The Mouse Hunt Guide

Event: Zombie Invasion

2011-07-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

With the second invasion of Zombies, it looks like weekend events are going to be a regular thing. Here's a quick guide to the Zombie Invasion gameplay.

Arm your luckiest Shadow or Arcane Trap combination. Arcane Blast on Magma base works well for me.

Farm Undead Emmental Potions (max 5) at the Mousoleum or Catacombs. You'd want the Zombie and the Ravenous Zombie mice. Radioactive Blue for bait, in case you forgot..

Next, brew the Undead Emmental Cheese from Brie or Super Brie with those potions. And you're set !

Zombots were introduced during the first Zombie Invasion.

Grave Robber mice popped up during the second invasion.

Tips to speed your way to Silver crowns

Lucky Shield
Antiskele Charms
Farm Potions at Mos, hunt Zombots | Grave Robbers at Cats

Final Note: there's a limiting factor built into the event. Once you hold 60 pieces UE Cheese or 5 UE potions, those zombies stop dropping potions. So plan your farming cycles !

Final FINAL Note: Of course, if you're already pleased with your current run and there's still time on the Event, you might want to re-stock your potions and cheese (5 max and 59 pieces) before clearing off the undead muck from your boots. That way, when the Zombie Invasion comes around again, you're all ready to GO!

Final REALLY FINAL Note: And if you're wondering what the codes are to show these two mice on your Favorite King's Crown panel, the Zombot is 284 while the Grave Robber is 337.

OK, I go now.

Show Your Favorite Crowns

2011-05-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Check out my Favorite King's Crowns on my MH Profile.
Isn't it fab to see the main mousehunt bosses?

Wait. They aren't crowned yet !
How did I get them there?
(aside: actually I saw it on Hilary's Profile first, and just had to do the same)

Ok, OK! Stop twisting my arm ! I'll tell you how..

First, go to your own Mousehunt Profile. That's by clicking in the huge MH crest.
Now select the King's Crown tab. Hover your mouse over any one of the mice that you have already crowned. Right-click, then select "Copy Link Location" (Chrome) or "Copy Link Address" (Firefox)..

You need to do this for the "&uh=" code, which is the unique code for your account.

Then go to the browser address line, remove the URL line there. Right-click and Paste.
You should see a line like below appear.

http://www.mousehuntgame.com/canvas/profile.php?tab=2&addToTop=217&uh=zZz999zz (fake &uh here, but you get the idea)

See the "&addToTop=" portion above? The number 217 is for the White Mouse.

To get the same crown display as mine, you need to replace the number 217 with the numbers below. One entry at a time. That is, Hit Enter to place the MHMouse, return to the browser line, paste again, replace 217. Rinse, repeat.

The numbers you want are : 2, 10, 278, 54, 56, 61, 180, 306

Have fun !

Hey, you may also wish to experiment with other mice numbers to develop your own theme of eight mice to display on your MH Profile. You're welcome to add your series of numbers in the comments below.

[update : adding the link for the list of mice and their corresponding numbers ]

Getting Those Last Few Bonus Eggs

2011-05-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

We're on the final weekend of the Spring Egg Hunt 2011. How's your mousehunt egg collection look?
If you're stuck, don't forget to check out the Bonus Egg Spreadsheet to find out where you'd need to be next.

Here's a few time-saver tips if you've only recently started (or are dashing for the egg-competitions that some groups hold). Feel free to add more of your tips in the comments.

1) Realm Ripper's egg's probably the most predictable one to collect. Just keep an eye on when the Forbidden Grove is going to close with the MHTimer spreadsheet, hop over there just before does. You'd be done within the next horn (well, unless you failed to catch, but that's just another 15min).

2) Already a Hero and hunting dragons? You'd find that the Elub, Nerg, Derr Eggs are the easiest to loot - great morale booster when you're starting out. And for the JOD Egg, just make a batch of havarti and you'd get it pretty easily. Pygmy Eggs are a sure-thing with Gouda. The Dragon Egg? Well, you're on your own there - standard Dragon trap combination and a lot of Infernos. I actually ran out, so I won't have this :(

3) Monster Egg, I'd prefer staying at the Chocolate Factory rather than going to the Lab or the Mousoleum. It comes more often and it's also a great place to farm gold. Pirate's frequent too, but Burglar not so.

4) Have a good batch of Wicked Gnarly Cheese? Then skip the Great Gnarled Tree, camp out at the Lagoon and be armed for the Silth. More mice now drop the Whisker Woods Egg. The Hydra Egg's also common and dig this - the Black Widow Egg's easier to catch here too. Can't get the Silth Egg? Just whine that you're really after the Hydra.. :) Works most times..

5) Burglar Eggs, I like the Bazaar best. Had spare Gild Cheese. Super Brie works too and the Nibbler tends to join in with his egg too..

6) Warpath Eggs. Wave 2's Sand Calvary and Crimson Commanders have a higher drop rate. One tip is to clear out archers with the charms first, so that their encounters are maximized..

7) Trying to Bronze Crown the four event mice? Arcane/Dark Choc/Gouda are great for building the catch numbers for Egg Painter and Eggsplosive Scientist Mice (and farming MM). Switch to a strong physical trap (like CDB)/Dark Choc/MM and you'd start clocking more Coco Commanders (which also replace the MM) and the Hare Razors..

Have fun. And don't forget to leave us your tips below !
:J

Fiery Warpath: Warmonger Loot Drop Data

2011-05-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

FIERY WARPATH MOUSEHUNTERS, WE WANT YOUR HELP !

We're trying to put together a table of Warmonger(WM) catches and their loot. What we're trying to do is to see if there is a pattern for a "sweet-spot" trap combination that improves the chances of what kind of drop.

If you have just caught your first WM (WM1) or your sixth (WM6) or your sixtiethethth (WM60 however it's spelled:)) we want to know about it as soon as it happens!

Please head on over to www.facebook.com/mousehuntguide and drop a comment there. We'd verify it and add your catch to our table.

Thanks in advance !

Fiery Warpath: Tracking Warmonger Loot Drops

2011-04-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

We now have consolidated Warmonger trap loot data collection and analysis thanks to Chad Moore (of the splendiforous MouseHunt Timers.) I have been collaborating with Chad on the underlying model for the analysis used in the Warmonger trap loot, so I am not unbiased as to the quality of the work, lol... my indepth explanation of the basis of the work in an extended article coming out as soon as I catch up on some sleep after my recent project and MH comp :)

For the curious, I got sandblasted metal from my first warmonger and traded with a friend for his sphynx crystal. I promptly crafted my pretteh kitteh, popularly know as the SWat (rofl!) I bought an oasis bead from the marketplace, where they are ridiculously cheap and crafted an OWN with flameshards generously loaned by a friend. I did not get trap loot from my second Warmonger, but got a generous clump of Simple Orbs, so was happy. I'm on my third pass now, in which I am exploring profitability.

Spring Egg Hunt 2011

2011-04-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Found a shared spreadsheet of where which mouse drops what eggs..
It'll be updated as each daily egg is found.

The Egg Spreadsheet.

And if you're the "fire and forget" type of player, just plant yourself at the Catacombs - currently the only place to get 2 types of eggs (Green Plaid + Blue Argyle).

[Apr 18 update] Newer eggs are appearing in the higher level areas.. I do hope that there's still something for everyone by the Easter weekend.. :p

Gifted Devs Gift to us: Stable, Sensible Gifting

2011-04-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that it looks like we finally have a stable gifting system with a nifty MouseHunt local interface (no need to go through the Facebook notification interface, wahoo!) The number of gifts a hunter can claim each day is still ten (*sob*), and the number of gifts a hunter can send is twenty. Thanks to my buddies in The Alliance of MouseHunters (TAMH) for their help in sorting out how many gifts each hunter can send and checking on the stability of the new system.

Fiery Warpath: Sandtail Desert Mice Visual Reference

2011-04-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

A new version of my Fiery Warpath mice visual reference, after two passes through the warpath and well in to the third. This version has the secondary trap type info I found I was always wanting, as well as visual reminders of artillery and caravan guards being less effective across the board. As before, this pic is designed to work with the info (color coding, etc.) in the rest of the Fiery Warpath materials. Enjoy!

FW Strategy Guide - Caravan Guards

2011-04-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Adding Insult to Injury: Caravan Guards

Just as catching a Crimson Commander causes some number of each mouse to retreat, failing to catch a Caravan Guard places you at risk of mouse reinforcements arriving. Whether and how many mouse reinforcements arrive depends on factors most of which we currently understand poorly at best. Using sb+ as bait reduces the likelihood of encountering a Caravan Guard, although it does not eliminate it completely. Catch rates for Caravan Guards are not good, as no trap types are rated very effective or even effective against Caravan Guards (sob!) The following trap types are less effective, which means that they function at less than 100% of the power shown in the trap effectiveness meter. While we do not yet know whether the types farther down the list are even less less effective than the types above them, we do know that they are, at most, equally less effective (sorry, could not resist), as the order in which trap types are listed in the detail display on the adversaries page is significant.

physical
hydro
tactical

Why mouse reinforcements arrive

The greater the number of friends hunting in the Fiery Warpath with you (not friends online, but friends hunting in the Fiery Warpath, as indicated in the HUD), the lesser the chance of reinforcements arriving, although there is always a chance that reinforcements will get through even with 450 to 500 friends.

How many reinforcements arrive

Once a mouse has been defeated no reinforcements arrive for that mouse.
In the vast majority of reported cases one of each mouse is added back in.
When more than one of each mouse has been added back in, the same number of each mouse is added back in.
The largest reported number of each mouse added in was six.
The smallest reported number of each mouse added in was zero. Yup, you read that right, zero! Georgene Ang failed to catch a Caravan Guard, got the "Failing to catch a Caravan Guard mouse allowed reinforcements to arrive," checked her mouse count, only to find that no mice had been added to her wave! How could she be sure? It was the first mouse in wave three.
You can, in fact, end up with more mice in the wave than the starting number of mice. How do we know? Heidi Lynn McKnight encountered almost exactly the same situation, only to have one extra of each mouse added. The only difference was that she was in wave one, so ended up with 36 of each mouse.

Is there a pattern to the number of reinforcements?

Many hypothesized patterns have been suggested, some of which have proven problematic. Here are a few of the more popular hypotheses:

Missing a Caravan Guard early in a wave adds more mice than missing one later in the wave. Problem: many examples that suggest otherwise. Until we have a minimally biased data set, this hypothesis will have to wait.
The number of mice added back in depends on where you are in a streak. Problem: so many examples of only one mouse added in despite being in a streak that this rule would have to have as many exceptions as French verbs. This hypothesis is very likely wrong.
Only mice that have retreated can be added back into the wave. Heidi's data shoots this hypothesis down, as no mice had yet retreated from her wave.

Is there a pattern to how many mice are added to the wave? About the only thing that seems to have gathered any substantial evidence is that most of the time, one of each undefeated mouse is added. Other than that, the more we know, the less we know. Caravan Guards, the mysterious mice of the Fiery Warpath!

Retreat!!

Caravan Guards, like Crimson Commanders, retreat when you have defeated 90% of the mice in the wave. Thus in wave one, the Support mice retreat when there are 10 or fewer mice left, in wave two, when there are 18 or fewer mice left, and in wave three when there are 26 or fewer mice left.

Fiery Warpath - The Walkthrough

2011-04-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

FIERY WARPATH (BARON AREA)

[Jester: Swiped this wonderful work-in-progress guide from Hilary, who incidentally, is now one of the authors on MouseHuntGuide !
Hilary: Thanks, Jester, for doing such a great job migrating this guide! You left me free to update and expand, what an amazing gift... ]

The Fiery Warpath is a new (and first) area at The Sandtail Desert for Baron(ess) ranks and above. There's also a whole new gameplay, so there's quite a lot of writing and sharing to be done. Too long for one single post, so we've broken it up into a few smaller chapters. Enjoy

Table of Contents:

Entry Requirements
Fiery Warpath Mice
Waves
Streaks
New Weapons
Crafting Items
Charms
Strategy Guide
1. Introduction
2. Crimson Commander Mice
3. Gargantuamice
4. Caravan Guards NEW
5. Wave 1
6. Wave 2
7. Wave 3
8. Wave 4
9. Advice for passive hunters
10. (see also strategies)

Extras:

Acknowledgements

I (Hilary writes) did not track all this stuff down myself! I drew from the forums, friends tracked things down, etc. Special thanks to: Georgene Ang, Nico Cast, James Cha, Chan Ka Chun Patrick, Duran D. Durahan, Abhijit Dutta, Lis Faurholt, Chris Hull, Jan-Marie Kellow, Karina, Ranjan Kumar, Yvonne McFadden, Kirsty McNeil, Jaroslav Neuwirth and Lisa Rosewell. Biggest and best thanks to my friend and collaborator Jester :)

FW Strategy Guide - Gargantuamouse

2011-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Encountering a Gargantuamouse

After seven catches in a row, the Warmonger releases a Gargantuamouse in order to break your momentum. With each successive catch your probability of encountering Gaga increases. The probability of encountering Gaga increases by a fourth degree polynomial equation (re: dev Dave on FBF) as the streak progresses. After the ninth catch encountering Gaga is extremely likely.

A lot of confusion exists concerning how to tell when you will encounter Gaga: watch your streak counter, your trap effectiveness meter, etc., etc. None of these indicators has proven reliable to date. As best we understand it, the facts are these:

Gaga is not released until after the seventh catch: reports of release after the sixth catch can be traced to missing journal entries, for example;
Once Gaga has been released, the probability of encounter increases by the given equation with no further indicator.

The streak meter always changes color in the same pattern and the trap effectivess meter adjusts as would be expected: when Gaga shows up in the detail display after the seventh catch.

Gaga is not a Support mouse. The Warmonger will still release a Gaga after the Support mice retreat towards the end of each wave when you have defeated at least 90% of the mice in the wave.

Hunting Gargantuamice: How, When and Why

Trap and Base

The catch rate for Gaga with Ice Maiden and Spellbook base as reported in the forums and groups (while we wait for solid data, sigh) has been very good. Catches have also been reported with the Chrome Drillbot.

Bait

Gaga has not shown any particular preference for bait: as the purpose of Gaga is to break a streak, changing as few variables as possible makes sense.

