From LSWiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Joining 3 Petitioning 4 Runes (Getting Started) 4.1 Initial Runes (Enhancements) 4.2 Offensive Runes 4.3 Defensive Runes 4.4 Miscellaneous Runes 5 Runes (Specific) 5.1 Offensive Runes 5.2 Defensive Runes 5.3 Miscellaneous Runes

Introduction

This is my Ringerwielder's guide to domination and servitude, building upon or updating the advice found in the Newbie's Guide to a Ring of Power. I began serving our lord Ahrikol as Sinister Stairs, then Ixithoth, and my current general is Corvynna Kinslayer the betrayer.

Joining

I don't know the precise requirements, as I've been denied for both insufficient rune lore (with few quest points) and lack of deeds (with little-to-no rune lore). I think quest points weigh more than rune lore.

Easy quests you can do with no fighting include At'lordrith's Riddle, Death's Gate, the Devonshire Murder, the Inner Sanctum, the Lost Kentaur and the Source of the Slime.

The assassination quest has minimal-to-no fighting required. Gwalin's Quandary, Hardin's Gauntlet and the Dunwich Mystery require fighting, but they are routinely completed (incidentally), so the quest items may already be readily available for you.

There are other easy quests as well, such as the trivia quest, but these are the ones that can be completed the quickest, IMO.

Petitioning

`Help runes' describes how your "runespace" is determined (i.e. how many runes you may have), but I wanted to add my observations:

To quote that help file: "[Ahrikol] holds in high regard those with a strong innate sense of ethical integrity, he also recognizes that the world requires difficult moral choices of one and appreciates those willing to make hard decisions."

It is my belief that that knowledge refers to a Diabolic Ordered alignment. On several occasions I've been refused runes while Saintly Ordered, but then granted those same runes after correcting my alignment to D/O (with no other significant changes in stats/skills).

I have not tried petitioning while Chaotic Diabolic, but I have it on good word that as of this writing (2010/01/26), Ahrikhol himself is now C/D; perhaps C/D would allow even more runespace.

Runes (Getting Started)

There are a myriad of runes available to ringwielders and perhaps just as many different playstyles, so it may seem overwhelming which runes to select.

No two ringwielders will have the exact same runes (or at least, I should hope not), but I wish to provide advice to get you started and help your decision-making.

Initial Runes (Enhancements)

Newly appointed soldiers invariably ask, "So what runes should I take? How many runes can I start with?" While I can't precisely answer the second question, I can offer that I've never had a ringwielder who couldn't take the runes I suggest for the first question:

• Start with the enhancements runes for your primary stats: Thabtka (intelligence), krah-li (willpower), ekaschos (charisma) and qiange (perception).
• You may also select the other stat runes, depending on your playstyle/preference (but personally, I always do): Khyaros (strength), omavistis (constitution) and vanar (dexterity).

The stat enhancement runes are a good (and cheap) foundation, no matter what your playstyle is.

• Most ringwielders would agree the must-have rune for all wraiths is memtholin (spiritual energy), which greatly buffs one's centering and channeling.

• Depending on your playstyle, other must-have may include klizmaphex (recuperation) and uvmodath (access/enhance strength skills, particularly armour adaptation.)

• Most ringwielders select irimdes (quickness) and/or hae-kadzi, which are boons in both combat and travel.

Offensive Runes

Where you start running into debate is when deciding which attack runes to select. There honestly aren't any "best" runes (other than "all runes"), but here's some rules-of-thumb for you to consider:

