Minimum level to begin farming components for shadowscream?

[Zeralenn]

65 isn't necessary. I'm 55 and can wipe out wolves or bears with the best of them. I'm just a little slower because I'm melee rather than an AOE nuker. The only time I have problems is when I run into a greedy bard who won't even consider sharing.

And I'd have that problem at 65, too.

...Zera

[Kradlum]

I do fine at 51, the wolves and bears barely scratch me. It's not the level that effects the farming there, it's the rude and ignorant people who will pull every mob from 3 peoples' camps that are the problem. I've taken to tagging up to 10 at a time, then taking them to a spot to melee. I just hit del and backup a couple of steps with each kill. At the end, I have a neat line of 10 corpses waiting to be looted. This stops others stealing them, and stops most of them running when they get to low health.

In the meantime, if you can convince a group to go to TM with you, you could camp at the Grimling Forest tunnel and take on all the mobs that wander passed there. You should get acrylia, windstones, essence of wind as well as shrieking substance and a few Rallic packs if you have the faction. Just try to avoid the nasty invis coterie scout who occasionally wanders up there. If the tunnel is camped, then move over to the Katta zone line.

[brilgain]

I need level 60 or 65 to begin farming HS? Wow, that's depressing. I'm smithing mainly to better equip myself. By 60-65 I'll have much better gear than I would be able to smith so no point then except to make for others but still...kinda defeats the initial purpose.

Oh well, we'll see how it goes. I'll probably run through HS tonight and see how much competition there is going on. That's true though, at 35 I'd have a hell of a slow time farming against higher levels. Hopefully, Mith Marr won't be too bad or at least I can hope.

I do appreciate all the responses everyone. Thank you.

[Balkin]

I took my 26 cleric to Hollowshade a week or 2 ago.

The Sonic hunters (wolves had all 3 camps) were light blue and green. I was extremely innefficient farming them. As a 35th level warrior, you'll do ok, and the regular sonic wolves should be dark/light blue for some XP. I strongly suggest you take about 4 backpacks of bandages though. You'll need them. And stay away from the named! They'll tear your arse off!

[Meirril]

As a 35 warrior you'll do ok at on the islands near the grimling camp. You might be able to take a hut, but I'd suggest the roamers on the archipelgo instead. The reason people are suggesting a higer level is the threat of a higher level player taking every spawn available. Personaly, I wouldn't worry about it. Just talk to people that are farming substances and work something out. If their unreasonable, wait for them to stomp ya, report and petition. While your waiting for the petition, keep killing. Don't threaten to petition, if someone is acting strange/rude be polite and talk to them. If someone is doing something worth a petition, don't warn them just do it.
The only problem you'll have is that you arn't high enough of a level to affect which side controlls the grimling camp. You need to kill the grimling defenders (or whatever spawns in their place when controlled by wolves/bears.), and you won't be able to do that (even with help) till your high 40/low 50s.

p.s. if you can smith better gear that what your wearing, I wouldn't describe my character as "well twinked". When I think well twinked warrior, I think fungi at a minimum. Just my opinion

[CloudWeaver]

So what is where and best

I've been looking all over to find out where the best places or all places to farm all three of the components required for shadow scream armor.

Maybe someone can chime in and help me a bit. I would like to find out which zones drop what and how good the spot is.

Wailing Substance - HSM off ?

Shrieking Substance - HSM off Owlbears and ?

Swirling Shadows - Zone/Mob?

Thanks for all the help I'm just starting down the Shadow Scream road and would like any help.

Thanks in advance,

[Kradlum]

Depends what level and class you are.

Wailing Substance - Paludal caverns, Hollowshade Moor (Grimling camp)
Shrieking Substance - Tenebrous Mountains, Hollowshade Moor (Grimling camp)
Swirling Shadows - Shadeweavers Thicket (lesser Shades), Twilight Sea (Shades??)

The owlbears in Paludal are very easy. The Owlbears and Wolves in Hollowshade are green to 51, the wolves in Tenebrous mountains just turned light blue to 51. The Lesser Shades in Shadeweavers are very, very green. The Shades in Twilight Sea are a PITA, they lifetap and are social and killed this warrior on his one and only attempt to farm there at 50. They are "supposed" to have a much higher drop rate than the Lesser Shades, but I didn't manage to get so far as to kill one

[Sars Aardvarkofspork]

60 pally here:
GET OUT NOW! WHILE YOU STILL! CAN! THE HORROR!


You still here? Ok, hollowshade:
There are three camps. Straight out from paludal is the grimling camp. If grimlings are up, sorry, you're out of luck, you have NO chance of changing it (I zoned with 20 life, with lay hands and DA down, after trying to kill the grimling defenders at 58. They summon, proc strong poison, and are major undercons. The wolf attackers getting there saved me by stealing aggro). If owlbears or sonic wolves have it, great!
Owlbears (and im assuming the wolves) at the girmling camp are blue to my level 21 bard.
Kill Owlbear/sonic wolf fishermen (they stand near the water facing out, and they use fishing spears. you cant see them equipped, but if you kill one and it drops a spear, you have the mob). These have, without a doubt, the highest drop rate of the substances. And at 35, you dont wanna mess with the higher level ones. These are pure low level melee.
At half health or so, these mobs run. And fast. And into the water. At 200 swimming skill, i can barely keep up with one if its got more then a quarter of its health. This is probably the hardest part: killing the darn mob once it runs. Figure out how they path, or how to immobilize them, and you'll be gold.

