Kedge Keep
First and foremost, Kedge is not a linear raid. You won’t be able to do the whole zone without backtracking at some point. However, if you plan ahead and want to do the entire zone regardless of what named spawns are up, you can cut down on the amount of retracing your steps.
Second, the map above is not 100% complete. While I did make the effort to add on extra spawn information outside the named spawns of the zone, it does not have all of them and is not 100% correct, but its very close. I got this information from memory of a few dozen raids, but I never wrote anything down while on the raid itself, so there may be minor errors or forgotten spawns. The Safe Points, however, are all correct.
Third, fear does not work in this zone. In addition, nothing will flee when hurt, so snare is not needed at all, and root is only good when parking extra mobs is needed.
Forth, to my knowledge, only about 4 or 5 monsters in this zone see through invisibility. They are Phinigel Autropos, most but not all of his sea horse guards, and Estrella of Gloomwater. This makes moving around the zone very easy if you don’t want to actually fight everything.
Preparations
This is an underwater zone. As such, every person raiding will need Enduring Breath to survive. The best method is for each person to have an item that provides it as an
effect. Here is a list of items that do that and what drops them: (items with charges or from Temple of Veeshan not included)
- Fishbone Earring – Hadden in Qeynos Hills (all – ear)
- Ancient Fishing Pole – Coldspine Sea Horses in Siren’s Grotto (all – primary held, caster recommended)
- Bowl of Watery Protection – Elna Kelpweaver, Helsia Mindreaver in Siren’s Grotto (all – primary held, caster recommended)
- Imbued Shield of Paineel – Dartain the Lost in The Hole (war, clr, pal, shd, brd – secondary held)
- Knotted Turtlebone Ring – Lodizal in Iceclad Ocean (war, clr, pal, rng, shd, dru, shm, nec, wiz, mag, enc – finger)
- Lodizal Shell Shield – Lodizal in Iceclad Ocean (war, clr, pal, rng, shd, dru, brd, rog, shm – secondary held, back)
- Ornately Runed Shell Necklace – Siren Seductress in Siren’s Grotto (all – neck)
- Rebreather – Tinkered Item (all – head)
- Shield of Prexus – Seahorse Matriarch in Kedge Keep (war, clr, pal, rng, shd, brd, dru, rog, shm – secondary held)
- Singing Steel Gauntlets – several monsters in Karnor’s Castle (brd – hands)
- Sleeves of the Kelpmaidens – Mistress Latazyra in Siren’s Grotto (war, clr, pal, rng, shd, brd, dru, mnk, rog, shm – arms)
- Staff of the Waterwalker – Gangrenous Scarab in Old Sebilis (all – 2handed held)
- Amulet of the Grey Wastes – Quest in Katta Castellum (all – neck)
- Earring of Death – Possessed Warlord in Acrylia Caverns (all – ear)
- Fishgill Necksash – Captain Crag in Timorous Deep (all – neck)
- Shissar Eye Earring – Revenant Zsshta in The Grey (war, pal, rng, shd, mnk, brd, rog, bst – ear)
- Waterlogged Boots – Possessor Gooplart in Acrylia Caverns (all – feet)
If everyone does not have items with the effect, you will need to rely on people casting the spell, or have a magician summon stones (non-stackable, 1 charge each) for each person.
As a raid leader, or even a raid member, learn the map. It is vital to improve the chances of survival of the raid to know in general where you are headed. Having a printed copy of the map next to your PC at raid time is a good idea. This zone is somewhat unique in that it is a fully 3D zone. Rather than moving through the normal dungeon corridors, you will also be moving up and down, making it extremely easy to get turned around and lost. Make sure you have your movement directions for your raid ready prior to going.
Grouping
My personal recommendation for this zone is level 35+ only. People below 35 will have a large enough agro radius that when mixed with the level of the mobs in zone results in sometimes getting unwanted visitors in camp.
Truthfully, you can do this zone with only 1 cleric as long as your raid groups will work together to keep agro mainly on the main tank and his group. If this is a viable
option for you, then you can use shaman and druids for healing, and even paladins for downtime healing. However, a second cleric is always a good idea incase one dies during a fight so that he can resurrect the other. This does not include Phinigel Autropos.
An enchanter is always helpful, but not required for this zone. Clarity will always be a benefit, and mezzing adds is great, but in a well run raid an enchanter will have very little to do. This does not include Phinigel Autropos.
Unless your raid group is capable of handling multiples in camp, use a level 51+ puller and “agro pull”. Agro pulling simply means that you don’t pull with spells, melee, or range weapons, you just edge closer and closer to the mob until it comes to you. If your puller is 51+ they can, 95% of the time, always get mobs alone. A puller 50 or lower will get 2 in many cases.
