Free-to-play Dungeoneering training

Introduction

 * Dungeoneering is very dependent on other skills, with many different kinds of monsters and bosses. Many players find it essential to have skills improved to effectively train this skill. However, Dungeoneering is diversifying and different ways can be used to have efficient and fun training.


 * High combat levels, and skill levels, can make better equipments and so on. And they compound together as well. For example, you are able to create and wear Fractite equipment only if you get 40 Attack, 40 Defence, 40 Mining, and over 40 Smithing. It is recommended to have balanced levels to gain experience at the maximum rate, however, a combat practitioner can also play without much difficulty.


 * The actual training of the skill will be different for everyone due to the randomised nature of the dungeons. Because of this, the article will focus primarily on maximising your Dungeoneering experience gains instead of giving a step by step walkthrough like many other skill guides.

Maximising Experience
You are ready to start adventuring when you get the Ring of kinship from the Dungeoneering tutor. There are several important things you need to know in order to increase your experience gains:

Prestige
Prestige is the main tool to effectively gain experience. When you open the floor selection screen from the party interface, you will see columns which have ticked and unticked floor blocks. The ticked floors are those you have raided after you last clicked Reset, while the blue ones are the ones you have not. By raiding the unraided floors, you will receive a prestige bonus equal to the number of unique floors you finished between your last two resets (i.e. before your last reset). Simply speaking, clicking reset after having raided 7 unique floors will cause you to receive a Prestige 7 bonus each time you complete a floor. You will keep receiving a Prestige 7 bonus until your current Prestige exceeds Prestige 7 (which will occur once you raid more than 7 floors without resetting).



Therefore, you can maximise your experience gains by taking the following steps:

1. Only raid floors which do NOT have ticks on them (check the floor selection screen for which ones you've done).

2. Try to get all the floors ticked (including any new floors that you unlock), then click reset.

If the highest level floors are too hard, you can reset early but you will get a smaller prestige bonus at the end of each floor (until you raid enough floors again to exceed the prestige number you reset at).

You can raid floors in any order, but it is strongly recommended to raid the greatest floor last. This is because you must complete the highest level floor in order to unlock the next floor. If you completed the current highest leveled floor before you gain the Dungeoneering level to unlock a new floor, then you will have to repeat that same floor again in order to unlock the next floor when you gain the level, and repeating floors gives less experience.

Bonus Rooms
While opening Bonus Rooms might not seem like such a big contribution to your experience, being only shown as a modifier which reaches a maximum of +13%, there is actually a 'hidden' component of experience for opening bonus rooms. This 'hidden' component of experience arises from the fact that the calculations for both the base experience numbers (the numbers in the Base XP section: Base Floor and Prestige bonus experience) utilise the number of rooms you opened that floor; the more rooms you open, the higher your Base Floor and Prestige bonus experience will be. The calculations do not differentiate between the number of mandatory or 'bonus' rooms opened, which essentially translates into being based only on the number of bonus rooms you open that floor (since the mandatory rooms are mandatory).

In simple terms, not only does opening bonus rooms increase your modifier (shown in the Modifier section as a +%), but it also increases your base experience (the Base XP section). This means opening bonus rooms has a much greater impact on your experience than it originally seems.

Tests have been done which show that a player who opens all bonus rooms would recieve close to double the experience than they would if they had opened no bonus rooms.

Level Mod
'Level Mod' is written incorrectly as 'Points Mod' in the Knowledge Base. To increase the Level Mod modifier, players just have to kill monsters. It is still possible the receive the maximum of +10% with a few monsters alive, so it might be helpful to ignore monsters that do not result in a net increase of food (ie. by dropping food).

Complexity
Six levels of complexity are available. However, a free player is advised to choose complexity 2 or 6 only. The main reason is, complexity 2 can omit the need to make equipment, which is a major defect for those training combat only, and complexity 6 ensures the maximum possible modifier (-0%).

Guide Mode
Guide Mode is not recommended due to the very large impact on experience Bonus Rooms have, as mentioned previously. In addition, Guide Mode is best utilised if a player opens the dungeon map after every single door (to check if the door they just opened leads to a Bonus Room); this constant checking will slow players down, which defeats the purpose of having the Guide Mode enabled in the first place. Players who do not constantly check the dungeon map will inevitably find themselves exploring Bonus Rooms, not that that is a bad thing, but it again defeats the purpose of having Guide Mode enabled.

