Crushbone
Faydwer (Back)
Crushbone is the home of the Crushbone clan of orcs. It is located directly to the north of the wood elf city of Kelethin, and is the major thorn in the sides of all the inhabitants of Faydwer. Once you enter Crushbone there are orcs everywhere and there are almost always trains because of the close proximity of the orc spawns. There are also many high levels that will power level lower level groups. I recommend Crushbone from 7 - 15ish.
|
Map
Crushbone- 1. Tents, inhabited by legionnaires
- 2. Castle Crush, where high levels spawn including emissaries, Ambassador DVinn, and The Prophet and Emperor Crush in the throne room
- Outside the castle entrance and across the bridge is the camp frequently called Wall
- 3. Slave Cabin, with inhabitants needed for Screaming Mace Quest
- 4. Slaver Caves, with slaves outside
- 5. Slaver Pit with the Orc Taskmaster
- 6. Trainer Hill ("Where camping was born...")
Safe/Evac Spot
At zone (-644, 158)
Dangers
This zone is extremely dangerous, despite the fact that there are orc pawns here, I would not recommend it for anyone under 4th level, and even that is pushing it. It is dangerous for several reasons. The first reason it is dangerous occurs when there are very few people around, the other when there are too many people around.
The first danger occurs when there are few people around, and this is that the orcs reclaim their area, slowly spreading out from the back areas to the front by spawning in gradually further forwards areas. Once all of the forward spawn sites are full, the patrols begin. These patrols usually consist of a pair of fairly tough orc centurions who run from one side, out to the entrance, and then back in and over to the other side. There are usually two opposing troops that move in this way. After them come the Legionnaire patrol, which consists of the Legionnaire and two very high level orc centurions (around 9th or 10th) who walk the same route. The only way I saw all of this is by hiding next to a tree and watching them all go by, and it made me sweat.
The second problem occurs when there are too many people in the zone (which is most of the time now). This generates a rapid spawn rate because there is a rapid kill rate, and trains result. Now, trains around here aren't the type of trains that occur in Blackburrow, for instance, which consist of a dozen gnolls running around. The trains here consist of the orcs that people tend to flee from, namely the Legionnaire and his centurions, who are high level, or Emperor Crush himself and an oracle or two. Now, these aren't huge trains, but they are very deadly as these troops are very powerful and can take out a large number of midlevel troops before being taken out themselves. The other problem with this is that they tend to attack indiscriminately, so simply standing too closely could mean that you get whacked, and people tend to not warn you that they are coming with hell on their heels, so you can get caught unaware. Again, keep your eyes peeled.
Benefits
Despite the great danger in this area, there are many good reasons to hunt here. The first is the wealth that you can gather in a short time here. As a 7th level by myself, I gathered 2 platinum in the time it took me to go up less than one bubble. Most of the orcs here have some form of cloth armor or weapon on them, all of which is worth money. Some of the best weapons on the weaker orcs are Cracked Staffs, which you can sell for over 1 platinum to a friendly merchant. There's no better feeling than going home encumbered because you've got 3 or 4 of these in your backpack.
Another great reason people hunt here is for the treasure trove in unique items and quest items that can be found here. Some nice low-level items come out of this dungeon exclusively. First of all, there is the Shiny Brass Shield, a shield that sometimes appears on the Orc Trainer. This is a nice shield that is relatively cheap to buy now, and should be resting on everyone's arm if they can't use two weapons. Also, the Legionnaire's have shoulderpads and bracers that are regularly on the market for sale, as well as items that can be used to get one of the quest items, the Screaming Mace. Some of the other items that have become staples of this game are the Dwarven Ringmail Tunic, dropped by the Emperor himself, and the Dragoon Dirk, a highly sought after low- to mid-level piercing weapon, that drops off of our favorite newbie killer himself, D'vinn.
But the number-one reason people hunt in Crushbone is the experience. Crushbone is tied with Befallen for the highest Zone Experience Modifier in the game (at 2.13), meaning that any CB mob killed will grant more than double the experience that a comparable monster in a zone like Butcherblock or Southern Desert of Ro would. As if that weren't enough, the orcs here drop Crushbone Belts and Crushbone Shoulderpads, which can be turned in to Canloe Nusback (GM Warrior in Kaladim) for additional experience and a piece of cheap armor (about 1g5s to a vendor). The belts can be turned in one at a time, and the shoulderpads two at a time. The belt quest gives respectable experience up to around level 10, and the shoulderpads go even higher (probably past the point you should have moved on from Crushbone!). Both items are frequently bought and sold in Crushbone and Greater Faydark as well.
I personally greatly enjoyed hunting in Crushbone. The monsters came in more manageable numbers and the number of other hunters wasn't as annoying as it was just outside the gates. Also, they spawned closer together, so there wasn't as much of a problem with roaming (by you) or camping (by others). You can watch several spawn spots by yourself and make a good profit and good exp quite quickly.
Popular Camps
Trainer Hill: This is a good camp for lower level characters. There are 6 or 7 orcs atop the hill and their respawn rate is fast enough that you will not need to pull from elsewhere in the zone. The orc trainer himself drops the shiny brass shield which is +10ac and +10svm.
Wall: This refers to the area directly in front the bridge which leads to the castle. Generally groups hunting here will pull the orcs roaming around outside of the castle and even from within the castle itself if the group is strong enough.
Throne Room: The highest level camp in the zone is inside of the castle itself. It can be very difficult to hold as there are 6-7 legionnaires and oracles which spawn within the room itself and their respawn rate is very fast. If the group is able to hold this room successfully it may be possible to pull both Emperor Crush and Ambassador DVinn from the tower itself.
Tents: This is the tented area in the very back of the zone, holds orcs between pawn and legionnaires. The area shares the crevice filled with 4 random spawn orcs, with the Slaver cave. (See below) Doing a corpse run from here is difficult as most things will attack you as you go back to your corpse.
Slaver Cave: Located on the left side of the map over the bridge, and hill with the orc centurion it is a building with 1 slaver and some quest NPCs inside of it. The accepted camp area is located in front of the building next to the tree, as this is a "safe area." The camp extends from the top of the hill on the right side of the camp, in the caves, and any roaming orcs to the right of the tree. Relatively easy to get to, levels 5-8 normally level here. Houses several slavers, a few centurions and 1 random legionnaire. (Killing the slaves will hurt your faction with the the city they are from.)
Slaver Pit: You find this camp by following the right wall, it houses 4 slavers, the taskmaster, several slaves, and the named slave Retlon Brenclog a level 17 magician (Killing him hurts Ak'anon faction). The Taskmaster drops a 5/30 whip, and his brass earring. The brass earring is used for slaver quests, which result in many different rewards.
Traveling To and From Crushbone
There is only one entrance to Crushbone, directly north from the city of Kelethin in Greater Faydark. You can get to it by heading north from the northernmost lift in Kelethin (it's the one furthest away from the other two) or by following the path straight out. The entrance is ringed by two pyres, so it's hard to miss. From Felwithe you can either follow the trail to Kelethin and go north from there, or turn right directly out from the main entrance and follow the border of the zone all the way to Crushbone. Although the second method is more boring, it's also quicker and almost impossible to get lost doing.
Connnecting zones:
