SoF Tradeskill Quest #5: Counting Shadows  

Quest Started By:Description:
Where:
Who:
Rating:
*****
(From 1 rating)
Information:
Level:75
Maximum Level:125
Monster Mission:No
Repeatable:No
Can Be Shrouded?:No
Quest Type:Task
Quest Goal:
  • Advancement
  • Experience
  • Loot
  • Tradeskill
Quest Items:
Related Zones:
Related Creatures:
Related Quests:
Era:Secrets of Faydwer
Recommended:
Group Size:Solo
Appropriate Classes:
  • All
Appropriate Races:
  • All
Entered: Sat Jan 12 22:53:31 2008
Modified: Tue Dec 5 05:21:04 2023
Eron Nurwistle may be found on top of a windmill, at +800, -550. You must have a minimum skill of 250 in Fletching (confirm?) to receive this task. The task can be requested out of order but must be completed in order (using components from the previous task).

At the end of "Scrap Oil":


Eron Nurwistle says 'Yes, that setting works great. For your next task, you will need to test your [fletching] skills.'

You say, 'fletching?'

Eron Nurwistle says 'This next task does not have anything to do with my revenge, but it instead has to do with my curiosity. I found a book, but it is missing a few pages. From what I can tell it is an instruction book, but with the missing pages I cannot read it. I have gotten enough information though to figure that it leads to making an arrow. I am not sure of why someone made it so difficult to get the recipe, but it is. I have determined that you will be able to find the missing pages off of some of denizens within a crypt in the Hills of Shade. I expect that this will be dangerous, and I will only offer this task to someone with an expert skill at fletching. Do you think you are [ready] for this task?'

You say, 'I am ready'

  • You have been assigned the task 'Counting Shadows'.

    You receive Damaged Book of Shadow Counting
    You receive Eron's Steel Reconfiguration Pattern


    Eron Nurwistle says 'This time I will give you the pattern you need for another reconfiguration setting once we have determined what the book's instructions lead too. I have given you two items, a guide to your next configuration, and the damaged instruction book.'

    Eron wants you to complete the book he has given you and give him an example of what is in it.

    You should be able to find the missing pages within the hills of shade. Once you do, repair the book with a book binding.

    All three pages drop in the same area.. the crypt of shade (a tunnel system in the south of the zone). Make sure that you have someone who can do AE spell damage or sees SoS so that you can also kill Slithering Shades at the same time (for the essence required in a later stage).

  • Loot 1 Shadow Counting Page 2 - 0/1 - (Hills of Shade)

    Drops off a crypt ghoul or off Festerclaw.

  • Loot 1 Shadow Counting Page 3 - 0/1 - (Hills of Shade)

    Drops off a phoboplasm.

  • Loot 1 Shadow Counting Page 5 - 0/1 - (Hills of Shade)

    Drops off a frenzied ancestor.

  • Repair the book with a Book Binding - 0/1 - (ALL)

    Make sure to scribe the recipe from Eron first, then combine all of the Shadow Counting Pages and Damaged Book of Shadow Counting in the Book Binding.

    This creates Shadow Counting.

  • Follow the directions in the book - 0/1 - (Hills of Shade)

    For this stage you will need to collect three Gem Covered Box from each camp. They are lore, however all three of them have different item id's and can be confused with each other so keep them separate from each other.

    Hills of Shade: Aviak Camp (not too uncommon off trash. Always dropped by Ebontail and The Collector).
    Dragonscale Hills: Brownie Camp (not too uncommon off trash. Uncommon drop by Tangler Timbleton).
    Loping Plains: Orcs (dropped by shamans and mystics. Always dropped by Bloodmoon Warlock).

    To make your shadow boxes you will need combine the following in a Fletching Kit IN THIS EXACT ORDER and position yourself AT THE ALTAR (/loc 2500, 757 large island to the North)

    1. Gem Covered Box (doesn't matter which one) and 1 x Celestial Essence - Trivial 0 (12 AM Combine. Get your combine ready before.)
    2. Gem Covered Box (doesn't matter which one) and 1 x Vodka - Trivial 0 (between 1 AM and 11 AM)
    3. Gem Covered Box (doesn't matter which one) and 1 x Juice of Quellious - Trivial 0 (11 AM Combine. Get your combine ready before.)

      Follow the book instructions precisely. If you do not make your shadow boxes in the correct order then you will lose that combine and will have to get another Gem Covered Box for that combine. You will see this message if so.


      The box disintegrates in your hand. Maybe you did something incorrectly.

      NOTE: If you fail any of the combines above, I believe you can stop and recover the box you lost and return at the appropriate time to pick up where you left off. This will not be true going forward as placement of each box causes invisible flags which you will have to reset. If you fail after this point you need to destroy all boxes you still have and turn in your shadow counting book to Eron to reset your invisible flags so you can restart this leg of the quest.

      When choosing how to place your Shadow Box's on the altar in Hills of Shade, you will only have 1 minute real time, not game time to place the boxes. Make sure no one else is around you doing the same thing or else a error message will pop up on both of your screens.

      WARNING: If you place the boxes in the wrong order, at the wrong time or if you open the wrong box after they have been placed, you will either suffer a 325K death touch or be swarmed and killed by MOB's that spawn and attack you! Even worse, you will lose all three (3) boxes and have to try again!

      At 12 PM (noon or mid-day) game-time. This is when you will need to place all three Shadow Box on the altar in the proper order.

