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Castle Darkmoor Nerf!

AuthorMessage
Survivor
Jan 29, 2012
16
PLEASE, for the love of Ambrose, NERF CASTLE DARKMOOR! It was hard enough as it was in the test realm, let alone making it harder... The only way you can survive is if you get lucky, or have a team full of expert players.
I understand that it has to be a challenge, but this is too much.
Other than that, I think the new update is terrific!

Mastermind
Oct 11, 2010
307
why its optional? just have a hammer and the others can be in jade gear to blade/trap heal dispel etc... not rocket science. 3-4 round kills at most simple, you just need to talk to some friends and go do it.

Mastermind
Jul 26, 2011
306
I know Castle Darkmoor is wayyyyyyyyyyy too hard. I've so far only made it to Sir Blackwater and the team I was doing the dungeon with all rage quit. These dungeons are so ridiculously hard I'm thinking of not even doing the dungeons even if the gear is amazing. Nothing is worth those cheating bosses.

Explorer
Jun 26, 2012
80
I went through Castle Darkmoor and the Upper Halls last night, my group took about 4 hours. I find that about right considering each dungeon says it takes about 2 hours. The only real trouble we had was when we were at Sir Blackwater and Spirit of Darkmoor. We breezed through all of the other bosses, even Shane von Shane. I plan on doing the Graveyard tonight, so I will update how that went but anyway if you know your way around the cheats or use a guide you'll be fine. Plus, you only really need to do the first two dungeons once unless your looking to spend a skeleton key.

P.S. For what it matters, we had a Myth (tank), Storm (hammer), Life (healer), and my role sorta changed every battle. Mostly I spammed Efreet Rain and Smoke Screen.

Sean Firesword

Survivor
Sep 10, 2010
4
Yeah, I finished it last night. I was ridiculously hard. We had 2 storms, a death and life wizard and it took us 4 1/2 hours and lots of deaths. I like my new spell though. Good luck everyone.

Delver
Jun 02, 2010
222
I have heard of enough of this. Castle Dark Moore is not that hard. People seriously need to start getting skill. Lets also remember a few things:

1. All the good drops are common.
2. They released spells that damage very heavily for 5 pips and one shadow pip.
3. The dungeon is in sections. Don't have to do the entire thing straight through from entrance to Malistair or start over.
4. Its easy to find help.

Stop complaining about Castle DarkMoore. Trust me, the dungeon can be farmed very effectively if you know how to do it.

Geographer
Sep 07, 2011
823
Alex Stormlight on Nov 20, 2014 wrote:
I have heard of enough of this. Castle Dark Moore is not that hard. People seriously need to start getting skill. Lets also remember a few things:

1. All the good drops are common.
2. They released spells that damage very heavily for 5 pips and one shadow pip.
3. The dungeon is in sections. Don't have to do the entire thing straight through from entrance to Malistair or start over.
4. Its easy to find help.

Stop complaining about Castle DarkMoore. Trust me, the dungeon can be farmed very effectively if you know how to do it.
Please share in detail the very effective farming method you are using in the Graveyard and exactly what "good drops" you've received on the live realm. I'm sure many players would be interested in these specifics since you are having such an easy time of it.

Defender
Oct 22, 2012
133
The dungeon knocked out the solo player. And before someone says its optional, they put some spells that will probably be needed in the next world. So that isn't even close to a decent answer.

Delver
Jun 02, 2010
222
Gemma Luna on Nov 20, 2014 wrote:
Please share in detail the very effective farming method you are using in the Graveyard and exactly what "good drops" you've received on the live realm. I'm sure many players would be interested in these specifics since you are having such an easy time of it.
Gladly Gemma Luna. Firstly I am a storm wizard(pretty much all I use) Here are some strategies I found very good with names to each for dealing with Castle Darkmoor:

1. Plague Spam Array
Bring a death and a fire and have the death spam plagues(regular and tc) and have a fire come and spam smoke screens(tc and regular). Also bring a storm or another fire and them have him hit continuously with Glowbug Squall. You can bring another hitter(preferably fire) then or maybe a life wizard to heal. Works for all bosses like magic.

2. Hammer Boosting
Bring a balance, life and death wizard. The balance wizard blades you up a lot. The death wizard places feints and plagues. The Life wizard keeps everyone healed and helps boost you if can. Have a team that has sharpen trained and if they have any gear with item cards of sharpen or elemental blades to add it. Once the hammer is boosted(and he must be quickly, he or she hits hard.

