NPC Spawn Issue: Steam Elementals missing in Steamfont Mountains

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Steam elementals were added to Steamfont Mountains with the Sep 19, 2000 patch. They were a source of various ingredients used in the newly introduced cultural tradeskill and fine plate dye recipes.

- Pictures from Sep 2000 and Oct 2000.

From the picture, we see a steam elemental can bash.

From Everlore (all 3 pages of comments were captured):
- https://web.archive.org/web/20030503...tby=2#Comments

Shortly after the patch - the poster mistakes Swirling Mist for a Vial of Swirling Smoke (Gate Potion):

Submited by: Secret Skwurl On: 9/22/2000 8:05:53 PM
This MUST be an ultra rare spawn. If anyone has any info on how to make this creature spawn please let me know. The potion he mentioned is a gating potin that costs around 1200pp depending on faction if you buy it in a shop, so it is VERY valuable. I grew up a Gnome and i am VERY familiar with the Steamfont area and NEVER once in all of my cha'rs lvls have I seen a steam elemental.

Submited by: Drifyt Darkwood On: 9/26/2000 3:24:02 AM
The Steam Elementals are new MOBS con yellow to me at lv 7 havent dropped anything yet. I can only assume they are related to the new epic quests.

Submited by: Estarriol On: 9/28/2000 4:57:53 PM
Howdy, here's my 2cp:

The reason the guy that "grew up in Steamfont" never saw this is because it was only added in the smithing update patch a little while ago.

The "Vial of swirling mists" that drops off it can be used in a 135 trivial Brewing skill by a master brewer. By combining it with 2 "Essence of moonlight" bottles and a skin of Morning Dew they make the "Moonlight Temper" that must be used instead of water in the new High Elf cultural forging of mithil armour.
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Submited by: Qalana On: 11/7/2000 8:34:56 AM
I have seen these often around the Minotaur Caves in Steamfont, They certainaly are not rare spawns. I have killed about 10 of these (Yes they are invulnerable to non magical attacks). 9 times they dropped nothing, Once they had a drop of Mercury, of which i can find no information.

They Con Blue to a 11th Paladin, although a warrior I was with was still getting experience at 13th.

Any Infor on the Drop of Mercury would be appreciated

Submited by: Anonymous On: 11/27/2000 6:16:27 PM
I killed one of these the other day with my level 13 Ranger on Erollisi Marr. I need to contradict a previous poster though, in that I was only able to mark the steam elemental with my magic axe: My poor feet bounced off the thing with the 'INVULNERABLE' message.

Submited by: Feltink On: 12/18/2000 12:24:34 PM
because i hunt thses things all the time, i feel i should add my two cp

first of all, if you go to the windmills in steamfont, then head towards the minotaur cave, there is a deep valley-type thingthat you can go around or through.

in this valley, there are A TON of harpies, drakes, etc.

this is where elementals will spawn. after i've killed all the ones in the area, it takes about 20 minutes before they will start to spawn again.

i am a lvl 10 wizard on the Seventh Hammer server, and i solo these guys (and their earthy cousins) with no problems. they usually die before root wears off

The page indicates a -Elemental faction hit, but this comment makes it seem unlikely:

Submited by: Deni On: 1/14/2001 5:07:53 PM
Also, uh, I killed some of these and it didn't give me worse Elemental factions. Found that quite odd. I wasn't sure if that was because I'm a magician or something. And these things are HUGE compared to my itty bitty elementals I summon.

From Allakhazam:
- https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/npc.html?id=5148

magical
Sep 23 2000 at 5:02 PM
__DEL__1591750065412

This guy is attackable with only magical weapons

things they drop
Oct 02 2000 at 9:26 AM
Anonymous

hunted these for a while looking for blacksmithing stuff, they drop iron oxide, swirling mist, and random gems

RE: things they drop
Oct 19 2000 at 10:30 PM
Anonymous

In five kills I've gotten:
one charcoal
one vial of swirling mist
one drop of mercury
...

Nov 15 2000 at 3:43 AM
Anonymous

Seems to me that rogue clockworks, harpys, rats and elementals are part of the same spawn cycle, Steam elementals being the rarer of them. The drop of mercury is for Dwarven cultural blacksmithing, Charcoal is for dyeing armor while Swirling mist is for Elven cultural blacksmithing, and may fetch you a handsome amount of money if you auction it in Kelethin.

what a bunch of crap
Jun 25 2001 at 12:29 AM
Anonymous

I always thought u needed a magic weapon to kill creatures alot later in the game. I attacked them with a warrior and i had to run to the guards and i was around lvl 14 when this happened and all i wanted to see was what they dropped because those dumb mino's where taking to long to spawn! So warriors, monks, and rouges, don't be dumbass's, don't attack these guys

what they drop
Jul 24 2001 at 2:36 AM
Anonymous

Steams can drop iron oxide, russet oxide, swirling mist, elemental binder, charcoal and drop or mercury. only once, have i seen them with onyx, malachite, and a garnet.
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The poster later admits listing the binder was a mistake from hunting in the Hole.

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Nothing in the comments suggests that they cast invisible on themselves like their air and mist elemental cousins.