Charm

Switching to a luck charm works well if not using a Warpath Commander Charm: with Ice Maiden, Spellbook base, Warpath Commander Charm and Lucky Golden Shield, catch rates for both Crimson Commanders and Gaga reported thus far have been very good, near to 100%. Without the Warpath Commander Charm armed, the only mouse reported caught with Ice Maiden thus far is Gaga, so it seems to make sense to switch to a luck charm.

When should I switch?

The answer depends on the larger context in which you are hunting your Gaga. If you switch to Ice Maiden before the ninth catch, you sacrifice the chance to cause 6 mice to retreat. Whether that is desirable or not depends on whether clearing the mouse or a better chance at Gaga is a higher priority. I generally switch after the eighth or ninth catch, depending on how many of the particular mouse I have left. I will switch after the eighth or even the seventh catch in order to preserve a second chance at Gaga with the same mouse. Switching does not attract Gaga. Arming a Warpath Commander Charm, however, does seem to increase your chances of attracting Gaga, as the vast majority of reports have hunters catching either a Crimson Commander or Gaga.

Best Gaga hunting opportunities?

Recall that Gargantuamice are released in response to a streak. Thus, the way to attract Gaga is to make streaks. What breaks streaks? FTAs, FTCs and catches of other mice. Late in each wave after 90% of the mice in the wave have been defeated, the support mice retreat, eliminating two of the mice that could break a streak. Scouts are significantly weaker than warriors and archers, so leaving scouts for last in waves one and two creates an optimal environment for Gaga hunting. Note that a full nine streak clears 21 mice, while an eight streak clears 14, for a total of 35 mice, the number of each type of mouse in wave one. Hmmmmm......

Is it worth it?

Gargantuamice drop one to six flameshards in addition to 25000 points and 4000 gold. Given that they can be neatly incorporated in to your hunting pattern, I think the answer is an unqualified yes. The Theurgy Wardens drop zero to ten flameshards and the Warmonger either 100 or 150 flameshards, with each trap taking huge numbers of flameshards to craft, so the extra flameshards are very necessary, especially in an area which is so poor in loot.

4th degree polynomial I'll give some examples in a future update to illustrate fourth-degree polynomials, as well as the difference between polynomial change and exponential change.

FW Strategy Guide - Crimson Commander

2011-04-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Crimson Commander Strategy

After streaks, I have come to believe that Crimson Commanders are the single most important strategic element of the Fiery Warpath. I cover the mechanics of attracting and catching Crimson Commanders below; I want to start by considering the strategic role of Crimson Commanders.

As you make multiple passes through the Fiery Warpath, you gain progressively better control of impact of the Crimson Commanders. You gain this control directly through Warpath Commander charms, and indirectly through the new traps (because the new traps give you better control of streaks, and the farther you are into a streak, the greater the impact of catching a Crimson Commander.)

You can use your growing control of the Crimson Commanders to optimize your path through the Fiery Warpath, as it were. For example, with the Oasis Water Node and super mage charms, Magmarages are moderate. As Magmarages have the most points of any mice in wave three, a hunter wishing to maximize points would do well to begin with the Magmarages, as they may offer the best chance of getting a streak of nine in wave three. Whether to take that streak all the way to nine before trying to attract a Crimson Commander depends largely on how likely the hunter believes getting more streaks of more than six to be. After catch seven, you run the risk of attracting a Gargantuamouse instead. The chances of attracting a Crimson Commander rather than a Gargantuamouse decrease with each catch after the seventh, even with a Commander charm armed.

Switching to a Warpath Commander Charm before the ninth catch sacrifices substantial momentum, however, which is modeled in the game as follows. If you switch to a Warpath Commander Charm, you will attract one of two mice: a Crimson Commander or a Gargantuamouse. You will not attract the mouse you were previously hunting, therefore you sacrifice the opportunity to cause six more of that mouse to retreat for at least another six hunts. Whether the sacrifice makes sense depends on how many other mice are still in play: in wave 3 with none of the mice defeated and a goal of reaching the Warmonger as quickly as possible, switching early is clearly a good idea. In wave 1 on your last mouse, leave the Commander charms in your pocket and switch after the ninth catch as discussed in the next section on the Gargantuamouse.

Crimson Commander Mechanics

Attracting Crimson Commanders

Warpath Commander's Charms At the end of waves one, two and three, you are awarded one Warpath Commander's Charm, for a minimum of three each pass through the Fiery Warpath. The Warmonger drops zero to two Warpath Commander's Charms each catch, so that is a range of three to five charms per pass. If there is a pattern to the Warmonger's drops it has not yet emerged.

Effect of Bait Larry tells us that SB+ attracts more Crimson Commanders and experience thus far supports the scouting report. It is not as dramatic an effect as the use of Maki in the Dojo, however.

Catching Crimson Commanders

The following trap types are very effective against Crimson Commanders. While we do not yet know whether the types listed farther down the list are less effective than the types above them, we do know that they are, at most, equally effective, as the order in which trap types are listed is significant.

hydro
draconic
physical
arcane
tactical

Crimson Commanders are one of only two mice that have any very effective trap types in the Fiery Warpath. (The other is the Gargantuamouse, who we will explore next.)

The fact that draconic is listed second has led to a highly successful strategy when switching to a Commander's Charm after catch seven. Arm your Ice Maiden and Spellbook base (you really should not be in the Fiery Warpath without one) with the Commander's Charm. That way you are prepared for either the Crimson Commander or the Gargantuamouse.

Retreat!!

Crimson Commanders and Caravan Guards, the Support mice, retreat when you have defeated 90% of the mice in the wave. Thus in wave one, the Support mice retreat when there are 10 or fewer mice left, in wave two, when there are 18 or fewer mice left, and in wave three when there are 26 or fewer mice left. When planning a Crimson Commander strategy, keep in mind that they are not always around.

Mousehunt Timers

2011-04-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ever had a URGH moment when you wondered "What Time Is It Now?" for the Forbidden Grove Closing, or what the current tide is at Balack's Cove, or the current season at the Seasonal Gardens?

Help is here !

Chad Moore has compiled a fabulous spreadsheet of all the timed events in Mousehunt. And it includes calendar events like MH Birthday and even a lookout for Ronza's return.

For convenience, I've added this as a link on the top menu of this Mousehunt Guide blog.

And if you're really in a hurry, just type j.mp/mhtimer on your favorite internet browser.

[updated : Typing "Jump mhtimer" or "jump mousehunt timer" on Google will bring the hunter here. "j.mp/mhtimer" will bring you to Chad's spreadsheet.]

Breaking News! Monstrobot Crafted!

2011-03-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

James Cha's Monstrobot

[ see also Fiery Warpath Walkthrough ]

While yours truly was catching up on some desparately needed sleep, James Cha crafted the first monstrobot. Ah, Mousehunt, you snooze, you loose (or miss something, in this case :)

Sandstorm Monstrobot

Power: 8000 physical
Power Bonus: 20%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Luck: 27
Cheese Effect: No Effect

Recipe

1 set of DeathBot Parts
1 set of Digby DrillBot Parts
1 set of RhinoBot Parts
2 pieces of Sandblasted Metal
400 Flameshards
1 set of Sandstorm MonstroBot blueprints

Fiery Warpath - Crafting Items

2011-03-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Flameshard

dropped by Gargantuamouse, Theurgy Wardens, Warmonger
used to craft Oasis Water Node, Sphynx Wrath, Sandstorm MonstroBot

Warpath Victory

awarded for defeating Warmonger
NOT consumable, thus, after the first pass through the Fiery Warpath you are allowed to buy either (or both) sets of blueprints if you can beg, borrow, purchase, etc., the needed trap loot. After the third time through, you can buy the Sandstorm MonstroBot BPs if you can get the trap loot.

Oasis Bead

dropped by Warmonger
used to craft Oasis Water Node

Sphynx Crystal

dropped by Warmonger
used to craft Sphynx Wrath

Sandblasted Metal

dropped by Warmonger
used to craft Monstrobot

Desert Horseshoe

dropped by cavalry
used to craft Warpath Cavalry Charm, Super Warpath Cavalry Charm

Heatproof Mage Cloth

dropped by mages
used to craft Warpath Mage Charm, Super Warpath Mage Charm

Simple Orb

dropped by Warmonger
used to craft (Super) Warpath Cavalry Charm, (Super) Warpath Mage Charm

Fiery Warpath - Streaks

2011-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

[ ^ Contents | << Waves | >> New Weapons ]

Streaks, Explained

A streak is series of catches, of the same mouse in a row. A FTA, FTC or catch of another type of mouse breaks a streak.

For every multiple of 3 in a streak, you cause two extra mice to 'retreat' (they are removed from your wave). Streaks do not appear to apply to Theurgy Wardens, which makes sense as they are the only thing in wave 4 other than the Warmonger, lol.

For example, if you catch three desert archers in a row, two desert archers retreat. If you then immediately go on to catch three more desert archers, four more desert archers retreat. At this point, you have a streak of six desert archers and a total of six more desert archers have retreated, for a total of 12 desert archers removed from the 35 original desert archers that was your goal. If you then go on to catch another three desert archers with no FTAs, FTCs, or catches of other mice, making a streak of nine, six more desert archers will retreat, for a total of 9 catches + 12 retreats = 21 removed from your goal.

Demoralizing mice by capturing a Crimson Commander

Note, however, that you can have a streak of 4 or 5. This fact is important when considering the effect of catching a Crimson Commander.

By capturing a Crimson Commander Mouse I demoralized the remaining mice in this wave! My current streak was 8. 8 of each mouse have retreated!

When you capture a Crimson Commander, wherever you are in a streak, that number of each mouse retreats. We had early reports of catching a Crimson Commander without the demoralizing effect taking place, but none in quite some time, so perhaps that was a glitch. It is possible to clear the rest of a mouse this way (if you have 7 Sentinals left to go and 8 of each mouse retreat you are done with Sentinals.) Ever wonder what would happen if a Crimson Commander is the first mouse you encounter? Lisa R. found out for us; 1 of each mouse retreats.

Crimson Commanders can be encountered at any time, although the probability appears to be quite low. Using sb+ increases the chances of encountering a Crimson Commander.

Caravan Guards: Getting Caught Streaking

Strength in numbers! After I failed to catch a Caravan Guard Mouse, members of my hunting party were able to prevent the mouse reinforcements from arriving!

If you fail to catch a Caravan Guard and you are hunting solo (no friends online), reinforcements will arrive (your target mouse count will increase.) How many reinforcements? Good question! See Caravan Guards for more information.

Your main protection from this dastardly fate is to hunt with friends: if you miss your Caravan Guard, your chances of reinforcements arriving are smaller the more friends you have online. Using sb+ as bait also reduces the chances of attracting Caravan Guards, although it does not eliminate it.

Getting smushed by the Gargantuamouse.

Fearing that I was gaining the upper hand, the Warmonger released a Gargantuamouse, putting an end to my streak.

Our understanding of how Gargantua works is continuously evolving. This explanation reflects my best shot at interpreting the current info, but is guaranteed to be obsolete five minutes after I publish it. HJH

After seven catches in a row, the Warmonger releases the Gargantuamouse in an attempt to slow you down. You have an increasing probability of encountering the Gargantuamouse, until after the ninth catch when it is extremely likely. The chances of encountering Gargantua increase by a polynomial equation (not exponential) as the streak progresses. No hard limit is set on the length of a streak: if you can keep dodging Gargantuas, you can keep going! (For more on Gargantuamice, see the Gargantuamouse entry in the strategy guide.

Fiery Warpath - Mice

2011-03-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Mouse Group: The Marching Flame

The order in which trap types are listed within a category (for example, 'less effective') is significant.

Physical Subgroups: Warrior, Scout and Archer

Effective: physical
Less effective: hydro, tactical

Warrior

wave 1 Desert Soldier (2400 G, 11500 P)
wave 2 Flame Warrior (3000 G, 18000 P)
wave 3 Crimson Titan (3300 G, 20000 P)

Scout

wave 1 Vanguard (2600 G, 14000 P)
wave 2 Sentinel (3300 G, 21300 P)
wave 3 Crimson Watch (3600 G, 24200 P)

Archer

wave 1 Desert Archer (2100 G, 12800 P)
wave 2 Flame Archer (2700 G, 19900 P)
wave 3 Crimson Ranger (3000 G, 22000 P)

Strike Force Subgroups: Cavalry, Mage and Artillery

Cavalry

Effective: tactical
Less effective: physical, hydro

wave 2 Sand Cavalry (5200 G, 24000 P)
wave 3 Sandwing Cavalry (6000 G, 26400 P)

drop desert horseshoe: seen 1..3 (thx Praveen!)

Mage

Effective: hydro
Less effective: physical, tactical

wave 2 Inferno Mage (1000 G, 26500 P)
wave 3 Magmarage (1000 G, 30000 P)

drop heatproof mage cloth: seen 1..3

Artillery

Effective: arcane
Less effective: hydro, physical, tactical

wave 3 Flame Ordnance (1600 G, 33000 P)

Support Mice (no subgroups):

Caravan Guard

less effective: physical, hydro, tactical

(900 G, 900 P)

Crimson Commander

very effective: hydro, draconic, physical, arcane, tactical

(1000 G, 10000 P)
waves 1, 2 and 3

Gargantuamouse

very effective: draconic; less effective: arcane, hydro, tactical, physical
drop flameshards!! (seen 1 to 6 dropped)

(4000 G, 25000 P)
waves 1, 2 and 3 after seventh catch in a streak

Wave 4 Mice:

Theurgy Warden

effective: physical; less effective: hydro, tactical

(3000 G, 81000 P)
drops 0 to 10 Flameshards
may drop 2 simple orbs

Warmonger Boss Mouse!

effective: physical (but only after all the Theurgy Wardens have been captured)
less effective: hydro, arcane, tactical (but only after all the Theurgy Wardens have been captured)

(27000 G, 198000 P)
drops zero or one pieces of loot needed for each of the new traps (pattern? drops 1 first catch, harder next catch - use ULC?
drops 1 Ultimate Luck Charm (always?)
drops 2 Ultimate Power Charms (always?)
may drop 1 to 2 Warpath Commander Charms
drops heaps and heaps of flameshards (100 first time, 150 second time?)

Fiery Warpath - Strategy Guide

2011-03-29T01:14:00.000-07:00

An Elegant Design

The Fiery Warpath (FW) is truly an elegant design. Many different optimal paths exist, depending on what it is that a hunter is optimizing: points, gold, speed, types of loot and more, as well as the hunter's equipment, style of hunting and many other characteristics. You don't need to become a MouseHunt guru to do well in FW, but there are some essentials that, once internalized, will let you surf the waves repeatedly with growing confidence on each pass. My goal is to provide you with those essentials.

