Crystal Cove Quest Walkthrough

Crystal Cove is a area near Smugglers Rest where the Kobold Union goes to mine Green Dragonshards. The Kobolds are interesting little critters with lots to say. Their voices are great so make sure to have your sound on! You have to follow the rules of the Kobold Union to maximize your efforts in the dungeon. The Kobold crew is waiting inside for your help as you are offering security and escorting them to the rich crystal caches. Make sure you and your party are ready for a timed 20 minute quest.

• Series: 5th Anniversary Event (Origin)
• Level: 1 – 30 Group (That is correct! Select the level you want to run!)
• Patron: –
• Length: Medium (20 Minutes)
• Dungeon: Crystal Cove
• Recommended Party: Standard
• MoBs: All manner of pirates you can encounter on Smugglers Rest. It all depends on the level of the quest. There are also groups of undead that spawn.
• Dangerous MoBs: There are red named mobs that can spawn in here.
• Buffs: Standard depending on the mobs. Make sure to buff for fighting undead.
• Special Note: This is a new type of quest. After completion and XP you get booted. There is no end chest or end reward other than the Green Dragonshards earned.
• Quest Stats: Detailed Quest Stats on DDMs Realm Here

If anyone in the group is more than 5 levels higher than the selected level of the quest, you will not receive any XP or gems of any kind.

Quest Level	Crystal Bonus
5 Levels or More Under	-100%
4 Levels Under	-75%
3 Levels Under	-50%
2 Levels Under	-25%
1 level Lower	-10%
At Level	0%
1 Level Over	10%
2 Levels Over	25%
3 Levels Over	50%
4 Levels Over	75%
5 Levels or More Over	100%

Be sure to talk to Foreman Wee Yip Yip right next to the quest. He will tell you all the rules of the Kobold Union. The rules offer some good advice and are quite funny!

Kobold Union Rules

1. 

   Know what you want to buy and get to work!

   Kobold Union workers are paid to haul crystals to home base. Union workers are not paid to think.

2. Kobold Union workers must remain within 20 paces of Safety Incense Torches at all times.
3. Workers are not allowed to move the torches. Leave that to security professionals (i.e., adventurers).
4. Union Foreman has additional torches in stock at Union-regulated prices.
5. Union workers are not issued weapons because of ‘the last time’.
6. In case of combat, workers are authorized to scream and run around in panic until rescued.
7. Beware purple crystals! They are worth more, but are unstable. Approach with caution. Kobold Union is not liable for purple-explosion-of-doom-related casualties.
8. 

   Mine on the west for path options. Mine the east in hopes of the mother load.

   Once the Union meets the mining quota, the surplus is given to security (i.e., adventurers).

9. Union Foreman may hire additional workers up to Union-established workplace safety limit.
10. Union wages increase on each confirmed casualty due to hazardous work environment.
11. Union Foreman issues barrels to security to distribute as they see fit. Do not fight over barrels.
12. In case of death, Union will issue outstanding wages to next of kin, and then hire the next of kin.
13. Workers are authorized to touch Kobold Teleporter to get back to base quickly. Foreman has one in stock, to be deployed by security.
14. Workers are not authorized to move Kobold Teleporter. That’s security’s job.
15. Adventurers can use Pirate Port to get back to base. They’re too hot-blooded to use Kobold Teleporter.
16. Foreman honors Requisition Forms as well as raw crystals for purchases.
17. Requisition Forms are sold in the store, but may also be found as trophies.
18. No biting. No excuses.

When you are ready to start, make sure you have a Treasure Compass or you will not be able to zone in when it is unlocked. I would suggest that you assign roles prior to entering so you can maximize your time in here.

Kobold Union Supplies

You can buy supplies from Foreman Wee Yip Yip at the quest entrance. You will need these to help the Kobolds collect crystals.

Item	Cost	Limit	Description
Incense Torch	1	10	This is the standard torch used to make the Kobolds go where you want them to go.
Healing Torch	3	Unlimited	Use this torch to heal the Kobolds.
Kobold Worker	1	5	This gets you another Kobold Worker.
Extra Worker Barrel	1	10	This allows the Kobold Worker to carry more crystals at a time.
Kobold Transporter	5	2	This allows the Kobolds to teleport back to home base.

Here are some tips for these items.

