ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

I asked this question in general Tome chat a couple days ago, but I'm not sure if I still understand. If someone can answer the below questions, that would be great.

1. If you over-level a zone (e.g. you're level 12 and attempting to go through a level 1-5 zone), can you get escort quests during in that zone? Also, if you're going "backwards" through that zone (because you're over-leveled, it starts you at the last level), can you still trigger escort quests?

2. When a new level of a zone is created, is that when it will decide to give and generate an escort for you? Or is that determined during character creation (if so, how)? For example, what tiers/zones/levels you can potentially get an escort on is determined during character creation?

3. If there's anything else I need to know to understand how the process works, please explain.

Thanks!

When you create a character the system allocates exactly nine dungeon levels to have escort quests. They don't change after that. It looks like the actual dungeons that might have your escorts is based on the race you select at character creation. It doesn't matter what level you are, you will still get your escort quests in those pre-determined locations.

Does that help?

The only tricky bit is that sometimes you won't get the escort quest the first time you enter the level. This happens if there are a bunch of closed doors in a Kor'Pul-type zone layout, which don't provide any path of sufficient length from the starting stairs to a portal. After opening doors, or digging tunnels, you may return to the level and get the quest the second time.

mal2 wrote:When you create a character the system allocates exactly nine dungeon levels to have escort quests. They don't change after that. It looks like the actual dungeons that might have your escorts is based on the race you select at character creation. It doesn't matter what level you are, you will still get your escort quests in those pre-determined locations.

Does that help?

How does that interact with skipping levels in starter dungeons after the third? Do you risk permanently missing escorts this way, or does skipping force the game to reassign them elsewhere?

Velorien wrote:

mal2 wrote:When you create a character the system allocates exactly nine dungeon levels to have escort quests. They don't change after that. It looks like the actual dungeons that might have your escorts is based on the race you select at character creation. It doesn't matter what level you are, you will still get your escort quests in those pre-determined locations.

Does that help?

How does that interact with skipping levels in starter dungeons after the third? Do you risk permanently missing escorts this way, or does skipping force the game to reassign them elsewhere?

Skipping levels is a first-time-only event. You can always backtrack afterwards. Or recall out and enter the dungeon again later - you'd start at level one. The escorts always occur only in the 2 first 1th tier dungeons you enter, anyway (not counting "special" starter dungeons like the dwarf ones, for ex.)

mal2, laru, and everyone else:

Your answers really helped. Thanks for taking the time to answer my post.

Velorien wrote:The escorts always occur only in the 2 first 1th tier dungeons you enter, anyway (not counting "special" starter dungeons like the dwarf ones, for ex.)

Just to clarify, escorts can show up in non tier 1 dungeons also, for example, Dreadfel or Daikara.

greycat wrote:The only tricky bit is that sometimes you won't get the escort quest the first time you enter the level. This happens if there are a bunch of closed doors in a Kor'Pul-type zone layout, which don't provide any path of sufficient length from the starting stairs to a portal. After opening doors, or digging tunnels, you may return to the level and get the quest the second time.

Does their portal still appear when this happens? Or should you backtrack through Kor'Pul instead of recalling?

It's all or nothing. The portal only shows up when the escort does, so you have to backtrack to be sure.

You never need to back up from level 3 to get your 9 escorts, in 1.0. And the mtos common place for them to get 'stuck' is actually Dreadfell - which is good, as dreadfell escorts can be a nightmare with mobs around.

So... any game where you reach the portal east it's worth counting out the nine in your quest log and doubling back to dreadfell just to zoom around on autoexplore (or manually walk back up the tower after boss), then kor'pul. Won't all that often need to go through all that, usually you do have 9 by west's end.