My first FB19 is over in 5 min......

Fracelle - Sanctuary

Hello all,

I just completed my First Call of Duty (FB19) and honestly I am a bit disappointed with it.
I had a bit of problem forming a squad to try it, so I spent a bit time helping a few of my new friends to level up or quests.
My character is a level 21 Archer when I tried this.

While helping my friends doing quests, I run into 2 high level veno (Late 40 and 50) who is asking around if anyone needs help with FB 19, so I happily jumped into their offer. In my stupidity, I ask them if we need any cleric. They said no, they don't need them. So, we went into the cave and soon I found out exactly why we don't need any healer. They must be laughing at me when I asked that questions .

I think at their level, each of them is strong enough to solo the dungeon alone with their pet (golem/magamite something I think).
The thing is they practically cleared the whole place by themselves. I feel like taking a stroll in the park, without anything to do/kill/shot.

I can't hit anything. Their Golem is so huge and I can't point at the mob. If I managed to point at any of the mob, by the time my arrow hit them, they are already dead. Their golems kills so fast. The only time I managed to hit anything is during the boss kill. I managed to hit maybe 5 arrows before it's dead too

We cleared the whole place in like 5 minutes or less...

I don't know what to think. I mean, I am grateful and happy that someone is willing to help me cleared them.

But, I want to have some fun and challenges too. I want to have the chance to build team works and learn how to play my role to support and get some supports from my squad. I wish I have read somewhere in the forum on advises on what squad to have for FB19.

For those with high level wanting to help with FB, please don't kill the experience for us noobs. We want to have some fun too…

I hope when I am ready for the next one, I will have enough friends with equal level or find some guild with nice and friendly members to do it with.

d1ety

Firstly, congratulations on your first FB.

Secondly, I can appreciate some of your sentiments; but do not be disappointed. What most folks do not understand is the symbiotic relationship between the higher and lower levels on those FB runs.

In other words, they can not have an FB19 without you and you cannot run the FB without them. You have the "tabs" to activate the quest. Therefore they "need" you. However, be happy that they could tank the whole thing, because at level 20-21 or so; many of those mobs would 1-2 shot kill you. b:shocked

Trust me, I am a fighter. I don't enjoy leeching off of nobody. But those initial FB runs, your just going to have to be content with your lot in life. The really good news is, soon you will be assisting others in their own FB quests. b:pleased

Now lastly, I just wanted to make a point on the drops and exp. First of all you did get exp from the quest and the run. Also, depending on how "cool" the people are, many give up certain helpful drops as well during the run. But either way your not "cheated" on exp. Congratulations again and remember that soon you will be on the other side of the coin helping your fellow questers, guildies and whatnot on their quest to greatness. b:victory

Fleuri - Sanctuary

Quests with Call to Duty tend to go that way.

When we get them, we are totally helpless, and they are easy for some of the people that can help us.

However, I am pretty sure that if you kill the monsters, that they will give better drops than if high levels kill them (and I believe some monsters sometimes drop stuff that gives reputation and/or molds which can sell for lots of money). So they were hurting themselves. If they were smart they would have tried to arrange so that the monsters were wounded and you got the killing shots on all of them.

But Archers have serious problems interrupting their attacks, so I do not know how we can play smart when we help other people in Call to Duty quests.
b:cry

Ithilmir - Sanctuary

I can understand your disappoint in not being able to participate in clearing the dungeon. However, there is something you have to understand about the game's design to see why high level players are eager to run you as quickly as possible.

First and foremost is the fundamental fact that dungeons and bosses are not designed for players of the same level to take on. There are a few mini-bosses that a player can reasonably take on either by themselves or with a squad. The FBs are, on the other hand, virtually impossible to take on. I suppose theoretically they were designed so that a full squad could crawl through it, but the truth is that no single player can endure the damage dealt by these foes. The mobs in FB19 might be the same level as you, but they are easily ten times as strong as what you have experienced so far. These guys will seriously kill you in one or two hits. No player at Level 19 can handle it.

Secondly, high-level players will run you because the quest reward offers a decent amount of experience and, more importantly, reputation points upon completion. Often these players will have many bosses and FB runs, as well as plenty of grinding, planned ahead, so they will want to do the run with as least hassle as possible. The faster the run, the sooner they can move onto the next, and the sooner the L19 player can move on with a powerful weapon to boot.

