Guide to Item of the Week Farming/Previous Tips

Summary

 * Item: Topaz Crests
 * Found In: Diviner's Ascent, Vulture Drifts, Skyward Reach.
 * Dropped by: Sand Drakes.

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is located in Diviner's Ascent, just outside Elona Reach near the right Teleporter.

Farming for Topaz Crests



 * Suggested Farm #1: exit the Elona Reach and farm anywhere in the Diviner's Ascent. Most L20 characters should be able to solo this using any build with a few heals.

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: Sand Drakes should do relatively low damage to a L20 character with max armor so most tactics will work well, a good tactics is to go solo on them because they will not use the skill Earthquake when you are alone.They are also weak against elemental damage like Fire,Water and Air so consider bringing those if you can.


 * Threats: The Sand Drakes use Ward Against Melee so be sure to bring an interrupt skill if you rely on melee damage or the killing may be a bit slower,other than that the drakes are not much of a threat,but while not being strong by themselves,you can meet other hidden foes in this area like Scarabs,Rockshot Devourers, Sand Wurms and even 3 Hydras.Rockshot Devourers use traps and ranged attacks but if you do not trigger the traps they can be killed quite easily,just don't forget they use the Distracting Shot.Scarabs are necromancers or warriors that can take down most builds easily with their enchantment removal skills and high armor-ignoring damage from touch skills,if you're not prepared for them you should avoid them at all costs and run away when they attack you.The Hydras are Elementalists with powerful Fire Magic skills and can do a lot of damage quickly,luckily there are only 3 so if you look on their route on the map you should be able to avoid them easily during the farm.
 * Recommended Skills: Although the Drakes do low damage already,you can bring a blinding skill to lower their damage even more if you have problems killing them.The Drakes have no interrupts,no hexes and inflict no conditions so 1 healing skill should be enough to kill them.You can also bring along a running skill to run away from unwanted foes like Scarabs more effectively.

Solo Farming

 * This is a great week to try out solo farming for the first time or practice using a new build. As mentioned above, most L20 characters should be able to safely farm them.

Summary

 * Item: Scorched Lodestones
 * Found In: Ascalon Foothills, Diessa Lowlands, Pockmark Flats, Regent Valley,
 * Dropped by: Boulder Elemental, Hulking Stone Elemental, Stone Elemental, Stone Fury

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is located in Old Ascalon, west of Sardelac Sanitarium (see map)

Farming for Scorched Lodestones

 * Suggested Farm #1: exit the Serenity Temple and make a brief loop through Pockmark Flats (as shown). Any L20 character should be able to solo this using any build.

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: foes that drop Scorched Lodestones are L8 or less, so L20 characters only have to worry about how to dispatch the elementals more quickly. Aggro a group, wait for them to ball up, and use AoE damage spells to take them down.


 * Threats: presuming that you have at least one L20 character with access to Ascalon, none of the foes will present much of a threat. If you want, bring a well-balanced skillbar that includes hex and condition removal, healing, with the remaining 5 skills dedicated to damage.


 * Recommended Skills: (see above)

Solo Farming

 * This is a great week to try out solo farming for the first time or practice using a new build. As mentioned above, any L20 character should be able to safely farm without paying too much attention.

Summary

 * Item: Frostfire Fangs
 * Found In: Anvil Rock &amp; Iron Horse Mine
 * Dropped by: Frostfire Dryders

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is located close to both Ice Tooth Cave and Frost Gate. The path from the cave is much easier, as you don't have to confront a horde of foes after exiting. However, none of the enemies are high level, so only low level parties will notice.

Farming for Frostfire Fangs

 * Suggested Farm #1: It's easier to farm the dryders in Iron Horse Mine because there are more of them closer together, the bosses are nearby, there are few non-dryder foes, and there is only a small amount of backtracking. To reach Iron Horse Mine, exit Ice Cave and turn right, heading due east. You'll encounter mostly minotaurs and a few dryders. Once in Iron Horse, follow the indicated path (which avoids the large clumps of Stone Summit Dwarves).

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: The dryders attack at range using degenerative skills, so it helps to have a party that can attack at distance. This week's enemy doesn't come in big groups, so it's hard to over-aggro unless you run into the dwarves.


