Paradox Olthoi

Paradox Olthoi Queen

Difficulty: 150 to survive
Level Restriction: 120+
Timer: 2 Weeks
Can be Solo'd? No
Rewards: XP, Olthoi Slayer weapons, Title for the killer, Braced Mana Forge Key

A new, twisted type of Olthoi has appeared in the plague-ridden reaches of the Olthoi North. These Olthoi, called Paradox-Touched, are likely the work of everyone's favorite insane Virindi, Aerbax, but for some reason, the Tanada Ninjas have something to do with what's going on as well.

Step 1: Preparation. This quest will not be easy if you rely on magic to protect you. Many of the creatures you will be fighting have the ability to dispel you completely (except for item buffs) and they will use it regularly. There are two ways to get around this problem - you can either ignore it and rely on your melee defense to avoid damage (which shouldn't be hard for a melee) or you can wear gear that buffs you, as equipment-cast spells cannot be dispelled. Also be aware that there are several critters that are very hollow and pack a huge punch (the Queen, the Ward Guardian, and the Sentinels). If you have a suit of Covenant Armor that's been tinkered against physical and acid damage or have a full suit of Olthoi Armor lying around, this is the quest to dust it off. Anti-hollow armor is the difference between being one-hit by the Olthoi Queen and taking criticals for 50.

Step 2: A Long Jog. Begin your quest with a long run! The first place you need to visit is a series of Olthoi tunnels in the far southwest corner of the Olthoi North. It's a long way from anywhere, but the fastest route is to go to the Sennon Valley Cottages out of Arwic. Once there, you will need to run to roughly 44N, 55E. Look for a tent on a hill just north of the mountain wall. Here you will find four NPCs. Talk to each of them. Two will give you kill tasks, which you may complete along the way. A third NPC will ask you to investigate the Paradox hive nearby. The NPC standing outside asks you to destroy the Paradox Queen. Look south and you will see a charred region brimming with Paradox Olthoi. These guys can tax your computer because of all of the particle effects, so if you have a hard time running AC usually, you may want to tone down your graphics or turn Decal off.

Step 3: Glands. In order to complete the quest, you will need to find a Paradox-touched Olthoi Gland. Finding the gland will take you quite a long time in all likelihood and is really the part of the quest that prevents it from being run in big groups. Inside the Valley you will find three basic types of Paradox Olthoi - Grubs, Nymphs, and Adults. Only the adult variety drop glands and they are not easy kills! There are four subspecies of Adults - Lancers, Warriors, Eviscerators, and Nobles. Only Lancers can dispel you, so buffing isn't a bad idea for this part of the quest. Lancers and Warriors have ridiculous regeneration rates, so if you are hunting alone and want to kill everything, then you will need to be able to fester these two types. Nobles and Eviscerators regenerate at reasonable rates, so a lone no-magic Melee should be able to dispatch these guys without too much difficulty. Since Lancers can dispel, I would suggest killing them first. Alternatively, you might want to pull the Warriors out of the spawns first because the other subspecies do not aide the Warriors for some reason, allowing you to kill the Warriors by themselves. Casting on the other types will bring the whole spawn down around your ears. One final warning - deep inside the valley live Paradox Sentinels. These guys will destroy you, plain and simple. They seem to be hollow, they can critical for 250ish damage, and they will pursue you until you are dead. Do not get anywhere near the Sentinels. Stay near the tent and hunt the nearby spawns along the ridge.

Step 4: Paradox Nest. Once you have your gland and you've found a group to fight with you, it's time to begin the quest in earnest. Meet up at the tent and buff up (yes, buff - dispels aren't as common with the adult bugs). Inside the Paradox Olthoi valley, you will see three holes leading down into tunnels. You want to enter the tunnel that is furthest south. Running through the Valley isn't a good idea because of the amount of lag the sheer numbers of Olthoi cause, to say nothing of the death machines that are Paradox Sentinels. Your best bet is to head up the cliffs around the valley and jump in, aiming for the hole. That will cut down on the time you need to spend running through the swarm. Once you are inside, pick a wall and hug it - the dungeon isn't terribly hard to navigate, but by hugging the wall, you can make sure you don't wander around in circles. Ultimately, you will find a large final room protected by a large number of Olthoi as well as the Paradox-touched Olthoi Ward Guardian, the boss. This guy can hit very hard if you can't evade him (and don't have a shield...), so be careful. When he dies, you will hear a global telling you that the ward the Olthoi was protecting has failed. Time to leave.

