The *Near Wild* is roughly as dangerous as level 4 of a mature dungeon. But that is more of an average. Depending on how deep you go and random luck as well as a few other factors it can get quite dangerous. The chittering horde we encountered a few days ago demonstrates that. You can roughly judge how dangerous the area you are is by the manifestation of aspects and the level of noise. Typically the quieter it is the worse trouble you are in.

After blitzing the area right around the Academy settlement we headed deeper into the open expanse. The most common animals around the Academy were rats, part of the legacy of the dungeon, and wolves, which were generally common in the *Near Wild*. But sometimes you got more interesting stuff. Our plan on this outing was to practice fighting without Ground Wall. Getting a healer was a great excuse to try it.

The first fight we came up on that was significant enough for a test was a set of 4 Night Wolves.

Night Wolf lvl 2*5 Health 240 Mana 80 MOV 15m/s Claw Rake 40 dmg 1s Rend 40dmg +5 DOT/5s 10 mana 2s Dark Chomp 80 dmg 2s 40 mana

These weren't the most terrifying foes with no leadership, only being lvl 2, and lacking ranged abilities but they were good to test the durability of our offtanks.

Chronomancer Miasmist Shieldmaiden Eruptor Treant Cleanser Health 78 Health 78 Health 170 Health 78 Health 128 Health 78 Mana 276 Mana 272 Mana 206 Mana 272 Mana 146 Mana 272 MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s

The Treant and the Shieldmaiden took positions 45m off the wolves while the rest of us were back at 50m. This was to keep everyone but the Cleanser in range of Forest Heart. The Shieldmaiden was to keep to Shield abilities and Arbsorb, and maybe Protection. No crowd control. Even Force Traps was a bit counter productive.

Quicken led the fight off for me with the Eruptor deploying Roiling Ground and Forest Heart spreading from the Treant. Roiling Ground would be particularly useful here since it would be dealing 10 ENV per second for the duration with Warm Air boosting it. The wolves would have to be in range of it to attack the frontline. The Miasmist went for the traditional Dusk simply for lack of other options. The Shieldmaiden cast Protection on the Treant. Temporary Health persisted for 5 seconds. I'd Accelerate her next turn so Absorb would finish in time. The Cleanser began to cast Remedy. It would finish 3 seconds before the first damage but it had a 10s duration so it was better than nothing.

The wolves quickly raced across the gap covering a 3rd of the 45m.

I cast Accelerate on the Shieldmaiden so she could protect our front line before moving to Shield Bash. The Cleanser began to incant Remedy again on the Treant this time.

The wolves were 15m away and 2 seconds from dealing their first damage.

The Treant began to cast Bark Skin. I Accelerated the Cleanser. The Miasmist and the Eruptor were almost ready to cast real spells. The Shieldmaiden cast Absorb. The Cleanser cast Revitalize on the Treant to top up the mana and start another heal.

The wolves were in range to attack.

The Treant cast Amber Armor on herself and the Shieldmaiden. The Shieldmaiden Shieldbashed the 2 wolves in from of her thanks to Haste. She had 1s left. The Cleanser cast Revitalize on the Maiden as well. The wolves took 10 damage from Roiling Ground. I cast Stagnation on a wolf. This was reverse Haste and caused all actions to take twice as long. The Miasmist cast her favorite opening Acid Splash, which would finish next turn. The Eruptor unloaded with Molten Spurt which would also take effect next turn.

2 spent 40 mana to use Chomp on the Treant for 80 damage while 1 would take an extra 2 seconds to finish their own attack on the Maiden. The 2 in front of the Maiden had both been bashed. They were forced to use high damage skills because the Treant had 44 Absorbtion and the Maiden had 29.

Magma Spurt took one shield-bashed wolf down to 140. Then it dropped to 120 while the others also dropped to 220 or 200 in the case of the other bash-ee due to Acid Splash. I cast Quicken as my Haste had run out. The Maiden double Shield Bashed again to finish off her Haste. The Cleanser cast Revitalize again purely for mana purposes. The Treant Bashed a wolf. The Eruptor cash Molten Spurt on the lowest wolf. The Miasmist began to cast Infect on the 3 lowest wolves.

The Treant took 72 damage, 40 of which was absorbed by the Temporary Health. Then 25 was healed by her Laurel Crown(5), Remedy(5), Revitalize(5), Amber Armor(5), and Forest Heart(5). That left 7 total bringing her to 121. It seemed we had greatly underestimated our mid/front party members. We cleared out the fight and looked for a tougher challenge.

I spent the entire fight casting Quicken and then spamming Accelerate. The Cleanser cast a few Remedies for want of a better option and then Revitalizes to boost the mana of the others, though it wasn't really necessary. Everyone else cast domain spells but the Shield Maiden who cast Protection.

