The value of Doubler

Recap the blog I wrote exactly 2 years ago, of the same title.
http://sisland83.blogspot.com/2008/03/doubler.html

Things have changed quite a lot since then.
We now have :
1. Potion of Supreme Doubling (10x doubler)
2. Potion of Greater Doubler (16x doubler)
3. Christmas Present 2008 (21x doubler)
4. Enlister Potion or Santorks Stocking (25x doubler)

So let's add to the table a few new columns. The math remains the same.

	2	3	4	5	16	25
0.2	71%	125%	167%	200%	357%	400%
0.4	56%	91%	115%	133%	203%	218%
0.6	45%	71%	88%	100%	142%	150%
0.8	38%	59%	71%	80%	109%	114%
1.0	33%	50%	60%	67%	88%	92%
1.2	29%	43%	52%	57%	74%	77%
1.4	26%	38%	45%	50%	64%	67%
1.6	24%	34%	41%	44%	56%	59%
1.8	22%	31%	37%	40%	50%	52%
2.0	20%	29%	33%	36%	45%	47%
2.2	19%	26%	31%	33%	41%	43%
2.4	17%	24%	28%	31%	38%	39%
2.6	16%	23%	26%	29%	35%	36%
2.8	15%	21%	25%	27%	33%	34%
3.0	14%	20%	23%	25%	31%	32%

So for most levels, the observed average number of creatures is between 2 and 3.
Other benefits not included in that computation are :
1. Lower chance of getting killed/losing an imp.
2. Lesser chance of losing durability on crystal items.

So, this question was actually asked by my friend UveBinHad.
And I missed having him in PANIC.
What's the value of the Enlister Potion?

From hunting stam perspective, it's only about 1%, and it's actually less since we now have Lightfoot. But 1% is 1%. If you have 13.5k stam, that is 135 stam, and 5.4 fsps in value. Now, if you consider that you will use fewer imps (16/25). If you usually use 3 imp buffs in the hunt, you will now use (16/25)*3, about 2 imp buffs. That's 50 stam, or 2 fsps.
If you're using UB 200, you lose no durability anyway, so I'll discount that.
All in all, that Enlister potion should not be worth more than 8 fsps for a regular hunt.

But hold on to that. If you are burning say 3 times that amount of stam, that value to you will be 24 fsps. And wait, if you needed to re-buff, you can probably burn the stam faster, and maybe you won't have to rebuff. And if that's the case, then you need to add the rebuff stam cost to its value. And a full buff itself can be about 20 fsps. So its value may then be 44 fsps.

Shield Strike vs Potion of Fatality

Shield Strike gives a 17.5% chance of 1-hitting a 2-hit scenario.
Wither buff at level 175 gives a 35% chance, much better than Shield Strike.
Potion of Fatality gives a Wither buff at level 350, and therefore a 70% chance.

Shield Strike = 17.5%
Wither 175 = 35%
Wither 175 + Shield Strike = 46.375%
Wither 350 = 70%
Wither 350 + Shield Strike = 75.25%

If you shop for wither potions, you can usually get them below 300k (2 fsps).
For that value, using the Wither potion alone is probably greater value than Wither 175 + Shield Strike (when you consider their stam cost).

But why am I even comparing them when you can really have both?
I am seeing many players, asking for Shield Strike buffs to go with their Wither buffs, and that to me, does not make sense.

Volkers Set

Happy New Year.

So I just completed my first levelling hunt for 2010. I was less well prepared than I liked to, and when I reached level 710, I realized I still have yet to buy the Volkers set. The guild's set was in use, so I bought them in a hurry (108 fsps total), and forged them (20 fsps + 6.6 mil). Equivalent of 173 fsps total. Each item has a durability of 160, so that leads to a little more than 0.5 durability loss. I expect to lose 2 durability on each item for a single hunt, using UB 190, and that still works out cheaper than using a UB 200 potion of indestructibility (which now cost 11 fsps). This 2 durability loss per hunt and 3 levels minimum per hunt also means that this single set should get me all the way through level 950, so I am satisfied that I won't need to buy a 2nd set.

So now we get the cost out of the way, let's compare this with other sets. From level 475 to 710, there are 4 sets that consists of Gloves + Amulet pair. All stats below refer to perfect items (if craftable), and fully forged (unless otherwise noted).

