I forgot just how annoying Naga City is.

[Sidestepper]

I think it's more a matter of the bonus altar being one of the Crusader's central powers and not wanting to penalize that class because of NC's unusual structure.

[Blovski]

Well... in general I kind of feel like having a god topside at all kinda defeats the *real* Naga City, though about 70% of my favourite strats are prepped NC so...

Yeah, Binlor's definitely the best, just because you can use up all of your walls (and there are a lot) for easily >50% curseproof, poisonproof MR and then swap out to whoever the second god is for some health boons and to build up piety for the sublevel. EM ain't bad but since you can't take the plants down with you she kind of seems like a waste. I think I'd go for GG or JJ or even Dracul before Mystera tbh - since they all get their piety from things it's harder to do underground and offer a bit more in the way of the early game.

[Sidestepper]

I've made topside Earthmother work as a dedicated healthmonster build. I just chucked all of my piety into Vineform. You can get a lot, because you can squeeze every last square of the topside map for piety, and you don't need to blow anything on Clearance. You can get an effect similar to the old GG healhmonster, but you don't get the support from Protection and Cleansing. Also, you pretty much have to prep Titan Guitar.

[Wargasm]

Got one clear with a Dwarf JJ Paladin w/Dragon shield. Prepped JJ topside, rocked an early Petition, then used the massive piety farming and discount to score two health and mana upgrades and Chaos Avatar at a crucial point, after desecrating MA's altar (who cares about giving enemies 15% resist when I'm about to strip 20?) Took Body Pact down below and got ridonk resists with HALPMEH backup. Even walked out with Yendor to stick in locker. Almost pulled about the same stunts with an Orc Monk, but the crucial HALPMEH did not spawn. That'll work when it does.

Think I might go Dwarf Berserker for the last one. Not sure if Dracul to get phys resist up is a good idea, or Binlor's Stone Skin a few times. Eh. Goblin Assassin or Elf Warlord are always options too...

[The Avatar]

Wargasm, you are misreading the strategy of my post. It is hard to get Dracul piety in the arena, and that is exactly why you take MA above. She is a piety farm! EM, MA, and Binlor are the three best piety farms, so you take one above ground depending on what boons you want (and that is the only real difference) and go downstairs with 100 piety for a temp god (Mystera users can stay Mystera, Taurog works if you won't be casting too many spells) who will gain/maintain your piety until your potions are gone, for a final conversion into GG/Drac depending on what you need. And you've saved consensus for the end. So yes, I agree EM is bad below ground as is Binlor (but not as bad as EM).

Also, I am talking about non-crusader in the above. If you are a crusader I would still prep one of the farms, but convert into your other god if you like them to go downstairs with 100 piety instead of 50 (post conversion).

[Blovski]

@Wargasm - Dracul's always good though on NC I'd rather go with Binlor to get the +40% knockback (makes a surprisingly big difference to how easy the bosses are) and come downstairs with 100 piety and then convert over to use bloodswells. Alternatively Taurog -> GG can work for berserkers (use his stabbiness topside, then convert and humility at level 10 to get bonus damage against an extra round of bosses, being able to use cleansing to kill goo is essential to warmonger on NC).

Another fairly good option is the Half-Dragon, where the challenge basically revolves around killing Iron Man.

[Wargasm]

[FDru]

[Wargasm]

[Grakor456]

I managed to knock out the Gorgon quest today...definitely the most difficult of the three monster class quests. Honestly, I hope I don't have to go back to that place, since I can't imagine doing it on a class that's bad with regen-fighting.

Pretty much cleared it with a paladin, a monk, and an assassin. The paladin run was probably the most humorous: paladin of Binlor with a bear mace. Knocking the bosses into one another was a great way to knock out some of the more problematic ones that I didn't want to tackle directly, like Tomithy.