    4. At 12 PM (noon), first, stand on the south of the altar, face north, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and right-click it to place it on the altar.
    5. Next, move to the west of the altar, face east, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and right-click it to place it on the altar.
    6. Lastly, move to the east side of the altar, face west, put the last Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and right-click it to place it on the altar.
    7. Now you need to wait for 1 PM game-time to open the correct box... while you wait, move to the west of the altar and face east.
    8. At 1 PM game-time, target and open (/open) the box nearest to you (it has a neat opening effect)... the other two boxes will disappear.
    9. Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold, Black Gem Grade Faycite and Making Shadowspike Arrows from inside that box! Make sure to scribe it before moving onto the next step.

  • Create 2 Shadowspike Arrow's using tradeskills - 0/2 - (ALL)

    For the Shadowspike Arrow Tip use a Forge to combine the following. Smithing trivial 100

    1 x Celestial Essence
    1 x Small Piece of High Quality Steel
    1 x Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold

  • For the Shadowspike Arrow use a Fletching Kit to combine the following. Fletching Trivial 400.

    1 x Shadowspike Arrow Tip
    1 x Swirling Shadow Essence
    1 x Small Groove Nocks
    1 x Set of Ceramic Arrow Vanes
    1 x Bundled Ceramic Arrow Shafts
    1 x Vial of Viscous Mana

    If you multitasked whilst collecting pages for Shadow Counting, then you should already have plenty of Swirling Shadow Essence. Make sure to get some extra's in case you fail the combine.


  • Deliver 1 Shadowspike Arrow to Eron Nurwistle - 0/1 - (Dragonscale Hills)

    Receive Eron's Reconfiguring Steel

  • Deliver 1 Shadow Counting to Eron Nurwistle - 0/1 - (Dragonscale Hills)

    Receive Eron's Steel Reconfiguration Pattern

  • Reconfigure the jewelry with the pattern given - 0/1 - (ALL)

    Make Eron's Reconfigured Jewelry.

    Combine the following in a Jewelry bag,

    1 x Black Gem Grade Faycite
    1 x Eron's Tertiary Setting Jewelry
    1 x Eron's Steel Reconfiguration Pattern
    1 x Uncut Demantoid

    For the non melee version, stick it back into a Jewelry bag and hit combine again. It should convert it. You can convert it back and forth.

  • Show Eron your progress on the Jewelry - 0/1 - (Dragonscale Hills)

    Your task 'Counting Shadows' has been updated.

    Eron is satisfied with the work you have done so far on his jewelry.

    You have gained 2 ability points! You now have 2 ability points.
    You gain experience!!

    Eron Nurwistle says 'Yes, that reconfiguration works much better. For your next task, you will need to test your [brewing] skills.'

    You have successfully been granted your reward for: Counting Shadows
  • Submitted by: Lias Roxx, Defiant, Zek
    Rewards:
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    Warning!
    # Oct 28 2023 at 7:42 AM Rating: Excellent
    *
    112 posts
    If you have hidecorpse one it will hide the box after you open it. Scared the hell out of me after doing all that the box disappeared and I had no loot in advloot. I camped out and came back in thinking maybe I was bugged. Then I thought, 'Maybe it is on a hidden "corpse" so I have to loot it.' and bingo. Got the loots. This is a extremely annoying task. Not so bad if you box because you can do stuff and watch time from another character.
    gem covered boxes
    # Sep 21 2020 at 9:08 AM Rating: Excellent
    For the gem covered boxes.
    In DSC hills the named Tangler Timbleton is always up ..i went few times ..he was always
    In Loping plains Bloodmoon Warlock is always up at the orc camp down the ramp when you zone in from SM
    In Hills of shade The collector (aviaks) is always up when i had to go there and he drops it too.
    hope im right but thats what i saw in few runs.
    ____________________________
    Fight smarter not harder.
    Making Shadowspike Arrows
    # Apr 18 2020 at 6:40 PM Rating: Good
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    109 posts
    How about you have to scribe the Making Shadowspike Arrows before you can Create 2 Shadowspike Arrow's using tradeskills - 0/2 - (ALL)
    ____________________________
    Do I Have Too?
    Making Shadowspike Arrows
    # Jul 23 2020 at 8:23 PM Rating: Excellent
    cannonballdex wrote:
    How about you have to scribe the Making Shadowspike Arrows before you can Create 2 Shadowspike Arrow's using tradeskills - 0/2 - (ALL)


    If you look above where it says Create 2 Shadowspike Arrow's using tradeskills - 0/2 - (ALL), you'll see

    9. Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold, Black Gem Grade Faycite and Making Shadowspike Arrows from inside that box! Make sure to scribe it before moving onto the next step.
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    Nope
    # Jan 29 2019 at 1:19 PM Rating: Good
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    The following information is not true as of 1/29/2019:

    Dragonscale Hills: Brownie Camp (not too uncommon off trash. Always dropped by Tangler Timbleton).

    I just killed Tangler Timbleton and he did not drop the box.

