Mired in Kobolds

Stormreach regularly culls the nearby kobold tribes, but Driftwood Mire is too far away for that. Is this the reason the Driftwood Kobolds have grown so powerful?

Mired in Kobolds
Heroic level:	13
Epic level:	None
Duration:	Medium
Heroic XP:	♣1,420Solo/Casual ♦2,476Normal ♥2,584Hard ♠2,692Elite
Epic XP:	N/A
Takes place in:	Driftwood Mire
Bestowed by:	Smiley Smythe
NPC contact:	Smiley Smythe
Quest acquired in:	The Twelve
Patron:	The Free Agents
Base favor:	5
Purchase:	Free to Play
Extreme Challenge:	No

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Overview

A tribe of kobolds attacked Smiley Smythe's caravan. Smiley thinks these kobolds came from Driftwood Mire. He wants you to go there and exact revenge upon the kobold raiders.

Spoiler Warning: Spoiler material below this point!

Objectives

Discover the secret to the Kobolds' power
Slay Varath the Dragon
(Optional) Rescue the prisoner — Bonus (15%): Heroic( ♣213 ♦371 ♥388 ♠404 )
(Optional) Cull the Kobold numbers (Kill 30) — Bonus (10%): Heroic( ♣142 ♦248 ♥258 ♠269 )
(Optional) Finish off the kobold tribe (Kill 40) — Bonus (20%): Heroic( ♣284 ♦495 ♥517 ♠538 )
(Optional) Face Sinvala — Bonus (80%): Heroic( ♣1,136 ♦1,981 ♥2,067 ♠2,154 )

Known Traps

Crystals can stun players or monsters standing close-by; when the crystal is destroyed, Thorny plants Spike Growth, also acts like a trap doing piercing damage when the briar-patches are walked through.

Tips and Misc

The quest is fairly linear, with kobolds all about. The crystals you must destroy will cause significant damage or stunning not only to you but to your enemies, so it is better to destroy them at a distance.

Useful elemental buffs:
- Acid
- Electricity
- Fire

When you find the source of the kobolds' power, buff up and shrine before entering. The young dragon is still a formidable fighter despite its smaller size. One possible strategy is to have the lowest damage dealer in the party lead him under the power crystals and shoot the crystals, stunning that player but allowing the rest of the party to attack the dragon. If you are playing solo or have a small party, do NOT dawdle as you get the treasure. Varath's mother, a massive black dragon, soon appears. Slaying Sinvala rewards significant XP but is a very challenging fight.

For the "Rescue the Prisoner" optional:
- The stable crystal that controls the barrier blocking the NPC and chest can only be destroyed with an AoE effect (e.g. Fireball.) If you can't cast any AoE spells yourself, consider picking up some Alchemist's Grenades from the Auction House. If this doesn't work, there are two workarounds:
- Workaround 1: You can open the vertical barrier by interacting with it, but there is no icon to indicate that you have it targeted, but you can focus on it using the (Q the default key for selecting interactables) and use it as it shows as a "door" when focused. Press up against the barrier, don't have anything targeted (i.e. the chest or NPC), and interact. The barrier will disappear and you can move into the cave (the energy ball from the crystal will still be there).
- Workaround 2: If unsuccessful lowering the barrier, you can target and interact with the NPC behind the barrier to get the XP for the optional.
- If you've completed The Seal of Shan-To-Kor, you may recognize the person you rescued as Wayfinder Dael.

Bonus XP

Aggression bonus: 33 or more monsters killed +10% Bonus.( ♣142 ♦248 ♥258 ♠269 )
Onslaught bonus: 67 or more monsters killed +15% Bonus.( ♣213 ♦371 ♥388 ♠404 )
Conquest bonus: 100 or more monsters killed +25% Bonus.( ♣355 ♦619 ♥646 ♠673 )
Mischief bonus: 23 or more breakables smashed +8% Bonus.( ♣114 ♦198 ♥207 ♠215 )
Vandal bonus: 31 or more breakables smashed +10% Bonus.( ♣142 ♦248 ♥258 ♠269 )
Ransack bonus: 37 or more breakables smashed +15% Bonus.( ♣213 ♦371 ♥388 ♠404 )

Loot

Chests: ♦5Normal ♥7Hard ♠9Elite
- ♦1Normal ♥1Hard ♠2Elite optional for rescuing Dael (found in the south area)
- ♦0Normal ♥1Hard ♠1Elite close to the end
- ♦2Normal ♥3Hard ♠3Elite at the end for killing Varath (Black Dragon)
- ♦2Normal ♥2Hard ♠3Elite optional for killing Sinvala (Black Dragon)
- Note: There is a small chance that a Black Dragon Scale and Blood of Dragons will drop in one of the warded chests.
Collectables: 5
- Adventurer's Pack near first shrine
- Fungus Patch North-east of first shrine
- Fungus Patch South of first shrine
- 2 Rubble near Dael
NPC rewards: Random item, ML6–10, Choose from 4.

Named Chest Drop

Black Dragon Scale (optional black dragon chest)
Blood of Dragons (optional black dragon chest)

Monsters

Name ^{( picture )}	CR	Type	Race
Black Scale Kobold Fighter ^{( view • edit )}	♦14Normal ♥16Hard ♠19Elite	Reptilian	Kobold
Black Scale Kobold Shaman ^{( view • edit )}	♦13Normal ♥15Hard ♠18Elite	Reptilian	Kobold
Eternal Hunter ^{( view • edit )}	♦10Normal ♥12Hard ♠15Elite ●♦21Epic Normal ●♥29Epic Hard ●♠44Epic Elite	Undead	Skeleton
Sinvala ^{( view • edit )}	♦21Normal ♥24Hard ♠30Elite	Dragon	Black Dragon
Stable Power Crystal ^{( view • edit )}	0	Construct	Inanimate Object
Swamp Fang Kobold Soldier ^{( view • edit )}	♦11Normal ♥13Hard ♠16Elite	Reptilian	Kobold
Swamp Fang Kobold Thrower ^{( view • edit )}	♦10Normal ♥12Hard ♠15Elite	Reptilian	Kobold
Unstable Power Crystal ^{( view • edit )}	0	Construct	Inanimate Object
Varath ^{( view • edit )}	♦16Normal ♥19Hard ♠23Elite	Dragon	Black Dragon