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Any BHE?

sandukutupusandukutupu Member Posts: 2,285 Arc User
This is mostly addressed to the average player. Many new players seem lost and fail to pay any attention.

The Cryptic development team made Sybella's quests for level 80 to encourage players to return and replay old content. Unfortunately, I am seeing a lot of lazy or unaware players. The battle cry, as they enter the zone is "Any BHE?" or they spam +inv BHE, as if the BHE is up and running. BHE style varies from module to module, this is my effort to set players clear about the different BHE (big heroic encounters) throughout the game.

The some modules don't have heroic encounters and others don't have BHEs either. There are four campaigns that do not have BHE at all; Fury of the Feywild, Elemental Evil, Maze Engine, and Underdark. Elemental evil has some repeatable encounters. Before the February 2018 these could have been called HEs, where many players teamed up to fight a boss. Their function was to give elemental motes to the players to restore weapons. However with the new armors, these boss creatures can be done by one player alone. Therefore Elemental Evil is not part of Legacy Quests. Fury of the Feywild offers only 5 adventures and conquer quests. While Underdark has HEs in the form of demonic encounters these can be found on several other module maps.

Curse of Icewind Dale was very confusing to even veteran players as the BHE appear to have no set timers. The team reduced the timers, now the only issue is the inability to invite players from another instance to any BHE. The maps (instances) are travel restricted due to the PvP. For example; if one arrives in map #3 with an active BHE, they can only invite players of the same faction into the zone. Once the other player is invited, they must leave through the gate to Caer-Konig and return to be paired up with the player who invited them. Normally by the time they reenter the map the BHE has ended. There is little to no point of asking about BHE in this module.

Tyranny of Dragons has only the 5 chromatic dragons that land at 45 minutes after the hour. The Well of Dragons is actually part of module 5, Rise of Tiamat, requesting a BHE here is also pointless. All anyone needs to do is arrive ten minutes ahead of the dragons landing and kill one (or more) with a party or the Dragon Run. Meanwhile the Underdark's Demonic Heroic Encounters are counted as the HE's as they are in Icewind Dale.

Storm King's Thunder has BHEs up all the time. There is no waiting for the BHE, assuming you can find a group willing to help out. As soon as a BHE ends and new one will start. The only issue with Storm King's Thunder, the BHE are spread across 4 zones; Bryn Shander, Cold Run, Lonelywood, and Sea of Moving Ice.

The Cloaked Ascendancy has very unique BHEs as they are not timers but player induced pie charts. The graphs are located attached to the mini-map HUD. The top blue indicates how full the ship is with treasure stored by the players. The green pie under it represents the build up to the next Far Realm invasion. Neither can be stopped but the players can quicken the loading of the ship or slow the next invasion. The question here isn't "Any BHE?" it is "How full is the ship?".

Chult is an odd duck. The Legacy Quest requires you to do 2 of the four BHE, one in Soshenstar River and the other in Omu, as there are no HEs in this module. There are two BHE per map and three reoccur every 60 minutes. King of Spines, Tyrant, and Camp Vengeance are all on 60 minute cool down timers per map. These timers are hidden from the player and reset upon map creation or the end of the event. The fourth BHE, Wrath of Acererak, found in Omu, can only be summoned by the players. It requires many players to work together and empower all the shrines in the Undercity using Trickster Talismans. If a shrine is inactive it needs no less than 10 talismans to be empowered. Since there are 9 shrines, the total count would be no less than 90 and one player alone would never accomplish it as the empowerment wanes over time.

Ravenloft has only one BHE, Yester Hill is also a 60 minute cool down timer as the three in Chult. The only way to find one is to ask, if any BHE is up and move to the map. This is about the only place "Any BHE?" actually makes sense. When multiple maps are available each map has its own timer making more chances the BHE will be available. This Monday I will arrive in Ravenloft and play as my first character. I don't need to ask about the BHE, chat will tell me when and where it will occur. After an hour of doing other quests for the 60 minutes, there will be an entire chat log of players telling zones where the BHE occurred. Adding about 6 to 8 minutes to the time will give you the arrival for the next hour. I pop on as my other characters and knock out all 8 of my BHEs on Monday in just 3 hours or less. I also share the timers by posting them to chat in this fashion; BHE Timers: #3 @ 02, #5 @ 16, #4 @ 20, #1 @ 32, #2 is next @ 47. Since time zones across the world are different I am posting the minutes after the hour. If it is 9:35 AM, the times for that line would be; #3 @ 10:02, #5 @ 10:16, #4 @ 10:20, #1 @ 10:32, #2 is next @ 9:47.

I hope this will assist you come Monday doing those BHEs for Sybella. <3
wb-cenders.gif

Comments

  • milehighxr#1299 milehighxr Member Posts: 461 Arc User
    I believe on console there is only 1 instance of Dwarven Valley, and Icewind Pass. I always attributed that to PVP. I've never been able to change instances in either of those zones.
  • greywyndgreywynd Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 7,083 Arc User
    In order to change instances in the Pass or the Valley, you need to be in party with someone in the other zone. Then you go to the gate and leave. Then return to the Pass or Valley. You should then be in the zone that your other party member was in.

    That is the only way you can change instances due to the PvP.
    I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too.
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User

    I believe on console there is only 1 instance of Dwarven Valley, and Icewind Pass. I always attributed that to PVP. I've never been able to change instances in either of those zones.

    Unless really nobody goes to those zone in console, it should have more than instance (that depends on number of people go there). You cannot change instance for a different reason mentioned by greywynd.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • sandukutupusandukutupu Member Posts: 2,285 Arc User

    I believe on console there is only 1 instance of Dwarven Valley, and Icewind Pass. I always attributed that to PVP. I've never been able to change instances in either of those zones.

    Unless really nobody goes to those zone in console, it should have more than instance (that depends on number of people go there). You cannot change instance for a different reason mentioned by greywynd.
    The only time you see more than 1 map instance in IWD on PC is during these Sybella quests in there and they peak quickly over Monday to Tuesday.
    wb-cenders.gif
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