A new concept is introduced in the Fiery Warpath: momentum. In addition, the mechanisms of selective attraction and selective effectiveness, introduced in Zugzwang's Tower, are expanded upon. If you focus on the concepts rather than the mechanics at first, the mechanics will flow.

I assume that you have read (or at least skimmed) the rest of the walkthrough, especially the sections on waves and streaks before you read this guide. I start with an in-depth discussion of Crimson Commanders, Gargantuamice and Caravan Guards, mice which are critical to the implementation of momentum in FW. I then move on to explore the implications for strategies for each wave for various goals.

Table of Contents

Crimson Commander Mice
Gargantuamice
Caravan Guards NEW
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Wave 4
Advice for passive hunters

Breaking News!! Scandal in Larry's intel division!!

2011-03-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Update: March 28, 2011, 22:54 UTC. This glitch, Michele Spencer says, has been fixed :) Thanks, HitGrab, that's good to know!

Jan-Marie Kellow caught a Warmonger after catching only two Theurgy Wardens, demonstrating severe deficiencies in Larry's intelligence gathering division.

Be warned that although the Warmonger Mouse can be encountered at any time during this wave, they will be immune to capture until you have defeated all of the Theurgy Warden Mice that guard them.

Jan-Marie's heads-up display shows the Warmonger as defeated and has recorded her first victory. Will she get a second shot at the Warmonger once she has finished off the rest of the wardens? Stay tuned for further developments....

Doh! And the answer is "no!" Talk about anti-climactic, lol. Once she finished off the last warden, Jan-Marie found herself back at Wave 1 of her second pass through the Fiery Warpath.

Our intrepid Jan-Marie demonstrating that Larry's intel on the Fiery Warpath is less than perfect.

Warning! Hunters bumbling about in the dark!

2011-03-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Good grief, what am I doing here?

As Jester told you in the introduction to the Fiery Warpath walkthrough, he has invited me to join him as an author on MouseHuntGuide. What he was gracious enough not to tell you is that I had the temerity to try to invite myself as such nearly a year ago when I knew diddly (a highly technical term) about MH. Luckily, he was sweet enough not to pitch me out of his life on my ear. Now I know at least ten times diddly (for the mathematically inclined, ten times diddly equals squat), but at least I know that I know squat. So I guess Jester decided that meant I was ready to help out.

While we sort out the mechanics of collaborating on Blogger (at present I cannot update my own work-in-progress, ROFL) I'm going to post what I think are crucial updates and integrate them later.

The first of those is a strategy update for wave 2.

While Zugzwang's First Move (ZFM) would be preferable over Rewer's Riposte (RR) if you have Cavalry charms, the first pass through wave 2 all but the wealthiest hunters will not. Once you have defeated the Archers, Scouts and Warriors you will be left with roughly twice as many Cavalry as Mages. If you are lucky and encountered a Crimson Commander at an opportune time, you will not face the full count, but the ratio will remain the same. If Sand Cavalry and Inferno Mages are equally attracted to your bait, the odds favor arming a tactical trap and a luck charm as, on average, two out of three encounters will favor the tactical setup.

Here is the light bulb (ding!) that went off over my head today while whittling away at those dratted Flame Archers (how embarrassing, archers....) In that first pass through wave 2, without charms, choose your RR rather than your ZFM. Why? Because we are always told to arm our luckiest trap when we do not have the right trap type. In this case going with the luck setup is the smart choice as it will improve the outcome for the balance of the encounters, for which the tactical setup is less effective. Not to mention that the usual argument in favor of power (consistency) is not in play without charms.

A second, much smaller update is that I have downgraded Summer Mage (and therefore the anticipated Winter Mage) to unverified, as I have yet to receive a single documented drop.

Aha! Looks like we're making technical progress. Yayyy!

More to come....

Hilary

Fiery Warpath - Entry Requirements

2011-03-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

[ ^ Contents | >> Fiery Warpath Mice ]

Although you need to be a Baron(ess) to travel to the Fiery Warpath, you can complete all the preliminaries beforehand.

Preliminaries: First, you must prove yourself ready to be called up to the battle by completing two preliminary tasks. You may complete these tasks in either order:
- Catch the Silth (arm HB/DDA with Magma/SBB and Wicked Gnarly)
- Catch the Technic and Mystic Kings
Collect a Sandtail Call to Arms

Preliminaries

Catching The Silth

The big question that I get asked is whether to arm the HeatBath (HB) or Double Diamond Adventure (DDA). We do not have a large enough unbiased set of data (I'll talk about bias in data collection in another post) to give a definitive answer based on statistical analysis. Models such as the Furoma model, while useful, are always least reliable in answering questions at the extremes, especially when the differences in outcome are quite small.

That is the important piece of information to remember. Catching the Silth is difficult, and ultimately an exercise in persistence. Ignore your friends who tell you they caught it on their third hunt and just keep at it. Oh, right, HB or DDA? My pick is DDA, not necessarily because, for every fifty hunters who follow this advice, one of them will catch the Silth two hunts faster as a result (statistic chosen at random), but because you will get more loot from the other mice while you are hunting for the Silth. Goblins drop flawless orbs, Cyclops and hydras drop simple orbs and harpies drop divine orbs, not to mention various other goodies that get dropped. So use your DDA and collect the loot. Which base? Your Spellbook base. What? You don't have a Spellbook base yet? Are you nuts? If you venture into the Fiery Warpath without a Spellbook base you will be fried to a crisp. Off to Zugzwang's Tower with you....

Catching the Technic and Mystic Kings

You must be joking, right? That is a different walkthrough, folks!

Collecting the Sandtail Call to Arms

The Sandtail call to arms is dropped by specific mice in the seasonal garden. You must have caught your Silth and one each of both Kings in ZT before the mice with drop the Sandtail call to arms. Note that the setup advice is all first-order guesswork and is guaranteed to be at least somewhat wrong!

Spring

Spring familiar (high probability of drop, although not 100%)
Puddlemancer (low probability of drop)

Craft your Enraged Rhinobot and use that, as you'll want it anyway. Use it with Spellbook Base (SBB) (1st choice), Magma Base (2nd choice), Molten Shrapnel Base (MSB) (3rd choice).

Summer

Summer mage
Firebreather (decent probability of drop)

The Rewer's Riposte (RR)'s catch rate is pretty terrific and the Firebreather's drop rate is pretty good, so use your RR if you have one, as it has much higher luck and will thus increase the likelihood of the drop. Fallback option is Zugzwang's First Move (ZFM). Don't go into Fiery Warpath without ZFM. Use either trap with Magma (1st choice), MSB (2nd choice).

Fall

Fall familiar (high probability of drop, although not 100%)
Harvest harrier (low probability of drop)

Seriously? Haven't you learned any patience playing this game? Wait until Winter! Oh, all right... Use your Cackle Lantern Trap (CLT) if you have one, or Clockapult of Time (COT), if not. Otherwise, go collect Simple Orbs until Winter. You'll thank me. Meanwhile, go write your mother a nice thank you note. And call her. When was the last time you called your mother, anyway? Use CLT with Magma / MSB and COT with SBB.

Thanks, Karina, for the heads up on the fall mice. Nice to know when I got a guess right :)

Winter

Bruticle

Here it depends on your bait and whether you own a Magma base. If using Gouda, go ahead and use your Double Diamond Adventure (DDA) or Kraken Chaos (KC) if you have one, with either Magma or MSB. If using SB+, use HeatBath (HB) by preference, falling back to DDA and KC. With HB, stick with MSB. You might even consider using SBB.

Fiery Warpath - Waves

2011-03-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

[ ^ Contents | << Fiery Warpath Mice | >> Streaks]

A streak of three desert soldiers after returning to the Fiery Warpath during Wave 1. The area is NOT like Zugwang's Tower; progress is not reset upon leaving.

Most of the Fiery Warpath mice come in waves, although some of the mice are administrators ("support mice") and so are around all the time. One mouse, the Gargantuamouse, is released only on specific conditions, described in Streaks. To move on to the next wave, you have to defeat a specified number of each mouse in your current wave. In wave 1, your initial goal is 35 of each mouse, although that number can both decrease and increase as described in Streaks. Your progress is displayed in the HUD display.

Support Mice (administrators!)

Caravan Guard
Crimson Commander

Wave 1:

35 Desert Soldiers (warrior)
35 Vanguards (scout)
35 Desert Archers (archer)

Wave 2

40 Flame Warriors (warrior)
40 Sentinals (scout)
40 Flame Archers (archer)
45 Sand Cavalry (cavalry)
20 Inferno Mages (mage)

Wave 3

50 Crimson Titans (warrior)
50 Crimson Watch (scout)
50 Crimson Rangers (archer)
60 Sandwing Cavalry (cavalry)
30 Magmarage (mage)
20 Flame Ordnance (artillery)

Wave 4

12 Theurgy Wardens
1 Warmonger
no support mice!

Fiery Warpath - New Weapons

2011-03-26T06:06:00.001-07:00

[ ^ Contents | << Streaks | >> Crafting Items ]

Trap Loot

Each time you defeat the Warmonger, among other goodies, you are awarded a warpath victory. It turns out that the warpath victories are not consumable items (credit: James Cha), which is great news! Thus, you could craft both the Sphynx Wrath and the Oasis Water Node after your first pass through the Fiery Warpath even if the Warmonger did not drop any of the trap loot if you were rich enough to buy the necessary loot in the Marketplace. Very interesting, yes?

The pattern in which the Warmonger drops the trap loot continues to evolve. So far the pattern seems to be that he drops one of:

on the first catch. It is far more difficult to get him to drop one of the above on the second drop (try ultimate luck charms), although it is possible.

Enraged Rhinobot: (NOT smashable)

Digby scientists were hard at work trying to improve upon the already amazing RhinoBot when a fluke of chance led to the creation of the Enraged RhinoBot! The pure platinum cogs make it practically indestructible and a machine of pure raging power! It is hard to say whether the scientists think their masterpiece a success or a failure because since the Enraged Rhinobot has emerged from their labs, no one has been able to discover their whereabouts.

The Ragebot is not loot from the Fiery Warpath so much as a trap needed to hunt there. It is also a wonder in Derr Dunes for those hunters not possessing a Chrome Drillbot.

Power: 5900 physical
Power bonus: 10%
Attraction bonus: none
Luck: 20
Cheese effect: Insanely Stale

Recipe:

3 Rhino horns
6 Platinum bars
1 Rhinobot parts
48 Stale SB+ (Runic, when staled, becomes stale sb+)

Oasis Water Node

Working with some clever trapsmiths and the oasis bead you were able to create a tunnel of water and give it a mind of it's own. While on standby the trap simply looks like a still pool of fresh water in a beautiful desert oasis, however any mouse it encounters will be snatched up and rocketed through the water tunnel to whatever destination you've set, be that Davy Jones Locker or another continent. If this were big enough for a human and much safer, one might consider using it for a more cost effective travel method...

Power: 5200 hydro
Power bonus: 12%
Attraction bonus: 10%
Luck: 20
Cheese effect: No effect

Oasis Water Node Blueprints (1 warpath victory, 800,000g)

This trap design may appear as a beautiful desert oasis, but below the sand is a masterfully crafted tunnel full of water brought to life by a thousand Living Shards. A splash of coconut milk has been superheated using Flameshards to produce a unique cheese-bearing palm tree that provides a healthy attraction bonus.

Having read this guide, you have been hoarding your flameshards and spending your nights in Digby collecting living shards, so you'll be set to craft your Oasis Water Node, using the recipe discovered by Paul Chambers:

1 Coconut Milk
1000 Living Shards
150 Flameshards
1 Oasis Bead
1 set of Oasis Water Node Blueprints

Sphynx Wrath:

The intention of this trap was to pay homage to a mythical creature known only for it's unparalleled mouse hunting prowess. Outfitted with a slew of clever traps it came as quite the surprise when the trapsmith who designed this tool of destruction found it utterly destroyed by it's [sic] own means, the statue untouched. It is believed the simple traps were insult enough to the spirit of this creature that they simply destroyed themselves in it's [sic] presence.

Power: 6100 tactical
Power bonus: 10%
Attraction bonus: 10%
Luck: 25
Cheese effect: very fresh

Sphynx Wrath Blueprints (1 warpath victory, 900,000 G)

These blueprints outline how to encase a rare Sphynx Crystal in gold leaf to unleash a fearsome feline mouse adversary. Upon a mouse approaching the mighty sphynx, the power of Flameshards summon her to sentience, unleashing an unrivaled tactical mouse adversary.

Sphynx Wrath is invaluable against the Sandwing Cavalry in Wave 3. Use the recipe discovered by Sharon Nakauchi.

28 Gold Leaf (thanks, Alan!)
200 Flameshards
1 Sphynx Crystal
1 set of Sphynx Wrath Blueprints

Sandstorm MonstroBot:

Encased in metal that has stood the test of extreme weathering and time, the Sandstorm MonstroBot is outfitted with the most advanced technologies. Should a mouse be lucky enough to escape its heat sensor tracking and turbo lasers, they are still left to face its sheer size and hardened fists. One MonstroBot alone could take out three Digby DrillBots at once...easily. Thankfully, its tastes are of the more furry rodent variety!

Power: 8000 physical
Power Bonus: 20%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Luck: 27
Cheese Effect: No Effect

Sandstorm MonstroBot Blueprints (3 warpath victories, 999,000 G)

In the midst of the Santail [sic] Desert battle, the most experienced of the local trapsmiths have drafted plans for a massive physical trap of unmatched power. The Sandstorm MonstroBot harnesses the power of Flameshards to fuse heavy pieces of rare Sandblasted Metal to RhinoBot Parts.

Recipe (credit James Cha)

1 set of Digby DrillBot Parts
1 set of RhinoBot Parts
2 pieces of Sandblasted Metal
400 Flameshards
1 set of Sandstorm MonstroBot blueprints

Fiery Warpath - Charms

2011-03-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

[ ^ Contents | << Crafting Items | >> Strategies ]

Overview

The regular charms increase the encounter rate of that particular subgroup of fiery warpath mouse to your trap. They are helpful in wave 1, but fare poorly after that.

The super charms 'significantly' increase the encounter rate of the specified subgroup and add a subgroup-specific power bonus as well.

