Stage 2: Spears
Par time: 5-10 min, depending on general efficiency of guild
Guild Points awarded: 20 Guild Points upon passing through sealed door to Stage 3
Oh, that's just the corridor leading from stage 1 to stage 2. Please note that there is no way back - unless you die, of course. Unfortunately, this rendering does not show the doors, so its rather boring. Basically, you walk from one end to another. Interesting, huh?
Well, that was just the warm-up. Stage 2 is a real normal-sized stage with several rooms and objectives for each person. Let's get the overview.
Looks complicated? Don't worry too much. This stage will test the guild's cooperative skills, as planning is the way to go.
The main objective of stage 2 is to gather the 4 Longinus Spears (three in Room of Glory and one in Room of Pledge accessed through Room of Faith) and place them at their respective positions in Room of Justice.
This is where you will finally use some of the requirements from the beginning of the GQ. Let's go through one room at a time, shall we?
Room of Courage:
This is the simplest room. One average attacker can finish off the monsters in a few seconds, grabbing the Key dropped by the Master Muscle Stone and head out again. Note that the Master looks just like the others, but has about double as much HP. This is most efficiently done if the attacker is heading to Room of Faith afterwards anyway. Regardless, drop the Key in front of the door to Room of Faith, and it will unlock after a few seconds.
Note that Master Muscle Stone has the ability to summom Muscle Stones to him every few seconds, so an attacker that doesn't kill fast enough could get himself in slight trouble.
Room of Faith:
This is the room that'll require some of the class-specific skills. The room is unlocked by Key from Room of Courage.
Inside this room, a magician class with Teleport skill at least level 1 is required. A thief class with Dark Sight at least level 1 should also be present.
The Magician will start by entering and teleporting himself along the bottom part of the map to reach the box at the bottom right marked Break this. Because it is covered by rubble, it will take about 20-24 hits to break (5-6 hits per piece of rubble, including the box itself). The box will drop Rusty Key. The magician will give the key to the thief.
Once the Thief has acquired the Rusty Key, he/she will Dark Sight and cross the top platform of the map, making sure to use the skill before doing the jump at Dark Sight after this point. With level 1 DS, it is still possible to make the jump even with reduced movement. If it is possible, the thief can jump across and DS before he is hit (not recommended). Depending on the level of Dark Sight, the Thief may have to replenish the skill along the way, finding safe "holes" in the mass of enemies.
Don't touch the Dark Muscle Stones nor attempt to kill them - they have 999 of all stats (except magic and speed). Once the Thief gets to the end of the platform and the door to Room of Pledge, drop the key at the end to unlock the door, then immediately enter before getting killed.
Room of Pledge:
Accessible only from Room of Faith.
Due to the nature of this room, chances are that only Thief characters ever get to see it.
Quite simple, actually: Free the caged spear by hitting it a few times, then loot it. Remember to use Dark Sight again before going out.
Room of Glory:
Click thumbnail for larger picture.
This room consists of three short jump quests, each of which will have a spear on top of it.
It is recommended that while the necessary people go through the other rooms (Room of Courage, Faith and Pledge), everyone else helps each other do the three jumps.
To maintain communication between the guild members, it is advised to name the three jumps by the colour of their lasers: Blue, Yellow and Red.
Please note that because of the jump quest nature of this map, Speed/Jump is frozen at 100%.
Step-by-step guide to each jump (optional):
Blue: Requires swift reactions. You will get hit often, so use it to your advantage.
1. Either wait for the laser to fade (slow) and climb up or jump against it from the left side, then hold onto the rope as it knocks you back, climbing up while you are still invincible (fast).
2. Wait for the bottom of the two lasers to fade, then attempt to reach one of the two safe spots (outlined with red). If the top laser did not fade, it will knock you to the platform left of the bottommost safe spot. Quickly jump back up to the safe spot, wait for the top laser to fade, and then jump to the safe spot below 3.
