A guide to Ritualist/Ranger FoW Forest Farming

Ritualist/Ranger guide to solo farming the Forest of the Wailing Lord
by Sarutobi Sakura aka Antoninus the Pious

I've been using this build for almost 2 weeks now as i wanted to make sure it would really work. I find it as fast as the R/X build but its just me. I guess im just biased since there's no love for the Ritualist these days :( Either people want a monk, an ele or a necro >_<... anyway here's the guide

Forest Farm Video: http://files.filefront.com/forestfar.../fileinfo.html
Video of the run: http://files.filefront.com/fowforest.../fileinfo.html

THE FOREST OF THE VENGEFUL LORD

This build utilizes the not-so-high-attack-damage of the forest monsters to succesfully tank and at the same time deal damage using the Ritualist Elite Item Spell:

Vengeful was Khanei - Hold Khanhei's ashes for 5...10 seconds. Whenever a foe strikes you in combat while you are holding Khanhei's ashes, you steal 5...29 Health from that foe.

First up!
EQUIPS
Armor
A Restorer's headgear of Superior Restoration and an Oracle's (armor +10 while holding an item) suit with minor ritualist runes and major/sup vigor is recommended but not necessary. Halycon's, which gives you additional energy, will also do. If you have the resources, craft a separate armor piece with a minor rune of restoration for the run as you will need as much health as possible.

Weapon :confused: ...yes a weapon!
Any flat or longbow for pulling.

THE BUILD
Restoration - 12+3+1
Wilderness Survival - 12



1. Vengeful was Khanei [E]
2. Vengeful Weapon - For 8 seconds, the next time target ally takes damage from foe, that ally steals up to 15..51 Health from that foe.
3. Troll Unguent - For 10 seconds, you gain health regeneration of +3...9.
4. Distracting Shot - If Distracting Shot hits, it interrupts target foe's action but deals only 1...13 damage. If the interrupted action was a skill, that skill is disabled for an additional 20 seconds.
5. Storm Chaser- For 8...18 seconds you move 25% faster, and you gain 1...4 Energy whenever you take elemental damage
6. Generous Was Tsungrai - Sacrifice 10% Health. Hold Tsungrai's ashes for up to 15...51 seconds and gain +50...122 maximum Health. When you drop his ashes you gain 100...244 Health.
7. Quickening Zephyr - Create a level 1...8 Spirit. For creatures within its range, all skills recharge twice as fast as normal and cost 30% more Energy to cast. This Spirit dies after 15...39 seconds.
8. Soothing Memories - Target ally is healed for 10...82 Health. If you are holding an item, you gain 3 Energy.

QZ recharges VWK at the same time it starts blinking.
Storm Chaser compensates for the high mana cost of skills. When fighting Sheperds and Worms (which deals lightning dmg) you're able to keep VWK on for 39 seconds!

GETTING THERE
- Cast Generous Was Tsungrai for the health boost. At lvl14 Restoration GWT gives you an additional 134 health for 59 seconds and heals for 268 health when dropped. Keep GWT on at all times.

- At Point X, I usually wait for the two groups to wander but here's an alternative.

- 2 Skeletal Impalers will pop out at Point O, just run past them.

THE CREEPS
Spirit Sheperds: stay out of casting range and you'll be safe
skills used: Aura of Restoration, Lightning Strike, Chain Lightning, Iron Mist

Rock Borer WOrms: it is advised that you take on only 3 at a time as they use Chocking Gas (a preparation) which interrupts spells you cast. Time your VWK and VW in between hits. 2-3 VWK + VW spamming kills them.
skills used: (annoying combination) Pin Down, Chocking Gas, Concussion Shot, Lightning Reflexes, Throw Dirt

Spirit Woods: hard hitters. Just keep up Troll Unguent all the time and you'll be fine.

Amored Cave Spiders: surpirisingly the easiest monster to kill in the forest 1on1. Take on only 1 at a time though. They die in 20 seconds.

Skeletons: Storm Chaser past them. Make sure not to brush against the Berserkers or they'll remove Storm Chaser, a stance, with Wild Blow.