Gameplay
The raiding mainly includes several part: Starting out, fighting, puzzle solving, restocking and fighting the boss. Moreover, it can further divided into solo raiding and team raiding.

Starting out
Contrary to other multiplayer games, what you see on the table is all you will get. Grab everything and don't miss a single item. Sell the useless (or inferior) items to the smuggler and remember to take the key if there is one.
 * The following items are almost mandatory to buy from the Smuggler since they will be required to either complete puzzles or open doors, they are also needed in getting yourself equipped (with equipment and food), you should have enough gold from the table and selling items to the Smuggler:
 * 1) A hammer
 * 2) A tinderbox
 * 3) A fly-fishing rod and some feathers
 * 4) Any hatchet
 * 5) Any pickaxe
 * When starting the skill, you will be forced to go through Complexity 1 where you are given the most powerful equipment you can wear, this is the perfect time to Bind a powerful weapon (along with arrows or runes) for later Complexities where you will not always be given good weapons.
 * It is recommended to bind a Spear if you can get ahold of one, since at low levels you will only be able to bind one piece of gear, so the advantage of using a shield with a one handed weapon is lost (since you won't be able to bind both a one handed weapon and a shield). In addition, the Spear is reasonably strong in all combat styles (in order starting with the most powerful style: Stab, Crush then Slash) which is useful in the manipulation of a monster's weakness.
 * Stick to one or two combat styles, otherwise you will waste inventory space.

Solo raiding
Solo raiding is mainly aimed to the sense of player. There are some important notices to soloists:
 * Always remember to look at the minimap to locate yourself.
 * The home teleport spell is changed to have unlimited uses.
 * A good internet connection is highly recommended since lagging can interrupt game play and cause deaths while fighting enemies (especially bosses, which require good reflexes). This also applies to full or nearly full worlds where autotype macro users will lag the server.
 * It is strongly recommended to finish a dungeon before leaving or logging off, since without team members to rejoin with, you will not be able to rejoin where you left off.
 * Do NOT overstock or understock, as doing so will either waste your time or increase your death count.
 * Avoid moving across a lot of rooms, especially when boss is far from the smuggler. (Use Dungeon Home Teleport)
 * Learning to use the gatestone and gatestone teleport can drastically speed up a player's trip through a dungeon. If you come to a door that requires a key you do not yet have, placing a gatestone there to allow quick return when you have the key will cut off significant time. Also, if you plan to complete the entire level, placing a gateway at the door to the boss or even at the stairs to the next level (if you have already beaten the boss) will help speed things along as well.

Fighting
There are three types of monsters:
 * 1) Constitution based, for example ice giants
 * 2) Attack based, for example ice spiders
 * 3) Ranged/Magic based, for example Mysterious shades

Each room may or may not have obstacles. If possible, players can block some monsters behind walls and objects, and finish the weaker one first. Constitution ones should be killed lastly. Do not eat food unless you are in a safe room, so just run away and eat when your lifepoints are low. Eating while fighting will cause more damage to you than running.

When the monsters are dead, depending on your character's ability, you should pick the best equipment from the floor, but it is not needed if you have a better supply. There are only 5 kinds of food, so simply pick the better ones and eat the inferior ones. For melee and ranged players, the armour can be swapped as you will not have very many raw materials during raiding.


 * [[File:Hiem_crab.png]]Heim Crab - 20 lifepoints
 * [[File:Rock-eye.png]]Red-eye - 50 lifepoints
 * [[File:Dusk_eel.png]]Dusk Eel - 70 lifepoints
 * [[File:Giant_flatfish.png]]Flatfish - 100 lifepoints
 * [[File:Short_finned_eel.png]]Short-finned eel - 120 lifepoints

However, there is always a way to save time. If you notice the properties of the doors, you will find in a monster-infested room, the doors without any features will require you to kill all monsters inside, but all the other doors do not need it. For example, if you get a key, you can just run across the room and unlock the key-locked door without fighting at all. Be careful not to double click though, as it might accidentally put you in the boss room for a much harder fight.

If you meet an exceptionally strong monster, remember that there is always a door to exit and coins to buy extra food in the process. Do not stress your character.

Skill doors should be unlocked as soon as possible, this will save a lot of time. However, if you don't have the required items (tinderbox, hammer, etc.) you might need to return to the smuggler or loot some killed monsters for items. However, buying all of the tools is not essential, as the boss room might be on another path.

