Lair branches harder than Vaults

[tabstorm]

See attached poll. Which, if any, of the Lair branches do you think are harder than Vaults:1-4, assuming the same XL entering each branch? You can pick more than one.

Edit: Added a "none" option.

[gammafunk]

Which, if any, of the Lair branches do you think are harder than Vaults:1-4

You need to have an option for "none" if you want that "if any" part to make sense.

[Shard1697]

I think specifically shoals 5 is harder than V1-4(on most characters), but not the rest of it.

[dowan]

We're including vaults 5 in this? That's an important distinction, because I think vaults 5 is harder than anything in any of those branches. Slime kinda depends on how suited your character is for fighting TRJ in the hallway, an Enchanter being an example of a character who might find slime more difficult than most.

If we're ignoring vaults 5, then slime and shoals.

EDIT: It helps when you read the OP and not just the topic title...
Slime and shoals are my answer.

[Sprucery]

We're including vaults 5 in this?

No, the question is "Which Lair branches are harder than Vaults: 1-4?"

Shoals: 5 is kind of funny, because it's the most dangerous level of these (barring Slime:6 I guess), unless you have a source of invisibility, in which case it is one of the easiest.

[arandomperson12]

I think lair branches are only 4 long (besides slime).

[PleasingFungus]

They were 5 levels long until, uh, maybe six months ago? Which is why some people are still referring to the old lengths.

[Sprucery]

They were 5 levels long until, uh, maybe six months ago? Which is why some people are still referring to the old lengths.

Oh yeah. I can barely remember that Vaults is not 8 and Elf not 7 :)

[and into]

Voted Shoals and Slime, but it does depend on character and what exactly spawns in the Lair branches.

Funny anecdote: Had a hell of a time on last level of Swamp (of all places) recently; all three stairs were fairly close to the lernean vault, and like 4 uniques spawned (including Mara). Eventually got the rune but had to use a lot of consumables and had one really close call. Way tougher than Vaults 1–4, that was.

[milski]

I think that Shoals 1-3 is probably harder than Vaults 1-4; Shoals 4 definitely is. On the other hand, I think that the last level of Slime is disproportionately difficult to the rest of Slime (which is mostly just super tedious and likely to mutate you and/or filler to dive), so Slime isn't really harder than Vaults except for the last floor.

[crate]

Do I include V not trying to annoy me to death in my analysis?

[duvessa]

Do I include V not trying to annoy me to death in my analysis?

it has entropy weavers now

[4Hooves2Appendages]

So does spider. Ough.

[stickyfingers]

And those are fast now. WTF.

[Airwolf]

I think "assuming the same XL [and gear] entering each branch" means you'd get murdered by the first vaults warden, yaktaur pack, etc you see in Vaults at XL 16 or whatever you normally enter Shoals with.

[tabstorm]

I think "assuming the same XL [and gear] entering each branch" means you'd get murdered by the first vaults warden, yaktaur pack, etc you see in Vaults at XL 16 or whatever you normally enter Shoals with.

It dosen't, trust me.

[TonberryJam]

Water Nymphs are always tough to beat. All that drowning...

[dynast]

Someone has to arena merfolk javeliner vs yaktaur and merfolk impaler vs all sorts of vault stuff. For me, the most threatening stuff in vaults are elf packs.

[genericpseudonym]

Someone has to arena merfolk javeliner vs yaktaur and merfolk impaler vs all sorts of vault stuff. For me, the most threatening stuff in vaults are elf packs.

Even with much lower stats Merfolk would be scarier than Yaks because Shoals doesn't have corridors and doorways, and they all have ranged or at least reaching attacks.