Clockwork Chaos - Scarlet's Playhouse: The Higher Road achievement

[Shade.2891]

Clockwork Chaos - Scarlet's Playhouse. Objective: ~Avoid engaging in combat while navigating the centaur maze~

I've run this instance three times and can't get credit for it. I assumed I didn't get it the first two times, because I was struck (although I didn't fight back), then the third time I avoided any mob hitting me at all, but still nothing. Has anyone managed to get this achievement?

[Luthan.5236]

Wanted to do this the first try ... with my main engineer since I have good movement skills there. And I noticed the eligibility icon got removed on fall damage (which technically puts you in combat for <1 second ... even if you aren't engaging mobs). Going to be more careful next time with the 2nd char (mesmer) that also has to get one remaining item for the investigation achievement.

So: Trying to jump down somewhere ... to avoid a bit of the mobs and bypass then ... not a good idea if the height isn't very low and you can't be 100 percent sure to not take fall damage.

I think it is set to check the "in combat" status - which you also get when struck but not fighting back.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Luthan.5236

[Shade.2891]

1 hour ago, Luthan.5236 said:

So: Trying to jump down somewhere ... to avoid a bit of the mobs and bypass then ... not a good idea if the height isn't very low and you can't be 100 percent sure to not take fall damage.

Thank you! I'll definitely give that a try next time. 🙂

[Luthan.5236]

I can confirm this now. Avoided taking fall damage but near the last lever the enemies hit me - and the icon for eligibility got removed. With the 3rd try I managed to make it work. You get the achievement once you progressed to the next area (moved through the opened gate).

First I go the lever near the start.  Then back waiting ... moving to the one left and walking out of range of the patrols. Then the last one where I used up a stealth and moved to the lever up the ramp (near a gate that won't open) ... waiting there was just outside of the patrols (previous try they got me while moving up the ramp and used ranged attacks) ... I just waited there for the stealth skill to be available again then moving through the gate once the patrol near the 3rd lever approaching that ramp was gone - using the stealth just for savefy. (Might have been possible without it.)

Edited July 20, 2022 by Luthan.5236

[Harfang.1507]

I just did the instance on my ranger. I failed because at some point I got spotted, but I still found a trick that might prove useful to others: most of the ground area movement can be avoided by hugging ledges on the perimetrer, a bit like we sometimes do in JPs.

[Doghouse.1562]

Like many similar achievements, it's trivial in a party. Just hang back in the previous area and let someone else go through and take out all the mobs.

(Technically, even that's not necessary - if you're not in the sector when the last lever is pulled, you'll be teleported in to near the exit point anyway. But taking out the mobs makes sure there's nothing in there to tag you at the last possible minute.)

Be aware that you can lose the achievement even BEFORE entering the sector yourself, once you have eligibility, if anything aggroes on you. I had it happen to me on one atttempt - somehow the large spidery mob in there aggroed almost immediately on the first PC to to cross into the new sector. Seconds later its attacks had tagged the rest of the party, and everyone had lost it.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by Doghouse.1562

[VoidedLie.3571]

If you want to cheese it, use a Scrapper with stealth gyro, or even a stealth spam Thief. Just make sure you still watch the mob movements so you don't get caught once stealth drops.

[Ashantara.8731]

On 7/20/2022 at 9:48 AM, Shade.2891 said:

Clockwork Chaos - Scarlet's Playhouse. Objective: ~Avoid engaging in combat while navigating the centaur maze~

I've run this instance three times and can't get credit for it. I assumed I didn't get it the first two times, because I was struck (although I didn't fight back), then the third time I avoided any mob hitting me at all, but still nothing. Has anyone managed to get this achievement?

The enemies' detection range is higher than their aggro range. The trick is to really keep your distance and keep an eye on your achievement eligibility. Also, when you have to dodge two groups, dodge through the spikes to the other side -- staying on the actual road isn't going to work.

Additional tip: Invisibility helps. I did it on my Scrapper using the Sneak Gyro.
 

Edited July 22, 2022 by Ashantara.8731

[Luthan.5236]

Yeah scrapper seems easy - with long stealth.  And I'm still pretty sure it is the "in combat status" (since first time my eligibility got removed on taking fall damage which puts you in combat for <1 second). Just getting aggro is not enough ... as long as you avoid taking damage it does not put you in combat.

Which I noticed in the one try I described above ... when I went to the last lever and some other enemies noticed me attacking ranged the icon for eligibility got only lost the time I got hit.

Edit: On a side note: I find the re-appearing icons for achievements you already did ... a bit inconsistend. For some they still appear (even though you do not need them). For some they do not (which is better). Still getting the one for avoiding death (downed actually). And the rescue farein less than 3 mins one.

Edited July 22, 2022 by Luthan.5236

[Ashantara.8731]

8 hours ago, Luthan.5236 said:

And I'm still pretty sure it is the "in combat status" (since first time my eligibility got removed on taking fall damage which puts you in combat for <1 second).

I just tested this on my fifth playthrough, and your observation is 100% accurate. I can confirm that taking fall damage annuls the achievement eligibility.