 * Threats: Degenerative hexes, especially from a few of the bosses. However, as even they are only L12, only low level groups are seriously threatened.


 * Recommended Skills: any distance attacks work well. AoE damage is not very useful, since the dryders rarely clump together.

Solo Farming

 * This is another good week to try your hand at solo farming, as nearly any L20 character should be able to manage. Bring at least one spammable healing or regenerative skill plus distance attacks.
 * For veteran soloists, any build will work fine; those that depend on AoE damage will work (they just won't be as fast).

Summary

 * Item: 2 Forest Minotaur Horns
 * Found In: The Black Curtain, Kessex Peak, Talmark Wilderness
 * Dropped by: Forest Minotaurs

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is located in Kessex Peak, on the West Coast, roughly north of Verata the Necromancer's location. See the map for details.

Farming for Forest Minotaur Horns



 * Suggested Farm #1: Exit the Temple of the Ages, heading southwest to a resurrection shrine, then south along a ridge which will force you to go to the East towards the Kessex Peak portal. As you approach the portal, you'll find about 12-18 of the Minotaurs with another 6-10 past the portal. Rezone through the portal.

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: Any anti-melee team will make short work of the minos. An especially effective method is to use a Tank to ball up the beasts and drop them quickly with strong AoE skills such as Meteor Shower.


 * Threats: The minotaurs themselves are not much of a threat; they only have a strong melee attack. However, reaching them requires making your way through Reed Stalkers and various Undead, some of whom use Mark of Subversion.


 * Recommended Skills: Bring counters to poison (from the swamps) and to hexes (from the Undead). Alternatively, you can bring 1-2 quick healing spells or spirits. Alternative, L20 players and heroes can ignore any non-minotaur foe and run (or walk quickly) to the farm and/or to Nick.

Solo Farming

 * Run to the minotaurs (you should be able to safely ignore the few enemies on the way). For AoE builds, ball up as many minotaurs as you can before attacking.
 * If your soloist has trouble reaching the minotaurs, bring a full h/h party to help you reach the spot and then flag the heroes out of loot range.
 * These standard builds will be successful: 55 Spoil Victor, 600/Smite, 130 Dervish, Perma-Sliver, Spirit Spammer
 * These non-standard/older builds also work well: Raptor Farmer, Raven Blessing.



Summary

 * Item: 3 Jungle Troll Tusks
 * Found In: Tangle Root (Maguuma Jungle)
 * Dropped by: Jungle Troll (Reed Bog, Tangle Root, The Falls, Silverwood, Bloodstone Fen, and some of the Maguuma Jungle missions.)

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is located in Tangle Root, not far from Henge of Denravi

Farming for Jungle Troll Tusks

 * Suggested Farm #1: Exit from Henge of Denravi and turn right. There is a pop-up of Life Pods and/or Moss Scarabs.  You can either leave them alone or take them out. Continue down the path and you will soon see the first Jungle Trolls. Following the route displayed on the map will bring you past about 30-36 Jungle Trolls. The time of 1 run is about 5-10 minutes (depending on party size) and yields about 4-8 tusks per run (again depending on party size)

Note: L18 Jungle Trolls seem much more likely to drop tusks than do the L14 trolls.

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: Jungle Trolls easily ball together, so tanking works well. The trolls will focus their fire on the tank, giving the rest of the party an easy time of unleashing AoE spells to take them out. Some of the troll groups consist of 6 Trolls, so make sure your tank is able to hold that pressure. If not using a tank, a minion master or spirit spammer is recommended. Safety in numbers applies here.


 * Threats: Being overwhelmed is probably the biggest threat. Taking out 2 or 3 trolls should not be a problem to any team, but 6 or 10 trolls can be a problem. Careful pulling prevents this. If you are farming far from outposts, you will might have to contend with other jungle denizens; be sure to bring an appropriate group to deal with the additional threats.