Neither type of charm reduces FTAs!

All the charms are only consumed when they attract a mouse from the correct subgroup.

Fiery Warpath Charm Shoppe

Regular charms: 1 ionized salt and 350 gold per piece

Super charms: 1 magic essence and 100 gold per piece

Crafted Fiery Warpath Charms

FW charm base:

1 simple orb
2 charm bits
1 ionized salt

FW super charm base:

1 simple orb
2 charm bits
1 magic essence

All that is left is to add the appropriate crafting agent to produce the desired charm:

Warpath Cavalry Charm, Super Warpath Cavalry Charm

1 desert horseshoe

Warpath Mage Charm, Super Warpath Mage Charm

1 heatproof mage cloth

Charms dropped as loot in FW

Warpath Commander's Charm:

Awarded for completing a wave
Hang on to these at least until wave 3 of first pass, possibly until second pass
This charm assists in attracting Crimson Commanders of the Marching Flame, increasing how often they're encountered. This charm is consumed upon encountering a Crimson Commander Mouse.

Ultimate Luck Charm

Ultimate Power Charm

Fiery Warpath - Strategies

2011-03-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

[ ^ Contents | << Charms ]
First, some general comments.

The Fiery Warpath is not an area in which a hunter can pick a single setup and stick with it throughout and expect an optimal (or even near-optimal) result. The screenshot below provides an object lesson in this principle: with only Desert Archers left, using charms is wasteful.
We are all still learning our way through, so read lots of guides, take what you like and leave the rest. Enjoy the game and do what *you* think you should do.
I am just finishing up wave 2, so the later stuff I have sorted out by collaborating with friends who are further along, an understanding of tactics in general, games in particular, etc... YMMV. :)
Read the rest of this guide, but especially the sections on Waves and Streaks, before reading this section.

[placeholder:image]
Late in wave 1, your faithful scribe has dispensed with charms altogether and dropped back to gouda, taking advantage of knowledge gleaned from her betters. No need to scramble for every opportunity to catch a Gargantuan mouse when Theurgy Wardens will drop flameshards by the handfull.

I. Active Hunter Strategies:

Streaks are important; so is the 'demoralizing' effect of catching a Crimson Commander; and collecting loot is important as well. How to balance out these various goals?

Which mice should I target? On the first pass through wave 1, rotate through the mice in the wave, rather than clearing all of one mouse and then moving on to the next. Try to keep the number of each mouse you have left to capture roughly the same. Obviously, never break your own streak. On the first pass through wave 2, rotate through the archers, scouts and warriors first, as catching a crimson commander will cause cavalry and mages to retreat as well and you have no charms for those mice. You'll end up tackling some Cavalry and Mages at the end and will end up with drops for charms which you can then use in wave 3.

[placeholder:image]
In wave 2, everything is challenging!

What bait / charms should I use? Vary your bait and charm setup depending on where you are in a streak as well as where you are in a wave.

For example: For wave 1, start out using gouda and no charm and see what you catch. Then arm the regular charm for that kind of mouse, staying with gouda through the third or fourth catch. If you have six or more of that mouse left to go in the wave, switch to the super version of the charm after the fourth or fifth catch. After the sixth or seventh catch, switch to sb+ as well....

In wave 2 (first pass through), I always armed a charm until I was done with the archers, scouts and warriors. I started out with gouda / regular charm for the first two catches, switched to the super charm after the second and switched up to sb+ after the fourth catch. This strategy was combined with ragebot / runic while using gouda, then switching to SBB when switching to SB+. The idea was that I had more invested in the streak as it progressed, so it was worth expending more resources to maintain it.

Another consideration is that sb+ affects the encounter rates for Crimson Commanders and Caravan Guards, which is a possible argument for a sb+ / regular charm setup, especially for hunters with fewer MH hunting friends. "According to the King's scouts, SUPER|brie+ is known to attract more Crimson Commanders and less Caravan Guards."

How do / Should I catch the Gargantuamouse?

Why not just always switch after 6 and avoid the Gaga? Because it drops flameshards, which we believe will be needed to craft the Oasis Water Node, Sphynx Wrath and Monstrobot. On the other hand, the Theurgy Wardens also drop flameshards by the handfull, so you will have to decide for yourself. Once we have the recipes for the new traps, I can give better guidance to this question.

You can tell when the Gaga has been released by watching your streak meter - when it turns yellow, the Gaga is loose. No need to switch setup before then for horn calls. That means that if you have a trap check coming up after your seventh catch, I'm not sure quite what you should do, as trap checks are reported at your designated time (mine is at 0:30) but do not necessarily occur at that time (hence the MouseHunt knows what is going to happen effect). Personally, I think I would be tempted to unbait for the things at present...

The chances of encountering Gaga increase by a polynomial equation (not exponential) as the streak progresses. (I'll give some examples in a future update to show what this means). A possible strategy might be to switch to, for example, a strong hydro setup if the streak meter turns yellow before the ninth catch during the first three waves (hydro being 'less effective' for both Gaga and archers, scouts and warriors), switching to your Ice Maiden (IM) after the ninth catch. With IM and Spellbook base, you have a good chance of catching Gaga. Switch to a luck charm, as you will not catch anything other than Gaga with IM armed.

What trap / base should I use? Your trap and base depend on what wave you are in, what mice you are targeting, and where you are in a streak (see above.) A strong physical trap is your best friend for wave one, with the exception of when you target Gaga. The ragebot (Enraged Rhinobot) is an ideal trap for the active hunter, as this location rewards consistency, so the ragebot is very likely to outperform the much-beloved Chrome Drillbot, as strength is more consistent than luck. Ragebot / Spellbook base appears to be a terrific physical setup for the location. In waves two and three, you encounter mice that require hydro, tactical and arcane traps. Following the strength over luck in order to maximize streaks approach, we would pick HeatBath (hydro), Zugzwang's First Move (tactical) and ACRONYM (arcane), again paired with Spellbook Base. The Ice Maiden is the only option for Draconic against Gargantuamouse.

II. Passive Hunter Strategies:

Passive hunters will really not be able to manage streaks effectively, so our best thinking on the topic at present is to ignore charms entirely and just collect the mice in the first two waves as they come, recognizing that it will take longer that way. Passive hunters can still benefit from having lots of friends in the area at the same time as they are there, however, preventing reinforcements from arriving.

What about flameshards? You'll get flameshards from the Theurgy Wardens and they are for sale in the marketplace, whereas many items are not... Passive hunters thus have many options to collect flameshards :)

How to Sell Your Super Brie Fast

2010-08-27T01:27:00.000-07:00

As of this writing, the forex rate of Mousehunt Gold to SuperBrie is in the trading range of 5,000-5,400 gold per piece..

If you're a SB+ seller and have about 1000 pieces to release to the market, that's about a 5 million price tag. Or 5.5 million when you consider the 10% tariff.

Are there really that many buyers out there having such a huge stash of gold sitting around?
That kind of explains why you'd see some trade entries sitting there for the whole day.

Taking a tip from the normal stock market, it's sometimes easier to unload smaller amounts of equity stock at a time. It's a matter about market demand and liquidity. The current MH Marketplace has a fixed tariff, so trading costs are not a factor.

The main factor here is the buyer's affordability.

If you hop in and out of the marketplace often looking for a good deal, you'd soon notice something.
The standard lots of 100 pieces of SB+ are the ones that disappear the fastest. Yes, these are the amounts with the most liquidity. Even if the exchange rate is higher than the lowest bid in the chart.

Yes, hunters will sooner buy 10-100 pieces at 5,400 gold then 500 pieces at 5,000.

When you see the market situation from the buyer's eyes, you'd understand why.
It's simply faster to earn half a million of gold than it is to amass 2 or 3 million.

Best advice for now:

Sell Super Brie in standard lots/batches of 100 pieces
Sell SB in Odd Lot sizes to the maximum price tag of 500,000 gold pieces

Cheese Recipe - Vengeful Vanilla Stilton

2010-06-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Vengeful Vanilla Stilton
To make Vengeful Stilton Cheese, you need to collect one of each of the following loots from the Lich mice in Balack's Cove (with Acro and Vanilla Stilton)

Derr Lich - Bottled up Rage
Elub Lich - Pinch of Annoyance
Nerg Lich - Raisins of Wrath

Combine:
1 x Bottled up Rage
1 x Pinch of Annoyance
1 x Raisins of Wrath
1 x Coconut Milk
1 x Curds and Whey
1 x Ionized Salt
1 x Vanilla Bean
3 x Magic Essence
and you'll get 3 x Vengeful Vanilla Stilton :D - Good luck with the Balack mouse, it doesn't look like he'll be an easy catch :/

Vengeful Vanilla is a cheese best served cold. With a strong, tangy flavor, extreme vanilla sweetness, and just a hint of bitter mold, it tastes horrible-- and the cheese knows it! The main attractive feature of Vengeful Vanilla is its smell. So strong and delicious that it bypasses the natural wariness of even a hardened character like Balack, it draws its victims in... and then the taste does the rest.

(thanks, MH Kitchen!)

Crafting Item - Vanilla Bean

2010-06-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Bean

This rare bean is only available deep within the Jungle of Dread, but its rind imparts a pleasant, sweet flavor to food. As a result, it is one of Gnawnia's most expensive delicacies.

The Pigmy Swarm Mice at JoD drop these. They are attracted by Gouda and Vanilla Stilton cheeses. Use your best Shadow trap.

Vanilla Beans are one of the ingredients to craft Vanilla Stilton and Vengeful Vanilla Stiltons.

Cheese Recipe - Vanilla Stilton

2010-05-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Stilton
Both recipes make 15 pieces.

Recipe 1 ~ the patient version ~
15 x Vanilla Beans
15 x Salt
15 x Curds and Whey
15 x Coconut Milk

Recipe 2 ~ the enterprising version ~
5 x Vanilla Bean (changed from 1 on 25May)
15 x Magic Essence
15 x Salt
15 x Curds and Whey
15 x Coconut Milk

This cheese attracts the mice found in Balack's Cove. What you waitin' fer? Git over there!

Ghostly mice just love the taste of a good, mould-veined Stilton, but it's the vanilla that compels the spirits of Balack's Cove to leave their eternal strife. Aged to perfection in the cool, damp vaults of a sea cave, this cheese contains vanilla bean harvested at great peril from the Jungle of Dread. The ghosts of Balack's Cave are not the only mice that love this cheese, however. If you happen to get washed up on a jungle shore, hide your Stilton stock in your knapsack.

(thanks, MH Kitchen!)

QRG - Balack the Banished

2010-05-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Quick Reference Guide to Catch Balack the Banished

Goal 1) Gain entrance to Balack's Cove

Buy the Ancient Lantern at Cape Claw. Loot Dragon's Ember at Dracano. Craft Balack's Lantern and Balack's Cove opens for you.

Goal 2) Growing your Stilton baits

Loot Vanilla Beans at the Jungle of Dread from the Pygmy Swarm Mice. Craft some Vanilla Stilton Cheese and head to the Cove. Catch the Lichs for their loot. (Acronym trap recommended)

That allows you to craft the Vengeful Vanilla Stilton cheese.
You'd now be able to catch Balack the Banished Mouse. (Ancient Box Trap recommended, Acro/Ice Maiden works too)

Repeat Goal 2 as necessary.

Following each link above will yield a more in-depth walkthrough.

(And I'll fit in all the images later)
(and many thanks to the MouseHunt Kitchen, for most of the info)

Map Recipe - Balack's Lantern

2010-05-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Balack's Lantern
To gain entrance to Balack's Cove, you'd need to craft Balack's Lantern.

Stop by the General Store of Cape Clawed to get the Ancient Lantern.
Then hop over to Dracano to find Dragon Embers. You need 3.
Of course, you have the Ice Maiden and lots of Inferno Havarti lying around, don't you?

Newly Knighted hunters may find that their Chrome Drillbot works with the Whelping and Dracanic Warden. The embers will eventually get dropped too.

Recipe for Balack's Lantern
1 x Ancient Lantern
3 x Dragon Embers

Balack's Cove is a unique environment with unpredictable tides that keep the dark caverns constantly soaked, and that can easily wash unsuspecting Hunters out to sea.

This place works like Forbidden Grove/Acolyte Realm. From Balack's Cove, you'd occasionally get washed out to the Jungle of Dread. Timing's not charted yet..

Beasts of Balack's Banished

2010-05-18T17:45:00.001-07:00

Crafting Item - Ancient Lantern

2010-05-18T17:43:00.001-07:00

Antique Lantern

Buy one from the General Store at Cape Clawed.
Needed for Balack's Lantern

This strange old lantern must have been sitting in the seawater for too long. No matter what you use, a conventional fire just won't set it alight. Perhaps a more magical flame might bring it to life.

Crafting Item - Dragon Ember

2010-05-18T17:42:00.003-07:00

Dragon Ember

Looted from the Draconic Mice at Dracano
Needed for Balack's Lantern

This nugget of molten rock glows with the Dragon Mouse's enchanted flames. It burns bright enough to pierce any darkness, but in order to use it as a guide, its handler must first find some way to contain its searing heat.

Crafting Item - Bottled up Rage

2010-05-18T17:42:00.001-07:00

Bottled-Up Rage
(The Derr Lich Mouse in Balack's Cove drops these)

This potion contains all of the hatred and loathing generated by the ensorcelled Derr Elders over their long servitude to Balak the Banished. It is so angry, it pounds the cork in its bottle, trying to escape.

Crafting Item - Pinch of Annoyance

2010-05-18T17:41:00.001-07:00

Pinch of Annoyance
(The Elub Lich Mouse in Balack's Cove drops these)

This powder is the distilled essence of the Elub Elders' irritation at being cooped up in Balak's Cove. Don't let it get on your skin-- you'll itch for weeks.

Crafting Item - Raisins of Wrath

2010-05-18T17:40:00.001-07:00

Raisins of Wrath (The Nerg Lich Mouse in Balack's Cove drops this as loot)

These raisins probably started out as grapes of wrath, but they've been sitting out for far too long. The drying process has only concentrated the wrath, so use them sparingly in any evil banana breads or nasty oatmeal cookies you may be planning. Wrath Raisins are best known as an ingredient in Vengeful Vanilla Stilton.