3. Intercept and Spam Strategy(works for death only)

Everyone in team brings conviction and Sentinal and then spams Call of Khurulu and Scarecrow to remain healed at all times.

Survivor
Mar 28, 2010
11
I agree i have tried darkmoor 4 times and havent been able to complete it, i dont have 4 hours to do 3 bosses (4 if you include malistaire coming back) but i personally think this dungeon is wayyy to hard.

Survivor
Aug 28, 2013
42
masterryan1969 on Nov 20, 2014 wrote:
why its optional? just have a hammer and the others can be in jade gear to blade/trap heal dispel etc... not rocket science. 3-4 round kills at most simple, you just need to talk to some friends and go do it.
Masterryan my new favorite wizard! I am so sick and tired of hearing all the whiners crying about how hard Darkmoor is. I did it in test, a few times. Then I did it on live, a few times. Yes, it's hard. It's perfect! While the age on the game is rated to 10+, I consider this dungeon to be aimed at the + population. Those of us that enjoy playing the game and enjoy true challenges.

Masterryan is correct. It is optional. There is no need to enter this dungeon to continue on in the game. If it's too hard for you, simple, don't do it. But to ask KI to take away the difficulty, which many of us find absolutely refreshing, is selfish and self-serving. I don't ask KI to increase the difficulty level of Rattlebones to satisfy my need for challenge, don't ask them to take this way from me!

Now, if you want the new spells, put all the experience you gained from unicorn way to shadow magic to use and spend half as much time that you spent whining communicating with your team! Heck, you don't even have to see undead Mali, just beat 2 of the 3 sets in Darkmoor and you've got your spell. No one will know you didn't complete it except you...

Survivor
Jul 03, 2012
8
My team did the entire thing in a half hour. You just have to know how to fight them.

Logan Storm Exalted
Logan FireCrafter Exalted
Logan LifeRider Exalted
Logan MythBringer Grandmaster

Geographer
Sep 07, 2011
823
masterryan1969 on Nov 20, 2014 wrote:
why its optional? just have a hammer and the others can be in jade gear to blade/trap heal dispel etc... not rocket science. 3-4 round kills at most simple, you just need to talk to some friends and go do it.
"Just"? LOL Most players don't have a team with 3 Jades, or any. With good preparation 3-4 rounds kills are possible on some of the fights, but it certainly isn't simple and there are a lot of ways it can go wrong. Blade-trap-heal-dispel are all limited in various ways. Overall I love this update, including DM, but it is NOT easy or routine and it isn't honest or realistic to portray it that way.

I don't think it should be nerfed much, but the enemy pierce should be lowered by 10-15%, and the Monster Mash less ubiquitous.

Geographer
Sep 07, 2011
823
Alex Stormlight on Nov 21, 2014 wrote:
Gladly Gemma Luna. Firstly I am a storm wizard(pretty much all I use) Here are some strategies I found very good with names to each for dealing with Castle Darkmoor:

1. Plague Spam Array
Bring a death and a fire and have the death spam plagues(regular and tc) and have a fire come and spam smoke screens(tc and regular). Also bring a storm or another fire and them have him hit continuously with Glowbug Squall. You can bring another hitter(preferably fire) then or maybe a life wizard to heal. Works for all bosses like magic.

2. Hammer Boosting
Bring a balance, life and death wizard. The balance wizard blades you up a lot. The death wizard places feints and plagues. The Life wizard keeps everyone healed and helps boost you if can. Have a team that has sharpen trained and if they have any gear with item cards of sharpen or elemental blades to add it. Once the hammer is boosted(and he must be quickly, he or she hits hard.

3. Intercept and Spam Strategy(works for death only)

Everyone in team brings conviction and Sentinal and then spams Call of Khurulu and Scarecrow to remain healed at all times.
Where do I begin?

Malistaire, Shane, and Buneferatu remove all Feints. It is impossible to "hit continuously" with Glowbug, Khurulu, or any shadow-enhanced spell since you only get a shadow pip every 5th round (on average). If the balance wizard "blades you up a lot" in the second Shane fight, you will all be dead within a few rounds, since he will be stacking himself with high power blades every time you cast. Malistaite steals all forms of Balanceblade and Bladestorm, so that isn't going to turn out well either. You haven't mentioned how you work around Beguile, or how the "Life wizard keeps everyone healed" when getting hit with cheat Vampire attacks, Gnomes!, Doom, and infection in various DM fights. In several fights (including Mali) you can't keep blades up for more than a few rounds. There are also shields to get rid of.

