Talk:Secrets in the Swamp

Defeat the rotting ancient oakheart

If you watch the Yogscast video closely, you will notice that the oakheart group event is NOT inside the meta event box. I firmly believe these events are unrelated. --MRA 14:01, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

from past experience the defeat the rotting oakheart event triggers this chain. -- Anon --The preceding unsigned comment was added by 98.157.85.104 (talk).

From personal experience, it simply can prevent it from happening. It's not a trigger. On average, 9 out of 10 times killing the oakheart does nothing for the chain. Konig/talk 21:31, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Seeking confirmation

The main page says to talk to Scholar Taryn to trigger the event. Please provide confirmation of this. --Musha 04:32, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

You can speak to her at any moment, and all it does is cause a Veteran Fleshreaver to appear. I don't think there's a connection. Someone probably just happened to talk to her when the event restarted. Konig/talk 18:49, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

So if talking to Scholar Taryn does not trigger the event, then what does? Every time I've done, the Behemoth spawned after Scholar Taryn was approached by a player and subsequently spawned the portal with the Veteran Fleshreaver. And then after the Fleshreaver was killed than the Behemoth spawned. Nocturnallunacy 08:57, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

I think it's a coincidence. I decided I wanted to do this quest chain before moving on from Queensdale and I've been standing in the camp next to Scholar Taryn for a few hours. Several people have spoken to her and spawned the Fleshreaver but it hasn't triggered either the start of the quest chain or the Behemoth. Same with the Necromancers book, which also spawns a Fleshreaver. From what I've heard I think the event chain is just on a timer. Danikat 18:26, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

Most of the large boss event chains are on a timer, so I'd assume this is as well. Taryn's most definitely not tied to it. Konig/talk 20:41, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

According to the info that used to be on the main page, it is on a timer, but must be triggered by talking to Taryn. If the timer has not reset, then talking to Taryn summons a Reaver, but if the timer has reset, talking to Taryn will trigger the event. But then, the event could simply be timed and have no trigger at all. We need confirmation either way. --Musha 03:12, 26 September 2012 (UTC)

Even after a long time from the Shadow Behemoth's death, I have never seen Taryn's dialogue trigger the event. Konig/talk 04:18, 26 September 2012 (UTC)

I've been hanging around the map for just over 3 hours now, the quest chain hasn't been up in all that time and I haven't yet found a trigger (I'm making periodic sweeps of the area talking to NPCs and looking for other likely triggers). I've got nothing else to do today and it's bothering me so I plan to try and find out how it works if I can. 192.168.104.82 12:03, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm taking down the 3 hours mark. User:Konig Des Todes said on Talk:Shadow Behemoth that it might be related to day-night sequence, but according to the wiki page bout that, it is on a 2 hours cycle (70 min, day, 50 min night, 2 times 5 min transition). Where for the shatterer the timing of the pre-events is spot on at 3 hours I have experienced myself to be standing in the swamp for over 5 hours (and others have reported on the forum even longer times) without the prevents triggering. If anyone have good proof of a three hour event trigger please give the proof. 195.240.63.18 17:11, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm quite certain there must be an additional trigger to the Secrets event chain beyond simply time. I've been standing in Queensdale around the swamp for well over 5 hours now and the quest still has not started. Going from other meta-chains, like Wychmire Swamp in Caledon Forest or Frozen Maw in Wayfarer Hills, it's very likely that there's a particular NPC we need to talk to in order to start the chain. That NPC, in turn, may need another quest to be complete before he'll offer his quest (Scholar Brogun, for instance, won't start his quest chain until you defend Tor the Tall's homestead from the grawl.) We need to do a wider sweep around Godslost Swamp and the surrounding regions looking for named NPCs that don't seem to be doing anytime. More than likely, one of them is the trigger. - Zaxares 08:46, 21 October 2012 (UTC)

Either there is a trigger to switch from dormant swamps to the start of the meta or the event is broken, I spent 8 hours observing it and it never want past the dormant point. I can also confirm that if there is a trigger it doesn't seem to be any of the NPCs near the swamp as I've taken care to talk to them all. Considering there is now an achievement for going through the event I find this one to be a bit on the obscure side.

