Pursuit of Xen: A guide to get you lots of xens!

[Ayanami]

INTRODUCTION

Ah the legendary Pursuit of Xen event (from now on referred to as “PoX”)!

I decided today to write up a little step-by-step guide on how you can get the most out of the upcoming PoX. Why am I doing this? I just want to give back to the Solstice Community and share the PoX wealth. Ha! Just kidding! I'm just tired of people complaining about the PoX event and about how they can't get any xens and they want their $1 refunded. Now I'm kinda ashamed to say that I am the first person to jump down Outspark's throat for poor game management; however, I must admit that the recent PoX events have been run EXTREMELY well by the GMs, and that there were abundant xens for all.

It's possible to accumulate over 100 xens in one PoX event, assuming that you are well-prepared, have a good computer/internet, and can participate in all four level tiers. Now don't get your hopes up! Chances are you're reading this, and don't really know what you're doing, or you only have one character for the event. That's OK too! I can help you get some xens, but you probably won't get as many as me your first time out.

So first, here is some general information regarding the event. The website calender kinda sucks as far as detail is concerned, so here is a better explanation:

Forum Calendar says: (http://outspark.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1259&day=2009-6-6&c=2)

Introduction:
Xen Stones apparently are rare items that only few have found. Xen Stones are mystical items that are brought forth by the gathering of conflict. Xen Stones are becoming abundant in an unknown area. They are within the peculiar Star Bears that are mysteriously spawning. Hurry, find, and hunt the Star Bears before they are all gone.
Aya says:
Ignore all the crap about the star bears. The jist of the event is: The GMs warp you to a map with a buncha mobs, you kill them, they drop xens.

About an hour before the event, you will start seeing notices about the event. The notices will include time, meeting location, and tier information (level tiers will be explained later).

At the given time, report to the specified location. Be sure that you are:

Wearing the required sparkcash item,
On time, (sometimes the GMs warp people for 3 minutes, sometimes there is just one warp. BE READY!)
Waiting for the correct level tier (see section “Level Tiers”),
Well stocked/prepared (see section “Character Preparation”),
Have skill animation turned off and texture turned down ( see section “Computer Requirements”)


Once everyone is gathered and the event begins, the GM will begin warping people into a special map pre-filled with lots of mobs. Once you're there, just start killing! (See section “GETTING XENS!”)


Forum Calendar says: (http://outspark.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1259&day=2009-6-6&c=2)

Prize:
Xen Stones
Aya says:
Kill the mobs and they drop xens! See section “GETTING XENS!”


Forum Calendar says: (http://outspark.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1259&day=2009-6-6&c=2)

Required Items:
The Fox Tail
Aya says:
A 7 Day Fox Tail costs 650 sparkcash. Um, what the heck, it used to be like 525 sparkcash? Anyway, despite my complaints, buying this item isn't going to break the bank (it still costs less than $1). Go buy it, and have it ready shortly before the event begins.

Note: Like all events, the required item changes from event to event, so be sure to check the calendar. It's usually something you can buy really cheap though, so the "less than $1" typically still applies.

If you for some reason you get screwed over with the PoX event, PLEASE don't yellow egg your complaints! If the GMs are sucking at running the event, or other players are ruining it with AOE, then OK, I'll allow you a yellow egg or two. However, disconnects, lag, freezing, and you not being able to kill the mobs are all NOT the fault of the GMs or other players. Submit a ticket if you truly think you were ripped off with your purchase. But really, if you're gonna get all bent out of shape over $1, maybe you should be looking at your budgeting priorities instead of buying silly game items.


Forum Calendar says: (http://outspark.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1259&day=2009-6-6&c=2)

Time:
Event Will Start At 3:00pm (PDT) and will be tiered by level.
Aya says:
PDT = game server time = Outspark in California, USA = US Pacific Standard Time. Google a time zone chart if you don't know how to convert to your time zone.

BE ON TIME! The GMs won't do an extra warp just for you if you miss it!