The ideal pull team consists of:
- Cleric
- Monk
- Warrior
- Shaman
- Druid/Wizard
- Ranger
The cleric is obviously for healing and buffs, the monk for pulling (feign works well in this zone), warrior for main tank, shaman for buffs, druid/wizard for nukes and evacs if required, and the ranger for second tank and for casting enduring breath if its needed.
Your other groups can really be anything you want for everything in the zone except Phinigel Autropos, as long as they have some sort of healing and a method of casting enduring breath if its needed. Wizards and druids are also a good idea in case an evac is needed and for porting out at the end (otherwise you will have to fight back to the zone out).
The Raid
Okay, now you have your groups, everyone has Enduring Breath in some form or another and you are ready to go.
Normally, raids will gather just outside the entrance to Unrest in Dagnor’s Cauldron. The entrance to Kedge Keep is underwater at location -1050, -1050.
Before going in, the puller needs Spirit of the Wolf. You can give it to the entire raid, but sometimes this causes more trouble than it saves since many people are not used to swimming movement (drifting) and will over shoot doors and halls a lot.
When you zone into Kedge, this is the first safe point. Nothing spawns here, and nothing paths here normally. You won’t have to worry too much about trains, as the zone is normally empty for about 22 hours of each day (minus the 1 hour for each time Phinigel gets killed, he is a 12 hour spawn).
Plan #1 – to sharks and seahorses, no lair.
Most times Phinigel will not be up. Therefore, unless you need to get the paladin quest bone from his lair or you want to try for Swirlspine belts, there is no reason to take the entire raid to that end of the zone, it can be pulled to you.
Here is a quick summary of the movements you will make on this plan (look at the map):
- Safe Spot 1 to Safe Spot 2a
- Safe Spot 2a to Safe Spot 2b
- Safe Spot 2b to Safe Spot 2a
- Safe Spot 2a to Safe Spot 3
- Safe Spot 3 to Safe Spot 4
- Safe Spot 4 to 4 piranha room outside Undertow
- Then either port out, or reverse the steps (skipping Safe Spot 2b) and return to the zoneline.
Details
Safe Spot 1 to Safe Spot 2a
While at Safe Spot 1, have your puller clear the impaler room, and the room below outside Safe Spot 2a, including all the chambers around it.
This should be done as fast as possible and then quickly move everyone to 2a. They should be told to head down one level, then into the south room. Always have one member of your raid go first and stand in 2a and /yell so people can find it easier.
Safe Spot 2a to Safe Spot 2b
Before moving again, clear the room above you (the Golden Haired Mermaid spawn), then move down. This step really only exists to keep the movements simpler. Too much at once will get people lost.
You can also use this time to pull Cauldronbubble’s room, or you can do it after. I like to do it before going down if Cauldronbubble is up, and after if its just sharks.
Safe Spot 2b to Safe Spot 2a
Once in 2b, pull the shark tank (Cauldronboil’s area). Also, pull the mermaids from this side of Estrella’s room, but do not pull from inside her room. The problems with this are that you can agro the mermaids above her room and if they path to you in 2b, you’ll get quite a number of mobs. Its best to keep Estrella for Safe Spot 4.
Have a ranger, druid, or bard check tracking at this time. If the frenzied cauldron shark is up, it can be pulled to here as well. If the seahorse patriarch is up, your puller can try to get him back to 2b, but the chance of him dying is pretty good since Spirit of the Wolf has probably worn off by now.
If the patriarch is up, and the puller can’t get him to 2b, you can move the raid to the frenzied room. Set up on the North or East walls. Pull the stuff and get out.
Once you are done with all this, move back up to 2a.
Safe Spot 2a to Safe Spot 3
An easy move, but somehow people die here. Make sure you reclear the chambers to the north and west before moving, then move them all to 3 reminding them not to go down yet.
If you didn’t do it before, pull Cauldronbubble’s room before moving to 3, or just clear it again for good measure.
Safe Spot 3 to Safe Spot 4
Technically in the move from 3 to 4 you don’t have to pull or clear anything. As long as everyone sticks to the walls and listens, you should get to 4 without incident.
If you have already been having trouble with people not listening or you have people below level 35, you’ll need to pull the 3 mermaids off to the left of the path. After you do that, get people to move to 4. Stress to them that they go down only one level on the first movement (not down to Cauldronbubble’s room), they stick to the right wall, and that they go up and not down when they get the next option.
Get them to 4 fast, once here, this room is totally safe unless you pull it.
