I'm sorry to say this, but there really isn't any trick. However, making fights faster will generally make the rest of the grove easier, as will increasing your pets' durability- since you have to make less trips back.
Of your battle pets, lava and gingersnap haven't allocated all their proficiency points. I get that it's a big decision, but any allocation is better than none in a fight.
Consider buying vinethorn gear in the broker. The bracers are the most expensive, but the rest is usually going to cost less than 100k, and the power jump the gear provides is pretty big.
If not that, consider buying some exotic gear. While market prices seem to have gone up, I think you can find anything worth having at a negligible markup. Use it to swap out the purple, blue, and under-level-60 orange gear, if you can afford it. (check for vinethorns you can afford first, and I'd reccomend a focus on relics as they tend to be good for boosting damage output.) (It'd be a good idea to use it to swap out the bracelet of illusionist on gingersnap and the armor of myrmidon on lava, if nothing else.)
You'll also speed up naturally as your pets' proficiencies increase. Keep that in mind in your expectations.
I said there's no trick. That's true... Well, unless you're short on a specific supply, in which case know what drops it. Getting stronger so you can take on the elites helps too- they drop a decent stack of the more common materials in this stage and a few of the rare ones- the cloth, the steel and the timber. Plus, once you do, you have a clear list of things-to-kill with every trip, and can start learning where the chests spawn. It's pretty easy to find a route that grabs all the chests and kills all the elites- assuming that killing the elites is possible, of course.
(this also has the side benefit of making progress towards finding named, so you can kill them. Named will drop vinethorn gear.)
Oh, and if nothing else, I can send you some gear from the optional dungeon- though as soon as it becomes obsolete for you I would like it back. It's not a huge deal if you forget. (So when you take it off, try to remember to send it back to me? Again, it's fine if you forget.)
One of the bracers should be put on your shadow pet, and the other on your wind pet. Both are worse than vinethorn and exotic gear that's been through the blacksmith, but better than- or as good as, but in different ways- most other gear. |