aunty snooty's basic ascension bootcamp, ns13 goodness included!

[snooty]

Ok, i'm going to assume you know what ascension is. If you don't, go look it up on the kolwiki, there are tons of pages on ascension, what it is, and many "strategies" for it. The goal here is to give our dear n00bz a very *basic* guide.

A lot of people have asked me this question lately, so i'm adding the answer here...

Q: If i buy a skill after freeing the king, will it still be HP when i ascend?
A: As long as you purchase a skill *before* you ascend, it is yours to keep (if you select it) no matter when you free the king!

Replies concerning speed runs are not welcome here. Create your own thread for that, don't jack mine please and thank you

Replies, comments, suggestions, questions concerning the topic of this thread are most welcome here. Now, on to the good stuff!

1) Wether you want to do hardcore or softcore, i highly recommend your first run be softcore (keep in mind a skill you would like to have when returning to a softcore run http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Skills_by_number so if you do choose to do hardcore, you can select a skill you *won't* pick up in your hardcore runs).

2) Sign, mongoose, for two reasons. a) free stat points are always good, and b) the opportunity to use the mushroom plot and get yourself 3 new elemental gravy fairies, one of which has a familiar item that drops in the sleazy back alley ( http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Sleazy_Gravy_Fairy ) which, granted, is more important if you want to do hardcore and do not have access to Mr. Store familiars.

3) Path...teet/booze run level requirements now make the "reward" kind of a moot point. If you need spare meat, try a boozy run, the whiskey usually fetches a fair price in the mall. Oxygenarian...one run in each class for all the shinies, then done! Unless you're a masochist, or short on time, i do *not* recommend going oxy without a metric butt-ton of banked HP skills.

To recap: Hardcore = any class, mongoose. Softcore = any class, no path, mongoose!

4) When you ascend from your first softcore into your first hardcore i highly recommend sauceror, marmot or opposum! Why? You get more stats from food than booze, simple. For your second hardcore run i recommend pastamancer. Your first two hardcore runs will be for the level 5 summoning skills (reagents, then noodles). Wait!! Isn't that backward?! *No*! Ok, but...*why* isn't that backward? Let me enlighten you Until you have the reagent skill, the pasta dishes you can make *suck*. Badly. Yes, your sauce run will be long (not nearly as long as an oxy run), but, the ability to make reagent potions can save your butt against bosses, and shave a few days off your total run-time. Tomatoes and olives are your friends, kids!

If you are doing hardcore...stay no path, even without the cocktail crafting skills! You'll pick up booze along the way during your run, and even if it isn't *good* booze, it's more adventures!

If you are doing softcore...take the time to meat/item farm for things you will need in your softcore runs. Chefbot ( http://forums.kingdomofloathing.com/viewtopic.php?t=24186 ) can take your reagents and glasses of goat's milk and make you milk of magnesium. She can also take your base booze and corresponding cocktail accessory (ie: whiskey sour and coconut shell) and make you 4D disco bandit drinks! Huzzah! If you are operating on a limited budget, she can also make you reagent foods (you can farm the items yourself). One of these days i'll get around to making a list of items to have before ascending softcore.

i do try to check the forum as often as possible, be patient and bear with me if i miss your post for a while...we have vicious attack reindeer up here... 

NS13 tips...cry. cry some more. now sit back, relax, and listen to the pearls of wisdom from aunty snooty XD No wait, cry some more! A hardcore life in ns13 has become, well, harder. Not insurmountably so, but, your runs will be slower if you're used to ns11. If you have a pixie, huzzah! Abuse that little sucker for booze/spleen items as often as you can! If you don't, cry some more.

Ok, now that we've worked out the tears...the lower levels are honestly going to be a bit on the painful side. You are going to have to suck it up, and eat things you never considered as more than an autosell-free-meat-in-hc bonus. Ditto on the booze front. Wait, what? Where's the silver lining? The light at the end of the tunnel? Here it is, and, it isn't much...the best thing you can do for yourself (aside from using your stat fam as often as possible) is to use your +meat/item fams as often as possible pre-level 12. The quickest way to get to face the ns and free the king = do the hippy sidequests, and forget about the wossname. With a fat +meat fam, the nun's quest really doesn't take very long, especially if you manage to pick up an inhaler at the castle. You'll want a decently heavy item fam for the orchard quest (and we all need items in a run anyway).

Quicker way through the dooks? Who'd want *that*?!?! In case you do, use a chaos butterfly in between the castle and the farm, then choose fence-lantern-drum (pond, back 40, other back 40).

Update!

