Vanern Swamp - Pros and Cons?

[Marcus75]

Hi everyone!

I beginning to be able to check that swamp out and would like to know everything and anything about that place.

What monsters baf?
What monsters drop loot?
Anything you think about?

Everything that would be good info, please post it here so I don't walk into a deathtrap.

Thanks!

 

[Brannor McThife]

Ok, since you're L37, it's not going to be so easy solo. I wouldn't recommend going beyond young orms or crabs. Watch out for the forest vipers (red in colour), as they wander quite a bit and are major aggro.

The crabs are nice, but have scouts and are aggro. In the SE corner you can find trees (nice and soft to axes) and some WW camp. Frogs are nice and steady and bountiful. Don't think they ever go aggro. If you get a group going, you can TRY the giant spiders...but be warned, some are nasty. Also, the old rundown building used to have a nice hagbui circle (not sure with latest patch).

Vanern Swamp has one major drawback. There's no horseroute to it or nearby. At L37, I'd recommend getting a group together and trying out Raumarik. Or even the first area in Malmohus. Vanern isn't really a wonderful place to XP...it's so boringly drab, and if you die out there, chances are very good there isn't someone near to rez you.

In the end, I avoid Vanern Swamp unless I'm REALLY bored, or want a specific drop.

[Side issue: Lyonesse is the equivalent in Albion, and I'm sorry, but it's "value" is far higher than Vanern Swamp. There's a horse route to right near the edge. It has pygmy goblins (and Tanglers), as well as an abundance of rezzers.]

-G

 

[klavrynd]

when you find a nice group of low 40ies you might give forest spiders (orange to 48) and hagbui's a try (thanes are red/orange and berserkers orange) . Hagbuis baf but drop quite nice items and can be easily farmed (caution : hagbui runies bolt and dd)

And as G said , frogs are worth pounding especially since they drop nice bracers. Only downside is they're make a really annoying sound.


ps : you might get nice bonusses since nobody ever goes to vanern

 

[Old Nicodemus]

The spiders are very tough to do until you hit 40. I have hunted in Vanern since I was level 36. At lvl 37 a full group of us tried a spider. We survived but we had a long downtime afterwards. When you hit 40 the downtime is less. Good xp though. Drops are the Jewel of Vanern (SB item) usually from the Spider queen but others have dropped it and the Fate stealer axe... Guarenteed to get your axe lovers drooling!

Black Orms usually Baf. Pull one get at least another free. Has to be said the same party mentioned above was doing 5 of these at a go. Brilliant xp, and we got a skald ring as well.

The forest Vipers are pure nastiness, very tough. Only really doable when you hit 40 odd.

Mud Frogs are good safe xp. Plenty of them too. Some have been known to drop a pair of bracers that are extremly useful for tanks.

Mud crabs are also good. Be careful of the scout though. he has a tendancey to bring more than just one friend. Good sleeves drop for hunters and zerkers can be found from time to time on them.

Hagbui. These are the real fun guys of the Swamp. Warning.... they do exactly what it says on the tin (the Hagbui Thanes DO use all the normal spells that a thane does ) They Baf. They drop (Axe of mindless rage, cloth armour, spears,rings,braclets etc) and tehy are good xp. Best done when you hit 40+. Make sure you have some real good Crowd control peeps with you though. If you don't you'll be eating swamp very quickly!

Jotuns. Clay ones will give good xp, good normal loot (all the kiddies love magic clay!) and occasionally drop a magic shield. They baf, and the scout is very active...
Broken Jotuns are the much higher level ones. best done when you are over 45. They usualy have pets with them. so if you pull one be prepared for fido and his buddy too. Good xp. Good fun


Reincarnate Orms. These do Baf and one still cons purp to me at the latter end of the 40's. can bring up to 2 with the original pull. Be careful which ones you pull as sometimes you might get a Broken Jotun

Green Orms. Different to the black orms but just as fun. Biger badder and nastier too. good xp. some baf some don't. You pull one and see.

The Trees (willows) are nice to pull however they usually have Moss maidens nearby. So be careful when you pull as you may get aggro from half a mile away! The Trees themselves shouldn't baf.. but you never know....

There are a few other mobs that lurk but those are the main ones. I have to disagree with Brannor on this one. Vanern is a great place to hunt until your Mid 40's (I still hunt there myself in the latter 40's) Then Move off to Raumarik. Yes it is a long distance away from Gna, Yes there is no Horse route. However there is a lot of fun and if you want to go where very few people go then it's the place for you.

(Imho you'd get eaten alive in Raumarik at lvl37 and it's not worth even sniffing Malmo until Level 40. Both areas are insta death to under 40's I'm afraid.)

The Hut that Brannor decribes is still there and now houses the Fallen Sea King. Big Bad ass Mob. He regularly chows down on the young and the foolish

Nicodemus
Spiritmaster of over 40 winters

 

[old.Gromnir]

Originally posted by Brannor McThife


In the SE corner you can find trees (nice and soft to axes) and some WW camp.

-G

Isent that in Skona ?


I can say for myself that I soloed level 35 to 37 on the frogs they are realy nice, great sell loot and to top it go kill crabs they got great sell loot too. About the scouts (crab once) unless they chanced it in this patch the scout will run back to camp look all wok up run back and try to kill you while its freinds are going "DO IT YOURSELF WE DONT WANT TO HELP YOU"

IF you get a group you can also go for Clay Jotuns (yellow+ con at level42), they got nice drops and good exp's.

