Is there any point to dungeons mid-game? Like, at all? I’ve been trying to get a party for quite some time, with no results, and even though I get invited- everyone leaves immediately after seeing me. I meet the level requirement, by the way.
I mean, I am a thief, but I’ve taken on gold enemies and multiple vets before no problem. A few friends and I were able to at least clear a good chunk of dungeon alone and we were only 3 people. I just don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or what.
I tried looking everything I could up- asked around even. Apparently the general consensus (on my server, Yak’s Bend anyway) was that you had to be level 80 or do it with friends, it’s just… I don’t have that many friends that play with me- if at all. I just wanted something to do that wasn’t hearts/crafting/events.
Should I just not even bother? Or is there something I’m missing here?
Well, I can’t speak for others, but I don’t see any problem with dungeon running with someone, as long as they meet the level requirements for the dungeon.
I’m a part of Operation: Union, a cross-server group of fun, supportive people who like to help others. We run dungeons fairly often – but we are not a dedicated dungeoneering guild. You should be able to find some people who are willing to go on dungeon runs with you, but it’s not scheduled, hyper-organized, etc. And we usually don’t try to run dungeons as fast as possible, we like to be able to take our time (for the most part). Pop in our thread and take a look around, fill out a join request if you’d like. We’re certainly better than the people who have been leaving you in the past (and I think we have a few Yak’s Bend members as well).
Not sure about story modes but the xp reward for an explorable path is 70% of the xp for the next level (total, not counted from where you’re at atm) and IIRC isn’t affected by diminishing returns so it’s a quick way to level.
What level is needed depends on the dungeon, you can theoretically do any exp dungeon at the level it is but several dungeons will give you major problems if you try though. AC is probably the easiest and while having some level 80s along really speed things up you can do it at lower levels as well (I think lowest level group I’ve run it with was 2 lvl 35s, a lvl ~40, a lvl ~60 and a lvl 80). It’s probably doable with only lvl 35s if everyone knows what they’re doing, what attacks to dodge, etc, but I’d still expect a fair share of trouble even then.
Most dungeons have paths of varying difficulty, the easiest ones shouldn’t be too much of a problem but the harder ones can be a pain (SE, how I hate you).
I don’t run with any non-80’s in dungeons simply because I want the dungeon to go as quick as possible, and 80’s are simply more effective when scaled down then low-levels.
To better explain the situation than our friend LittlePanther, Dungeons, especially Explorable mode dungeons, are farmed by level 80 characters for tokens and coin. When grinding such content, people very much prefer the dungeon run to go as smoothly and quickly as possible. Even when scaled down, level 80 characters are usually in better gear (i.e. better stat distribution) and have access to better Utilities and Major Traits, allowing them to maximise damage and/or survivability. Hence, most level 80s don’t accept lower-level characters because they’re just too lazy and/or don’t feel like giving you a free ride through the dungeon.
Is it worth doing dungeons at lower levels? It depends. For example, a “typical” Ascalonian Catacombs Explorable Mode run takes about 20-40 minutes and gets you ~70% EXP for a particular level, as well as lots of pretty good loot. However, in bad groups, even with level 80s, the run can take up to an hour and/or not even succeed in the first place.
Something I do frequently is msg the person putting out the LFG chat in lions arch and ask if they’re willing to take someone with less experience. I’m still learning my way around CoE, TA and there are several dungeons I have yet to do. I like to think that I take instructions well and I play well enough to not hinder the group, but by being upfront before joining the group, I save myself the hassle of groups kicking the noob in their midst.
I do also see people frequently using AC to level alts, and it’s not uncommon for my average AC run to include 1-2 people who are sub level 80, but your mileage may vary.
An AC speed run is way faster than 20-40min (I know we’ve gotten to the cannon building stage on path 2 in ~5 min from opening the initial door in the dungeon) but they’re kinda difficult with low level players and even more difficult if people aren’t very familiar and preferably on voice chat. Still, since xp isn’t affected by DR that is probably the fastest way to level if you can find a group that’s up for it.
Edit: note that speed runs are suboptimal if you’re going for anything except xp or tokens.