Want to 1hk your shadow? Yeah, thought you might

Take the time to get massage oil http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Semi-Rare_Adventures in the harem. Boost your hp as much as possible, but go in to face the shadow with about a third of your hp. Yes, you will lose initiative, you want to! As long as you have at least 1hp left from the shadow's first hit (and you should), toss a massage oil for supremely sexy one-hit victory!

That's it for now til i have time to actually read and catch up on stuff, g'luck!

Effortless gloomies scripting!

The link should automatically download the script "MaxShrooms.ash". You'll need to go into mafia - setttings - find your preference text file, and adjust the planting info below the link. Check the "plant shrooms" option in breakfast settings. The script itself needs to reside within the mafia "planting" folder.

http://kolmafia.us/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=783.0;attach=1912

plantingDate=0
plantingDay=8
plantingLength=16
plantingScript=MaxShrooms


In case there are problems with the first link, this one is to the original topic at the script repository. Scroll down to the bottom and look for Sandiman's last post, he's the author of this shroom script. Enjoy!

http://kolmafia.us/index.php/topic,783.0.html

[Club Sealer]

Great guide, all noobs listen or be assimilated!

[lazyleezard]

One tip I heard recently:

To solve meat issues during ronin, save your facsimile dictionary then pull it from Hagnk's and auto-sell it.  23K meat using only one pull.

[koolkris623]

When you are in ronin...I think the first day its best to take out some wads, and food/ booze= 15..and bank the adv's..The next day take food/ booze, and maybe armor and wads..and unlock the spooky raven mansion..Sole  quests..and do the spooky temple a few times..Then start with the quests. Oh also once you unloced the extra stat place in mansion like muscle= gallery, and i think moxie= ballroom..use clovers here..

[bigquack]

I would suggest, in terms of choosing a moon sign, if you are going from one hardcore run to another then choose the opossum - the ocassional free clover is very nice in HC and with the access to little canadia you have access to the jewelry-making kit - a godsend for getting through the lower levels, if somewhat pricey at 3-turns to make each item.

[snooty]

I would suggest, in terms of choosing a moon sign, if you are going from one hardcore run to another then choose the opossum - the ocassional free clover is very nice in HC and with the access to little canadia you have access to the jewelry-making kit - a godsend for getting through the lower levels, if somewhat pricey at 3-turns to make each item.

Opposum = more adv's from food, marmot = free clovers...personally, i didn't notice that big of a difference on +adv's on the opposum sign, with *or* without milks of magnesia. Sometimes i'd get 4-5 clovers in one day on marmot, which i find far more valuable in hc with 0 attack skills. i do think everyone should try each sign at least once though, just to see the differences first hand.

Hint on wallaby, take a 20lb sombrero through the gash, if you *must* take a volleyball type, don't bother with the toupee.

[coolguy00001]

I think your sign should depend on what you are going as:

Seal Clubber & Turtle Tamer: Muscle Sign
Pastamancer & Sauceror: Mysticality Sign
Disco Bandit & Accordion Thief: Moxie Sign

This is because there is the Gym, The Institute for Canadian Studies, and Gnirf (the World's Sneakiest Gnome) for each sign

This will allow you to base your main stat so that you can get to level 11 faster.

Also, if you're going as a Seal Clubber or Turtle Tamer, you should go for oxygenarian (Unless you have the Level5 Cooking skills)
If Pastamancer or Sauceror, go for Teetatotaler (because the Wok will let you get great food, and Little Canadia has an eatery)
If Disco Bandit or Accordion Thief, go for Boozefetarian (because of the Still and the Gnomes camp has a Microbrewery)

[snooty]

I think your sign should depend on what you are going as:

Seal Clubber & Turtle Tamer: Muscle Sign
Pastamancer & Sauceror: Mysticality Sign
Disco Bandit & Accordion Thief: Moxie Sign

This is because there is the Gym, The Institute for Canadian Studies, and Gnirf (the World's Sneakiest Gnome) for each sign

This will allow you to base your main stat so that you can get to level 11 faster.

Also, if you're going as a Seal Clubber or Turtle Tamer, you should go for oxygenarian (Unless you have the Level5 Cooking skills)
If Pastamancer or Sauceror, go for Teetatotaler (because the Wok will let you get great food, and Little Canadia has an eatery)
If Disco Bandit or Accordion Thief, go for Boozefetarian (because of the Still and the Gnomes camp has a Microbrewery)

o.O

No one should *ever* use a gym. They suck. Period. End of story. One does not need to match up ascension signs with their class. The majority of my runs have been marmot, MCD + free clovers for the win!

