Wizard's Guide -Festering Hate Pool

I originally posted this on the official message boards a few years ago Those boards are gone, but FHP hasn't changed a bit. An AIEW should be able to do everything but the 9 Lich and 7 Fury fights by level 100-150.

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Festering Hate Pool
by VeraGemini

Festering Hate Pool (FHP) is located 6 up and 6 right from the Wen teleporter, in Zender's Woods. It's a good cave for any mid-low level toon, but it is especially good for wizards, as it is one of the few caves we can solo at an earlier level than the ASGWs. To survive FHP, you need at least GM Thaum, Myst, Med, and Thowing Dagger, shift potions, and greater invis potions (or the spell).

Go load up the FHP map at http://www.realmoracle.com in a seperate window or tab for this tutorial, as I'll be referring to specific room numbers. Go load it up now, I'll wait.

Go invis, invul, and drink a shift before entering. The entrance (000 on the map) contains the "Gatekeeper" (who is really just a garden-variety Wraith), a sarc, 2 buttons, and a lever. Kill the Gatekeeper (Light Dart or a throwing dagger will take him out fast. Wraiths are undead, and 100% myst resistant, so don't waste your time casting Hold.) and go through the sarc. This will take you to room 002 on the map, where you will find a small group of Screeching Horrors. They have 0 MR, so cast Mass Hold and then Multiblade. Go 1 down (room 001) for a larger group of Screeching Horrors, then go back up 2, left 1, and then up 1 to room 056 where you will find 2 Dark Faeries. (You can go from the bats up 2, left 2, and down 1 to kill 1 Hellhound if you'd like. It only ever drops a pelt, so this is up to you.)

After you've dispatched the Dark Faeries, go up 1 and right 3 to room 015, and a group of 5 Troll Kings. (This is also a good point to re-shift, and re-invis) Troll Kings like to cast Earthquake, which can tear up a low hp toon, so I recommend summoning a Faery Queen (or better yet, a Daemon if you have GM necro) right into the middle of the group. Troll Kings cast, but they seem to prefer melee attacks when there's a target within range. Mass Hold next round, then keep summoning, casting on them, winging daggers, whatever you like.

Go 1 up and 1 left from the Troll Kings to the bonepile in room 018. It often contains an obs cowl or a pair of Boots of Nimbleness, and I've found a few Belts of Carrying here as well. (Always ID boots or belts found here before putting them on, I've found many pairs of Boots of Tripping, and not a few Belts of Load or Belts of Weakness here too. FHP is a cave with a twisted sense of humor.) There may or may not be one low-level monster (Ratlings, assorted bats, Pixies, occasionally a wasp.) here. Then go right 1 and through the trap door.

(Yes, I'm aware there's a whole left side to the first floor of FHP, but in my opinion, running through it is pointless. There are low-level, low-exp, low-treasure monsters like Undead Necromancers and Ratlings guarding an empty sarc, followed by the 5 Fury and 7 Lich fights that can kill a low level wizard, and really aren't worth the trouble at higher levels. There can be good treasure in the sarc behind the Liches, but there's an alternate route to get there. If you really want to take on the Undead Necromancers, in the hopes they might drop a spellbook like Unlock, Greater ID, or Mass Fumble, they can be found in room 053 of the Oracle map. In my experience, the Wraiths later on are much better bets for spellbooks.)

Once through the trap door, you'll find a single Cyclops. 1 left is a group of 7 Imp Kings. Imp Kings can be tough for a low-hp toon, but the experience is good, and I've gotten Bonecrushers, Fin Shoes, Fin Bracers, and Wraths from this fight. Imp Kings are 75% MR, so it's best to get some summons out to soak their damage before trying to myst them. Imp Kings cast Light Dart, Flame Orb, Ice Orb, Combat Teleport, and occasionally Lightning Bolt, but they don't cast any mass spells like the Troll Kings.

