DDO Total Content Measure - Part 1

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• Point of progression - ~41%, (156 of 376 instances completed, midway through 4's and 5's on hard and elite)

• xp gained - ~260,000, (rank 32, 10k xp from level 8.0)

• Hours commited - ~55 hours

• Total favor gained - 451 of 1750
  
  Bonuses unlocked:
  • Coin Lord: both inventory extensions
  • Free Agents: +1 Free Agent items
  • Silver Flame: first price reduction
  • Phiarlan: 30 minute buffs

• General comments:
  
  So I figure this about the halfway mark, with my character only 10k off making 8.0. With the exception of the Litany vampire, at this stage I've hardly touched any of the big xp quests like Gwylan's or Stormcleave, so at this point I'm predicting the 549,999 cap somewhere around the middle to end of the level 8 quests on elite.
  
  I'm really quite stunned at just how much you can squeeze from the Harbour quests when working in this method. At rank 23 (almost level 5) we were still grossing 2,000 xp from level 2 instances such as the Catacombs.
  
  
  
  
  A lot of the work on hard and elite has hinged on getting lucky draws with Bane weapons from the collectors. Although a Holy/Pure Good or an elemental is handy, it's the extra +to hit on the Bane's that makes the real difference. I lucked a Reptilian Bane early from an Icon of Khyber and an Undead Bane from a Necromantic Gem just after entering the Marketplace. Reptilian bane is an absolute must for ensuring trip lands on the Kobold Shamans on elite, since their lightning bolts will quite merrily wipe a party even when it's fully buffed with lightning res. The Undead bane isn't as important, although it can tip the balance with the two particularly nasty Skeleton Warriors in the second part on the Catacombs, who again, given their stupidly high AC on elite, wipe a party if not handled correctly. Best tactic so far for those without Undead Bane appears to be pet'ing them and making use of their DPS to deal with the other mobs in the instance, then deserting them once you have conquest by getting them trapped on a wall somewhere. You can safely end and recall after.
  
  Of course they don't become a real issue until hard or elite, so you can always run the Dryden family tomb a few times first for the Dryden Mace - although the AC on the mobs is high there, their to hit's seems to be much lower, making the instance more a matter of patience than good healing. Expect to break the odd weapon too - the xp's worth it tho ;)
  
  
  

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• General comments continued:
  
  Having cleaned up on the immediately useful Bane weapons we went back for the nastier low level quests on hard and elite. Butcher's Path, despite being a level 2 quest, is god awful on elite due to the amount of the Shamans and the difficutly involved in getting to them once the passageways have blocked up with the other mobs. Add to that the frequency at which you'll end up cursed if the named characters spawn, and all of a sudden you have a particularly nasty quest.
  
  
  
  
  Even when earning towards level 7, the reward is worth the risk.
  
  With the Harbour clear it was time to move to the Marketplace. The two smaller level 2's both feature spiders or scorpions heavily, as do several proceeding instances later, so a quick run of Shan-to-Kor for the Vermin Bane became neccessary. Shan was always a big xp quest in the past, and even now, despite the nerf, it can chuck some pretty crazy numbers out.
  
  
  
  
  What concerns me is how easily an mediocre group can perch the Guardian at the end, given the size of the reward. We went with one mage, using the starter Potency Staff and an Efficacy I item from an earlier Harbour quest and the Guardian had died to Niac's before the mage had emptied even half his mana bar. Not the best of situations.
  
  The first run of Shan also dropped enough Shamanic Totems to give a useable Goblinoid Bane, making the return trips much easier. The only niggle is the constant incoming Searing Light from the Hobgoblin Shamans, to which there is little real defense. For elite we had to go with a full party for parts 2 and 3, although for the most part the trip was comfortable.
  
  Not long after this we'd cleared the 4's and started on the 5's. This finally gave us the option of leaving the Marketplace and getting a breather. Deneith was first, with the Depths ring, then Phiarlan for Tangleroot and the Litany Chain. Our first run of Tangleroot turned out extremely profitable in xp, making sure we ran each of the pre-requsite 'rush' instances to their fulliest, rather than just clearing the path to the gate instead. A couple of these top 3k if done correctly, so there's plenty there to clean up on.
  
  The Litany chain at first looks extremely pointless from a levelling point of view, with less than a grand coming from each of the first four parts on normal, and little more than 1.5k on hard, until you see the Vampire instance itself. Remember at this point there is little real challenge to a party that knows the quest and comes prepared with the correct resistances and buffs, and we steam rolled the Bloody Crypt with no deaths and plenty of shrinage in hand.
  
  Check the xp, even when only 40k off level 8 ;)
  
  
  
  
  Very nice indeed...

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• General comments continued:
  
  Stepping away from the 'kiddie' quests there is a marked change in the xp rewards, and this is what leaves me to believe the cap is achievable without touching the big chains that most people run instead. These two shots come from the Fire Caves on elite. Bare in mind the party is running at level 6, and I'm almost ready for level 8. Even so, the party cakewalked it and grossed 7k for the pair, with over 15k coming from running them on all three difficulty levels...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I actually solo'ed both on normal and hard while my son who plays the Wizard was at school using extended buff and resistance spells, only bringing the Wizard up to Knock the shrine doors :)

• Conclusion:
  
  Which brings us about up to date. As mentioned earlier, and without making presumptions beyond the evidence to hand, currently it's looking good for a mid-level 8 quest cap. I'll get back to you when we're nearer the end.