Originally Posted by
Harkila
I have understood that the puppy cave quest is an add-on for more experienced players, who don't have that much challenge in the early game otherwise. There's the ant colony and other a bit more challenging stuff.
Nobody forces you to clear every vault the minute you see it. If it's too tough when you are lvl 8, come back once you are lvl 16. I like the idea that there are considerably more dangerous mixed vaults. Also they can be used strategically - I usually leave all mixed vaults untouched until I've gotten the random monster quest from Thrundarr.
Oh I frequently skip areas I know I can't handle. But despite this, such a variation in difficulty for as early a stage of the game as PC, is not a good thing.
Level has nothing to do with it, I've cleared that vault with wizards at level 6 and perished with paladins at level 12.
Of course, different classes are differently suited to deal with the vault, which is fine.
As for the puppy quest, I have no idea where you're getting the notion it's an add-on for more experienced players.
It has always been one of the two starting caves for me and I have always played adom with that in mind.
That vault in PC:6 is the only thing that stands apart, which is why we have this thread at all.
I universally ignore the puppy itself; the cave is the real prize for this quest.
I will typically have a spare wish on my way out of drakalor chain when the gate is closed and wishing for the dog puts the achievement on the list all the same.
Why some people bother with it at the start of the game is beyond me but whatever floats your boat.
The random monster quest can be done within 100 turns of getting it (or less in my recent game), that's what kinds of monsters thrundarr asks for these days.
Sparing a random mixed vault just to complete the quest seems like an overkill to me.
It's fine to have mixed vaults in UD or CoC, but in PC, I think it is a bit too harsh.