Quest Guide: Asee-Teph - Part I

Welcome to Hell.

I've heard people say that Asee-Teph is the zone that causes many people to quit Allods, and I can see why some people could get frustrated here. There are major changes in the style of play when you hit this zone from both the PvP and PvE perspective. Hopefully this guide will help you avoid the frustration and get through this area with your sanity intact. You can find the quest list for this zone right here. You can also read about the zone's treasure  and reputation. In Part I of this two-part guide I'm going to cover general information and tactics for dealing with this zone. In Part II I'll move on to a more quest-oriented discussion.

There are two major changes in play here. The first is that Asee-Teph is a PvP heavy zone. Unlike earlier areas, both Empire and League players are questing here, and many quests will force you to turn on your PvP flag, as the target monsters are affiliated with the opposite faction. The main reputation quest for this zone is one such quest, leading to a pretty hefty PvP grind-fest as you work to complete reputation.

The second major change is the organization of quests and quest-givers. Previous zones have been pretty well organized so far as quests moving you from one part of the zone to another in a progression that matches up with your level. Asee-Teph is a different beast. Take a look at the map image to the right (click for larger view). See all those blue pins? Those are quest-givers (we'll get to the red pins later). As you can see there's no linear layout to follow here. This, coupled with the zone's convoluted terrain, can make organizing your runs difficult.

So that's the bad news. A tough zone layout coupled with PvP makes for some difficult times ahead. Let me make a couple suggestions about how to approach this zone. First, realize that PvP *will* happen. You will get ganked by a group of enemy players or a bored level 40 at least a few times while you're questing, probably more often than that. If PvP is not your thing, consider playing during off-hours, and join up with others when you are playing. These two tactics can help ease the PvP pain, though you can't avoid it completely. Second, use the scattered nature of the quests as a tool. If one area is overrun with enemy players, switch to another. As you progress you'll generally have at least three different areas you can quest in available. If neither of these tricks works, consider taking a break for a half-hour or so. Remember you're playing to have fun, so if you're not, stop. Do something else. Lastly, keep in mind that the next two zones are much less focused on PvP questing, so once you're past Asee-Teph, things do get better.

Sites of Power and War Banners

There are a couple of new features in this zone you need to be aware of. The first is Sites of Power. These are glowing pools of power scattered all over the zone that are controlled by either the Empire (orange) or the League (blue). They can also be guarded by Channelers, PvP-flagged monsters affiliated with the faction controlling the site. Players can change each Site to their side's control by using their Banner, an item given to each player when they take the daily repeatable quest Capturing the Sites of Power. To capture a site, you must kill the Channelers, wait a few minutes, then use your League Banner,  an item you receive when you start the quest, on the Site. Each controlled Site gives a 10 minute attribute buff when you visit it, and if your side controls all sites this buff affects multiple attributes for 30 minutes, a very nice bonus for questing or PvP. Be warned, the Channelers can be tough for new arrivals, and at least one of the sites has additional guardians.

War Banners are the second new feature in this area. They are uncommon drops from various PvP-enabled monsters around the zone. If you use a War Banner, you and the allies around you gain the Bloodlust buff, which lets you attack enemy players who have their PvP flag off. Active War Banners usually show up on the map (blue for League, red for Empire), though players with the Bloodlust buff may not. Be warned: War Banners are a bit buggy, so you may not always see them until it's too late. If you want to quest in peace, avoid areas with active War Banners!

New Factions

Asee-Teph introduces two new factions, the Historians, and the Free Traders. These factions offer quests to both Empire and League players, so don't be surprised to see enemy players talking with some of your quest givers here. You will earn some reputation with each of these factions, but neither is the real reputation focus here.

General Approach

If you take a look at the map above, you'll note each of the marked quest giver locations has a letter next to it, A, B or C. The A quests are generally easier than B, which are easier than C. This isn't a hard and fast rating, but using this map should both help you find quest givers and figure out where to go if you're trying to avoid trouble. I didn't mark the Central League Camp, because you'll be back and forth here all the time.

A few extra notes:

• The three eastern red dots are the three guerrilla commanders for Orders for the Guerrillas. They're tough to find, and in the middle of Imperial territory.
• The western red dot is the location of the Prophetic Family, who you'll contact for the quest The Voice of Truth. Another tough to find target.
• The unlabeled blue dot south of Texio Swamp is the location of the Chatterbox Family, an NPC that is part of an Empire quest (thanks to Berzhul for the info).

Final Thoughts

Two additional notes: The entrance to the Bazaar area of Eljune can be reached via the western path leading out of Texio Swamp, though League players may want to head north-west along the north beach to reach Maddox Depot instead. Coba Plateau can be reached by traveling east on either of the two roads leading out of the zone.

That wraps up part one of this guide. I'll be back soon with more detailed quest information in Part II. Stay tuned.