 * Recommended Skills:  Skills that block attacks are very helpful, since all the foes you will face attack in melee. Skills like Aegis, Critical Defenses and Conviction will do just fine. Weakness and Blindness reduces the pressure from the trolls; Enfeebling Blood is a perfect skill for this. Armor of Sanctity is great for the tank, as it causes weakness to all adjacent foes and further reduces the damage taken. To kill the trolls you can take just about anything, as long as you can outdamage their Troll Unguent, you'll be fine. Elementalist nukes like Searing Heat are perfect for the job.

Solo Farming
This is a good week for solo farming, especially for those who haven't tried it before: the monsters are below L20 and do relatively little damage to an L20 character with appropriate Runes and Insignias. Foes also bring fewer, less powerful skills, allowing you to survive any unfortunate choices. Any of the standard skillbars will work (Perma Sin, Spirit Spammer, 55 Monk, etc.). You can also succeed with a variety of well-balanced builds that include self-healing, defensive skills, and either Spike or AoE damage.

Summary

 * Item: 2 Quetzal Crests
 * Found In: Verdant Cascades (Far Shiverpeaks) &amp; Alcazia Tangle (Tarnished Coast)
 * Dropped by: Quetzal

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is located in Alcazia Tangle, close to Tarnished Haven (map).

Farming for Quetzal Crests

 * Suggested Farm #1: No Trespassing area in Verdant Cascades near Umbral Grotto. Exit the Outpost, grab the bounty from the Krewe member at the nearby Rez Shrine, and turn south. Head east again, aiming for the No Trespassing sign. (You can wait for the Quetzal to attack the Skelk.) Continue a counter-clockwise circle around the southwest corner of the zone to find 80–100 Quetzal, including the Ranger Boss, Petraj the Evasive. Expected trophies: about 2–5 crests/run per player in a 4-person team (slightly more for soloists, slightly less for 8-person teams).

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics:Use minions or tanks to get the Quetzal to clump together (for AoE damage) and be sure that they don't do the same to your group, as they can cause some serious spikes to single targets cut off from group heals or defenses. Near the trespassing signs in Verdant Cascades, the Quetzal will attack the Skelk before going after your party; let them do that, allowing you to get the first few attacks. (Minion masters can take advantage of the extra bodies and the corpses of the Asuran patrol.) Remember to pull groups to you so that you don't get ambushed by the various patrols in the area.


 * Threats: The Quetzal present a well-rounded group of Necromancers, Rangers, Mesmers, and Warriors. They can strip enchantments, drain health, cause crippling &amp; bleeding, block, and will interrupt melee skills and attacks.


 * Recommended Skills: As always, a well-balanced party should be able easily farm for crests. To counter threats, bring a Tank, condition removal, and party and individual healing. Melee parties can spike individual targets (generally in the order listed above) while casting-heavy groups can use AoE damage, anti-melee interrupts and slowdowns. Knockdowns are useful for either type of party.

Solo Farming

 * (to be added)

Summary

 * Item: Jade Bracelets
 * Found In: Tahnnakai Temple (explorable),Wajjun Bazaar,Xaquang Skyway
 * Dropped by: Jade Brotherhood

Getting to Nick
Nick can be found standing right next to Imperial Guardsman Yang outside of Zin Ku Corridor in Tahnnakai Temple (explorable).

Farming for Jade Bracelets

 * Suggested Farm #1: Leaving from The Marketplace into Wajjun Bazaar presents several large groups of Jade Brotherhood. There is a Statue of Lyssa located just outside of Wajjun Bazaar that can provide helpful Blessings while farming. The map shows the location of some groups of Jade Brotherhood,green route leads to Lian, Dragon's Petal a powerful Jade Brotherhood elementalist boss and the blue route leads to Shen, the Magistrate.

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: Interrupting the elementalist spells is very helpful. Blind is very useful against the Jade Brotherhood Knights


 * Threats: Jade Brotherhood Mages can present some trouble with their Earth Magic spells. When they use Ward Against Foes to slow groups, then follow it with Double Dragon they can do quite a bit of PBAoE damage. If this is followed by the Jade Brotherhood Ritualist using Ancestors' Rage it can form a powerful spike. The Ritualists also use Tranquil Was Tanasen to prevent interruption allowing them to heal the Elementalists and the Jade Brotherhood Knights. The Jade Brotherhood Mesmers use Signet of Disruption to bypass skills like Shadow Form, Obsidian Flesh, and Spell Breaker. In mixed groups they can pose threats to a smaller group.


