Essences of Sunlight - revisited

[Monual]

Sorry to ressurect an old topic. Would like a little more feedback on this subject.

I just started taking orders for Heraldic. Now I know why I started to do this! The potential to make a fistful of plat is enormous - I've already made 50K, and I have an order in the pipeline that will net me 150K more. Like, wow. I've never had more than 50K before.

However, I'm running smack-dab into a huge roadblock: Essences of Sunlight. I try to buy these in the bazaar, but if I'm lucky I'll find one or two for sale every other day. Clearly I need many, many more. I've tried the following things:

I've wandered North Ro, South Ro, and the Oasis trying to find Sand Giants to kill. I only see one up very rarely, and even then it doesn't always drop an Essence. I've tried merchant mining in those areas, to no avail. I've seen the tale of Fansy the Famous Bard, and how he was able to create trains of six or seven Sand Giants. How did he do it? How do you get more than one Sand Giant to spawn? Are there specific placeholders I can kill to get them to spawn? Mostly, getting essences from these areas has turned out to be a big bust.

Faerie Dragons in Wakening Lands. I can solo these - not quickly, I'm just a cleric, and all my buffs get dispelled. I can manage maybe ten an hour. And only about one in ten seems to drop an essence of sunlight. It would take me many, many hours here to get some essences, which makes me shudder to think about it, although I'm still perfectly willing to continue to try. It's been my most reliable source so far, despite the fact that it's netted me a grand total of three essences so far.

I certainly can't solo in Skyfire, although once I sat there for ten minutes and auctioned that I would buy everyone's Essences for a good price. I got no responses, and I then had to leave to attend a guild raid. But I noticed about 20 folks in the zone, which made me think it could possibly be a good source of essences, if I can just manage to stay for a little while longer.

Any other thoughts? When you need a few Essences of Sunlight, what's your strategy?

Thanks. =)

[Lling]

My strategies are simple.

I advertise and pay 100pp per sunlight.
I ask people to provide some sunlight as part of the price and give them 200p credit for each.
Don't forget to check vendors in places like Ro, Oasis, FP, Kael - and even the PoG tower.

My biggest source, however, came in the form of a bard who bought a bracer once. He wanted another but was short on cash and asked what I might take in lieu of cash. I found out he soloed a lot - in Skyfire.

So far he has earned a BP, legs, helm, and gotten a few levels by farming me stackes of essence of sunlight. We both made out on this relationship.

I hope this helps.

[kiztent]

Re: Essences of Sunlight - revisited

I've seen the tale of Fansy the Famous Bard, and how he was able to create trains of six or seven Sand Giants. How did he do it? How do you get more than one Sand Giant to spawn? Are there specific placeholders I can kill to get them to spawn? Mostly, getting essences from these areas has turned out to be a big bust.

Well, Fansy was on Sullon Zek when it just opened and at the time, no one could kill sand giants. So they popped, and they stayed forever, because no one could kill them. Which is where he got the raw material to create sand giant trains.

[Monual]

Re: Essences of Sunlight - revisited

Well, Fansy was on Sullon Zek when it just opened and at the time, no one could kill sand giants. So they popped, and they stayed forever, because no one could kill them.

Ahhhhh. That explains everything. Thanks, Kiztent. I thought there was some secret method to get them to spawn... I was even looking for a "Sand Giant camp" in the Oasis that maybe I hadn't heard of before. =)

[Baysar]

Well, chromadracs in Skyfire do drop sunlight essence in high quantities. Way better drop rate than lava rocks, for sure. From my experience, at least half the time. I had some time to study this while camping Ragefire for a MONTH

The problem is, you will not likely find many groups hunting chromas, due to the royal PITA that their dispell is. Almost anyone would agree that its worth the effort to go look for another mob and avoid all chromas.

The upside of this, though, is that if you are willing/able to hunt them Skyfire will degenerate to having over 50% chromadracs over time due to selective pulling...

[Araon]

In anticipation of the day I can make Heraldic, a friend of mine with a 60 pally has periodically been camping Chromadracs in Skyfire for me. He's gotten about a stack for me so far, and his tactic to soloing them is not buff himself at all, let them dot him and watch as they dispel their own dots The drop rate is apparently about one in three or so.

Of course the day I can make Heraldic is still a long way off...