Crystallized Cloudy Eyes

[Luclin Jeweler]

I'm a new GM Jeweler and have had great success in making some of the nice PoP jewelry. For the most part I purchase my reagents in the bazaar when I find a good deal. My biggest sellers are the Valorium Rings of Gallantry. I can barely keep up with the demand on these. I think they also go fast cause I don't gouge my prices.

Anyway... I would like to start farming the Crystallized Cloudy Eyes in PoJ for myself and my fellow clerics in the guild. Can anyone please advise me as to the type of recommended group structure, drop rate, etc., associated with farming the eyes?

I'd like to know if it is worthwhile to take a group of friends out to farm them and whether their drop yields are worth the time.

NOTE: I am a lvl 65 Cleric and can muster a 65 group for farming with ease.

Luclin Jeweler
Service with a Smile

[GraemeFaelban]

I believe the drop rate is about on par with Metallic Liquid drop rates. In other words, it is extremely rare. I have hunted in that part of PoJ several times in the hope of getting said drops, and have had no luck on any of the drops as of yet.

[Luclin Jeweler]

Difficulty Rating?

Oddly Enough.. metallic liquids are fairy common items in the bazaar. As soon as I go through and buy up the cheap ones (2-3K) Four or five more traders are up selling in bulk. Hmmm...

At the time you hunted there, was it for XP, or were you farming with a nice high level group? I can see if drops were low cause you were there at low levels and could not handle mass killing... but what is the difficulty of the Locusts and beetles in the tunnels? Spawn rate.

In other words can you mow down these mobs fairly qickly in hopes of the drops or are these tough buggers that require patience and have the drop rate of Shards in SF?

Luclin Jeweler

[tawnos]

I used to hunt there until the prices dropped too far to make them worthwhile to farm. I did them by myself boxing a 65 chanter and a 65 druid. It took me probably two and a half hours or so to get one combine worth for the ring (2 eyes + stone). I couldn't quite clear all of the beetles by myself even using harmony to bypass all the worms. With a full group you could probably clear nearly all of the worms and beetles, but doing so would get you more stones than you would need.

The beetles are in the mid 50's and double for about 300. Almost all of them can be ae stunned (with normal ae stuns, not the ldon one) which makes controlling them pretty easy for an enchanter. The spawn rate was relatively slow. As for group structure, just about anything should work so long as at least one person can pacify/lull/harmony. There is one nasty spot where you can get chain aggro through a wall but its best to just learn that spot and avoid it by going around it rather than trying to cc it. The worms and beetles have fairly low magres and provide decent damage as pets.

[javalin]

i hunted in the area with only bugs was there for 5 hours got 3 eyes and about 1 aa

[GraemeFaelban]

Maybe I just got unlucky, went there twice for several hours each time, and got zero drops for the rings.

As for metallic Liquids, they seem to be seriously rare, I have spent massive amounts of time hunting in PoV, and have seen 4 of them drop total in all that time. I still go there to solo on the golems or Outer Caves, whenever I don't have time for grouping.

[Lothay]

The eyes and the alkaline etched stones are both rare-ish drops.

The solution to obtaining them in massive patience and a willingness to kill the same stupid bugs over and over and over. The PoJ bugs are exp even at 65, just slow and dull.

A really good session there once netted 2 alkaline etched stones and 1 eye. Group compostion for that hunt was 2 shaman, 1 monk, one paladin and 1 enchanter.

[Arny]

I used to 2-box the first bug room with my 65 enchanter and cleric, and more latterly 3-box with ench/cleric/nec or pally/cleric/nec. It is an easy camp to do though somewhat boring and you are going to need a lot of patience!

Typicaly I would average around an eye an hour and 2 stones but it varies a lot. My best 6 hour session netted me 7 glittering rings of judgement (no fails) but on more than one occasion I have come away empty handed!

The aggro used to be horrible in the caves, mobs aggroing through walls, but it now seems fixed since they altered the line of sight on lull spells etc.

[Aethia]

aye, the demand that I have for this rings is great, but sadly I can't get enough to even make one ring.

I went with some friends (cleric, chanter, warrior, rogue, druid) all 65 and me (54 necro) to help them farm the items for the ring.

