Xbox Elemental Evil Primer

I’m sure all of you Xboxers are already eagerly waiting to play the new content and we compiled a list of hints, tricks and PSAs that should help you on your way to 70 and beyond. Elemental Evil not only brings a new class with the Oathbound Paladin, but also introduces all of the missing campaign areas and there are countless gameplay changes (and a new tree in PE!) that can easily overwhelm you. Here we go:

Leveling:

  • Leveling to 70 is a pain due to the repetitive structure of the “story”. You want to slot some Azure Enchantments for XP%+ to ease the pain.
  • Instead of going through the new areas, some people chose to grind Elite mobs (Frost Giants in the new Icewind Pass area for example) to level up.
  • Read the Vigilance Quest Guide by Joseph Skyrim.
  • You do not need to complete every new area to complete the campaign. Just Spinward Rise, which you can enter as soon as level 67.
  • Besides slotting what you find, the best gear to start you off for 61+ can be obtained in the Well of Dragons campaign store (Eternal set) in case you’re lucky enough to have hoarded enough campaign currency.
  • Be warned to not attempt 70+ areas if you’re lower than 70. You are being scaled, but the content will be frustrating at best. Get your toon to max level and start the new areas afterwards.
  • Old Mulhorand gear will not scale to 70. Only the Encorcelled gear from the new lockbox does and it’s actually better than some Artifact Equipment. Other items that scale to your level until 70 are the Ardent weapons.

New Campaigns:

  • From the new campaigns, Sharandar is the most painful one while Dread Ring and Icewind Dale are pretty manageable.
  • Sadly, the new campaign rewards are not useful whatsoever. Originally the first three Modules on the PC version, all three campaign offered alternative level 60 gear, but are now instantly outperformed by Elemental Elven and Alliance sets. You however still need to get all boons.
  • The Black Ice profession is essential if you want to squeeze the last bit of item level out of your gear, because you can upgrade the gear with the profession. You need to complete the campaign to level up Black Ice to 3 and add two additional level afterwards that cost a bunch of Black Ice and Unified Elements. The Black Ice resource can be gathered in Icewind Pass and Dwarven Valley, but the most is located within the new open world PVP areas, so get your game on. On PC those areas are mostly abandoned, because open world utterly failed, but I guess on Xbox it should be quite a skirmish at start.
  • Some tasks in the PVP campaign are hard or even nearly unobtainable for some classes. Triple kills and the GG NPC grind probably need a long time to complete for most. If you have a big guild or enough friends you can quickly complete the Icewind Dale part in starting an organized brawl though.

Gear:

  • All of your level 60 gear is done. The first new gear you’ll find will instantly ourperform anything you have, so kiss away your High Viziers and whatnot. The main reason next to higher item levels is the additional HP on new armor sets that you are going to need.
  • Our Ratings Calculator is already Mod 6 ready. Go there and plan your character!
  • The fastest way to get the new level 70 Artifact Cloak is to buy it from the WoD campaign store for 15 Favors.
  • The fastest way to get your new level 70 Main-Hand is by doing the campaign task that also got you your level 60 weapon. You will however get the Main and Off-Hand by simply completing the Elemental Evil campaign as well.
  • The Lostmauth Artifact set is BiS for pretty much everyone. Have it or be worse. For PVP, the Valindra set and it’s control bonuses are also viable.
  • Once 70, you can instantly get the new PVP gear in case you have enough Glory and Seals. Even if not PVP might be  the fastest route to actual endgame gear for some.

Dungeons and Skirmishes:

  • Most dungeons have been scratched and three T1 and three T2 remain.
  • Although the mobs in the T1s Lair of Lostmauth, Malagob’s Castle and Valindra’s Tower hit for a lot more than they used to, the dungeons are pretty straightfoward and you should be able to complete them pretty soon. In terms of raiding, eLoL is king because of the Lostmauth Artifact set.
  • A guide to the T2 epic Temple of Spider can be found here
  • A guide to the T2 epic Gray Wolf Den can be found here.
  • A guide to the T2 epic Cracmire Crypts can be found here.
  • The new epic skirmishes are no longer a PUGfest. You want to get a premade for them as well.

Economy:

  • All Enchantment Shards are scratched as dungeon chest reward and can only be obtained by trading the new seals at PE. Since everybody and their mother will get the new armor sets first, Vorpal, Soulforge and others will experience a pretty hefty price jump.
  • Dread Ring Lairs reward Marks for completion, so make sure you do your Lair every day. It’s RNG, but you’ll get them constantly and on PC Power and Union sell for 60k+.
  • Elemental Evil introduces a new important profession resource in Unified Elements, which is comparable to Dragon Eggs. Since you need maxed Alchemy and the task to produce those Elements takes 12 days (!!), Alchemist will be on high demand.
  • Dragon Eggs will likely spike in price as well.
  • The new VIP system is a must. The convenience upgrades are great and it also offers good bang for your buck.

Oathbound Paladin:

  • I brought a Paladin to 70, but never fielded him in actual endgame content, so I can’t contribute a lot of detail here. The class has a slight edge in tanking PVE content and is an immortal PVP node holder. Get one and have fun!
  • Guides can be found here and you might also want to visit the PC class forum.

 

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.