 * Recommended Skills: Interrupt prevention is strongly advised. Also Anti-KD is helpful against the Mages.

Solo Farming
All the groups on the routes can be farmed by a 600HP Monk with either hero or human Smiter. However, you should bring an anti-interrupt skill such as Mantra of Resolve because the Jade Brotherhood Mesmers can interrupt even through Spell Breaker and may interrupt key skills of your build,resulting in death.If you dont have Spell Breaker you should also consider bringing an anti-knockdown skill such as Dwarven Stability or "I Am Unstoppable!" to prevent knockdowns by Jade Brotherhood Mages. If you have trouble killing the Jade Brotherhood Ritualists you can also bring another damage-dealer with you, like a Spiteful Spirit Necromancer,it will speed up the killing greatly.

Summary

 * Item: Rot Wallow Tusks
 * Found In: Pongmei Valley, Boreas Seabed, and Maishang Hills.
 * Dropped by: Rot Wallows

Getting to Nick
Nick is near The Afflicted Hakaru outside of Boreas Seabed in Pongmei Valley. On the way to him, there are several mobs of Rot Wallows which drop the Tusks.

Farming for Rot Wallow Tusks

 * Suggested Farm #1: Leaving from Boreas Seabed into Pongmei Valley presents several large groups of Rot Wallows that can be killed for their tusks. There is a Statue of Dwayna located just outside of Boreas Seabed that can provide helpful Blessings while farming. The map shows the location of 4 groups of Rot Wallows that can be killed quickly, then the run restarted. (If you continue towards Maatu Keep, there are 2-3 more groups of Wallows.) These groups present little challenge to small teams in normal mode. Note: Rot Wallows tend to spam their skills on minions or spirits, ignoring the players.

Threats & Recommended Skills

 * Tactics: Always pull the Rot Wallows away from the Island Guardians. Spike and AoE damage helps since the Rot Wallows tend to mob a single target.


 * Threats: Hexes from the Rot Wallows can present a danger for a group. The Rot Wallows will cause Knockdowns with a Critical hit followed by the spell Fetid Ground to cause Poison. Island Guardians have some smite skills, notably Signet of Judgement, this causes knockdowns that the Rot Wallows will use to spread poison. Their Vampiric Bite bypasses various protections and is particularly dangerous to a number of standard builds. Weaken Knees causes degeneration to those trying to run away.


 * Recommended Skills: Knockdown prevention is very advisable, along with Hex removal and condition removal/resistance.

Solo Farming

 * Typical Perma Shadow Form builds work well here, with only minor danger from two skills: Signet of Judgement and Vampiric Bite. Neither will present much of a danger in normal mode.


 * Spirit Farmers also work well. Spam your spirits just out of range, then use a Longbow or Flatbow to pull the Wallows from their Island Guardian (even solo novices should be able to handle 3-4 wallows). If you choose to take down the Guardian, target it with your wand or staff so that you reach optimal range; if you stay at that distance, you often won't suffer any damage at all.


 * A standard 600HP Monk or Elementalist with either hero or human Smiter can also farm the groups easily, since Wallows lack enchantment removal and interrupts. However, bring an anti-knockdown skills such as Fleeting Stability or Dwarven Stability because of the automatic Knockdown from Wallow critical hits; fighting groups without this protection can quickly lead to a knockdown chain and death.


 * An Elementalist/Dervish using Earth Magic and Earth Prayers can tank for a Spiteful Spirit Necromancer. Either role can be managed by a hero. Alternatively, the Elementalist can go it alone (although more slowly) by bringing more offensive Earth Magic spells.

Summary

 * Item: Behemoth Hides
 * Found In: several areas in Vabbi, dropped by Scytheclaw Behemoths and Behemoth Gravebane.

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is a near-straight shot east of Dzagonur Bastion (location). From Dzagonur Bastion (location) take the exit into Wilderness of Bahdza. Continue east and you will come to a small path between two large mountains. Nick is located just on the other side. There will be a group of Skree and Heket around him.