Go back 1 right from the Imp Kings and through the door, then go 1 right and 1 down to the Bounty Hunter group. Mass Zerk is nice here, as is Mass Fumble if you have it. (Those obs and adm weapons can add up to a nice little pile of gold.) Go back up 1, left 1, down 1, and left 1 for a small group of Screeching Horrors. Don't pull the lever here, it will take you back to the entrance. 1 down from the bats is a group of 2 Furies. I like Gust of Wind or Sandstorm for Furies, if you have those spells. If not, Stoning does a number on them. Another good Fury strategy is to drop a Faery Queen right in the middle of them, and hope they Fireball themselves to death. Watching that never gets old. :)

From the Furies, go up 2, right 1, up 1, and through the trap door. This will take you to room 021. Invul, re-shift, and re-invis here, and put on a Thaum ammy if you have one now. Go down 1 and kill the Devils. Summon FQs, myst them, then cast WoG, devils are pretty easy, and they will ignore you as long as you're invisible and have some summons on the screen. Devils are also a good source of Fin Shoes and Fin Bracers. Once they're dead, pull the lever. (Praying at the altar on this screen does nothing.)

The lever takes you to room 040. Invul, shift, invis again and go 2 right to a group of 5 Devils, who will promptly jump you if your hp are low enough. Kill them, then raid the bonepile behind them. This bonepile is often where the best treasure in FHP will be, Bonecrushers, Wraths, SoTs, Fin gear... or, you might find a nice pair of Iron Sollerets. Treasure ain't ever guaranteed. Go back 1 left, kill the Cyclops, then go through the door. Go up 2, kill the group of Thieves, then go 1 right and raid the chests. Don't forget to check the backpack on the floor, sometimes it contains a nice orb or wand. Backtrack 1 right and 2 down, back through the door, and take the stairs. Go 2 down and kill a group of Wraiths. (Semi-rare spellbooks can be found in this fight, like GiD, Summon Doppelganger, Mass Fumble, or Acid Rain. However, don't expect to find Enid's Blessing or Anti-Magic Aura.) Then, go 1 down, kill the single Ghost if you feel like it, and check the bonepile. It is often empty, but I've found several Orbs of Holding in it before.

Backtrack 3 up, go back through the door, and kill the Cyclops there if you haven't already. Then, go 1 left and 1 up to the Control Center, a/k/a "The Lever Room". This is a good place to drop off any heavy loot you've picked up, as you'll be coming back here several times, but kill the Cyclops guarding the levers first, so he doesn't pick it all up. Pull the middle right lever first, the one that appears gray on the Oracle map. This takes you to room 024. go 1 down, then 1 left, where you will find a large group of Warriors. The same tactics that work for the Bounty Hunters work here as well. Once they're dead, go back 1 right, 1 down, 1 left, and 1 down, to a large Medusa group. The same tactics for Devils apply to Medusae. This is an especially nice fight, for experience and shop food. Medusae often drop mundane helms, and once I got 4 Wizard's Hats from this fight.

After the Medusae, go 1 left, where you'll find 1 Devil and 1 Warrior. Also a lever, but don't pull it yet. Kill those 2, then go 1 up where you'll find a couple of Wraiths guarding a chest. Kill, raid, then go back 1 down and pull that lever now. It will take you back to the Lever Room. Drop the heavies (the chest with the Wraiths often contains obs weapons), then pull the bottom right lever, the one that is green on the Oracle map. You'll appear in room 044, where there will be 1 Wasp Worker and 1 Wasp Warrior. One square to the right you will find a mixed group of Wasps, including 1 queen, and another lever to take you back to the Lever Room. You can kill these bugs or not, doesn't matter. You can also skip the green lever entirely if you prefer. The wasps can be ok for experience, but seldom if ever drop anything good.

Back in the Lever Room, pull the middle right lever - the one that is peach-colored on the Oracle map. This takes you to room 044, one right of there you will find a group of 5 Cyclopi. Summoning Daemons is good here, as well as Mass Hold or Mass Zerk, and Mass Fumble if you have it. Those adm clubs alone can recoup your mana and repair costs for the entire cave. Also, this fight has been known to yield up Bonecrushers and Fin items. Once they're dead, pull the lever back to the Lever Room and pick up anything you've dropped on the floor there. You've reached the Point of No Return, and the end of the cave, as far as fights go. Pull the top right (orange) lever, which will take you to room 049, the sarc behind those nasty Liches I mentioned earlier. Raid the sarc, then 'port out and sell your goodies.