The Ilmari Desert story is probably one of my favorites that I've read about so far in Project Gorgon. It involves a war between races and the total annihilation of a land by witches who used a magical nature device (dubbed, the naturesphere) that caused a three-year long lightning storm. This storm eventually changed fields and farmlands into a sprawling desert.
Staring into a portal leading to a War Cache . . . so pretty! So loot-filled!
Fast forward to now . . . underneath all this sand are old military bunkers set up by the Witches (aka the Crone Hegemony) and the council's representative, Sir Johnson, is looking for all the weaponized Xendrite from those bunkers that he can get his hands on. But for me . . . it's an opportunity for adventure and to earn money!
The War Caches of Ilmari have been my bread and butter for the past 10 levels or so. Every day I hop in, pick up a new War Cache from Sir Johnson, and head out to find one of these mini-dungeons. At my level they take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on which Cache you get, and they each feature similar mechanics.
In a nutshell:
1- Find the war cache
2- Find the Weaponized Xendrite (or sometime other goal)
3- Solve the Minotaur Chest
4- Turn in to Sir Johnson
5- Wash, rinse, repeat
Find the War Cache
This took some asking in guild for me to really figure out, and it actually explained a lot about another system I was confused by in Project Gorgon. To find a War Cache, you have to click on the map that Sir Johnson gives you.
When you click on the map, a little red circle descends on to your game map. Run to that location. Click it again. Inch your way to that location based on the coordinates it gives you. Click it again. Inch maybe one more time because it's tricky. Click it again and BAM!! You unearth a portal to the War Cache.
The first time I did this procedure a light went off in my head. I had gained the surveying skill earlier in the game, and I had no idea how to use the map that it gave me. This uses the same technique. You click on the map and it leads you to a location where some valuable mineral is stored in the earth.
The War Caches of Ilmari have been my bread and butter for the past 10 levels or so. Every day I hop in, pick up a new War Cache from Sir Johnson, and head out to find one of these mini-dungeons. At my level they take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on which Cache you get, and they each feature similar mechanics.
In a nutshell:
1- Find the war cache
2- Find the Weaponized Xendrite (or sometime other goal)
3- Solve the Minotaur Chest
4- Turn in to Sir Johnson
5- Wash, rinse, repeat
Grimilkin and Mega dust storms . . . just two of the things that want to kill you in the desert.
Find the War Cache
This took some asking in guild for me to really figure out, and it actually explained a lot about another system I was confused by in Project Gorgon. To find a War Cache, you have to click on the map that Sir Johnson gives you.
When you click on the map, a little red circle descends on to your game map. Run to that location. Click it again. Inch your way to that location based on the coordinates it gives you. Click it again. Inch maybe one more time because it's tricky. Click it again and BAM!! You unearth a portal to the War Cache.
Click the map and let the red circle guide you to the War Cache. NOW I GET IT!
The first time I did this procedure a light went off in my head. I had gained the surveying skill earlier in the game, and I had no idea how to use the map that it gave me. This uses the same technique. You click on the map and it leads you to a location where some valuable mineral is stored in the earth.
Now I get it.
Find the Weaponized Xendrite
Typically you find Weaponized Xendrite tucked away neatly in lead-lined chests throughout the War Cache dungeon. They can often be hidden behind gates that require you to solve a little lever puzzle or just lay beyond rooms full of monsters. Other times the Xendrite is located inside a creature that has swallowed it or some other such nonsense. Just read the quest log if you're truly lost on where to find the Xendrite.
Lots of twist and turns with enemies every direction.
Each Cache usually features 3 different types of creatures and one dungeon boss. Difficulty has ranged anywhere from moderate to OMG NEVER DO THAT DUNGEON AGAIN!
Such was the case just yesterday when I stumbled upon a War Cache that featured mummies and hook horrors back to back. It was a nasty combination -- especially given that mummies can give you a disease that makes you take TONS of damage from bludgeoning attacks. There's a potion back in town that you can barter for that will cure this disease, but I'm just going to not do those instances that feature mummies from this point forward. /shiver
Solve the Minotaur Chest
This is really an optional goal, but each War Cache has a chest with a riddle lock upon it. You are provided 10 random symbols. Place four of these symbols in the correct order and you solve the lock -- thereby earning yourself a couple of really good pieces of gear.
Around the dungeon you'll find these symbols pop up on random walls and tucked away in secret corners. The purpose of this is to help narrow your ten symbols down a bit. It isn't guaranteed that the symbols you find will be used in the lock . . .it only narrows your choices.
