Guide to Monster Book Card Collection on Victoria Island

When I tell players I have 12 characters each with Tier 10 Rings and I acquired them when each character was 9x, without leeching, I get a lot of amazed reactions. As I went through this process, I got efficient at it. What I noticed in the other guides (or I just missed it) is a systemic process to reduce overlap. Let me explain. Sometimes you can focus on one card on a map that seems a reasonable place to farm that card, but then you move onto the next card and find the best map for the new mob has a mob you were farming earlier. The probability you get cards you no longer need while finishing other sets is rather high. I set out to reduce this as much as possible.

I highly recommend perusing this guide for basic information, as most of it is good information.

Other guides I have done are listed here:
Orbis / El Nath guide here.
Ludus Lake guide here.
Mu Lung guide here.
Masteria guide here.
Shanghai guide here.

The procedure I present is aimed at people who prefer to take care of one tab at a time in a region, and it's also handy for lower level players (2nd or 3rd Job). If you're a 4th job, I recommend you use your stellar brainpower to know where to jump throughout this guide in order to clear a sub-region (like the Excavation Site or the Ant Hill). The guide I referenced puts emphasis to reduce walk time. Walk time, imo, is less important to farming time. Here's what I believe to be the most efficient method for card-collecting on Victoria Island.

Starting with a focus on the Red Tab. (Yes, there are a couple of Orange tab cards on this list - you'll understand it).
#: Mob: Map to farm on.

1. Snail: Thicket Around the Beach III. Snails are one of the few mobs that have an exceptionally high drop rate. You won't be here long, and maybe you'll get lucky and pick up a Mano card or two. You'll need 10 Green Shells for a quest in Henesys, after that, they're worthless.

2. Blue Snail: Right Around Lith Harbor. You'll also encounter Red Snails and Slimes. It is unlikely you'll get 5 of Red Snail cards, but you might pick up one or two. You may, however, finish Slimes before the Blue Snails - and even if you don't, you're likely to get 2-4 of them. You'll need 10 Blue Shells for a quest in Henesys, after that, they're worthless.

3. Shroom: Mushroom Garden. You'll also encounter Red Snails and Orange Mushrooms here. Picking up an extra Red Snail and one or two Orange Mushroom cards can be expected. You'll need 10 Spore for a quest in Henesys, and only Archers will need 50 for a Level 55 quest later. Otherwise, they're worthless.

4. Orange Mushroom: An Empty House. If you still need Orange Mushrooms, this map will finish them off. Some players may find this map subpar if they're using 4th job ultimate skills, but the 8 mobs that form at the top two levels requires little movement and they don't take long. Orange Caps are needed for several quests, so questers may buy them in FM.

5. Croco: Dangerous Croco I [Level 52]: Yes, I am telling you to go for a Green card in the Red Tab section. You may pick up a Ligator card and possibly a Dyle card! You can skip this mob if you're too low in level. If you wish to remain efficient, skip Ligator and Jr. Necki until you can grind on Crocos. Croco Skins are needed for a couple of quests. Questers generally don't seek out this item in FM, I'm not entirely certain why, but they sell slowly.

6. Ligator: The Swamp of Despair I [Level 32]: Now I am telling you to do a Yellow card. Hopefully, you picked up 1 or 2 Ligator cards farming Croco cards, now you can hope to pick up 1 or 2 Jr. Necki cards on this map. Ligator Skin is worthless.

7. Jr. Necki: Swamp of Jr. Necki. This is the last map that will have some Slime mobs before focusing on Slimes. Questers will seek after Jr. Necki skins, especially warriors who can't hit them. They will sell in the FM.

8. Slime: The Tree That Grew. If you haven't finished Slimes by this point, you'll need to visit this map. You'll also encounter Green Mushroom cards - you might pickup 1 or 2. While Squishy Liquid is needed for a number of quests, they are not likely to sell in FM because of how easy they are to obtain at the early levels. I was only able to get them to move in my store if I priced them at 25 mesos each.