Step 5: Black Death Catacombs. You will need a ride to the Black Death Catacombs, the home of the original Olthoi Queen that enslaved the Isparian people when we first arrived. The easiest way to get there is to simply use the Olthoi Lands portal device at the mansion until you show up in the correct place. If you're feeling adventurous, you can run - Jeweled Thorn settlement out of Arwic is probably your best bet. The dungeon is located at 60N, 71E, on the SW slope of the largest mountain in the area. The drop is not safe, so if you are a lower level, you should buff before going. A bludgeoning or piercing weapon is in order. Once inside, you will fall down a small pit and land at the top of a ramp. Your goal is quite close to the drop, so you won't have to go very far or kill many Olthoi. Go down the ramp and then head south. Keep going as far as you can and you will find two ramps leading down. Take the furthest south and you will come to a room filled with Paradox-touched Olthoi, a portal, and several Ninja corpses. Loot the corpses for a note called "Directives." Once you have the note, go into the portal.

Step 6: Deeper Catacombs. This next dungeon isn't particularly hard to navigate either. Just pick a wall and stick to it. This dungeon is also a break from the Adult Paradox Olthoi - just nymphs and grubs in here. Eventually you will come to a couple of acid pit that you will need to cross. Run quickly and look for the exits on the far wall. After winding around for a bit, you will eventually reach a room with numerous Paradox-touched Olthoi Eggs on the ground. Grab one. There is a door in this room that will not open. The only way to get past it is to give it your Gland. The gland will allow you to pass the door (via teleportation) for 2 hours in case you die. Turning the gland in will teleport you into the a truly nasty region of the Paradox Queen's hive.

Step 7: Paradox Queen's Guards. This dungeon is long, although fairly linear, and very dangerous. It is filled with Adult Paradox Olthoi ranging from the 'lowly' Eviscerator to the nasty Paradox Ripper. When you arrive, kill the spawn and then start hugging the left wall. The spawn difficulty will increase as you make your way through the dungeon. Some of the main sights are a large room with multiple exits (run the whole way across the room and take the exit to your right) and a room with a narrow path leading over an acid pit (don't jump off!). You will know you're at the end when you come to a cliff leading into a black pit. There is a portal on the way down that leads to the Queen's chamber. This is a good place to rebuff, as your buffs have likely been dispelled long ago. Before jumping, tell everyone not to move from the drop point.

Step 8: Paradox Queen. Once you hop into the pit, you will find yourself on a ledge overlooking an acid pit. The Queen is at the far end. The Paradox Queen has 200,000 health and hits as hard as anything you'll ever run into. Mages will deal out the most damage here, but will also be extremely susceptible to her melee attacks. She also debuffs, wars, and dispels both herself and you, including a spell that strips the item buffs from melee weapons. Anyone not wearing Covenant or Olthoi armor and a shield should not fight toe to toe with the Queen because she will destroy them in a couple shots. Your best bet might be a meat shield of properly equipped melees at the drop ledge while the archers and mages fire away from the perches. Be aware that people may die to the Queen, especially people without shields and melees who aren't properly attired. Fortunately there's a shortcut back into the Queen's hive. From the tents, head east along the mountains and look for a blackened spot apart from the Valley, located at 44.5N 57E. At its center is a tunnel that leads to a levered Olthoi door. Inside the Queen's chamber are Olthoi Cisterns that open the lever door. The one I am most familiar with is in the far righthand corner of the Queen's chamber as you enter. When you manage to take the Queen down, loot her corpse. Everyone should grab a piece of her Carapace and the killer (or a designated person) should grab her head.

Step 9: Rewards. Find Meshenq in Zaikhal and hand over the note. He will reward you for your efforts (up to 20M the first time, roughly 7M for subsequent visits). Head back to the three NPCs at 44N, 55E. You likely completed your kill tasks, so get your XP rewards from those two NPCs (no titles, just XP) and then hand your egg in to Adrian Swiftblade for more XP. Give your piece of the Queen's Carapace to the NPC standing outside the tent for a token and a solid chunk of XP. Whoever got her head should also turn it in here. Now you will need to go back into the Paradox Valley to find a group of NPCs inside one of the tunnels. You will then turn in your weapon token for an Olthoi Slaying weapon. With the July 2010 patch, all weapon types now exist, although some are far, far more useful than others. They are all equivalent to tinkered max wield rending weapons, but the clincher is they are Olthoi Slayers. They also have either a CS or CB effect and cast on strike. The axe is particularly impressive as it is the strongest piercing axe you'll ever find. If you don't want any of those, you can get an upgraded Olthoi shield instead. Those weapons can be turned in for more XP if you really don't want the reward. The Two-Handed Sword and the Mace are slashing weapons, which makes no sense against slash-resistant monsters like Olthoi, but whatever...

New in the September 2008 patch is an additional reward - a Braced Mana Forge Key, which will allow you to open the mana forge chests in the capital cities twice!