard Rendtail is a meanie), because as soon as the bosses spawn, I already consider the map completed.

[Yakiniku]

25 minutes on a "learning" run?! You are truly a master of soloing. I got inspired by this and went at it last night. Embarrassingly, I went 48 minutes from start to copper chest finish. I still have much to learn, it seems.

Kudos to you and thanks for sharing your posts. Going to grab more pots and try to refine my approach later today, lol.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[utpal]

in this map u need a freezer mage.
best pt i did was 2tank(one was offtank nd i main tank), a mage, a rogue
did within 15mins.

our strategy was to pull small mobs. let the mage freeze archer and rogue kills archers fast while we tanks hold aggro upon melee enemies.

at boss place, kill one guard at a time.