9. Green Mushroom: West Rocky Mountain III. You'll also encounter Red Snails, Stumps, Dark Stumps, Axe Stumps, and Dark Axe Stumps. The Green Mushrooms here are plentiful, and you'll highly likely pick up a few extra cards in the stumps category. This map is highly underrated and undervalued! Green Mushroom caps won't sell for much in the FM, but several quests need large amounts.

10. Red Snail: West Rocky Mountain I. If you haven't finished Red Snails by this point, you'll need to stop by this map to get the rest of them. There's also some Stumps and Axe Stumps on this map. You'll need 10 Red Shells for a quest in Henesys, after that, they're worthless.

11. Wild Boar: Land of Wild Boar II. There are some Dark Stumps, Axe Stumps, and Dark Axe Stumps here, too. You might even finish the Dark Stumps by this point. There are a few quests that require Wild Boar's Tooth, but they won't sell in the FM and I don't know why.

12. Stump: East Rocky Mountain I. If you have not finished Stump yet, this map is the beginning to complete the entire Stump sets. You may or may not also finish Dark Stump here, too. Branch is used in many quests in high volumes, but they won't sell in the FM for much and they won't sell very quickly, likely because of quests requiring so many Stump kills.

13. Dark Stump: East Rocky Mountain II. If you have not finished Dark Stump yet, this map will finish it fast. There are a few quests that require the Leaf etc. They will sell in the FM, but not for much.

14 & 15: Axe Stump and Dark Axe Stump: East Rocky Mountain III & East Rocky Mountain IV: If you have 2 or more Dark Axe Stump cards than Axe Stump cards, then start on III. If you have 2 or more Axe Stump cards than Dark Axe Stump cards, then start on IV. Use your judgement as you collect more cards. Stumpy cards are available on IV, too, every half hour. Firewood is a highly sought after quest item, and they will sell in FM for a lot more! Even so, the Axe drops from the Dark Axe Stumps are necessary for a quest in KFT that has a failure rate. I used to sell these in the FM to people for 25k a pop, and they sold because players didn't come to KFT with the grip of Axe etcs because they either didn't pick them up, dropped them, or NPC'd them.

The following can be done at any time because they are not dependent on other cards.

16. Octopus: Caution Falling Down. It is highly likely you will get 2-5 Blue Mushrooms on this map, only because the Blue Mushroom card drop is so high. Octopus Legs are needed for several quests on Vic Island, but they won't sell for a lot in the FM.

17 & 18. Pig & Ribbon Pig: Henesys Pig Farm. Pig Ribbons are highly needed for all the quests on Victoria Island - stock pile them for your new characters or sell them in the FM. Pig Heads, however, are on another scale. They are rarer drops and what few you need to complete the few quests that require them, because of their rarity they are highly prized. You can sell them for a LOT in the FM.

19. Bubbling: Line 3 Construction Site OR Kerning City Subway: Line 1. If you're good with Jump Quests, I recommend Line 3 Construction Site, which is the end of the first Kerning City Jump Quest. That map is far superior to Kerning City Subway: Line 1! If, however, you are not good with Jump Quests - even easy ones - then you're stuck at Line 1; watch out for leechers! The Bubbling's Large Bubble is needed for several quests and in large enough quantity that you can sell them in the FM for a low price.

Orange tab - the progression here is not complicated.

20 - 22. Ghost Stump / Wooden Mask / Rocky Mask: Excavation Site I / Excavation Site II / Excavation Site III. Start with the Ghost Stumps on Excavation Site I until you have 5 cards. If you have 4 or more Wooden Mask cards done on this map, go directly to Excavation Site III. If you have 3 or less, then go to Excavation Site II. If you have 4 Wooden Mask cards and 2 or fewer Rocky Mask cards, then go to Excavation Site III. The RNGods may or may not shine favorably upon this method. One time I did this and I went from 4 Wooden Mask and 1 Rocky Mask cards, I went to Excavation Site III and finished Rocky Mask without a single Wooden Mask card drop - so I went back to Excavation Site II and got 2 more Rocky Mask cards before getting my last Wooden Mask card. Other times, I did just fine! It's weird! All etc drops here are effectively worthless. The Seedling from the Ghost Stump is required for one quest, but most players have enough of them from the quests that require kills that they'll only sell in the FM at about 25-50 mesos each.