Still no confirmation on timer

Having done some research since Halloween, I am inclined to say the "there is an x-hour timer for this event" rumours are false. That said, it was confirmed by devs that the meta-event was/is bugged for certain worlds, and I'm starting to believe my world (Desolation) is one of the worlds the event is bugged for. Is there anyone out there on a non-bugged world who can confirm the event's not being on a reset timer? - Infinite - talk 13:36, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

How to start the eventchain

You need to kill the oakheart (Defeat the champion rotting ancient oakheart) to start the eventchain. But the oakheart has to be long enough up (30 mins on my try). After killing it, the eventchain started. I also tried without waiting (after I killed the Behemoth), but then nothing happens. The oakheart also spawns pretty fast, therefore it must be a combination from a timer and kill of the oakheart. I also have screenshots to confirm that.--87.157.187.112 03:48, 8 December 2012 (UTC)

Unless you managed to do this multiple times, I'm going to say this is a pure coincidence. The event's lore holds no known relation to the meta's lore, and is not part of the meta either. No other meta is initiated by non-meta events. Konig/talk 04:00, 8 December 2012 (UTC)

Ok, I will try to do this again. But I am pretty sure, it has to do with the oakheart. Maybe there is (like the dragon timer) a timer, which allows you only to do this every 2-4 hours. If the event (again) triggers immediately after killing the oak heart, will you believe me? Maybe I am going to make a video. --87.157.189.175 20:02, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

"No other meta is initiated by non-meta events". While this is correct, some meta events are prevented from starting by other events. For example, the Taidha Covington meta in Bloodtide Coast won't start while the Risen Captain event in the same area is active. It could very well be that the Oakheart event keeps Behemoth from triggering. But, as you said, we need more evidence and this is something interesting to explore. IP, what server are you on? This event is bugged on several servers, but apparently, yours is still good. --Musha 00:27, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

That's probably the case. The oakheart event and Drive back Underworld creatures by destroying portals in the Heartwoods both occur in the same place, so one probably cannot occur while the other's up. As it stands, the Shadow Behemoth was up approximately 2 hours 10 minutes ago in Sanctum of Rall - I'll be watching the oakheart - I bet that it is timed and blocked by the oakheart which to my past observations is typically avoided often, and since folks avoid the oakheart people begin thinking the meta's bugged cuz it's not starting. I wouldn't doubt that Protect the brew shipment's chain also blocks the meta, specifically Drive back Underworld creatures by destroying portals in the monastery. Konig/talk 23:55, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

2.5 hours - that's how long it took for the chain to restart. I kept the oakheart down after 2 hours and the oakheart started up after the portals were gone, so I'm betting they block each others' trigger. Konig/talk 00:23, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

That's excellent investigation, Konig!! Thank you. --Musha 22:39, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

(Reset indent) And are we sure the 2.5 hours timer can't be reduced by keeping the three areas where portals will spawn (during this meta event) event free? It's highly unorthodox for a starter area meta-event to be on such a long cooldown, while all the other ones can be triggered by doing certain things. - Infinite - talk 11:09, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

You've already stated it yourself, the research is inconclusive ("the only reason I can think it took longer is the oakheart event"). I request more research on this, before stating it that boldly. Particularly involving the brew transportation event (monastery in general), and the events in the centaur area east of the swamp. I understand your effort (I've done the very same thing since Halloween, many times) but the 2.5 hours is still too ambiguous to state as fact until it's either confirmed by a dev, or by a bigger team of contributors. For all we know, it might be a check every 30 minutes, to see if the areas have no active events that overlap the swamp event (closing portals happens in 3 key locations). Perhaps the 2.5 hours is a maximum timer, after which it is forced to start. We simply don't know enough. - Infinite - talk 20:43, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

I worded it that way because I cannot be everywhere in the swamp all the time. There is no step change between "the swamp is dormant" and "portals have been seen outside the swamp" which means there's no NPC waiting for someone to activate the event (whereas, for instance, The Battle for Wychmire Swamp turns to "Shadows grow long in the heart of the swamp. Something terrible is coming. Check in at Falias Thorp." when it is ready to be triggered). If there is no trigger, then the only thing that prevents it from occurring at the exact timing is because its blocked. The oakheart I've been able to confirm blocks it, but there may be other things that block it which I didn't see - e.g., the presence of Drive back the centaurs before they steal the monastery's ale might block it as well. That is what's unconfirmed - if there's additional blockings. But for it to have restarted on the dot thrice at 2.5 hours after completion of last spawning while I kept that oakheart down all the time, I don't think its less than that - and besides that match other meta event restarts with large bosses.