• If you don't have many spec points (i.e. low level), you should focus on a line. For example, choose to specialize in aeromancy before branching out to other types.
• You probably want to take advantage of your race's natural abilities; e.g. pyromancy for phaethon or necromancy for nylocs.
• The "best" attack rune is whatever your opponent is vulnerable to. If you're fighting a fiery foe, cold is your friend. If you are strugging with an adversary subsisting of stone, then acid may be your solution.
• Work towards an AoE rune (area attack -- originally "Area of Effect") for dealing with multiple opponents.
• If you can afford the spec/runespace, take a secondary attack rune in case your primary attack rune is resisted by a particular opponent. As you conquer more and more powerful foes, you will find they are more and more resistant to various damage types.
• Different damage types may have different side effects. For example, electricity tends to shock & stun, while cold can have a slowing effect. I believe fire does the most raw damage.
• If you're a melee warrior, then ironically the active defense runes offer some nice ways to augment your damage. (Gevel and lgladzi)

Defensive Runes

• Ciiv (slashing resistance), n'rax (crushing resistance) and zadash (piercing resistance) are very popular runes to start with, because they protect against the most common damage types.
• Specific defense runes (e.g. uanedryl) tend to be more protective and far less costly than generalized defense runes (e.g. kaonfar).
• Cover your weaknesses: If you're a slaan, then wojun, rethnal and/or aphari are no-brainers.

Miscellaneous Runes

The various "utility runes" (which I include both utility runes and teleportation runes) are just that -- they're utilitarian. They won't help you defeat foes faster or make you more durable, but they do make life easier or even make the game experience more enjoyable.

• Cover your weaknesses: If you're allergic to sunlight or dazzled by it, then laelinak (light control) may be your answer.
• Make up for deficiencies:
  • If you can't fly, then aerinax (flight) grants you that ability. (And even if you can fly, aerinax can be a lifesaver when your wings are amputated, or you've died and lost your ring of flight.)
  • If you can't see in the dark, then colapha (night vision) may correct that.
• Mitigate annoyances:
  • If you hate traveling across the oceans to reaffirm your allegiance to Ahrikol, then teleportation runes such as ispiri (teleport home) may be your new means of travel.
  • Does it seem as if you can never carry enough loot? You may want to check out teleportation runes such as glochar (teleportation) or xantaras (personal microcosm).
  • Tired of camping Lucanius's for lenses of insight? Look no further than xiriaq (insight).

Runes (Specific)

In this section, I am not recommending runes to choose (see the previous section), but rather providing insight into the runes I've tried. If a rune isn't listed here, it doesn't mean it's "bad," I simply haven't had experience with it. Conversely, if a rune is listed here, that doesn't make it "good" either; I've merely had the misfortune of being stuck with it.

Offensive Runes

I refer to "offensive runes" to include the official attack runes along with some of the active defense runes; any rune that make foes fall faster.

• "Offensive auras" such as gevel and lgladzi are excellent for new ringwielders: Turn them on, and the monsters hurt themselves while trying to harm you! This is great against melee foes, which most newbie monsters are.

• B'padhax (dispel magick): I still haven't used this one, but it seems very potent.
• Czon (chaos disjunction) can be used, among other things, to strip a pesky Chaos Knight of hir protective parageos.
• Domwrelin (mana shunt): I haven't used this rune yet, but I can definitely envision situations where preventing your opponent from using magic is worth the rune's tradeoff. Hypothetical situations:
  • Defeating pure spellcasters, whose magic far surpasses your own and/or weak melee fighters.
  • Neutralizing bezhuldaars (by luring them in) who would disable your Ring of Power anyways.
  • Prevent foes who teleport you or themselves to safety
• Gaj (poison): Untested, but it seems like a good rune that theoretically wouldn't be resisted by many living beings.

• "Slaying runes": Runes that can immediately finish a foe when they're mortally wounded.
  • B'ryzmkel (shatter): This rune doesn't actually cause foes to shatter (i.e. they still leave a corpse, where appropriate).
  • Vilix (life leech): This rune seems to get resisted a lot; i.e. it slays fewer foes than b'ryzmkel (shatter). For example, it doesn't work against undead at all -- it even heals them. Vilix can leech both health and spirit, but with my Necromancy I, the gains are minimal, if any.

Defensive Runes

Miscellaneous Runes