Farming for Behemoth Hides
A route similar to the one used to get to Nick can be used to farm the hides required. On the map given, the blue dots represent groups usually consisting of 1 Behemoth Gravebane and 2 Scytheclaw Behemoths. The third blue dot is a group of several Behemoths including the boss Eshekibeh Longneck. The behemoth groups alone should not pose a challenge to a well balanced group. The Scytheclaw Behemoths have a few dangerous dervish attacks, but the damage can easily be mitigated by spreading out. The Behemoth Gravebanes use the spell Toxic Chill, but otherwise are not a very serious threat. They can create a minion and use the minion to heal themselves, therefore it is better to kill them first, then finish off the Scytheclaw Behemoths. The boss groups require some pulling, and it is advisable to eliminate the group of Heket and Skree close to them before engaging the group.

Another route that uses the 2nd map is starting from Jennur's Horde (location). Take the exit into Vehjin Mines. Continue along the path given. There will be groups of Behemoth Gravebane, and mixed groups. The Dervish boss Marobeh Sharptail is along the path. This route has many more groups of behemoths than the first one listed. Because of this it is much easier for a group to get over run. Another danger is pulling more than one group at a time. The groups at some points are so close to each other it is easy to pull 2 or 3 groups at once. This can easily get an entire group killed.

Solo Farming
For solo farming a 600/smite build will work because there is no enchant removal from the Behemoth. A Shadow Form sin can also farm them. The only danger to the SF is from the Scytheclaw Behemoth's AoE damage, so a regen skill is advised.

In addition, a 130 dervish utilizing Avatar of Grenth can also do the run without too much difficulty.

August 10, 2009: Krait Skins

 * Note: This was for the first location that Nicholas appeared this week. He was moved to a second location after an update.

Summary

 * Item: Krait Skins
 * Found In: Arbor Bay and Magus Stones, dropped by Kraits

Getting to Nick
Nicholas the Traveler is a near-straight shot southwest of Vlox's Falls in Arbor Bay. Watch for a Krait patrol just outside the outpost.

Farming for Krait Skins
A large number of Kraits are found along the eastern side of Arbor Bay. Be sure to bring condition removal, since Krait Arcanoss use skills that inflict Blind and Cracked Armor quite frequently. Also, if you have Livia or another necromancer hero, bringing that hero with a minion master setup can make this run easier.

Summary

 * Item: Skalefin Soup
 * Found in: Zehlon Reach from Chef Panjoh in exchange for 2 Skale Fins
 * Skale Fins are dropped by: Istani Skale (Razorback Skale, Ridgeback Skale, Skale Blighter, Frigid Skale, Skale Lasher), found in various zones in Istan.

Getting to Nick
You can start from Jokanur Diggings or The Astralarium, then head to the tip of the peninsula that lies north of the eh in the word Zehlon Reach on the map. Starting in the Astralarium allows you to exchange your fins for soup before heading out. Map

Farming for Skalefin Soup
There are half a dozen zones that spawn the skale that drop the right type of fins. Any of these areas should be easy enough for L20 characters, no matter which profession. Spikes or AoE skills are more efficient, but nearly any skillbar will get the job done this week. Note: expect more fins drop in NM; hard mode drops tend to be worth more than 5.


 * Suggested Farm #1: Exit west from Jokanur Diggings to Zehlon Reach and knock off the first 6 insects. Then, navigate through the swamp water (see map), avoiding any non-skale that might slow your progress. If going solo (recommended), bring a healing skill or hex removal; just about the only serious threat is the degen skills of the necromancers. Expect 8-12 fins per 10 min run.


 * Suggested Farm #2: In Fahranur, there are a large number of easy skale near the city's entrance. The narrow passages make them easy pickings for AoE damage.


 * Suggested Farm #3: Exit east from The Astralarium into the Plains of Jarin. Turn north and then east around the large hill. There will be 3 skale there. Kill them, then resign. The entire run using a IMS takes around 45 seconds to complete. If desired from there the player can turn south and continue along the water way.

Summary

 * Item: Herring
 * Found in: Riverside Province from Gruhn the Fisher in exchange for 5 Bog Skale Fins
 * Bog Skale Fins are dropped by: Bog Skale, Bog Skale Blighter, Bog Skale Icetooth, found in various zones in Kryta (see below).

