More testing, this time without Repel...again they took about the same amount of time. But again, my route had less monsters. So I think you might want to take mine just so you're taking less risk.
Yeah, getting the Thunder Staff forces you to visit Midenhall as soon as possible after getting the Jailor's Key, so as to upgrade your gear as quickly as possible. Then Midenhall is the closest town to Cannock, and Cannock is closest to Wellgarth... the rest falls into place.
That's a clever improvement, thanks! It saves 100 or so squares of overworld travel (where I'm too low-level to use Repel), in exchange for a comparable amount of extra in-town travel. And it solves another problem, too: getting past the Magic Loom damage floors after picking it up. I had planned to rely on the Wizard's Rings, which is a crappy gamble to have to take at the end of a twenty-minute run. This way, I can use a Wing of Wyvern right at the chest. Nice!
That's a clever improvement, thanks! It saves 100 or so squares of overworld travel (where I'm too low-level to use Repel), in exchange for a comparable amount of extra in-town travel. And it solves another problem, too: getting past the Magic Loom damage floors after picking it up. I had planned to rely on the Wizard's Rings, which is a crappy gamble to have to take at the end of a twenty-minute run. This way, I can use a Wing of Wyvern right at the chest. Nice!