In-Depth Guide to Farming Alien Oasis 3 (AO3): Victory Lap!
In-Depth Guide to Farming Alien Oasis 3 (AO3): Victory Lap
by Physiologic
Check out my other Pocket Legends guides:
How Drop Rates Work (Simplified) and the Factor of Luck Elixirs
Post-Global Cooldown (GCD) Video Runs at Balefort Sewers
In-Depth Guide to Farming Balefort Sewers
Comprehensive Archer Skills and Equipment Guide
Complete Lv 55 Archer Gear List
Pocket Legends Enemy, Boss, and NPC Compendium
How to Craft Lv 55 Gear
How to calculate your attributes using STR, DEX, and INT
Ring List
Guide to Advanced Mechanics in PL: DPS, Crits, etc.
Void Set versus Sentinel equips: An Unbiased Analysis
In-Depth Guide to Farming Alien Oasis 3: Victory Lap
Check out my other Star Legends guides:
Star Legends General Attributes (STR, DEX, INT) Guide
Prefix/Suffix Compendium for Weapons and Armors
Lv 20-21 Operative Weapons and Equips
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Finding/Hosting a Game
III. Starting the Run (First Area of Victory Lap)
IV. Boss Guides
V. Other Useful Information
VI. Thx and Revision History
I. Introduction
An extention to Aryilana's AO3 Boss Strategies, this guide is to help educate new and old players how to properly execute a successful (and cost-efficient) Alien Oasis 3: Victory Lap! (AO3:VL) run for the primary purpose of farming for drops. Some may argue "omg more farmers! more drops! lowered market value!" - well I've had enough of running with people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing and dying repeatedly.
Background info on me: I've been a PL player since December 10th, 2010 and reached 50 in a few weeks. I am by no means a veteran player and I do not know everything about the game. However, I pick up things fairly quickly and always strive for perfection in any game I play. I currently boast a 10,100 kill to 130 death ratio (this is my first time character), so this guide should also be used for those who want to keep their K-D ratio as high as possible while farming AO3:VL.
I will keep this guide short and simple and easy to follow, and I hate reading guides that feature long paragraphs.
What is the point in farming? In short, to make lots of money really quickly.
Of course, not everyone will have the same farming experience. You may go several runs and get lucky with an item that costs nearly 300,000 gold, or you may go 100 runs (like me) and get almost nothing in value. You may see someone grab a Mega Blaster and a Laser Wand in the same run and you may never see those items drop at all for you.
You must understand that farming is really a luck-of-the-draw thing. Think of it this way: Everyone has the same chance of obtaining a coveted pink. With a full party of 5 people, the chances of an alien boss randomly dropping a nice pink looks to be as low as 1%. Then, that drop is again randomly assigned to one person out of 5 (so 1% divided by 5 is 0.2%). So that looks on average a 1/100 chance that a boss with drop a nice pink, or a 1/500 chance of you obtaining it. Of course, the drop rate isn't exactly 1%, and the drop rates of all bosses probably differ. Case-in-point, I won't argue about specific numbers or drop rates...farming and getting good drops all depends on luck.
II. Finding/Hosting a Game
If you're a first time player who has recently hit 50 and want to start farming:
1. Filter out other games/campaigns by typing "Trials" in the campaign box in the JOIN GAME list.
2. Look for "The Victory Lap!" and make sure the game has just started (the box next to the name should be clear, not partially or fully green).
3. As soon as you enter, ask the party what they are doing. I usually ask "what's the gameplan?"
4. If you're in the right game, the host will usually say something like this: "DES King OL Gurg." If he says something like that or a variation like "DES OL" or "King OL" then you're in the right game. I'll explain in section three what that means.
5. If the host says "Keeper run" only, then you should leave and find another game. Keeper runs as you probably already figured out are for Cyber quests only, and Keeper drops are painfully inexpensive compared to the other bosses' drops.