Forum Calendar says: (http://outspark.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1259&day=2009-6-6&c=2)

Location:
Meet at Tramis Mansion

Aya says:
Pay attention to the in-game notices immediately before the event. Sometimes the warps occur from Essene Ballpark instead.

[Ayanami]

COMPUTER REQUIRMENTS

This is probably the biggest cause of complaints for the event. So please let me warn you. This event involves a TON of mobs and characters crammed onto a (usually) tiny map. Everyone will be running around, killing mobs and using skills. This is gonna put some pressure on your computer!

If you disconnect from the event for any reason (lag, freezing, game crash, your cat unplugged your computer, etc.), you will be warped back to town and will not be able to return to the event! This is why your computer and internet connection are very important considerations!

I hate to break the news to you, but your 5 year old desktop with integrated graphics that you bought from Walmart probably ain't gonna cut it. Please look at your system and think first about whether or not you wanna try this event. Here's a list of things to look at:

BAD:

Your computer has integrated graphics on the motherboard.
Your computer is a laptop.
Your computer is more than a few years old.
You are on a dialup connection, or have spotty internet service that disconnects frequently.
You frequently lag when passing an AOE party (or a crowded map area) when training.
It takes a long time for maps to load for you.
You need to tone down the settings (Texture/Skill Animation) just to play the game regularly.


GOOD:

Your computer has a video card that is separate from the motherboard (and is at least 128MB).
You have a dual or quad core processor with a good amount of RAM.
Your computer is newish (a couple years old or better)
You do not experience frequent disconnects or lag when playing the game regularly.
You typically run the game on its highest settings (Texture all the way up and Skill Animations enabled)


These are of course, rules of thumb. I know plenty of people with good laptops that run the game great. I also know people with pretty darn old computers that run Solstice well. So please use your judgement. I think the best indicator is: if you have ANY trouble with NORMAL gameplay, then I would be wary about doing this event. Of course, if you don't care about wasting a dollar + time spent being frustrated, I'm not stopping you from trying. :)

TIPS for better computer performance:

Go to Game Option (Alt+D). Uncheck Skill Animation and turn the Texture Quality all the way down. Turn off Names of all Players.
Close any unnecessary applications that are running, and make sure no virus scans are scheduled to run during the event.
Move to a corner or wall when you are first warped into the map (less mobs/people for your computer to load)
This thread has some good advice for reducing lag (http://www.outspark.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143831)

[Ayanami]

CHARACTER PREPARATION

Character preparation is like getting ready for a vacation far away: you need to make sure you have EVERYTHING you need BEFORE you leave, 'cause you can't come back! Here is a checklist of items you should have ready, and things to do before you go to the meeting spot.

Essentials:
Required sparkcash item: Wear it to the event! You may or may not get warped out of the event if you take it off, so just KEEP IT ON unless a GM explicitly says it's OK to remove.
HP and MP potions: I HIGHLY recommend getting some weightless potions from the store if you don't already have them. 100 small of each HP and MP should be enough. Maybe more if you are doing multiple tiers, have a spellcaster, or just have really bad gear. If you are sparkcashless, bring some food items or juices instead of HP potions, since they weigh less and heal more.
Slime beans: It's worth it, trust me. It's a lot easier than picking out your xen drops in a hoard of monsters. If you can't get slime beans, remember that you can hold down the ALT key to pick up drops near you! It's better than accidentally double-clicking a mob!
A pet to use with your slime beans: It can just be a plain old poyo, nothing special.
Arrows (archers only, but man it would suck if you forgot them!)
DUMP all unnecessary items off in the hotel! Replace the weight with as many potions/food as you can (if you are not using the weightless pots).
If you are a healer, FIND A PARTY before the event. PoX really kinda sucks for solo healers.
If you are weak in a particular tier, find a party. A good idea is to ask for help from friends/guildmates in one tier, and then offer your help to them in another tier where you are stronger.
Determine a meeting spot beforehand if you're in a party. Once you are warped in, it will be very chaotic and difficult to find your way around. If you can just agree on “meet in northwest corner” beforehand, it makes things easier.