Balack, Interim Guide

2010-05-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

From MHKitchen, a walkthrough of current journals leading to Balack's Cove:

Tess Ofner May 18 at 4:29am
Hello MH Kitcheners,

Well… AN EXCITING DAY IN MH!! Balack is back! Confused? Me too! lol

I’ve tried to set this out in as simple to follow format as possible. If you’re still confused, let me know ;)
A BIG thank you to Lindie for much (if not all) of this info!

STEP 1:
Travel to the Jungle of Dread. Arm your best shadow trap setup (Clock/Magma works well) with Gouda or SB and catch Pigmy Swarm mice. They will drop Vanilla Beans as loot (not every mouse drops the loot).

STEP 2:
Craft Vanilla Stilton. Thanks to Candice Lim for the recipes ;)
Recipe 1 ~ Makes 15 pieces ~
15 x Vanilla Beans
15 x Salt
15 x Curds and Whey
15 x Coconut Milk
This recipe is NOT confirmed as there is no way I’m crafting this when recipe 2 is available (anyone that is not using SB is welcome to confirm it for me).
Recipe 2 ~ Makes 15 pieces ~
1 x Vanilla Bean
15 x Magic Essence
15 x Salt
15 x Curds and Whey
15 x Coconut Milk

STEP 3:
Travel to Cape Clawed and purchase 1 x Ancient Lantern (cost is 94,000 gold and refunds for the same).

STEP 4:
Travel to Dracano. Arm your Ice Maiden with Inferno Havarti and collect 3 Dragon Embers from the mice there.

STEP 5:
Craft the map required to get to Balack’s Cove.
Recipe:
1 x Ancient Lantern
3 x Dragon Embers

STEP 6:
Travel to Balack’s Cove. The mice here are ‘Forgotten mice’ so you need to arm your ACRO with Vanilla Stilton to catch each of the Isle’s Lich mice. Each of them drop different loot required to craft the cheese you’ll need to attract and catch Balack.
Derr Lich drop ‘Bottled-Up Rage’
Nerg Lich drop ‘Raisins of Wrath’
Elub Lich drop ‘not sure yet, will let you know in the next update’
There are also a bunch of other new mice that you’ll catch in-between Lichs :D

With these Lich items, plus a little Coconut Milk, Ionized Salt, Curds, a single Vanilla Bean and an optional dash of Magic Essence, you will have to craft a new 'vengeful' cheese to attract and catch Balack.

I don’t know the recipe or what trap to use at this stage so please don't ask lol. It also appears from Dave’s post that Balack’s Cove will be a little like the FG/AR - “Balack's Cove is a unique environment with unpredictable tides that keep the dark caverns constantly soaked, and that can easily wash unsuspecting Hunters out to sea.” but again, I'm not sure if this is the case. I will send out a new update specifically on Balack’s Cove a little later on when I know more. Until then… have fun!

Tess :)
MHK

Cheese Recipe - Limelight Cheese

2010-04-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

LIMELIGHT

This recipe makes 3 pieces of Limelight Cheese
30 x Curds and Whey
3 x Radioactive Sludge
3 x Living Shard

When rare Living Shards are combined with Radioactive Sludge and a dash of Curds and Whey, they form this cheese, which boasts a mineral flavor with a hint of lime. The shards vibrate within the curd, making high-pitched noises difficult for the human ear to hear. This subtle vibration sends tremors through the ground, which attract the mice living under the soil in Digby.

Finally! A use for all the Radioactive Sludge that has been lying around after baiting with the Radioactive Blue Cheese. Hunters everywhere seem pleased to be able to finally have a recycleable use for this - which ended with a slightly more hmmf! note. That's because even more Sludge needs to be farmed now.. :)

Currently, Limelight is the only cheese to attract the Big Bad Burroughs.
(and you may need lots of it)

Crafting Item - Living Shard

2010-04-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Birthday event dug up (sorry, bad pun) a whole new society of mice in the Town of Digby. Some event dropped this strange piece of shiny gem. If you need more Living Shards in a hurry, you can buy them at Digby's General Store.

ITEM: Living Shard
LOCATION: Town of Digby General Store, Loot by mice in Digby
COST: 1,200 gold, refunds for same
DESCRIPTION:

Even in a mineral-rich town like Digby, Living Shards are quite rare, and because they take a lot of time and effort to harvest, Digby's General Store places their price at a premium. Digby tradition states that Dr. F. Romage once found a large deposit of the crystals, which he used in his experiments, and some of the crazier stories even claim that he used the living shards to bring the Monster mice to life. . . perhaps with a little luck a hunter may find some of these shards by hunting Monster mice in the Laboratory.

Currently an ingredient for the LimeLight Cheese.

Silth Mouse

2010-04-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Arrgh! The Silth Mouse is really hard to catch.

The Silth Mouse dropped the Chrome Nanite Coating during the Mousehunt birthday event. Now it's a matter of pride (and trying to complete the full mouse list) to get hold of this mouse.

I've not caught mine yet, but do drop a comment on how many Wicked Gnarly Cheese pieces you used to finally catch one.

Successful hunters swear by the ASG and the Kraken for catching them.

This elusive mouse makes his home in the damp subterranean rivers of the underpass, hiding in rocky crags. Its bat-like squeak and the splash of its feet can often be heard in caverns, but when hunters approach, it dives into the water and swims away faster than a Burroughs trout. Because it has spent so much time in seclusion, these guardians of the underpass have unusual taste--anyone aiming to catch it should note that only the gnarliest cheese will tempt it out of hiding.

Curious Chemist Mouse

2010-04-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

We've finally found the little science geek! And it's at the Great Gnarled Tree.

The Curious Chemist Mouse is only attracted to Gnarled Cheese. I think it eats a nibble and uses the rest to prepare the Wicked Gnarly Cheese Curd Potion. You'd need to catch more than a dozen of this, to craft the Wicked Gnarled Cheese.

The mouse appeared pretty late in the game so most of us already have lethal and lucky physical traps like the chrome drillbot. If you're currently Master/Grandmaster, do drop a comment here on which trap worked for you.

This resident of the Great Gnarled Tree loves to combine different compounds that it finds in nature with cheeses that it pilfers from traps. An avid amateur chemist, it mixes up some seriously strange potions- things that turn fur purple, and make ears grow to ten times their size. No one knows what the Chemist's latest potion does, or why it is suddenly seeking large amounts of Gnarled Cheese and SUPER|brie+, but one thing is for sure: the results are going to be Extremely Gnarly.

Wicked Gnarly Cheese

2010-03-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Wicked Gnarly Cheese

To get this currently, you have to hunt down the Chemist Mouse (GGT) and pick up the Wicked Gnarly Cheese potion. Imbue a few sb+ or brie and you'd begin to get a load of these.

Go to the lagoon for the Silth Mouse.

Formed by a gnarly magical process which transforms it from a relatively normal lump of dairy products into a dried-up ball of roots, this cheese is so twisted and covered with strange wood-grain patterns that it's hard to tell that it's cheese at all. Extremely Gnarly Cheese has got a much sharper scent than its counterpart, Gnarled Cheese, and a flavor that combines the zing of sandalwood and the sweetness of maple, which makes it like candy to some denizens of the Lagoon.

Wicked Gnarly Cheese Curd Potion

2010-03-18T01:33:00.000-07:00

The Wicked Gnarly Cheese Curd Potion is dropped by the Curious Chemist Mouse. Go hunting at the Great Gnarled Tree.

The Wicked Gnarly Cheese formed is a favorite of the Silth Mouse.

Master and above:
200/pc One potion converts 6 Super Brie to 6 Wicked Gnarly Cheese.
800/pc One potion converts 3 Brie to 3 Wicked Gnarly Cheese.

Yup, you saw it right - one size fits all.. :(

Trap Recipe - Onyx Mallet

2010-03-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Onyx Mallet Trap

1 x Onyx mallet blueprints
10 x Tiny Platinum Bars
12 x Onyx stones

3800 power
Power Type: Physical
Power Bonus: 12%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 6
Cheese Effect: Stale

Description

The Onyx Mallet Trap represents the latest and greatest achievement in pulverizing technology. Unequaled in the making of such items as puree of mouse, mouse tartar and, the ever popular Mouse Paste, the Onyx Mallet is quickly becoming a favorite among those discerning individuals who insist on receiving their mice flat. Simply place the cheese below the mallet, set the arm to the ready position, and listen for the splat.

Note: This is a PERMANENT ADDITION to the game, even though it was released during the Birthday II Party event.

Crafting Item - Onyx Mallet Blueprints

2010-03-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

ITEM: Onyx Mallet Blueprints
LOCATION: Dropped by the Dojo Sensei Mouse at the Pinnacle Chamber, Furoma.
DESCRIPTION:

A very crude trap design consisting of an extremely heavy mallet made of 12 Onyx Stones. The tremendous weight is held up by platinum supports made from 10 Tiny Platinum Bars.

Crafting Item - Tiny Platinum Bar

2010-03-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

ITEM: Tiny Platinum Bar
LOCATION: Training Grounds
COST: 60,000 gold, refunds for same
DESCRIPTION:

A solid bar of platinum. This looks expensive!

Currently an ingredient in the Onxy Mallet Trap.

Crafting Item - Time Out Upgrade

2010-03-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

ITEM: Time Out Upgrade
LOCATION: Dropped by the Dojo Sensei Mouse during the Birthday II Month Event. It's not yet known how the Nanny Bot can be upgraded at this time.

DESCRIPTION:

This gold-plated clock, when hung around the Nannybot's neck, interacts with the nuclear no-nonsense engine, amplifying the Nannybot's power to thwart shenanigans threefold. The clock also boosts the Nannybot's Time Out engine to a much higher grade of performance, allowing it to make sure that mice stay frozen. With the Time Out clock on your side, the Nannybot will achieve peak performance, punishing naughtiness left and right!

Dojo Sensei Mouse

2010-03-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Dojo Sensei Mouse

I suppose all old grandfathers sleep through bombing raids, the shoutings of students and masters training and fighting, the snaps of tactical traps going off, but wake up to the cries of their Terrible Twos offspring.. :)

Introduced during the MH Birthday II, these are the Masters of the Masters. And are partial to OMG Cheese. The Catch Contest during the birthday month reveals the catch statistics of 1 Sensei Mouse to 6-9 OMG Cheeses.

Rarely seen, these old and wise mice instruct the Dojo Masters from the shadows, not wanting their presence to be known to MouseHunters. Hunting these mice is not for the faint of heart -- Their swift attacks can leave the courage of even the most steadfast hunter extremely crippled. Brave hunters who take on the challenge of catching a Dojo Sensei and succeed are held in the highest regard as a hunter that has conquered the forces of the Furoma region.

The Sensei mouse drops the following loot:
1 Time Out Upgrade (I believe this is a Limited Edition)
1 Onyx Mallet Blueprints (MH Devs say this is a permanent addition)

Cheese Recipe - Onyx Gorgonzola (OMG)

2010-03-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

ONYX GORGONZOLA

Or OMG (which is actually short for Onyx Marble Gorzonzola). Currently the only cheese the fussy ole Dojo Sensei Mouse eats.

Load this on your favorite Tactical Trap (I'd used HVMT/Magma) and well, hang on.

This recipe makes ~ 3 pieces ~
1 x Onyx Stone
6 x Ionized Salt
60 x Curds and Whey

Crafted from Onyx Stones found only on the Master of the Dojo, Onyx Cheese is made from an odd combination of gorgonzola and Onyx stone. Although most mice wouldn't normally care for a slice of gorgonzola intercut with onyx veins, Onyx Cheese is crafted especially to appeal to a very specific set of tastes. But who could desire this strange flavor combo? Someone as old as the rocks themselves, of course, a master of concealment. . . the Dojo Sensei.

Unstable Curd Recipe

2010-03-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

UNSTABLE CURD

Be careful with this one, folks - this is NOT the recipe for OMG - one missed click and you'd be down of one Onyx. Of course, if your thing is gambling (sorry, I meant recreational mathematics), then go ahead and make a whole bunch of Unstable Curd to poke. Read in the forum somewhere that the average yield is 1 Onyx to 2.7 OMGs. You'd still be gaining on all the rest of cheeses you see listed below.

This recipe makes ~ 1 piece ~
1 x Onyx Stone
1 x Ionized Salt
1 x Curds and Whey

The combination of Ionized Salt, Onyx and Curds and Whey has made this extremely volatile lump of supersaturated curd. The slightest poke will cause the curd to stabilize into a random form of cheese.

Poke
You poke your Unstable Curd...
...and receive xxx xxx Cheese!

Poked cheese returns, so far:
Ancient 10, 12 pieces
Brie 30
Combat 7
Glutter 7
Gouda 20
Moon 10
Onyx Gorgonzola (OMG) 8, 10, 12 pieces
Radioactive Blue 20
Rumble 5
Runic 5
Susheese 7
Swiss 60

Mousehunt Birthday II

2010-03-07T00:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to Mousehunt!

A simple event to celebrate the Terrible Twos. It's not too difficult, most get by with lucky traps with high attraction, brie and lots of patience.

Interestingly, luck does not favor the SB+ user.

Briefly, the event is as follows, thus far:

Gnawnia, catch the Rockstar Mouse, drops the Intimidating Pincher
Gnawnia, catch the Present Mouse, drops the Timeout Hour Glass
Gnawnia, catch the Birthday Mouse, drops the Nanny Bolts
Craft the Nanny Bot
Meadows, catch the Terrible Twos Mouse with the Nanny Bot, drops the Chocolate Base
Training Grounds, Terrible Twos are running over there soon.
Catch the rest of the dressed-up mice.
Stolen birthday gifts, giving up various cheeses, potions and other stuff.
Terrible Twos Plush toy.

Nannybot Trap

2010-03-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

Nanny Bot Trap
A ditty little mech trap specifically designed to catch those darn Terrible Twos Mice. It's also the first of the Parental type traps.

The only way to craft this is to grab loot from certain mice at Gnawnia, then click on the event link:
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/nannybot.php
The devs have done the crafting this way since the trap is a Limited Edition.

You'd need to collect the Pincher, Nanny bolts and Timeout Hour Glass (see image below).

Nannybot ( 525 power )
Power Type: Parental
Power Bonus: 5%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 5
Cheese Effect: No Effect

Straighten up and mind your manners: the Nannybot is on duty! She has camera 'eyes' in the back of her head, four extra claw arms that allow her to be absolutely everywhere at once, and the Time Out Engine, a device that will catch and hold mice frozen in time until the hunter is ready to deal with them. Some mice 'borrowed' this model from Digby scientists as a prototype, so it lacks all the features of a factory model. Maybe with a few supplies, you could fix it up. . .