Ornates of the Lamia set (level 475)
Ornate Bracers of the Lamia (262 attack, 502 defense, 402 damage)
Ornate Choker of the Lamia (402 attack, 212 defense, 552 damage)
Ornate of the Lamia set bonus (325 attack, 225 defense, 375 damage)
Total (989 attack, 939 defense, 1329 damage)

Cadeyrns set (level 475)
Cadeyrns Battle Grips (372 attack, 502 defense, 332 damage)
Cadeyrns Battle Gorget (672 attack, 212 defense, 322 damage)
Cadeyrns set bonus (240 attack, 235 defense, 450 damage)
Total (1284 attack, 949 defense, 1104 damage)

Polar Spine set (level 650)
Polar Spine Grips (84 attack, 964 armor, 659 damage)
Polar Spine Neckpiece (522 attack, 426 armor, 759 damage)
Polar Spine set bonus (450 attack, 650 damage)
Total (1056 attack, 1390 armor, 2068 damage)

Volkers set (level 710)
Volkers Gauntlets (930 attack, 740 damage)
Volkers Amulet (500 attack, 1170 damage)
Volkers set bonus (440 attack, 1020 damage)
Total (1870 attack, 2930 damage)

So Volkers set has more total stats than any of the other 3 sets. This can be expected because it is a higher level set and a crystalline set too. But because its stats is divided only between attack and damage (no defense like the Ornate of the Lamia and Cadeyrns, or armor like Polar Spine), it is so much more desirable than any of the sets above. Even if you need to go defensive, it will be better to use this set and switch one of the other damage item to a defensive item. I'll illustrate it by comparing Ornates with damage boots and Volkers with defensive boots.

Ornates of the Lamia set (level 475)
Ornate Bracers of the Lamia (262 attack, 502 defense, 402 damage)
Ornate Choker of the Lamia (402 attack, 212 defense, 552 damage)
Ornate of the Lamia set bonus (325 attack, 225 defense, 375 damage)
Boots of Aeroni (237 defense, 47 hp, 1105 damage)
Total (989 attack, 1176 defense, 2434 damage)

Cadeyrns set (level 475)
Cadeyrns Battle Grips (372 attack, 502 defense, 332 damage)
Cadeyrns Battle Gorget (672 attack, 212 defense, 322 damage)
Cadeyrns set bonus (240 attack, 235 defense, 450 damage)
Boots of Aeroni (237 defense, 47 hp, 1105 damage)
Total (1284 attack, 1186 defense, 2209 damage)

Volkers set (level 710)
Volkers Gauntlets (930 attack, 740 damage)
Volkers Amulet (500 attack, 1170 damage)
Volkers set bonus (440 attack, 1020 damage)
Boots of Yelaow (185 attack, 1126 defense) *not forged
Total (2055 attack, 1126 defense, 2930 damage)

The small difference in defense is traded for a lot of damage and attack. Since armor is mostly useless in hunting setup, and Volkers set has more attack and damage than Polar Spine set, it is preferred. In summary, at level 710, switch to Volkers set and stop using any of the other 3 sets, even for defensive setups.

(Credits : Thanks to robotussin for showing me the Cadeyrns set for their stats).

Power Leveller B

First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone reading this blog.
Thank you for reading, even though I have written sparingly this year.

Power Leveller B is a buff pack that a guild can activate using guild reputation points (RP), along with other buff packs. So let's start with listing what they are :

Battle Pack A (cost 5 RP) :

• Rage (level 150)
• Berserk (level 150)
• Fortify (level 150)

Battle Pack B (cost 15 RP) :

• Deathwish (level 200)
• Death Dealer (level 200)
• Wither (level 200)

Power Leveller A (cost 10 RP) :

• Adept Learner (level 150)
• Librarian (level 150)
• Doubler (level 150)

Power Leveller B (cost 20 RP) :

• Adept Learner (level 200)
• Librarian (level 200)
• Doubler (level 200)
• Conserve (level 200)

Fortune Pack A (cost 10 RP) :

• Quest Finder (level 150)
• Merchant (level 150)
• Four Leaf (level 150)
• Find Item (level 150)
• Treasure Hunter (level 150)

All the packs will have those buffs applied to all members in the guild, and the duration will be 12 hours. Since all the Pack A are only level 150, I'll discount them as quite worthless. Battle Pack B may look interesting at first glance, but once you realize that there's Wither level 350 potions, and that Death Dealer does NOT give more damage at level 200, the only useful buff will be Deathwish level 200. It does not appear to be worth the 15 RP, especially if you are 1-hitting.