3. Wait for the bottom laser to fade, then jump into the top laser from the left side - it will knock you back to the starting position while granting you short invincibility. Quickly jump past both lasers to the next safe spot while invincible. Alternatively, wait for both lasers to fade and attempt to slip through (not recommended). Do not touch the bottom laser.
4. Wait for the the bottom laser to fade, then quickly jump up and crash into the middle (or top, if middle is faded too) laser from the left side, granting you short invincibility, then quickly jump all the way up while invincible. If the top laser comes back to hit you before you get all the way up, keep the -> key pressed and it shouldn't knock you down.
Yellow: Requires patience. If you move too quickly, you'll get knocked down.
1. Wait for the laser to fade, then cover the distance to the safe spot (outlined with red). You should be able to reach it after two fades. Duck to avoid the laser on the way.
2. Wait for the bottom laser to fade - then climb on the rope, keep the Up button pressed and simply ignore the top laser if/when it hits you. Cross the middle to get to the rope on the other side - its tremendously easy, as three out of four platforms are safe.
3. Climb up the rope while holding the Up key pressed, ignoring both lasers if/when they hit you. Careful! If you finish the climb just before the top laser hits you (while you are standing on the platform) you WILL get knocked off. In this case, wait between the two lasers until you are no longer invincible, then let yourself get hit as you climb towards the top laser.
Regardless, you should have enough time after being hit by the top laser to get to the next safe spot, right next to it. Wait for the top laser to fade again, then cover all the rest of the distance in one round (while still keeping the Up key pressed as you climb the rope, just in case the laser catches you from behind) - or stop at the last safe spot, if you're feeling uneasy. After all, it'd be stupid to fall down now.
Red: Requires skill. Plan ahead, and you will know what to do.
1. This laser works different from the one at Blue. Do the exact opposite: Just climb into it while keeping the Up key pressed, and it won't knock you off. If you attempt to pass it while it is fading, and it suddenly appears behind you, you will get knocked off. You are quite safe on the platform, but move to the safe spot.
2. Wait for the bottom laser to fade, then jump towards the middlemost safe spot. If the top laser is inactive, you will reach it - stay there. If the top laser is active, you will get knocked rightwards and land on another safe platform - in this case, quickly jump left to reach the middlemost safe spot while you are invincible.
3. Wait for the laser directly above you to fade, then jump up on the platform it was holding. Quickly jump towards the left rope. Now, again, two things may happen:
- The upper laser is active: You will get knocked back to the platform you jumped from. While you are invincible, quickly jump onto the rope and keep the Up button pressed!
- The upper laser is inactive: You will succesfully land on the rope, but the upper laser will knock you down any second. Immediately keep the Up button pressed!
4. Keep the Up button pressed, making sure to let the lasers hit you while you are climbing and not when you're standing on the platform. When you reach the platform between the two left ropes, make sure you are invincible, then quickly jump to the top rope and continue all the way to the safe spot.
5. This is the funniest part by far. Wait until the very top laser is active, then jump right into it from the left side - if performed correctly, you will be knocked all the way up to the final platform, skipping the platforms below. Quickly jump up to the spear while still having invincibility.
Retrieve all 3 spears from this room, as well as the one spear from Room of Pledge.
Room of Justice:
Click thumbnail for larger picture.
Alright, its time to place those spears.
The four spears are identical and can be placed in any of the four spaces on the map marked Place spears here. However, to maintain efficient placement, it becomes even more important that the members are clear as to who is placing which spear as, otherwise, precious time would be wasted while coming to an agreement.
The spear positions in this map have been numbered for you for easier overview. There are no official numbers or names for each of the places.
When a spear is placed, it will react within a few seconds, disappear, then turn yellow and meld with the background. If the spear doesn't react, place it closer to the middle.
Spear 1:
A slightly different, yet short jump quest where you jump from rope to platform to rope to platform to rope. Despite popular belief, Speed/Jump boosts are NOT REQUIRED. It is entirely possible to jump from the last platform to the last rope with 100% speed and jump. However, inexperienced members may prefer to use Haste and/or speed/jump equips.