Terrible Twos Mouse

2010-03-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

Terrible Twos Mouse

Cute li'l terror, isn't he?

Use the Nannybot Trap to catch. Choose your luckiest base. Brie. SB+ if you're feeling rich.

Currently found in the Meadows, but expected to run and hide in the Training Grounds. Who can blame it, with so many hunters camping around the place looking out for it.

Now drops the Chocolate Birthday Cake Base.

If children are the future, then this little mouse is about to bring about the apocalypse. At the tender age of two, it's carving out a name for itself in the history books (not to mention chewing the pages more than a little) by eating, burning, scratching and destroying everything it can get its little paws on. How did something this small manage to single-handedly collapse a city block? No one is really sure, but let's hope it's just a phase.

Chocolate Birthday Cake Base

2010-03-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Birthday Cake Base

Meh.
Other than being an event item, it's probably more useful to a novice just breaking into the Mousehunt game.
But you just can't say No to Chocolate..

Chocolate Birthday Cake Base ( 175 power )

Power Bonus: 8%

Attraction Bonus: 5%

Luck: 1

Cheese Effect: No Effect

Three of Gnawnia's finest bakers collaborated to produce this amazing cake, which also doubles as a decorative base. With double chocolate icing, three layers of triple chocolate cake, and an astounding, super rich filling of the as-yet-untasted quadruple chocolate fudge delight, this may well be the most chocolate-y base ever! This cake is tasty and filling for hunters, but if a mouse takes more than a few bites, it will lapse into a sugary coma.

Present Mouse

2010-03-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Present Mouse

This special event mouse has returned for the Mousehunt Birthday II party. He drops the Timeout Hour Glass this time around.

First sighting during the Festive Comet event.

Mousehunt Birthday II - The Walkthrough

2010-03-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Mousehunt Birthday II !

Wow, some hunters are really adept! Read on for the Terrible Twos Birthday Walkthrough, showing what you need to do and how to build the Nannybot.

Posted by Trevor Hastings on the Mousehunt forums.
Town of Gnawnia:

Cheese: Brie or SuperBrie. Gingerbread, Rockforth, and Gouda will all basically act as Brie. Rockstar mice here are attracted to both Brie & SuperBrie.

--Bionic Mouse--
--Birthday Mouse-- Loot: 1 Nanny Bolts
--Brown Mouse--
--Burglar Mouse--
--Dwarf Mouse--
--Gold Mouse--
--Granite Mouse--
--Grey Mouse--
--Rockstar Mouse-- Loot: 1 Intimidating Pincher
--Pirate Mouse--
--Present Mouse-- Loot: 1 Timeout Hour Glass
--Steel Mouse--
--White Mouse--
--Zombie Mouse--

Crafting:

1 Nanny Bolts + 1 Intimidating Pincher + 1 Timeout Hour Glass = 1 Nannybot
via the hotlink at the top of the page, which is put here:
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/nannybot.php

Thumbnail image of this in your inventory:
http://98.129.188.217/mousehunt/images/store/weapon_nannybot_thumb_inv.png

Full image of the NannyBot:
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4636/nannybot.png

NannyBot:

Trap Type: Parental
Trap Power: 525
Power Bonus: 5%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 5
Cheese Effect: No Effect

Meadow:

Terrible Two's Mouse , Power Type: Parental
Silhouette: http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/adversaries.php?mid=220
**As of this post there have been 5 Catches**

Mice:

Estimated Power Effectiveness Chart for the Parental Type:

•Non Parental traps are 0% effectiveness against Parental Mice
•Parental traps are 200% effective against Parental Mice
•Parental traps are 100% effective against Physical Mice
•Parental traps are 100% effective against Tactical Mice
•Parental traps are ?% effective against Shadow, Hydro, Tribal versions, Forgotten, and both Arcane Types

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tWMWKQ2J2Ec8LQ9hQ-lk3ag&single=true&gid=0&output=html

Terrible Two's Mouse lies in between Mutated Grey (~325 Power) and Christmas Tree Mouse (~590 Power). Assuming the mouse has 450 power, and the 200% modifier is correct, then the NannyBot has (525*1.05)*2 = 1102.5 power, so luck aside the catch rate is

~ (1103/(1103+450) ~ 71%. That's not including the additional power from a base, or factoring in luck from the trap, base, or shield. What you should take from this is that's the lowest catch rate you should see with the NannyBot.

For a comparison, if you were to use the Magma Base, we have (525+300)(1.13)*2 = 1864.5 power, and using the same equation that gives us an ~81% catch rate, once again, not factoring in luck.

Thumbnail of Terrible Two's Mouse: None available, but no need - just look at the banner at the top of the page. Looks exactly like that, a box around the head, cutting off the ears.

Full Picture of Terrible Two's Mouse:
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4162/terribletwos.jpg

Things needed:

--Continuing track of the Terrible Two's Mouse as it moves to new locations, if it does so.
--NannyBot Effectiveness against Non-Parental, Non-Physical mice.
--Word on the Harpy and Samurai Mouse, since they are dressed up (In Gnawnia?)
--General Data Submissions for NannyBot users.

Red Envelope Mouse - HotT Party

2010-02-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

The Red Envelope Mouse

Used the Snob/Dehy/sb+

The mouse also dropped the following loot:
1 Tiger Heart Chest, Satchel of Gold worth 222 gold, Satchel of Gold worth 888 gold.

There is a tradition among the mice who participate in the Lunar New Year celebrations. Some mice exchange red envelopes with each other, filled with gold that they have looted from poor, unsuspecting hunters. Red boxes, red envelopes? Coincidence? We think not.

Romeno Mouse - HotT Party

2010-02-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

The Romeno (pronounced Ro-me-NO!) mouse is all er.. a glitter during this valentine's party bash.

Too easy to catch, he usually drops 2-3 pieces of Cheddar, Marble and Swiss Cheese per set. And once in a while, the DHU- too.
No points and only 300+ gold.

Eh! How you doin'? You caught the Romeno Mouse, the Romeo Mouse's number-one wing man! He may have a bit of a spare tire on the old midsection, but that's just more Romeno for the lady mice to love, uh? Uh? You can catch him out on the dance floor every night at the Rodent Cabana, pulling all the latest disco moves like it's 1976. To all the lady mice that don't like his style, he says: C'maaaaaan. . . lemme be *your* hero sandwich, baby!

Romeo Mouse - HotT Party

2010-02-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

The Romeo Mouse's the shine of the HotT Party.

Catches for about 998 points and 1200 gold. Usually also drops the DLU+ loot.

The lady mice love confidence, and the Romeo Mouse has got it in spades. He's also got a set of abs that he can form into various letters of the alphabet. Impressed yet? You know you are. Some might think that someone as attractive as the Romeo mouse might be unavailable, but they would be wrong. He's got plenty of time between posing for romance novel covers to meet a new lady friend.

Costumed Tiger Mouse - HotT Party

2010-02-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

The Costumed Tiger Mouse hints of a new Trap, the Onyx Mallet. Maybe we'd see how to build it before the end of the Heart of the Tiger Party.

About 1500 points and 890 gold per catch. Known to drop the Tiger Mast too.

Usually, there are two mice who dance in this costume for the New Years parade, but this year the mouse that holds up the back end of the tiger costume was sick. So, its partner gets to have all the fun, dancing in the parade, eating all the candy, nearly getting squished by a multitude of Onyx Mallet traps set out by hunters. . . On second thought, maybe the sick mouse was the luckier partner after all.

Dumpling Chef Mouse - HotT Party

2010-02-13T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yum yum.. The Dumpling Mouse is my current favorite catch.

Gives 2884 points and 3003 gold.

Keep those dim sums coming!

With hard work, commitment to using only the finest ingredients, and an impressive sense of balance, the Dumpling Chef Mouse makes its living cooking dumplings for the bewhiskered masses. It serves thousands of dumplings a day to hungry travelers, filled with seasoned grass, wheat seeds, and, plenty of cheese, of course. The most popular of its dumplings is the Furoma Firecracker, filled with cheddar, provolone, and an extra-spicy monterey jack!

Heart Of The Tiger Party!

2010-02-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

Somehow you knew that the crater left behind by the Festive Comet was going to be the new happening place. The Heart of the Tiger Party is ON!

Hunters planning to sneak there for a romantic night gazing at the moon's reflection are now met with hordes of horning (if not horny) others gathering there for the Second Greatest Party of the Year!

Yup, the Lunar New Year is a great reason to have another great one. And no, that shooting star you see is probably a leftover from the regular New Year's fireworks.

But everyone's here to celebrate the Year of the Tiger and to enjoy a Valentine's evening together with everyone else. Definitely going to be a HotT Party place.

Hands to yourself, behave, and take a look at what's lined up so far.

Four new prize mice
Two returning mice
A few dressed up mice for the occasion
Gift Shoppe's open
Seems to be a mask collection thingy going on (paper Dragon | Ox | Tiger)

Meeces to Pieces

2010-02-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

Eagerly awaiting MH 3.0! You can read about the sneak peeks here.

The re-organization of the mice will be a good welcome. I can see why newer hunters would be totally lost with the mice at the Bristle Woods Locations.

Sure, you'd need at least a Shadow Trap to catch the Shadow Mice. But an Arcane Trap works better.

You'd also need the Arcane Trap (Acronym) to catch the Forgotten Mice (and of course, the shadow mice). But THAT Arcane Trap would be generally too weak for the Acolyte Mouse (Arcane), so you'd need the Ancient Box Trap (which is a Forgotten type Trap).

Of course everyone knows that you probably can't use the Acronym (Arcane) nor the Ancient Box Trap (Forgotten) on the Dragon Mouse because it's a Arcane type.. er..

So you'd need to build a Draconic Type Ice-Maiden Trap that seems to attract more of the Whelpings and the Wardens (which are Physical types) than the Dragons..

Yes, it'll be good if they discover the true heritage of those pesky mice..

Base Comparison for Tactical Traps

2010-02-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

The Horrific Venus Mouse Trap wins the Tactical Power charts hands down, with which, you'd whip the Nerg Plains. So you'd want to upgrade your Thorned Venus Mouse Trap as soon as possible. If you're a seasoned hunter and already have the Ambush, then give the Mutated Venus Mouse Trap a miss.

Not much difference between the Giant Speaker and the Blastoff. But if you did manage to grab these limited editions from Ronza at end 2009, you might be able to forgo the Ambush due to the luck factor.

If you're only just starting out - you'd probably want to get the normal Venus Mouse Trap before the ZLM. The Mutated VMT might be more reachable too.

Nothing beats the Snow Barrage for luck. And with it primed up on the Explosive base, it's power is on par with a few trap combinations of the VMT.

Base Comparison for Physical Traps

2010-02-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

A comparison table of bases for those of us who prefer graphical images.

I've drawn up a chart showing the effects of the power bonus with some traps. It's only showing the stronger physical traps but the message is clear - Tribal Rocks!

That is, if you need power to catch that pesky mouse, you'd be better off with a Tribal Base than a Magma. Of course, you'd also want to balance it off with other factors like luck and attraction.

For weaker traps, the power line flattens out. You would have to play more to the other qualities.

Do you want to see a comparison chart of the other Trap Power Types?

Farming Radioactive Sludge

2010-01-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Turning Radioactive Blue stale is not as difficult as you think.

Even when hunting at the Catacombs or the Mousoleum, you're bound to make a Radioactive Sludge or more.

Not enough Radioactive Sludges when it's time to make your Horrific VMT?
Simply choose your trap combination with the worst cheese effect available to you (like Acronym + Explosive Base). Head on over to a fast and furious area where most/all the mice are not attracted to RB nor your trap type (Acronym/Arcane). This could be the Furoma areas or the Bristle Woods areas.

Remember to monitor it or you'd burn more RBs than you really want to - there's not much use for Sludges at this time, so no point farming more than what you need for making the traps.

Hope Mouse

2010-01-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hope Mouse

A special charity mouse released by Hitgrab. There are about 200,000 of these now running around the place, and they are easy and meant to be caught.

For every Hope Mouse caught, Hitgrab will donate 5 cents towards the Mission of Hope in Haiti. So keep on sounding the horn!

Read more about it here and do your own part to help.

Thanks Jeannine Emmelot-Pruim for the mouse picture.

So far, this physical mouse has been caught in the following areas:
Harbour, Great Gnarled Tree, Laboratory, Town of Digby, Training Grounds, Dojo, S.S. Huntington II, Cape Clawed..

Shout it out here if you find them in more places..

Festive Cleanup

2010-01-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

Now that the Festive Comet's melted, you can see a small crater lake where it used to be.

I wonder if any Christmas Mice would eat the leftover Gingerbread Cheeses to mutate into huge Gingernomas mice :)

The new towns just south of that landing point are also coming along nicely. Maybe that would be something leading to a valentine's event?

In any case, I'll keep this the Mouse Hunt Map updated..

Also did up a number of much needed updates to this MH Guide. The Areas and Devices Menus at the top should have all the good stuff in place.

I shudder to think about updating all the mice and their profiles.. Gonna be a whole lot of posts coming up..

Have a great week ahead, folks!

King's Stockade

2010-01-09T03:12:00.000-08:00

King's Stockade

This is not a place you'd wish to travel to. It's NOT EVEN ON the Map. There are no cheese shoppes there, no general store, do not pass Go, do not Collect $200..

Well, maybe you do still get some gold - I think you'd get trap checks.

But it's a very REAL place. This is the place you go when the MH Developers decide that you are due for a time-out. That's when you violate the Terms of Service, like using web bots/plugins/scripts to auto sound the Horn, or get verbally abusive, etc etc.

No clue about when you get out, if you do.

Basic message is - Don't get in there.

Hey, there's much to enjoy about the MouseHunt world and the fabulous friendly MH Community. Have fun and don't worry about this place.

Just know that it exists.

Trap Recipe - Ice Maiden

2010-01-09T01:38:00.000-08:00

Ice Maiden ( 5200 power )

Right now, it's the supreme trap on the mouse hunt world. And it's used to hunt the ultimate mouse - Dragon Mouse.

Recipe:
1 x Frozen Scroll - Loot from Mysterious Box (Acolyte mouse)
1 x High Tension Spring Parts (Smash High tension spring with crafting hammer)
60 x Runes - loot from Forbidden Grove mice

Power Type: Draconic
Power Bonus: 12%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 8
Cheese Effect: No Effect

Bound within the pillar of ice on the back of this trap is a rare enchantment. When the dragon breathes fire onto the trap, the ice temporarily melts, releasing a specially-designed dragon collar which snaps down onto the dragon's neck and freezes him in a thick coating of ice.

