Vamp Castle in TM guide

[Taiglin]

There used to be a good write-up on the TM vampire castle on the other boards before the data was lost. This is a somewhat weaker version of that info. As with most EQ things YMMV depending on level, gear, group makeup, etc. I came here ~52 I think and two box a same level Druid.

The castle itself is due north from the tunnel to GF. Prior to 54 I was hugging the zone wall as the local wild life is able to see though invisibility and are social so can be a pain. Post 54 though I rarely see bats or wolves above green and even then the pet can take em w/o them being slowed. At that point I would usually just run right to the castle. The vampires are all static spawns except for a few of the named mobs. All like to cast invisibility on themselves so make sure you have some sort of see invisibility going as you approach. An interesting side note that I hadn't realized till hunting here is if you have a tracker they have to have some sort of see invisibility capability to track invised mobs. Experience here was good I thought till I hit 55 when the centurions started to turn light blue to the tune of about 40%. Spawn times are roughly 10 minutes on centurions, 20 minutes on generals, and 1 hour on the named mobs. All can and will do multiple life taps for 200, flurry, rampage, and enrage. Named mobs can be slowed but not snared or rooted. Your Bst DoTs aren't going to stick either on any of these guys (all my Druid's do though). The named fellows have a goodly bit of HPs as well. Loot is varied with some good rare stuff but have also had the named drop crystallized sulfur.

1. Ok, you are at the castle and ready to go. I usually set up my camp at the tree on the hill to the right of the entrance. Until I was 55 this is where I pulled to. This provides a level place to fight (dislike fighting on a plane) and can cast on the first 2 w/o moving. Care must be taken when pulling these first mobs as the first named makes his circuit near them. You can see him fly by though and doesn't take very long so just wait for him to move a bit before pulling.

2. The third target is just to the inside right of the entrance. He will be argo pulled by walking next to the wall on his side or moving just inside the entrance. Again, be aware of where the named is.

3. Depending on your level, group, goal, etc your next target can be either to take out the named or there is another centurion to the inside left of the entrance. Anymore I usually just ignore that cent. Named is Xenithen Sterbla, lvl 50 caster type. Like him the least as he is the only one who has ever gated on me and seems to be the only one who has tried.

4. Two more Centurions in the back, straight in from the entrance. Pull em watching out for the named mob that flies up and down the ramp. At 55 with the goal of setting up camp on the second floor I would usually move pet and whatever group I had (usually just the Druid and maybe a friend or two) to the inside back right coffin.

5. Next up is Gorelaz Verilak, also lvl 50. Think he might cast a few things but really just a melee fight. Again lots of HP so expect this one to take a while. As a side note by the time you kill this guy off the first of the entrance guards is probably popping.

6. Up the stairs you will find the first general, although he will probably find you first. At 55 and again wanting to set up camp on the second level I fight him on the ramp.

7. At the top of the ramp and right were the stairs start is where I usually place the group. Right away you will see Renaldok Masric (who is probably your main target as he can drop the Spirit of Flame spell) and another general on the far side of him. There are two centurions around behind the pillars but are more then far enough away to not worry about argo. At 55 if you pull Ren, the second general will add. You can however, send the pet straight right across Ren's nose to take out the general and he won't do a thing. This will probably put you just out of range to heal your pet though. Ren's argo range is small so you can creep forward or just sorta skirt him moving towards the pillars. Once he is down you can focus on Renaldok himself. Only thing out of the ordinary with him is he LOVES to case ice comet so be prepared to take 1k chunks of damage. Can be resisted though and have had times where I took no damage from 5 consecutive casts. FYI - you can bring Ren outside but it will probably take you clearing the centurions on the first floor 3 times.

8. Ok, main objective down you can tackle the 3rd floor now (after taking out the other 2 cents on this floor if you want). There is a centurion on the landing toward the top of the stairs. Probably will be an argo pull. At 55 I would also get a general add on this. At 56 that might change(?). If you actually step foot on the landing be prepared for this guy and 2 generals possibly.

9. Rounding the landing there is another general at the very top of the stairs. The fun part about this and the last pull is the 4th named vamp flys a circular pattern and you might argo him.

10. Go to the third floor and wait for Trilexior Aeridia (lvl 50) to come close. This dude is a chanter so can be a pain. Have fought him on this lvl and bringing him down to the 2nd. Have been feared and he likes to cast various things but beyond that he isn't any different then the other named fights.

