When Should You Run from Uniques?

[Kooltone]

I'm a relatively new player, and I've never delved deeper than dl 30 without dying. I'm currently playing a dwarf blackguard, and I am getting very close to my high score by playing much more cautiously. I just ran into Old Man Willow for the first time. I'm tempted to fight him because of his juicy xp, but I doubt I have the resources to do it. I don't have any fire weapons on me, and based on a couple of probing swings it looks like his HP is huge.

At what point do you ignore a unique, and can you encounter them again later?

[Monkey Face]

To answer your last question first, yes, uniques will appear later on if you don't kill them.

As far as when to fight and when to run away, that is very dependent on your character and the individual unique. For example, if you're able to attack at a distance (via missiles or magic) and the unique can't attack you from a distance, you're more likely to want to take it on than if it is something that is shooting fire and cold and poison at you.

The other thing to remember is that most uniques would be out of depth at their native level if they were ordinary monsters. So they tend to be very tough to kill if you meet them at their native depth, but if you meet them later, they will be much easier. (For example, meeting Bullroarer is much tougher if you are character level 5 than if you are CL15.

[Sphara]

As far as reaching around dungeon levels 30-40 concern:

I don't think I have ever killed Lorgan by the time he first appears.

Mim is quite a bit easier, but he can still be very nasty unless I've found something like wands of drain life. I still more often than not postpone the fight for later.

Elemental lords (Quaker,Ariel,Waldern,Vargo) I kill in the endgame or not at all. They don't drop anything.

Gorlim and Kavlax are notorious murderers of countless new players, who challenge them without knowing what they do.

[Estie]

You kill uniques when its easy and the expected rewards are worth it.

As a new player, you dont know how hard it is to kill a specific unique - so experiment, use probing, read the monster files.

Old man willow can be hockey sticked, so with enough ranged power and a favourable map layout, its all but risk free. A good melee weapon and a !speed also works, just make sure you have enough potions that heal/cure confusion.

As an early blackguard, your melee is terrible and ranged is mediocre at best. So unless you have some exceptional early gear, avoid him.

[Kooltone]

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. I found a spear with a flame brand. That gave me the confidence to challenge him, and Old Man Willow is no more.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Kooltone

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. I found a spear with a flame brand. That gave me the confidence to challenge him, and Old Man Willow is no more.

Dead Man Willow

[Estie]

Dead men willowing dont wear plaid ?

[Ed_47569]

Originally Posted by Kooltone

I'm a relatively new player, and I've never delved deeper than dl 30 without dying. I'm currently playing a dwarf blackguard, and I am getting very close to my high score by playing much more cautiously. I just ran into Old Man Willow for the first time. I'm tempted to fight him because of his juicy xp, but I doubt I have the resources to do it. I don't have any fire weapons on me, and based on a couple of probing swings it looks like his HP is huge.

At what point do you ignore a unique, and can you encounter them again later?

Having played since the late 1990s, there are still a few uniques I rarely engage with at all:

Tarrasque
Carcharoth
Huan
Ancalagon

Occasionally I will make an exception if I can muster enough elemental immunities, but even then they can be difficult and gobble up lots of Healing / *Healing* that I would rather save for the bosses.

Wiriun and Emperor Q only if I can get LoS abuse and shoot them.

[Estie]

Well the key to most of those is double resistance (Immunity is obviously better, but not required). With standarts, Colluin can be carried as swap (and discarded after the big uniques are dead).

Tarrasque is the easiest as you can just buy the potions from the alchemist. Ancalagon you want all 4 elements at 1/9, since he now "learns from his mistakes" or whatever the option is called that is now the default.

Huans shards hurt even with resistance; the one I avoid the most though is Carcharoth, since he is bound to find the one resistance hole you might have.

[Sky]

1. Make a hobbit rogue
2. find a Rod of Probing
3. boots of stealth, cloak of stealth
4. eventually armor and shield of elvenkind
4b. why not, rings of the mouse
5. literally enter a dungeon level, cast Detect Stairs, and go down
6. also read every Deep Descent you find
7. get to DL50+, it doesnt matter if you die, the steps above ^ should take you maybe 3 hours.
8. Probe everything. Find a big vault and mass-Probe every mob you see.

good work! now you have full Monster Memory and you can tell which uniques you should, and should not fight.