What's your favorite base that you use with this? I personally don't like the Magma because a failed attract will end with a stale cheese. I use the Tribal Base instead.

Crafting Item - Frozen Scroll

2010-01-09T01:14:00.001-08:00

ITEM: Frozen Scroll
LOCATION: The Acolyte mouse in the Acolyte realm (use Runic to attract) - and you thought this gets easy..
COST: Ouch! and then Ouch somemore..
DESCRIPTION:
Locked within this scroll is a spell capable of freezing both items and mice instantly. Some Trapsmiths have combined this enchantment with a High Tension Spring and Runes (60) to create a frosty trap. Who knows what other uses the spell may have?

Crafting Item - High Tension Spring Parts

2010-01-09T01:11:00.001-08:00

ITEM: High Tension Spring Parts
You get this by smashing the High Tension Spring Trap with your Hammer at the Crafting tab. Hopefully you didn't sell this off early for the minimal gold refund..
COST: Price of High Tension Spring Trap
DESCRIPTION: Various springs and barbs from a disassembled high tension spring.

Crafting Item - Fire Salt

2010-01-09T00:35:00.001-08:00

ITEM: Fire Salt
LOCATION: Dropped by all mice in the Jungle of Dread but not always. Know that different Havarti attract different Mice here. Also sometimes dropped as a small consolation by the mice in Dracano.
COST: None
DESCRIPTION:

Famous around the Tribal Isles for giving a decent kick to many dishes as well as being used to make very strange and salty glass, this slightly molten sodium chloride is too hot to handle!

I've lost count of the times I've had to return to the Jungle to gather this critical ingredient for the Inferno Havarti. Grrr.

Runic Cheese Curd Potion

2010-01-09T00:07:00.001-08:00

Runic Cheese was once the toughest cheese to stock up on. It made the Acolyte Realms a painful place to hunt in.

I'm so glad that the Runic Cheese Curd potion came about. These are now dropped by the mice in the Jungle of Dread.

Hero:
1000/pc One potion converts 6 Super Brie to 6 Runic Cheese.
2400/pc One potion converts 3 Gouda to 3 Runic Cheese.

Knight:
1000/pc One potion converts 7 Super Brie to 7 Runic Cheese.
2400/pc One potion converts 4 Gouda to 4 Runic Cheese.

Lord/Lady:
1000/pc One potion converts 8 Super Brie to 8 Runic Cheese.
2400/pc One potion converts 4 Gouda to 4 Runic Cheese.

Baron/Baroness:
1000/pc One potion converts 8 Super Brie to 8 Runic Cheese.
2400/pc One potion converts 4 Gouda to 4 Runic Cheese.

So now you can concentrate on the next tough cheese, the Inferno Cheese.. :)

Snowglobe Trap

2010-01-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Snowglobe Trap (2350 power)

Meh. Given that the Chrome Drillbot was also available at Ronza's, I wonder why this trap even happened.

Power Type: Physical
Power Bonus: 12%
Attraction Bonus: 10%
Luck: 16
Cheese Effect: No Effect

It is a little-known fact that mice share humanity's obsession with the weather patterns of vinegar-filled miniature aquariums, which is, in part, why the Snowglobe trap is so successful. When a mouse comes near the snow globe to get a better look at the winter wonderland inside, the moving platform catapults it through the force field at the front of the globe, where it bonks its head on the the back wall. Once in the globe, it will freeze, becoming a natural part of the interior scenery.

2010 Blastoff Trap

2010-01-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

2010 Blastoff Trap ( 2600 power )

Happy New Year! This would be a good tactical filler for newer players until you reach the HVMT.

Power Type: Tactical
Power Bonus: 15%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 25
Cheese Effect: Very Stale

It's time to welcome in the new year! Lying in wait behind this colorful pile of fireworks is a diligent little droid, waiting to make the first catch of 2010. When a mouse takes the bait, the droid pushes the plunger, and in a blinding flash of light and color the mouse sails up into the stratosphere, tied to a colossal rocket by the rope around his foot. The mouse can use the banner as a parachute, if he's smart, but that all depends on whether or not the banner catches fire during launch.

Candy Cane Base

2010-01-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Candy Cane Base ( 300 power )

Another Limited Edition from Ronza's recent visit. Good on the luck factor, putting it on par with the Aqua Base and is much fresher.

Power Bonus: n/a
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 8
Cheese Effect: Fresh

Remember how special you felt as a little kid when you found an extra piece of candy on the floor, just for you? Well, now you can replicate that feeling with the Candy Cane Base. Of course, the makers of the base do not recommend it for human consumption. Mice are bound to try licking it, and it gets awfully sticky after a few uses.

Firecracker Base

2010-01-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

Firecracker Base ( 300 power )

Limited Edition trap from Ronza's Christmas/New Year's visit. No big deal if you missed it.

Power Bonus: 5%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Luck: 4
Cheese Effect: Stale

Firecrackers have suffered a recent bout of unpopularity lately in Gnawnia, after a rash of accidents convinced many members of the public that fireworks are unsafe. Luckily, the appeal of these high-quality fireworks is rapidly erasing the stigma caused by all the accidents. . . by encouraging people to cause more accidents. Only this time, the accidents will be happening to mice-- hopefully.

Chrome DrillBot

2009-12-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Chrome DrillBot ( 3900 power )

The Physical Trap that we have been waiting for! A Limited Edition Must-Buy from Ronza. Sorry if you made the RhinoBot, but this one should perform better in luck at the Derr Dunes. I've paired it with the Dehy Base for a Neutral Cheese effect.

Affectionately known as the Chillbot. :)

Power Type: Physical
Power Bonus: 20%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 26
Cheese Effect: Insanely Stale

Total Power: 4,950
Power Bonus: 20%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Total Luck: 30

While drilling through clumpy top soil around Digby, the scientists there became tired of constantly cleaning the drills. Their solution? Coat the drills in slick chrome! Overcharged and super-powered, the Chrome DrillBot obliterates mice in style!

mhabbr : chillbot, chrome ddb, cddb

Ronza's New Year Stay

2009-12-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

If there ever was a quiet arrival of Ronza, this is it.

Ronza sneaked in over to Gnawnia just before the turn of Christmas, bringing a few goodies for the late shopper. A few other devices will be made available towards the New Year.

A list of her wares, now all available:

Snowglobe Trap : 341,000 gold
2010 Blastoff Trap : 512,800
Chrome Drillbot : 897,400
Candy Cane Base : 90,000
Firecracker Base : 90,000

There's no real indication when she would leave, so aim to get your goodies before Jan 2, 2010!

[update : And the New Year's Mouse was seen sneaking off with a whole bunch of freworks.. Hope ya still had some SB+ to catch him.]

Christmas Cracker Trap

2009-12-23T18:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cracker Trap ( 3000 power )

Yummy.. This is what you get after exchanging the 12 Items looted in Days 'Til Christmas. I think this is a better trap compared to the PartyBot. It's great on luck and much fresher for the cheese.

Power Type: Physical
Power Bonus: 15%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Luck: 24
Cheese Effect: Very Fresh

All those gifts from the twelve days of Christmas, and not a single trap among them. . . Santa just doesn't understand Mouse Hunters. Oh well, never fear! Candy canes, reindeer antlers and Christmas lights all make great projectiles! Just stuff them in a giant cannon, pull the string, and voila! Instant present gratification. Now where's all that fruit cake from last year?

mhabbr : cct

Larry the Trapsmith

2009-12-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

Got all your 12 Christmas Day Loot?

Go visit Larry to claim the Christmas Trap here:
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/updatepost.php?upid=281

You get to claim the following trap..

Gingerbread House Surprise Trap

2009-12-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread House Surprise ( 2200 power )

Strange that the Mousehunt developers didn't label this as a Limited Edition, since it will probably no longer be available to loot and craft after the Christmas Festive season. Anyway, it's worth collecting - Merry Christmas folks!

Power Type: Tactical
Power Bonus: 10%
Attraction Bonus: 10%
Luck: 8
Cheese Effect: Über Fresh

Warmth and the smell of baking cheese biscuits draw mice into this charming little gumdrop house, where they will find a present, waiting just for them. The mice unwrap the present, to find, in place of the cheese biscuits, a mouse-sized parachute. Once the mouse puts on the parachute, a burst of reverse Santa magic shoots it out the chimney, into the air to a land far away. Being flung into the air isn't what the mouse had on its list, but it's the thought that counts.

mhabbr : ghs

Gingerbread Base

2009-12-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread Base ( 225 power )

A Christmas Festive seasonal base. Like the Gingerbread House Surprise Trap, the components will probably no longer be available after the Festive Comet melts. Recommended for it's Cheese Effect, especially for novices.

Power Bonus: 8%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 4
Cheese Effect: Insanely Fresh

This base has been baked in the oven for just the right amount of time to make it a lightly toasted, chewy wonder. After taking it out of the oven, Santa's elves dusted the base with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and then decorated it with a festive star pattern and multi-colored gumdrops. Unfortunately, they also left it out on the counter where the mice could walk all over it. Now that it's unsuitable to give as a gift, you might as well put a trap on top of it.

mhabbr : gbb

Lagoon vs Furoma Areas

2009-12-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

You're well on your way to being a GrandMaster. Or have just graduated and want to move on.

Lagoon next?
or the Furoma levels?

First a little history.
The Furoma levels (Training Grounds, Dojo, Meditation Room and Pinnacle Chamber) opened up in Nov 2008. It was an early attempt of a stepped/cyclic event by the MH devs and it was a wonderful success.

Hunters had to get stuff from Dojo, to get more stuff from the Meditation Room, to get the elusive Onyx Stone from the big guy at the Pinnacle Chamber. And you find yourself having to returning to the Training Grounds often to buy more stuff. And there wasn't much stuff to buy then.

Of course, the game had evolved and matured beautifully with the events at the Tribal Isles. But this is a different story.

Since the only good Tactical trap on sale then was the ZLM, it got pretty brutal at times. Until you crafted the Ambush Trap. Thankfully Ronza came around then to leave luckier Snow Barrages, but it's still weak for the well-trained Furoma mice.

There was a little shuffling of the menus after this period, and the Whisker Woods (and Lagoon) was introduced. This was going to be the lead-on for the introduction of the Huntington and thereafter the Tribal Isles.

Now, I feel, it's a good ground for building up your Hunter to the Grandmaster rank, as well as getting the Venus Mouse Trap. The Mutated VMT is a good upgrade, if you're new, and you can probably skip the ZLM with it.

The Lagoon's a good scenic route and with less heartbreaking missed catches. Don't worry too much about not catching the Hydra with the Ship blueprints at this stage when entering the Lagoon - there's so much more to see in the Mousehunt World.

Watching the 12 Days Til Christmas

2009-12-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

The Comet's melting more than ever - things are really getting hot now.

As it melts, more things are revealed. And of course, the mice get hold of them first and you'd have to catch them - those little buggers!

So have a some patience, bring a lot of luck and cheese (especially the gingerbread ones) and you'd be able to collect them all. We're still wondering if all the pieces add up to something..

I'll keep this updated as the days go by (unless I'm stuck under a snowdrift myself)

One Droid Action Figure	On the first day of hunting, the good King gave to me... One Droid Action Figure!	Candy Cane Mouse, White Mouse
Two Festive Mitts	On the second day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Two Festive Mitts!	Present Mouse, Dwarf Mouse
Three Santa Hats	On the third day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Three Santa Hats!	Abominable Snow Mouse, Hydra Mouse, Christmas Tree Mouse
Four Festive Stockings	On the fourth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Four Festive Stockings!	Stocking Mouse (duh), Troll Mouse (wow, this is a hard one)
Five Ornaments	On the fifth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Five OR-NA-MENTS! Besides comprising the very best part of this holiday song, these colourful ornaments sit nicely on a Christmas tree around the Eleven Coloured Lights. Big ones, little ones, the kind shaped like icicles-- they're all here, and ready to fill your home with holiday glee.	Treant Mouse and the Ornament Mouse
Six Snowballs	On the sixth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Six Perfect Snow Balls! They're snowballs. You go outside and throw them. In fact, why aren't you out there right now? Grandma's not going to ambush herself!	Abominable Snow Mouse and the Nutcracker Mouse
Seven Gingerbread Mice	On the seventh day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Seven Ginger mice! Nine out of ten cats agree that these little cookies are much tastier than real mice. Hand-shaped with care and topped with adorable little icing designs depicting mice in all sorts of situations, these are the perfect gift for that frustrated hunter on your list.	Present Mouse, Bear Mouse
Eight Elf Shoes	On the eighth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Eight Pointy Elf Shoes! People assume that pointy shoes aren't very comfortable, and most of the time they're right. Elf shoes, however, are the exception to the rule. Soft and cushy, these adorable little belled shoes are the perfect thing to wear on those cozy holiday nights by the fire.	Elf Mouse, Dwarf Mouse
Nine Reindeer Antlers	On the ninth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Nine Reindeer Antlers. You'll be the life of the party with these stylish reindeer antlers, which are attached to headbands for ease of wear. This model is personally endorsed by the fifth grade class of Gnawnia middle school, who used them to put on the most successful Christmas pageant of the past four years.	Centaur Mouse, Present Mouse
Ten Candy Canes	On the tenth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Ten Canes of Candy. Hand painted in Santa's workshop, these candy canes come in mint, cherry, sour raspberry, black licorice, and soup. Why soup, you ask? Well, Santa knows that not everybody likes candy.
Eleven Coloured Lights	On the eleventh day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Eleven Lights a'twinkling! Colored red, green and blue, these lights blink in a variety of different patterns. They add instant festivity to a Christmas tree, house, reindeer cutout, animatronic dancing santa with choral elves. . . anything, really. All they need is a little imagination, but electricity helps too.
12 Litres of Eggnog	On the twelfth day of hunting, the good King gave to me... Twelve Litres of Egg Nog. This is a whole lot of egg nog. You could supply a whole party with it-- possibly two. The only problem is that the lid seems to be stuck on. And there's an expiry date on the bottom of the canister. It reads June, 2010. Hopefully someone will be able to get it open by then.	Toy Mouse

Festive Gift Shoppe

2009-12-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

A Shoppe with a lovely twist. You can buy anything you want.