Also, I know for a fact that there's been no events in the three areas at about 2 hours after the event during a couple testings (in fact, I don't think there's any events in the Taminn Foothills area). Konig/talk 00:37, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

At what state was the other meta event during those tests (the Beetletun meta event, I mean)? The behaviour of centaur at the Taminn Foothills and the state of that event is also related. Their behaviour changes depending on that meta event. Again, I'm not questioning the validity of your research, I just feel it's not enough to base a vital part of main page articles on the findings of a single person's research, who can't be everywhere at once. Per example, the Flame Elemental in Metrica (and the Steam Ogre), the Svanir Shaman in Wayfarer's, and the assault on the wall in Ashford are all without timers. The wurm has inconclusive research, much like the Behemoth, but there's rumours it functions like the Hydra Queen (chance). The rest can all be triggered/attempted near-continuously (definitely multiple times every 2.5 hour window), so if Behemoth can't, it's the odd one out. - Infinite - talk 13:11, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Then let it be the odd one out. Who says they made all the meta events identically? There's no more research that CAN be done. All you can do is keep the area clear of other events and wait and that's exactly what Konig did. Plus, he isn't the only person who's reported this long timer: all initial reports about this event estimated that this event was on a 3-hour timer. Konig simply took the initiative and actually timed it out. It's less than initial estimates- that's good. My own experience has been similar as well. I never fully researched it like Konig did, but I've gone to the area to complete this event and just stayed around the swamp and played all other events I came across and it took more than 2 hours for the event to trigger. So, unintentionally, I managed to keep the prohibitive events down and let the timer finish. All in all, I think it's been sufficiently verified. --Musha 23:08, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

I think comparing it to the starter zones' metas are not particularly a good idea - Shadow Behemoth was the first of such events ever shown, alongside the Shatterer and both are timed as well as Tequatl and the Claw of Jormag - and I wouldn't doubt that other "epic" boss events are also timed. All events seem to be either triggered or timed, and when its triggered its usually less (though I recall waiting ~3 hours for Wychmire Swamp, even though the Thaumanova and Frozen Maw ones are shorter - and Plains of Ashford doesn't have an epic boss meta to our dismay). So compared to the high level starter meta events it is the odd-man out - 3 are triggered, 2 are timed and of said times one doesn't include an "epic" boss. So I don't see why we should assume its not an odd man out. Konig/talk 23:20, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

I found out that it could spawn as 15 minutes earlier. I started a stopwatch when the server rebooted, and the swamp activity started at 2:15 hours. I'm on Blackgate server so this meta event only happens one time on that server. Another player noted that the meta event repeats as normal on Ferguson's Crossing server. --Geekfox 17:38, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Updates and server reboots screw off timing as they reset the state of the game. Konig/talk 17:49, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Yes, but that's not what I'm saying. For the past 4 events after every server reboot, it started twice on 2:15 hours, and twice on 2:30 hours. The server rebooted once again few hours ago; unfortunately the swamp meta event never happened. Something got glitched. The Champion Rotten Ancient Oakheart event was done multiple times but it never reoccurred after the 2 hour mark. Then I spotted a Pack Bull standing alone outside the Eldvin Monastery, with the NPC Sister Brenda missing. I'm guessing that the event (Protect the brew shipment) is holding the swamp meta event back. Since the event never cleared with the NPC missing, the swamp never awakened. Geekfox 06:04, 25 December 2012 (UTC)

Updated the main page to reflect that Protect the Brew Shipment is required to be active for event spawning. Zen00 14:10, 20 March 2013