Typically I open up my handy dandy notepad the game provides me and start writing these down as I stumble upon them during the dungeon. When I wrap things up, the Minotaur Chest is the last thing I do before I exit the dungeon -- piecing together all my clues to open the lock. (You can still solve this whenever though . . . if you're good with puzzles, no worries.)
You get 12 tries at the lock. If you don't get it, the lock is stuck permanently unless you have a lock pick. Lock picks can also be bartered for back in town. Once you get the hang of how these puzzles work, however, you probably won't be needing very many picks from that point forward.
I tried tracking all my answers to the Minotaur Chest to see if the same combination was used upon second entry into the same War Cache. The answer was no. The combination changes when you re-enter the dungeon. I'm going to keep tracking them and trying them just on the off chance it repeats the pattern or there are two or three different combinations per War Cache.
Turn in to Sir Johnson
After you exit the dungeon, it's just a short sprint back to town (be careful though . . . there are things in the desert that are very VERY nasty). Sir Johnson exchanges your Weaponized Xendrite for "Sir Johnson Bucks". These can be bartered with the fairy just behind him for level 60 gear, lock picks, and mummy rot cure potions.
If none of that sounds attractive to you, each Sir Johnson buck is worth 250 gold (councils) by themselves, and you can hold on to them for the next time you're in Serbule. Velkort will buy them in town at face value.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat
Gotta say, I typically really love these little dungeons! They provide a good challenge and pretty good rewards. I've gained 10 fire magic levels from grinding them and died countless times to tricky room pulls and surprise respawns.
It appears to be a pretty long 20 minute timer if you accept a War Cache and then trash the quest because it . . .you know . . . has mummies inside of it, but I'd rather wait the 20 minutes than bang my head on the desk from dying over and over.
Someday when I'm level 80 or 90 I'll come back to these and laugh at how easy they are now. Maybe they'll become a quick farm for gold. /shrug As for now, it's my main method of passing the time in Project Gorgon.
Happy Dueling!
Around the dungeon you'll find these symbols pop up on random walls and tucked away in secret corners. The purpose of this is to help narrow your ten symbols down a bit. It isn't guaranteed that the symbols you find will be used in the lock . . .it only narrows your choices.
Typically I open up my handy dandy notepad the game provides me and start writing these down as I stumble upon them during the dungeon. When I wrap things up, the Minotaur Chest is the last thing I do before I exit the dungeon -- piecing together all my clues to open the lock. (You can still solve this whenever though . . . if you're good with puzzles, no worries.)
You get 12 tries at the lock. If you don't get it, the lock is stuck permanently unless you have a lock pick. Lock picks can also be bartered for back in town. Once you get the hang of how these puzzles work, however, you probably won't be needing very many picks from that point forward.
I tried tracking all my answers to the Minotaur Chest to see if the same combination was used upon second entry into the same War Cache. The answer was no. The combination changes when you re-enter the dungeon. I'm going to keep tracking them and trying them just on the off chance it repeats the pattern or there are two or three different combinations per War Cache.
It's just a process of elimination, really . . .
Turn in to Sir Johnson
After you exit the dungeon, it's just a short sprint back to town (be careful though . . . there are things in the desert that are very VERY nasty). Sir Johnson exchanges your Weaponized Xendrite for "Sir Johnson Bucks". These can be bartered with the fairy just behind him for level 60 gear, lock picks, and mummy rot cure potions.
Just what are Sir Johnson and his fairy friend gathering all this Xendrite for, anyway?
If none of that sounds attractive to you, each Sir Johnson buck is worth 250 gold (councils) by themselves, and you can hold on to them for the next time you're in Serbule. Velkort will buy them in town at face value.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat
Gotta say, I typically really love these little dungeons! They provide a good challenge and pretty good rewards. I've gained 10 fire magic levels from grinding them and died countless times to tricky room pulls and surprise respawns.
It appears to be a pretty long 20 minute timer if you accept a War Cache and then trash the quest because it . . .you know . . . has mummies inside of it, but I'd rather wait the 20 minutes than bang my head on the desk from dying over and over.
Someday when I'm level 80 or 90 I'll come back to these and laugh at how easy they are now. Maybe they'll become a quick farm for gold. /shrug As for now, it's my main method of passing the time in Project Gorgon.
Happy Dueling!
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