Darkness Rising FAQ V0.18, compiled by Iarn with contribution of
Bardic Goddess, Bourric, Curzon, Fingoniel, ilovesi1, Kunou,
MythicLum, Phall1, Sapphic, Sharee, Twinkletoes, Ulfhednar (in
alphabetical order) as well as the Herald and the patchnotes. Special
thanks to Vinya for the German translation. Special thanks for Bardic
Goddess because of coninous support with information.
What is Darkness Rising all about?
Itīs the latest expansion for DAoC, featuring horses, champion level
sub class ablilities and champion weapons. The capitol cities will be
revamped as well. There will be new quests and tasks as well.
Will there be non - English versions of this FAQ?
Yes, when enough volunteers are found happy Vinya bravely translated
this text to German:
http://www.daoc-forum.de/thread.php?threadid=59610
Still looking for a French translator.
Can this FAQ be distributed freely?
You can post this FAQ anywhere you like but not alter a jota. If you
want to add corrections please pm me (Iarn.Greiper @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
for example).
When will Darkness Rising be released ?
11th of October 2005 is the US release by Mythic. For non US servers
like those run by GOA no date is given, but the timeframe from
chrismas till February seems realistic.
What are the minimum specs for Darkness Rising?
Pentium III 1.4GHz or AMD equivalent
512 MB RAM
Requires compatible 3D Acceleration card with 64 MB Video RAM
DirectX 9.0 or later
How much does it cost?
US $19.99, no specifics yet for oversea versions.
Is this a box or a download?
This is a download. DAOC Epic Edition (available in stores on 10/11)
will include all DAOC expansions, including Darkness Rising. The
estimated price will be about US $40. No specifics yet for oversea
versions.
Do I need any previous expansions?
You need catacombs. However, if you buy them bundled, you get both for
US $ 29.95. No other expansions needed so you can in theory get
the 14 day trial and buy Cats&DR bundle and be fine. However there
will be a boxed package with a new account key and all expansions for
shop sale. See above.
Do I need to buy DR for all my accounts?
If you want to use the new features on the characters on that account
or want to enter the new zones, yes. You need to have Catacombs
enabled on every account you want to have DR enabled. For buffbot
accounts see below.
Is DR needed for buffbot accounts?
Not really in my personal opinion. The only advantages are minor:
- your BB can ride as fast as you can
- you can enter a few zones botted, but right now the content of the
new zones is more quest orientated, so I personally don t expect much
farming there
- your BB might get a new minor buff like a low powered damage add via
subclassing (see below)
In the end you have to dicide if you want to spend 20 or 30 bucks on
DR. However in no way, DR is as mandatory for BBs like TOA was because
of health and mana fonts.
Which patch version will introduce DR?
1.80, so for US server players whis will be the next patch.
Horses were promised since day one. And now I have to buy an expansion
for them?
There will be two kinds of horses. One will be free (only in RL terms,
you have to pay for it in game). It is aimed for medium level (35)
players
and of moderate cost in game (250gold). Then there will be advanced
horses which have higher costs and other requirements (see below).
You need to have DR enabled on that character account to own or ride
such a horse.
Jordheim and Tir Na Nog look pretty now. Only Camelot hasn t got a
facelift. Is that fair?
Camelot will get it s facelift lastminute.
Will Darkness Rising feature new races?
No, but it will bring new lore for existing races.
Will Darkness Rising feature new classes?
No, but you can aquire sub-classing ablilities as you progress
champion levels (see below). These abilities are supposed to round
your
character, but you will not gain much in power.
How do you advance your character in Darkness Rising?
Once you have spoken to the kingīs advisor (see below) you have a new
exp bar called Champion Level Exp. See a full description below.
You will start a new quest of epic dimensions as well. Completing the
quest will give you benefits like levels you will gain from CL Exp.
Furtunately they interlink and you will get CL Exp for this quest as
well. (I haven t checked but all quests seem to net over 2 levels of
CL Exp)
What are the mechanics of CL exp?
You will get champion level exp for everything that will give you
normal exp. That is killing mobs (grinding), doing quests (level 50
quests tend
to give tons of exp, now we now why), or killing players. You get a
better CLexp / exp ratio for killing other players but it will be very
hard to
gain champion levels by RvR. Doing you champion quest will give you
enough exp for some champion levels.
