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Playing4peace2's Splitpaw Made Easier Guide
DISCLAIMERS: This is written from the perspective of a Necromancer. However, there is information in here for all classes level 25 and up. I have put much emphasis/info on the first 2-3 mobs, because that's the hardest part for early entry into this zone.
I'll use locations from the map, when numbers aren't already present on the wiki. Splitpaw
Skill check: You should be able to SOLO fear kite (or otherwise kill) any single gnoll (blue con) outside before entering (I was doing this at 24 with cloth armor and it took a full mana pool to complete the kill of a single gnoll).
GENERAL
There are four main classes of gnoll: Lteth (rogue), Tesch (warrior), Nisch (healer), and Rosch (caster).
Each class has 3 levels: Mas (lowest), Mal (middle), and Val (highest).
In certain areas of the zone, there are other specialized names (Judges in the executioner area, guards in the Ishva Mal area).
Grouping in Paw
Any necromancer who can land a lifetap (least resisted of all their spells) can contribute to a group adventure in this zone by tapping and healing (HP feed) plus pet. Landing lifetap on the Tesch Mal's (3 of them between entrance and double doors) is questionable until closer to 29, but should land on the Mas's shortly after 25.
Entering the zone solo (can be done by a level 25 necro, solo - extremely hard, but doable).
The first three mobs. (-8,-8)
Lteth Mas Gnoll (left) and Lteth Val Gnoll (right), both stationary, plus the Lteth Mal Gnoll which roams from approximately 50,7 (just past the entrance room) up to the double doors (250,50).
Splitting the first two: If you have trouble doing the FD split (below), get someone to help you with the split of the two (pet buffs, regen, etc), after which you can solo these mobs (this begins at around level 25).
Preparation: Make pet, buff pet, med to full (health and mana).
For a necro with Screaming Terror, these can be Mez/FD split.
- 0) Watch for the Lteth Mal Gnoll roamer to come and go on opposite side of the room. He just barely comes into view (maybe only the end of his name, depending on where you sit).
- 1) Mez (Screaming Terror) the Lteth Mas (lowest level, least likely to resist mez). The Lteth Val (harder mob) will aggro.
- 2) Back up into the entry corridor past the bend (out of line of sight from mezzed mob in the -8,-8 room), pulling pet with you. Then, FD until you see your Screaming Terror has worn off message. Pet will take a lot of damage during this pull, so be ready to ....
- 3) Stand. Heal pet (use your HP feed first, then your pet heal), tap mob (to offset your HP feed), heart flutter (to debuff and dot), repeat heals and taps as necessary. Before mob gets to 20%, snare mob with clinging darkness (why such a low level snare? because that's all it takes to finish the battle - and costs less mana).
You are at the zone line. If things look bad (pet dying too fast, for example), just zone out.
This split CAN be done at level 25. It isn't easy, but gets easier with each successive level. It should be child's play by the time you get 29 pet.
Initially, just work the 2 mobs in entry room, and add the third (roamer) when you think you are killing and replenishing fast enough to do so.
The Entry Area Camp
Moving into the rest of the "entry area" (most people call the area from entrance to double doors "the entry area").
After the first 3, move forward to the next 2 mobs. They are located at approximately 85,-60. A Tesch Mas Gnoll on the right, and a Tesch Mal Gnoll on the left.
You should not attempt these solo without a 29 pet (34 makes it easy). With 29 pet, however, you can split these the same way you did the first 2 Lteths. Mez the Mas (lower mob, least likely to resist), pulling the Mal (harder mob), and FDing around the bend until mez wears off.
If the Mal proves too difficult, do not fret... there's another way to start XPing in here with great consistency, solo, at 29.
The Bedroom (first of several "safe rooms" in Paw). Location 110,-150. This is called "the bedroom" due to the 2 cots on the floor here. This room is "safe" because there are no spawns and no roamers who enter it.
As long as you are careful about the roaming Lteth Mal (his path from entrance to double doors takes a brief stop just outside of this room), you can pull singles from the rest of the "entrance area" to this location and kill easily here.