If the grimlings have the camp, I suggest doing something else. The sonics in TM are waaaaaay too high for you, and the grimy owlbear cubs... you're better off gaining a few levels so you can farm the war better.

[Kradlum]

Kill Owlbear/sonic wolf fishermen (they stand near the water facing out, and they use fishing spears. you cant see them equipped, but if you kill one and it drops a spear, you have the mob). These have, without a doubt, the highest drop rate of the substances. And at 35, you dont wanna mess with the higher level ones. These are pure low level melee.
At half health or so, these mobs run. And fast. And into the water. At 200 swimming skill, i can barely keep up with one if its got more then a quarter of its health. This is probably the hardest part: killing the darn mob once it runs. Figure out how they path, or how to immobilize them, and you'll be gold.

Sorry, I totally disagree with this.

1) The ones on the shore facing out do not have the highest drop rate. For Owlbears at least, the bonegrinders and razorclaws have the highest drop rate. Can't remember the names of the wolves that have the higher drop rate (Stalkers maybe?). I spent a whole day for each mob type recording the number of kills/number of drops.

2) When the mob starts to run, stand still. Only the wandering mobs (patrolling owlbears, patrolling sonic wolves (?)) need to be chased. The others all get a certain distance away from you then warp back to their spawn point. Chasing them is a complete waste of time.

Kill the Sonic Stalkers first, as they will heal and SoW their fellows (tho SoW doesn't matter if you don't chase them).

[brilgain]

That's some more good info there guys. Thanks. I plan to start hitting HS next week. I'm trying to get all the shadows farmed first and then hit the other two substances. Hopefully the right mobs will be in control and be at the huts for me to whack.

So let me see if I understand correctly. There are three basic mob types in zone....grimlings, wolves and owlbears. Whichever mob you see at the huts is the type mob that's in control of the zone. If it's the grimlings at the huts then just leave because you won't get wailing/shrieking substances from any owlbears/wolves unless they're in control of the zone and are at the huts. If the wolves are at the huts then kill them for shrieking substances. If the owlbears are at the huts then kill them for wailing substances.

Meirril, well he does have a fungi and fierce armor so he is well twinked. :P I'm a troll so I'd be doing my smithing mainly to get him equipped with some of the ykesha weapons. At present, on mith marr I don't know of a single troll smith capable of making these...or if there are then they're hiding under a rock somewhere.

Great info though guys. Seems to be a ton of info on this and some conflicting views of exactly what happens so just trying to piece it all together. Thanks.

[CloudWeaver]

Thanks for all the Information!!

I'm a level 63 Druid So any and all spots you gave me should not be a problem.

Is there a way to change the war so whatever you want will win?

Thanks again,

[OberonMiM]

Whichever mob you see at the huts is the type mob that's in control of the zone.

Actually theres where your mistaken

The zone is currently broken so the vah'shir hut area never respawns with the mobs in control of the zone.

Therefore since the hut never respawns you can never kill the boss to reset the zone (hence it being broken and being the bane of many smiths)

[Kradlum]

I think Brilgain means the huts at the grimling camp.

The way to change the war is to listen out for the messages of one side attacking another. When the side you want to win is attacking, kill all but one of the defenders that spawn outside the main camp of the opposition. Conversely, if the side you don't want to win is attacking, kill all the attackers to make sure they don't wipe your side from the zone.

[Reflan]

61 shaman, and I brought my 60 monk to help kill sonic wolves in Hollowshade. To get 100 or so shrieking substances took from early afternoon to past midnight. Monk kills very fast, and I can aggro easily with my shaman and have pet working on mobs while the monk does too. Monk, shaman, and pet can all have multiple mobs on them and not be in any danger; I use no mana to speak of except for hasting the pet and monk and keeping SOW on us, and anyway mana is not a big shaman problem. Between monk and pet, the corpses pile high and very quickly(shaman pet is equivalent to a 58 warrior). Shaman is too busy looting to JBB, etc.

Still -- only 100 or so(I think a bit less than 120) shrieking substances for a long day's work. And this is just one of three types of substance I will need for the shadowscream. Good lord, 100 combines of this stuff looks like it could take all week to put together for the non-independently wealthy.

I think the fellows advising to level so you can farm better is a good idea. I can only imagine how hellishly, insanely slow it must be to farm these guys when you can't kill them practically as quickly as you could even want to -- most of my time is spent looting and finding corpses and running between spawn points, not fighting. (By the way, some of the wolves root and debuff and cast malaise to lower your MR, and cast low level poison dots -- more to be watchful of if you're low. I resisted all spells, but did get debuffed twice that I remember.)

If you don't level up and still have to compete with high level people, good luck. I can pretty easily keep more than one island clear of mobs; if I were a bard I could keep the whole place perpetually clear, and a wizard or two cooperating could do the same. Luckily, respawn on these guys is very fast; I couldn't keep more than two islands clear. If I weren't botting my monk though, I'm sure a regularly played duo my level easily could.

By the way, since it looks like it would take a solid week of constant playing to do a mere 100 or so combines on this stuff, I'd recommend people don't screw around with trying to get by on anything less than max wis/int or strength. You are really, really going to want every single combine to have the maximum chance of giving you a skill up -- figuring three components per combine, each combine is going to represent a signficant amount of time you have sacrificed to this pursuit.