Recommended items (nonessential, but they really help!):

Divine Protections of Jureah: If you don't have a healer and you die, you'll have to wait for a GM to revive you. So carry these if you don't want to waste time waiting for a revive.
HP/MP Buffs
Attack or Defense mask/bell (In PoX, I ALWAYS prefer attack items over defense, since I have plenty of weightless HP pots to spam)
Attack or Defense Wings or Cloak of Love (assuming the required item is not a Back item)


If you got kron/sparkcash to burn, here's some other stuff that helps:

Nunchucks: Tier 1, squire or neophyte only
Kungfu Suit/Hair: Tier 1, only if your current gear is worse
Physical or Magical Attack Souls: Don't carry too many! They're heavy!
A Level 3 Mount: +15% attack!
Enhanced pet: Attack or Defense are the most desirable choices


Yea OK, I know anyone with a freakin' mount or uber enhanced pet probably doesn't need me to tell them to bring it. Just...bring stuff that boosts your attack and defense, and leave anything that doesn't help you kill stuff at home.

[Ayanami]

LEVEL TIERS:

PoX is typically divided into four level tiers:

Tier 1: 1-40
Tier 2: 41-70
Tier 3: 71-99
Tier 4: 100+

Each tier is given 30 minutes to kill all the mobs they can. Usually the tiers are done one at a time, with time in between to switch characters. Although at the previous event, it seemed like the GMs wanted to do two tiers at a time, but due to warping problems they stuck with doing it one at a time. So the days of participating in all 4 tiers may be coming to an end.

If I could only choose one tier, it would actually be tier 1. Why? Because I got a lot of good sparkcash and in-game items to pump up my little neophyte, and the mobs are really easy to kill. I got um, over 60 xens in this tier before.

A friend of mine didn't like this, saying that it's not fair to the REAL noobs. I can see where he's coming from. So here is my proposal: at the next PoX, in tier 1, I will “adopt” a noob (probably an acolyte) to party with and share my xens with. I would suggest that the other experienced players do the same. :)

So what if you have several characters in the same tier near the same level (which should you use?), or what if you have to choose a tier? Here are my views on the various levels:


Tier 1:

Best class: Squire or Neophyte

Pros:
Easy to make a character to participate in this tier
Mobs are easy to kill
Guarenteed no AOEing

Cons:
The shame of stealing xens from noobs


Tier 2:

Best Class: Scout
Best AOE Class: Rogue or Disciple (only classes with good AOE skill at this level)
(Note: I think ONCE the GMs allowed AOE in PoX. It was disaster. But, if they DO make the awful decision to allow it next time, I've listed my best class pick)

Pros:
Still relatively easy to make a character for this level range
Mobs are still pretty easy to kill

Cons:
Usually get some jerk AOErs in this tier
Crowded tier


Tier 3:

Best Class: Scout/Archer
Best AOE Class: Knight/Warrior

Pros:
Ehhh, this is probably my least-favorite tier.

Cons:
Same as Tier 2


Tier 4

Best Class: Archer/Ranger (do you see a pattern here?)
Best AOE Class: Warrior/Warlord

Pros:
Less crowded than Tiers 2 &3, although this is quickly changing. I'm hoping for a 5th tier in the near future (120+? 130+?)
Don't tell anyone, but sometimes the GM gives this tier extra spawns! ;)

Cons:
Mobs are pretty tough, relative to the other tiers
All mobs will probably be bright red to a level 10x player, so they will be less likely to get xen drops
Similarly, really high level players get stuck with all blue mobs.

[Ayanami]

GETTING XENS!

