All Things Andor
Upon completing this guide our younger generation of aislings as well as those unfamiliar of Andor will have a better understanding of navigation, tactics, and location of the treasures they seek.
Note that Andor is seperate from Andor Dungeon which can only be accessed by completing Andor Trials. Another writing will be written to assist aislings in successfully completing the Trials. Additionally, Andor's King and Queen will also be discussed in the next part of this series.
Before one begins their attack in the ant hill, they must know how to get there. Start by finding your way to the town of Noam. Head north-east passed Habab outside the Inn then into Noam Plains. At the first sight of creatures roaming the plains head west. After a short distance, right over the first elevation you reach, there will be a mountain of dried Mud - this is Andor.
The original explorers of Andor chiseled the room numbers in the order which they found the rooms, starting from the west than traveling east. Upon reaching a dead end to the east, they traveled up the stairs then as far west as possible before picking up where they left off. Since that time some of the doors and stairwells have been barricaded by the native inhabitants. Due to many of the rooms now being blocked
off, traveling from the left side rooms to the right side rooms is no longer possible, and navigation can be tricky without an experienced guide.
There are still ways to navigate however. Traveling though doors along the northeast and southwest walls room numbers increase and decrease by one, respectively. Traveling upstairs in the northwest or downstairs in the southeast direction however will put the group two to six rooms ahead or behind the prior room number. Generally speaking, to continue through Andor into higher rooms going through a northeastern or northwestern doorway is the best decision. Sometimes, albeit rarely, this results in running into a dead end (no doorways on any of the walls). If this does happen, simply travel back one room and go to the opposite northern wall to continue forward.
You will notice a fellow Mundane upon entering the lobby, Okie, and his twin brother on floor 80, Dokie, who offer a hiding service. This service is useful for groups looking to quickly get to areas in the ant hill without having to fight. While the ants have many spells at their disposal, being able to see hidden aislings is not one of them.
Valuable Treasures General:
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Market prices tend to vary on these items depending on current supply. At the time of this writing I have found the value of andor's treasures to be fairly priced in the following ranges:
Aqua and Wind Stones (used for many medina class lower to mid level skills and spells) 1.5 million coins each
All color Tonics (used for many medina class lower to mid-level skills and spells) 500,000 coins each
All color Hitonics (used for many medina class lower to mid-level skills and spells) 1 million coins each
All color Extonics (used for some many medina class mid to high level skills and spells) 3-3.5 million coins each
Andor Salve and Andor Might Earrings (used by insight 71 aislings as well as master and grand masters as well as used for many medina skills and spells) 3 million coins each
Andor Power Earrings (used by insight 71 aislings as well as master and grand masters as well as used for many medina skills and spells) 5-8 million coins each
Reinforced Spiked Greaves and Jenoir Bracers (typically only used for pure summoner spells) - 3-5 million coins each
Andorian Greaves (mostly just a cosmetic greave, as aislings have found better quality greaves upon discovering new lands in medina) - 4 million coins
Valuable Treasures of Rooms 1-80:
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The first room of Andor is the lobby. This is a safe area where aislings gather before heading into the hostile areas of Andor. From the lobby there are two directions groups can travel - left or right. Unless the group's sole purpose is to exterminate the King And Queen, the route taken is dependent on the items you seek.
Though both directions drop tonics, stones, earrings, and other equipment, the frequency in which they drop differs. The biggest difference being Aqua Stones as well as Green Tonics and Hitonics drop more on the right side while Wind Stones and Red Tonics (and Hitonics) drop more on the left. Andor Salve Earrings drop in most of the rooms between 30 and 40 at similar rates while Andor Mights drop on the right side in rooms 47, 51, 52 and 55. Starting as low as floor 16 onward Reinforced Spiked Greaves, Jenoir Bracers and Gauntlets, and armors for all gender and classes of Medina will begin to drop.
Rooms 70 and 80 will be the next set of safe rooms; a great area to distribute your findings or to rest before traveling onward.
Valuable Treasures of 81-150:
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From room 80 aislings can only travel left or right. Blue and Green Extonics can be found in the deeper rooms on both sides (rooms 121, 123, 124, 128, 133) however Red Extonics can only be found in the deepest rooms on the left side of Andor in rooms 146, 149, and 150. In these three rooms hitonics of all colors drop in abundance as well. Aqua and Wind Stones are found in much more abundance on the floors between rooms 81 and 113, though Aqua Stones are found more on the right side while Wind Stones are found more on the left side - just like the previous floors of Andor. Hunting for Might and Enchanted earrings has proved to be easier on the right side (in the first four rooms) while the Power Earrings are more easily obtained on the left side in rooms 107 and 114.
Andor Hunting Tactics General:
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The offensive and defensive elements of the ants vary but most often they are never dark or light (exception being kaze, norajo, and assassin whom are all dark defense and offense - for these ants use a light necklace); for this reason equipping a dark necklace as well is the best option. Ard naomh aite and mor fas nadur both help in preventing physical damage attacks.