Now, that we get those distraction out of the way, we can get back to Power Leveller B. In this pack, Librarian is really not needed, since the Potion of the Bookworm provides a level 225 buff. The Doubler is also not needed, since potions can provide a level 750 buff, and the Christmas present (Santork Stocking) provides level 1200 buff. That leaves 2 useful buffs, Adept Learner level 200 and Conserve level 200.

Adept Learner level 200 gives 40% more xp from creature kills, compared to 35% more xp when using the buff at level 175. Effectively, this is a 3.7% improvement (1.4/1.35-1). Conserve level 200 gives a 10% chance that an attack will use no stamina, while Conserve level 175 gives a 8.75% chance. So effectively, this is a 1.15% improvement (1.1/1.0875-1). Together, that result in a 4.9% improvement ((1+5%)*(1+1.15%)-1).

So, if you are hunting with 10k stam, you effectively 'gained' 490 stam using this pack, compared to regular buffs. And you also saved 20 stam from not having to buff Adept Learner and Conserve. So that buff pack is worth 510 stam (or 20 fsps), for even a single player burning 10k stam. Multiply that by the number of players hunting in the 12 hours period.

The other side of the equation is the value of RP. RP can be gained in 2 ways :

• Winning a GvG conflict
• Titan hunting (rewarded for 2nd through 5th place)

The cost to initiate a GvG conflict varies, and averages around 3 fsps. The cost is higher if the the target guild has a lower GvG rating. Each conflict require a minimum of 50 attacks. Each attack will require at least 10 stamina. So each conflict will need at least 500 stamina, and let's say you win 50%, each conflict win averages 1000 stamina. Each conflict win translate to 10 RP, so each RP cost 100 stam. The Power Leveller B pack, at 20 RP therefore cost 2000 stam to activate (if RP is acquired via conflicts). Using this, the break-even will translate to about 40k stam used in levelling, totalled across all members in the 12 hours period.

For titan hunting, the winner is rewarded with an epic item. The runner-ups (up to 5th place) receives RP.

• 1st place : Epic Item (Actual item depends on the titan killed)
• 2nd place : 100 RP
• 3rd place : 75 RP
• 4th place : 50 RP
• 5th place : 20 RP

Calculating this is not as straight forward. Looking at the titan log right now I got the following :

• Fuvayu (1547/1376/1132/689/442)
• Tsukiyaomo (3326/2440/313/312/48)
• Tsukiyaomo (3483/903/792/770/549)
• Fuvayu (2989/676/561/478/441)
• Ogalith (1614/600/228/194/192)

I know that 5 titans aren't exactly statistics, but I'll just use this as an example, and you can be the statistician. The numbers in the brackets represent the number of kills for the 1st through 5th place. Now, yet another assumption. Each kill takes an average of 4 stam for 1-hitters, and 5 stam for 2-hitters. The Tsukiyaomo titan will require 2 stam, and the others could require only 4 if you are of sufficient levels. The best result for the above will be the 48 kills getting 5th place and 20 RP. Each RP in that case cost only 12 stam! The worst case is surprizingly also a 5th place Tsukiyaomi titan kill, 549 kill, and result in 137 stam/RP. This worst case result is worse than GvG, but the 'average', if you can even average such a diverse result, is 51 stam/RP. The lower titan (Ogalith) appears to be the most favorable for stam/RP, with an average of 22.52 stam/RP.

I hope the above gives you an idea of the value of the Power Leveller B buff pack, both the cost of it, and what the value to you when you hunt.

Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm

First of all, let me retract one of my previous assumption. That assumption was that if you cannot 1-hit, there are no defensive setups that can allow a 1-hit with Spectral Knight activation. That assumption was valid (for me at least), until I hit level 594. The Blade of Panethor was the item that changed that assumption. Also, the new relic bonus now allow for up to 20% more attack/damage/defense, so that may invalidate my previous assumption prior to level 594 also.

Now, let's back to the topic for this blog.

Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm is an Epic item, awarded to the guild for having the most kill on a Tsukiyaomos Titan. A perfect and fully forged helm gives 710 defense and 1035 damage. It's minimum level is 550 and is the highest damage item for its level. Only until level 660 can you find a helmet with higher damage (Helmet of Comizhar). So clearly, this is the ideal helm from level 550 to 659, but what about 660?

The perfect and fully forged Helmet of Comizhar gives 293 defense and 1193 damage. So at first glance, the trade off is 417 defense for 158 damage. If you are aiming for 1-hit, the Helmet of Comizhar at first glance looks better. But you will want to have Elite Hunter. Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm gives the Elite Hunter, so you don't need to use another set. While with the Helmet of Comizhar, you will need to get it from another item. Let's compare a few setups at level 660.

Setup #1 : Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm
Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm (710 defense, 1035 damage)
Gloves of Sarlonde (412 defense, 1062 damage)
Amulet of Phalla (204 attack, 1184 damage)
Axe of Malquan (243 attack, 1189 damage)
Armor of Fellaphel (343 defense, 1035 damage)
Farn-org Shield (422 armor, 1063 damage)
Ring of Gasrel (204 defense, 1142 damage)
Boots of Aeroni (237 defense, 1105 damage)
Rune of Autpel (343 defense, 1093 damage)
*Gloves and Shield above are excellent stats

Setup #2 : Helmet of Comizhar with Fuvayus Vortex Stone
Helmet of Comizhar (293 defense, 1193 damage)
Fuvayus Vortex Stone (376 defense, 875 damage)
Gloves of Sarlonde (412 defense, 1062 damage)
Amulet of Phalla (204 attack, 1184 damage)
Axe of Malquan (243 attack, 1189 damage)
Armor of Fellaphel (343 defense, 1035 damage)
Farn-org Shield (422 armor, 1063 damage)
Ring of Gasrel (204 defense, 1142 damage)
Boots of Aeroni (237 defense, 1105 damage)
*Stone above is excellent stats

Setup #3 : Helmet of Comizhar with Polar Spine set
Helmet of Comizhar (293 defense, 1193 damage)
Polar Spine Grips (84 attack, 964 armor, 659 damage)
Polar Spine Neckpiece (522 attack, 426 armor, 759 damage)
Polar Spine set bonus (450 attack, 650 damage)
Axe of Malquan (243 attack, 1189 damage)
Armor of Fellaphel (343 defense, 1035 damage)
Farn-org Shield (422 armor, 1063 damage)
Ring of Gasrel (204 defense, 1142 damage)
Boots of Aeroni (237 defense, 1105 damage)
Rune of Autpel (343 defense, 1093 damage)

Setup #4 : Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm with Polar Spine set
Tsukiyaomos Benighted Helm (710 defense, 1035 damage)
Polar Spine Grips (84 attack, 964 armor, 659 damage)
Polar Spine Neckpiece (522 attack, 426 armor, 759 damage)
Polar Spine set bonus (450 attack, 650 damage)
Axe of Malquan (243 attack, 1189 damage)
Armor of Fellaphel (343 defense, 1035 damage)
Farn-org Shield (422 armor, 1063 damage)
Ring of Gasrel (204 defense, 1142 damage)
Boots of Aeroni (237 defense, 1105 damage)
Rune of Autpel (343 defense, 1093 damage)

The only 4 items that differ are Helm, Gloves, Amulet and Rune, so let's add only those.
Setup #1 : 204 attack, 4374 damage, 1465 defense
Setup #2 : 204 attack, 4314 damage, 1081 defense
Setup #3 : 1056 attack, 4354 damage, 636 defense
Setup #4 : 1056 attack, 4196 damage, 1053 defense
So setup #2 pales in every way when compared to setup #1. It is still worth mentioning, especially since the Tsukiyaomos helmet is not always available.
Now, setup #3 when compared to setup #1 is a trade off. The trade off is for 20 damage and more than 800 defense for more than 800 attack. That damage is difference is in a way insignificant, and the comparison basically becomes defense vs attack trade off.
Setup #4 compared to setup #3 is a trade off of damage for defense. The question on which setup to use will depend on the creature.

