Kayarine
Jul 4, 2013, 06:46 AM
This hopes to list tips for making Advanced Quest (AQ) runs more efficient. Also, many Japanese pick-up groups expect participating players to know and follow these strategies, so it may be useful to use in tandem with this list of JP party descriptions (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6EPpXyDuBk1eKasUxM_9vlkSDFn5cMkZ79dxXtUBQA/edit?pli=1) (credit to Z-0 for the sheet.)
Please note, it's not required for you to follow this. This is just to help those who like optimizing runs (or have demanding party members!)
Suggestions and corrections are welcome.
------------
Introduction
What are Advanced Quests?
They're special quests available to level 45+ players. They don't have different difficulties (at least at the moment,) all enemies start out at level 56 and cap at level 60.
You need 10 Advanced Capsules (アドバンスカプセル) to do one AQ. There are A, B and C capsules. Different AQs require different capsules.
AQs drop capsules as well. Which ones they drop depend on the ones required to start the quest. A caps requirement = drops B caps, B caps req = drops C, C caps req = drops A caps.
AQs are different from other quests in that they have a "risk" feature. They also won't respawn defeated enemies, so once you clear a spot of enemies, they're gone for good.
How do I get started?
First, you need to be at least level 45. Then, speak to Koffee. She should give you 10 Advanced Capsules A, which you can use to run either forest, tunnels or city AQ.
If after that you don't have enough capsules to run any AQs, you need to buy some from the item shop. A capsules cost 50,000 meseta, B costs 60,000 and C costs 70,000.
As you can see, they're not cheap, so try to not run out of capsules. Join a party or use friend partners for more spawns to ensure you'll get enough caps through drops.
What is risk?
Risk goes up by 1 for every time you complete an AQ. When the party leader's risk is high enough, enemies will be higher level and chances of them being infected are higher, as well as making rare bosses appear more often. Each AQ has individual risk.
However, after exactly one week from the time you had 1 risk for that particular AQ, it'll reset back to 0.
Party leader's risk affects enemy levels as follows: For each 3 risk they have, enemy level goes up by 1. Therefore:
0-2 risk: Level 56 enemies
3-5 risk: Level 57 enemies
6-8 risk: Level 58 enemies
9-11 risk: Level 59 enemies
12+ risk: Level 60 enemies
Why should I do AQs?
One big reason is to collect pyroxenes, which are used in the Rare Stone Shop (http://cirnopedia.frostsabre.com/shop_05.php#shiny) (shop area of lobby, 2F) to obtain 10* weapons by trading in 90 pyroxenes and a specific weapon. Each AQ drops different pyroxenes, so depending on which weapon you want, you'll have to run a specific AQ.
Another reason is the enemy levels. Currently, you can only find lv 56+ enemies in AQs. This means they have drops that can't be obtained anywhere else at the moment, or in the case of enemies that can appear as lv 51-55, they have higher rates for those drops.
They also give high exp if you're not too low level (46+).
And finally, increased appearance rates for infected and rare bosses. If you're looking for a specific rare PA/tech disc or to complete a CO, AQs are pretty helpful.
[/spoiler-box]
Starter Tips
Risk and parties
When in a party, the party leader's risk is the one that applies to the AQ. So, commonly the member with the highest risk becomes leader. Make sure to check everyone's risk before starting an AQ! (If you're in a Japanese party, see here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6EPpXyDuBk1eKasUxM_9vlkSDFn5cMkZ79dxXtUBQA/edit?pli=1), scroll down. [Credit to Z-0 for the spreadsheet])
Stick together for more enemies
Because enemies won't respawn, it's important to not split up or wander too far away from the party. Amount of spawns depends on how many people are present, so if you spawn less enemies than you could have, you can't fix it.
Exploiting elemental weaknesses triggers PSE bursts more easily
This is more practical for tech users, but every little bit helps.
Completing emergency codes makes enemies disappear
This is important to remember since there are no respawns in AQs. Make sure to kill all the non-EC enemies before completing the EC. (Check the icons in your radar if it's a Code:Attack.)
Mining and collect emergency codes take too long
They usually require you to backtrack or otherwise go out of your way, and that's no good if there are no spawns in the way. The reward for those codes don't justify the time taken unless it's a red code. Most parties ignore them, except in some cases.
Killing additional enemies in boss rooms may be good
The additional enemies in boss room, often called "adds" or "trash", can also drop capsules and rare items. They're limited spawns as well, so your party may choose to get rid of them before focusing on the boss. Check what your party wants to do, and if you choose to kill adds, have someone pull the boss away while everyone else kills them.
