Three Paths of Power: Velious Shaman Armour on Frostreaver

One of the great achievements of the Velious expansion was that it provided meaningful progression outside of traditional raiding. Rather than simply farming experience and hoping for a lucky drop, players could work towards powerful armour through quests, faction building, and exploration.

For Shamans, Velious offered three distinct armour paths. Depending upon which faction you chose to support, you could find yourself serving the dwarves of Thurgadin, the dragons of Skyshrine, or the giants of Kael Drakkal.

While modern MMORPGs often reduce equipment progression to an item-level treadmill, Velious created something more interesting. Your armour reflected your alliances, your adventures, and your achievements.

The Three Shaman Armour Sets

Totemic Armour (Thurgadin)

The first armour set available to most Shamans was Totemic Armour.

Obtained through quests in Thurgadin, the set required Corroded Chain armour pieces, quest gems, and sufficient Coldain faction. For many players this represented their first major equipment goal in Velious.

The armour offered solid statistics and could be completed through grouping and persistence rather than high-end raiding.

Wolf Caller's Armour (Skyshrine)

Players who chose to ally themselves with the Claws of Veeshan could pursue the Wolf Caller's armour quests in Skyshrine.

Traditionally this required Unadorned Chain armour pieces obtained from Temple of Veeshan content together with the same quest gems used by the other armour paths.

The resulting armour was a significant upgrade and became a common objective for guilds progressing through Velious.

Spiritwalker Armour (Kael Drakkal)

The third path was offered by the giants of Kael Drakkal.

Players who maintained giant faction could complete the Spiritwalker armour quests using Ancient Tarnished Chain armour pieces and the same collection of gems required by the other Velious armour lines.

While many players chose either the giant or dragon path, Spiritwalker armour provided an equally viable route to endgame equipment.

What You Need

One of the clever aspects of the Velious armour system is that the gems remain the same regardless of which faction you support. Only the armour component changes.

Slot	Totemic (Thurgadin)	Spiritwalker (Kael)	Wolf Caller's (Skyshrine)	Gems Required
Helm	Corroded Chain Coif	Ancient Tarnished Chain Coif	Unadorned Chain Coif	3 × Crushed Onyx Sapphire
Breastplate	Corroded Chain Tunic	Ancient Tarnished Chain Tunic	Unadorned Chain Tunic	3 × Black Marble
Sleeves	Corroded Chain Sleeves	Ancient Tarnished Chain Sleeves	Unadorned Chain Sleeves	3 × Jaundice Gem
Bracer	Corroded Chain Bracer	Ancient Tarnished Chain Bracer	Unadorned Chain Bracer	3 × Crushed Opal
Gloves	Corroded Chain Gauntlets	Ancient Tarnished Chain Gauntlets	Unadorned Chain Gauntlets	3 × Crushed Lava Ruby
Leggings	Corroded Chain Leggings	Ancient Tarnished Chain Leggings	Unadorned Chain Leggings	3 × Chipped Onyx Sapphire
Boots	Corroded Chain Boots	Ancient Tarnished Chain Boots	Unadorned Chain Boots	3 × Crushed Flame Emerald

Where to Find the Gems

The quest gems drop throughout Velious, but some locations are particularly popular among players assembling armour sets.

Velketor's Labyrinth

Velketor's remains one of the most popular farming locations in the expansion. Not only does it provide excellent experience, but it also offers regular opportunities to acquire the gems needed for armour quests.

Dragon Necropolis

Many players hunting the rarer gems eventually find themselves venturing into Dragon Necropolis. The zone can be dangerous, but the rewards are often worth the effort.

Siren's Grotto

Siren's Grotto has long enjoyed a reputation as one of Velious' premier farming locations. A capable group can acquire both valuable loot and quest gems while earning excellent experience.

Wakening Lands

Geonids and other creatures throughout Wakening Lands can also contribute to your growing collection of armour quest gems.

Frostreaver's Hidden Advantage

On the original Velious servers, players often had to make difficult choices when pursuing armour upgrades.

Ancient Tarnished Chain armour pieces and Unadorned Chain armour pieces traditionally came from different Temple of Veeshan content. As a result, players sometimes found themselves targeting specific encounters purely because they needed a particular armour component.

Frostreaver's random loot system changes that equation considerably.

Because loot is randomized, giant and dragon armour components can potentially be obtained from the same general Temple of Veeshan armour-dropping content. This gives players much greater flexibility when assembling a Spiritwalker or Wolf Caller's set.

Rather than being forced down a specific progression path, players can participate in Temple of Veeshan raids and allow the random loot system to work in their favour.

For Shamans this is one of the most significant quality-of-life improvements offered by Frostreaver. Completing a high-end Velious armour set is often considerably less restrictive than it was during the original era.

A Remarkably Ambitious Design

More than twenty years later, the Velious armour system remains one of EverQuest's finest examples of progression through questing.

Three factions. Three armour paths. Meaningful choices. Long-term goals.

A Shaman wearing a complete armour set was displaying more than statistics. The armour told a story about where that player had travelled, which allies they had chosen, and how much effort they had invested in conquering the frozen continent of Velious.

That may be why so many veterans still remember completing their first armour set. It was not simply equipment.

It was a visible record of a journey.