11. Think there are 2 more cents out on the balcony.

Possible other named mobs are Heratius Grolden who is red to 55 and spawns on the balcony. Have not killed him yet. When he dies though Valdanov Zevfeer will spawn. Quest mob (plate type shield item out of Katta I think) and tough fight. Need vamp bane weapons to melee damage him. The other named you might run into is Emissary Oomgado who can apparently spawn in place of any of the 4 generals. Have only seen him on the second floor though. If he is up he totally blows the steps going to the 2nd floor. Unlike Ren, Oomgado's arog range is very large. If you are going up the ramp and see a message come back down and brace for him, Ren, and a general.

All in all a fun place. As mentioned I moved up to the 2nd floor at 55 as the xp is a bit better then pulling outside. The difference is you can get to all 4 generals (I see the boots and cape for 150pp in the bazaar – want to say I see that loot about 1 in 3ish) as well as not having as much lag time between pulls. Can make some overall decent vendor and bazaar sellable loot. Especially if you are able to take out the first 4 in a row and kill the generals a few times waiting for them to respawn. By the by, have killed Ren 11 times I think and have not gotten Flame.

[aburlypad]

I've been hunting the Vamps on and off for a little while now - was lucky enough to get Spirit of Flame off the second named i killed, yay me!

I discovered a sneaky way into the castle though, it can be pretty awkward to pull off properly, and you dont want to try it without your boxed Druid or Druid friend.

Run round to the back of the castle and look up, where you can see a ledge with 2 vampires guarding 2 doors at either side. If your Druid SOE's both of you, you can climb the mountain and gain enough height to levitate straight on to this ledge.

The fourth named patrols along this ledge, but it is possible to harmony the other two guards and single pull the named.

If you manage to get up to the ledge, get ready for a pretty awkward pitched battle as you try to get Fluffles up to help you. This is made worse by the fact that this guy fears you, and i found myself running into the open arms of several Vamps inside the castle, while my poor Druid waited outside as Vampire food.

So...This may be helpful to someone, but in the end I found it a lot less hassle just to start from the bottom, work my way up and then jump off the ledge at the top to start again.

Just thought I'd share an interesting find...Oh, and you CANNOT pull the named off the ledge to fight him at the foot of the castle. I tried that :p

*edit* forgot to put my name in :p

Haggisman, 58 Seasons, Mith Marr.

[DontPetBear]

Aburlypad wrote:

Oh, and you CANNOT pull the named off the ledge to fight him at the foot of the castle. I tried that :p

I managed to pull the named from the back of the castle at level 56.  I waited till he got in-between the two vamps back there, then cast slow on him.  He started flying towards me/the balcony ledge and I backed up a bit to try and not agro the other two.  Well he suddenly changed direction and took off back into the castle.

I spent a couple minutes waiting for the whole castle to come running over to my spot hehe, but nothing showed up.  Eventually the named showed back up on his rounds, and immediately agro'd me when he got close enough.  This time i stayed where i was, and after a few seconds he popped over the ledge and came for me.

I must have agro'd the whole castle on my first try.  Everything tried to jump me when i got even semi- close, when i swung around to the front and started pulling there.

Had a good time there, but those lifetaps can hurt.  Worked my way up to the 2nd floor and got a 2-pull from the 3rd.  Then had a re-pop when i was bringing them back to my pet on the 2nd.  I was oom and at 0% life when i managed to lifetap back, my pet finished off his 2nd mob, and he stunned mine till we could finish if off.  Was really really fun.  Gonna have to go back and try it again someday.

[kattana]

Hate to be stupid but I am terrible with abreviations. What zone does TM stand for? Sorry if slow.

[Hereki]

Tenebrous Mountains.

Your question is why I spell most zone names in full.

[Elspaeth_RN]

Went here last night.

I Floated onto the Balcony without a problem at all. Summoned my doggie, killed the two Centurions, then fought the Named (a caster) who flaps around up there. He was *hard*. Took about 10 minutes to kill. The generals are sort of tough, but nothing like the named. I cleared the top floor, went down to the platform between the second and third (top) floor, killed the Centurion, and the other named that flies up the steps (not as hard as the one on the top floor, and not a caster). I pulled the general by the ramp on the second floor, killed him.

Didn't get a chance to solo the one who drops Spirit of Flame as another 65 Beastlord arrived and I joined him. The spell didn't drop. I left and an hour later the Beasty gave me a tell and said he'd let me have it for 2k :) What a sweetheart!

[Taiglin]

Went to the castle the other day only to find the 4 named down but Heratius Grolden up. Figured what the heck and fought him at the top of the steps where the 4th general spawns. Was a long, tough fight concidering he is lvl 58. Get him to about 25% and Trex pops (4th floor named). I see him coming in toward the stairs from the balcony. Have finger over Druid succor gem....Trex turns the corner and keeps going. Couldn't believe it! Both toons were 59, 58 and he might have joined the party /shrug. He probably did on the order of 12 - 15k damage maybe (just counting Druid Cheals).