As the wolves arrived they started to take 10 dmg from Roiling Ground boosted by Warm Air. The Shieldmaiden had been casting Absorb and the Treant Bark Skin and Amber Armor.

The Maiden bashed the wolves as they arrived getting 2 actions per turn from Haste. I finally got to cast Stagnation. The Treant took damage but with 44 physical ABS she took under half of 2 wolves chomp, their most painful ability. With recovery and temporary health she ended up barely damage.

That should make it clear that the fight was too easy so I won't detail the clean up.

After misfired test run we delved into the forest to find enemies of sufficient danger following some discussion. It turned out our healer made a decent difference without even direct heals and our new gear provided a significant mana cushion. Eventually we came upon a more promising set of targets.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3*4 Health 400 Mana 160 MOV 25m/s Giant Paw 60 dmg 1s Heavy Flame Swipe 40 phys dmg/40 fire dmg 2s stun 40 mana 2s Hellfire Chomp 80 fire dmg/40 phys dmg 2s 40 mana 2s Dire Focus -1s CTRL DUR Passive Chronomancer Miasmist Shieldmaiden Eruptor Treant Cleanser Health 78 Health 78 Health 170 Health 78 Health 128 78 Mana 276 Mana 272 Mana 206 Mana 272 Mana 146 272 MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s MOV 5m/s

This battle would be significantly tougher. Not only did the bears have 50% higher dmg output and potential control effects but they had control resistance. Not a lot but enough to negate many of my distraction effects and the basic Bash of the Treant. Additionally Aspected damage was absorbed at only half efficiency. ABS protection split evenly between damage types. 40 phys/40 fire would deal damage like this: 40-22 + 40-11 = 18+29=47. 80 pure phys would be 80-44=36. For 40/80 that would be 40-22 + 80-11 = 18+69=87. For 120 pure phys dmg it would be 120-44=76. 87+87 was 174 which was 4 more than the Shieldmaiden had. And 46 more than the Treant. Of course we had a lot of recovery and even raw health boosts. Additionally with 6 vs 4 that was a lot of action economy.

We started off with out usual rotation. 45 and 50 feet for our lines. Quicken, Forest Heart, Roiling Ground, Absorb, and Revitalize on the Treant. However the Miasmist casts Acid Splash on the future location of the bears.

The bears were very fast and would arrive in 2 turns instead of 3. Well 1 turn now.

I cast Accelerate on the Cleanser. Absorb and Forest Heart finish. Revitalize finishes. Roiling Ground continues. Acid Splash hits.

The bears arrive. Damage could come down next turn unless they want to use bigger attacks.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 380(-20)/400 Health 380(-20)/400 Health 380(-20)/400 Health 380(-20)/400 Mana 160 Mana 160 Mana 160 Mana 160

ENV:

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV:

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV:

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV:

DoT: 5 [=5]

Marks: 1 || Control: Marks: 1 || Control: Marks: 1 || Control: Marks: 1 || Control: 1s

Amber Armor is cast. I cast Accelerate on the Treant. The Cleanser casts Revitalize on the Treant. The Shieldmaiden uses Shield Bash on 1 bear. The Miasmist casts Infect on three bears. Roiling Ground continues.

3 bears prepare their stun skill. 1 is freed from stun.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 375(-15)/400 Health 365(-15)/400 Health 375(-15)/400 Health 355(-35)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) [=10]

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV: 5(+5) [=10]

DoT: 5 +2 [=7]

ENV: 5(+5) [=10]

DoT: 5 + 2 [=7]

ENV: 5(+5) [=10]

DoT: 5 + 2 [=7]

Marks: 1 || Control: 1s Marks: 2 || Control: 1s Marks: 2 || Control: 1s Marks: 2 || Control: 1s

The Shieldmaiden uses Shield Wall. I cast Accelerate on the Miasmist. 3 bears are hit with Infect. Acid damage applies. The Cleanser cast Revitalize on the Treant. The Treant casts Grasping Roots. The bears are Rooted for 1 second mid strike. Roiling Ground ends.

4 bears are freed from Root.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 360(-15)/400 Health 358(-17)/400 Health 358(-17)/400 Health 338(-17)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) + [=10]

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV: 5(+5) + [=10]

DoT: 5 + 2 [=7]

ENV: 5(+5) + [=10]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + [=10]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

Marks: 1 || Control: 1s Marks: 2 || Control: 1s Marks: 3 || Control: 1s Marks: 3 || Control: 1s

I cast Quicken. The Miasmist casts Fester on 2 bears. Thanks to Revitalize the Treant has 82 mana though sadly the healing buffs don't stack. The Treant casts Grasping Roots. He is at 22 mana. The Cleanser casts Revitalize. Luckily Grasping Roots is stalling them out. Only can afford it 1 more time, though. The Shieldmaiden casts Magic Resist. In 2 turns she'll have to recast Absorb. The Eruptor is finally ready to cast and goes with Lava Rain.