OK, it's gonna be crowded, so here are some tips for making your way through the mobs and other participants:

Keep the required sparkcash item on: You may or may not get warped out of the event if you take it off, so just KEEP IT ON unless a GM explicitly says it's OK to take it off.
Activate a slime bean and any HP/MP buffs right away (or even before you are warped).
ALT-CLICK to move around OR use keyboard movement. This prevents you from accidentally attacking mobs and lets you move through crowded areas.
Select mobs that are closest in color to white for you. These mobs are more likely to drop xens for you than dark blue or dark red mobs.
Attack one mob at a time until it's dead.
Ranged characters: You will not be able to "kite" mobs effectively because of the crowding. Just stun/slow, stand there, and kill it as fast as you can. Which brings us to:
PAY ATTENTION to your HP/MP. Keep some big HP pots on your hotkeys.
If you are a healer in a party, your primary job is to buff/heal your party members. Only help kill if you are SURE which mob your party is targeting, and if they are already fully buffed/healed.
If you die, DO NOT Restart! It will warp you back to town, and you will be unable to return. Find a healer, use a Divine Protection, or wait for a GM to revive you.
DO NOT AOE! The GMs typically give EXPLICIT instructions not to use AOE skills during the event. You will probably get warped from the event, and people will hate you for it. The easiest thing to do is to take the skill off your hot key bar.
Try not to Kill Steal (KS). It will happen to you, and you WILL do it by accident at some point, but don't do it on purpose.
SOME of the mobs that the GMs spawn DON'T drop xens. So pay attention to where the xens are dropping. Kill mobs in areas where you hear a lot of xen stone “Dings!”
Wait patiently for respawns! The tiers typically last 30 minutes each, and there are multiple respawns during this time. Run around the map if you feel the need, but please don't use eggs to whine.
If you are doing multiple tiers: When you are warped back to town, book it over to the hotel and get your next character ready. The required sparkcash item can be transferred between different characters through the hotel, but cannot be traded between accounts.



THE END
(Holy crap, this tutorial got like, Trente-long!)

Questions/comments/additional information welcome.

Good luck with the event!

[bloodly-chan]

Yay Aya! :'D

Thanks for the beautiful guide. :3

ANDANDAND BRING ME NEXT TEIR ONEEEEEEEE.

[FatTony30]

Some other minor tips:

Turn off player names and move to a corner/wall to reduce lag.

Enable and use the arrow keys/ASDW movement to move around easily without accidentally attacking something.

[tazsbigtoy]

It's best to leave the item on during the event. Murdock said at the last event, not a pox, that if you were seen on the event map without the item the GM would assume you had snuck past the inspection and warp you out. I did once take my lovely box helm off during a pox and put my helm on and shortly thereafter found myself back in Essene.

You might also remind everyone not to restart if they die, let the gm revive them. You don't warp back into the event map on relogging either. Also they haven't liked aoe at the last few of these so removing those skills from your hotkey bar is a good idea.

Great post, lots of information.

[Ayanami]

Thank you for your feedback all. Updated the guide with everyone's suggestions.

[himoses]

Good guide but mad at you for revealing most of the POX secrets...jk

hp and mp buffs and chocolates can also improve your experience by giving you higher mp and hp.

in addition, you may want to check your antivirus so that it will not be running a scan during pox. that would also apply to any downloads or streaming devices such as torrents, pvrs, etc.

you only need to buy one required item and can shift it around from player to player on one account via the hotel.

Outspark should put a link to this on the calendar.

[ChristinaM]

One thing I do when I take multiple characters is:
(Warning: You will lose all your tracks doing it this way, but it saves time in my eyes :)

1. Tier one char: Track in the hotel. At end of event, warp to hotel and put items needed for other tiers in hotel quickly.
2. Tier two char: Put in hotel AND track so when logging in, you are there already. Grab items outta hotel and run to PoX area. At end of event, warp back to hotel and drop off items for next tier.
3. Same as Tier two.
4. Same as Tier two.

I'm sure they give enough time between, but if you have minor lag issues or your just super paranoid about missing something, this gives you a little piece of mind during PoX :)

[Ayanami]

PoX rescheduled to next week...so lame... :mad:

[ChristinaM]

At least they didn't cancel it completely! But it does suck if you already started using your fox tail and only got it 7 days :/

[TML_Leaf]

Another way to do the tracking is put all characters in the hotel that you are using for the event and track at the meeting place/warp area. also save the home location to the trasporter just inside mall street. makes for a short run grap required items then warp.