If you want to host:
1. Ensure that you have a team that absolutely knows what they are doing and can communicate in such a fashion that differentiates them from chimpanzees with phones. Party should be relatively high leveled (basically, level 50) and varied (not all bird, all mage, all bear). I disagree with Aryilana's minimum of level 45 to run farming levels - Farming should be reserved for 50s that truly have a feel for AO3:VL runs and with enough survivability gear, DPS, and hit%. Remember, this guide was meant to be cost-effective and efficient. If you do decide to run with lv 45-49s, then make sure they're smart and know what they're doing and can be as helpful as possible.
2. I usually tell them the plan: "DES>Rush King>Pot Rush OL" and usually boot those who don't seem to get it (i.e. they are silent, they can't speak English, etc.). I have a low tolerance to idiocy or absent-mindedness in farming runs, so the weak must be weeded out.
3. I also macro "pot OL or get booted" prior to the run so everyone has their fair share of spending money for the OL run.
4. Anyone who doesn't agree to my terms as a host gets the boot. Being slightly mean is the small price to pay to having a great, speedy run as a host.
III. Starting the Run (First Area of Victory Lap)
(Credits to Kossi for the map fix)
1. As soon as your party is settled, you'll find a room with portals in them and three strong alien mini-bosses (Lorekeeper, Sniper, Berserker). Avoid these enemies at all costs as your efficient farming party will not waste time on these enemies. Spam pots while running towards the portal and don't rely on your mage to heal you at this part.
2. To survive this section, it's very important that your entire party runs together so all 3 enemies aren't aggroed onto one player. In the event you arrive late and your party members have already gone in one of the portals (make sure you ask them which they went into), try to run the perimeter of the room, as far away from the enemies as possible. don't let the Berserker get too close to you, and pot constantly when the Sniper/Lorekeeper aggros on you.
3. I will make an example of a DES-King-OL-Gurg run (as this is the most common form of an AO3:VL farming run I've seen).
DES-King-OL-Gurg is the order in which your party will run through the portals and defeat the bosses. It's a shortcut name for the following:
DES = Desert, or the boss Pl'Othozz
King = King Mynas
OL = Galactic Overlord
Gurg = Gurgox
IV. Boss Guides
*Before I begin, I must emphasize when Mages are supposed to spam heal versus heal sporadically versus not heal. Everyone's playing experience and farming run is different - you may have a group that completely annhilates a boss so that healing may not be necessary, or you may have a group in which a couple of unlucky runners are getting hit hard. As a bird or a bear, it is partially your responsibility to USE YOUR POTIONS and not completely rely on your mage to heal. If your mage is not healing at all and you end up dying even though you were spamming pots, you should ask your mage to please heal.*
Desert (PL'Othozz):
Kill off enough enemies to spawn the boss. There are no aliens here, just desert nomads, who are as weak and brittle as your grandmother's fingernails. Note: Killing only half these enemies, or enough to have "125-126 enemies remaining", will spawn the boss. (Credits to Shemron and Sky../)
Mages: Don't show off your DPS or how pretty your skills are. PL'Othozz hits hard and your party needs constant heal, so heal them. I understand some parties are able to breeze through PL'Othozz, but note that this boss has an uncanny ability to critically hit you, leaving you down to 10% health instantly, then as you spam pots to get a measly 30% health back, PL'Othozz crits you again and you die. This is why I ask my mages to heal (throwing in their buffs/debuffs as well).
Birds: Lay waste - spam all your skills on him to get him down as soon as possible. With the bear, pin him to a wall/corner, preferably right next to where he spawns. Don't be stingy by attacking with normal attacks in hopes he doesn't aggro you. Trust in your mage to heal you.
Bears: Make sure you continue to keep PL'Othozz stunned but do NOT stomp and knock him away from the wall/corner. This is really annoying and just takes time away from your speedy run.
Premium pink drops from Pl'Othozz:
Laser Wand of the Cosmos
Force Kite Shield of the Rift
Plasma Axe of the Rift
Click here for Yanis' list of these items.
