I reached renown 40 a couple of days ago.
I hope this helps; here’s a synopsis of what I did to get a Plunderstorm match done.
This is the basic method I used to acquire around 400 to 600+ plunder, per match…with zero pvp.
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After leaving the lobby, while mounted on the parrot up high in the air, immediately open the map and see where you are ( it varies from match to match ).
If on the right side of the map ( the eastern area), be happy - far fewer players land in this area. -
While still flying, quickly select an Elite target on which to land your bird.
Choose an Elite which is lonely, if possible, in an open area, in the center or eastern part of the map.
If you are lucky, no other player will be trying to land his bird on the same Elite.
I typically tried to land on either the Fire Elemental Elite or the Air Elemental Elite, located toward the center of the map.
( each of these lives within a “Stonehenge” stone circle )
The Air Elemental always has several chests around it at the opening.
It will take some practice to determine from which opening locations these Elemental Elites can be reached, before running out of flying time.
If I was too far away from those Elemental Elites at the opening to reach them, I would choose a different Elite on the very edge of the map, either in the far north or the far south, and also as far to the East as I could possibly fly before time ran out and I had to land.
You can coast fairly slowly into the Elite and still kill it on impact - you don’t have to smash it at great speed.
- After smacking the Elite, immediately pick up the spell it drops, and any plunder.
Quickly glance at the new Captain’s Order which you receive when you land ( right side of screen ) so you will know what your objective is.
Try to get the Captain’s Order completed as soon as possible.
If you land on the Air Elemental Elite ( the one mentioned previously ), open the chests around it as fast as you can, but be aware that the little air elementals will attack you if you get too close to them.
At the same time, put your head on a swivel, and scan the area around you for other players.
If you see a player and they are heading in your direction, stop opening chests and run the heck out of there. Run in the easterly direction, to the east or northeast.
The other player might chase you. But if there is still a chest or two unopened, the player is more likely to pause and open the chests - and that buys you time to get far away from them. Out of sight is out of mind, most of the time.
But keep your eyes open… some player are bloodthirsty and will chase you to the ends of the earth, just to watch you die.
- Now, while generally working your way east ( toward the Stormwall ), try to fulfill the Captain’s Order.
Pick up plunder along the way.
If it’s a " Kill 2 Elites " Captain’s Order, look in the distance for a Gryphon or a Bear. That’s your second Elite, so head to it immediately, while avoiding minor npcs.
Zig-zag a bit and pick up plunder as you go, but don’t waste much time - get to that Gryphon or bear.
If the order is to “Kill 10 Enemies” then don’t zig-zag, fight 10 minor npcs as quickly as you can, while picking up plunder as you go.
If the order is to " Open 2 Chests ", keep your eyes open, because new chests will spawn in some quiet places, where there was no chest when you first landed your bird.
If the order is " Collect 2 Items ", they are contained in Supply Chests. Also, items get dropped by other players, onto the ground - if you see one, pick it up.
If the order is " Collect 2 Spells ", they are contained in Magical Chests. Again, spells get dropped by other players, so you can eventually pick them up.
Minor npcs will occasionally drop a spell or an item.
Elites always drop a spell ( or an item, but usually a spell ) in addition to plunder.
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Always have your eyes on your surroundings, looking for other players.
Swivel your camera all around you, frequently.
Be ready to escape before any other player gets too close.
Keep as much distance as possible between you and the other players.
90% of players will attack you if you get too close, even if it’s just to motivate you to run away from a plunder-rich area.
A few players wish you no harm at all…but’s it’s almost impossible to know which ones they are, so play it safe and stay away from everyone. -
If you have completed the Captain’s Order, your next destination is the Stormwall in the far east.
How much time you have before going into the storm ( to die ) depends on the situation around you.
If you see no players nearby, you may have some time to fight minor npcs, pick up plunder, open chests, etc.
Stay close to the Stormwall, and don’t stray very far from it if you see any other players.
If the coast is clear, you can get a little farther from the storm, but be ready to turn and flee into it at any moment.
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Fae shape is helpful in escaping players who want you dead.
So is barrel rolling.
The ultimate escape method is the Motorcycle item, but it’s a bit scarce. If you find one, grab it.
Click on the motorcycle, get it moving, and use the boost button to move very fast. -
Plan to go into the Storm as soon as you start to see players getting too close.
Or, go into the Storm when there’s too little plunder opportunity left, even if you see no players nearby.
When you go into the Storm, use your movement spells/items to get as deep into it as possible.
You will have time to heal once as you move into the storm, which buys you a few extra seconds of life inside the storm. -
Sometimes you just can’t escape - the killer has picked up better movement spells/items and outruns you and cuts you down.
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Lastly, thank Bliz for putting WoW players into a position in which no-one is your friend, and all players are your enemy…a view that tends to stay with you, even after you have left Plunderstorm.
So, thanks Bliz. Thanks so very much.