Beetle Training question

[WiggyJiggyJed]

I'm training up some beetles for a couple of my toons: one for fisher while dungeon fishing; one for crafter while mining. I may or may not take them all the way to 5 slots, but I would like at the very least for the beetles to be able to take a couple hits when they get targeted and run off. 100 HP and crap resists = dead bug far too often. And the "your pet's spirit lacks cohesion" message is so annoying. If it only lasted the 10 minutes the various wikis state it would be fine, but it is more like an hour (maybe longer) and I can never find anyone online to rez (and sadly cannot rez pets for alternate toons on same account).

ANYWAY...I have found several threads on what and when to add skills, stats, resists, etc. That is all pretty straightforward. But what I haven't found is any suggestions of what to fight to train them. Like I said, 100 HP and crap stats limits what you can fight.

I was wondering if there was a list out there with recommendations of what to fight, at least for the 1->2 training. Once I get to 2 slots, and put HP, STR, resists, etc. on it, it opens up a lot of options. But the initial training is challenging to find just the right mob to fight. It seems everything is either too easy, or too difficult. I've been beating on polar bears, which is good at the moment, but as I get above about 60-70 for skills (i.e. wrestling, tactics, anatomy, etc.) they are going to become too easy and the gains will diminish.

Thanks.

 

[Cinderella]

I trained them at Dungeon Wrong.
stay near the entrance and don't pull too many.
I bandage and cast heals to keep it alive.
And you can quickly duck out the entrance if you can't keep up with the heals.
Its easier to take on the lizardmen 1 at a time, but you can do 2 at once with lots of heals.
And if you feel the need, you can pull one of the tougher ones down by the entrance.
Just know that usually the easier ones might spawn before its dead.
I've had great success with doing them there.

And for the 2nd round I usually go to the first rat spawn in the cavern of the discard (Stygian Abyss).
just don't go all the way down into the spawn.
pull some of the supplicants up around the mountain.
Then when the courtiers appear, do only two of them at a time... if you can.
just don't do it in the spawning area, or you will get over-run.
The Renowned will gain you quickly...
(also this area is where you can get lodestone... which is used in the recipes to convert the crimson cincture into the new look)

I know you didn't ask for the level two area, but I can't pass up the chance to tell you about that area.

 

[Tabby Kapak]

Good suggestions Cinderella! We also like Wrong and the Cavern of the Discarded for training "weaker" pets. Especially nice if you can find a helpful bard to use the Invigorate song. Though as Wiggy also mentioned skill training, it would be wiser to reverse that order, first the Cavern (where Wrestling skills of mobs are roughly in the 50-70s, and for lower pets the Plague Rats are in the 30s) and then Wrong when Wrestling climbs in the 80s? Especially Tikitavi is a good relatively safe option. And Cave Trolls are ideal with them dealing low damage yet giving great gains for slot training! Though they are somewhat difficult to isolate especially when alone.. Not for skill training as their wrestling is around 130. Vitavi is also great for training the slot-percentage, though they have a move that can deal a burst of damage so stay on your toes. One should be enough to be able to get your pet to 2 slots. (You could even try to train 2 beetles in one go, and use the Taming Mastery "As One" to halve their damage?)
[Edit: Just to be sure, Tikitavi is the one with the scroungers and henchmen, the Southern group. One might have to drag away the wolves, as they get annoying fast. We ourselves often clear the spawn up to the boss with another char, and then bring in the tamer for the boss to exclude risks of being overrun.]

A couple of questions for Wiggy:
Do your Fisher and miner also have Animal Taming and Lore high enough to deal with the rising requirements, even if you don't go all the way to 5 slots? If you plan to go up just once it might be doable, but the rise is pretty steep. On our Giant Beetle the taming requirement was 66 on 2 slots, 99 on 3 slots and then to the max 108 at 4 slots.
(We also wondered, with one account, how to get the trained pets to the right chars?)

Another suggestion could be to train up an EJ char and multiclient the Vet Resurrection? Doesn't take that long to train up the simple skills needed for something like that to work? Could add hiding and even stealth to have it on stand-by near you?)

 

[MalagAste]

You do know that your fisher and your miner will need taming to control them if you train them up at all yes?

 

[MalagAste]

I mean you can train your beetle on a tamer to max out his skills to 100% but once you hit that train button and start adjusting his stats and all then you'll need taming to control them.

 

[Shannow]

it's quicker to train the beetle on the evil mage in wrong level 1, where the executioner is. (go left at the sparkle gate)
To begin with take the pet round the back of the room and make them stay.
Then go get just the mage. The executioner is too hard hitting to begin with.
The lizardmen are too slow and only give 0.12% gains whereas 0.7%-1.2% is common on the mage

 

[PlayerSkillFTW]

For slot leveling weaker pets, Dread Pirates work great so long as you don't Disarm them. A single Dread Pirate can take a pet from Slot 1 to 2, or from Slot 2 to 3.
For skill training weaker pets, Gregorio works great for training Wrest/Tact into the 50s/low 60s. Even higher into the 70s if you can Discord your pet. That should put you in range of training Wrest/Tact on Shadow Ore Eles, just have something else tank the Ele if you can. Gregorio is also the best for training Anatomy on. Spectral Spellbinders are the best for training Resist on, and after Resist hits GM, the pet's STR/DEX will skyrocket to 125 if they're below that. I usually train DEX to 125 this way first before training the melee skills, makes it faster.

 

[WiggyJiggyJed]

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone.

I totally spaced the fact that as I level the beetles, the taming requirement goes up.

I may have to reconsider things a bit. I suppose I can train up taming/lore and stone them when not in use. May be more work than it's worth.

@Tabby Kapak - As for trading pets to other toons on same account: Stall in New Magincia. I basically sell them to myself. Not elegant, but it works.

Thanks again.

 

[Tabby Kapak]

Ah yes, of course! We don't have those required theme packs to start a stall, so didn't think of that option, we have read it before we remember.

 

[Elessar]

I train all my level 1 and level 2 pets on level 5 of Shame on wind elementals. From the level 5 entrance portal, instead of going west toward the crazed and burning mages, go south. They spawn just south of the bridge south of the portal. They give the same "greatly" gains as the crazed mage, but are not nearly as dangerous to low-level pets. Each wind elemental also drops a Shame crystal, which has value either to sell or to do the quest for the Whetstone of Ennervation. On LS, I've seen people offering 1M for a whetstone because they're a pain to get. So if you train pets there, be sure to loot those crystals!