    Edited, Jan 29th 2019 2:36pm by Karnivool
    Don't convert to non-melee version before handing in...
    # Nov 08 2018 at 9:53 PM Rating: Decent
    7 posts
    Just wanted to note here, I just finished this quest, and following the instructions above, I put the finished jewelry back in the Jeweler's Kit for another combine to get the non-melee version. This worked, but then Eron would not accept it. I then combined it again to convert it back to the melee version, and Eron would then take it. My reward for the task was then the non-melee version.
    Clarity
    # Sep 12 2018 at 5:34 PM Rating: Decent
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    For clarity the sequence of events

    1. Gem Covered Box (doesn't matter which one) and 1 x Celestial Essence - Trivial 0 (12 AM Combine. Get your combine ready before.)
    2. Gem Covered Box (doesn't matter which one) and 1 x Vodka - Trivial 0 (between 1 AM and 11 AM)
    3. Gem Covered Box (doesn't matter which one) and 1 x Juice of Quellious - Trivial 0 (11 AM Combine. Get your combine ready before.)

    THEN

    4. At 12 PM (noon), first, stand on the south of the altar, face north, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and right-click it to place it on the altar.
    5. Next, move to the west of the altar, face east, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and right-click it to place it on the altar.
    6. Lastly, move to the east side of the altar, face west, put the last Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and right-click it to place it on the altar.
    7. Now you need to wait for 1 PM game-time to open the correct box... while you wait, move to the west of the altar and face east.
    8. At 1 PM game-time, target and open (/open) the box nearest to you (it has a neat opening effect)... the other two boxes will disappear.
    Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold, Black Gem Grade Faycite and Making Shadowspike Arrows from inside that box!

    Edited, Sep 13th 2018 1:34pm by Plough
    ____________________________
    Plough E'mundar
    Tradeskilling fiend of :
    Baking (304)+15% - Brewing (309)+15%
    Fletching (305)+15% - Fishing (205)+7%
    Pottery (314)+15% - Jewellery (305)+15%
    Smithing (313)+15% - Tailoring (312)+15%
    Tinkering (300)+15% - Research (313)+15%
    (Alt) Alchemy (300)+15% - (Alt) Make Poison (300)+15%
    Can't combine pages
    # May 13 2018 at 2:13 PM Rating: Good
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    When trying to repair the book with a book binding I get a message saying "This seems correct but something is wrong. Perhaps you need to know something more in order to combine this." Has anyone else run into this? Does it require a certain SoF flag or is there a quest step I missed?

    Edit: Nevermind, I figured it out. I just needed to scribe the recipe from Eron.

    Edited, May 13th 2018 4:15pm by Maitreya
    ARROW
    # Nov 21 2017 at 6:25 PM Rating: Good
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    Arrow does not work in endless quiver, it disappears upon firing.
    helpful hint..
    # Oct 03 2017 at 1:40 PM Rating: Excellent
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    782 posts
    OK, I just did this quest yesterday, and thought I'd post a quick comment, which I saw later was posted in the second oldest comment, but I didn't see it beforehand:

    When it says to stand "on the west side of the altar", etc, it doesn't mean "on the altar", which is how my literal-focused mind interpreted it :)

    Stand on the ground (green grass) very close to the altar, and click the shadow boxes from there.

    One other helpful piece of info: if you fail and get DT'ed like I did, you don't have to go back to Eron and "reset invisible flags", or whatever was mentioned in one of the comments. The DT death also poofs whatever unclicked shadow boxes you had, so you can just go and get new ones. Worked without a problem for me the second time.

    Oh, and while you're sitting there waiting for 11AM to roll around, take a look at your achievements, and see if there's something you can work on. I noticed that my Divination was at 316/380, and Divination Specialization was at 65/225! Only Div spell a druid would cast is Camo, and we have an AA for that, and AA clicks aren't eligible for skillups, so I was way behind. I made three new achievements while I waited, LOL!

    Tat
    ____________________________
    Tatanka Wolfdancer, 115 Wood Elf Druid, 9 x 300+ Master Artisan, 7 maxed trophies (dang research! :)
    Michone, 115 Troll Shadowknight
    Anaceup Mysleeves, 115 Erudite Mage, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
    Snookims Whinslow, 112 Erudite Enchanter, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
    <Inisfree>, Tunare (Seventh Hammer!)
    helpful hint..
    # Oct 04 2017 at 6:12 AM Rating: Good
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    449 posts
    tatankaseventh wrote:

    Oh, and while you're sitting there waiting for 11AM to roll around, take a look at your achievements, and see if there's something you can work on. I noticed that my Divination was at 316/380, and Divination Specialization was at 65/225! Only Div spell a druid would cast is Camo, and we have an AA for that, and AA clicks aren't eligible for skillups, so I was way behind. I made three new achievements while I waited, LOL!
    Tat

    Begging to differ. I have had Divination sill-ups from using the AA version.
    helpful hint..
    # Apr 13 2018 at 3:26 AM Rating: Decent
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    yea can get skillups from aa's. I did that with div using invis aa.

    Shadow Counting Pages
    # Aug 10 2017 at 1:38 AM Rating: Decent
    8 posts
    7 full clears of the Crypts of Shade... Page 3 took forever. Plan on 1 hour.

    105 Necro chain pulling and casting AoE Rk3 skull.
    Shadow Counting Pages
    # Sep 22 2017 at 4:43 PM Rating: Good
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    It is /open you can't loot the box you open the box :-)
    Shadow Counting
    # May 06 2017 at 10:05 AM Rating: Good
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    63 posts
    Small correction :
    Repair the book with a Book Binding - 0/1 - (ALL)

    Combine the Shadow Counting Pages and the "Damaged Book of Shadow Counting" in the Book Binding.

