Excavating yellow items: any hints?

DreamyLu

I'm trying to excavate a yellow item. I already tried about 12 times by now (fortunately, foes are avoidable in that zone, so I can move from one location to the next safely). I always ran out of time. I try with shovels, without, I click madly... No way. It's so frustrating. Therefore my questions:
Is it possible at all? If yes, would any of you have some hints? Is it maybe reserved for players who can click at light speed? Or is there a part of luck into excavating those yellow items?

I will be happy with any feedback that could help me, because otherwise, since I can't click faster than what I did now, I will have no other choice than giving up yellow items.

Edited for an add: I've maxed both scrying & excavating

Lugaldu

I'm not sure I get you right, but you don't have to dig as fast as you can. You first check with the Augur where it indicates a green field and then you can carefully consider every use of brush, shovel, etc.

DreamyLu

I'm sorry if I didn't explain well. I try again: once I get the green square, next step is to clear off the earth to uncover the entire item. To do that, there is a limited amount of time available. And my problem is that no matter what I use (brush, shovel, combo of all, ...), I never click fast enough to have the item fully uncovered within the given time limit.

Lugaldu

You don't need to click quickly, the timer shows how many times you've used your shovel and how often you can still use it. If you have found the antiquity/the green fields and the skill line excavating is fully developed, then it shouldn't be a problem to succeed, because with trowel and shovel you can always dig away several layers at once.

fizl101

I tend to go brush twice, then trowel (the one that just digs deep on one square), and repeat that. If I am close to the bottom, I will use the trowel on an adjacent block to get the deep dig, and keep going on the other square with the brush to build up the trowel again. I save the shovel (apologies if the wrong way round, the one that clears a thinner layer across multiple squares) for when I have uncovered the antiquity and am looking for bonus items

It helps alot to remember the shapes of the objects, so when you see a corner you know which way you are heading

Brrrofski

Key thing, it's not actually time.

It's "moves" or "clicks" if you like.

It's misleading, but don't rush it.

I suspect you're rushing and therefore not digging logically and wasting all your "moves".

GreenHere

Lean heavily on the large 3x3 area Shovel. Here's the method I follow:

- Locate the 3x3 zone where I want to dig down using the Auger,
- Brush away the top layers in your chosen 3x3 zone so that they are all even -- aka the same layer/material (which will charge up the Shovel bar as you even the ground out),
- Use the Shovel in the center of the area,
- Brush down 4 layers in a single square touching (but outside of) the main dig area (to potentially uncover corners early that may extend outside the 3x3) which completely fills the charges again for the Shovel,
- Shovel down again, Brush again, repeat until your 3x3 is fully uncovered (take care not to go too deep at once once you're nearing bottom; get to know those layer textures!)
- You now know what shape and direction your box extends outside your 3x3 zone, so just Brush/Trowel your way through the dirt to get it all dug up. If you focused on the 3x3 and only adjacent squares, you'll have more than enough time.
- You're done, congrats! 🎊 🎉

NEVER even start digging until you've Augerred at least two to four green squares, as it's just blind digging otherwise; you can just back out / quit a dig site and reactivate it again without having to redo the Scrying minigame, IIRC.

I've literally never run out of time on digs again once I really got in the groove of doing it this way, even on the hardest ones. I don't say that to brag, but trying to say that this method should work pretty much 100% of the time no matter what... unless I failed to explain something properly. I hope I worded it in a way that makes sense. If not, anyone should feel free to ask and I'll try to clarify further.

Good luck!

DreamyLu

Thanks all for those descriptions. I will go test that in Artaeum on an easy one before to retry there where I have the yellow.

I always believed - wrongly it seems - that there is a time limit, because the text coming when it stops is always that I ran out of time. So yes, like said by Brrrofski I just madly click to uncover as much as I can fast fast fast.

FrancisCrawford

DreamyLu wrote: »

Thanks all for those descriptions. I will go test that in Artaeum on an easy one before to retry there where I have the yellow.

I always believed - wrongly it seems - that there is a time limit, because the text coming when it stops is always that I ran out of time. So yes, like said by Brrrofski I just madly click to uncover as much as I can fast fast fast.

Yes. That's an unfortunate interface choice on their part. What actually is the case that each click consumes 16 1/2 or so fictional minutes, and there's a timer showing how much fictional time you have left.

One tip -- if there's steam* coming up from a square, that square is not part of where the antiquity is. Between that and any green squares you hit in augury -- assuming you hit at least one -- you should have a pretty good idea where the antiquity could be. Plan a couple of 3x3 or almost that big areas where you plan to use the big shovel; use the brush to level them and later to drill down on individual squares outside your planned areas, and you should be fine.

*Or smoke/methane/however you interpret the swirly-gasses graphic.

DreamyLu

Ok, guess what? Thanks to your help guys, especially the detailed description from @GreenHere, I got my yellow and can happily go for next one now

Thanks All!

Edited for an add (there was a cross over): @FrancisCrawford , yes, I understood that now with the "time". I had totally failed to catch that before. Thanks too.

GreenHere

DreamyLu wrote: »

Ok, guess what? Thanks to your help guys, especially the detailed description from @GreenHere, I got my yellow and can happily go for next one now

Thanks All!

Edited for an add (there was a cross over): @FrancisCrawford , yes, I understood that now with the "time". I had totally failed to catch that before. Thanks too.

WOOHOO!! \o/

*high five*

Congrats!

SpiritofESO

DreamyLu

I like to use trowel on squares where I keep top layers without brushing. I do that mostly on the corners. And if layers remain after using it, that's squares I use to brush for "recharge" of the shovel.