Preparation:
- Calm - If you are a ranger or monk, you will want to stock up on calm mixes before attempting the head down to level 23. About 10-15 should be enough (bring more for inside the Domain Of Arbaces.) Use these if things get hairy in the lower levels with many aggro mobs. If you cannot eat herbs, make sure you have plenty of calm reagents or can play calm as a bard with a quick alias.
- Gear for The Proving Grounds - Trunk everything that is of high value, particularly gear you will be needing for the Domain Of Arbaces. It is recommended to have a decent gear set for CPK (things that won't break the bank if you die in CPK) as well as your gear set for the Domain Of Arbaces. Armor is the highest priority, as the mobs in the lower levels of The Proving Grounds can deal a huge amount of damage in a single round, or if you get paralyzed, you'll need to try to outlast it. Your armor ratings need to be as high as possible 95+ is recommended.
- Gear for Domain of Arbaces - Prioritize armor and health, longer you can last against mobs the more chance you have to survive a bad encounter. Items with healing scripts or enchantments can be invaluable.
- Tracking - Tracking is important. Consider going with a friend who can track if you do not have the skill, or consider purchasing a tracking amulet for RU. While not useful inside the domain, it can cut down time inside the The Proving Grounds more than almost any other skill.
- Lockpicking - Purchase and bring a quest lockpick (or a lot of cheap ones, as those will break often.) Avoid having to search for keys or waste reagents on magic unlock - practice and use lockpicking on every down door in The Proving Grounds.
- Digging - Bring a couple spades and pick axes, or purchase the quest versions, you can often find hidden exits.
- Detect Illusion - make sure you have Detect Illusion scribed and memorized for this trip. Some doors require the spell to move forward while tracking. The spell fires easily at 1% with a few tries if you didn't bother training it.
- Patience - Waiting 5 minutes for a group of paralyzing mobs to move is far better than dying and having to run all the way back down and re-enter, just simply taking your time and looking before moving can save you a lot of wasted time from dying, in short do not rush, none of the boss mobs have such a high amount of health and regeneration that they will regen much while you regen yourself, take the extra tic to heal to full or reapply spells when needed it will pay off.