23. Malady: Forest of Evil I OR Forest of Evil II [Level 55]: Yes, I'm recommending a Green card this early on in the Orange tab. I'd recommend Forest of Evil I just to check if Faust is there for a card or two. Forest of Evil II has a higher spawn count of Malady and a lower Zombie Lupin count. Malady's Experimental Frog is used for a few quests in high quantities, so you can sell them in the FM.

24. Zombie Lupin: Monkey Forest II. Yes, a Yellow card. This map is a classic! See how many Zombie Dolls you can collect in this process and turn them in for easy quest completions. You'll need 2300 dolls total for the entire quest string. (That was 27,600 for me to do this with all 12 characters). There are some Lupins on this map and you'll likely get 1-3 cards here. Any extra Zombie Dolls ought to be sold in the FM.

25. Lupin: Downstairs at the Forest. And another Yellow card! There are some Horny Mushrooms here, too, that are likely to drop 1, maybe 2, cards for you. Lupin's Banana is used for several quests, but they won't sell in FM unless you price them low.

26. Horny Mushroom: Ant Tunnel IV: You will also get a few Zombie Mushroom cards here, too. Ant Tunnel IV is a superior version of Ant Tunnel I. You may find you finish both sets on this map. Questers need Horny Mushroom Caps in large quantities. These are decent money makers in the FM.

*Question: Are you a completionist or are your card choices limited due to low level? Then you're going to need to complete Jr. Boogie. It's definitely one I recommend people avoid if they're not going for Completion.

27. Evil Eye: Cave of Evil Eye II. There are a couple Jr. Boogies here - maybe you'll get lucky? Probably not.

28 & 29. Zombie Mushroom and Jr. Boogie: Grave of Mushmom. Assuming you did not finish Zombie Mushrooms on Ant Tunnel IV, the spawn rate here is decent enough to farm. You may even get a Zombie Mushmom card, if you can kill her. If you're below level 50, I'd recommend finishing Zombie Mushrooms at Ant Tunnel IV. You'll want to be able to 1-hit Jr. Boogies, or maybe 2-hit them, so you're not chewing up a lot of All-Cures. This map is the best for farming Jr. Boogies, so only go here if you intend to complete Jr. Boogies. Questers need The Charm of the Undead in large quantities, so they will sell nicely in the FM. Jr. Boogie Horns are required for a few quests, but in small quantities. Nevertheless, because of how annoying Jr. Boogies are to find and kill, the Jr. Boogie Horns will sell in the FM for a decent price.

Onward to the Yellow Tab - yes, I know it's a very yellowish-green, but no one cares to have this debate. This section is going to seem weird since I'm throwing in some Green and Orange tab mobs, but I do believe this is the most efficient route.

30. Curse Eye: Tree Dungeon: Forest Up North IX. Nothing special, but this is a great map. On a personal note, when I did this with my Priest, I was helping another player do the 999 kill quest. I had killed less than 100 before I got all 5 cards. I think that was a record because that NEVER happened to me again. While I do recommend you have at least started the 999 quest if you haven't done it yet, I don't necessarily recommend having the repeated 999 kill quest on because you're likely to come well short of the target before getting your fifth card. Additionally, you should also get Blackbull's Deed to the Land to finish that quest off. You can even sell it if you've already finished it or if two drop - which has happened to me at least 3 times out of the 12. The Curse Eye Tails are needed for quests that give exceptionally great experience at the Nautilus, so they will sell handsomely in the FM.

31. Jr. Wraiths: Line 3 Construction Site B3 <Subway Depot> OR Line 1 <Area 2> OR Hallowed Ground. If you're good with Jump Quests, B3 <Subway Depot> is the end of the second Kerning Jump Quest. It's absolutely beautiful! But, if you're terrible with Jump Quests, then Line 1 <Area 2> is the next best because you can get some Stirge cards here. If, however, you want an even better map and you can handle the random appearance of Headless Horseman, then Hallowed Ground next to the Haunted House in NLC is a very good choice. The Tablecloth drops are needed for quests in large quantities. You can sell them in the FM, but not for a lot.