28 January 2013 patch

After having spent all morning, multiple windows of the assumed timer, camping both listed events with a dedicated group of travellers, I can now confirm the timer for Shadow Behemoth (on a previously bugged world) is now sometimes incorrect.. by 5 minutes. It spawned twice, with 2:25 between the end of the last Behemoth, and the start of the pre-events for the next. But it did not spawn 2:25 (or 2:30) before the "first" spawn. I can also confirm the brew shipment event is not required to be finished before the meta event can start. The pre-events triggered while the brew shipment had barely made it into the swamp. The Champion Rotting Oakheart, however, was down at the time. I assume this is the only requirement, but I have had no chance to confirm this yet. None of this is conclusive until further verified, of course. If the timer is a flat 2:25, it can be confirmed in 2:15-ish from now. - Infinite - talk 11:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

And by "sometimes" incorrect I literally mean it was not 2:30 (as was previously stated) in any of these windows. - Infinite - talk 12:32, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

It was 2:15-ish the next time. So a 2:15-2:30 timer, or a 15 minute spawn window after 2:15? The Oakheart was killed and the Behemoth pre-events triggered almost directly afterwards, which leave me wondering. - Infinite - talk 13:53, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

I'd imagine for the brew events, they just have to be out of the monastery area (so the brew shipment has to be started but not finished, and the retrieve/defend the brew can't be active). This is mere speculation. It's possible that it's not a precise timer, but a time-range timer (e.g., what you said of 2:15-2:30). I can see that happening in order to keep events a little more random. The oakheart still seems to be required based on what you said. Konig/talk 18:23, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, that's what I reckoned too. I am going to base my previous research on beta remnants and being on a bugged world (so very limited testing back then). This research starts to meet your research in parts, so we'll have the specifics sooner or later. - Infinite - talk 19:09, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Some evidence supporting that the brew shipment must have left: today, while the brew shipment event was waiting outside the monastery to start, the swamp miasma visual effect started in the monastery. After a few minutes of nothing happening, I talked to the NPC to start the brew shipment event. The event chain began immediately after the shipment started moving. Esmerine 09:22, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

I've seen that boss up for a long time in the distant past (far longer than 30 minutes) and killed it. The meta did not start then either. I'm rewording the notes section to simplify your simplifications and basing it closer to current research.

Based on all the research I have seen on this event, how other world boss metas are, and the research I've done, I believe the current notes section is accurate. Events in Eldvin Monastery and Greatheart Weald (4 events total) block the meta, but do not need completion if they're moving events (1 event total); like how Claw of Jormag is on a seemingly 1 hour 15 minute window, the Shadow Behemoth seems to be on a ~15 minute window (I left it at 30 minutes though, based on this site) given we have seen between 2 hours 15 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes. I find it unlikely that it managed to initiate at the beginning of the window three out of five times, but it's possible. Given the timer has been at 15, 25, and 30 minutes thus far, I'm betting the window occurs ever 5 minutes beginning at no later than 2:15 and ending no sooner than 2:30. Konig/talk 01:00, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

The rumour specifically stated to let it corrupt the forest, but I trust your observations in the sense that you've busted the corruption note. Also, it wouldn't make sense how the Behemoth was up back-to-back during release days, in an overpopulated zone where you are supposed to not kill a specific event objective boss. The fact that it is current is a very positive point.

Just a note, though: Temple usually experiments with their timers based on (various) external sources. I assume the new testing spawn window that is being used was sparked by this exact discussion page. I've seen a 3 hours timer, a 2:30 hour timer, and now a 2:00 hour timer with a 30 minute spawn window. If they do, in fact, get their experimental timers from this page, we should continue to verify various bits of information until we can safely say it is fully accurate. That said, however, I do believe it is mostly accurate now, at least until inconsistencies arise. Either way, as long as we continue research, we can help a community much larger than just this wiki's, while still determining what the article should be containing.