When I run FBs, I often have to struggle with the lower level players trying to help. Helping will be more of a hindrance than standing in the back and doing nothing. If you try to do something, you will draw aggro. You will get killed by AOE. You will wipe the running squad. The squad is doing you a huge favour by running you through an area that you cannot realistically accomplish at your level, and they get the reward by killing the boss. All they will ask you to do is use the tab and refrain from getting killed.

For comparison, you cannot do FB19 effectively until you reach at least Level 39, and by that time you can help run other Level 19s. At level 19, you simply do not have any of the skills and equipment that will allow you to go further than the door. Once you get to around Level 50, you stand a better chance at surviving the jump in difficulty with a full squad than you would in FB19 with a full squad.

If you want to experience the challenge yourself, I suggest you gather a group of friends to try it out. However, there's nothing fun or challenging about getting wasted in two hits. Even if you get past the mobs, you still need to find a way to kill the boss.

There are plenty of challenges in the game you have yet to experience. Consider your goal is to reach Level 50 as quickly as you can so that your character is capable of taking those challenges.

thom

To every poster in this thread: Every FB can be done the lvl you get it or maybe max 5vls after it. With same level squad. Depends entirely on your equips and what skills you have leveled and of course you need to know how to tank and lure.

But they can be done easy.

You DONT need high levels to run them through.

If you want some good drops, do it on your own lvl squad. If you take high levels to run it through, drop rates are a lot less.

You will have lots of trouble in high level places where bosses need teamwork to kill if you just watch high levels run your fb's early on. You learn nothing that way.

Using high levels is the easy and fast way out, but the price you pay is that you learn NOTHING and drop chance is less.

Ithilmir:Big lol at your idea that you cant do fb19 until lvl39... Thats entirely false. done it at lvl20 or 21 with same lvl squad. Done it with just 3 people too at those lvls. So learn to play before saying untrue things like that.
Just how you think those High levels did them when there was no higher ones to call to run it through?

Ithilmir - Sanctuary

I didn't say you couldn't do FB19 until 39; I said you couldn't effectively do it. It's possible, but it requires a huge amount of effort, good people, a lot of guts and a few hours of your time. If you want to do that, and have achieved that, good for you. I hope you found the experience worthwhile.

One thing you cannot deny is the huge difficulty spike. Yes, you can work on your teamwork skills for future use in FBs and bosses. I've done partial unwined FBs for the learning experience, and with a properly organised team it is possible. For the average player, the FB19 presents a ridiculous challenge. Do it at your own whim or risk.

thom

Ithilmir - Sanctuary wrote: »

I didn't say you couldn't do FB19 until 39; I said you couldn't effectively do it. It's possible, but it requires a huge amount of effort, good people, a lot of guts and a few hours of your time. If you want to do that, and have achieved that, good for you. I hope you found the experience worthwhile.

One thing you cannot deny is the huge difficulty spike. Yes, you can work on your teamwork skills for future use in FBs and bosses. I've done partial unwined FBs for the learning experience, and with a properly organised team it is possible. For the average player, the FB19 presents a ridiculous challenge. Do it at your own whim or risk.

Well effectively to me means you get it done. Not a fast 5min run with high level.

Here, your own words: "dungeons and bosses are not designed for players of the same level to take on." Completely false.

Thats why i said stop saying untrue things.

Yes, it takes longer to finish of course. No,there is no huge difficulty spike, that comes from you getting the high levels to run those places and not learning to do it yourself. All you need is tank, cleric and veno. Those 3 can do any dungeon up to 59 at least without any difficulty.

Sounds like your parties dont know how to lure?

So now you change to average player, first nobody could do these
But i agree,the basic average player who cant read or find out stuff,cant do these. Everyone else can.

One thing you are right about, it needs players who have even a small hunch how to play this game.

Well anyway, if you keep calling high levels to run your dungeons, you are shooting yourself in the leg.

Ithilmir - Sanctuary

If you're going to criticise my opinion for "backtracking" to the average player, I'll gladly point out that your experience and reasoning is too idealistic and unattainable by most players who encounter this gap.

Of course tank, cleric and veno can do dungeons together at their level. Veno can do it alone a few levels above. Let's assume that you don't have access to your own faction and you don't have a bunch of friends who can attempt it with you. Let's assume that the people who ask for runs are like our topic creator and don't have access to a tank, cleric and/or venomancer. What are you going to do then? Ask for a low-level squad to come to teleport to your FB?