Strategies
Capsules and time
If you're just looking to farm a weapon off a boss or an area2-exclusive enemy, you can just kill in the way while heading to the exit without exploring dead ends until you get where you want. It speeds up the run but it still nets you some caps so you can get at least 10 per run. This can also be useful if you want to build risk first before farming.
Corner bursts
- All players should stay close together and next to a wall. It'll make everything spawn in a more limited area, which will make them easier to hit with Additional Bullet and talis Zondeel.
- Get to a corner/dead end before the burst starts. Run while the PSE burst chance is up, then kill some enemies nearby to trigger the burst.
- If you bursted on accident and are too far from a corner, try to stick close to a wall in order to avoid enemies spawning behind you or all over the place. Avoid running if a corner is too far, because there'll be few spawns if many enemies are left alive.
Using Telepipes to avoid partial spawns
If the party gets split up by a Funji or tornado, telepipes can be used to regroup without triggering spawns with less than 4 people. In the case of a Funji, have the remaining 3 people pipe back to campship, then the person that got captured throws a pipe for them to come back.
Funji would waste too much time with backtracking (Thanks to Z-0 for this strategy)
Depending on where the Funji appears, the party can pipe back and the person who got caught dies and comes back. The party doesn't need to waste time backtracking like this, unlike the above strategy.
Continuous spawns from emergency codes
((Note: This strategy takes too long. It may not be optimal if you're able to repeat runs of the same AQ.))
Some emergency codes spawn enemies, like Baize destruction, mining and barriers in volcano. This can be utilized to your advantage if you don't complete the codes and just keep killing the enemies. It can trigger bursts if you do it for long enough. Baize in particular may be good, because after the explosion and poison rain, there might be a higher chance of bursting since it causes weather afterwards.
For mining, split up and have each person camp near a drill to kill the spawns.
Area-specific info
Thanks to sibladeko (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3017806&postcount=14) for this section and Blimpz (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3018274&postcount=22) for the additions about RA/HU and bow BR/HU.
Forest
There are some parties that will literally skip the entire first area and not kill anything along the way, because no Garongos will spawn in the bursts. Otherwise, this is probably the best area to just farm B Caps and experience in general. Usually no party restrictions.
I've found both RA and BR to be good here. Kamikaze Arrow can one-shot Garrongos if hit on the head and don't have corruption. RA can WB them if the group is undergeared.
Volcano
Least done on my ship, because the maps are just too large and spread out. Generally no party restrictions because people are begging for members in general.
Desert
Best place for A Caps, and honestly, best place for bursts if you're a FO, I've gotten up to like 100 caps in a run here. Also generally nice enough drop wise that people running it won't have class requirements.
[s]RA is incredible for bursts with a good launcher and cluster bullet. With a lv3 50 lightning Signo Launcher I am able to get PB with one cluster. Unconfirmed if Cluster Bullet is still good outside of exit bursts, which are now impossible to do.
(Coatl (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3017968&postcount=18)'s note: HU/FI and GU are pretty terrible at exit bursting in desert [because Additional Bullet doesn't hit Spardan and Spargun's weak spots] while only FO/TE and RA/HU have no problems there.) Unconfirmed as well.
Tunnels
Sort of ass for non-FOs, no easy weak points and enemies with more HP than Desert. Not a frequently done stage.
Cluster Bullet is just as good here for bursts as in desert with the recent addition of Gilnas/Gilnach head weak points. Unconfirmed.
Tundra
Not very good for bursts, but probably best place for C caps if you don't have a specialized party. A cap farming cycle party will generally do Forest -> Tundra -> Desert
Floating Continent
A jump into area 3 means the boss is Cater, no jump means it's Quartz. I believe this is the only area that forecasts the boss this way. Generally people will kill mobs on Quartz (everyone goes in together) and spawn no mobs for Cater.
City
Talis a must, not only that, you will be specifically told to NOT pop Zondeels. This is because bursts with mantis are extremely deadly if not properly contained. Popped Zondeels don't do enough damage and will likely result in teleporting OHKOs on your party. Unconfirmed outside of exit bursts. If mantises are an issue, try Gifoie or Nagrants.
BR is solid choice here. Kamikaze Arrow can one shot pretty much everything here if hit on the weakpoint. As RA during non-bursts, I recommend using a gunslash with Additional Bullet instead. Launcher is too slow for trash here and can often result in death.
Ruins
Frequently Tech-user only parties, everything else kills too slow to set up effective bursts. I believe crab bursts only spawn in area 2.