------------------------------ Get a Garnet and your Tier 1 Ring ------------------------------

32. Stirge: Transfer Area. The map is annoying for it's vertical size, but it gets the job done quick. These flying mobs will prepare you for what awaits at Eos Tower. Stirge Wings are required for a couple quests and not in any great quantity. They'll sell in the FM for a low price.

33. Red Drake: Dangerous Valley II [Level 60]: Yes, another Green card in the Yellow section! This map also includes Copper Drake and Fire Boar mobs. I have, on several occasions, been able to get all 5 cards from all 3 sets on this map. Your focus, though, should be on the Red Drakes. The Drake Skulls are worthless.

34. Copper Drake: Dangerous Valley I. If you got your Red Drakes done but not Copper Drakes, this map will finish you up very quickly. There are Fire Boars on this map, too, if you were unlucky and had not finished them yet, either.

35. Fire Boar: The Burnt Land III. Only twice out of twelve times did I NOT get a 5th Fire Boar card by the time I finished Red and Copper Drakes. If you are this unlucky, I recommend going here for your final cards. There are some Dark Axe Stumps here. The chance to get Firewood and Axe is a good incentive to be here than anywhere else. The Fire Boar Tooth is worthless.

36. Iron Boar: Iron Boar Land. The etc. drop is worthless.

37. Iron Hog: Someone Else's House. You might get 1 or 2 Faerie Cards here. Don't worry about finishing Faerie Cards here, they'll tend to themselves later on. You may even get a Mushmom card on this map. Every 100 Iron Hog's Metal Hoof can be turned into a Steel Plate from an NPC in Kerning City.

38. Clang: Clang and Lorang. While here, you might get a couple Lorang and Tortie cards. If you find you have 3 or more Clang cards than Tortie cards, go to Hot Sand and see if you can even out your Tortie to Clang cards. Clang's Claws won't sell quickly in the FM, but some players will buy them to quickly level up a noob character in lieu of leeching.

39. Tortie: Hot Sand. Hopefully, you only need 2 or 3 more Tortie cards. You may get a King Clang card here, too. If you've come to even out your Clang to Tortie cards, I recommend once you have 1 fewer Tortie card than Clang card to go back to the Clang and Lorang map. The Tortie Shells used to be worthless, but with the 3rd HP quest out, it is questionable if they've found value in the FM - (update me if this is true)

40. Lorang: Lorang Lorang OR Lorang Lorang Lorang. If you don't mind a larger map that has more spawns, Lorang Lorang is a good choice with a few Lupins thrown into the mix. If you prefer a map half the size and, proportionately, half the spawns, then Lorang Lorang Lorang is the better choice - plus, no Lupins! Lorang Claw's will also sell in the FM, but at a lower rate.

41. Skeledog: Remains <Tomb>I. A little bit of luck and you'll finish the Mummydog that are here, too. Skeledog's Bone is worthless.

Onto the Green Tab! Yes, I know it's a "Dark Green" because we did the "Light Green" - shut up, it's yellow! ... And no one wants this debate! (Sorry, there's some unresolved anger issues I have with other players trying to correct me.)

42. Mummydog: Remains <Tomb>III. If you were not so lucky, you can finish off the Mummydog here and you may get a Skeleton Soldier card, but not likely. The Dirty Bandage drops are worthless.

43. Skeleton Soldier: Camp 1. While here, you might get 1 or 2 Officer Skeleton cards. The Rib drops are only needed for one quest, and the kill requirements will ensure you'll have enough Rib for the quest. That means once you're done with the quest, they're worthless.

44. Commander Skeleton: Remains <Cliff>. Technically, this is a Cyan card, but for those who don't care and want to finish this sub-region, this would be your next logical choice. Because of this mob's difficulty, I recommend skipping it (they will drain your HP pots) unless you can one-hit kill them. The Horse Skull is only needed for one quest and is worthless afterward.

45. Officer Skeleton: Camp 3. If you chose to skip Commander Skeleton, but plan on coming back for it later, I further recommend skipping this mob, too, out of efficiency. The Pelvic Bone is only needed for one quest and are worthless afterward.

