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First pass through the Sewage Treatment Plant  XML
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Mark
TriadCity Character
Poobah asked me to test the new Sewage Treatment Plant tonight. Looks like it'll be ready to open very soon.

I want to relay my experience, to start everyone thinking about how to deal with this very dangerous place.

There appear to be several levels descending. Don't know how many. Each level is populated with rats, which seem to become bigger and stronger the deeper you go. All of them are aggressive, and they attack so fast that you don't see them until they're already on you.

I had no problems handling them one on one, at least as far as I went. The danger is that by swarming you they'll wear you out.

For example, I found it more and more difficult to rest, the deeper I went. I'd start resting, and be swarmed by new attackers. They kept my energy in the red, which kept my dexterity and armor down, which allowed them to achieve many small bites. In time I was nearly exhausted and becoming more and more hurt.

Another problem is that constant fighting builds hunger and thirst rapidly. But you can't stop to eat and drink while you're fighting. With hunger and thirst in the red my strength, dexterity and so on would drop even more.

I found no sources of food, and only a small number of sources of water. I'd suggest carrying an anti-grav daypack full of waybread and canteens, or having someone on hand ready to auction food and water for you.

I think I made it about four levels down before realizing I was gonna get killed if I continued. Then it was quite difficult to find a way out again. Once I found the way -- Poobah made me promise not to tell how -- I had to fight my way back out through more rats which presented the same problems. I reached safety with my health and energy both deep in the red. Once back at the top, I was unable to find a way to open the doors out; Poobah had to open them from the outside, or I'd still be in there.

FYI I fought with an Ivory Sword, Sword Skill level 100 Master, and with an armor attribute of 72 when rested. When tired my armor dropped to about 45, if I remember, and the rats were getting in bites costing four or five health points each. Multiply that by as many as eight rats at a time.

A couple of suggestions. Get your See Skill up there before entering. A lot of things here are difficult to notice. And if you can, fight with a weapon which does not cost heavy energy to use. Swords are 6 energy points per attack: very expensive. Maybe try guns instead, if you have the skill.

This is not a zone for casual explorers. It's a Warrior-only kinda place. The bigger and badder you are, the better.

I hope this helps keep you alive!

--Mark

Bartle quotiet: E80, A67, S47, K7. TriadCity characters: Mark, Poobah, Occam, Abelard.
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Mark
TriadCity Character
Jonas and I spent some time there again last night. Here are some strategy tips which seem reasonable based on our experience. Please weigh in if your opinion suggests other approaches.

Keep your energy high. I made the mistake of trying to run a maze when I was low energy: wanted to find the way out before it repopped. The rats knocked my energy down to deep red, about 10% of maximum, and began scoring effective bites. I nearly ran out of energy, which would have made it impossible to fight back. I think the right strategy is to nevermind the repops, and keep yourself well-rested.

When resting/sleeping, keep your back to the wall. Try to find a location with just one exit, and kill the rats in the adjoining room. You'll have a better chance of resting unmolested.

If you're in teams, the most-rested can defend those resting. My max energy is a lot higher than Jonas', so once I was recharged I'd sometimes go explore a few rooms, and kill off the rats there, while he slept. This helped keep us both near top energy.

Maximize your armor. I'm at 72, but am going to look for proper leg and arm armor, and a good shield. Right now I have none.

Maximize your constitution. Carry +con stuff, if you can. You'll regain energy and health more quickly.

Use a low-energy weapon. I have to get rid of my Ivory Sword and find something less tiring.

Try to get a group together. Jonas and I were thinking that a group of four would be optimal. Working in two groups of two, you can protect each other while resting. One group can sleep, while the second explores and kills rats in the rooms near the sleepers. Note though that the repops are quick and you can't count on any area being clear of rats for long.

You *might* be able to bring Healers. They should be high level. You'll have to protect them. Each Healer should be paired with a Warrior tank who's mastered the Rescue skill. The Warrior should never initiate combat, but should only ever Rescue the Healer. Even then, multiple rats might swarm the Healer while the tank is engaged. Healers beware.

Note also that we were unable to map the mazes. We were too busy defending against rat swarms.

Note that you can eat the rat corpses. They're not very filling, but if you run out of carried food they're at least something. And there are enough of them, believe me. We'd find piles of 12 or more corpses in areas where we'd fought and rested.

Lastly re food, think about bringing light food items and stuffing your coat pockets with them. I have a white trenchcoat which, next time, I'll stuff with waybread. Leaving my antigrav daypack full of canteens.

BTW I gained a *lot* of experience in this run, about 7,500. Not bad.

Will continue posting as new ideas come up.

--Mark

Bartle quotiet: E80, A67, S47, K7. TriadCity characters: Mark, Poobah, Occam, Abelard.
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Lily
TriadCity Character
Why would we go in if we can't open the door to get back out? Hrrmmm????
Talked with u.v. about going as a healer..she told me she was a healer not a martyr.
Ander
TriadCity Character
I'm curious to know, how did you get your sword skill to level 100 master, Mark? are you level 100?

 
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