Just like in City, BR is really good for single targets. RA is by far the better choice for bursts here (between BR and RA) since Torrential Arrow is fairly weak against crabs and Kuklos/Cyclos.
Sanctum
Nothing noteworthy.
Please note, it's not required for you to follow this. This is just to help those who like optimizing runs (or have demanding party members!)
Suggestions and corrections are welcome.
------------
Introduction
What are Advanced Quests?
They're special quests available to level 45+ players. They don't have different difficulties (at least at the moment,) all enemies start out at level 56 and cap at level 60.
You need 10 Advanced Capsules (アドバンスカプセル) to do one AQ. There are A, B and C capsules. Different AQs require different capsules.
AQs drop capsules as well. Which ones they drop depend on the ones required to start the quest. A caps requirement = drops B caps, B caps req = drops C, C caps req = drops A caps.
AQs are different from other quests in that they have a "risk" feature. They also won't respawn defeated enemies, so once you clear a spot of enemies, they're gone for good.
How do I get started?
First, you need to be at least level 45. Then, speak to Koffee. She should give you 10 Advanced Capsules A, which you can use to run either forest, tunnels or city AQ.
If after that you don't have enough capsules to run any AQs, you need to buy some from the item shop. A capsules cost 50,000 meseta, B costs 60,000 and C costs 70,000.
As you can see, they're not cheap, so try to not run out of capsules. Join a party or use friend partners for more spawns to ensure you'll get enough caps through drops.
What is risk?
Risk goes up by 1 for every time you complete an AQ. When the party leader's risk is high enough, enemies will be higher level and chances of them being infected are higher, as well as making rare bosses appear more often. Each AQ has individual risk.
However, after exactly one week from the time you had 1 risk for that particular AQ, it'll reset back to 0.
Party leader's risk affects enemy levels as follows: For each 3 risk they have, enemy level goes up by 1. Therefore:
0-2 risk: Level 56 enemies
3-5 risk: Level 57 enemies
6-8 risk: Level 58 enemies
9-11 risk: Level 59 enemies
12+ risk: Level 60 enemies
Why should I do AQs?
One big reason is to collect pyroxenes, which are used in the Rare Stone Shop (http://cirnopedia.frostsabre.com/shop_05.php#shiny) (shop area of lobby, 2F) to obtain 10* weapons by trading in 90 pyroxenes and a specific weapon. Each AQ drops different pyroxenes, so depending on which weapon you want, you'll have to run a specific AQ.
Another reason is the enemy levels. Currently, you can only find lv 56+ enemies in AQs. This means they have drops that can't be obtained anywhere else at the moment, or in the case of enemies that can appear as lv 51-55, they have higher rates for those drops.
They also give high exp if you're not too low level (46+).
And finally, increased appearance rates for infected and rare bosses. If you're looking for a specific rare PA/tech disc or to complete a CO, AQs are pretty helpful.
[/spoiler-box]
Starter Tips
Risk and parties
When in a party, the party leader's risk is the one that applies to the AQ. So, commonly the member with the highest risk becomes leader. Make sure to check everyone's risk before starting an AQ! (If you're in a Japanese party, see here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6EPpXyDuBk1eKasUxM_9vlkSDFn5cMkZ79dxXtUBQA/edit?pli=1), scroll down. [Credit to Z-0 for the spreadsheet])
Stick together for more enemies
Because enemies won't respawn, it's important to not split up or wander too far away from the party. Amount of spawns depends on how many people are present, so if you spawn less enemies than you could have, you can't fix it.
Exploiting elemental weaknesses triggers PSE bursts more easily
This is more practical for tech users, but every little bit helps.
Completing emergency codes makes enemies disappear
This is important to remember since there are no respawns in AQs. Make sure to kill all the non-EC enemies before completing the EC. (Check the icons in your radar if it's a Code:Attack.)
Mining and collect emergency codes take too long
They usually require you to backtrack or otherwise go out of your way, and that's no good if there are no spawns in the way. The reward for those codes don't justify the time taken unless it's a red code. Most parties ignore them, except in some cases.
Killing additional enemies in boss rooms may be good
The additional enemies in boss room, often called "adds" or "trash", can also drop capsules and rare items. They're limited spawns as well, so your party may choose to get rid of them before focusing on the boss. Check what your party wants to do, and if you choose to kill adds, have someone pull the boss away while everyone else kills them.
Strategies
Capsules and time
If you're just looking to farm a weapon off a boss or an area2-exclusive enemy, you can just kill in the way while heading to the exit without exploring dead ends until you get where you want. It speeds up the run but it still nets you some caps so you can get at least 10 per run. This can also be useful if you want to build risk first before farming.