On many levels, setup #1 will NOT provide enough attack. So one has to consider setup #2 and #3. Other items worth considering are :
Ornate set : When compared to Polar Spine, it has 78 attack and 749 damage less, but gains 938 defense. It is useful only in 2-hit scenario.
Gloves of Renshar : Has attack stats
Ring of Aeslam : Has attack stats
Shield of Stalia : Has attack stats
Shield of Deffale : Has defense stats (Farn-org Shield has armor)
Armor of Huraal : Has attack stats

Upgrades past level 660 includes :
Gloves of Gialle (669) : Useful only in setup #1, since Polar Spine, Ornate or even Volkers set has a glove.
Guardian of Meidos Armor (710) : Damage upgrade, but has armor stats
Arkl Axe (712) : Damage upgrade, attack stats

Krul Pyramid

Krul Pyramid is a relic. As per my previous blog entry on Ethereal Pillars, I will document here how to get to the Pyramid, how to get to the nearest portal, as well as the stamina used.

To the Pyramid :
Portal to Krul Island : 25
Enter Krul Beach - leads to Krul Beach Forest West : 1
(2,2) - (11,9) : (E,4S,E,2S,W,2S,5E,4N,2E,5N,2E,8S,W) : 38
Enter Krul Beach Forest East : 1
(22,2) - (7,21) : (4W,(enter tunnel),E,2S,(enter tunnel),5E,N) : 15
Enter Krul Small Cave : 1
(2,2) - (4,16) : (4E,14S,2W) : 20
Total = 25+1+38+1+ 15 + 1 + 20 = 101

Krul Beach Forest East is a maze.
To help visualize it, LordOlaf made a map, and you can find it here :
http://www.brownbox.mrolaf.com/newrelic.jpg

Compare to Pillar, this is 4 steps further.
But the comparison won't be complete until we know how to get out to a nearest portal.

The nearest portal is in Krul Beach Forest East.
Again, the map above can help visualize it.
Here's the path to nearest portal :

(4,16) - (2,2) : (2E,14N,4W) : 20
Enter Krul Beach Forest East : 1
(7,21) - (8,15) : (S,5W,(enter tunnel),2N,W,(enter tunnel),2E,3S,(enter tunnel),E,2S) : 20
Total = 20+1+20 = 41.

Compared to Pillar, this is 14 steps nearer.
So the net distance is 10 steps nearer than Pillar.

Shield Strike

When I wrote the entry "Strategy for Tough Levels", my guild mate Andypearce pointed out that Shield Strike can improve the efficiency of the Wither + defense setup.

Shield Strike is a level 700 skill and was not generally available until relatively recently. It is under the Offense tree, cost 20 stamina to buff and has a duration of 45 mins. Its description is :

0.1% per point chance that your defense stat is reduced to zero and your damage is doubled.

So, at level 175, it gives a 17.5% chance of activation.
While we are at it, a level 175 Deathwish has 5.25% chance of activation.
Wither at 350 has a 70% chance of activation.
Critical strike also has a reported chance of 3% activation if max'ed. If you have statistics to show otherwise, please let me know.

All the above skills enhances the 2-hit defensive setups. When any one of those activates, it will turn the 2-hit situation into a 1-hit. Some players mentioned Spectral Knight. I beg to differ on the usefulness of that buff. If the creature is easy, then you can 1-hit without the need of armor reduction. If you can't 1-hit and need to use a defensive setup, chances are that you won't be able to 1-hit even if Spectral Knight is activated.

Now, do NOT add all those percentages.
So the chance that none of them activate is (30% wither, 82.5% shield strike, 94.75% deathwish, 97% critical strike), multiply those, and that will be about 22.75%. That gives a 77.25% chance of 1-strike, and the efficiency is about 1.23.

Note that below assumes 16x doubler, and the Wither setup includes the use of Shield strike and Deathwish.

Efficiency	Setup
1	1-hit
1.06	CA-25
1.13	CA-50
1.19	CA-75
1.23	Wither 350 + Defense
1.25	CA-100
1.25	Back-level (1-hit)
1.3	Wither 350 + CA25 + Defense
1.31	CA-125
1.33	Back-level (CA-25)
1.35	Wither 350 + Imp
1.38	CA-150
1.39	Wither 350 + CA50 + Defense
1.41	Back-level (CA-50)
1.44	CA-175
1.46	Wither 350 + CA75 + Defense
1.48	Back-level (CA-75)
1.56	Back-level (CA-100)
1.64	Back-level (CA-125)
1.72	Back-level (CA-150)
1.8	Back-level (CA-175)
2	2-hit