Spear 2:
A jump quest requiring slight boosts to speed/jump in order to pass the platforms between the lasers. To pass the lasers, use the safe spots marked outlined with red on the map, waiting for the lasers to fade before continuing. If you are experienced, it is possible to skip every second safe spot to complete double as fast. However, note that touching any laser in this small jump will most probably knock you all the way down.
Spear 3:
The easiest of all the spears. By pressing the Up key at the correct platforms, you will eventually reach the top. The combination stays the same every time. By numbering the platforms from the left, it is: 2-1-5-2-2-1-2.
If you press Up at the wrong platform, you will get teleported to the bottom again.
It is recommended to save this spear for last as it is the easiest and fastest one.
Spear 4:
The spear that will once again test your GQ requirements. To place this spear, a magician with at least 17 Teleport is required (not 20, as some believe) to be able to pass the distance between the platforms. It is entirely possible for an experienced Hermit (or an inexperienced one, given a few minutes) to cover the same distance with maxed (or close to max, exact value is unknown) Flash Jump by jumping at the wall, then using FJ in the opposite direction.
The two top lasers should prove no problem. I've never been there myself, but I've never seen anyone cry out for help at that point, either.
Once the final spear is placed, the screen will shake as if a skill such as Dragon Roar had been activated. The seal in front of the door at stage 3 will disappear, and you may proceed.
Stage 2 recap & trivia:
- The goal of the stage is to retrieve and place 4 spears at designated locations.
- An attacker should be sent to Room of Courage to retrieve the Key, then place it at the door to Room of Faith.
- A Thief with Dark Sight and a Magician with Teleport should be ready at Room of Faith when the door opens.
- In the meantime, all leftover members should be at Room of Glory retrieving spears.
- The Magician will teleport, retrieve the Rusty Key and hand it to the Thief.
- The Thief will use Dark Sight, pass the monsters, unlock the door and grab the spear.
- In the meantime, all spears retrieved at Room of Glory should be placed in Room of Justice.
- When the Thief has recieved his spear, he should either place it himself at positions 1/2/3 (if available) or hand it to the Magician to place at 4 (if he/she has 17+ Teleport). If not, he/she should immediately hand it over to a capable member.
- Save spear 3 for last if possible to save time.
- The Dark Sight spear takes the longest to retrieve. If you are a professional group, save the Dark Sight spear for last to be placed at position 3. This requires extra teamwork from all members as all spears in Room of Glory must be done early, and the magician will probably fulfill two roles at once (unless you have extra Teleport/FJ).
- In Room of Faith, two professionals can work together to save time by having the Thief use Dark Sight and walk towards the door while the Magician is retrieving the Rusty Key. Because they will be standing close to each other, a quick /trade command can be issued while the Thief is still in DS mode, directly handing him/her the key from below. Not recommended for inexperienced players and/or low level Dark Sight.
- The Longinus Spear has a designated looting point that is close to the middle of the spear, due to its giant size. When on flat ground, you may have to jump while pressing your loot button (Default: Z or Number Pad 0) to be able to pick it up.
- It doesn't matter in which order you place the spears, nor where which one is placed.
- In Room of Glory, jump into the fire that erupts from the ground (beneath each laser jump quest) from the left to give you a boost to the right. Does not work in the opposite direction.
- At the Red jump quest in Room of Glory, the final platforms can be bypassed (see the step-for-step guide).
- Due to the increased Speed/Jump necessary in Room of Justice, all Speed/Jump buffs will work at all 4 spears (since they are in the same map).
- To place spear 2 in Room of Justice, Jump is more important than Speed. If you have close to 12x% Jump, you can make the jumps with about 11x% Speed (even though there are 45 degrees between the platforms).
- In spear 3 in Room of Justice, some people complain that Haste is necessary. Increased speed/jump is only necessary at the second-last platform - but you do not even need to cross, as the first platform is the correct one.
- When all spears are placed, a bug often occurs that the screen doesn't shake and/or the seal in front of the door to stage 3 doesn't disappear. This is a client-side bug and doesn't affect gameplay.
Congratulations, you've passed Stage 2.