Hello everyone,
So, I guess you are having a problem with getting those t6 leathers? Well, this guide isn’t going to exactly fix that. But if you are looking for a decent source of leathers where you will get mostly t5 and t2,3,4 & 6 at less proportion, then this might actually be a good area. Yes, I’m talking about Watchtower Cliffs uphill farming.
Anecdote:
I was testing a farm run for about a bit over an hour (roughly 60-80 mins). I got about 320-350 warped hide (counting ones opened from champions’ bags). After assessing them at TP sell price, they all easily added up to roughly 10g worth of golds (could be a bit more since I also salvage non hide drops). So for the time invested, I think it was a decent farm run. Certainly not as good as 10g/hr at SW (which I can never reach that number but I’m probably doing something wrong). So how do I do it?
Preparation:
You need a squad. A group of at least 13-15 people with decent AoE dmg and pull. In order to get the hides fast enough, you need to spend roughly no more than 30 seconds at each kill spot (details later). Also, your squad should be mostly support spec’d so you can minimize rezzing/downing time. That is a minimal group requirement. As a player, you need AoE – wide range AoE. The best ones are the homing auto attacks (ranger axe#1, thief SB#1, etc.). These skills will help you tag mobs very easily. Other than that, GD staff 1 or 360radius AoE should suffice. Avoid single target or melee attacks, you wouldn’t be able to tag much. Try to add survival skills to your build, with a squad you can tone down dmg a bit so that you don’t get downed easily.
Tracks & kill spots:
Optimal tracks and kill spots are very vital in maximizing hide gain vs. time. I made a map (attached) which contains the route I used with my squad. Blue lines are the paths for running uphill. Blue dots are killing spots (mobs around the areas that are also on you terrain level). Orange tracks are downhill and red dots are killing spots. If you follow these paths, each cycle (up and down hill) should take roughly 10-15 minutes. Remember that you shouldn’t stay too long at any spots, killing 4-5 centaurs per spot should be enough in addition to anything running to you along the paths (except the running knocking centaurs, don’t waste your time with them). If you can complete the run with the time I suggest, you should end up with pretty decent hides for each cycle.
Notes:
1. Based on my strategy & time used for each cycle, centaur champions normally spawn every 2nd time you go uphill.
2. If the meta events starts, just complete your uphill before finishing it. If you are running downhill, taking a detour back should be ok too.
3. Loots: t6 drops pretty consistently at 10% rate from salvaging hides. t2,3 & 4 has a bit higher rate (I think around 20-30%). You will get a lot of t5 leathers.
Final comments:
I hope more people would want to try this out. I don’t think it is that bad of a farming spot. Pardon me for not getting exact numbers on stats as I didn’t expect that I would actually make decent money out of it. Hopefully, someone will come up with more accurate stats. Enjoy your horse killing!