I have no doubts left in the extensive research, and will attempt to verify it as often as possible. Thanks for at least letting my theories and research be received from a plausible point of view this time. :P - Infinite - talk 11:17, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I figured that Temple's sources would be (primarily?) this discussion, since a couple days ago it was simply "Invalid" - but given current deductions, the smallest window is 15 minutes, so saying 30 minutes gives us a bit of leeway so no one can say "you lied to us!" if it shows up early. Konig/talk 11:34, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I totally agree with you there. This will be the better assumption until further notice. Also a question for your research: did the Behemoth ever spawn during the zone's day as far as you know (hurray for Ghastly weaponry)? - Infinite - talk 11:41, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... Not off the top of my head. I don't have Ghastly weapons so the only means I'd really have would be looking at the sky or my sylvari which was the initial tester. I think it did. Though I do know it did for certain closer to the game's release, as well as during the BWEs - though the latter may be a case of Anet wanting everyone to have their full of it. Konig/talk 11:52, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Confirmed, it can spawn during the day time. - Infinite - talk 16:14, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I have witnessed today: The brew delivery event was not activated yet, but the pre-events started right after the centaur event in the monastery had been completed. Narrowing triggers down to the centaur event in response to this (the same NPCs are involved, I do believe, which means the bug fix is still related and the monastery still blocks the meta event in the same fashion). - Infinite - talk 15:36, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Just spawned on the 2:30 mark, virtually exactly. Oakheart was up, defending brew from centaur event was completed. - Infinite - talk 16:13, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I imagine if the escort quest is active and still at the monastery (meaning just the beginning of the active event), it'd block. This is neigh impossible to test though (requires wtf timing).

So the champion oakheart was up and there were portals spawning in that place? Konig/talk 21:32, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I've been tracking the events for the past few days to conclude my observation: Respawn time is well enough 2 hours with a 30-minute spawn window, Champion Rotten Oakheart has to be eliminated, and Sister Brenda cannot be at the Eldvin Monastery. Swamp events can start as soon as 2:03 hours and as late as 2:33 hours. I have only seen few cases where it quickly started around the 2:30 mark if the two events were not done; although, I haven't seen portals appear while the Oakheart is active, but I've seen the start of the swamp event as soon as the Monastery's Ale event is done. I've logged the spawn time of the swamp events and it's posted as follows:

* February 2 - 2:09, 2:03, 2:30, 2:13

* February 3 - 2:14, 2:29, 2:12, 2:11, 2:24, 2:23

* February 4 - 2:09, 2:26, 2:19, 2:17

Now, I'd like to find out more abnormal happenings if the 30-minute spawn window gets passed, but by now, people will eventually trigger the event by taking down the Oakheart and sending Sister Brenda away within the time frame. Geekfox 05:01, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

That almost looks as if 2:30 (2:33) is the hard cap for this event to activate, given the fact the Oakheart is down (or not, I have a hard time reproducing that inconsistency) and the brew was successfully defended from the centaur thieves. After this point, the timer resets itself (otherwise there is no explanation for no-shows, even after killing the Oakheart). Currently matches my research, and would set the verifiable timer at:

2:00:00 – 30:00 spawn window – timer reset

Based on what I've seen, I agree that this is the timer. That 30 minute window gives you plenty of time to have the oakheart and any brew events out of the way. - Asrial 22:39, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

If we could get Temple to update their timer accordingly, we'd have this verified in a matter of days. - Infinite - talk 16:16, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

additional research (Sister Brenda and the Brew)

