M'aiq the Liar mechanics

Brunoad

Has anyone figured out the mechanics of M'aiq the Liar? Does he respawn when you leave the map/use a wayshrine? Is he always on one spot of a map, or are there instances he is not on a map at all?

phaneub17_ESO

He will always be in every zone, in specific locations of the map. He probably does move around though on timed intervals.

daemonios

Each zone has several possible spawn locations for M'aiq, just as for the Lightbringer, Crime Pays and Give to the Poor random NPC encounters. Some add-ons such as Destinations can put pins on your map for possible locations, though I don't know if they're 100% correct or complete.

After someone encounters one of these NPCs, they'll disappear after some time. I don't know for sure but I think there's then a timer for any of the random encounters to respawn at one of the locations.

lonewolf26

This was my experience from several releases back when I tracked down M'aiq on my achievement hunt. There is one instance of M'aiq in every zone he appears. He spawns at one of the spawn points in the zone and waits a predetermined length of time before he despawns at that point and spawns at another.

He can be "held" at a point for some time, by having someone interact with him. While in the dialog, he will not despawn and you could call a friend over to check him out to get the achievement. Exiting the dialog after his despawn timer expires will cause him to go away.

Edit: I forgot to mention there is a time out for the amount of time you can wait in a dialog so that will ultimately determine how long you can hold him in place.

tinythinker

He is a challenge to find in every zone, there are ways to find him, like old threads from launch with reported sightings, or sites like UESP with written directions for each zone, or you can even add the locations on your map with the Destinations add-on. But if you like the challenge and fun of finding him on your own, the previous comments describe his mechanics pretty well If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

Smileybones

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

That's very kind of you good sir.

starkerealm

From my recollections back in 1.5...

With the exception of the tutorial zones, like Kenarthi's Roost, M'aiq has three possible spawn locations in each zone (it might be 5, it's been awhile).

Anytime a player approaches one of these locations, M'aiq has a chance to spawn. He will despawn if the last player near his location moves away.

There seems to be a, per instance limit of 1 spawn at a time, but this might just be a function of his spawn frequency.

Additionally there's a 10-15 minute timer when you speak to him and exhaust his dialog, before he can deliver new dialog. But, if you're still on that timer, you can get credit for speaking to him in a new zone.

UrQuan

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

runagate

UrQuan wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

I do that, too.

Anyone know what's up with the other possible NPC that can spawn in the Solicitor's spots?

It's an orc lady who sells you a drink that gives a miniscule buff. I like it, but I don't know what to make of her.

UrQuan

runagate wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

I do that, too.

Anyone know what's up with the other possible NPC that can spawn in the Solicitor's spots?

It's an orc lady who sells you a drink that gives a miniscule buff. I like it, but I don't know what to make of her.

She's a strange old lady you randomly come across who wants you to drink a weird magical concoction. What could go wrong?

starkerealm

UrQuan wrote: »

runagate wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

I do that, too.

Anyone know what's up with the other possible NPC that can spawn in the Solicitor's spots?

It's an orc lady who sells you a drink that gives a miniscule buff. I like it, but I don't know what to make of her.

She's a strange old lady you randomly come across who wants you to drink a weird magical concoction. What could go wrong?

You wake up three weeks later, in early access, on @jamesharv2005ub17_ESO 's account?

Taleof2Cities

Alik'r Desert was by far the worst zone spawn point for me. Be sure to start checking for M'aiq there first and on a regular basis ... if you intend to complete the achievement.

starkerealm

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

Alik'r Desert was by far the worst zone spawn point for me. Be sure to start checking for M'aiq there first and on a regular basis ... if you intend to complete the achievement.

Funny, Alik'r is actually one of the easiest to force M'Aiq to spawn.

Unless, they've fixed it, you can go up the road from the Hollow Waste Dolmen, to a small tower, then enter and exit repeatedly until M'aiq spawns.

UrQuan

starkerealm wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

runagate wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

I do that, too.

Anyone know what's up with the other possible NPC that can spawn in the Solicitor's spots?

It's an orc lady who sells you a drink that gives a miniscule buff. I like it, but I don't know what to make of her.

She's a strange old lady you randomly come across who wants you to drink a weird magical concoction. What could go wrong?

You wake up three weeks later, in early access, on @jamesharv2005ub17_ESO 's account?

My god... I never thought of that...

Don't drink it! Don't drink it! Nobody wants that!

Cadbury

starkerealm wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

runagate wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

I do that, too.

Anyone know what's up with the other possible NPC that can spawn in the Solicitor's spots?

It's an orc lady who sells you a drink that gives a miniscule buff. I like it, but I don't know what to make of her.

She's a strange old lady you randomly come across who wants you to drink a weird magical concoction. What could go wrong?

You wake up three weeks later, in early access, on @jamesharv2005ub17_ESO 's account?

Best outcome is you're cursed to eternally wake up in the body of a random streamer every 24-hours. From Deltia to FENGRUSH and then over to Jenna Marbles...

starkerealm

Cadbury wrote: »

starkerealm wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

runagate wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

If I see him I put out a notice in /zone and wait 60 seconds to see if anyone is interested. If so I will group them and wait.

I usually do this too. Same with the solicitor in Wrothgar.

I do that, too.

Anyone know what's up with the other possible NPC that can spawn in the Solicitor's spots?

It's an orc lady who sells you a drink that gives a miniscule buff. I like it, but I don't know what to make of her.

She's a strange old lady you randomly come across who wants you to drink a weird magical concoction. What could go wrong?

You wake up three weeks later, in early access, on @jamesharv2005ub17_ESO 's account?

Best outcome is you're cursed to eternally wake up in the body of a random streamer every 24-hours. From Deltia to FENGRUSH and then over to Jenna Marbles...

Worst outcome, it's Baertaffy. Always Baertaffy.

Taleof2Cities

starkerealm wrote: »

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

Alik'r Desert was by far the worst zone spawn point for me. Be sure to start checking for M'aiq there first and on a regular basis ... if you intend to complete the achievement.

Funny, Alik'r is actually one of the easiest to force M'Aiq to spawn.

Unless, they've fixed it, you can go up the road from the Hollow Waste Dolmen, to a small tower, then enter and exit repeatedly until M'aiq spawns.

Well, if you're getting the achievement through an exploit I'm not going to judge you for that ... each player has their own goals and list of items to complete in the game. A worthwhile goal to one player may just be a nuisance to another player.

starkerealm

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

starkerealm wrote: »

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

Alik'r Desert was by far the worst zone spawn point for me. Be sure to start checking for M'aiq there first and on a regular basis ... if you intend to complete the achievement.

Funny, Alik'r is actually one of the easiest to force M'Aiq to spawn.

Unless, they've fixed it, you can go up the road from the Hollow Waste Dolmen, to a small tower, then enter and exit repeatedly until M'aiq spawns.

Well, if you're getting the achievement through an exploit I'm not going to judge you for that ... each player has their own goals and list of items to complete in the game. A worthwhile goal to one player may just be a nuisance to another player.

It's not really an exploit. This is normal behavior for how M'aiq spawns. Given how brutally RNG the M'aiq, Lightbringer, Crime Pays, and Give to the Poor achievements can be, getting these to proc naturally is a pain.