Lost Villas Strategies?

[McBain]

I think a thread is needed to discuss how to effectively approach the Lost Villas map. I personally haven't played there much, because most of the time I do, it's just a chaotic free-for-all with everybody running around in different directions and constantly dying. So let's discuss strategies and hopefully get some knowledge disseminated among everybody. All you PL experts, what do you think is the most optimal way to run the map as a group? Should you run a certain pattern or huddle in the middle of the map? Any tips or tricks?

A couple fairly obvious observations:

- It seems to me like the most important thing to do is make sure you stay together in a group, because otherwise it's all to easy to get overrun as the mobs regenerate, and they regenerate rather quickly.

- A lot of PUGs I've joined like to huddle together in the middle of the circle of huts, but it seems to me this only makes you more vulnerable, as you're surrounded on all sides by regenerating mobs.

- Everybody usually ignores the huts because there doesn't seem to any reason to go in them. Is there some advantage to not ignoring them, or are they indeed best left alone?

[Cobraguy]

I was wondering the same about the huts...there's got to be some kind of trick to get the furball boss to spawn more frequently. Unfortunately I can't ever get a team with enough sense to test some strategies to see if this is the case.

[trunzoc]

I prefer to stand in the middle with a bow and just shoot. I rarely move.

I'm not sure what the effectivness is of even going to Lost Villa TBO. XP seems way slower than just doing lagoon runs and aout the same as Village runs, that will get you fur.

The circle on a mobs health bar... Is white harder or yellow? Regular maps all have yellow circles, Villa has white.

[Phoenixking]

I prefer to stand in the middle with a bow and just shoot. I rarely move.

I'm not sure what the effectivness is of even going to Lost Villa TBO. XP seems way slower than just doing lagoon runs and aout the same as Village runs, that will get you fur.

The circle on a mobs health bar... Is white harder or yellow? Regular maps all have yellow circles, Villa has white.

Circle = xp not difficulty

[xcainnblecterx]

I'm up for trying strategy out if anyone wants to. Gotta be a reason for huts

[BoomBox]

The best thing I've found is to stay in middle. As long as you have 2 mages 2 birds and a bear to pull to the middle. But i haven't played there much either cause the xp does seem slower and the boss not spawning rarely ever.

[Suentous PO]

I go with tradition. Bear gathers finds wall (shoreline) pulls ect.
I think that scatterbears get people killed there by standing in the middle. If mobs don't die quick enough because they're only getting hit once in awhile as they fly around range, then new ones spawn leading to these huge mobs. If your not a scatterer then it's prolly all good, but I've seen some chaotic messes where squishes have little chance.
I just focus on the middle area and leave the rooms alone.

[GoodSyntax]

I've seen some enormous mobs with 15+ yetis of doom because of the scatter bear technique.

The problem is that if the mob isn't killed, they congregate while new mobs are regenerating. Then when the bear beckons, you end up pulling in more yeti's than your group can handle and the group ends up getting reset. The problem with the reset is that the mob that killed you is still there and a new mob get regenerated.

I only focus on the middle area as well. In all the hours I've spent in this map, I still haven't seen the boss (has anyone?).

IMHO the single biggest problem with this map is when a group does not stick together. Individually, unless you're thrashing, you don't have enough DPS to clear the mobs as they regen, so you need to work with the group to survive. Most of my deaths here have come from either the enormous mobs, or chasing down the player that died when he decided to take his act on the road.

[Suentous PO]

I've seen the boss a few times, I wonder if he is a random spawn, as I've never seen him appear quickly. Seems like he spawns after hundreds of killed mobs.
Ed- I know he's random but it's not like a vyxnar where sometimes he's rights here when you start.

[FluffNStuff]

As long as the bear keeps beconing and not stomping, he can keep pulling mobs to the center. It might seem like you are getting overrun but if the mage and birds keep laying down combos the grouped mobs (including yetis) get disintegrated pretty quickly, especially if you get some terror in there from the nightmare / hellscream combo. Only reason to start stomping is if someone dies and you need to clear up some space for revives.

[Suentous PO]

Just now realizing I developed this because I pug. Fluff is describing an intelligent group tactic, as opposed to my chance team.

[Elyseon]

as a bear i generally stand in the middle constantly beckoning and stomping
scatterbear all the way ;D

[nomad187]

As long as the bear keeps beconing and not stomping, he can keep pulling mobs to the center. It might seem like you are getting overrun but if the mage and birds keep laying down combos the grouped mobs (including yetis) get disintegrated pretty quickly, especially if you get some terror in there from the nightmare / hellscream combo. Only reason to start stomping is if someone dies and you need to clear up some space for revives.

With this technique, is the xp faster than doing Lagoon runs??

[FluffNStuff]

With this technique, is the xp faster than doing Lagoon runs??

Probably not, but it is lazier, no need to remake, or clear stash. Also, I noticed today there were no yetis outside the huts, only IN the huts. And someone said those were glitched, so we stayed out of the huts.

edit, actually, I am comparing it to when I would do full thrasher sandbar, and I am doing this non thrasher with non-thrasher team, so it is faster then that. Not sure anything is faster then four bird one mage tornado sandbar.

[trunzoc]

Circle = xp not difficulty

Phoenix, I appreciate the response, but it didn't really help to answer the underlying question. I'll rephrase with the info you provided...

I'm not sure what the effectivness is of even going to Lost Villa TBO. XP seems way slower than just doing lagoon runs and about the same as South Point runs that will get you fur.

The circle on a mobs health bar... Is white more XP or is yellow? Regular maps all have yellow circles, Villa has white.

[Rauekat]

My strategy....dont do it.

[FluffNStuff]

Phoenix, I appreciate the response, but it didn't really help to answer the underlying question. I'll rephrase with the info you provided...

I'm not sure what the effectivness is of even going to Lost Villa TBO. XP seems way slower than just doing lagoon runs and about the same as South Point runs that will get you fur.

The circle on a mobs health bar... Is white more XP or is yellow? Regular maps all have yellow circles, Villa has white.

Yellow gets you more then white. I found that if you are 70, the only way to get yellow circles is to have the ENTIRE team be 70 or above. And let the booting begin!!

[trunzoc]

Yellow gets you more then white. I found that if you are 70, the only way to get yellow circles is to have the ENTIRE team be 70 or above. And let the booting begin!!

So basically, as a lvl 70, I want to stay out of Lost Villas with lower levels? That could explain why I'd really not been at all impressed with Villa XP gain.

[McBain]

Well, here's the way i see it: if you want the most efficient xp runs, play sandbar. If you want to farm fur gees, go to South Pointe (because the villas boss spawns a little too rarely. But....let's say you want to do both/kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I think Lost Villas sort of fills that niche. The xp is better than south pointe, and you can still farm the fur gee thingys.

[Fallen_Chisk_Angels]

maybe get a tank bear to lure the enemies in the hut to the middle where u ambush them