Getting to Nick
The fastest route to Nick starts from Fishermen's Haven heading northwest through Stingray Strand into Tears of the Fallen, west along the border to the nearby portal into Twin Serpent Lakes and hugging the east border until you reach Nick. An alternative route starts in Riverside Province; it takes a longer path to Nick, but has the advantage of passing by Gruhn to exchange fins for herring. Start from Riverside, stay left until you reach Gruhn, then cut across the zone to reach Nick. Whichever route you take, be prepared to deal with conditions and hexes; bring hex and condition removal.

Farming for Herring
As noted above, you must collect Bog Skale Fins, exchange them with Gruhn for Herring before visiting Nick. The fins drop from 3 types of skale and can be found in nearly a dozen zones across Kryta, allowing for any number of possible farming areas. Regardless of where you farm, you will have to deal with the Disease, Poison, and Corpse exploitation of these necromantic casters. Be sure to bring plenty of Hex and Condition removal. The enemies in these areas tend to bunch up (especially if you pull them), so they are vulnerable to AoE damage. Although not essential, Interrupts and fire damage can also help.


 * Suggested Farm #1: Scoundrel's Rise rezoning from North Kryta Province
 * Begin at the Gates of Kryta and head west towards North Kryta (red dots). Just before you reach the portal, head south to a small cul-de-sac (yellow circle) where some skale are waiting for you to farm. Use the NKP portal to rezone and repeat.


 * Suggested Farm #2: Twin Serpent Lakes from Riverside Province
 * Exit Riverside Province into Twin Serpent Lakes. Just outside the exit is a group of Bog Skale Icetooth and Mergoyle. This is a faster area to farm, but slightly more dangerous. It makes up for this by allowing a group of 6 to zone in and out quickly killing and then zoning. It also brings you close to Gruhn and Nick.


 * Suggested Farm #3: Tears of the Fallen, starting from Fishermen's Haven
 * Exit Fishermen's Haven heading northwest through Stingray Strand to Tears of the Fallen. Circle the zone counterclockwise and attack red dots wherever you find them, as about 55 of the 5 dozen foes are skale. Rezone into the Strand or Twin Serpent Lakes (the portals are close). A party of four should see 3-5 bog skale fins drop per run and each run takes about 5-10 minutes; even non-veterans should be able to collect 25 fins quickly.

Summary

 * Item: Charr Hide
 * Found in: Old Ascalon, The Breach, and Eastern Frontier
 * Dropped by: Charr

Getting to Nick
Start in Piken Square and leave through the southern exit. You will be in The Breach. By heading directly south following the path you will come to a fork. To the west is a deep valley with tar, to the east the path continues south. You will follow this path all the way to Nicholas the Traveler.

Farming for Charr Hides
The easiest place to farm for them is inside The Breach. When you exit Piken Square there will be several groups within visual range. These groups can easily be solo killed, and then you can rezone to start over. There are only 5 required. This is probably the fastest and easiest desired item yet. For those wanting a bit of a challenge this can be done in Hard Mode. This will make the challenge a bit more fun, and offer a chance of better drops. This will however lower the amount of Charr Hides that drop. If you choose to do this in Hard Mode, and you have Rebel Yell activate it for boost to defense and energy gain.

An alternative farming location is Nolani Academy. Start the mission, activate the lever to open the door and destroy the mob of Charr that rush in, then quit the mission and repeat.

Summary

 * Item: Feathered Avicara Scalps
 * Found in: Talus Chute and Mineral Springs


 * Nick's Location: Mineral Springs

Getting to Nick
The only way to reach Mineral Springs is by going through the Granite Citadel. First you will need to leave east to Tasca's Demise. From there you will continue east, then turn north east. You will find the exit to Mineral Springs. From here there are two possible routes you can follow, as shown on the map to Nicholas the Traveler. The easiest path is to turn right after entering the Mineral springs and follow that path. It will bring you to him on the eastern part of Mineral Springs. There are several groups of Avicara along the path, including bosses. Something to prevent Knockdown is very helpful.

