Early game baileys

[nordetsa]

There was one spawned at D:7. I entered, and there were goblins throwing axe of returning. Then orc warriors appeared, so I killed them with a help from IAF.

I thought I could get some nice loots, until orc knight appeared. At that point I just left the place. I had conjure flame and a wand of random effects so I could have blocked the way and hoped to get him drown, but orc warriors throwing axe already hit pretty hard and I decided not to risk it.

Anyway, I think bailey is the hardest one among the early game portals. Is there any way to make this easier? This time I was playing caster so I could utilize my spells, but if I was playing my fighter or berserker I would've exited as soon as I saw multiple orc warriors.

[KoboldLord]

Sometimes you just have to turn back partway through a portal vault.

Baileys can be pretty dangerous if you get a middling-difficulty one at their shallowest levels, or a hard map pretty much anywhere they spawn. There is always an exit right by your entry point for a reason. Even if you can't get the loot at the very end, a little bit of xp and piety from harvesting the easy prey around the entrance means it was better to look in and see than to not spawn the bailey at all.

Ice caverns are another one that's notorious for having something horrible at the end that you might not be able to beat even with favorable tools, and if you're not well-prepared you can have trouble with just the welcoming committee. A few volcano maps are remarkably dangerous, too, although most of them are nothing to worry about.

[nordetsa]

Actually, I never beat any ice cavern that I came across. Either it's filled with ice statues/ice clouds keep spawning/ice fiends waiting you right before the loots. I just don't think it's possible for the characters to beat that place when they come across it.

[byrel]

Actually, I never beat any ice cavern that I came across. Either it's filled with ice statues/ice clouds keep spawning/ice fiends waiting you right before the loots. I just don't think it's possible for the characters to beat that place when they come across it.

I beat it 3/4 of the time I meet it. It just depends on your tools; if you're a MiBe of Trog, a couple BIA will take out an ice statue. If you're a summoner of any sort, basically, spam them and win. If you're a trunk conjurer, place Prism next to them while out of sight. If you have Fireball, place them next to them, etc. There's often a tool somewhere in your playbook that can handle them, if you're reasonable diversified. A wand of fire or two actually does wonders. You can often rely on the fact you probably heal faster than they do. A pip of rC makes it almost certain you can take it.

The toughest layouts are either the one(s) with an Ice Fiend in them (my first experience with torment, and I killed it with a SpWz on D:10ish) or the ones with a frost giant and bear horde. But both are often doable if you use the right consumables and tactics.

[Psieye]

Well, my recent VpEn just dug into the loot room at the end, took the loot and flew back out right as the frost giant noticed me finally. I have killed the frost giant and ice fiend ending properly so it's not impossible but certainly not necessary.

[Jeremiah]

I've managed to survive the ice fiend one by apporting some of the loot and running, but I've also failed to survive numerous times.

In my current game, I was reminded of how dangerous they can be when it was only through pure luck that I killed the frost giant before he killed me.

[Lasty]

I used to die in ice caves frequently, but after I got used to the challenges on tap, I've found that most of my characters can clear them, but that it's always good to keep an escape method and be willing to use it in case the frost giant picked up a rod of demonology or you don't actually have resources to take care of the ice statue or whatever.

[diviton]

I think I've cleared the Ice Caves every time I've gone save for maybe once. I've seen the Ice Giant, Ice Fiend and Ice Statue ones but I always find it manageable.

The Baily is tough though. The one where they hit you over water is aggravating as a spelless character and the one with the Orc Warlord is obviously dangerous. My last character (SpEn) hit tjat Bailey and I killed everythong except that Warlord. I tried really hard to with confusion, but he got a luckt his on me and took my HP from max to 2, so I blinked to the portal and peaced out.

[njvack]

(Mod note: deleted duplicate post)

[Psieye]

The Baily is tough though. The one where they hit you over water is aggravating as a spelless character and the one with the Orc Warlord is obviously dangerous. My last character (SpEn) hit tjat Bailey and I killed everythong except that Warlord. I tried really hard to with confusion, but he got a luckt his on me and took my HP from max to 2, so I blinked to the portal and peaced out.

I think the worst is where everyone has crossbows and a moat to shoot from, then when they run out they run into a teleporter that lets them melee you later on. Orc Knights with crossbows hit like yaktaurs. It's not much comfort that Orc Warriors and regular Orcs hit for slightly less damage when there's so many of them.

[XuaXua]

I agree and am uncertain these crossbow heavy baileys were re-evaluated after the ammo alteration.

[Grimm]

I've found wands of confusion can help a melee character against groups of orcs on islands.

[XuaXua]

I've found wands of confusion can help a melee character against groups of orcs on islands.

There's the XP, sure, but then there's the loss of equipment and potentially treasure. That one bailey that is a castle with moat and the goblins throwing axes at you and the orcs coming around the sides, the monsters tend to pick up all the treasure. Many drops contain gold.

[Grimm]

You mean they grab the really good prize items at the end? I've not seen that happen before.

[Sphara]

  Code:

Many drops contain gold.

Well this is not the most aggravating loss I can imagine when I enter Bailey and realize that I can't deal with it (without confusing orcs into the water). But the loss of some treasure (gold or equipment) certainly is possible in that particular layout if you meph em next to water. The more you stay behind the safe side of the moat, more treasure will be picked up by the orcs.