All the things you mention can work in lots of fights, but none of them will get you through DM without very specific adjustments to tactics and gear. I'm not picking on you personally, but when I read "oh it's no big deal" type comments with vague tips I wonder if the person posting them has been through the dungeons at all.

It certainly isn't simple. It can be done, but pretending it's a walk in the park isn't constructive. This much harder than anything else in the game. I'm not complaining, just being real. I don't want anything except the Pierce reduced.

Geographer
Sep 07, 2011
823
camoferrari on Nov 21, 2014 wrote:
My team did the entire thing in a half hour. You just have to know how to fight them.

Logan Storm Exalted
Logan FireCrafter Exalted
Logan LifeRider Exalted
Logan MythBringer Grandmaster
You did three level 100 dugeons with 3 or 4 fights each all in a half hour? Wow! I'd love to "know how to fight them" that quickly. Please post a round-by-round guide and video on one of the fan sites. That's a must see!

Survivor
Nov 26, 2010
6
Alex Stormlight on Nov 20, 2014 wrote:
I have heard of enough of this. Castle Dark Moore is not that hard. People seriously need to start getting skill. Lets also remember a few things:

1. All the good drops are common.
2. They released spells that damage very heavily for 5 pips and one shadow pip.
3. The dungeon is in sections. Don't have to do the entire thing straight through from entrance to Malistair or start over.
4. Its easy to find help.

Stop complaining about Castle DarkMoore. Trust me, the dungeon can be farmed very effectively if you know how to do it.
If I may I would like to ask you to calmly explain to others how to do it as the game is supposed to be a team effort. Pay it forward instead of giving random sentences should be how you say something to others here. I read all the stuff here and those of you that say its not hard don't really explain yourselves well. Just my opinion not meant to sound rude. IE can you do different sections of it and skip over Sir Blackwater or not? I prefer to see more of the place but after an hour I am seriously losing interest in that area no matter what the drop is. I do fine with what I have now for spells. I also find that the new ones go on to long with the cartoon of the attack, I would rather hit and move on, not watch the same mini movie over and over. The cuteness of that wears off fast.
Angel, wizard.

Explorer
Apr 09, 2011
91
there needs to be either better guides and trainers for the dungeon or the dungeons have to be nerfed.

Explorer
Feb 02, 2014
98
Memories of other mmos when new dungeons came out that were so hard they took a week with the leetist most dedicated players to figure out how to beat, and then still take 4-8 hours to get through it. Compared to other mmos, this is stock game mechanics. Yes this is a kids game, but do you really expect everything to be super easy? A challenge makes it all the more rewarding to actually complete it. Use friends you know are good, not strangers. And lol at those complaining about no guides. What do you think the first players that beat it have to work with? You should be able to adapt to situations using skill, not just copy the method off of a guide and then feel special because you "earned" loot lol. Now if no one had beaten it, it'd be a different story, but since some players can do it, it's not that the dungeon is broken, and it's not KI's fault. In other mmos, certain class combos were required for certain dungeons. With 7 schools and only 4 spots in a dungeon, ya, that's a bummer, but nevertheless something to consider tactfully.

Hero
Aug 18, 2011
776
Please, let's be respectful of players varying experience and resources, and KI's considerable efforts to keep the game pleasing to a diverse audience.

Darkmoor is new, complicated, and more challenging than any other part of the game. It isn't impossible, and players are already finding better and faster ways through it, so it's too soon to say it should be nerfed, though I agree with others who have said the enemy pierce should come down a bit.

If you think DM is way too hard, please read the guides on fan sites and try again, working together with teammates using a set plan.

If you think DM is easy, I'm happy for you. You probably have great gear, skilled friends, perfect pets, and years of practice. That's wonderful, but many players don't, so let's not bash folks who are still coming to terms with it. Bragging about how you breezed through doesn't help anyone.

This is a VERY hard, but possible, dungeon with fantastic drops & spells, great graphics, story, music and play. It is well worth doing. Keep at it, you'll get it. It's going to take a few hours to get through it all, but since it is in three parts (thanks KI!) you can do it in stages. 45 to 75 minutes per instance isn't bad at all.

We've updated our guides on (official) Central and Merc websites if anyone wants some suggestions or more info.

Delver
Dec 30, 2012
291
The first two parts aren't too bad.
But the third part is not only tedious, but insanely difficult.
It definitely needs to be nerfed.