Amount of enemies remaining to spawn Pl'Othozz: 125-126
King Mynas:
As soon as you enter Mynas' portal, kill all enemies in front of the portal and nothing beyond that.
This picture exemplifies the area you need to clear after you step into Mynas' portal. Wait for your other members to arrive after this beginning area is cleared of enemies (there should only have been 5-6 aliens here). You'll most likely be rushing straight into Mynas' chamber, so be ready to keep your guard up and spam pots.
Useful tip: After much trial and error with different parties, I've figured the absolute sure-fire way to successfully rush into a boss's chamber without anyone dying. Have the bear run in first, with the bird and mage right behind him - it's important that you run tightly as a group. Have your entire party as far away from barrels as possible. What this ideal party should do is have the bear Beckon each group of enemy that they run into. When the enemies are mobbed together, have the bird Thorn Wall and the mage use Frostbite and Icestorm to stop the enemies in their tracks. Bears may also Stomp if party members are held back. Barrels should be targeted by Birds only when they are far enough to not hit and debuff your entire party. Mages should heal consistently through the rush.
Useful tip: To get rid of all enemies following you, rush past Mynas and touch the back end of the wall - a vast majority of the aliens should lose aggro on you and retreat back. This is very helpful and easy thing to do prior the fight with Mynas if everyone does this.
Premium pink drops from King Mynas:
Laser Talon of the Void
Sunblessed Bow of the Void
Jacob's Helmet of the Cosmos
Screaming Skull Shield of the Rift
Sunblessed Scimitar of the Rift
Click here for Yanis' list of these items.
Amount of enemies remaining to spawn King Mynas: ?
Galactic Overlord:
Make sure everyone is in the room prior to moving. I will assume that everyone in your party has agreed to give their equal share of tanking pots - this costs 1,500 gold and you can buy this in Store->Elixirs->Tanker's Ale Elixir. Most parties have everyone pot anyway regardless of their ability to tank simply because it's fair for everyone to "pitch in" for the run - I for one am an advocate to this idea.
Tanker's Ale Elixir will double your armor for 5 minutes and is primarily used to tank the Overlord's extremely damaging hits. It will also help a lot while rushing towards his chamber, as you will have to go through tons of aliens and alien mini-bosses (Lorekeeper, Sniper, Berserker).
The path splits off to the left and the right - The left leads to Gurgox and the right leads to the OL. Make for the right first. Once again, as you run, have the bears tank with the birds following side-by-side and the mages in the back healing. Avoid stomping on barrels and have the birds thorn root the enemies. As soon as you enter the chamber, aim directly for the Overlord and ignore his 2 Lorekeepers that are with him.
Useful tip: After much trial and error with different parties, I've figured the absolute sure-fire way to successfully rush into a boss's chamber without anyone dying. Have the bear run in first, with the bird and mage right behind him - it's important that you run tightly as a group. Have your entire party as far away from barrels as possible. What this ideal party should do is have the bear Beckon each group of enemy that they run into. When the enemies are mobbed together, have the bird Thorn Wall and the mage use Frostbite and Icestorm to stop the enemies in their tracks. Bears may also Stomp if party members are held back. Barrels should be targeted by Birds only when they are far enough to not hit and debuff your entire party. Mages should heal consistently through the rush.
Useful tip: Once again like in Mynas, as soon as you enter the boss room, rush to the end wall right behind the Overlord to drop the aggro on all enemies chasing you. Very helpful if everyone in the party does this.
Premium pink drops from Galactic Overlord:
Overlord's Helmet of the Void
Mega Blaster of the Void
Overlord's Helmet of the Cosmos
Power Armor of the Rift
Jacob's Helmet of the Rift
Overlord's Helmet of the Rift
Click here for Yanis' list of these items.
Amount of enemies remaining to spawn Galactic Overlord: 116
Gurgox the Great:
Immediately after the fight with the Overlord, rush back towards the entrance and take the other path (the left path). Do NOT take the portal that appears after you kill the Overlord - taking this will lead you back to the beginning of the Victory Lap and you'll lose your tanker's elixir, if you still have some of it remaining.
