Thoughts with regards to Ore/Wood Elementals.

[Stilton]

Afternoon all.
Was thinking of stockpiling some higher end woods/ores, and my thoughs are (at the moment) that even though I have 140str, equating to 139hp, I would likely be one shotted by some of the higher elementals - ala Blaze and above for Ore, and PurpleHeart+ for wood.

As a rule I stealth about while farming resources, two birds with one stone kinds of thing, I know Mirror Images would be handy, so I would have max Images up anyway , but as I see I can mine/lumberjack while hidden, I assume that if I pop (for example) a Petrified Wood Elemental, while lumbering in stealth, would that actually reveal me?

[Jecks]

Elementals will not spawn if you are using a standard hatchet/shovel. Gargoyle tools proc elementals. If you dont want to risk a death, just dont use gargoyle tools and youll be fine.

[Cygnus]

They will still get you though your odds of surviving improve. I stood guard while a guildmate of mine tried what you have suggested and he still died. I found out that I can survive 50% or more by having my cursor far enough away that I will automatialy run as soon as I click on the mouse. Or, you can go into your options and select "automatically run." The majority of time, they spawn a few tiles away which gives you enough time to make your escape and allow your pets to attack and play bodyguard. If you plan on mining solo, I suggest you locate the mining spots that are near ankhs, towns and housegates so you can get rezzed and be back on site in no time.

[Mystery Man]

There are a few tricks that can be used to survive even a platinum or petrified elemental and you dont have to be the best fighter in the world to survive 90% of the time..1) mirror image with pets/ or friends works nice and 2) Get your hands on a Tome Of Nature spellbook so you can cast restorative soil....I nomally die maybe 1 out of 6 times.

[Ilsanor]

Some more hints:
- Discord is you friend. Really. It both makes the ele's hits a lot weaker and it also makes it faster to kill. Discord + buffs + good weapon special can kill a plat ele in 1-2 shots.
- If you want to go solo, you can open a gate to a location next to an ankh. If you die, you walk through the gate, rez, get back. In the meantime your pets should have taken care of the elemental. Just remember to time it right, since gate lasts only 30s.
- Invest in parry/bushi. You should do it anyway, but with elementals it's really important. At 130/120 you have a 47% chance to parry with a 2h weapon. That's a miss almost half the time.
- If you're hunting plat/petri elementals then do it on electrum/redwood spots. You get the same results, but the lower tier spots are less crowded. Especially if you use public spots.
- Un-insure your items (except for spell caster's keys) and take only what you really need. Most of the time you use recall mining anyway, so no problems in getting to your corpse. Open gate, hide, walk through. Leaving insurance on your gear will make you pay more for each death, than you'd pay for the respective amount of resources you got.
- Best if you mine in +gear since elementals only spawn on successful mining attempts for a given resource. In LJ they spawn on failed as well, so actually NOT having +gear is better (more elementals from the same spot, since fails don't count against emptying a spot)
- Elementals always spawn on the spaces directly around you and have you targeted (and attacking) the moment they appear. So basically the first hit lands the moment the ele spawns. You can only run away if the first shot misses/doesn't kill you.
- If you have your pets standing on the same tile as yourself the elemental *may* sometimes target them instead of you.

[Stilton]

Thats some good advice there, found there wasn't a lot on the forums/wiki regarding them too much, might add that lot to the wiki later if thats OK with you Ilsanor and Cygnus?

[Nakkasu]

elementals can bring in some fair coin, as a novice hunting the best way is with the restorative soil. when in the business of hunting elementals without relayers or 370+ Health you'll die guaranteed. also keep in mind dont use the word guard because a TON of petrified spots are within guard zones. however everything you said aids in you living. get the druid book until you have relayers to survive the initial ele blow to the face.

[Ilsanor]

I'm ok with putting it in the wiki, as long as you do it. I'm too lazy to ever do it myself.

Oh, and you don't need to be relayered to not die - I have no relayers at all and die only if I make some stupid mistake (not turning on the healer, forgetting bandies and somesuch). Definitely high-end, non-relayer gear can and will keep you alive if you use your head. Though relayers do make it easier, as does the druid book.

[anarchy]

another tip: learn to use the self-res option only can help you 3 times a week though, but it's still an option.

[Spartan]

Another good tip if you have the means to cast druid spells...Restorative soil is a great spell in any situation where death is a possibility lol. The spell casts a small dirt circle on the selected tile and you can step on it for a res, it lasts long enough to take about 10 swings with your pick/shovel before needing a re-cast. Hope this helps!