The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 23: Maze Engine Launch

Welcome to a new project, experiment, challenge or whatever you wanna call it. Normally experiencing the content with well-geared toons, I figured it would be quite interesting to approach the game from the perspective of a casual player. How does it feel starting from scratch and build up a character without the help of your mains? How long does it take until you are geared enough for the latest endgame content? Welcome to the Lowbie Diaries, it should be fun!


Like any other character the Lowbie dived into the Maze Engine expansion last week and I was particularly interested how the new queue system would affect the gameplay of such a character. First thing I noticed is that pugging Demogorgon and Tiamat instantly stopped. During Underdark I exclusively pugged the epic version, because I simply couldn’t constantly get into a premade, and only occasionally formed a group in Mantol-Derith for the normal fight as well. But I never had problems getting the queue to pop. Now it didn’t in three tries when I was queueing for both epic and normal. Searching for a premade was no issue however, I always got into one when I wanted to.

mythic
Lowbie Mythic Sigil

Otherwise things haven’t changed a whole lot. I still have some trouble getting into T2 and new Castle Never, but it’s also not that I need to start a group myself, which I think is a good sign for everyone below 3k. I used the Maze Engine Coupon to buy myself a Dusk Unicorn, but haven’t gotten my hands on enough Insignias to complete a bonus so far. I think however filling your stable and getting the bonuses I want will be eventually possible. I transfer overflow salvage to my second character, use those ADs there to buy ZEN and see how far I get with that strategy.

The campaign is fun, but presents no real challenge for this toon. I’m so glad I have VIP on this account and an epic mount though. The travel times of the dailies are brutal and I can only imagine how annoying they must be for someone on 50% speed and not able to port back from the spot to Mantol-Derith. This is a questionable design and if it is meant to add incentive to buy mount speed and VIP, it might actually work…

Spelunking Log
Spelunking Log

The double refinement weekend brought the Lowbie its first mythic artifact! With that I’m approaching the 3k plateau and have updated the Lowbie in our ratings calculator. The current tab shows my gear and will be updated with every new diary. I also finally got Dwarven Spelunking to drop and could complete the Underdark campaign.

Overall the module seems to have no negative effect for Lowbies on gameplay. You need to form premades now for Demogorgon and Tiamat and the one advice I can give is to start looking for a group early. The queue system needs a bit to match the group and the map, and the biggest issue in lfg and zone chat seems to be setting everything up fast enough to not miss the five-minute frames.

See you next week!


The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 18: VIP Benefits And Other Convenience Tweaks
The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 19: Professions, Companion And Mount Goals
The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 20: Here Comes the Grind
The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 21: Maze Engine Preparations
The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 22: Quite A Week


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j0Shi

j0Shi plays the Neverwinter MMORPG since the open BETA in 2013 and is a regular contributor to the blog and the whole UN:Project. Originally a Guardian Fighter, he has built up ALTs of all classes and plays on BIS/near-BIS level.

One thought on “The Lowbie Diaries Vol. 23: Maze Engine Launch

  • March 22, 2016 at 7:26 pm
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    Get the Sabino mount from the right mount for you quest or buy it from gold, the one you got at the launch and the insignia the quest gives you will make a set, 10% more companion damage.

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