The CL exp needed is the same for any level in contrast to normal exp.
There are 5 champion levels. You start at champion level 0.
This is NOT quest based, it has no requirements other than you speak
to the king and start earning experience. You get Champion Level
Experience (CLXP) the same way you earn current experience, it's based
on a formula that converts from normal exp to CLXP - with a bonus for
RvR experience. There are 5 levels in all. Each level will unlock you
more horses, the ability to equip different horse armour & barding,
one point for subclassing and more power/hits. At level 5 you unlock
the Champion Weapon whether or not you have finished the Quest
Chapters (below). If you get to CL 5 before you finish the Weapon
Chapter 3, you unlock the full weapon with both procs/effects.
"How do I check the Champion level xp it doesn't seem to be anywhere
on the UI?"
If you arent using any custom UI's, you can click on the exp bar, it
will cycle between EXP, Champ exp, and rvr exp (realm ranks).
It actually already works on normal (non-DR) clients too, cycles
between rvr and normal xp.
What are champion levels needed for?
Purchasing special horses, purchasing and using horse equipment (see
below), getting a hot champion weapon (see below) as well as a
subcassing ability point per level (see below as well).
What do I gain from doing my champion quest?
First you gain champion level exp for every step (the low level steps
give little exp, expect to see better number as you advance the
quest).
Second after you helped your realm in need of a hero, you get your
champion weapon at the start of Chapter 3, but it doesn't have the
final proc on it at this stage.You get the full weapon after Chapter
3, if you haven't already reached CL5.
As an alternative way you can get that weapon by getting to champion
level 5 alone.When you have your weapon, you can change it as often as
you like (crush to thrust or to 2hand slash for example) or change the
Proc when you are CL5 or have done Chapter 3.
Any specifics of the quest?
This divided in the form of 3 Chapters (level 30, 40 & 50). You get
the full weapon after Chapter 3, if you haven't already reached CL5.
You get One-Time Drops along the way, and the Instance Dungeons that
occur during the Chapters also drop items. This is not linked to the
CLs - however completing this does significantly boost your CLXP.
What are the requirements for the Champion quest?
You need to be level 30 to start it and be level 50 for the final
steps. Obviously the level 50 steps will be the hardest and best
rewarded ones.
You can start the Champ quests at level 30. I understand you can't
finish them at this level, but I assume you could still gain Champ XP
through PvE/RvR and thus gain Champ levels?
In other words, at level 30, I could be a L5 Champion? But not be able
to get my champion weapon until I'm high enough to do the quests?
You can't start your champion levels until level 45. The champion
quests will only start giving you champion experience after you start
your champion levels (i.e. talk to the King at level 45).
How do I start the champion quest?
To begin your journey in Albion, seek out an NPC within your
Profession's halls (for example, all members of the Defenders of
Albion should
speak to Sir Amren). In Hibernia, those of the Paths of Essence and
Focus should look in Mag Mell, while those of the Paths of Harmony and
Affinity should look within Alainn Cuir. In Midgard, consult with the
Visindakonas within the Temple of the Aesir. They will send you to the
advisor of your realmīs king.
Be careful as those NPC are also connected to the new armor epic
introduced in version 1.79. This used to confuse quite a few players.
How hard is this quest series?
You can master this quest series with a solid group. No über group
required, but certainly having a balanced class setup helps a ton. You
can
do the low level steps mostly on your own. The first steps are a lot
of Fed Ex work, but the excellent story helps.. Farther down the steps
beome more group and combat orientated, with some nice extras like
large scale battles with NPC support.
How do I subclass?
At each of the five Champion Levels, you will be given an opportunity
to increase your skills and knowledge by selecting subclass abilities.
These abilities are taught by base-class trainers in the starting
cities (for example, the Acolyte trainer in Cotswold), and you may
learn the talents of any base-class except your own.
At the moment this is a problem for Midgard since Migard has only a
single caster baseclass, but Albion has two. Maybe there will be some
changes later.
Is there a list of subclassing abilities?
Excel: [url]http://www.dateihosting.de/upload/fobazuce.xls[/url]
Move the mouse pointer over the items to get additional info!
PDF: [url]http://www.dateihosting.de/upload/dumesumu.pdf[/url]
Information is top -> down BTW.
