Dye farming guide (Pre-Searing)

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Notes: The article lists pre-Searing skills without adding any dye-farming specific details (the data, as listed, is available and more complete elsewhere). The particular farming routes are not specific to farming, but apply to any goth item farm. Finally, the article promotes the idea that dye drops are more common in pre-Searing without offering any evidence that this is true.

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Some players like to farm dye in Pre-Searing Ascalon for the following reasons:

The monsters are low-level.
Pre-Searing is believed to be exempt from loot scaling.

In Wizard's Folly (Pre-Searing), the Hulking Stone Elementals and Stone Elementals drop quite a few vials of dye as well.

Skills[]

This is a list of skills available to players in pre-searing. The first list gives skills only available to primary professions, the second gives all other skills available.

Primary Skills[]

Warrior

All pre-searing warrior skills are available to secondary warriors.

Ranger

Power Shot: Compared to other ranger skills attainable in presearing (Ignite Arrows + Dual Shot) it's use is somewhat limited.

Monk

Banish: Great against undead, obviously. Not as useful as other smiting spells available to you.
Healing Breeze: Very potent healing. Don't go out without this.

Necromancer

Vampiric Gaze: Better against one-on-one fighting. Not ideal for farming.

Mesmer

Empathy: Powerful against certain enemies (Charr and higher level targets). Not so much against hordes of peons.

Elementalist

Flare: A useful form of maintaining health when combined with Aura of Restoration.

Secondary Profession Skills[]

Warrior

Frenzy: Be cautious using this unless you have sufficient armor. Collector armor for casters will not suffice. Only warriors and sometimes rangers should ever bring this.
Healing Signet: A potent heal especially considering the amount of health characters have at lower levels. Energy efficient as well.
Sever Artery: Very useful against single or few enemies.
Gash: A must bring with Sever Artery
Hammer Bash: One of two knockdown skills available in pre-searing. Useful against pesky healers in the Northlands.
Cyclone Axe: There is no better skill in pre-searing for spreading out damage for a warrior.
Executioner's Strike: A very powerful way to end lives.

Ranger

Dual Shot: Obviously mixes well with Ignite Arrows. Otherwise not terribly effective.
Point Blank Shot: Dispite the short range, this skill is very powerful and recharges at a decent speed. Great for one or few enemies at a time.
Troll Unguent: A must bring for rangers who don't have any other way of healing.
Ignite Arrows: A great AoE to bring for a ranger.
Charm Animal: A pet can make a decent tank in the Northlands. Not as useful south of the wall.
Comfort Animal: A package deal with Charm Animal
Read The Wind: Mix with Point Blank Shot for higher damage output.

Monk

Orison of Healing: Effective and inexpensive.
Bane Signet: Energy efficient and can interrupt some of the more devilish attack skills used north of the wall.
Retribution: When combined with skills like Frenzy and Healing Signet, guarded by powerful healing, this can be a viable form of farming enemies.
Symbol of Wrath: Even effective for warrior primaries, due to its low energy cost.
Shielding Hands: Very useful for preventing lots of little damage.
Reversal of Fortune: Requires greater skill and timing to be effective. More easily useful in the Northlands.

Necromancer

Life Siphon:
Vampiric Touch:
Blood Renewal: Be cautious of the sacrifice, as it takes place before the healing. It can also be shattered by the charr chaots.
Animate Bone Horror: While there are no skills in pre-searing that aid in maintaining a minion army, the concept of "refresh rather than restore" can be an effective one if you're killing fast enough.
Deathly Swarm: Very powerful.
Soul Barbs:
Faintheartedness:

Mesmer

Ether Feast: Possibly a mesmer's only heal, and not terribly potent either.
Conjure Phantasm: Powerful especially at higher attribute levels. Great against more difficult enemies.
Imagined Burden:
Backfire:
Shatter Delusions:

Elementalist

Fire Storm: A very powerful option.
Aura of Restoration: A must if you are bringing spells, even if they aren't elementalist spells.
Glyph of Lesser Energy:
Blinding Flash:
Lightning Javelin:

Specific Farming Locations[]

Spiders Dye Farm[]

Requirements: Level 6-8 /

Go to Ashford Abbey, and continue down into the catacombs. When there, take the right fork in the road, killing everything in your way. Once you reach the room guarded by four skeletons, take the back route towards the atrium.

Run around the circular room, aggroing all of the Deadly Crypt Spiders, then AoE them. Collect your loot, lather, rinse, and repeat.

Bandit Raid Farming[]

A fast and easy farm that takes a minute or less each run.

Loot: Worn Belts, Dye, Weapons, and Gold.
Level Range: Warriors 1-8, Rangers 2-8, Casters 3-8. (minimum for survivability, maximum for Experience gain)
Foes: Alain and 7 Bandit Blood Sworns. (8 Level 3's)
Other Notes: If this was the only way a player gained exp, they would reach level 7 in only 40 runs. Another 24 would yield them level 8. 48 more after that would get a character to level nine. Thereafter, no experience would be gained.

Guide: You need to pick up the quest Bandit Raid in Ascalon City. From there, go to Ashford and walk out into Lakeside County. Make your way towards the quest marker. The camp full of 4 level 3 bandits will be aggressive to you, and the lower levels will join in too. Defeat them and repeat.

Ideally, you will have the quest Protection Prayers as well. This quest will add 4 level 3 enemies and remove all of the level 1 mobs from the area. This gives you 8 mobs at level 3.

This YouTube video will show you the easiest way to farm the bandits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xuPljvCAP8