In four hours we got 1 cloudy crystallized eye. -- no grallok quartz or anything else. We did get the named mob and I got an EP, the ring and some awesome EXP, but from what I have discussed with others who have tried 'farming' this area, the luck truly is 'random'. I plan to go back there, but at the moment this ring is on the back burner.

Best of luck and hopefully for you the drops will be better.

[Palarran]

Two boxing a druid (with dire charm) and enchanter, I usually get a set of components for a ring attempt once every 1-2 hours or so. When I'm trying to farm the components, rather than focusing on exp for my enchanter, I usually roam between the yrendan scarab and the ancient crawler's spawn points.

[Luclin Jeweler]

Weekend Results

Well I went in with the following group (CLE, RNG, DRU, WAR) all 65. Things would have gone a bit faster if we had another DPS like a Rogue/another EQ/AM3 ranger. Anyway the 4-5 hour romp yielded 3 crystallized couldy eyes, 1 alkaline stone, a Justice Cape, and some Boots (Forgot name)

I attempted combine but Failed... At least we are 1 eye closer to the next combine.

Luclin Jeweler

P.S. It's best to stay within the previously mentioned Yrenden Scarab. There is a fork leading to 2 areas... one has the bugs and the other has worms. It was fun since we were all guildies.

[Limatel]

Thinking about making rings for some friends and then for cash.
What are they selling for? I never see them for sale or even any of the components.

Went down there for the first time this weekend, got an akaline etched stone to make the spell, but that's it.

Not sure exactly what location you guys are talking about to get the cloudy eyes.

Been down there solo, so it's a little slow, not hasting my pet. Can 2-box a druid though, then things should speed up. Of course if I bring him I can probably track the bugs you're talking about

[tawnos]

I used to sell the rings from 25-30k. But recently as more people are getting access to the elemental planes i have been unable to move them for more than 15-17k.

The bugs are any of the beetles (enervating beetle, dread locust). They all drop the eyes. You can harmony/pacify everything there to get to the beetles.

[rugenpayne]

If you get the maps from maps.eq-toolbox.com, and are standing at the entrance to the caves looking at the first two geonids:

Turn right, turn right again, turn right almost immediately into a dead end.

This dead end has 3 spawn of beetles/locusts, with a beetle/locust just outside, and one just before the turn in to the dead end tunnel.

I set up camp there as myself (65 cleric) and my husband (65 beastlord) and was able to clear the bugs as well as a fair number of surrounding worms each round. The eyes are rare, make no mistake. One day of 6 some hours down there got me 2. Another day, I got 1 from each of the 3 beetles in the room, and then no more dropped again til almost 5 hours later.

The middle spawn in the room of beetles is the PH for a named. You will see "a dread locust" or an "envergerated beetle". These are the PH. The named is a "diamond beetle" and drops a ranger bow and the Justice Cape.

Either way, I was mostly PLing a tradeskill mule/assistant for myself to level 49 down there, or I would never have spent the time there. Very boring at level 65, and not the best xp, and those eyes are very very rare.

Just some info for ya.

[splunge]

rugenpayne beat me to it.

I 2-boxed me (65 ranger 160aa) and my 64 shaman (3aa, gettin to 65 before workin more aa) from the tunnel enterance, pulled with bind-sight and harmony to break the spawn (didnt need em after that).
I pulled straight to the diamond beetle camp, able to kill 2/3 of the beetles in that room before the zonein golems respawned.

In the couple of hours, 2 AA points i earned (and i think 2 yellow XP for my shaman) i garnered 4 cloudy eyes, 3 etched stones and 5 grallok quartz. Enough for 2 combines (have yet to find someone to do em) and a copy of imbue justice for my shaman.
I also got 3 Justice capes, 1 True Bow of Balance and about 5kp in plat/diamonds/gems/cash loot.

The last hour or so of my time there was with a 65 many AAed chanter and a 55 SK, The chanter chain pulled while the DC pet and gang slaughtered the pulls. a full group of 65 coulld wander and slaughter the whole area with impugnity. You could also test an AE group there and clear the whole cave out, as i beleive everything there is stunable/mezable.