[TheDarkSenshi]

Excellent job! I like this thread, great tips!

[milkman6453]

is pox today?

[Ayanami]

Ayanami's PoX Results for June 13th, 2009:
Note: I dunno really why I'm posting this...I'm not bragging, I'm sure others did much better. I guess I wanna just give people an idea what's possible to get from the event.

Tier 1, level 3x neophyte: 10 xens
Tier 2, level 6x squire: 25 xens
Tier 3, level 7x disciple: 20 xens
Tier 4, level 12x ranger: 35 xens
Tier 1 redo: 25 xens
PoX total: 115 xens

Tier 1 was kinda lame, but Murdock was very generous and gave us a 15 minute redo after tier 4 went!

Tier 2-3 were good (3 was better than usual I thought).

Tier 4 was good to me, but many of the 130+ players were complaining that Mur wouldn't spawn enough high level mobs. Everything ran from them. I think everyone agrees that it's about time to make a Tier 5 (for levels 130+ or so). Murdock might do one next time, we'll see...

[ggBuRNe]

Ayanami's PoX Results for June 13th, 2009:
Note: I dunno really why I'm posting this...I'm not bragging, I'm sure others did much better. I guess I wanna just give people an idea what's possible to get from the event.

Tier 1, level 3x neophyte: 10 xens
Tier 2, level 6x squire: 25 xens
Tier 3, level 7x disciple: 20 xens
Tier 4, level 12x ranger: 35 xens
Tier 1 redo: 25 xens
PoX total: 115 xens

Tier 1 was kinda lame, but Murdock was very generous and gave us a 15 minute redo after tier 4 went!

Tier 2-3 were good (3 was better than usual I thought).

Tier 4 was good to me, but many of the 130+ players were complaining that Mur wouldn't spawn enough high level mobs. Everything ran from them. I think everyone agrees that it's about time to make a Tier 5 (for levels 130+ or so). Murdock might do one next time, we'll see...

damn it tier 4.

mine:

tier 1, lvl 3x squire = 11 xens
tier 2, lvl 4x scout = 37 xens
tier 3, lvl 8x knight = 48 xens
tier 4, lvl 137 archmage = 5 xens (ALL WERE BLUE except the last final mobs was grey)
tier 1 repeat = 28 xens

TOTAL = 129 xens

well.. my char was hitting 700+ for tier 1 and 2 and 1k+ for tier 3. double damage from regular knight/warrior xD and more than some archers except gold bow. so the amount of xens was a lot even the lvl is not that high..

COMMENT: one of the lamest pox due to tier 4 FOR ME. i went to 3 tiers before this PoX and i got 140+. oh well.. at least i got some although i wished for 200 total ^^ I do feel sorry to those who had died. I bet the GM was busy to res them straight away. It is better to have jureah revival ready and sc pots. always have them if u run out of tiny pots.

[milkman6453]

hey i only had one character in it and got 2 xens on teir 1, ill ask what happened later i was not present when it happened :(

[Murdock]

I agree. There shud be a Tier 5. Thank you for your feedback. BTW This was my 1st POX I ran by myself. So next one maybe Murgnificent!

[Murdock]

Oh and I got ZERO Xens... Q.Q

[tazsbigtoy]

I did as well, if not a little better in this pox than in many. Teir 3 was very good for me. A lot of people were comparing it to the last pox, but this one easily had twice the participants and half the gm's. I had fun, I got xens, and the fox tail isn't that expensive.

[Kona_chan]

BTW This was my 1st POX I ran by myself. So next one maybe Murgnificent!

sounds fun XD

[kougi_]

I love this guide!!!!
If i could I'd marry this guide!!!!!

I think i proved my point

[himoses]

Anyone have additional tips for apprentices?

I deleted my neo farmer to work on an SSF farming apprentice. This was my first time bringing an app to POX and I did pretty poorly compared to my normal haul of about 40. I got 4 in tier 1 and 11 in tier 1 redux. Not a bad number, but quite a bit below the norm. I am a veteran, but pretty inexperienced with apps. I lowered my expectation due to having one-third the attack damage of my neo.