Safe Spot 4 to 4 piranha room outside Undertow
Now that you are in 4, you have a bit of work to do. If you look at the map, there is a room above Estrella’s lair with 3 mermaids in it. Pull this first, carefully. You get to it by backtracking the way you just came and going down where you had the option before. They are far enough apart that you should be able to single them out, but be wary that sometimes you might get the lair below or Estrella herself. I have heard of this happening, but has never happened while I was pulling.
After those are clear, have your puller go through the grate and begin agro pulling from near the lair. The first room has 2 mermaids, and the middle room has 2 mermaid. You can get them solo, but getting 2 at a time isn’t bad.
Next is Estrella’s room. If your puller is 51+ you can pretty easily single pull this area. Just watch for Estrella and let her path away and get her guards first. If your puller is under 45, there is almost no avoiding getting Estrella and 2 or 3 mermaids. If you have an enchanter, they get work to do. If not, my suggestion is to ignore the mermaids and kill Estrella. She is a druid. She will heal. But the worst is that she will blind. Your
puller may die getting back to 4. If he can at least swim fast and get up to the grate, your warrior will be able to pull her off him either when he feigns or dies.
Clear her entire area. Then you have three options. 1) have the puller bring the 4 piranhas back to Safe Spot 4. 2) move everyone to the third room outside Estrella’s and pull the piranhas to there. 3) charge the room with the 4 piranhas.
Whether you decide to charge the room or pull it, you should end up with everyone in the spot labeled “Camp Corner” for the rest of the pulls.
Then either port out, or reverse the steps (skipping Safe Spot 2b) and return to the zoneline.
Once outside Undertow’s area, proceed to pull his room, and all the seahorse area. This is the best spot to sit if you are trying to get a corrupted seahorse for a druid epic.
When you are done, that’s it. You have killed everything once except for the stuff in Phinigel’s lair, or things that didn’t merit killing. Either port out, or reverse the steps and go back to the zone.
Plan #2 – Killing the man himself
If you are going for Phinigel Autropos and nothing else in the zone interests you, then its cake to get there.
Put see invisible and invisibility on everyone. Then swim from 1 to 2a, gather, check invis, 2a to 2b, 2b to 5. You can also make everyone stop on the north or east walls of the frenzied room if you wish, but its best to just rush to Safe Spot 5. As long as 1 cleric gets there safe, bodies can be dragged and resurrected should unfortunate things occur. This means, no training of Safe Spot 5. If you get attacked, either kill it solo, or die. People shouldn’t be helping you since it makes them visible.
At 5, buff up and start pulling the lair. The higher level the puller the better. Monks are ideal for feigning. Have him try to single pull the seahorses. The swirlspines are clerics and will complete heal unless interrupted, if you get more than one, they will heal each other. Either get them stunned or mezzed, or just tank until they run out of mana. They will run out of mana.
When you pull Phinigel, you will likely get some Swirlspine Guardians. These are mezzable, have your enchanters or bards do it. Kill Phinigel. He will dispell people, so they may lose enduring breath if it was cast on them, or they were using stones. They will need to recast, the fight with Phini usually runs a couple minutes and they might drown.
Port out when you are done, or invis back up and run out the way you came in.
Plan #3 – ending in the lair
This plan runs like plan #1, but has the ultimate goal of plan #2, getting to the lair, either to kill Phinigel or to kill seahorses and get paladin quest bones.
The summary of moves goes like this:
- Safe Spot 1 to Safe Spot 2a
- Safe Spot 2a to Safe Spot 3
- Safe Spot 3 to Safe Spot 4
- Safe Spot 4 to 4 piranha room outside Undertow
- 4 piranha room outside Undertow through Estrella’s lair to Safe Spot 2b
- Safe Spot 2b to Frenzied Cauldron Shark room
- Frenzied Cauldron Shark room to Safe Spot 5
- Port out or swim back to the zoneline
Basically this makes the best possible loop of the zone with little backtracking and ends up in Phinigel’s lair. The only difficulty in this is the trip through Estrella’s lair. You may have to reclear it if you spent too long outside Undertow’s room.
Use your best judgment in what to pull and when. Plan #1 has a good general outline of what is safe to pull to what areas, but feel free to experiment.