Item	DDM’s Realm Tips
Incense Torch	Buy all of these. The more you have, the further out you can make the Kobolds go!
Healing Torch	Buy one of these and place it at home base. This way the kobolds can heal as they are dropping off their haul. Do not add these mid line. They will cause the kobolds to pause and can bug out.
Kobold Worker	Buy all of these. The more you have running around, the more they can collect.
Extra Worker Barrel	Buy as many of these as you think you need. If they are not clearing the sections fast enough drop in a barrel or two. Make sure to space these so one Kobold does not grab them all.
Kobold Transporter	Buy one of these to place at the end of your node chain. This way the kobolds can jump right back home when they are full.

You can get requisitions from the DDO Store for more supplies. You can also get requisitions from named mobs but you need to be close to them to get a chance for their drops. These are not like the gems so if you really need requisitions make sure to help kill the named mobs.

Dragonshards

There are green clusters of crystals scattered around the area. These are the main cashes of crystals you want the Kobolds to collect. Placed randomly within these clusters are the rare and valuable purple dragonshards that can give you more crystals. However, these purple crystals can cause damage to you and your Kobold Workers.

The purple gems give off force bursts. As they age, they start to slowly blink red. As they near destruction time, they start flashing faster and begin to smoke. When this happens, get away from them. They will unleash a nasty force blast, damaging anything around them. This blast destroys them so be careful with a cluster of purples. They may very well explode before you get them all excavated. Worse yet, they can kill off your Kobolds.

Warning: You will be assessed a penalty at the end should you meet your quota of dead Kobolds due to “Dangerous Working Conditions”.

DDM’s Realm Tip: I would suggest focusing all your efforts on collecting purples. One purple is worth 10 green ones so be sure to collect these as fast as you can.

Who should do what:

The Pather

This player should have a good understanding of the mechanics of the torches and which ones to buy, use, deploy etc. They should also be fast or have DD so they can move around quickly and efficiently. Having one person build the paths will save a lot of wasted time on confused Kobolds. You can get Pirate Grog from the event that will teleport you to the entrance of Crystal Cove. This is very handy for Pather’s that can’t DD back.

It is best to do one path at a time. It is too easy to confuse Kobolds and to have them go the wrong way. Build out to one section and keep the Teleporter right near where they are collecting. Move it down the line as the Kobold Workers clear. Once you have enough Kobolds down the line pick up the torches behind them to shuffle them to the end. Wait until the last one goes through the teleporter then pick it up. Teleport back to the beginning and start your next line.

• Clean up the entrance area – there are extra torches you can use to hit the southern chamber first.
• Make sure there are no triangles in your path. This confuse Kobolds and make them go in a circle.
• Space your torches as far apart as you can. This will extend how far you can reach with your current supply.
• Make sure to where a Haste Aura Hat since you will be living on the torch path.
• Make sure that your paths are in the middle of the tunnel and are not obstructed by rocks or other barriers.

Defenders

I would suggest having two people kill mobs that come to home base in the main cavern. These attacks happen every couple of minutes. Kill these mobs since they can kill Kobolds and disrupt the line. They can also kill the Foreman Kobold which is really bad. If he dies, you cannot buy any more supplies.

• When defending make sure to get agro on everything threatening the Kobolds before you stop to kill them.
• Attack any enemy that is harassing the Kobolds immediately.
• When you have agro, pull the enemies away from the path. Kobolds will stop or even turn around if they are scared.
• Call out named mobs so others can come and help and collect supplies and requisitions.

Scouts

I would suggest having two players split and scout out the best path for you. First they need to clear the south chamber to get you started. Then one needs to go west and one needs to go east and scout for large cashes of purple dragonshards.

• If you have to go through a chamber of greens to get to purples it is not a good path. The greens will really slow down the Kobolds.
• Due west is usually good but you will need a scout to tell you which branches are the hest.
• Due east can be hit or miss. However, if there are purples in the long, twisting south east corridor then you should definitely call it out. This area you will need to mine.
• The water in the south east can be great but costly if there are no gems to get on the way.
• Once the paths have been determined, one scout should roam and clear everything for maximum gem take and the other should help watch the line.

Floater

Have one person float to help kill things where they are needed, namely when the orange or red names spawn. These can be pretty tough depending on who is fighting them. When a floater is bored, he or she can scout around to find the big caches or help the Pather move a line if needed.

Strategies for a Successful Run

Since you can’t just smack the Kobolds and take the Green Dragonshards you want, its best to go in with a good strategy. The nodes, shrine and mobs seem to spawn randomly, so it’s best to go in knowing what you will do and who is doing the other jobs.

Your goal is to collect as many crystals in 20 minutes as possible. You must use your current crystal count as currency to purchase anything you want/need. I recommend the following to maximize your returns.