The hagbuis it at the far end and you will find that the low con once will be red or even orange to you at 37, but dont be fooled they are realy nasty. A Hagbui Runemaster cast's darkness bolts after you and hit a level 42 Thane for an avg of 90 to 100 dam with his staff. So be sure to bring a good group, the drops are great there so its worth going.

Its true that the swamp it to far away from every thing, but its a great place. But if you are only into the exp you might aswell get a nice group and do Darkulvs just inside Malmo or go to Raum since the exp is real great there.

 

[Brannor McThife]

Originally posted by old.Gromnir
Isent that in Skona ?

Pffft, let's get picky...stone's throw inside Skona.

-G

 

[old.Gromnir]

/em thorws a stone after Brannor

 

[Brannor McThife]

Originally posted by old.Gromnir
/em thorws a stone after Brannor

Throws a boulder back.



-G

 

[Marcus75]

Great guys! I don't think I will solo the place but as you say, with a group there are still stuff you can do.

Be sure to check out my grave close to the lowbie hagbuis near a big house.

 

[SilverHood]

Hagbui thanes drop some VERY nice sleeves for thanes (AF98)
Hagbui zerkers drop a nice 1H axe with a wopping 2.4 spd factor (dps 16.2)

Broken jotums drop AF98, so there is a reason to go there

 

[old.Noita]

Love Vanern, soloed Hagbuis for ages, got nice drops from the guys round the house and the CLASSED ones in the fields. Hagbui Squires drop spears, Forge Tenders drop bracers/bracelets, Sword bearers drop other stuff, but I cant remember ever getting a sword from them funnily enough. Hags in the field drop magic rings/braces and scrolls and jewels for your jewellery slot.

Forest Vipers: I agree are EWUL! But...they drop a really nice sword *The Lustrous Forest Viper Fang* Its a very fast sword and sorry dont know the Dps stuff, Im a caster NOT a sword user and stuff like that just goes over me head, it used to have a proc of blade turn to it but I hear its been changed in one of our recent patches.

Forest Spiders also drop a lev 45 SB poison in stacks of either 10 or 20...its awesome poison apparently but also sells really well.

Anyway, Nicodemus and G did a real good job so I'll leave it at that.

Good luck and have fun.

Noita Helsdottir
Spiritmaster of 46 Winters
Eye of Odin
Flammen Vakten

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

I was able to do the clay jotuns in a 2 man team from lvl38+

They drop a runed clay warshield (large shield), but don't know stats. With more than 2 in team you get a baf, usually 1 big fat friend comes with them. The Guards and Hunters are a higher level than the others, stick to the ordinary ones with 2 man teams til you're a little higher up. Careful of your campspot, since the vipers are wriggling around there a lot. Also, its better to travel there at night since the vipers are a daytime spawn and the main way to that area is through the viper minefield (and yes, it really is like a minefield. Some of the vipers even hide in the water and agro you as you pass).

The Hagbui are one of the most fun sets of mob in the entire game. They were always good fun, but since 1.48 they are one of the best implemented groups of beastie I've seen in Midgard. Wide range of levels, lots of mayhem and they actually do different types of thing from the usual beasties waiting to be farmed. You'll see a lot of skalds soloing here for the Blood Crystal chain armour that drops.

If you're going for spiders at lower levels, stick to Forest Spiders and stay away from the Runners and the Queen - look at it this way: at lvl49 Forest Spiders con orange and the runners and queen still con red. You might kill them but as has been pointed out, you sit down for a long time.

Broken Jotuns are for when the bulk of your group is mid40s on average. Jotun Outcasts are for when you have some tame lvl 49/50s with some time on their hands or lots of peeps... in which case xp is low.

Malmo you can do the entrance area at sub 40 BUT... if you turn right from the entrance the missionaries there have ranged weapons and if you have to close in on them, their buddies start to target you. It can be fun, but you can't pull them like normal and a fight can go on for a while as they respawn and keep targetting you with their bows. Going the other way to the little field with drakulvs in them is a good place to get xp with a sub 40 group, but they have a large agro range and will baf sometimes up to 3 adds. Rememember to get back to the 'Entrance Stone' at dragon time or you might be face down wondering what hit you.

Raumarik rocks but most is 40+ realistically. However... I've taken 2 group team in there where a whole group was low-mid 30s and tackled Broadleafs successfuly, moving on to Lichs and Wraiths. It can be done, but you have to be a little careful. Broadleafs occasionally baf, usually 1 add but sometimes they bring 2 and they debuff you as well. Ice Strider Frostweavers have low hp but nuke and root so if you have a tank and healer combo that can survive that, they can be good fun. Nearly always have at least 1 add since they tend to travel in pairs. Ice Strider Chillers are tanks, hit hard and have lots of hp.

Frostbound bears can be done in Raumarik at 35+ with a good team (full group as well needed), but they hit hard and you will need either 2 healers or a good healer/shammy combo. Head straight into Raum from the wyverns at the entrance, cross the water, turn right, stay high on the slope there til you get to the end, you'll see the bears paddling around in the water and playing on the other side of the river. Give them my regards.

Muhahahaha(TM)

 

[old.Gromnir]

Noita the sword dude do drop a sword the forge guy drop a hammer, the hearld guy drop a nice cloak. And they all drop af 77 (I think) studded armour, I think the sleeves have +15str or something.

I the sword from the spiders realy that good ? I gave 3 swamp swords to a level 22 SB the other day, one droped from vipers, one from spiders, and one from hagbuis.

So if you want nice drops, the swamp is da place to go.