Grinding for Epic Items

Premises for Guide: I made this guide out of the expierence of my friend's and I expierences of end-game or near end-game grinding for items/coin. Many players(and gold farmers) just go to tyr's hand and at the peak you can probably make anywhere from 5-20g an hour depending on your class. This is horridly inefficent. Being there almost assumes your level 60 and you have to group unless your a good solo class (and even then expect a couple wipes). Over the course of about 2 months my friend and I have come to a revelation about farming in the end-game for cash.

Items = Cash and Cash = Items

So suppose your a Hunter and you want that Dwarven Hand Cannon like no tomorrow. So you spend weeks on end grinding in tyr's hand to make up enough coin to buy one, and then waiting around hand hoping you have enough coin when someone does put one up. Grinding for items is much more effiencent. An end-game world drop purple item goes for around 500-1000g on my server. From testing my friend and I have come to the conclussion that it signifantly easier to farm for Epic items rather then go for raw coin.

You get an epic item you dont want sell it for 500-1000g and bam your up 500-1000g, while getting a purple item might take you 2 weeks, one has to drop sometime (and you'll probably accumlate alot of blue/greens by then). and one could drop on the second mob. in Tyr's hand or hearthglen, the coindrop is solid (8s-20s) and it will take you months regardless to get up to that 1000g quota.

So enough chatter lets down to where the good items drop.

Item Grinding Zones (blue and better)

Ruins of Andorhol WPL (55-56 non-elites) (MAP: http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/1637/wpl3zr.jpg )
Every single mob there has a poor-decent chance to drop epic items. This is made up for by the fact that there are literally boatloads of them. Most of them arent linked. They are non-elites, so a level 60 can pretty much 2 shot them regardless of class, and you can even drag along a lvl 50s friend if you want for exp. Coin is around 4-6s.
Searing Ghouls - Epic: Krol Blade, Lifestone, Shadowblade -Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412279 , http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412281
Souless Ghouls - Epic: Krol Blade, Hurricane, Glowing Brightwood Staff, Axe of the Deep Woods, Dwarven Hand Cannon, Stockade Pauldrons -other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412289 , http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412286
Skeletal Acolyte - Epic: Eye of Flame, Hammer of the Northern Wind - Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412336 , http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412287



Un'goro Crater (49-60e) (MAP: http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/5738/ungoro0or.jpg)
Mobs in here vary from lvl 49 to 60e (stone gaurdians). There are fewer monsters here than Ruins of Anderhol, but made up for the fact that the epic/rare droprate is signifantly higher. You want to mainly stick to the Tar Lords (fire weakness for u mages). Most things here are non-elites, and you can bring alot a lvl 50sh buddy for power-questing etc. There are also devilsaurs which is good if you are skinning. Stone gaurdians are non-aggro so you will never have worry about them.
Tar Beasts - Epic: Stonerender Gauntlets - Other:http://www.thottbot.com/?n=394809
Tar Creepers - Epic: Stockade Pauldrons, Stonerender Gauntlets - Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=395100 , http://www.thottbot.com/?n=404959
Tar Lords - Epic: Eye of Flame, Hurricane, Krol Blade - Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=360874 , http://www.thottbot.com/?n=360478



Winterspring (50-60) (MAP: http://www.thottbot.com/?m=360491&s=b )
The Ice Thistle Yetis have a decent-good epic/rare droprate and are non-elite, start at lvl 52 and ramp up. They are pretty abundant. There are also lvl 55-56 undeads on the frozen lake, yet to see any rare/epic drops. will update if one is found. Help a lower lvl friend and power quest him while your at it. There are also some other mobs to the south, have yet to try those.
Ice Thistle Yeti - Epic: Axe of the Deep Woods, Dwarven Hand Cannon, Krol Blade, Lifestone, Stockade Pauldrons (note: friend also said a bloodrazer dropped but I have yet to confirm) - Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=360491

Ghost Farm WPL (57-59) (MAP: http://www.thottbot.com/?m=412215&s=b )
This area, east of Ruins of Anderhol. Mobs go down pretty easy, droprate a little higher than Anderhol. You can also tag along a lowerlvl friend for exp.
Haunting Visions - Epic: Dwarven Hand Cannon , Myrmodons Signet - Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=412215
Wailing Death - Epic: Krol Blade - Other: http://www.thottbot.com/?n=224913

NEWSithilus (55-60) (MAP: http://i73.thottbot.com/en/Interface/WorldMap/Silithus/Silithusbig.jpg )
Me and my friend ventured into Sithilus today on the advise of an euro friend. Essense of Air Farming to the north is very easy, and essense of air currently goes for about 18-20g's, there are always other faction there so group a buddy and kill the farmers and take all the elementals for yourself =D, have yet to see any epic drops, or rare, just a mutliude of greens, most AH worthy.
ANY elemental- Epic: none - Other: Essence of Air
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Thats it for now, my friend and I will expore more areas, but these 5 have been pretty sucessful for us. We have an extremely good system. Both of us work together and we can kill twice the mobs at twice the speed. Any items worty of AH we split the profit. We are both friends IRL and both are working towards our items!

Oh and 1 last note: If an epic item drops that you wanted kudos to you, you just saved months of farming in high coin spots to buy it on the AH.


Happy grinding!

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