Going oxy without any permed skills will make for a very long, boring, and frustrating run.

One cannot use the wok without having the level 15 sauce, pasta, and seal clubber skills permed, not to mention the level 5 pasta and sauce. Teet runs aren't so bad if you do sauce first for the level 5, then pasta also for the level 5 skill.

The still is available to any moxie class under *any* sign as long as they have the level 15 skill permed. Again, doing a booze run with no skills will be long, boring, and frustrating, just not as much as oxy.

As stated above, this is a very *basic* ascension guide. Hopping into clan chat for more detailed advice is highly encouraged. Be prepared to answer questions though!

[coolguy00001]

Well, I was simply stating that the Gym (or the gnome or the canadian institute) is useful because you can get a lot of stats (especially on stat days). Also, it is a quick way to get to a higher level.

[TrueEeviL]

Well, I was simply stating that the Gym (or the gnome or the canadian institute) is useful because you can get a lot of stats (especially on stat days). Also, it is a quick way to get to a higher level.

Only after about 450 points in your main stat. Useful for a certain trophy.

[FenixKnight]

Well, I was simply stating that the Gym (or the gnome or the canadian institute) is useful because you can get a lot of stats (especially on stat days). Also, it is a quick way to get to a higher level.

The only way I think the gyms are useful are for if you get too drunk (on accident) and need to shave off advs for rollover. Otherwise, if you do use them, you hinder your ability to get items and waste more adventures just to back farm for items normally collected.

[coolguy00001]

Well, it's the "lazy man (or woman)'s" way of getting a couple stats.
The Hidden Temple might be a bit more useful...hm...

Mod Edit: The hidden temple and clan gyms are both on my "they suck" list.

[achtung5]

for muscle points, have a clover in your inventory while you adventure in the haunted gallery.

for mysticality points, have a clover in your inventory while you adventure in the haunted bathroom.

for moxie points, have a clover in your inventory while you adventure in the haunted ballroom.

the disadvantages to these adventures are that you lose a ten-leaf clover, you dont always gain fullstats, and that there are generally better places to do it.

to maximize your stat gains, its useful to adventure in these places on a stat day. to see what the stat days are, go here: http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Kingdom_of_Loathing_Calendar

[coolguy00001]

Ok, The haunted Bedroom can give some stats, too...
http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Haunted_bedroom

Another Calendar for stat days, holidays, etc. is here:
http://noblesse-oblige.org/calendar/

[snooty]

A couple more tips for hc runs...

Until you HP +fam weight skills, stay at the airship long enough to make yourself 3 Lucky Surprise Eggs. Sometimes you get one of those pesky class tiny plastics, a backup can't hurt. If you force a lead necklace from the arena (elemental gravy fairy fam works fine for this), the tp's from the LSE's can save you some adventures at the arena if you don't get your fam item. Even if you do manage to get your fam's item from the arena, the LSE's will still save you a few adventures. Someone did the math somewhere, but math and i are arch enemies.

Until you HP pulverize, save your daily clovers. On a non-stat day when you have about 22 or more saved up, trade 20 clovers in at the peak for frozen mob penguins. The yield varies when using them, but 20 penguins *should* yield enough mafia arias to see you through the Hole in the Sky (HitS). If you're lucky, you'll get 8 or more. Put on your cummerbund, use 6 of them, put on your +item gear, take your +item fam to HitS and gather lines and stars the easy way  For those of you without sauce/pasta HP, the penguins also yield scrolls of pasta summoning which in turn can yield 3 different reagent dishes, spaghetti with skullheads, fettucini, and gnochetti (mus, mox, mys, respectively). Don't forget to save at least two mafia arias, if you can, for the golems. Thus avoiding any nasty goofball withdraw if you've run out of adventures before you've run out of tower.

Once you HP pulverize, a day's adv's in the gallery (this is one day with stomach of steel, teet path, and both sauce/pasta HP) should yield enough hot, stench, and twinkly wads to safely see you through HitS *and* the stupid freaking puzzle-stealing golems!

Until you HP eye of stoat and thrust-smack/lunging thrust-smack, make a potato pistol http://www.subjunctive.net/kol/SmithingRecipes.html no matter which class you are. Yes, even seal clubbers. Until you can effectively manage mp gaining *and* usage, the potato pistol (yes, it is a ranged weapon, no, you cannot headbutt or lts with one equipped) will allow you to hit monsters you can't normally. Those of you with a badger, ditto on the cerebral crossbow.

As you play more and learn more, you will discover what works best for you. i'm sharing what works best for *me*. Do it, don't do it, it's up to you