    This creates Shadow Counting.
    ____________________________
    Selar
    Anthem Guild
    Tunare

    Shadow Counting
    # May 06 2017 at 4:54 PM Rating: Excellent
    Selarkersauzon wrote:
    Small correction :
    Repair the book with a Book Binding - 0/1 - (ALL)

    Combine the Shadow Counting Pages and the "Damaged Book of Shadow Counting" in the Book Binding.

    This creates Shadow Counting.


    Thanks, updated.
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    Altar location = large island to the North
    # Feb 19 2017 at 12:55 AM Rating: Good
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    23 posts
    see above.
    Altar location = large island to the North
    # Sep 01 2021 at 11:43 PM Rating: Decent
    35 posts
    in what zone?
    Altar location = large island to the North
    # Sep 02 2021 at 7:32 AM Rating: Good
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    NakorsReprieve wrote:
    in what zone?

    Hills of Shade
    There is an ocean across the north of the zone with the small unpopulated islands.
    Altar location = large island to the North
    # Feb 19 2017 at 7:00 PM Rating: Excellent
    Calyndria wrote:
    see above.


    Thanks, added.
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    Buh Bye
    # Feb 06 2017 at 7:34 PM Rating: Decent
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    236 posts
    This arrow is temporary (poofs upon zoning in and out of BMK..not sure about other zones)...but MASSIVE DMG from this arrow (50) with EQ...but make enough tips and gather enough swirling shadows to make it worth the while ;)
    Buh Bye
    # Feb 07 2017 at 9:19 AM Rating: Excellent
    ThefirstFeid wrote:
    This arrow is temporary (poofs upon zoning in and out of BMK..not sure about other zones)...but MASSIVE DMG from this arrow (50) with EQ...but make enough tips and gather enough swirling shadows to make it worth the while ;)


    Shadowspike Arrow is now temporary?
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    Buh Bye
    # Feb 14 2017 at 1:07 AM Rating: Good
    The arrow is NOT temporary and does NOT disappear from inventory, just tested it.
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    *rate the posts, please*
    Common?
    # Sep 26 2016 at 6:14 AM Rating: Good
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    Not sure the three pages are "common" drops. I've cleared the tunnels six times now and seen 4 copies of Page 3 and NONE of the others. Anecdotal evidence, to be sure, but they seem a bit scarcer than "common."



    Edited, Sep 26th 2016 3:50pm by Sippin
    ____________________________
    Sippin 115 DRU **** Firiona Vie ****Agnarr
    FV: 115 WAR ENC CLE MAG WIZ SHD SHM Master Alchemist ROG Master Tinkerer & Poison-Maker
    Master Artisan (300+) * Baker * Brewer * Fletcher * Jeweler * Potter * Researcher * Smith * Tailor
    Agnarr: 65 DRU ENC SHD MAG CLE ROG WIZ BRD WAR
    Common?
    # Sep 26 2016 at 11:03 PM Rating: Excellent
    Sippin wrote:
    Not sure the three pages are "common" drops. I've cleared the tunnels six times now and seen 4 copies of Page 3 and NONE of the others. Anecdotal evidence, to be sure, but they seem a bit scarcer than "common."



    Edited, Sep 26th 2016 3:50pm by Sippin


    Thanks, changed the pages to rare on their item pages.
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    Common?
    # Sep 27 2016 at 6:03 AM Rating: Good
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    Gidono wrote:
    Sippin wrote:
    Not sure the three pages are "common" drops. I've cleared the tunnels six times now and seen 4 copies of Page 3 and NONE of the others. Anecdotal evidence, to be sure, but they seem a bit scarcer than "common."



    Edited, Sep 26th 2016 3:50pm by Sippin


    Thanks, changed the pages to rare on their item pages.


    After 9 clears, the count is:

    2 Page 2
    6 Page 3
    1 Page 5

    I don't know how "common", "uncommon", "scarce", "rare" and "ultra rare" are defined here, and maybe the defs are not all that precise. There are also more phoboblasms than the other types of mobs, so that may explain why I saw so many more Page 3's. That's why usually I prefer to provide the actual details of how many I loot of an item compared to how long I camped the drop area. Certainly my experience supports the argument that these Pages are far from "common." Magelo shows them all as having a roughly 1-in-20 drop rate, which probably is right, given that 1-in-20 is consistent with having to kill a LOT of mobs to get three different items to drop. Suffice to say this is not a quickie camp and I don't look forward to having to come back if I mess up the altar steps.
    ____________________________
    Sippin 115 DRU **** Firiona Vie ****Agnarr
    FV: 115 WAR ENC CLE MAG WIZ SHD SHM Master Alchemist ROG Master Tinkerer & Poison-Maker
    Master Artisan (300+) * Baker * Brewer * Fletcher * Jeweler * Potter * Researcher * Smith * Tailor
    Agnarr: 65 DRU ENC SHD MAG CLE ROG WIZ BRD WAR
    Common?
    # Nov 20 2016 at 5:45 PM Rating: Good
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    Like everything in EQ, common, uncommon and rare are all random. I just did two clears of the tunnels for these and got 2+ of each. Changed their status to Uncommon which is more in line with what they used to be during SoF when current (I did this quest then too and you'd get about 1 every 30 minutes).
    Incorrect information on the Arrow Tip combine Blacksmithing
    # Aug 24 2016 at 2:17 PM Rating: Decent
    Quote:
    Create 2 Shadowspike Arrow's using tradeskills - 0/2 - (ALL)

    For the Shadowspike Arrow Tip use a Fletching Kit to combine the following. Fletching trivial 100.