Zone in together and do not move. Buff the party for fighting pirates and to fight undead. Once initial buffs are done, you can probably do a few other things before the initial assault.

From the start, your torches are a little messed up. Grab the two at the shrine really fast then head to the ramp. Grab the one at the bend on the ramp. You will see the red line go through the rocks in the middle but the kobolds should move fine. At the base of the ramp there are four that make a web-like pattern. This is bad. Even this simple pattern confuses the dumb, blind Kobolds. Yank out the east and west torch and connect the path due south into the small but nice cache of crystals. This small cave will finance your runs very well.

Your goal as the Pather is to have one, single line from the entrance to the crystals. Any branches, dead ends, webs or other diversions in the path will divert the Kobolds in their search, costing you time and crystals.

As the party fights off the initial assault and the Kobolds clean out the south cavern you should go back to the foreman and buy the following.

• Use a worker and a barrel requisition if you want as well.
• 1 Healing Torch
• 1 Kobold Teleporter
• 15-20 Incense Torches
• 5/All Kobold Workers
• As many barrels as you can afford.

Note: I generally was using just the worker and barrel requisitions. I found you did not need much more then that. During the course of the quest you will get more supplies. Make sure these supplies are dropped off on the line so the Pather can get them easily.

Now, pull the very first torch and replace it with a Healing Torch. Just double click to pick up or deploy the torches. This plops down some healing at the entrance the Kobolds can use when they drop off their loads. This should also be a safe place for them to stop.

Run back to the south cave and drop your teleporter. Now drop all your barrels along the line heading backwards. Once all your barrels are down the scouts should have a good idea which direction you should start in. If not, just start building a side. Make sure to have a one or two torch gap so you can connect it when they are done with the south tunnel but not before.

Have the defenders tell the Pather when the south cavern is empty so they can come back and collect the supplies. Then they can connect the path. I found it is best if only one person handles the line. Too many times did I see messed up paths when several people were messing with them.

Now head down and strip out the torches from the south cave once if the Kobolds are done. Once all the crystals are gone, pick up the Kobold Teleporter and all the torches and go back to the ramp.

Now start placing the torches “20 Kobold Steps” apart towards the east or west tunnel complexes. If east is not looking great or you are unsure, I think making the path to the west is better because there are more options for which way to build your path. Make sure to drop a barrel by any crystal cashes you see. This way the Kobold grabs your barrel and can fill it immediately. Place the teleporter at the cache the kobolds are currently stopping at so they can teleport right home.  The Floater or Scout can help to move the teleporter down the line if need be. Just be sure to let people know that you are moving it. Be sure you do not pick it up if there are any Kobolds nearby that are loaded down.

Placing your Kobold Teleporter in an intersection seemed to work well. Build paths down to the next caverns and so the Kobold Workers always have shards they can collect. You can also build paths ahead of time just do not connect them until the current path is done. Then once it is switch them over like a train. This worked great to efficiently collect crystals. The best time using this method we accomplished at 25th level was just over 8 minutes to complete the quest. It was a great feat but left us sitting around listening to a pack of Kobolds for 10 minutes. Hehe

Unless you get the lucky heavy purple population in the east spawn you will have to use this method to move around your paths until you have collected all of the gems.

Keep moving the line as they clear it of crystals. Drop barrels in the large caches to give the Kobolds the ability to haul them away. Keep moving your Kobold Teleporter to where the Kobolds are mining so they can go straight back to the entrance. Make sure to keep the entrance safe and the Foreman alive! Also, defend the Kobolds to keep them free of enemies and hard at work.

There is one shrine that seems to spawn randomly in the far corners of the quest but they were seldom used. Sometimes the scouts used them but you can also return to the entrance where there is a shrine. It acts like other shrines on normal so it will reset if you are getting taxed on Spell Points.

Once you have your full quota of 200 gems break all the lines and pick everything up. You want all the kobolds back at the entrance out of harm’s way. If you have lots of time play with the torches near the shrine and see what fun things you can spell. Otherwise roam around and kill things for gems. When the timer gets to four minutes remaining look to the east and the big bad bosses that will come in. Make sure everyone is there for the fight so you all have a chance to get some more requisitions for the next round in Crystal Cove.

Good luck and have fun! This is a very fun and interesting quest that requires a lot of teamwork.

There is a ton of great gear that can be made and I am hoping that this guide helps you.

Thanks Turbine, for giving us a great Live Event!

Play smarter, not harder!

~Karranor