→ moved from Talk:Shadow Behemoth

I have watched and participated in every event, talked to every NPC, followed each of the wandering NPCs through the swamp, and so far? Nothing. I have heard multiple theories, testing each of them... killing up to 500 enemies in one sitting, and so far? Nothing. I have observed that the Champion Rotting Ancient Oakheart is supposed to spawn as often as his other Champion counterparts located throughout the zone (Bandit, Troll, and Boar) with the exception of Wasp who is on a longer spawn timer. However his presence prevents the Meta pre-events from beginning at the Point of Interest known as 'Greatheart Weald' but does not actually have anything to do with the pre-events beginning. I have also observed that if the Shadow Behemoth does not spawn within a certain amount of hours (somewhere between seven and eight hours), the Champion Rotting Ancient Oakheart will stop spawning altogether. Why am I mentioning this? Because he might not be the only event that prevents the Shadow Behemoth Meta pre-events from beginning. I have come to the conclusion today that I may have been spending all this time watching the wrong side of the swamp, and that the person preventing the Meta event from occurring is none other than Sister Brenda... or more accurately her Pack Bull. Yes, it seems like a crazy theory; but I believe the Pack Bull is the reason the Meta Event does not occur. The Pack Bull is a part of the two part event revolving around Sister Brenda. However for some reason or another (possibly due to failure of the event) she will no longer be present and her Pack Bull will be in the middle of the road. The Pack Bull can not be attacked nor effected by conditions, as I have already attempted to drag Marsh Drakes and have them spew their AOE poisons on the Bull. It is possible that one of Sister Brenda's events (if not both) prevent the Shadow Behemoth Meta pre-events from spawning and that due to an error in scripting, the presence of the Pack Bull itself creates the illusion that the event is still ongoing (no event, no Pack Bull) so the pre-events are lead to believe that their prerequisites are not met and are not allowed to occur. The reason I'm writing this here? Simple. I am requesting a screenshot of the location where the Pack Bull would be standing while the pre-events are going on. If the Pack Bull is there while the Meta Event reads that the Underworld Portals have spawned outside of the swamp? My theory is wrong. But if the Pack Bull is NOT there and the Meta Pre-Events have begun and are occurring? There is a strong possibility that this is what is preventing the Meta Event from occurring properly. So either prove me right or prove me wrong, but I'd like to see your screenshots before disbelieving. Attached is a link to a screenshot (hosted by Post Image.org) of the Pack Bull and it's location southwest of the Point of Interest, 'Eldvin Monastery' Screenshot - Mursi X 18:54, 2 January 2013

The Eldvin Monastery quest chain (there are three, not two) was brought up as a possible second event blocker over at Talk:Secrets in the Swamp. And that event chain can bug (like all escort events can - no illusion or scripting error, its just caused by NPC patting getting messed up somehow due to influences outside that specific events' scripting (I think)), thus preventing the meta. It is likely that all four events block it, that is the one oakheart and the three Eldvin ones. I don't think there are events in Tamin Foothills that could block the meta there though. Konig/talk 13:33, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

I believe it's the Pack Bull. After failure of the first of the two events involving the Pack Bull (the third does not involve the Pack Bull, which was why it wasn't mentioned), all the NPCs despawn properly except for the Pack Bull. And due to the fact that it remains, the presence of the Pack Bull could possibly be causing the script to prevent itself from continuing since it believes that one of the two events is still active (since the Pack Bull no longer exists in the world after the event chain is completed). I'm confident in saying that if the Eldvin Monastery quests are not working it is almost guaranteed that the Pack Bull is standing there. - Mursi X 13:52, 3 January 2013

I stand corrected, it is not the Pack Bull. It is Sister Brenda. Today after the new build was introduced, I spent hours watching events occur at Eldvin Monastery. Failure of the events are not the reason why the Pack Bull remains unattended. Pathing is not the reason why the events stop working. It is Sister Brenda, herself.

At 10:27PM Shadow Behemoth spawned.

At 10:28PM Sister Brenda and Pack Bull spawned at Eldvin Monastery to begin "Drive back the centaurs before they steal the monastery's ale (11)".

At 10:33PM "Drive back the centaurs before they steal the monastery's ale (11)" was completed and Sister Brenda became available for "Protect the brew shipment (14)".

At 10:34PM Shadow Behemoth was downed.

At 10:44PM "Protect the brew shipment (14)" was completed and Sister Brenda became a merchant at Swamplost Haven selling 'Stein of Light Ale' for thirty-two copper each.

At 10:46PM Pack Bull spawned at Eldvin Monastery to begin the "Drive back the centaurs before they steal the monastery's ale (11)" event again, but Sister Brenda is still at Swamplost Haven as a merchant.

At 10:50PM Sister Brenda despawns from Swamplost Haven and is never seen again.

Because she was already present at Swamplost Haven when the event "Drive back the centaurs before they steal the monastery's ale (11)" attempted to begin at Eldvin Monastery, it could not create two instances of the same NPC and prevented itself from working properly. I have written a Bug Report to attempt to get ArenaNet's attention in fixing this matter, is there a more efficient way in getting their attention towards fixing things? - Mursi X 23:16, 3 January 2013

That event series, like a huge number of other individual events and event series breaks monotonously frequently. That series is lucky to survive more than two or three loops and can be locked up for a week or however long it takes for a server restart. The events around that are are, admittedly, some of the worst for bugging. You can try using the forums but I don't think they take much notice there. I tried a couple of times asking on https://en.support.guildwars2.com - login required- but got no real answers there. Claret 06:19, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

I want to add my notes about Sister Brenda and Drive Back the Centaurs. Per Dragon Timer, we were in the 30 minute window for the behemoth. I had been running around checking the state of things and looking for Brenda. She was NOT at Swamplost, she was NOT at Eldvin, and she was NOT on the path between the two. The pack bull was nowhere to be found either.