4 bears are freed from Root.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 315(-45)/400 Health 311(-47)/400 Health 304(-54)/400 Health 284(-54)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 [=7]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) + 5(+9) [=28]

Marks: 1 || Control: 1s Marks: 2 || Control: 1s Marks: 3 || Control: 1s Marks: 3 || Control: 1s

The Treant casts Grasping Roots 1 more time. Down to 10 mana. The Cleanser loses Haste. She casts Remedy on the Treant. I cast Accelerate on the Cleanser once more. Magic Resist finishes for Fire. The Miasmist casts Envenom on the weakest bear. Lava Rain finishes.

4 bears are freed from Root. 3 will finish their stun skill and one will start next turn.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 250(-65)/400 Health 224(-87)/400 Health 230(-74)/400 Health 196(-88)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 [=5]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 [=7]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) + 5(+9) [=28]

Marks: 1 || Control: 0s Marks: 2 || Control: 2s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s

The Treant can't cast another spell. The Shieldmaiden bashes a bear targeting the Treant stalling it for 1 second. I cast Accelerate on the Miasmist. The Cleanser casts Revitalize on me. The Eruptor casts Lava Rain again absent better options. Acid Splash has ended since the Miasmist didn't cast Dusk. The Miasmist casts Acid Splash again. The Treant piles on a second second of stun. Combined stuns stack.

1 bear attacks each frontliner while 1 bear clears 1s of control and 1 bear starts their stun attack on the Shieldmaiden. The Treant has 20(+4)+5+5=34 ABS. She takes 40-17=23Phys and 40-8=32Fire for a total of 55. The Shieldmaiden has 10 Fire Res and 29 ABS so she takes 40-15=25Phys and 40-10-(14/2)=23Fire for a total of 48. The Shieldmaiden got from 170 to 122 and the Treant from 128 to 73.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 205(-45)/400 Health 157(-67)/400 Health 176(-54)/400 Health 128(-68)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 4(+2)[=11]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 + 4+(3)[=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) + 5(+9) [=28]

Marks: 2 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 1s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s

The Shieldmaiden and the Treant have 1s of stun. The Treant heals 10+5+5+5+5+5=35 to 108. The Shieldmaiden heals 5+5 to 132. The Miasmist runs out of Haste but just got Accelerated back to 3s and casts Fester on the 2 unaffected bears. The Cleanser is at 38 mana but doesn't want to cast Remedy. The Eruptor will finish Lava Rain next turn. I cast Accelerate on the Eruptor.

2 bears begin their control attack, this time 1 on the Maiden and 1 on the Treant. One is free of stun. One finishes their attack on the Maiden. She was at 132 and takes another 48 going down to 84.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 139(-76)/400 Health 103(-54)/400 Health 97(-79)/400 Health 60(-68)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 4(+2) + 5(+6)[=22]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 + 4+(3)[=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) + 5(+9) [=28]

Marks: 2 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s

Lava Rain finishes. The weakest bear will die half-way through another stun attack, or deal minimal damage with the basic attack. A second bear will die after one more attack unless it takes a control effect and doesn't finish. A third bear needs to take 14 extra damage to die after one more attack. The final bear will definitely finish. The Treant and the Shieldmaiden are still stunned. I cast Manabolt on the bear almost low enough to die. I am out of Haste and mana. The Cleanser cast Manabolt on the highest health bear. The Miasmist is Hasted and casts Envenom on the healthiest bear.

2 bears finish their attacks, 1 on each frontliner. Stuns are renewed and the Shieldmaiden takes 48 dropping from 94 to 46. The Treant goes from 143 to 88 after taking 55 damage. 2 bears begin their attacks on 1 front liner each.

Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Dire Ember Bear lvl 3 Health 77(-62)/400 Health 49(-54)/400 Health 43(-54)/400 Health --0--(N/A)/400 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 120 Mana 160

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 4(+2) + 5(+6) [=22]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 + 4+(3)[=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) [=14]

ENV: 5(+5) + 25(+5) [=40]

DoT: 5 + 2 +4(+3) + 5(+9) [=28]

Marks: 2 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s Marks: 3 || Control: 0s

One bear that was beginning to attack dies. 2 more bears will die next turn. One bear will not finish their attack. The third bear will die before finishing as well. I Grim Ball the healthiest bear to lower it below DoT damage. The Treant takes 1 hit and live. The Shieldmaiden was at 56 and the Treat at 68 at the end. We emerge victorious after our only truly close battle. 4 control effect sources who were resistant to control themselves was brutal and kept our own major control members down.

The dire ember bears were extremely tough. We'd got close to losing and it wasn't clear if Ground Wall or Force Traps would have mattered because the bears were incredibly fast. We'd definitely have died if the bears surprised us. Luckily a few of our members had high Perception. We hurried back to the safety of town and took a well deserved off day.