Nilhathak Runs

[bleak]

I've seen a couple different posts about Nilhathak runs and gathering keys of Destruction, and thought I'd add my own two cents.

On US West, 1 Key of Destruction, and correct me if I'm wrong, is worth something like 2 or 3 Keys of Terror (from a Countess run).

In my opinion this economy is completely absurd, considering how much easier it is, even with a lower drop rate, to gather Destruction instead of Terror keys.

My points:

1) Countess is in the Black Marsh, in the Forgotten Tower, which is in a random area everytime, under five levels of maps.

2) Countess is ALWAYS FI and CI. Always!!! (not good for my hydraorb sorc!)

3) No simple way to find her, save for the bearing left trick, while in the Forgotten Tower.

4) Halls Of Pain, more than halfway to Nilhathak, has a WP.

5) Halls Of Pain are ALWAYS at least one of three maps:


http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/5997/hallsofpain17rn.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/792/hallsofpain22tx.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2462/hallsofpain39ia.jpg


6) Nilhathak has CE (#1 bad thing about him...that and his stupid taunts), but
is simple to defuse: Don't walk near the corpses (pull them out) or target Nilhathak instead. <There is a great topic on this one somewhere that explains much better than I>


Of course, I could be wrong. What do you guys think???

(p.s. the economy on US West is kinda jaded anyway...) :)

[Calcipher]

Well, to counter the countess (harhar) and her immunities, I have a barb merc. It takes more time than it would a chain lightning sorc to just finish the runs in five seconds, but it works. You get used to finding the tower and go clockwise (I don't always go left, not if I could go up first. Then I go clockwise). In addition, the monsters are pretty weak.

You're right about the absurd pricing, but whatever they need...

Nevertheless, I do more countess runs than nihlathak. It's mainly because the rune droppings. :D

[bleak]

That's true, I suppose the inherent worth of a Terror key is that you found (hopefully) some nice runes to go with it. I got 2 dols at once from her. Not fantastic, but I was pleased!!!