46. Wraith: Line Construction Site B3 <Subway Depot> OR Line 1 <Area 4>. Again, if you're good with Jump Quests - even hard ones like the 3rd Kerning City Jump Quest, then the Line Construction Site B3 is awesome! If not, I'd head to Line 1 <Area 4>, but beware of Shade! You'll want Shade's cards, but he'll knock you back to town if you're not careful. The Medicine With Weird Vibes is required for several quests in decent quantities that they will sell in the FM for a decent price.

47. Drake: Drake Hunting Ground. There are a couple Jr. Boogies here, and if you chose to skip them before, maybe you'll get lucky! Again, the Drake Skull is worthless.

48. Stone Golem: The Entrance of Golem's Temple. You are likely to get or finish the Blue Mushroom and Faerie cards here. If not, you most certainly will shortly. The Stone Golem Rubble is required for a few quests and will sell for a decent price in FM.

49. Dark Stone Golem: Golem's Temple III. If you don't finish your Blue Mushrooms here, your luck is terrible. If you do not finish your Faerie cards here, you most certainly will in a moment. The Dark Stone Golem Rubble is highly valued because of the Ellin Ring quest. They will fetch a fine price in the FM.

50-52. Mixed Golem / Blue Mushroom / Faerie: Golem's Temple IV. Assuming you have not finished the Blue Mushroom and Faerie by this point, you will most certainly finish them here! The Mixed Golem Rubble is worthless.

And we finish on the Cyan cards! What is "Cyan" you ask? It's Light Blue...you can call it light blue if you want, I'm calling it what it is...it's Cyan. Why are people so adamant about having debates with me about color? Does it really matter? You know what I'm talking about - everyone knows what I'm talking about, who cares about the specifics? (I think they were following ROYGBIV, so this would technically be blue, but then the dark blue would be indigo, but indigo is too purplish for that to be true, so, you know...whatever!)

53. Wild Kargo: Wild Kargo's Area. You should make some progress on your Cold Eye cards here. The best option for farming here is to change channels after clearing the map because the spawn rate is delayed. If you find someone else is farming this map and using the same strategy, try to meet up with them and split the channels. You only need to sweep through 3 channels maximum. If there's three of you, then going down to 2 channels each is still doable. The Kargo Eye are highly valued and will sell very nicely in the FM.

54. Ice Drake: Cold Cradle. This map has Dark Drakes, too. Theoretically, you should finish your Ice Drakes before your Dark Drakes, but I've found I finish my Dark Drakes first or I have 4 out of 5 cards after finishing the Ice Drakes. You'll want to save the Ice Backbone etcs to get the 4th Job Skill Elquines for mages. They'll sell eventually in the FM. The first HP quest also has you kill 999 of these, so if you're level 100+ you can coordinate your efforts.

55. Dark Drake: Drake's Nest. Assuming you did not finish the Dark Drakes on the previous map, this is a good place to complete the set. I have had, on one occasion, the unfortunate experience of getting 1-4 Ice Drake cards drop on this map even though I was done. The Dark Drake's Horn is worthless. The first HP quest has you kill 999 of these, so if you're level 100+, you can coordinate your efforts.

56. Taurospear: Sanctuary Entrance IV. The spawn rate here is delayed, but you will make some progress on your Cold Eye cards. Changing Channels cannot be done on this map without first entering the FM. Be sure to check out the next map to the right and see if a Jr. Balrog is waiting for you for another card - but don't approach unless you can take a hit from that monstrosity. Taurospear Horns have limited value and won't sell for much or very fast in the FM.

57 & 58. Tauromacis and Cold Eye: Sanctuary Entrance I AND Sanctuary Entrance II. You heard me right, you're going to use BOTH maps. Each map only has 4 Tauromacis, and the spawn time is delayed. Unless you think going into the FM and changing channels every so often works for you, I'd recommend going back and forth between the maps because the delay in spawn time is about the time it takes to clear the neighboring map and reentering. It is here you should finish your Cold Eye cards, too. Take your pick as to which map you want, they're both equally good. The Tauromacis Horn will fetch a good price in the FM, and the Cold Eye Tail is a highly prized etc for an awesome quest in the Nautilus early on in the game. But because the supply is always high, the price gets deflated.