There are FIVE Tesch Mas Gnolls which can be easily single pulled to the bedroom. Probably more than most players below 30 can handle solo.
The Barrels (or The Double Doors) camp. (The first "group camp".)
This is where most groups spend their time in Paw, and where they learn about the horrible train wipes that are possible here. Thus, this is also where this guide becomes less focused on my Necro experiences.
And this is probably what EVERYONE wants to know.
Pulling from behind the double doors is the scariest thing in the world for most players who are inexperienced with this zone. Why? Because, somehow, it inevitably turns into a huge train/wipe and they can't figure out who caused it or why it happened.
The answer is really very simple. (Diabolical zone design by Verant)
Take the time to do this....
Invis (no mobs in Paw see thru invis). Stand just inside of the double doors. Look up.
There's an overhead bridge in that room. If you watch it long enough, you'll see that there's a roamer (a Rosch Mas Gnoll) that comes and goes on that overhead bridge. THIS is what causes those trains/wipes - pulling from/through the double door room while the overhead roamer is present. He aggros you, but doesn't jump down... instead he trains his long path gathering a dozen other mobs along the way, causing the huge train/wipe so many people have experienced.
Once you know about this overhead roamer, exploring the rest of Paw becomes easy, with only a few caveats.
First Caveat and Second Camp
Let's assume the Barrels has a group camped there, so you want to take your group further in.
Always assume that the group at Barrels is comprised of idiots, even if you know a few of them aren't. Why? Because the overhead roamer's train path covers much of your traveling path (and the next seemingly reasonable camp, just across the first bridge - 500,100).
If, however, you are alone in zone and have safely cleared your way thru the double door room and across the first bridge (560,100), then simply kill the roamer and pull mobs from his tunnel/path. His path from the overhead bridge goes up to the door at the end of that tunnel (see map). He does not come out the door, so you have to kill the 2 gnolls guarding it on the outside before opening the door to kill him.
Third Camp (first reasonably safe camp past double doors).
Approximately 750,0 - A whole group can invis to here, set up camp near the second bridge, and start pulling from the areas they've already passed (back toward entrance) -- without any worry of the entry camp causing a train from the overhead roamer.
Some notes about the second and third camps (just across first bridge and just before second bridge, respectively).
Almost without exception, every mob in Paw is a fixed class/level. If it's a Tesch Mas when you kill it, it'll be a Tesch Mas when it respawns.
Knowing this, learn where the healers are located (more diabolical design by Verant).
Just across the first bridge, where the path turns left and makes an S-curve before opening out to the second bridge - there are potentially THREE healers very close which can and will heal thru walls.
- Healer 1: The left mob, just across the first bridge. Nisch Mas.
- Healer 2: In the S-curve just before the last door leading to second bridge.
- Healer 3: Inside the door leading to 6 on the map, in a small alcove around to the left in that room. His feet can be seen from the hallway outside via a hole in the wall near the floor.
- Healer 4: Unlikely to be a problem, but worth mentioning. On the way to 6 (on map), up the steps and just before the jail gate, in an alcove on the right (just past the Tesch Mas that is visible).
- Healer 5: After the last door leading to second bridge, as the tunnel opens up to the big cavern, on your left.
Crossing the second bridge
There are three Lteth's: one stationary on bridge, one pather which goes up to first bridge, and one pather which does down to Ishva Mal (probably the longest pather in zone).
There are also: one pathing Tesch Mas - from far side of second bridge to just inside executioner area (3 on map), and one pathing Nisch Mas - from first intersection across second bridge into the hallways in the northeast corner of zone.
The Executioner Area
Across the second bridge and to the left, there's an alcove with 2 mobs. One Rosch Mas, one Tesch Val (your first "val" mob). Opposite these 2 mobs to the north is the Executioner area, with the Executioner, Judges, and an assortment of other mobs - which is often of interest to Necromancers for the Jeweled Skull quest. If you make it to this area, you should (at least once in your life) watch the "skit" that Verant put here. A gnoll prisoner spawns and is executed (the prisoner drops an item for that aforementioned quest).