Enemies while rushing there will most likely not enter Gurgox's chamber (for some reason a majority of the aggro is lost a couple of steps before the chamber).
There is a reason why people run for OL first after they consume a Tanker's Ale Elixir, THEN go after Gurgox - Gurgox has an infamous attack that kills anyone instantly, negating the elixir completely.
You'll find several green orbs around Gurgox, which you must consume when Gurgox is about to do his 1-hit-KO attack. The following is very important. Gurgox will be safe to attack for approximately 15 seconds until he does 2 things: he will start growling and emitting an orange aura around his feet. The growl will become louder and the orange aura will expand larger for about 5 seconds until he unleashes his roar which WILL kill you regardless of your armor/tanker's pot/health. Run towards a green orb as soon as you hear his growl or see the orange aura, but don't take the orb yet - wait about 2-3 seconds and then take it. Taking it too soon will cause the orb's power to fade (it doesn't last very long) and you'll be killed by his shout.
It'll take another 15 seconds or so for him to roar again but it may be as less as 10 seconds - so make sure you listen to the roar or look at his feet for the orange aura (I prefer the latter, as many people are having difficulties with the sound).
Premium pink drops from Gurgox the Great:
Jacob's Helmet of the Void
Mirage Robe of the Cosmos
Gurgox's Eye of the Cosmos
Gurgox Hammer of the Rift
Click here for Yanis' list of these items.
Amount of enemies remaining to spawn Gurgox the Great: 116
And there you have it - Remake the game or wait for the host to remake the game and hope you had some good drops.
V. Other useful information
Helpful Abbreviations
- AO3: Alien Oasis 3 (campaign bought with platinum)
- VL: Victory Lap level in Alien Oasis 3
- Des: Desert, with the boss, PL'Othozz
- King: The boss, King Mynas
- OL: The boss, Galactic Overlord
- Keep: The boss, Keeper
- Gurg: The boss, Gurgox
- When someone says "rush": Run past all enemies in a level to get to the boss to make your farming runs faster. Usually done together as a group.
- When someone says "pot" or "pot up" or "lixir up": Buy the Tanker's Ale Elixir (blue one) in the Elixir section of the store. Usually done before you rush to the Overlord.
-Aggro: When an enemy targets you for attack
Coloured Orbs
You may have seen these throughout your travels, and they serve to temporarily (10 seconds) boost certain stats for your character.
Red: Overall damage x 2
Purple: Overall armor x 2
Green: Replenishes health 100%
Blue: Replenishes mana 100%
Yellow: Running speed x 2
Green (in Gurgox chamber): Gives you a 5 second immunity against Gurgox's instant-kill shout attack.
Alien Lorekeeper, Sniper, and Berserker Drops
There is a chance for these mini-bosses to drop premium pink items as well, so some groups choose to eliminate the beginning section of Victory Lap.
Lorekeeper:
Sunblessed Bow of the Void
Plasma Axe of the Rift
Plasma Battlesword of the Rift
Sniper:
Sunblessed Bow of the Void
Berserker:
N/A
Click here for Yanis' list of these items.
VI. Thx and Revision History
Thank you for taking your time to read this guide. Feel free to add comments, advice, opinions, feedback, or improvements. I am in no way a perfect player and this is by no means a perfect guide. I've only played one character in my one month of playing - a bird - and would like more helpful hints from bears and mages on what they do to make a fast, efficient run.
For future revisions:
- Keeper/T'Paxx boss guides will be up as well.
1/3/11: Guide created
1/5/11: Edits to VL main room, PL'Othozz guide, Gurgox guide.
Coloured font to make certain sections easier to see.
Created "Coloured Orbs" and "Helpful Abbreviations" sections under section VI.
Added several screenshots.
1/6/11: Added premium pink drop list for each boss, as well as alien mini-bosses.
1/7/11: Added "Amount of enemies remaining" needed to spawn boss.
Added and revised some strategies for rushing into boss chambers.
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