No offense intended, but there has been a lot of QQ'ing about the new DLC from players that I believe could benefit from some "tips and tricks" about how to excel in the Imperial City.

PREMISE: I believe most of the people who have fundamental large-scale problems (opposed to the little complaints we all have) with the Imperial City are players that previously used large groups as a crutch and are either A) running by themselves (or in small numbers) for the first time, or B ) still running with big groups enjoying much less success.

GOAL: I believe you'll have better results, and therefore MORE FUN, by taking most of the following advice:

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1) SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Whether you are at risk from enemy groups, gankers in the shadows, or roaming bosses, it pays to "slow your roll". Take a second before you enter a room to see if NPCs are dead and you see no other players (possible gankers)....LISTEN for skills going off in large numbers (enemy group nearby), etc. Slowing down just enough to understand your surroundings prior to starting a battle will eliminate some of your deaths and losses. I guarantee it. What you lose in "clearing speed" you make up for in Tel Var Stone accumulation without deaths. As they say, "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast".

2.1) DITCH THE ZERG
Tel Var Stones, like AP, are divided by the number of people grouped. So, when a group of 10 runs over a single player with 100 stones.....you get 10 stones. Additionally, there are no dedicated objectives and routes. In Cyrodiil, for example, zergs will push back and forth between places like Ales and Bleakers for hours, trading AP, and everyone farming up their numbers higher and higher. That's not the case in the Imperial City. Large groups, slowed by NPCs, can be spotted a mile away. Very few decent players carrying lots of stones are going to be caught by your group because of the situational awareness described above. So the rate you gain stones is slower than with fewer players in my experience. You get fewer per kill and the kills themselves are often of less quality.

2.2) THINK FOR YOURSELF
It may be difficult to break away from a larger group to bank your stones, preserve your life, or stop for an out of the way chest. Even in small groups I've stopped to bank stones when there was pressure, both from the players and from our general momentum, to keep going. Be smart. It's easy to be smart outside of a large group. (That's good RL advice imho)

2.3) BE WARY OF AGGRO TRAINS
Even if you don't group with a dozen people, you will have to actively avoid other players if you don't want them to ruin your day. Nothing is as frustrating for me as getting one-shot killed by a boss while I'm trying to open a chest because some nucklehead aggro'd the roaming boss. Many times I'll be solo (or with a friend) and another group of 3 people start mimicking our movements and trying to unofficially group with us. No offense to them, but I'm not interested in a group of five (for stone acquisition tactics) and I do whatever it takes to break away from them. A group of 5 is a great way to lose 10% of your stones over and over in rapid succession and also a great way to get wiped by a zerg. Too loud to hear the enemies abilities in the next room. Too unorganized to move methodically. Too strong to be cautious....but too weak to be victorious.

3) UNDERSTAND RISK vs REWARD
If you are aware of your surroundings, and running solo or in a group that is gathering stones, and you are thinking for yourself.....you have to make decisions! Some people honestly don't like making decisions, and this is where the Imperial City is going to hurt you. The amount of time you spend looking at a room before you decide to enter it and begin fighting NPCs should change based on how many stones you are carrying and where that room is. Do you have 150 stones or 1500 stones? Are you in the closest tunnel to your base or one an enemy sewer tunnel? Likewise, knowing where you are going helps you decide what to risk at the outset. If you plan to go far from base and target players you may wish to begin with zero stones. If you plan to slowly work your way across the map exploring your way to enemy areas you may with to begin with 100 stones for the modest modifier. If you plan to stay in your own tunnels, you may choose to carry 1000 at the outset. If you plan to just repeatedly clear the closet 3 rooms to your base, you may feel brave enough to carry 10,000 stones.

Additionally, who you chose to attack should take the same things into consideration. In a group of 2, for example, I would avoid being outnumbered unless I was carrying zero stones. However, if I'm carrying many stones I may only fight players when I outnumber them. Furthermore, even a 1 on 1 fight might be a bad idea if you are in a far away tunnel where many more enemies may come running to the rescue. Unless of course, you came with few stones and have nothing to lose.

4) MENTALLY PREPARE
Like playing the stock market, some people can't handle the stress of it. Even if they make $1200, and lose $1000 that day....they "FEEL" like they lost $1000 instead of gaining $200.

There is an easy way mitigate this stress called: "Playing with the house money!"

What this means is that as soon as you get a modest gain, you bank your investment and treat the gains as your investment, never again to touch your original investment. In the context of the Imperial City, it means beginning each day carrying X number of stones for the modifier and then as soon as possible banking back that X number, and playing with the Y number left over as if that's all you have.

5.1) MORE STOCK MARKET TIPS
When trading stocks and even more when trading options (which move faster) it's important to SET LIMITS so you don't have to think on the fly. Set rules for yourself so you don't make decisions based on emotion. It's too easy to ignore the fact that losing more than 1000 stones is unacceptable to you if you are suddenly gaining Stones at a rapid rate and winning player battles. So, set specific goals for what you will carry, when and where. Write them down if it helps and stick to them. Just like saying, "I'm going to sell this stock if it doubles or if it loses 20%", setting rules for Imperial City will protect your gains and limit your losses!

5.2) MY LIMITS AND RULES
A) I personally always begin playing in the above-ground City districts with zero stones and bank stones as soon as I hit 200. I find the districts too erratic to comfortably risk more.

B ) I always begin sewer trips with 100 stones for the lowest modifier and bank when I hit 1000 stones (or even less than 1000 if I see signs of trouble and I'm outside of my home tunnels)

C) However, sometimes if I have a set route that will stay near to base clearing a few rooms repeatedly I will being with 1000 stones, bank 1000 as soon as I get to 2k total, and then continue to run "with the house money" indefinitely.

*note: Over time the numbers for B and C will scale up. This is what I did on day 1.

6) ADJUST YOUR BUILD
Not only did global PvP mechanics change (reductions to healing and damage), and individual skills changed (like always with a patch), but GROUP MECHANICS have changed. Therefore, even with no other changes you need to adjust your build. If you were doing 100% damage running with a group and relying on healers you need to start slotting some utility skills. If you always healed your group, you need to slot damage. Dramatically different content demands different builds!

7) THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Just one example....but instead of relying on the usual Tri-pots or Xpower pots, maybe consider speed pots or invisibility pots. Think objectively about what would actually make your time in the Imperial City easier and more productive.

8) EXPECTATIONS
You need to expect to lose some stones. Let it go. It's gonna be okay.
But you can also expect to bank hundreds if not thousands of stones an hour if you follow this advice. There was a thread yesterday by a person who said they played for 3 hours with a group of 8-20 and banked 50 stones at the end. In the same amount of time, alternating between solo and 2 friends, I banked 3000 stones, without trying as hard as I could.

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If you are a DC player, I'd be happy to run with you and give you some real-time advice. Just message me in-game. If you're not a DC player, also message me in-game and tell me exactly where you are and how many stones you are carrying