Delver
Jun 02, 2010
222
I would like to suggest to King Isle that if Castle Darkmoor is nerfed that all the good drop rates are made much lower too. Its not fair to all of us who have achieved this good gear through skill to have these dungeons simplified for people who cannot learn the game well.

Survivor
Aug 16, 2012
5
I completely agree, Darkmoor is just too much. It's not even enjoyable. I spent seven hours trying to improve my strategy, deck, team, etc. and I didn't even make it past Sir Blackwater. I can't imagine someone having fun while doing this. I appreciate them lowering the drop rates, but the difficulty overpasses the element of improvement. The sooner I finish this dungeon, the better.
I understand that it's optional, but the fact that you have to complete the first two parts to get the new spell makes it kind of necessary, since the spells will most likely be needed in future worlds.
KingsIsle had so much potential for this dungeon because the storyline is just fantastic. It tied up the second arc perfectly. And actually, the other features of the update were great improvements to the game. I enjoyed going through the first three dungeons as well. I think a lot of people were awaiting Darkmoor, and they could have delivered a much better dungeon.
I really do hope they take our requests into consideration. The cheats were overdone.

Jason Moonshade

Historian
Jun 19, 2010
657
Who else love folks who tell you they made it through something…
…but never get around to ever sharing or showing you how it’s done.

Don’t get mad at them because…

...they don't have the time or energy to tell you how they did it; it’s beneath them!

or

...they actually have no clue how or what they did to get through the experience.

I searched online for walkthrough guides and forum discussions like this one, and paid attention to what folks said worked; and what didn't.

And even with good guides and folks on our team who knew what to expect; we still got through all of the dungeons in less than four hours.

Read more about Darkmoor:


Four New Dungeons:

https://www.wizard101.com/game/worlds/four-dungeons

Wizard 101 November Update Notes:

https://www.wizard101.com/game/updates

Castle Darkmoor Guide:

http://www.duelist101.com/other-w101-guides/quest-guides/wizard101-castle-darkmoor-guide/

Not so helpful; but amusing Guide:

http://www.wizard101central.com/forums/showthread.php?427298-How-to-EASILY-defeat-Shane-Von-Shane!

Some folks crave the challenge of discovering everything new for the first time; while other folks appreciate a heads up. However you choose to approach this dungeon; here's to you having a fun experience all the same; or something better!

Hero
Aug 18, 2011
776
Alex Stormlight on Nov 23, 2014 wrote:
I would like to suggest to King Isle that if Castle Darkmoor is nerfed that all the good drop rates are made much lower too. Its not fair to all of us who have achieved this good gear through skill to have these dungeons simplified for people who cannot learn the game well.
If you have your gear already it doesn't affect you at all. There's no cause to wish ill on others. I have also been quite successful running it as it is, but wouldn't mind at all if it were softened slightly so more players could enjoy it. There is no reason to change the drops. Simply reducing enemy pierce would make it more survivable.

There are lots of players who have learned the game quite well, but don't have the luxury of crown gear, perfect pets, or a ready team. They are no less skilled, and no less deserving of good gear. Condescension is uncalled for. You and I might like it just the way it is, but we are not the only people in the game. Let's not be selfish. Everyone should be considered. I'd hate to see it dumbed-down too much, but there's room for discussion and compromise.

Survivor
Aug 05, 2009
10
There are various levels of skill between players in this game. That is obvious. Just as much as it is that players have different personalities, are of very different ages, and have varying times they are able to play. Some of us have been playing this game since launch with our kids, and we don't have the time to play for hours on end with friends that play at the exact same time. We've been apart of the community and paid for ourselves and family to play this game for many years. These people deserve a fair enough chance to get every spell for their class in the game. Personally, I don't mind not being able to complete this dungeon for new gear. There is plenty of great gear that can slowly be made from crafting. However, continuing to pay a subscription for future expansions will be frustrating without having every spell up to that point for my class. Not sure if that would kill the game for me or not. Anyways, it often doesn't have anything to do with skill, with many of Wizard101's most loyal players/families, it comes down to having the time. This dungeon is too hard and too long for casual players. KI should make a nerfed version for those of us who really just want the spell and finish the story. Keep the current version still available (advanced tier dungeon) for those who have endless time to gather other skilled players that have some hours to burn and allow them slightly better gear drops. KI sould make this dungeon work for every paying customer they have.