Farming for the Feathered Avicara Scalps
You can find a short run just outside the west exit of Droknar's Forge. You will exit into Talus Chute. Below is a map showing the fastest path to several groups. The groups are marked in blue. After finishing off the last large group, simply resign and restart the run. This run can be soloed using a 600/smite build, a 55 monk build, or a Shadow Form sliver build. If you are going as one of the monk builds you should bring something to prevent interruption. The Avicara Braves have Savage Slash. The Avicara Wise are mesmers, but mostly geared for anti-melee with no interrupting skills. The Avicara Guile have the skill Strip Enchantment which can be a problem for enchantment based farming. If you go with a Shadow Form build you will need some type of healing because the Avicara Fierce have the ability Ignite Arrows. This will cause damage to you even through Shadow Form.The map given is for one group of spawns, they will spawn in a few different areas. This one is the easiest and you can zone until it is the one you want. The others are usually a bit longer, but offer more Avicara to farm. With just a balanced party of 5 players this area can be easily taken. This is faster than solo runs, and over time yields about the same amount to all party members as a solo farm would.

A longer run takes you past Nick's current location. If you follow the a clockwise loop through Mineral Springs, beginning by going left after exiting Tasca's Demise, you will encounter perhaps a dozen flocks of 6-8 Avicara plus the half-dozen bosses. Rezone repeatedly until you have sated your lust for scalps. Consider bringing some Signets of Capture as many of the elites are unique to the springs. If you are well prepared for the Tengu, you should have little trouble with the 3 other groups encountered in the loop: 3-4 triplets of Tundra Giants; 2 pairs of Ice Imp/Siege Ice Golem/Pinesoul; and another set or two of the Pinesoul.

Threats &amp; Recommended Skills

 * Threats: enchantment stripping from Avicara Guile, interrupts from Avicara Brave, Maelstrom from Ice Imps, knockdowns from Tundra Giants
 * Recommended skills: interrupts (vs imps), condition removal/resistance (vs Avicara), speed or knockdown prevention (vs Giants). Hexes are heavy in both areas, so a good way to remove them is recommended. The Avicara Ardent are also healers that use the skill Shield of Judgment, a party is advised to bring along something to remove enchantments.
 * Alternatives: AoE spellcasters can lure foes into narrow passages, corpses are plentiful for Minion Masters, and the Avicara tend to clump in threes conveniently for many Dervish builds

Summary

 * Item: Stone Carvings
 * Sources: Stone Guardian (Factions)
 * Found in: Arborstone (explorable zone) and  mission


 * Nick's Location: Arborstone

Getting to Nick
The only way to reach Arborstone is through completing the Arborstone mission, which means completing the five prior missions (and relevant primary quests). The shortest route to Nick is from Altrumm Ruins: exit the outpost and head left, following the map.

Most Efficient Farming
You can find 21 enemies that might drop the carvings just outside the ruins. Exit the ruins and head left towards Nick, but take the second right through some double doors. You'll find 3 of the 4 Stone Guardian bosses. Finish them off and head back towards the outpost, passing the portal and head up the top of the ramp. (You can choose to run past the various wardens.) Now head back to where the bosses were to find 3 sets of 6 guardians. (The second ramp triggered the appearance of the 18 extra carving sources.)


 * Total time: about 5-10 minutes for 21 possibles, depending on your team. Teams of four can expect about 1-2 carvings/run.

Threats &amp; Recommended Skills
The most serious threats to your party are large groups of wardens and the elementalist boss; prepare yourself for them and the other opponents are easy enough. As always, only aggro as many monsters as your team can handle.


 * Wardens: bring some anti-melee skills (blocks or slow downs) and some AoE attacks. Some condition removal is also helpful, as their traps cause bleeding, slowness, and poison.
 * Zarnas Stonewrath: his elite skill, Shockwave causes a lot of damage to its target but even more damage to nearby party members. Backfire &amp; Interrupts are ideal, but if you don't have a good Mesmer, bring as many earth damage protections as you can (armor upgrades, skills, etc). Keep your party far from the boss, unless they are tanking; protect the tanks with damage reducing skills.

Note: the Guardians are resistant to Knockdown, Bleeding, and Poisoning; they remain vulnerable to other conditions.