Alternative:
http://www.classesofcamelot.com/dr/CLAbilities.asp
There have been some changes which are assembled at the end of the FAQ
How can I combine subclassing abilities?
You choose a branch of the subclass you chose from a selection of 4 or
5 [?]. With every level you advance you can get deeper in that branch
and get another ability. You can not choose an ability form a
different branch. As an example when cou train Midgard Seer A1, A2, A3
you
can not train E4.
Where can I put my champion points?
Players are allowed to purchase abilities through champion points from
any subclass OTHER THAN THEIR OWN (i.e. Armsmen cannot subclass in
Fighter). You must purchase from top-down: meaning, the first ability
in the line must be purchased before you can purchase the next ability
in the line. With branching lines (Y), you only need to purchase one
side of the branch in order to access the third ability in the line.
I can only pick one of the lines under my primary class? For example,
my paladin can only choose one of the lines under fighter?
You cannot sub-class in your own base class, so a Paladin cannot
subclass as a fighter. You could conceivably have two level 1
abilities in two different sub-classes, and abilities 1-2-3 in a
third, but in order to have a level 2 ability in a line, you have to
have the level 1 ability *in that line*, to get a level 3, you have to
have levels 1 and 2 *in that line*, etc.
Can I mix and match between subclasses?
Certainly so. For example, you can put 3 points into one subclass and
2 into another.
Are the subclassing abilities game-shaking or most haves?
No, but depending on your character template, they can come quite
handy. However don t expect high delves, most spells are more level
20-25 effetcs.
Do the subclassing abilities follow the the mechanics as standart
abilities?
First they delve lower, and have lower values on every aspect (range,
radius, other percentages like lifedrain return). Second they have
fixed
cast times. The second point seems to be overlooked by many. Casted AE
desease is not that good when you need to cast uninterupted for 3
seconds.
What about resists?
Subclassing spells, for purposes of resists, are set up as a level 50
spell.
Do subclass buffs/dots stack with existing buffs/dots?
No, these subclass abilities are set up with exactly the same
behaviors as the spells the classes of that originating base class
receive. Spec buffs (combo) stack with baselines (singles), base dots
with specline. Resist buffs don t stack.
How do I cast these subclassing abilities if I don't have
power/concentration?
Once you are champion level 1 (and receive a champion point to spend
in subclassing), any class that does not have a power or concentration
pool will receive one (albeit, a small pool). Your power pool will
grow slightly with each champion level (this is also true for classes
that already have power).
Can Vampiirs powertap me when I get a mana pool this way?
Yes
Since Vampiirs are any base class, what are they counted as, for
subclassing?
Vampiirs, for the purposes of subclassing, are considered as having
the Guardian (Way of Arms) base class.
Do subclass styles require a particular weapon?
Subclass styles are set so that you can use the style with any weapon.
Additionally, upon receiving Champion Level 3, you will gain the
ability to wield* all one handed, mainhand weapon types (Crush, Slash,
Thrust, and equivalents) and the ability to equip a small shield.
*This does not increase your damage with the weapon type, like putting
spec points into a weapon line would. This is just the basic "you can
equip" the weapon type ability/proficiency.
Any details on equiping new weapons?
At CL3, you will be able to equip one handed weapons: Crush (Blunt,
Hammer), Slash (Blades, Sword, Axe), Thrust (Pierce). However, since
Midgard weapons work different, you will be able to wield both 1h and
2h wepapons since each weapon proficiency opens up both 1h and 2h. No
bows etc. As a rule of thumb everything your main fighter class can
use at level 2 is open now.
Can I spec that new weapons?
You can not spec that weapon.
Vampiirs are supposed to cast with the left hand, can they equip a
shield with CL3?
They can [maybe this is an oversight]. They are the class that likely
gains the most benefit from that.
Will this in any way allow classes to activate weapon artifacts that
normally would not be allowed? Battler, Malice, etc...?
No artifacts are class coded not weapon coded. You would be able wield
it, but your class can not activate it
Where do I get my subclasing abilities?
From base trainers - simply interact with one, once you are champion
level 1.
Can I respec subclassing abilities?
Yes , you can buy a respec sone among other respec stones at the
Quatermaster of your realm (see below)
How much does a mount cost?
You get a basic mounth at level 35. It's 250gold. You need to complete
a small quest for it, nothing tough.
