Lineage II/Notable Locations/Execution Grounds

History of Execution Grounds

Long ago, a pleasant revolt occured in Dion but was suppressed by the local lord. The lord had the rebels executed en masse in what is later known as Execution Grounds.

In Aden, the dead do not lie easy, and this place is now haunted by the spirits of the executed. The gullotines still stand as silent testimony to the lives taken here, and the mists that hangs perpetually over the area serves to heighten the gloom of this haunted place.

Location and Layout

Execution Grounds (EG) lies just east of Dion and west of Giran. EG has three entrances:

• west entrance passing the Mandragora Pits.

This is the primarily entrance to EG and many PCs headed into EG to hunt (or to utilize the east entrance to Giran) take this road, as it is within a quick 5 minutes' run from Dion's east gate. . This road is safe as the majority of the mobs nearby are non-aggressive until you get near the Mandragora Pits.

• north entrance from Dion's north gate or Giran.

The north entrance connects to the north road between Dion and Giran. This road is very long and as a result is typically not utilized that heavily. You do get travellers on this road headed to Partisan's Hideaway, but by and large people prefer the shorter, but more dangerous south road (going into EG from the east entrance). This road is a good choice for lower level PCs, as the mobs on this road are typically lower level, not aggressive, and not clustered heavily or near the road.

• east entrance leading to Giran.

The east entrance is quite heavily used as the time taken on this route from Giran to Dion is substantially shorter than the time taken on the north road, especially if you Scroll of Escape (SOE) to Giran or Dion once you are able to. It is for this shortcut that many PCs go into EG, and players coming into EG from Giran via the east entrance must be aware that there is a risk of running into a train of mobs that a passing PC brought along.

Layout

EG is laid out in 3 layers. For simplicity, they are:

• the bottom layer
• the second layer or second tier
• the top layer or top tier

In addition, there are two areas of interest. They are:

• the Mandragora breeding pits
• the Pit

EG Bottom Layer

The bottom layer, which is connected to Dion via the east gate, has the highest level mobs, and is typically not the place a low level (< level 24) PC should be - a lot of the mobs there can make your day fairly messy. Mobs there include Mandragora Blossoms, Mandragora Saplings, Mandragora Sprouts, Strains, Dead Seekers, Granite Golems and Hangman Trees.

The bottom layer is dominated by trees and a huge gullotine surrounded by Hangman Trees.

Of special note is that in the middle (roughly) of this bottom layer is a road intersection. PCs typically call in the crossroad or x-road or similar, and it is here that dwarves tends to set up shop selling Soul and Spirit Shots. Soul Shots are more common, and it is not unknown for a PC to repeatedly request for Spirit Shots without getting any.

Due to the promixity to Dion, prices for these shots tend to be at market value, but occassionally people do raise the prices, especially if no other sellers are around.

In addition to dwarves, there are more and more elven (both types) and human buffers selling buffs at the crossroads. Prices differ according to the type and level of buffs offered. You might not see dwarven shops all the time, but typically there is one or two buffers selling buffs -- if not at the crossroads, then somewhere in EG.

The crossroad is also the place where most PCs go to rest. The location has a few spawns, but the mobs spawned are all non-aggro, so it is a fairly safe location to rest. There are a few other locations in EG that is "safe", but none quite like the crossroad.

EG Second Tier

The second level is merely a pair of intermediate tiers that connect to the top layer. These are smallish "arenas" that contain mid- and high- level mobs: the southern tier contains mainly aggressive Neers and Neer Berzerkers, which the northern tier, Strains and Amber Basilisks. There are a few Hangman Trees on each tier.

{To be continued}

EG Top Tier

{To be continued}

Mobs

EG has mobs of various levels, as listed below:

• Mandragoras
  • Blossoms
  • Saplings
  • Sprouts
• Specters
• Sorrow Maidens
• Neers
  • Normal Neers
  • Berzerkers
• Amber Basilisks
• Strains
• Ghouls
• Dead Seekers
• Granite Golems
• Hangman Trees

These varies from the mid 20's to low 30s'. The density of mobs is fairly high.

Thus, the range and concentration of mobs makes EG an ideal place for PCs who have completed their 1st Profession Change and has leveled to around level 23 or level 24.

In terms of aggressiveness and social behaviours, Mandagora Sprouts, Sorrow Maidens, Strains, Dead Seekers, Ghouls and Granite Golems are non-aggressive; Strains are also non-social. Everything else is aggressive, and social to boot.

This makes hunting in EG a bit dangerous, but EG is sufficiently big that the mobs are typically spawned independently. Moreover, the mobs are typically segregated by tiers, so you don't - often - run into trains in EG. The potential is there and it does happen, especially with Hangman Trees and Neers, but it occurs less frequently than one may think.

Special Mention

{To be continued}