BTW, that was the best run tier 3 to date, despite the two warriors and two archers ( bramble...) who used aoe moves. Tier 3 is usually loaded with the biggest knuckleheads (myself included) and it usually has a ton of whining and lower than average xen drops. I thought it was quite well done. I only wish there was a way to cut down the cheaters faster.

[Ayanami]

Anyone have additional tips for apprentices?

I deleted my neo farmer to work on an SSF farming apprentice. This was my first time bringing an app to POX and I did pretty poorly compared to my normal haul of about 40. I got 4 in tier 1 and 11 in tier 1 redux. Not a bad number, but quite a bit below the norm. I am a veteran, but pretty inexperienced with apps. I lowered my expectation due to having one-third the attack damage of my neo.


My advice would be to click that "Delete" button and make it a neo or squire...

But in all seriousness...maybe try putting it on a mount and adding some MEN? I've heard that spell casters spam faster on mounts (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

And I know this sounds silly, but you could get a high level Skill Crit pet for more criticals. I have one on my Ranger - it's like having a double Falcon Eye. It's pretty sweet for a ranger that can't afford an attack pet. :)



BTW, that was the best run tier 3 to date, despite the two warriors and two archers ( bramble...) who used aoe moves. Tier 3 is usually loaded with the biggest knuckleheads (myself included) and it usually has a ton of whining and lower than average xen drops. I thought it was quite well done. I only wish there was a way to cut down the cheaters faster.

I agree, tier 3 was better than usual. My wimpy disciple usually only gets 5-10 xens in this tier, but got 20 this time around.

The aoeing was minimal. And personally I wouldn't count bramblers as aoers...you ever try to kill ANYTHING (besides poyos) with brambleway? Yea, good luck with that.

[tazsbigtoy]

Anyone have additional tips for apprentices?

I deleted my neo farmer to work on an SSF farming apprentice. This was my first time bringing an app to POX and I did pretty poorly compared to my normal haul of about 40. I got 4 in tier 1 and 11 in tier 1 redux. Not a bad number, but quite a bit below the norm. I am a veteran, but pretty inexperienced with apps. I lowered my expectation due to having one-third the attack damage of my neo.

BTW, that was the best run tier 3 to date, despite the two warriors and two archers ( bramble...) who used aoe moves. Tier 3 is usually loaded with the biggest knuckleheads (myself included) and it usually has a ton of whining and lower than average xen drops. I thought it was quite well done. I only wish there was a way to cut down the cheaters faster.

What level is your app? I didn't do very well with app/mage in events until they got magic fire, then they seem to kill faster. My level 9 skill critical elephant doesn't seem really beneficial on either my farming app or my mage, although I haven't used men on either build. If you can, stock up on magic attack souls beforehand, any int boosting items like the afro, lots of mp pots. Mostly it is just a learning curve thing though. Running a POX with a distance fighter is a bit different than with a melee.

[himoses]

Wish I could have 6 or 7 characters on my main account to spread around my perm sc items...

My app for pox was lvl 40 with ap 6+1 wand and lvl 3 wis/int mount. Also have lvl 9 skill crit elephant.

Okay, so thanks for verifying that using an app in tier 1 is not worthwhile to those who are greedy for xens like myself. There are just too many super powered neos at that level to be uber competitive. I was hoping to not have to use my other account for tier 1 (and thus buy 2 fox tails), but I guess I will next time unless my ssf mining app proves to be an epic failure. Fortunately, I still have my complete max app gears

I need to have a better class combination for next pox, which means I actually need to level my Warrior and Rogue.

Tier 1 - Neo
Tier 2 - Scout
Tier 3 - Rogue
Tier 4 - Warrior

[dakidda913]

Tier 1:didnt do
Tier 2:same as tier 1
Tier 3:same as tier 2
Tier 4:23 xens with full pt.

I dont really care about xens anymore