    1 x Celestial Essence
    1 x Small Piece of High Quality Steel
    1 x Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold


    The above information is incorrect. This is a Blacksmith Combine, Place those 3 items inside a Forge for a successful Arrow Tip Combine
    Incorrect information on the Arrow Tip combine Blacksmithing
    # Aug 24 2016 at 2:39 PM Rating: Excellent
    Atacfarzie wrote:
    Quote:
    Create 2 Shadowspike Arrow's using tradeskills - 0/2 - (ALL)

    For the Shadowspike Arrow Tip use a Fletching Kit to combine the following. Fletching trivial 100.

    1 x Celestial Essence
    1 x Small Piece of High Quality Steel
    1 x Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold


    The above information is incorrect. This is a Blacksmith Combine, Place those 3 items inside a Forge for a successful Arrow Tip Combine


    Thanks, fixed.

    Edited, Aug 24th 2016 3:40pm by Gidono
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    This worked
    # Aug 08 2016 at 5:16 PM Rating: Decent
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    I did the following from http://www.bonzz.com/eron.htm precisely and worked like a charm:

    Things to know:

    Be sure you have a bag slot open as well as having a fletching kit;
    Despite what the lore in the book says, it is never sunny in this zone, so that line of instructions is really a red herring (misdirection);
    It does not matter which Gem Covered Box you use to make any one of the Shadow Box... all that matters is that you make them at the right times;
    If you fail a combine, the box will "crumble" and you will have to get another one to replace it;
    If any combine fails it means one of two things... most likely your timing was off or your flagging for this task is bugged and it will take a GM to get it corrected;
    It does not matter which Shadow Box you place first, second or third... just place them as noted below;
    Once you start to place the three (3) Shadow Box, you only have 20-minutes game-time (one minute in real life) to place them... so don't rush it, but don't take it too slow, either;
    WARNING: If you place the boxes in the wrong order, at the wrong time or if you open the wrong box after they have been placed, you will either suffer a 325K death touch or be swarmed and killed by MOB's that spawn and attack you! Even worse, you will lose all three (3) boxes and have to try again!

    Now, follow these steps below in the order listed and at the times noted, and you should not have any issues.

    A) Position yourself so that you are south of the altar, facing north;
    B) Wait until it is 12 AM (midnight) (feel free to set up the first combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    C) At midnight game-time (12 AM) combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Celestial Essence (do this one first!) (Fletching Trivial 0), to make a Shadow Box (Magic, Lore, No Trade; Weight 19.0; one charge of "Place Box");
    D) Now take your time, there is no rush on this one (no time limit or set time), so don't get excited. Combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Vodka (Fletching Trivial 0), to make another Shadow Box;
    E) Now wait (or come back) for 11 AM game-time (feel free to set up the last combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    F) Once 11 AM arrives, combine the last Gem Covered Box with the Juice of Quellious to make the third Shadow Box (Fletching Trivial 0);
    G) Now wait until 12 PM (noon or mid-day) game-time. This is when you will need to place all three Shadow Box on the altar in the proper order, as noted below;
    H) While you wait, free up an inventory slot (bag slot);
    I) At 12 PM (noon), first, stand on the south of the altar, face north, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    J) Next, move to the west of the altar, face east, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    K) Lastly, move to the east side of the altar, face west, put the last Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    L) Now you need to wait for 1 PM game-time to open the correct box... while you wait, move to the west of the altar and face east;
    M) At 1 PM game-time, target and open (/open) the box nearest to you (it has a neat opening effect)... the other two boxes will disappear;
    N) Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold (No Trade, Weight 0.1); Black Gem Grade Faycite (No Trade, Magic, Weight 0.1)); and Making Shadowspike Arrows (No Trade, Weight 1.5) from inside that box!

    .
    This worked
    # Aug 16 2016 at 9:43 AM Rating: Decent
    12 posts
    Janakin wrote:
    Now, follow these steps below in the order listed and at the times noted, and you should not have any issues.

    A) Position yourself so that you are south of the altar, facing north;
    B) Wait until it is 12 AM (midnight) (feel free to set up the first combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    C) At midnight game-time (12 AM) combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Celestial Essence (do this one first!) (Fletching Trivial 0), to make a Shadow Box (Magic, Lore, No Trade; Weight 19.0; one charge of "Place Box");
    D) Now take your time, there is no rush on this one (no time limit or set time), so don't get excited. Combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Vodka (Fletching Trivial 0), to make another Shadow Box;
    E) Now wait (or come back) for 11 AM game-time (feel free to set up the last combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    F) Once 11 AM arrives, combine the last Gem Covered Box with the Juice of Quellious to make the third Shadow Box (Fletching Trivial 0);
    G) Now wait until 12 PM (noon or mid-day) game-time. This is when you will need to place all three Shadow Box on the altar in the proper order, as noted below;
    H) While you wait, free up an inventory slot (bag slot);
    I) At 12 PM (noon), first, stand on the south of the altar, face north, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    J) Next, move to the west of the altar, face east, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    K) Lastly, move to the east side of the altar, face west, put the last Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    L) Now you need to wait for 1 PM game-time to open the correct box... while you wait, move to the west of the altar and face east;
    M) At 1 PM game-time, target and open (/open) the box nearest to you (it has a neat opening effect)... the other two boxes will disappear;
    N) Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold (No Trade, Weight 0.1); Black Gem Grade Faycite (No Trade, Magic, Weight 0.1)); and Making Shadowspike Arrows (No Trade, Weight 1.5) from inside that box!