The Loot
| Item | Class | Slot | Dropped by |
| Abalone Gorget | BRD, CLR, PAL, SHD, WAR | Armor, Neck | Frenzied Cauldron Shark, 45 |
| Blazing Wand | MAG | Weapon, 1HB | Undertow, 49 |
| Blue Crystal Staff* | WIZ* | Weapon, 1HB | Phinigel Autopos, 50 |
| Darksea Harpoon | SHM | Weapon, Piercing | Fierce Impaler, 42 |
| Driftwood Treasure Chest | ALL | Misc, Container | Ferocious Hammerhead, 50 |
| Gloomwater Arrow | WAR, PAL, RNG, SHD, ROG | Weapon, Arrow | Shellara Ebbhunter, 49 |
| Gloomwater Harpoon | WAR, RNG, SHD, BRD, ROG, SHM | Weapon, Piercing | Fierce Impaler, 42 |
| Hammerhead Helm | WAR, CLR, PAL, RNG, SHD, BRD | Armor, Head | Cauldronbubble, 49 |
| Kedgemail Gauntlets | PAL, RNG, SHD, BRD, ROG, SHM | Armor, Hands | Cauldronboil, 49 |
| Lamentation Blade | WAR, PAL, RNG, SHD | Weapon, 2HS | Estrella of Gloomwater, 50 |
| Pearlescent Mask | MNK | Armor, Face | Shellara Ebbhunter, 49 |
| Phinigel’s Spine* | BRD* | Phinigel Autopos, 50 | |
| Prayer Shawl | CLR, DRU, SHM | Armor, Shoulders | Estrella of Gloomwater, 50 |
| Robe of the Kedge* | NEC, WIZ, MAG, ENC, ROG* | Armor, Chest | Phinigel Autopos, 50 |
| Rod of Drones | DRU | Weapon, 1HB | Estrella of Gloomwater, 50 |
| Rod of Health | CLR | Weapon, 1HB | Seahorse Matriarch, 39 |
| Rod of Malisement | SHM | Weapon, 1HB | Phinigel Autropos, 50 |
| Seahorse Scale Cloak | WAR, PAL, RNG, SHD, MNK, BRD | Armor, Back | Seahorse Matriarch, 39 |
| Shark Tooth | WAR, RNG, SHD, BRD, ROG, NEC, WIZ, MAG, ENC | Weapon, Piercing | Frenzied Cauldron Shark, 45 |
| Sharkbone Warhammer | WAR, CLR, PAL, RNG, SHD, DRU, MNK, BRD, ROG, SHM | Weapon, 1HB | Cauldronbubble, 49 |
| Sharkjaw Cutlass | WAR, PAL, RNG, SHD, BRD, ROG | Weapon, 1HS | Cauldronboil, 49 |
| Sharkskin Drum | BRD | Misc, Instrument | Coralyn Kelpmaiden, 49 |
| Shield of Prexus | WAR, BRD, CLR, DRU, PAL, RNG, ROG, SHD, SHM | Armor, Shield | Seahorse Matriarch, 39 |
| Squallsurge Shall | NEC, WIZ, MAG, ENC | Armor, Shoulders | Undertow, 49 |
| Staff of Elemental Mastery: Water* | MAG* | Weapon, 2HB | Phinigel Autopos, 50 |
| Swirlspine Belt | WAR, PAL, RNG, SHD, MNK, BRD, ROG | Armor, Waist | Swirlspine Guardians, 52 |
| Swordfish Bill | WAR, RNG, SHD, BRD, ROG | Weapon, Piercing | Lancer Swordfish, 31 |
| Trident of the Seven Seas | ROG | Weapon, Piercing | Phinigel Autropos, 50 |
| Wand of Ice | WIZ | Weapon, 1HB | Seahorse Patriarch, 0 |
| Wand of Mana Tapping | ENC | Weapon, 1HB | Phinigel Autropos, 50 |
| Wand of Shadow | NEC | Weapon, 1HB | Ferocious Hammerhead, 50 |
Items in Italics are used for Epic Quests by the class with the * by it. This is only mentioned because The Robe of the Kedge is not Rogue wearable but is used in their epic.
If you want more information on the stats and whatnot of the loot, look at sites like EQMaps or Allakhazam’s.
A quick note on loot: Its rare. Don’t expect to get more than 2 or 3 of the drops above in one raid unless you are also killing Phinigel. Estrella will always drop one item, sometimes two. The same goes with most of the named mobs, they will always drop one item, and rarely two. If there are 3 nameds up when you go in, expect 3 items and no more. There is no random loot, and the “normal” mobs drops things like shark skin, mermaid scales, and fresh fish.
Final Thoughts
Kedge is a fantastic zone for teaching people raid basics like listening, following directions, and others. Wrong moves and not listening can get the raid killed, and yet its not a plane or deep in some uber dungeon that makes corpse recovery a horrible thing.
Kedge is also a very underused zone. Due to it being out of the way, and the loot being sparse, people don’t go, so you can have the zone almost any time you want. Its also one of those places with a 25% experience modifier due to the nature of the zone and its under use, making it a great place to get experience in a single group. And since the sharks can be in the low 40s, a person can get experience here into the mid 50s in level.
Respect the zone and don’t expect much in the way of loot and you’ll be very happy with Kedge Keep.
Ishiro Takagi
Monk of E`Ci