THE FARM


FIRST HALF OF THE FOREST - AREA 1 and 2
First you'll encounter Spirit Sheperds patrolling the entrance. Cast Quickening Zephyr [25 energy cost], wait for 13 energy then activate Storm Chaser (unlimited energy). Use your bow to get their aggro then cast VWK. Remember to stay out of casting range. Spam VWK and Vengeful Weapon. Reactivate Storm Chaser when needed. They should be...
Speed: dead in 38 seconds, around the time when QZ expires. Requires 3 rounds of VWK.


3 Rock Borer Worms will pop out of POINT B. Cast Quickening Zephyr, wait for 13 energy then activate Storm Chaser. Cast VWK then run towards one group (take only 3 at a time-when more than 3 attack, hit Storm Chaser and run..) Use Troll Unguent and keep it on at all times, Chocking Gas only interrupts spells so Troll Unguent is unaffected. Spam Vengeful Weapon and VWK in between hits.
Speed: Dead in 2 rounds of uninterrupted VWK or one VWK and VW spamming (for a single worm).


Spirit Woods, use your bow to aggro them then cast VWK. Pick one Spirit Wood and watch for it's Troll Unguent. When it uses it drop VWK and hit Distracting Shot. Use Troll Unguent and spam VF. It should be dead before it is able to activate Troll Unguent again. Repeat on the remaining Spirit Wood/s. Use VWK whenever available.
Speed: N/A. VWK lasts for 11 seconds at 12 Restoration and they will often set up expired Nature Rituals which take 4-5 seconds to cast minimizing the effectiveness of VWK.

Wait for the patrolling 3 Spirits Sheperds and Spirit Wood after you've killed the 2 Spirit Woods. Use QZ and Storm Chaser. Unlimited energy = spam spam spam. :) I usually kill the Sheperds first then the Spirit Woods.


Clearing AREA 1... Armored Cave Spiders - run around Point E to get them to pop out. It is advised that you fight only one at a time. Stand still and wait for Apply Poison to finish then use Distracting Shot on Healing Spring (they use it immediately right after, so you should never miss) Cast VWK then Troll Unguent and keep it on at all times. Spam Vengeful Weapon, they should be dead before they're able to use Healing Spring again.
Speed: Dead in 23 seconds under 1 VWK and 3-4 Vengeful Weapons.


After killing the spiders, feel free to aggro those on top of the ledge. (AREA 3, POINT A and D). Use Storm Chaser then as soon as they get inside your bubble, press X to get out of casting range.


Now to AREA 2... Further north east you will find 2 groups of 3 Spirit Sheperds, 2 Spirit Woods and 3 hidden Rock Borer Worms. Run to a corner to the east and you can aggro all 6 Sheperds.

3 Rock Borer Worms will pop out of Point B kill them. Proceed to the top of the hill and kill the Spirit Woods there. You'll see 3 patrolling Spirit Sheperds and 2 Spirit Woods on the other side, if you haven't killed them yet, you can aggro them using a longbow from here. Pick up your loots its time to head to AREA 3!

Hit Storm Chaser and ruuuun past the Skeletal Army.

2ND HALF OF THE FOREST - AREA 3, 4 and 5
Depending on the spawn, 1-3 spiders might pop out at Point E. If more than one does, Storm Chaser to AREA 4. Run back and aggro one (or two if you already can :P). When fighting these spiders be careful of the patrolling Spirit Sheperds. Kill the the patrolling group at Point D then the 2 Spirit Woods to your right. (You should have already killed the 2 groups of Spirit Sheperds patrolling this edge). AREA 3 cleared!

Head to AREA 4 and you will see 2 Spirit Woods on top of a hill. 3 Rock Borer Worms will pop out at the base of this hill so kill them first. There will be another patrol of Spirit Sheperds, kill them then run around the open plain to lure out any hidden Spiders. Once you've cleared the area of Spiders, (AREA 5 now) kill the 2 patrolling Spirit Woods. There are 3 Rock Borer Worms at POINT B and 3 Spirit Sheperds patrolling the exit of the forest. I find that you can pull the Sheperds with a longbow and not aggro the Worms. Kill the Sheperds, then the Worms and that's the..
:)

end of the Forest run! You've cleared The Forest using you're ritualist :D

CREDITS
Credits go to Dahnel whose Ritualist Vengeful Farming build served as the foundation for this build and Remmeh for his R/Me Solo FoW Forest Farm which got me farming FoW in the first place and was the inspiration for this guide.