    .

    I used this, and it worked perfectly, but there are a few things I would like to add.

    1. The essence that the guide briefly mentions that are dropped from SoS mobs is the "Swirling Shadow Essence" make sure you get at least 2 (more in case you fail)
    2. This may be a given for everyone else in game, but the way you "Combine a Gem Covered Box with __________" is via a fletching kit (which is why it is listed as "Fletching Trivial 0")
    3. Only one person can do the placing of the boxes at a time. (While I was placing boxes someone else attempted and the error showed on both our screens which is confusing)
    4. Go make the arrowhead (x2) in a forge and then the complete arrow (I did this in PoK as usual), but before you go back to Eron to make the jewelry, TAKE "Uncut Demantoid"s WITH YOU!!! (It's stupid that it is not listed or mentioned in the quest steps, yet it links it in the quest items)

    This worked
    # Aug 16 2016 at 4:02 PM Rating: Excellent
    joethemaster wrote:
    Janakin wrote:
    Now, follow these steps below in the order listed and at the times noted, and you should not have any issues.

    A) Position yourself so that you are south of the altar, facing north;
    B) Wait until it is 12 AM (midnight) (feel free to set up the first combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    C) At midnight game-time (12 AM) combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Celestial Essence (do this one first!) (Fletching Trivial 0), to make a Shadow Box (Magic, Lore, No Trade; Weight 19.0; one charge of "Place Box");
    D) Now take your time, there is no rush on this one (no time limit or set time), so don't get excited. Combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Vodka (Fletching Trivial 0), to make another Shadow Box;
    E) Now wait (or come back) for 11 AM game-time (feel free to set up the last combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    F) Once 11 AM arrives, combine the last Gem Covered Box with the Juice of Quellious to make the third Shadow Box (Fletching Trivial 0);
    G) Now wait until 12 PM (noon or mid-day) game-time. This is when you will need to place all three Shadow Box on the altar in the proper order, as noted below;
    H) While you wait, free up an inventory slot (bag slot);
    I) At 12 PM (noon), first, stand on the south of the altar, face north, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    J) Next, move to the west of the altar, face east, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    K) Lastly, move to the east side of the altar, face west, put the last Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    L) Now you need to wait for 1 PM game-time to open the correct box... while you wait, move to the west of the altar and face east;
    M) At 1 PM game-time, target and open (/open) the box nearest to you (it has a neat opening effect)... the other two boxes will disappear;
    N) Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold (No Trade, Weight 0.1); Black Gem Grade Faycite (No Trade, Magic, Weight 0.1)); and Making Shadowspike Arrows (No Trade, Weight 1.5) from inside that box!

    .

    I used this, and it worked perfectly, but there are a few things I would like to add.

    1. The essence that the guide briefly mentions that are dropped from SoS mobs is the "Swirling Shadow Essence" make sure you get at least 2 (more in case you fail)
    2. This may be a given for everyone else in game, but the way you "Combine a Gem Covered Box with __________" is via a fletching kit (which is why it is listed as "Fletching Trivial 0")
    3. Only one person can do the placing of the boxes at a time. (While I was placing boxes someone else attempted and the error showed on both our screens which is confusing)
    4. Go make the arrowhead (x2) in a forge and then the complete arrow (I did this in PoK as usual), but before you go back to Eron to make the jewelry, TAKE "Uncut Demantoid"s WITH YOU!!! (It's stupid that it is not listed or mentioned in the quest steps, yet it links it in the quest items)



    Updated this quest quite a bit. Let me know if there is anything left out.
    ____________________________
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    This worked
    # Aug 07 2016 at 8:56 PM Rating: Decent
    Scholar
    *
    50 posts
    I did the following from http://www.bonzz.com/eron.htm precisely and worked like a charm:

    Things to know:

    Be sure you have a bag slot open as well as having a fletching kit;
    Despite what the lore in the book says, it is never sunny in this zone, so that line of instructions is really a red herring (misdirection);
    It does not matter which Gem Covered Box you use to make any one of the Shadow Box... all that matters is that you make them at the right times;
    If you fail a combine, the box will "crumble" and you will have to get another one to replace it;
    If any combine fails it means one of two things... most likely your timing was off or your flagging for this task is bugged and it will take a GM to get it corrected;
    It does not matter which Shadow Box you place first, second or third... just place them as noted below;
    Once you start to place the three (3) Shadow Box, you only have 20-minutes game-time (one minute in real life) to place them... so don't rush it, but don't take it too slow, either;
    WARNING: If you place the boxes in the wrong order, at the wrong time or if you open the wrong box after they have been placed, you will either suffer a 325K death touch or be swarmed and killed by MOB's that spawn and attack you! Even worse, you will lose all three (3) boxes and have to try again!

    Now, follow these steps below in the order listed and at the times noted, and you should not have any issues.

