Rare Loot From Barrels

I have mentioned a few times before (for example here and here) how much fun I find it that see actual loot drop from barrels and crates.  I always took the few minutes to destroy any breakables as I quest just to get the extra experience but this added benefit gives even more incentive to be destructive :P.

Every once in awhile I find something worthy of note while being as destructive as I can :).  I can across two different things relatively recently that I wanted to make note of.  First off, while taking Sludgge (Level 21 Rogue/Shadowdancer) through the Tharashk Arena on epic normal I broke a barrel I saw it drop a deathward potion.  I found this very interesting as I have never seen a deathward potion drop in a quest before and only thought you could get them from the Night Revels (or old Mabar) or Eveningstar turn-ins.

Sludgge pulling a deathward potion from a barrel from VON 1 (I meant to get a screen shot of the potion on the ground but picked it up to fast..oops).

The second instance happened with Cannock (Level 8 Druid) who was running through the Waterworks on elite and who broke another barrel to find a +1 Perform Skill Tome.  It has been extremely rare to come across any tome in regular chest drops and I thought finding one in a barrel even more interesting.

Besides getting a +3 Armored Ring from a barrel, in the next barrel was a +1 Skill Tome of Perform (ugh…should have that in the focus orb..having troubles with my screen shots, lol).

So this just yet another reminder, break those barrel, crates, vases, obelisks, bookcases, and any other thing that can destroyed.  You never know what you will find inside :).  Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!

The Unbreakable Crates in Sorrowdusk Isle-Who Left them?

I often come up with strange thoughts as I wander around the various quests and wilderness zones in DDO.  In many instances these center around the random crates, barrels, and sacks that we come across during our adventuring.  One such article is here where I wondered why their appeared to be random crates spaced throughout Tangleroot Gorge and Sorrowdusk Isle.  Well, taking Stoorage (Level 12 Fighter) back through Sorrowdusk Isle I wondered about the unbreakable crates that are found in some of the side caves in those jungles.  The question I had this time; who left these things behind?

Stoorage in Barxer’s cave in Sorrowdusk Isle wondering who left these indestructible crates behind.

My best guess is that these grates were not built by the Grey Moon ogres and the invading trolls.  Nor do I think they came from the Cultists of the Six who are also found on this small island.  I’m guessing that these crates were left behind and hold supplies from whomever started the mining operation in Grey Moon.  The only question is, who was responsible for that mine?  Did there mining attract the ogres of Grey Moon to the small isle?  Keeps me wondering indeed.

Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting in Sorrowdusk Isle!!

What are in Kornak’s crates?

I have been working through the Tangleroot Explorer area with Hamllin (Level 8 Fighter) over the past few weeks or so and came across the rare encounter for the Ogre Magi, Kornak.  While I was waiting for Kornak to reappear I began to wonder what is in his crates in the ogre cave in Tangleroot Gorge?

Hamllin contemplating what are in these large crates.

The crates are pretty big and we can’t bust them like the many other smaller crates in the cave.  Now the the smaller crates tend to have spare change (coins), potions, and sometimes a loot drop (jewerly, clothing, armor, or weapon).  So if the small crates have those types of items, then what are in these large crates?  I’m thinking that maybe these crates are somehow linked to Yarkuch and his hobgoblins.  We already know that Yarckuch has three ogre warmasters under his control, no reason not to assume they aren’t related in some way to these ogres in Kornak’s cave.  Perhaps whatever is in the crates are Yarkuch’s payments for the warmasters (most like some type of oversized weapons or some type of supplies)…then again the crates just might contain nothing more than worg food .

So what are in the crates?  Who knows?  But the thoughts about their contents is quite interesting at the least . 

Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!

The Smuggler’s Warehouse and Rubies

Erdrique is currently level 2 as he works his way through this particular life as a druid and as as result he has embarked on the myriad of quests found in the Stormreach Harbor.  One of those particular quests is The Smuggler’s Warehouse.  For those new to the game, the Smuggler’s Warehouse is bestowed by Fitzpat the Fence, just outside of the Wayward Lobster.  The quest is primarily composed of kobolds with some spiders and scorpions thrown in for kicks and giggles.  The objective of the quest is to find some of these “magical gems”, known as the Smuggler’s Rubies. 

Erdrique surveying the floor of the Smuggler’s Warehouse.

Now, to find these gems you have to break the barrels in the quest.  Some of the barrels will drop the rubies that you are looking for and you complete the quest when you gather 10 rubies.

Erdrique picking up a Smuggler’s ruby from a busted barrel.

While the rubies can be found in the barrels, they do not drop from the myriad of crates that are put throughout the warehouse.  Why is that?  What makes these rubies to good to be put into the crates?  Well, we are told that the rubies have some type of “magical” property associated with them.  Perhaps the barrels that are used to store them have been specially designed/crafted to contain those magical properties.  Maybe the barrels are designed to hide the “magical” properties.  Another possibility is that the crates were stashed in the warehouse after the barrels of rubies were put there?  Or perhaps the crates were stashed by one owner and the barrels by another?  Is is most likely more simple than than that, the barrels are probably just easier to open or close or something, .

In any case, it interested me that the rubies only dropped from the barrels so I figured I would try to reason out why.  Thanks for readying everybody and have fun slaying the nasty kobolds in the Harbor.  Happy Questing!!

Random Crates in the Middle of the Woods…

Erd running through Tangleroot Gorge and wondering who would leave crates in the middle of the woods?

I really enjoy running around wilderness areas in DDO and the other day I was taking Erdrique through Tanlgeroot Gorge and Charlock through Sorrowdusk Isle and then it hit me.  I noticed that there are crates and barrels in the middle of the of these areas with no clear encampment or villages near by.  It made me wonder why there would be crates just sitting along the path in these explorer zones.  Perhaps they fell from passing caravans.  Or maybe they are being place there as a trap?  Has to make one wonder….

In any case, it just felt weird that in the middle of these jungle areas to come across numerous crates and/or barrels.  Not that I’m complaining, but they have been put there for a logical reason.  Then again, I don’t imagine the mobs in those explorer zones are very intelligent and perhaps they think that staging the crates in this manner would be a good way to protect their goods.  But then again, half time when I break the crates there are never anything in them…so what are they being used for?  Hm, maybe that is the real question….