And you've finished Victoria Island!! ... Except for the area bosses. You'll need to camp them for awhile. Those are Mano, Stumpy, Faust, Mushmom, Dyle, King Klang, Shade, Zombie Mushmom, and Jr. Balrog for a total of 67 cards! Which means you should get an Amethyst and get your Tier 2 Ring already!!


If you think I missed a better opportunity, please let me know! =o) If you think I don't know my colors, you can go to hell!

 

[EDIT] I've included links to the other guides here, and each of them have a link back to this one.

 

I specified in the preamble my rationale. Other guides I've noticed minimize travel time while mine minimizes grinding time. I also separated them by tab color for those players who want a T10 as early in level as possible. I believe it is always at the discretion of the player how they wish to use a guide and how strictly they wish to follow it. Personally, I found Jr. Wraith and Wraith to have the same travel time because I used the end of the 2nd and 3rd Kerning Subway Jump Quests. I also figured if I'm going to spend a lot of travel time revisiting Line 1 <Area 4> to farm Shade cards, then it really didn't matter what progression I took through the Subway maps.

Players who hate JQs, refuse to invest camping time to collect area boss cards, and are Level 45+ would benefit from doing Wraiths first, then make their way back to get Jr. Wraith cards. This means the best route for those players changes to begin with Wraiths going along Line 1 (top line), then Jr. Wraiths (with a chance to get Stirge cards), then Stirge, then Bubbling cards. If the player went into Line 2 (bottom line), then they have a chance to pick-up Jr. Necki cards which means my recommendation changes once more to holding off on the Croco and Ligator mobs until completing the Subway sets.

This is one of those things I like about Victoria Island! The complexity and diversity of the monster ecosystem makes you have to think and gives us multiple options - as opposed to Neckson streamlining everything into a mind numbing, pseudo-achievement, zombifying experience.

 

I have updated the information! Thank you very much!!

 

I need to do a revamp now that the Amoria cards are available. I've only gone through Amoria once and want to try at least another two times before making an update. HHG1 and HHG2 were considered, but I veered away from it initially because of the unpredictability of hunting several mobs at once. If the RNG gods decided to give you 5 of one set and 0-2 of the other sets (like Orange Mushrooms or Stumps) then moving forward becomes more likely of getting extra redundant cards. Now, it is highly likely that Sakura Cellions will only be useful in Purple Plains 1 or Purple Plains 2 after players finish Crystal Boars and Indigo Eyes - and that's a similar map to HHG1 and HHG2.

 

I've only done Thailand with one character and I would like to go through it at least a second time before making any updates - just like the Amoria card suggestion. I'm partial to complete Vic Island cards on Vic Island if possible. The wrench that was introduced are the Toads in Thailand because they spawn on maps that have Vic Island mobs. My current thought process is:

1. Frog in Brilliant Swamp - pick up any Rooster and White Rooster cards you can (this is a problem for me because my 12 chars all have Rooster done through the Shanghai maps)
2. Toad & White Rooster in Isolate House - focus only on these two mobs. If you finish White Roosters, clear all Toads on all channels of this map then go to Toad Pond and clear Toads there the same way. If the 5th Toad card is not obtained yet, then choose one channel and include the Jr. Necki & Ligators, but once Toad is done, move one.
3. Yellow Lizard in Small Jungle - pick up any Red Lizard cards if they drop
4. Red Lizard in Red Jungle
5. Python in Deep Jungle.

This, unfortunately, can appear a little convoluted and seemingly daunting. That's why I want to do it a second time - but I have to keep track of how many Vic Island cards drop even though my chars already have these sets done.

The purpose of starting with Croco to Ligator to Jr. Necki to Slime is because there's no map where only Crocos spawn, or Ligators, or Jr. Neckis. Crocos are best farmed on a map that have Ligators, Ligators are best farmed on a map that have Jr. Necki, and Jr. Necki are best farmed on a map that have Slimes. The Outskirt of Village has Croco, Ligator, and Jr. Necki in addition to the Yellow Lizard, but the spawn rate for the Yellow Lizard there is terrible. Farming all three runs into the RNG gods messing with you. My honest hope is that any player following my guide will have Slime done as they finish Jr. Necki.