Certain trinkets and spells are essential when hunting Andor successfully. Since every floor has monsters that cast pramh frequently, atleast one Bard (though more are better) with a Wake Scroll is perhaps the most important member of the group. Summoner spells such as mor pian na dion come in handy against monsters which cast dion. Lyliac Plant and Lyliac Vine are very important passed floor 80, where the Royal Guards (the winged-ants) will drain the group's mana rather quickly.
Because aggressive monsters like to swarm your group, a Karura Druid with Hail of Feathers can be quite helpful. Rogue's can use Frost Arrow, Shock Arrow, or Star Arrow. If there are any gladiators they can act as a deterrent from the swarm and use strong medina skills against cursed creatures for easy kills.
If group members have bubble shield or pets they can summon it is helpful in preventing the ants from physically attacking. This strategy is more useful passed floor 40 where the Ant Captain will drain the entire groups health if they gets close enough to attack. On floor 100 the Ant Master will also drain health even faster than their younger counterpart.
If the majority of your group has Summoners or Karura Druids, the Bards can use beag cradh as their curse of choice. Hail of Feathers and mor pian na dion will still be very effective and bards can stay in their faster-casting staves. After room 80 bards must begin using ard cradh however.
Andor Hunting Tactics Floors 1-80
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The first floors are relatively easy. Ant Workers are too busy working and remain non-aggressive until attacked. Ant Guards on the other hand are aggressive and will pramh and dion upon the first sight of an aisling - kill these before attacking the workers.
Soon after the first floor Boro and Boronang will appear. These worms may look innocent but they are highly lethal. Boro has a red-tint and is non aggressive, thus harmless if left alone. If attacked there is a high chance of being stricken with an instant death-spell, in which the group member will need a Komadium. Groups tend to leave Boro to his own doing as he has no treasure to offer. His more dangerous counterpart is Boronang, who has a greenish tint. This worm will cause those who stand near him to be instantly hit with a death spell as well as when he is killed. The aisling who deals the final blow on this worm will need a Komadium as well, so stay close to the member who attacks the worms.
Two other unique Ants are Norajo and Kaze. Sometimes they can be hard to spot because of their identical appearance to the Ant Workers. Kaze isn't very difficult to kill, but he will pramh your group until dead. On the other hand, if one becomes "chosen" (for lack of a better word) by Norajo they will be attached to his hip until he is defeated. This monster regenerates his health after each skill or spell used on him when aislings are standing right next to him. Casting curse and using a strong skill or spell to successfully eliminate him.
On floor 17 And Warriors make their first appearance. The types are highly aggressive and will pramh, dion, and attack aislings on first sight. The Ant Warriors will use a crasher like skill which reduces health significantly. Avoid standing near Ant Warriors - use attack spells if the team has them, otherwise make quick work of these Ants with a strong curse and gladiator or druid skills. On floor 70 onward the assassin like ants begin to strike. These can be very difficult to spot with their camouflage. Though not extremely difficult, they are pesky and troublesome if not defeated. Using Hail of Feathers, Light Necklace and mor striotch bais, or simply attacking with a light necklace will work well against this pest.
Andor Hunting Tactics Floor 81-150
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On top of all of the monster types described, there are several more difficult challengers ahead. All Ants holding a sword, for example, are aggressive and will use a crasher-like attack which reduces health dramatically with each success. For this reason it is important to prevent these monsters from getting near group members and to kill them as quickly as possible. The sword-wielding ants are typically killed with spells such as mor pian na dion, Hail of Feathers, or Deception of Life. As previously mentioned there are also aggressive flying-ants who drain the group's mana and cast pramh frequently. Flying ants have weak physical attacks and lower defense which make them easy targets for skilled gladiators or druids. Because some of the monster's ability to dion as well as use strong vitality draining spells and skills, summoners with Lyliac Vine, Lyliac Plant, Bubble Shield, and Mor pian na dion are essential to the group's success. Bards will also be required for group healing, curses, and most importantly ao pramh. If there are any gladiators or monks they can act as a deterrent for the group, but should stay in close proximity to the team in case of trouble.
The best strategy proceeding forward is to control the amount of monsters in the group's line of sight; this is entirely within the team's control until entering a new room where often times the Ants will attempt an ambush. The intensity of this ambush can be minimized by having a group member with hide or white bat stance check the next floor before the group enters. Upon doing so the hidden member can inform the group which corner of the room to walk toward upon entering in order to minimize the amount of monsters the team will be fighting on each new floor. It is very important to ensure the hider does not unhide in front of a monster as this will ao sith the entire group, so have the hider walk back to the previous floor where the group is and unhide before everyone enters the next room.
The hostile nature of Andor along with the ant's effort to protect the King and Queen makes the hunting ground more difficult than most. With the right knowledge and the appropriate team, aislings can minimize the risks and collect the treasures of Andor safely. Andor's treasures are very popular amongst the medina-class as the equipment and items are used for many skills and spells of all classes.
Let this piece act as a guide to success for all who read it,
Happy hunting
