[GUIDE] Planar Tomb 3 - Pro (non-parking) Ankh Saver Run

[Serancha]

Map and pull guide for Planar Tombs 3.

After many many runs with many different players including some of the top runners around, this is what I found to be the most efficient strategy. (Thanks to Twoxc and Protigy for the team-working on the final refinements for this)

The only really difficult spot is Kill Point 3, and most issues can be avoided by running up and down the hall along the walls (I run up one wall and down the other while shooting). The big guys hit hard but they die super fast, so it is about 10 seconds of chaos.

Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward. This map gives the precise kill count needed to spawn the boss. If you miss a vine or something bounces from moving past the marked kill points, you may need to go to the other hall off the last circle and kill a wolf.


Party Size
A party of 3 will alway take far less damage on the boss than a party of 4, and is not any slower. This is the same as for most maps in the game. I always recommend trio over going full size.



Boss Fight
Pulling the boss towards the door is (arguably) the absolute worst thing you can do. Moving him off his spawn platform appears to heavily increase the number of one-hits both from him and the bombs.

NOTE: These are my observations based on both number watching and the number of times my parties get one-hit by stones - others disagree, so test and see which works best for you.


If you stay amongst the pink crystal thingies close to the wall and spread out, you will find the damage is totally survivable. When we pulled him off the platform, I got one-hit almost every time, with 4700hp and damage reduction on.

I do recommend using a damage reduction elixir to give yourself some breathing room. That way if your pots lag, you'll still be alive and save on ankhs. The stones were doing 2100 damage to me with 1500 armor and DR elix. With no elix they never went higher than 3700, even on a crit.

Staying close to the walls also seems to prevent his hammer from hitting you (works about 80% of the time). Our party of 3 rogues had no more than 2-3 deaths per fight, and sometimes none at all. We just made a triangle and hit the crap out of him. He couldn't decide who to aggro on, and when he did, he usually hit the wall instead of us.

As for the vines, the number has been reduced to a reasonable amount now, so they really aren't an issue. If they get in your way, just move around them.

Additional Note: If you are going to pull him off the platform, make sure the party members spread out and stay put. Running close to other players will get you and them killed, so if rogues run in circles, as most are in the habit of, it's pretty much certain death. You should only need to move to avoid his red zone attacks. If you position yourselves in a triangle or square positioning, this should help survivability a lot.


NEWSFLASH

According to Twoxc, it is possible to keep the stones from falling. The boss produces flashing purple rings, usually right after his redzone ring begins. If everyone in the party stays well clear of these purple flashy things, it appears that he does not throw stones at you.

Disclaimer: I have not tested this extensively, but did complete a fight with a party of 4 using this method, and not a single stone was thrown. The other runs, someone always got hit by purple. It's not easy, but it does seem to work.









Disclaimer: I know others will have pulls they prefer, but this is the run that I find best. I also don't believe in parking, since it wastes time and the giants actually die faster than any of the other mobs. You just have to avoid getting hit by them.

I am also aware that many believe pulling the boss down to the door is better. However, the testing was conclusive, so feel free to try this method for yourselves before posting. Thanks.



Parking Run

Due to popular demand, I am adding the parking run. This also includes Moo's Soft Mob Method™. This method of softening mobs (done by scaling to a solo player and then having the party join just before the runner sets the mobs in place at the end of the green route) will only work until the elite timers are turned back on.

While I generally disapprove of both parking and "easy" methods of doing things, these maps cost so much in ankhs, even to geared players, and give such low return on your investments, that I am making an exception in this case. Again, there are faster ways of doing the run, but this is the easiest method for average geared players.