At level 45 you have access to the next grade of horse, you buy this
in the Throne Room and it costs 1plat. I believe you can use this
horse in the frontiers (the level 35 one is PvE only).
There are more horses available, these are linked to Champion Levels.
(see Quatermaster post below). These are special horses that have
partical effects on hooves, in mouths/eyes etc. They include - Fire,
Ice, Earth, Undead, Nightmare, Unicorn (Black, Grey, White & Rainbow)
& Storm
It should be noted that there is no difference in use, utility or
advantage between the 2plat horses and the 15plat quest horse - it's
all about looks.
You don t need to purchase horses in any order, just pick the one you
like. You can own as many horse as you like and can afford.
How do I use a horse?
You have a new button called "Mount" on your central charater screen.
When you click it a new window opens. You can also use the /mount
command. You can place a horse from your inventory in the specific
slow as well as equpment (armor, barding and saddle bags). Then you
need to drag that horse in your hotbar as well. When you click your
hotbar or press that hotkey you whistle and after a few seconds you
appear on top of your horse. On your horse you can move as normal but
use mounted animations.When you jump, your horse jumps.
How do I dismount?
Ideally by clicking your hotkey. However if you take damage you
dismount forcefully and take extra damage. In my personal experiences
mobdamage dismounts you as well as lava. Falling seemed to not
dismount you, but this could have changed. Dismounting does not show
an animation.
How fast do I ride?
Standart horses give about 30% speed bonus, advanced horses grant 50%
regardless of type. If you benefit from a faster speedsong that song
overrides your speed.
Can I own more than one horse?
If you can afford them, of course.
Can I emote on horses?
Yes, there are a few new emotes for rider and mount. Some traditional
emotes like /dance have a mounted animation as well.
new ones:
rider lookfar: /lookfar - horse/standing
rider stench: /stench - horse/standing
rider halt: /horse halt - horse only
rider pet: /horse pet - horse only
horse_courbette: /horse courbette - horse only
horse_startle: /horse startle - horse only
horse_nod: /horse nod - horse only
horse_graze: /horse graze - horse only
horse_rear: /horse rear - horse only
emote_rider_trick: /horse trick - horse only
What are the benefits of horse equipment?
Armor and barding are fluff, saddle bags allow you to carry more
weight as you can put items there.You get access to better looking
armours and barding as you increase your CL. You get access to the
first saddlebag (4 slots) at CL2 and then one each level to CL5.
Barding can be dyed or embossed with guild logos, Armour can be dyed
also.
Where I can buy horse equipment?
At the local crafter of your choice. All recipes are skill 1000 for
various trades.
Armor = 1000 metalworking
Saddlebags = 1000 leatherworking
Barding = 1000 clothworking
What can I buy when raising in CLs?
Quartermaster Items including horses:
CL1
Grey Horse - 3p
Spotted Horse - 3p
Chocolate Horse - 3p
Bay Horse - 3p
CL2
Palomino Horse - 4p
Black Horse - 4p
Silver Horse - 4p
King's Star of Destiny -4p (Respec Stone)
CL3
Chestnut Warhorse - 6p
Spotted Warhorse - 6p
Bay Warhorse - 6p
Grey Warhorse - 6p
Luminescent Cambriare Stone (CLA Respec) - 50g
CL4
Palomino Warhorse - 8p
Black Warhorse - 8p
Chocolate Warhorse - 8p
Silver Warhorse - 8p
CL5
Undead Horse Voucher - 15p
Unicorn Voucher - 15p
Nightmare Voucher - 15p
Earth Horse Voucher - 15p
Ice Horse Voucher - 15p
Fire Horse Voucher - 15p
What are champion tasks?
The name is highly misleading. In fact this is another way to get exp
on your way to level 50 via short mini-quests; you will be able to
choose
the type of task that you wish to perform from various categories.
Look for Lieutenant Mauvere in Tir na Nog, Lieutenant Lomnar in
Jordheim,
or Lieutenant Purgis in Camelot for more information.
What can I expect from my champion weapon?
You can expect a weapon that is looking very nice in most cases. You
can see a lot of threads of various message boards featuring the
graphics like this one:
[url]http://vnboards.ign.com/Darkness_Rising_Discussion_Forum_/b23027/92002740/?23[/url]
Only few are not appreciated by the player base (berserker and to a
lesser extent friar), maybe they will get revamped soon.