Puzzle solving
Some puzzles may seem like a waste of time, but most can be done quite quickly once you understand what you have to do. As mentioned in the Bonus Rooms section of this article, it is necessary to complete all rooms in order to maximise your experience gains. This should not be too difficult as the main article link (below) will provide you with the most efficient solutions should you give up on a puzzle.

Restocking
How to restock, or even not to restock is majorly dependent on the path between the boss and the smuggler, the strength of the boss, and the equipment you have looted from fallen monsters. The home teleport spell can save a lot of time, and different bosses may require significantly more or less supply. For example, if you can use prayer, the Gluttonous Behemoth and Icy Bones would not require a lot of food, but some dangerous ones require 700+ points worth of lifepoints to defeat. If you are close to the smuggler, just buy some high quality fish and cook them. Be warned, low level wood can cause raw fish to burn frequently, so choose either tier 4 or 5 wood to cook.

If you are up to create your own armour and weapons, make sure you create equipment at least 2 tiers above those you gained from monsters; otherwise you might just waste your time. Focus on completing the dungeon quickly in order to maximise the rate of Dungeoneering experience obtained. Obtaining a full suit of armour for every floor attempted may be necessary for certain players, however it is generally not and thus smithing a full suit of armour only wastes valuable dungeoneering experience. It should be noted however that gauntlets and boots require only a single ore, yet provide a handy melee combat boost.

Generally, when players arrive at harder areas (for example, from frozen to abandoned), the drop table of the monsters will be significantly changed. Do not use the same rules for every floor.

Detailed information on making equipments and supplies: Generally, the player will get between 30k to 75k coins. Depending on luck and monsters fought, the player should obtain some food and equipment. Equipment should be superior if harder monsters are killed, and more will be received if more monsters are fought. Food loosely follows this rule but any food better than dusk eels will rarely appear.


 * Floor 1-2: None of the bosses are very dangerous. A player with 45+ combat and a tier 3+ weapon should have no problem fighting with nothing but items looted from monsters.


 * Floor 3-11: The Luminescent Icefiend is the most dangerous boss. Just ensure you have more food, like 5-10 dusk eels (350-700 lifepoints total) in addition to those in floor 1-2. Sometimes players will loot so much food that restocking is not needed.


 * Floor 12-17: Restocking will be needed mid-raid, but usually not before the boss fight. The bosses are all easier than the icefiend, so players should pay more attention to the monsters, especially since some very powerful monsters will block your path. The monsters in the dungeon tend to give coins. You will very frequently run out of supplies.


 * Floor 18-20: Warning: Do not use up your coins until you see the boss. There is a possibility that a higher leveled boss will either exhaust your food or assault you with superior attacks. It's possible to encounter Rammernaut with no coins to buy runes, thus stopping your progress.

Fighting Bosses
Solo bosses are usually a lower level than team bosses. Specific strategies should be referred to in individual articles here. However, for some bosses solo fighting and team fighting makes large differences. For example two mages fighting Rammernaut would need to run less but watch out even more seriously for the special attacks.

You may or may not receive bonus equipment after you defeat the boss. However, the items you receive are exactly the same as other identically named ones, so only bind it if it is something you might want to use. The best weapon, armour and ammo should be bound to save time in later raids.

Never, never challenge a boss stronger (significantly higher combat) than you if you team member hasn't arrived. You will surely risk gaining death count. Just wait at the room entrance door and search nearby places for food and armour. However a lazing player should not be waited on, unless he/she is high in combat.

Stock up on food before going in, as some bosses hit very high and drain or hit through your prayers.

For speed dungeoneers, people who turn the guide mode on and just go through the quickest route, it should be pointed out by just looking into an extra room you get one percent in the xp calculator at the end of the floor, without entering the room, so it is worth unlocking unnecessary rooms as you go.

Other Tips
It is noted in the Dungeoneering - The Basics knowledge base article that raiding with a player significantly lower in combat or skill will result in an experience penalty of up to 60%: "NOTE - the difficulty of the dungeon is ALWAYS based on the lowest skill and combat levels in your party. For example, a party of five playing a 5:3 difficulty dungeon will find that the skill challenges and creatures' combat levels are balanced according to the three players with the lowest skill or combat levels. If a high level player raids with a party of low-level players on a low difficulty dungeon, they may find themselves with an XP penalty of up to 60%. In this instance, a warning message will appear when choosing the difficulty. "