On the way to Executioner, if you continue west, up the ramp, there are some more Val's around the bend to the south.
To camp this area: Clear the 2 mobs from the alcove (due south of Executioner area) and set up camp there. Time the kills of these 2 mobs so you know when to expect respawns... the rest of the time, you can pull whatever you want from the surrounding areas. This is probably the best XP camp in the zone for players between 33-38. Lots of mobs, very little downtime. Bring a good monk to pull for you and keep track of your local respawn times (the 2 alcove mobs in camp), and you can PWN this.
Named camps and other areas of interest
- 1) North of the executioner area, listed on wiki.
- 2), 4), and the hard room. In the northeast corridors, listed on wiki with the exception of the hard room - it's that tiny little last room in the northeast corner. Three mobs in there, one is a Rosch Val (hard caster), packed tightly in there, so single pulling is not an option.
- 7) Named camp listed on wiki. Extremely hard to break, due solely to the number of hard mobs (Val's)... many being casters (nuking hard and complete healing). This is best camped from outside, under the first bridge (500,100)
Note about 6: This is the location of the final turn in for the Soulfire sword. None of the prisoners will aggro, so it's a safe place to set up a camp and pull from the bridges and connecting tunnel, if you're so inclined.
The Ishva Mal
Not shown on the wiki map, as far as I can tell, other than the tunnel (5) leading to it. The tunnel is actually just to the east of the numeral 5 on the map - in the water. Go down to the bottom, look around for the tunnel, go thru it to the 'octagon' shaped area, then up. Once you surface, you have potentially 2 mobs to contend with. One Rosch, one Lteth (the roamer that spawns in Ishva area and paths up to second bridge - "the long pather").
There's a nice area on the shore of the water here to set up camp for a full group, if you have a good puller. Or (as most people want to "see it"), you can all move as a group in the following order...
When you surface, kill the Rosch. You'll then be looking at an intersection... to the left is a doorless room with 2 Tesch's, to the right is a room with a door (4 mobs behind that door which do NOT have to be killed unless you're just bored), and the double-axe door which goes to Ishva Mal area.
Just past the door with axes there are two Guards (like the executioner and judges, these have different name - "guard"). To the right, a small storage room with one Tesch and one Nisch. The Lteth roamer up to second bridge spawns at the far end of this "guard room". In the far left corner is the Ishva Mal room, guarded by a Nisch guard and a Tesch guard, with another (random Nisch/Tesch) guard inside the room with Ishva/PH (the PH is Ishva Lteth).
The Ishva Mal is a necromancer and WILL fear you... causing nasty huge wipes and lost corpses.
Safe Rooms or Med/AFK places
- Bedroom (near entrance, describe above).
- Small room due north of 4 on map.
- Top of ramp leading down to one eyed gnoll (south of the tunnel to ishva, and north of area 7).
These are safe spots without any mobs, roamers, or potential trains for the most part - the last one being the only (unlikely) exception to potential trains.
The Eels (the snake things in the water below second bridge). I have no info on these other than they have a strong poison attack - I just ignore them, because they don't have any drops I'm interested in.
Added by Bhalmancer: 20/11/2021
A gaduladian widemouth are great experience for a solo necromancer that are just seeking XP. The drops aren't great, BUT, there are 4 A hiding gnoll in that area, that are static that drop lots of Bronze Weapons, and Gnoll Hide Lariat. From my experience, i been killing these since level 36 without much trouble, you just gotta make sure to bring Fish Scales to make your life easier, as you really want to be pulling from underwater and have your pet guard in a corner, to avoid your pet pathing over the bridge causing you to train and your death. There are 7 static spawns, you only really need to split one of those spawns.
Exp Earned as an Iksar Necromancer:
- 36-39: 2-3%/kill
- 40: 1%/kill
- 41: 2%/kill
- 42: 1-2%/kill
- End Note: Though this guide was posted to this wiki by Uteunayr (Sesserdrix), it was written by /u/Playing4peace2 @ Reddit.com and posted to the Project1999 subreddit at this link.