There is a difficulty spike. A Level 18 mob down the path might have 2000HP. The first foe you meet in the FB will have 7000+ and do twice the damage. You need a a balanced team for that, and that's unattainable for most players.

I'll readily concede and agree with you that once you get to the stage where you can form a squad with healer, tank and DD, you are capable of doing far more than what you could individually.

My advice -- and this is purely my opinion -- is that a beginning player should get the FB run over and done with so that they can develop their character to a greater capacity. If you want to do it the challenging way, go for it -- but you need a balanced team, and a lot of patience and will to learn quickly. A typical player at Level 19 might have two of that three.

I'll differ from you in opinion, and you can continue to call my statements untrue. Your experiences, however, are not reflective of what most players go through, average or not. What is untrue to you may be more accurate to their situation, as is with the topic creator's dilemma.

That's all I have to say about FBs.

thom

Ithilmir - Sanctuary wrote: »

If you're going to criticise my opinion for "backtracking" to the average player, I'll gladly point out that your experience and reasoning is too idealistic and unattainable by most players who encounter this gap.

Of course tank, cleric and veno can do dungeons together at their level. Veno can do it alone a few levels above. Let's assume that you don't have access to your own faction and you don't have a bunch of friends who can attempt it with you. Let's assume that the people who ask for runs are like our topic creator and don't have access to a tank, cleric and/or venomancer. What are you going to do then? Ask for a low-level squad to come to teleport to your FB?

There is a difficulty spike. A Level 18 mob down the path might have 2000HP. The first foe you meet in the FB will have 7000+ and do twice the damage. You need a a balanced team for that, and that's unattainable for most players.

I'll readily concede and agree with you that once you get to the stage where you can form a squad with healer, tank and DD, you are capable of doing far more than what you could individually.

My advice -- and this is purely my opinion -- is that a beginning player should get the FB run over and done with so that they can develop their character to a greater capacity. If you want to do it the challenging way, go for it -- but you need a balanced team, and a lot of patience and will to learn quickly. A typical player at Level 19 might have two of that three.

Again, as i said, the basic average player who cant read or find out stuff,falls to the category you describe. And again, they arent all like that, you generalize way too much. For crying out loud, its hitting couple buttons. Veno lures 1 mob, tank keeps it bleeding, cleric heals tank.

This isnt rocket science.

So now you go assuming that you are a lone player without a faction. Of course in that case its hard to find good squad, but its still possible if you just put some effort to it. Just get full 6 member squad,they can all be lvl20's and go 1 by 1 killing monsters. They can all be just starting the game. We were once too.

Sounds more likely that you have no clue about luring. Since you avoided that question entirely and the way you write about those monsters in dungeons, you really dont seem to have a clue.

You can get EVERY monster in the fb to come alone to be killed. Any tank that has read his skills can tank them with cleric. No special skills needed.

There's actually not much of a challenge if you know how to LURE. With luring you get every single monster in the dungeon to come alone.

No,you dont need balanced team, no special skills, just cleric,tank and veno. You take monsters 1 by 1 and kill them. If tank cant tank the boss, he kites it while hitting bleeds every once in a while.

Thats all there is to it.

Edit: We both have our opinions,that wont change. But saying first nobody can do these,then that the average player cant do these and also saying that they are designed so that even cant do them, is simply completely untrue,not an opinion.

Kazue - Heavens Tear

I am just going to say this. There is nothing funnier then seeing a lvl 60+ bm die in fb19.

Maiya - Lost City

Indeed partying with higher level people takes all the challenge away. You can always try searching for a party in the area or in a main city, specifically saying you want levels around the dungeon level.

While it will be difficult, it's actually rather fun, it can teach you how to use your class effectively in teamwork, or it makes you think of crazy ways to beat the dungeon.

For instance... my first fb19 in closed beta was with level 19-20s. An archer, blademaster, wizard, and venomancer. The cleric had DCed halfway through. We died so many times, but it was so fun. Died against the boss like 4 times, and ran back, but we finally beat it. It was a thrilling time.

fuzzles

Anyone who believes that it is impossible to do an FB with a group of roughly equal levels must be incompetent. It is definitely possible, but only with vaguely competent people. That rules out a whole lotta people though.

But yeah, most people are never gonna do an FB19 the old fashioned way. There's too many people who are looking to help lowbies with FBs. It's smexy and easy XP.