    A) Position yourself so that you are south of the altar, facing north;
    B) Wait until it is 12 AM (midnight) (feel free to set up the first combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    C) At midnight game-time (12 AM) combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Celestial Essence (do this one first!) (Fletching Trivial 0), to make a Shadow Box (Magic, Lore, No Trade; Weight 19.0; one charge of "Place Box");
    D) Now take your time, there is no rush on this one (no time limit or set time), so don't get excited. Combine a Gem Covered Box (any one of them) with a Vodka (Fletching Trivial 0), to make another Shadow Box;
    E) Now wait (or come back) for 11 AM game-time (feel free to set up the last combine, so it is ready, as noted below);
    F) Once 11 AM arrives, combine the last Gem Covered Box with the Juice of Quellious to make the third Shadow Box (Fletching Trivial 0);
    G) Now wait until 12 PM (noon or mid-day) game-time. This is when you will need to place all three Shadow Box on the altar in the proper order, as noted below;
    H) While you wait, free up an inventory slot (bag slot);
    I) At 12 PM (noon), first, stand on the south of the altar, face north, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    J) Next, move to the west of the altar, face east, put any Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    K) Lastly, move to the east side of the altar, face west, put the last Shadow Box in an open inventory slot (bag slot) and click it to place it on the altar;
    L) Now you need to wait for 1 PM game-time to open the correct box... while you wait, move to the west of the altar and face east;
    M) At 1 PM game-time, target and open (/open) the box nearest to you (it has a neat opening effect)... the other two boxes will disappear;
    N) Now loot the Shadowspike Arrow Tip Mold (No Trade, Weight 0.1); Black Gem Grade Faycite (No Trade, Magic, Weight 0.1)); and Making Shadowspike Arrows (No Trade, Weight 1.5) from inside that box!

    .
    Bugged task
    # Aug 07 2016 at 2:35 AM Rating: Decent
    I had done some of the task in the past just to get the arrow mold and then deleted the quest. This resulted in me not being able to combine the boxes. I can confirm that handing in the book of shadows to Eron reset my task and Im now on the right path again :-)

    /cheer Zarmak

    Muvien, Antonius Bayle
    Handling the Boxes - A Helpful Guide
    # Aug 06 2016 at 12:20 AM Rating: Excellent
    42 posts
    OK - having completed this first shot and then helping two others complete it first shot here is what is working for us and a little bit about why it is working.

    First of all the well established bits:

    IMPORTANT: These combines MUST be done AT THE ALTAR.
    • At midnight game time (12 AM) combine any "gem covered box" with celestial essence in a fletching kit to recieve "shadow box".
    • Between 1 AM and 11 AM combine any remaining "gem covered box" with vodka in a fletching kit to recieve "shadow box".
    • At noon game time (12 PM) combine the only remaining "gem covered box" with Juice of Quellious in a fletching kit to recieve "shadow box".


    NOTE: If you fail any of the combines above, I believe you can stop and recover the box you lost and return at the appropriate time to pick up where you left off. This will not be true going forward as placement of each box causes invisible flags which you will have to reset. If you fail after this point you need to destroy all boxes you still have and turn in your shadow counting book to Eron to reset your invisible flags so you can restart this leg of the quest.

    Ok, now here is what has been working.
    • Because the book states that bad weather changes the rules and because I am unable to confirm if this works in bad weather I strongly advise you abort and come back later if there is bad weather leading up to noon game time unless it is cleared up at least 1 in game hour prior to noon. (I have not seen a storm in this zone but I cannot confirm it never happens).
    • Be ready to perform the following steps immediately after you make the final shadow box at noon, this method relies on not allowing the time to change so that all the variables to the correct solution are held constant. Needless to say the placement and opening of the boxes described below should all occur at NOON game time on the same day. In short you have 3 minutes and I promise that this is PLENTY of time. (See below for a suggestion if you took a long time and it is 1 PM already when you go to open the box)
    • To place a shadow box stand next to the altar facing it with the box in a top level inventory slot (i.e. an inventory slot on your inventory window, not a slot inside a container) and right click the box to place it in front of you on the altar.
    • 1st Box: Stand on the SOUTH side of the altar facing NORTH and place the box.
    • 2nd Box: Stand on the WEST side of the altar facing EAST and place the box.
    • 3rd Box: Stand on the EAST side of the altar facing WEST and place the box.
    • Target the 1st box (will be the center box) and type /open.
    • Loot your items.


    As I said before, this works because the noon timing means that by the math spelled out in the shadow counting book it should always be the center box and the placement should always be as is explained above. The problem with using other methods is the shadow counting book does not fully indicate what time is used to determine the box offset for selecting the correct box. Or put another way, which time of day matters? The time you placed the first box? the second? the third? when you opened it? We do not have information on this.

    My personal belief based on the wording involved is that when you open it matters, but I see no need to take the risk when you can make all of them the same time of day and ensure your success. Having said that I suggest opening the WEST box if it is already 1 PM by the time you finish placing boxes, at this point you are going to have to restart if you do not guess so it's worth a possible death to save a ton of time.

    Additional Tips for box placement:
    • Make a hotkey that just performs "/time" in order to spam as it gets close to NOON. You will want to give yourself the most time possible by being aware the instant it is NOON.
    • Click off any levitation and/or movement speed buffs - they make it more difficult to precisely maneuver for box placement.
    • Set yourself to walk instead of run for similar reasons to the above tip.
    • Target yourself and make sure you are close to the altar, but not so close that the white target ring at your feet is raised off the ground and on the altar itself.
    • While you are waiting for noon, do dry runs until you are comfortable with the movements and you do not have to think about the steps.
    • Have your boxes lined up in your inventory and ready to go.
    • I do not believe it matters which box you place first, second, or third. However we have been placing midnight box first and noon box last if you would like to precisely mirror what we have done.