Enjoy :D


-antoninus

very very nice i'll check it out

and be careful at Point X during the run, that part's the killer. once you get to the forest it'll be a breeze from there :)

I tried this last night when America [finally] had favor. It worked pretty well, I had no trouble with the run because I just started up a free chest run team and ran with 7 w/mo's. However, I did run into some problems with the elementalist enemies. Somehow I missed the part about not getting into their cast range and got killed by chain lightning. So yeah, if theres any advice that I have, its to stay out of the ele's cast range.

PS. I only got past the first 5 or so groups so the only drops I got were a gold shadow shield (crappy mods) and 2 shards. Not too bad for the first try.

just a thing to add to it, you could also kill the first 6-8 skeletal army before the bridge. possibly the left or right one after the bridge including the other 2 impaler that pop up after the bridge too. on the top left between area 2 and area 3

there should be 2 impalers, 2 bonders and 4 berserker before the bridge. aggro the bonders first and run back till the berserker started to head back and rehit the bonders. doesn't matter if it hits or evaded eventually they will come back and since they are range, they can start hitting you just when they are outside your aggro circle. they should only cast live viraciously to them self and by this time, the berserker should be standing back where they were before and the bonder hitting you. then just VwK and some VW till they are finished.

with the remaining berserker and impalers, try approaching slowly just in case the impaler pop up so you don't aggro both of them.

the berserker takes 2 luring to kill. if you can lure the berserker first, go and hit them once and quickly cast troll unguent. they should be almost start to hit you when 3 second casting time just abt to finish. then VWK and VW... but when troll just about to finish, somewhere your health in the mid half coz they hit very hard (50-80dmg) just run back and wait till they back to post and do the same luring and cast troll, and VwK and VW/ They should be in their 1/2 life by now. repeat and do the same before they start regenerating their health so quickly and repeat if necessary.

with the one after the bridge, becareful when aggroing the impaler, it might also the berserker and the icehand will also run after you. deep freeze = dead... try to do the same and very slowly and everything should be fine. the purpose of this extra farming isjust if there are Obsidian Chest after the bridge, you could take extra chance opening it... would be good to have a gold shadow bow or some sort =)

if you are not very familiar with it, do this AFTER your forest run just in case you don't stuff up 1/2 way =)

Originally Posted by Snype Doesnt Heal

Somehow I missed the part about not getting into their cast range and got killed by chain lightning. So yeah, if theres any advice that I have, its to stay out of the ele's cast range.

use a long or flatbow and just hit them :P after the initial attack back up a bit and let them hit you first. you should be attacking the sheperds with them way outside your bubble.

and grats on your drops :)

P.S. so how did the worms go? i'm still having a hard time with them (wasted like 10k getting inside fow yesterday then dying from them... i had a bad day i guess the mood reflected on my gameplay)

@ Kurni. You were able to kill the skeletons?? niiice. tried it a long time ago when i was still tweaking with the build. after i saw that their damage was greater than what VWK steals i thought they couldnt be killed and left them alone. never bothered with them since then... im gona try this for sure thanks :D

Originally Posted by antoninus

use a long or flatbow and just hit them :P after the initial attack back up a bit and let them hit you first. you should be attacking the sheperds with them way outside your bubble.

and grats on your drops :)

P.S. so how did the worms go? i'm still having a hard time with them (wasted like 10k getting inside fow yesterday then dying from them... i had a bad day i guess the mood reflected on my gameplay)

Actually I thought the worms were eaisest. If I saw that I was getting into any trouble though, I just easily backed up to where they couldnt hit me. Since they cannot move, just keep going (you will be crippled probably) and spam vengeful on your way out.

Also, on the spiders, is it possible to kill 2 at once. Last night I got to a point where when I agroed one, it always agroed the other one too. But I had to go and I didnt get a chance to see if I could take on both.