But for the OP, yeah.. don't expect much in the way of a challenge for your FBs until your 59, or 69, depending on what level your party is. FB69 is where the fun starts. Even a full level 8x party has gotta be careful in there, and as an archer, you'll definitely be helping.

Just wait.. you'll see soon enough that fb19 really isn't all that interesting anyway. You didn't miss out on much. When the higher level FBs, and TT come rolling around, that's when the teamwork starts... although admittedly, as an archer, your role really isn't enormously complex or exciting. Point and click, point and click. Although I guess if you get right down to it, that's what most classes boil down to.

thom

Kazue - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I am just going to say this. There is nothing funnier then seeing a lvl 60+ bm die in fb19.

Wow i would drop off my chair if i saw that

Fleuri - Sanctuary

thom wrote: »

If you want some good drops, do it on your own lvl squad. If you take high levels to run it through, drop rates are a lot less.

A high level support party running a damage oriented character through an FB can tend to get good drops (depending on some specifics of that character, in part).

(Some nice people helped me with my FB51 today, and a couple of them got some nice things.)

thom

Fleuri - Sanctuary wrote: »

A high level support party running a damage oriented character through an FB can tend to get good drops (depending on some specifics of that character, in part).

(Some nice people helped me with my FB51 today, and a couple of them got some nice things.)

Yup,never said you cant get good drops, just that the chance is less the more high levels there are.

Not sure does the game count it as who and what lvls hit this monster, or just the final hits.It could also be counting just the average lvl of the squad to decide chances.

fuzzles

Ehhh.. there's a whole lotta debate about what affects the drop rates.

Personally I'm a believer in the whole last hit thing. It's always worked for me.

Although I reckon that even if a lowbie does get in the last hit, the drop rates will still be low compared to what they would be with a full party of lowbies. I'm not too sure about this, but I think that the level of the person or people who do the most damage to the boss also affects drop rates.

Malcuid - Sanctuary

It is very hard to find a good team with same lvl to do your fb19.
Why? the other classes have to ge trough areas with higher lvl creatures too get there.

And I did my fb 19 with high leveld people because I couldnt solo 1 creature in the dungeon.

I felt like I was doing nothing, well I was.
But with my barb I helped a little bit, I didn't tank but I did add a little bit of damage.

Once you get at your fb 39 you will not feel like you are jsut tagging along. Maybe even at fb29 but that one is real hard one.

No with my tank I really play an active role, even though I am lower leveled than most with who I am doing my fb I play the tank and they restrict there damage a bit So I can keep the agrro.

Envy - Lost City

Fracelle - Sanctuary wrote: »

We cleared the whole place in like 5 minutes or less...

5 minutes? what the **** took them so long

swgs

The argument has always been here, it is the reason I do not help 19/29 even 39 any more. I give up on military rank, so all I can get from FB runs are exp, I can use the time I travel to the sit to get exp I can get from FB by grinding. I only help FB 51+ run when asked directly.

Mrbungle - Lost City

i would say it gets better the higher you get...at higher-lvl-fbs you can actually do something since the ppl cannot be that much higher like it is in fb19.

in addition it comes that you can help other players with their fbs, so dont worry and be happy that its gone so fast.

Aryetta - Lost City

I find it is funner to do with people your level. I did fb19-51 with a squad my level but it was easy for me becuase they were all my friends and we all started together so we are near the same level.

When i help low levels run fbs i like to help get them involved to by telling them to fight this or that and even when someone in my squad tells them not to atk i still tell them to. Its no fun doing nothing. But thats jsut me becuase im a fairly good cleric and i can keep a muitple peopled healed. Of course i dont give them a task that would require them getting hit often and i usually run it with my bf and were good at protecting them. Once again tahts jsut me.

Bobncut - Sanctuary

Kazue - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I am just going to say this. There is nothing funnier then seeing a lvl 60+ bm die in fb19.

Okay. I had avoided the whole farming of newbies for FB19 runs, but now I have to go run through an FB19 just to see if it is even possible for this to happen.
b:laugh

Seriously, though, I've done FB19 various ways with different characters and classes. It is hard to get a group of similar levels together, but if you or a friend have been to Archo at all, you've probably already got the beginnings of a network from the first few mob slaying squads outside the city. However, I have to admit that I did not see any difference in the drop rates doing it this way compared to my first confused effort to chase a few high levels through the dungeon. I suspect the theory of better drops comes from the fact that the higher FBs tend to have better chances of good drops and those also have more runs of same/similar level. So, yeah, maybe it is not that big a deal to just get done with FB19 by letting some high levels rack up their reputation points.