    That is about all I have for right now. I am still helping others on my server complete this section and I have yet to have any failed attempts. Please report back with times of day/weather patterns/etc... if you experience any failures. It is certainly possible there is still more to learn here and the only way we will do that is if people share information.

    Thanks!

    Edited, Aug 6th 2016 2:25am by Zarmak

    Edited, Aug 6th 2016 2:26am by Zarmak
    Handling the Boxes - A Helpful Guide
    # Nov 22 2016 at 10:01 PM Rating: Good
    Avatar
    **
    757 posts
    Very helpful. And yes, this zone does in fact have "bad weather." It started raining and thundering for me near noon, so I had to abort and wait a day.
    Handling the Boxes - A Helpful Guide
    # Oct 02 2016 at 2:49 PM Rating: Decent
    *
    95 posts

    !
    This is A+ info. Using this strat while multiboxing I was able to do 3 characters in the 3 minute real-time window of opportunity! Thanks for this!


    Zarmak wrote:
    OK - having completed this first shot and then helping two others complete it first shot here is what is working for us and a little bit about why it is working.

    First of all the well established bits:

    IMPORTANT: These combines MUST be done AT THE ALTAR.
    • At midnight game time (12 AM) combine any "gem covered box" with celestial essence in a fletching kit to recieve "shadow box".
    • Between 1 AM and 11 AM combine any remaining "gem covered box" with vodka in a fletching kit to recieve "shadow box".
    • At noon game time (12 PM) combine the only remaining "gem covered box" with Juice of Quellious in a fletching kit to recieve "shadow box".


    NOTE: If you fail any of the combines above, I believe you can stop and recover the box you lost and return at the appropriate time to pick up where you left off. This will not be true going forward as placement of each box causes invisible flags which you will have to reset. If you fail after this point you need to destroy all boxes you still have and turn in your shadow counting book to Eron to reset your invisible flags so you can restart this leg of the quest.

    Ok, now here is what has been working.
    • Because the book states that bad weather changes the rules and because I am unable to confirm if this works in bad weather I strongly advise you abort and come back later if there is bad weather leading up to noon game time unless it is cleared up at least 1 in game hour prior to noon. (I have not seen a storm in this zone but I cannot confirm it never happens).
    • Be ready to perform the following steps immediately after you make the final shadow box at noon, this method relies on not allowing the time to change so that all the variables to the correct solution are held constant. Needless to say the placement and opening of the boxes described below should all occur at NOON game time on the same day. In short you have 3 minutes and I promise that this is PLENTY of time. (See below for a suggestion if you took a long time and it is 1 PM already when you go to open the box)
    • To place a shadow box stand next to the altar facing it with the box in a top level inventory slot (i.e. an inventory slot on your inventory window, not a slot inside a container) and right click the box to place it in front of you on the altar.
    • 1st Box: Stand on the SOUTH side of the altar facing NORTH and place the box.
    • 2nd Box: Stand on the WEST side of the altar facing EAST and place the box.
    • 3rd Box: Stand on the EAST side of the altar facing WEST and place the box.
    • Target the 1st box (will be the center box) and type /open.
    • Loot your items.


    As I said before, this works because the noon timing means that by the math spelled out in the shadow counting book it should always be the center box and the placement should always be as is explained above. The problem with using other methods is the shadow counting book does not fully indicate what time is used to determine the box offset for selecting the correct box. Or put another way, which time of day matters? The time you placed the first box? the second? the third? when you opened it? We do not have information on this.

    My personal belief based on the wording involved is that when you open it matters, but I see no need to take the risk when you can make all of them the same time of day and ensure your success. Having said that I suggest opening the WEST box if it is already 1 PM by the time you finish placing boxes, at this point you are going to have to restart if you do not guess so it's worth a possible death to save a ton of time.

    Additional Tips for box placement:
    • Make a hotkey that just performs "/time" in order to spam as it gets close to NOON. You will want to give yourself the most time possible by being aware the instant it is NOON.
    • Click off any levitation and/or movement speed buffs - they make it more difficult to precisely maneuver for box placement.
    • Set yourself to walk instead of run for similar reasons to the above tip.
    • Target yourself and make sure you are close to the altar, but not so close that the white target ring at your feet is raised off the ground and on the altar itself.
    • While you are waiting for noon, do dry runs until you are comfortable with the movements and you do not have to think about the steps.
    • Have your boxes lined up in your inventory and ready to go.
    • I do not believe it matters which box you place first, second, or third. However we have been placing midnight box first and noon box last if you would like to precisely mirror what we have done.


    That is about all I have for right now. I am still helping others on my server complete this section and I have yet to have any failed attempts. Please report back with times of day/weather patterns/etc... if you experience any failures. It is certainly possible there is still more to learn here and the only way we will do that is if people share information.

    Thanks!

    Edited, Aug 6th 2016 2:25am by Zarmak

    Edited, Aug 6th 2016 2:26am by Zarmak

    Handling the Boxes - A Helpful Guide
    # Oct 03 2016 at 2:55 PM Rating: Good
    Suzzi wrote:
    This is A+ info. Using this strat while multiboxing I was able to do 3 characters in the 3 minute real-time window of opportunity! Thanks for this!

    Thanks, I used it to update a few parts of the text quest.
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