However, there is one thing you have to be aware of: because the
weapons are unique to a class, friend and foe can learn your class
from your weapon. However their stats are nice even compared to the
most powerful artifacts and truely stunning on alternate ruleset
(so-called Classic) servers.
What kind of weapon can I get? Is this choice final?
You can get any weapon that your class can wield per default. You can
choose 2h or 1h if your class can and any kind (slash, pierce etc) if
your class can use such weapons.
You can exchange your weapon for a different kind at any time at the
throneroom of your realm. The weapon needs to be in perfect condition,
so you can t safe repairs by trading a weapon.
Do champion weapons decay?
They can be repaired as many times as needed. If you want to trade it
for a different type (see above), you need to repair it first.
What stats can I expect from champion weapons?
All champion weapons are 100% qua level 51 weapons. Most are slow with
a few classes that tend to like fast weapons. Caster stats feature 4
casting speed and damage, most melees have 4% melee speed and damage.
Healer types have spell range and speed. All weapons have a souple of
+ stat and + pool, too.
All weapons have two useables. Most casters have a power replentish
/use like Tartaros staff. The second useable is unlocked by finishing
the champion quest or reaching cl 5. Just trade your weapon in.
You can see some stats in this thread:
http://vnboards.ign.com/Darkness_Rising_Discussion_Forum_/b23027/92065446/?22
Any other drops woth of notice ?
There are a couple of otds and static drops. Some can be found in this
old version thread
http://vnboards.ign.com/Darkness_Rising_Discussion_Forum_/b23027/92085157/?16
or that one
http://vnboards.ign.com/Darkness_Rising_Discussion_Forum_/b23027/92090216/?8
DF bossmobs are supposed to have new drops, too.
Some zones get revamped, do they get a different layout towards their
catacombs appearance?
Capitols will look different but use the same layout so for everybody
the doors to houses are on the same spot. No "Eric the Viking"
(refering to the movie scene at Walhala) effect. DF is getting
revamped for everone.
Changes to the subclass abilities:
- Cure Poison should have a delve of:
Function: cure poison
Target: Realm
Range: 1500
Power cost: 8%
Casting time: 4.2 sec
- Cure Disease should have a delve of:
Function: cure disease
Target: Realm
Range: 1500
Power cost: 8%
Casting time: 4.2 sec
- Minor Solar Revigoration should have a delve of:
Function: health regen
Value: 8
Target: Self
Concenration cost: 7
Casting time: 3.0 sec
- Infuse Elixir should have a delve of:
Function: health regen
Value: 65
Target: Realm
Range: 1000
Duration: 30 sec
Power cost: 18
Casting time: 3.0 sec
--Spreadsheet will also need to be updated for the changes made on
Friday:
- Melt Spirit
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 35
Target: Targetted
Range: 1500
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 8.0 sec
Power cost: 12
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Damage: Matter
- Degrade Spirit
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 40
Target: Targetted
Range: 1500
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 8.0 sec
Power cost: 18
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Damage: Matter
- Acidic Cloud
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 40
Target: Targetted
Range: 1000
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 5.0 sec
Power cost: 20
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Radius: 350
Damage: Matter
- Acidic Storm
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 50
Target: Targetted
Range: 1000
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 5.0 sec
Power cost: 25
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Damage: Matter
- Spore Scatter
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 40
Target: Targetted
Range: 1000
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 5.0 sec
Power cost: 20
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Radius: 350
Damage: Matter
- Disease Cloud
Function: disease
Target: Targetted
Range: 1000
Duration: 30 sec
Power cost: 5
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Radius: 250
Damage: Body
- Cloud of Corruption
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 30
Target: Targetted
Range: 1000
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 5.0 sec
Power cost: 20
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Radius: 350
Damage: Matter
- Cloud of Corrosion
Function: dmg over time
Damage per tick: 40
Target: Targetted
Range: 1000
Duration: 20 sec
Frequency: 5.0 sec
Power cost: 20
Casting time: 2.0 sec
Radius: 350
Damage: Matter
- Nature's Boon
Function: haste
Value: 10%
Target: Self
Duration: 10:00 min
Power cost: 12
Casting time: 3.0 sec
BB.
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