As for getting experience working in a real squad, I would not wait for FB39 to start. That place has too many tricks in it. You need to already have a good sense of the basics before you get to the exploding chickens. FB29 is actually a very good place to learn how a squad can take down elite mobs and bosses. It's short and not particularly tricky (once you find out how to get inside the actual instance).

Asterelle - Sanctuary_1381265973

I always think of fb19 as a showcase for the lower levels to see some of the higher levels in action. You are probably not going to be squading much with high levels outside of fb's and so it is a good preview of things to come.

Fb's are all certainly doable with the right mix of players at the fb level who know a little of what they're doing.

The big problem with fb19 is that for the first 20 levels you are only seeing other members of your race. You probably haven't met very many of the other 4 classes at all. It would be hard for you to make a rounded squad when the people you need are on their own fb on the other side of the map.

Once you get passed lvl 20 tho all the races come together at Arch and you will be making friends with other classes.

-Ast

Fracelle - Sanctuary

Thanks for all the replies. I am feeling much better now. b:thanks

I totally agree that at my level it's difficult to have a good mix of friends unless you are starting the game with some friends playing different classes.

This is my first online game and I only know a few clerics whom I met during quests.

I am at Arch now, so hopefully I will be making different classes friends soon to try FB29. I know we will probably get wiped out a few times b:shocked, but it's going to be fun! b:chuckle

Cheers

X_yasuna_x - Heavens Tear

how long do you think the fb19 would go if i had radiance help or do it for me?

X_yasuna_x - Heavens Tear

i recommend having lvl 50-60 ppl helping u with ur fb29. i just got it done on my main and it was a pain in the butt!!

Nevlik - Heavens Tear

radiance would probably only take 3-5 mins, about 10 min if it's untamed.

most of the time would be due to u not running as fast as them lol. the 10 min for untamed is because the dungeon is freaking long.

Bitisu - Lost City

um im a lvl 47axe+3/sword+2 bm now
and i have died in fb19. . .when i was lvl 30ish
but now that im 40+i gots mes some aoes
aint that fun^^
the thing is that a bm has to have terms and patterns to work with his cleric
because trust me a EP+BM=god mode^^
but it takes coordination and terms both understand
my cleric is FayLee(hes a good support pure^^)
we have good compatability cause we lvled up together when we were 30ish cause of multirace quests^^
or aoe pattern we call con cause we devolped it on rep farming with conquesting dustwraiths
it involves me getting cloud sprinting to draw mobs, phy marrowing, aoe stun,
spaming aoe skills while he in air spaming iron heart. it works and we get the required 40mobs in about 5mins give or take so we make around 40ish rep in a good hour of farming^^
but its true at low lvls you can do the fb my first fb was a 40bm(my sensei) a 35cleric a 20bm (me) 19mage and another bm its possible it just takes time
yes i got to fight too

Jessup - Heavens Tear

This thread seriously makes my eyes bleed.

Bladecutter - Sanctuary

Hi all...
well, what i think about FBs and high lvls is that you get it to be more fun with lvls, fb19 is not fun when high lvls kills all, fb29 neither.... but when fb39 and 51 comes it gets better, mobs haves more hp so you need to attk.

I did my fb 51 with some mates, but at the end noticed i needed some mobs more, so i went with a group of lvl 51-54 and killed them, it was very fun but we didnt try boss because everyone would have been killed..... (got 4 darkness stamps for that half run lol!)

so, id say that let high lvls help, and if you wanna make it more fun and/or long just try with ppl 10-20 lvls more than the fb, it will be a challenge for the squad to get pass it....

and... about fb19 i use to do a lot of them, and the hardest thing you can try is let the lvl 19 finish the mobs, almost impossible when a single skill takes out half hp

so, at lvl 19 conform with your shiny new wep. it will get betterb:byeb:victory

Wyeth - Heavens Tear

Kazue - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I am just going to say this. There is nothing funnier then seeing a lvl 60+ bm die in fb19.

LOL I've seen it too, and there IS something much funnier...

Human FB19....our 70 barb tank died from normal mobs....was so f-ing hilarious....lmfao