I ended up coming back to Eldvin and I saw the pack bull sitting outside alone (it wasn't there 5 minutes ago). As I walked into Eldvin a discussion started between NPC's and Brenda was present for it (so possibly when you see the pack bull alone.. the system is waiting for you to trigger the discussion inside Eldvin?). She made her way out to the bull, some more NPC actions occurred, and the Drive Back the Centaurs event started. It needed no prompting from me. I successfully completed the event [Drive Back the Centaurs] and the moment it finished, the exact moment it finished, the behemoth chain started. Brenda sat there with the "I have an event!" symbol above her head as I cleared out the portal.

So, maybe what's happening is two fold...

1) Brenda is getting glitched in Swamplost and not spawning in Eldvin. The pack bull sits there and blocks the system from creating the behemoth chain (two events at the same time in Eldvin).

..and/or..

2) The pack bull sits there, but no one goes inside (because there's literally no indication that you should go inside) to trigger the discussion that starts the event. ..and thus we again have the system being blocked from starting the behemoth chain. - Asrial 20:28, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Okay, some more testing. It appears that the discussion between Brenda and the NPC's happens on its own. The details of my testing are long winded and irrelevant, just that I'm highly confident no one was inside to trigger the event while I was out by the pack bull. Also, here's some timing to assist with seeing if you should wait around or not, during a behemoth window...

It takes about 16 minutes from the pack bull and Brenda spawning at Eldvin for Brenda to become a merchant at Swamplost. 4 minutes after that she leaves Swamplost (by de-spawning). 10 minutes after that the loop restarts with the pack bull and Brenda spawning at Eldvin.

Total time for a cycle to complete, when everything is done successfully: 30 minutes. - Asrial 21:46, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

..and one final update.. just did another round with the behemoth. The Drive Back the Centaurs event came and went (I was camping it). I asked about the status of the oakheart and was told it was dead. About 45 seconds into the start of protecting the brew (when they were still talking) the behemoth chain triggered.

In my opinion, based on what I've read here and what I've seen in the game, the behemoth chain requires Drive Back the Centaurs and Defeat the Champion Oakheart to be inactive. This makes sense as there would be two simultaneous events going on in those spots. - Asrial 22:31, 27 February 2013 (UTC))

I take it back. Here's another update. Did another behemoth run and this time I saw a crucial piece of evidence with regards to events. The NPC Abbot Mathias has text and movement during the start of Drive the Centaurs Back (other NPC's in the area do things too but I've not paid attention to them). That event starts on its own so it's not one you can postpone (like you can with Protecting the Shipment). When the behemoth event starts, he moves to another location within the monastery and thus, I suspect, is not able to do his text/pathing for Drive the Centaurs Back (and vice versa). I noticed that it wasn't until 10 minutes after the behemoth was down that the pack bull spawned. Given it had been done prior to the behemoth events, it should have spawned DURING the fight (and probably would have led to the centaurs stealing the brew). This indicates it was most likely set to reset once the behemoth event was over. Also, the oakheart was down at the time and the behemoth occurred accurately during the 2 hour timer + 30 minute window prediction.