But you can't buy it for yourself!

The only way is to buy gifts for your friends and hope that they will buy an equivalent gift back for you. This is where you see the swell community of Mousehunters at work. I love it!

The Festive Gift Shoppe is accessible from all areas in Mousehunt, not only at the Festive Comet. You're never too far away to help someone out in a pinch. The gifts that you receive now appear in its own tab in the Inventory menu.

Here's what you can get at the Shoppe:

	Swiss Cheese	100	Basic Cheese
	Brie Cheese	200	Basic Cheese
	Gouda	600	Starter Cheese for the Tribal Isles
Interesting that some cheese can be given as gifts. This is a temporary way to send gold without incurring the transfer tax.
	Greeting Card	500	Happy Holiday Hunting!
	Mistletoe	1,000	Try not to be under this at the same time as a zombie mouse...
	Posing Mouse Action Figure	2,500	This amazing toy features karate-chop action! The swift chopping action can shatter wooden bases! Play with at your own risk.
	Christmas Coal	3,000	Even when you dress it up, this is still just a piece of coal, and a useless one too. You have some good friends.
No real uses for the above yet. But hey, you might as well get a couple of them.
	Burroughs Lab Map Piece	20,000	Past the Mountain lies a looming place of technology where evil lurks in every corner... This Map Piece will open new hunting location that require a Hunter's Title of Master.
An excellent gift for those Master Ranks who are going crazy trying to trap the Ninja that drops this in the Mountains.
	Slightly Smaller Gift	5,000	These strange gifts are often handed out by people who claim that trying to open it has driven them to madness! But... It's just a small, neatly wrapped gift... how could such a pleasant looking item cause madness?
Be careful with this one - some excited elf had wrapped it over and over, sometimes as much as 8 times! After you persevere the multiple unwrappings, you'd find any one of these items available in the festive shoppe. Or a special edition Santa Bear (also unlimited hugs).
	Candies	3,500	The latest in candy technology! These small sweets can not only be enjoyed as a snack but they also make perfect decorations for gingerbread creations! Mmmm... crazy delicious!
	Icing Sugar	3,500	Handy for gluing together gingerbread planks to make a variety of festive items!
	Plank of Gingerbread	6,000	This plank of gingerbread is carefully baked with love by the King's Royal Chef. Its spicy aroma smells like... happiness. These planks are more than a tasty treat! Use some icing sugar to glue the planks together and express your crafting creativity!
Smash the Plank to find 15 Gingerbread Cheese. These are the cheese bait for most of the Festive Mice. The above 3 items are required ingredients for the festive Trap and Base.

The Great Winter Hunt 09 Walkthrough

2009-12-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

It's always great being the first one to cast a snowball.

And the Mousehunt Devs have tossed a fabulously huge one with the Festive Comet.

Lots of new and exciting things to do and collect, even if it's only for a period of time. The Scrooge in you is bound to start smiling and get into the act of giving.

Well, ok, you can't get far without friends and in this festive period, but no one should hunt alone.

And there are enough engaging events to keep you coming back to this snowball..

When the Festive Comet landed

New Holiday Area (duh, that's the Festive Comet landing site)
New Holiday Mice
Dressed Up Mice
Special Gifts to send to Friends (at the Festive Gift Shoppe)

As the Comet Melts

New Trap Revealed
New Base Revealed

12 Days Til Christmas Event

An item dropped every day!

Still watching out for

Ronza's New Year Special (Oh Noes, did I spend all my gold on SB+ trading?)

Festive Comet

2009-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Comet Cometh!

The Festive Comet, at least.

Looks like you'd have to put down all your tribal tools, gnarled cheese, ancient hookey box pieces and whatever. Head on over to see what's happening there.

Limited edition mice and stuff. Enjoy your 12 days of Christmas!

(and remember to travel via the Town of Gnawnia for the cheapest toll)

A word from our favourite developers.

Enjoy!

The Havarti Hero, Tribal Isles Walkthrough

2009-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

That's You!
Yup! You need to be at the Hero rank before bothering to make your first Havarti Cheese. That's because it's the rank needed to step into the Jungle of Dread.

But it's highly likely that you are well into this rank by the time you reach here. The Pepper Trail will see to it that you go round and round, gathering enough seeds and peppers to be able to gain enough to craft your Havarti Cheeses.

So, Havarti Hero, read on for the recipes...

Peppers	Recipes	Cheese	Attracts
Creamy Orange Peppers	6 x Creamy Orange Peppers 10 x Coconut Milk 18 x Curds & Whey 6 x Salt	6 Creamy Havarti	Jurassic Mouse
Crunchy Green Peppers	6 x Crunchy Green Peppers 4 x Coconut Milk 18 x Curds & Whey 6 x Salt	6 Crunchy Havarti	Fetid Swamp Mouse
Magical Blue Peppers	6 x Magical Blue Peppers 2 x Coconut Milk 18 x Curds & Whey 6 x Salt	6 Magical Havarti	Stonework Warrior Mouse
Pungent Purple Peppers	6 x Pungent Purple Peppers 8 x Coconut Milk 18 x Curds & Whey 6 x Salt	6 Pungent Havarti	Chitinous Mouse
Spicy Red Peppers	6 x Spicy Red Peppers 12 x Coconut Milk 18 x Curds & Whey 6 x Salt	6 Spicy Havarti	Magma Carrier Mouse
Sweet Yellow Peppers	6 x Sweet Yellow Peppers 6 x Coconut Milk 18 x Curds & Whey 6 x Salt	6 Sweet Havarti	Primal Mouse
Inferno Peppers	6 x Inferno Peppers 16 x Coconut Milk 18 x C& W 6 x Fire Salt	6 Inferno Havarti	Dragon Mouse (Dracano)

Trap Recipe - Ancient Box Trap

2009-11-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

ANCIENT BOX TRAP
There's more than one reason why the Jungle of Dread earns it's name.

The obvious reasons are that it's hard and you'd need a strong Shadow Trap.

Then there's all the different Havarti cheese you'd need to make and bring there.

And of course, the choosy mice won't necessarily drop the piece of the Ancient Box Trap just because you caught them.

To help things on a little, I've included the trap recipe with a cheat sheet mapping to the Dread Mouse and the relevant Havarti Cheese. Hope this helps you - I was hunting with the wrong cheese at a few stages.

After you have gotten this trap, you're now strong enough to go to the Acolyte Realms to hunt down the Acolyte Mouse.

1 x Ancient Box Trap Blueprints - See The ABT Blueprints Pieces
1 x Ancient Relic Staff - Jurassic mouse / Creamy Havarti
1 x Encrusted Metal of Time - Magma Carrier mouse / Spicy Havarti
1 x Engraved Solid Stone Slab - Stonework Warrior / Magical Havarti
1 x Ethereal Rope - Primal mouse / Sweet Havarti
1 x Hinge of Eternity - Fetid Swamp mouse / Crunchy Havarti
1 x Timeless Mystic Gem - Chitinous mouse / Pungent Havarti

Description:
4,300 power
Power Type: Forgotten
Power Bonus: 10%
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 4
Cheese Effect: No Effect

A trap design that has long withstood the test of time. The parts of this trap emit a powerful glow capable of mesmerizing power-hungry, greedy mice. The heavy stone box teeters precariously upon the Ancient Relic Staff awaiting a mouse to pull the Ethereal Rope and cause the box to slam shut and magically fuse with the base. It is only this simple, long-forgotten trap that is capable of defeating the powerful Acolyte mouse.

mhabbr : ABT

New Area Construction

2009-11-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

So Ronza's gone.

Mouse hunters are still scouring the land trying to stomp out the last of the Rocker mice.

And a perhaps even a few more Hollowheads before they finally return to their dark corners.

What else is there to do?
Well, eagle-eyed hunters hanging on to Ronza's mooring lines had spotted a site construction yonder in the South of Gnawnia. Go to your Travel Map, see the large version of it and you'd spot these at the south (bottom) border of the Town of Gnawnia.

Or you could try clicking here: Full Map

I hear that it's opening soon.. :)
A Christmas Carnival place maybe?

The Hollowhead Mouse Returns

2009-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Can't keep the ole pumpkin head down! The Hollowhead Mouse returns again this year.

This time, it drops Super Brie!

The forums list confirm catches at Training Grounds, Huntington and the Great Gnarled Tree. Add your findings here!

I wonder if we would see the other mice dress up..
See the Halloween Label..

Ronza's Rockin' Return, Walkthrough

2009-10-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

A quick walkthrough / cheatsheet about Ronza's Rockin' Return.

Where she's moored..
Gnawnia, just outside of town, south of the Harbour.

How to get there..
Cheapest way from wherever you are? Stopover at the Town of Gnawnia FIRST. Then travel to Ronza's Travelling Shoppe. (895 gold)
Well, OK, if you're already at the Harbour, just hop directly over. (675 gold)

When does she leave?
About two weeks from 20th Oct 2009.

Things to Buy..

Rainbow Mohawk Wig of Awesomeness (for old-timers only)
Hitgrab Rockin' Horse (newer hunters)
Magma Base (Must buy!)
Giant Speaker (tactical)
Kraken Chaos (hydro)

Things to Do There..

Get Rockforth Cheese (hunt Gold, Diamond and Nibbler mice)
Get Teddy Bear (hunt White mice)

Things to Do From There..
Hunt down the Rockstar Mouse.

We now return you to your regular programming...

Rockstar Mouse

2009-10-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Mouse
[Mar 2010]
Involved in the Birthday II event. Drops the Intimidating Pincher.

[Oct 2009]

With a guitar in one paw and a mic in the other, catching this mouse will earn you one of the most face-melting rock experiences ever!! Lore warns that listening to this mouse play guitar could cause your ears to melt off and your head to explode in an awesome frenzy of excitement! "But I like R&B" you say? No! You have to listen to ROCK MUSIC. Haha, just kidding, you can listen to anything you want! ROCK ON! *wailing guitars*

Accidently brought in by Ronza, this Prize Mouse (and perhaps, seasonal mouse) is now plaguing the lands. Initially spotted at the Town of Gnawnia, the Town of Digby and the SS Huntington II ship, they have now spread to the Mountains, the Great Gnarled Tree and the Training Grounds.

And they're fussy eaters too - preferring only the Rockforth Cheese. The Rockin' Horse and the Dehydration Base is the minimum configuration that I've seen work thus far. But of course, set your best physical traps on it.

Interestingly, each caught Rockstar surrenders one of three colored satchels.

When opened, each satchel offers some goodies. The full list of goodies is not yet finalised, but except for the Ronzaburger, all other items are available via regular Mousehunt gameplay.

Rockforth Cheese

2009-10-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Rockforth Cheese

This electric mellow classic will make any mouse want to gorge themselves on its roque (fort) 'n roll goodness. Since it's crafted with all the hard-core awesomeness of a ten-minute drum solo, the flavor beats of up to eleven different kinds of cheese will strum a power chord on the taste buds of even the most reserved mice.

The Limited Edition cheese which attracts the Rockstar Mouse and other regular mice.

You have to hunt at Ronza's Shoppe. The Rockforth are only dropped by the Gold Mouse, the Diamond Mouse and the Nibbler Mouse. For best harvesting results, use Super Brie - Nibblers drop the most Rockforth. For those on a tight budget, the white cheddar works as decently as the Swiss Cheese and slightly worse than Brie.

Kraken Chaos

2009-10-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Kraken Chaos ( 3,400 Hydro Power )

The final trap that Ronza has brought around in this trip. Great for calamari fans who love playing with their food and making them work too.

It's a decent trap for those that just reached the Huntington II ship and just about saved up for the Hydro Trap. Otherwise we all do have a lot of gold sitting around, don't we?

Remember that you will still need to buy the starter hydro traps to form the Ancient Spear Gun. And if you already own the ASG, there is no advantage gained with this trap.

Ok, you have 2 weeks to earn this Limited ~~Value~~ Edition trap.

Power Type: Hydro
Power Bonus: n/a
Attraction Bonus: n/a
Luck: 18
Cheese Effect: Very Stale

Cost: 860,000 gold
Points Required: 843,500
Refund for 154,800 gold

This trap offers mice the thrill of the open ocean, with a great piece of cheese and the wind blowing through their fur... of course, they'll also have a giant, grabby squid to keep them company. With eight arms and two tentacles contending for the catch, this trap just has to get the mouse one way or the other. It's also a favorite of humane hunters, as the squid much prefers to eat fish.

Now I'm hungry...
By the way, has anyone yet dared to spend money on this trap, to hunt Hydras at the Lagoon to "save money" on the Ship Blueprints? If it works well, this trap could well be the game-breaker for Hydro Traps, much like the PartyBot is for Physical Traps.. Let me know here!

Giant Speaker

2009-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Giant Speaker ( 2,850 Tactical Power )

Interesting trap that Ronza brought about. And with this shipment, a whole lot of RockStar mice also came along and infested many locations in Gnawnia.

Apart from the Limited Edition status, discussion board opinions are mixed about the worth of getting this trap.

Power Type: Tactical
Power Bonus: 5%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Luck: 22
Cheese Effect: No Effect

Cost: 612,800 gold
Points Required: 91,000
Refund for 110,304 gold

This trap is guaranteed to harsh any rocker's mellow. The minute a mouse comes into the range of the ring of microphones, the slightest noise is amplified a billion times, rocketing them across the room on a wave of sound. Collecting mice is a cinch when they're disoriented and temporarily hard of hearing.

Has anyone caught Rockstars with this trap?

Magma Base

2009-10-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Magma Base ( 300 Power )

The strongest base (power+attraction+luck boosts considered) currently available in MouseHunt for now and the most stale-cheese making.

This is decidedly the BEST BUY of Ronza's visit. Every hunter should strive to get this base first and foremost, before working/begging for the rest of the traps.

Power Bonus: 8%
Attraction Bonus: 5%
Luck: 10
Cheese Effect: Insanely Stale

Cost: 374,700 gold
Points Required: 238,200
Refund for 67,446 gold

Carved from the turbulent molten rock at the base of Mt. Dracano, the Magma Base reflects the more dangerous side of the tropics. Scientists haven't quite identified the gas that vents out of this rock yet, but they're sure of one thing: mice love it.

Ronza has a hard time carrying a lot of these, because they burn right through boxes and bags.

I wonder how one refunds this when Ronza leaves. Well, if one does decide to refund it, duh..