A handful of elite players might hit Level 4 soon, bringing their parties to farm these bosses. Today was Lucas's only shot to take them all down. Giant's Hamlet had two more Level 5 bosses: the Azure Wolf Lord and the Wasp Queen. He'd originally planned to target the Wasp Queen first, but Blink let him tackle the Wolf Lord—hopeful for mage gear to smooth his next fight.
Descending the Concave Summit's right side, Lucas ran straight ahead. An hour later, a jungle loomed—home to the Azure Wolf Lord, an 8th-level elite with the AoE control skill Terrifying Howl.
Navigating the jungle, Lucas used healing potions from the Golden Whelp to slay Level 5 wolves until he reached the Wolf Lord's territory. After searching for a while, a sharp howl echoed nearby—distinctive to the boss. He spotted the silver-furred beast emerging from the underbrush and moved toward two thin trees (less than 8 inches in diameter, dwarfed by the jungle's giants).
These trees were his key to soloing the Wolf Lord—a trick invented by the legendary Black Flame Archmage (one of the top three Fire Mages, Lucas's peer) half a month after launch, which caused a sensation back then.
Waiting under the trees, Lucas conjured a Fireball and hurled it at the Wolf Lord as it entered range. The projectile struck its head with a bang, popping a massive "-240" crit. Wolf Lord (8th-level Chieftain): 7760/8000 HP. Enraged, it charged, fangs bared—terrifying to behold.
Lucas stood motionless, as if frozen. Just as the Wolf Lord leaped within 5 yards, about to pounce, he activated Blink. A flash of light later, he vanished. The boss crashed into the gap between the two trees, wedged tight and unable to move.
This was the famous Wolf Lord exploit. It demanded lightning-fast reflexes—less than a second to react to the pounce. Cast Blink too early, and the wolf would veer off the trees; too late, its 112 ATK would one-shot the squishy mage. Lucas had only seen the strategy, never tested it—but it worked on the first try. Grinning, he bashed the trapped wolf's head with his staff, dealing a measly "-8" damage.
He could kill it with physical attacks, but time was precious in the launch-day grind. Instead, he unleashed a barrage of Fireballs: "-112", "-122", "-119"… Soon, the wolf's eyes turned blood-red. It growled, and a cyan energy wave erupted—Terrifying Howl.
Lucas retreated instantly. The AoE stun was deadly—getting trapped near the wolf or pulling adds would spell doom. He fled to 30 yards away, but the ear-splitting howl still stunned him for 8 seconds. When he recovered, he found himself inches from the wolf's slobbering fangs. Panicked, he rolled back to safety.
Regaining his composure, he resumed casting. The howl had a 1-minute CD, so he attacked relentlessly—until he ran out of Mana again at 4,000 HP. He endured the periodic stuns, grinding the wolf down with eel fillet regen.
An hour later, the Wolf Lord's HP dropped to 30. One final Fireball finished it off. It dropped four items: Fire Blast (Fire Spell, 30 Mana, Instant Cast/8s CD, 30-yard range, 50% chance to stun for 2s)—a solid skill, which Lucas learned immediately. Obsidian Bracers (Iron): Spell Damage 2-5, Intelligence +2, Lv.3 Req. Equipping them boosted his Spell Power by 7 and Mana by 20.
Iron Ring (Iron): Physical ATK 2-3, Strength +1, Lv.3 Req. A versatile melee accessory, valuable at auction. Greatsword of the North (Silver): Physical ATK 10-15, Strength +2, Physical ATK +6, Lv.5 Req. A top-tier warrior weapon—sure to fetch a fortune. As he geared up, Lucas wondered if the Wasp Queen would drop even better loot.