So there you have it.. I have sated my thirst for knowledge about this subject and will now go do something else! This is the moment where you tell me that everyone already knew this stuff ;) - Asrial 00:53, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Behemoth run 4 and this time the centaurs were already attacking the brew by the time I got there, after immediately leaving, so it looks like it's not always reset. What could have happened in run 3 might have been that Drive the Centaurs Back tried to pop while the Eldvin portal event was running, and that reset it back to 10 minutes. This time it tried to start while fighting the behemoth and so was allowed through. - Asrial 05:34, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Came in today to hear that everyone was waiting for the behemoth, who was late, and even Dragon Timer showed an event out of date. Putzed around for a bit and then ran over to the monastery and what do I see? Brenda next to the pack bull. No ability to move her, or talk to her. - Asrial 21:23, 8 March 2013 (UTC)

Another update. Hit up another server and we were 15 minutes into the 30 minute window per Dragon Timer. Brenda was waiting for someone to talk to her to escort the brew. The oakheart was being taken care of. I camped things until the 30 minute window was about to run out (20 seconds or so remaining) before starting the escort event. About 5 seconds after the event gained an event circle (so after all the talking), the pre-events for the behemoth spawned. Timing co-incidence or does that event too block things if she's just sitting there? At the start of the event, Abbot Mathias runs over to her and talks to her.. but I've noticed that he can also talk to her from where he's at without moving (so this is another situation where Mathias is required in a particular spot). Earlier in this discussion I mentioned an encounter where the behemoth popped right after Drive the Centaurs Back, with Brenda gaining the symbol to activate her event.. so maybe another co-incidence in timing in that it spawned right before the system declared the Protect the Brew event available (and I guess it being available is not blocked by the behemoth)? I guess if you really want to be safe.. just do what you can to keep Brenda away from the monastery ;) - Asrial 05:39, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

You make it more complicated for yourself then it actually is. Im doing nightruns on my server since couple of weeks and do the behemoth three times a day. It always follows the same pattern: Risen Oakheart is up or the Brew Escort (or any of its preevents i.e. gather the ale kegs (if the defense had failed), or the defend the ale keg event) are active and the Behemoth pre-events will not start. Oakheart is on a exact 10 minute respawn timer after death (timed that myself in a couple of nights, it was always 10 min with a margain of +/- 30 secs) so is the Brenda spawn in the Monastery after the Escort finished. Sometimes you have to only start it two times, sometimes its three, depending when the behemoth decides to actually spawn in the 30 minutes. If you are in the EU region join us in the next days on Kodash(DE) and ill show you while we are on our night event train (due to the lags and overflows daytime...) Magistrella 12:26, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

Just a quick edit to clarify myself as its not 100% correct what i wrote: The escort quest can be active, but Brenda standing there with the orange star above her head, awaiting to start it, will block the triggering of the pre-events(as well as both possible pre-events). As soon as the talking with the Abbot is done and the actual event sign on the minimap and UI shows up, the Pre-Events will start most likely right away (if the Oakheart is dead as well). This (most likely) happens always in the night on my server because there is no one doing the events at all in the monastery. Once i got the behemoth to spawn roughly 30 minutes after the 30 minute window was over because we were busy doing temples and dragons somewhere else (timer was correct, i did the previous one with my other char). Oh, and the window is definitly 2-2:30, im confident to say behemoth pre-events spawn 100% of the time if you clear the areas after time ran out Magistrella 12:38, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

I think the dialogue between Brenda and the Abbot needs to happen or it will block the pre-events. I activated the brew shipment well past the spawning window and the events finally happened. Currently on the Fort Aspenwood server the SB event chain is blocked because Brenda and the brew shipment is stuck outside the monastery Eldiniel 11:23, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Here's two pics showing the pre-events starting immediately after Brenda left http://imgur.com/a/hhabQ#0 Eldiniel 14:55, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

This edit

I am going to tag this note with a verify, based on the research in the above section and first-hand experience that the meta event triggers when the oakheart is down, not up. I would also like to verify the actual claim, but have no empty map to do this in. If the claim is true, however, the timer isn't anywhere near 2 and a half hours, but (as I previously claimed) on a much faster timer, like other starter area meta event bosses. If only ArenaNet would allow a krewe for GW2, to test these things. By no means do I flat-out doubt the information, but until it's properly researched it should not be left untouched on the main article. - Infinite - talk 12:06, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Also, I'd like to point out that Beetletun events will also get in the way; not just Oakheart. I frequently will have the event chain spawn when it's deemed "outside of it's window" the moment as I finish events in Beetletun. If it's in the window itself, it seems to need to have Oakheart, Beetletun, and possibly the monastery events not going on and if everything is lined up correctly the pre-event will start. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.26.110.157 (talk • contribs) at 03:04, 4 April 2013 (UTC).