The Elves of WAR: The House Arkaneth public quest walkthrough

You've heard about the fearsome Public Quest that kicks off the High Elves Tier 1 experience many times before, but it's never had a name. The evils of House Arkaneth are the subject of this first encounter, and that's the name of the game: "House Arkaneth". The very first High Elf public quest in Warhammer Online pits you against waves of Dark Elf soldiery, mini-bosses aplenty, and even a mighty hydra!

The spires of a mighty Black Ark tower above the coastal town of Narthain as hordes of Dark Elf warriors make ready to disembark. Along the base of the massive vessel, a black wave of Corsair ships lies at anchor, waiting for the signal to discharge their own bloodthirsty cargo upon the shore.The defenders of Narthain must find some way to stop the Dark Elf advance, or the town will surely be lost!

Read on below as we describe, step by step, the process of working deadly work against the devilish Elven invaders!

High Elf players enter the world near the Moonrise Tower, one of the few remaining sanctums of the Order-side elves amongst the invasion forces of their Destruction kin. Due west of that landmark lies the House Arkaneth public quest; you can reach it easily by following the path southeast, and turning to the northeast from the Azurewood Glade. When you reach the area, you'll join the quest – hopefully at step one.

The brunt of House Arkaneth forces have recently push on through the Blighted Isle. For the time, only a small regiment of guards remain to secure the staging ground. Now is the time to strike!

Stage 1: Slay 30 Guards and Shades

Standing around the area, defending it from the likes of you, is a score of House Arkaneth Guards and House Arkaneth Shades. These are simple level 3-4 soldiers which should be no problem for a stalwart adventurer. Slaying them by yourself nets you 100 influence points, and any participation in their slaying nets you an appropriate fraction. Even just a few players should make quick work of these mooks.

The grounds are now clear enough for the Shining Guard to make their way in to begin setting up a bolt thrower battery. House Arkaneth manages to scramble more soldier in response to the surprise attack. Regiments file out of the Black Ark in an effort to stop the Shining Guard from setting up an artillery battery.

Stage 2: Defend the Shining Guard for five minutes!

This stage pits you against waves of Dark Elf attackers while the Shining Guard sets up artillery pieces to take on the Black Ark. These are slightly tougher customers than the Guards and Shades, and you're definitely going to want to be hooked up with others for this one. This blogger has been invited to a group every time he's run this PQ, and it's the work of a moment to create an Open Party for the event.

The first wave will consist of House Arkaneth Witches, lead by the mini-boss Usira the Crone. They're fairly basic spellcasters, easily defeated. More challenging are the follow-up House Arkaneth Sorceresses, which are lead by the deadly Raythe Blackfire. These ladies lash out at you with firey doom, and can be a hassle. Make sure to stay close to any healers that are participating. The final wave consists of melee soldiers, House Arkaneth Sentinels, lead by Kehron Darksoul. They're no more or less difficult than the Sorceresses, but you can easily find yourself under attack from three or four of these guys at once. Keep on guard.

The Eagle Claw Bolt Throwers are assembled and ready! House Arkaneth has a Hydra at their disposal. Scornlash is released onto the invaders!

Step 3: Slay Beastmaster Lorkoth and Scornlash!

You've heard about these two jokers before, in the official Warhammer site lore writeup. Since this is just a starting PQ, there's not a lot of strategy to these foes, fearsome though they may be. Lorkoth is an afterthought - a tough nugget to crack as these lower level soldiers go, but still just a tough guardsman. The real beast here is Scornlash, the massive hydra you'll have to take down to get your reward. The ideal situation would be to have a Swordmaster tank the beast while everyone else lays into him. Make sure to have one or two players working those Eagle Claw Bolt Throwers, as they can do serious damage to the rampaging critter.

Scornlash has a ton of health for his level, and it's going to take some time to whittle him down. Keep at it, though, and you'll be in the good graces of the Shining Guard in no time.

Lorkoth and Scornlash are defeated! The Shining Guard has managed a critical blow against the House Arkaneth forces the Dark Elves withdraw into their Black Ark.

Once you've defeated Scorlash, don't run off! The roll for the loot will start taking place, and your participation will dictate if you get anything. The more you participated (did damage, healed, etc), the higher you'll place. 1st and a gold medal place adds +400 to your die roll. That ensures that even if you don't get the biggest reward, you'll definitely get something. If you win a chance to earn some booty, head on over to the treasure chest that drops near where Scorlash appeared to loot your bag.

Then head back into the Azurewood for more rewards! If you completed the PQ, you're almost certainly going to want to talk to Aen Windsong. He's the Kill Collector NPC for this area, and after a few dozen Dark Elves are down you'll be credited with XP for the Cousin vs. Cousin quest. Collect that XP and toast your good fortune. Then turn just to his right, past the obelisk, to talk with Captain Talorith. He's the Rally Master for the House Arkeneth Public Quest, and even one run-through is sure to net you at least the lowest level reward.

Congratulations on your first step into a wider world! And stay tuned for more from the Elves of WAR!

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