Corner bursts
- All players should stay close together and next to a wall. It'll make everything spawn in a more limited area, which will make them easier to hit with Additional Bullet and talis Zondeel.
- Get to a corner/dead end before the burst starts. Run while the PSE burst chance is up, then kill some enemies nearby to trigger the burst.
- If you bursted on accident and are too far from a corner, try to stick close to a wall in order to avoid enemies spawning behind you or all over the place. Avoid running if a corner is too far, because there'll be few spawns if many enemies are left alive.
Using Telepipes to avoid partial spawns
If the party gets split up by a Funji or tornado, telepipes can be used to regroup without triggering spawns with less than 4 people. In the case of a Funji, have the remaining 3 people pipe back to campship, then the person that got captured throws a pipe for them to come back.
Funji would waste too much time with backtracking (Thanks to Z-0 for this strategy)
Depending on where the Funji appears, the party can pipe back and the person who got caught dies and comes back. The party doesn't need to waste time backtracking like this, unlike the above strategy.
Continuous spawns from emergency codes
((Note: This strategy takes too long. It may not be optimal if you're able to repeat runs of the same AQ.))
Some emergency codes spawn enemies, like Baize destruction, mining and barriers in volcano. This can be utilized to your advantage if you don't complete the codes and just keep killing the enemies. It can trigger bursts if you do it for long enough. Baize in particular may be good, because after the explosion and poison rain, there might be a higher chance of bursting since it causes weather afterwards.
For mining, split up and have each person camp near a drill to kill the spawns.
Area-specific info
Thanks to sibladeko (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3017806&postcount=14) for this section and Blimpz (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3018274&postcount=22) for the additions about RA/HU and bow BR/HU.
Forest
There are some parties that will literally skip the entire first area and not kill anything along the way, because no Garongos will spawn in the bursts. Otherwise, this is probably the best area to just farm B Caps and experience in general. Usually no party restrictions.
I've found both RA and BR to be good here. Kamikaze Arrow can one-shot Garrongos if hit on the head and don't have corruption. RA can WB them if the group is undergeared.
Volcano
Least done on my ship, because the maps are just too large and spread out. Generally no party restrictions because people are begging for members in general.
Desert
Best place for A Caps, and honestly, best place for bursts if you're a FO, I've gotten up to like 100 caps in a run here. Also generally nice enough drop wise that people running it won't have class requirements.
[s]RA is incredible for bursts with a good launcher and cluster bullet. With a lv3 50 lightning Signo Launcher I am able to get PB with one cluster. Unconfirmed if Cluster Bullet is still good outside of exit bursts, which are now impossible to do.
(Coatl (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3017968&postcount=18)'s note: HU/FI and GU are pretty terrible at exit bursting in desert [because Additional Bullet doesn't hit Spardan and Spargun's weak spots] while only FO/TE and RA/HU have no problems there.) Unconfirmed as well.
Tunnels
Sort of ass for non-FOs, no easy weak points and enemies with more HP than Desert. Not a frequently done stage.
Cluster Bullet is just as good here for bursts as in desert with the recent addition of Gilnas/Gilnach head weak points. Unconfirmed.
Tundra
Not very good for bursts, but probably best place for C caps if you don't have a specialized party. A cap farming cycle party will generally do Forest -> Tundra -> Desert
Floating Continent
A jump into area 3 means the boss is Cater, no jump means it's Quartz. I believe this is the only area that forecasts the boss this way. Generally people will kill mobs on Quartz (everyone goes in together) and spawn no mobs for Cater.
City
Talis a must, not only that, you will be specifically told to NOT pop Zondeels. This is because bursts with mantis are extremely deadly if not properly contained. Popped Zondeels don't do enough damage and will likely result in teleporting OHKOs on your party. Unconfirmed outside of exit bursts. If mantises are an issue, try Gifoie or Nagrants.
BR is solid choice here. Kamikaze Arrow can one shot pretty much everything here if hit on the weakpoint. As RA during non-bursts, I recommend using a gunslash with Additional Bullet instead. Launcher is too slow for trash here and can often result in death.
Ruins
Frequently Tech-user only parties, everything else kills too slow to set up effective bursts. I believe crab bursts only spawn in area 2.
Just like in City, BR is really good for single targets. RA is by far the better choice for bursts here (between BR and RA) since Torrential Arrow is fairly weak against crabs and Kuklos/Cyclos.
Sanctum
Nothing noteworthy.