So, which type of linked/unlinked Astral creatures do you find easiest? Please give your top three, and a brief reason why. I'll start us off:

Unlinked:
1. Obesefessors - I have a lot of magic resistance, so their damage is minimal for me. Their strongest attack, the maggots one, can only do around 1k damage to me. First because they have fixed respawn points, and don't move unless chasing.

2. Bulls - Relatively weaker physical attacks on my fieldplate. Superattack can do about 1.5k-1.7k to me. Can knock, but nothing major. Like obesefessors, fixed locations.

3. Goats - Very weak physical attacks. Would be first if they didn't wander, and couldn't prone and break balance at the same time.

Linked:
1. Fesixes - Even the strongest ones can only do a relatively small amount of physical damage. Bleeding can occasionally stack if not clotted. Don't track.

2. Urns - Like obesefessors, my magic resistance makes their attacks a lot easier to take. Occasional electric attack that can do about 2k-2.5k. Can knock, but nothing major. Don't track.

3. Goats - Like unlinked goats, damage relatively weak. Can bleed a little bit. Like unlinked, would be a lot easier if they couldn't knock and break balance at the same time. Beats bulls, as they can do only 1.5k damage at most, while bulls have the super attack that could do around 3k.


EDIT: Added hate most poll.
Hate:
1. Parasites - The power draining just sucks. So does the webbing.

2. Eagles - Unlinked are not too bad, but linked just hurt, especially with their deafening attack.

3. Virgins - I hate their tendency to group and cause mass bleeding. I know I can clot, but still very annoying. And that is just unlinked.

Unlinked are all completely effortless.

Linked:
1. Virgins. They track nicely, can't knock you off-balance or mess you up that bad, and I have enough mana to clot.
2. Mitrans. Apart from the nasty poison damage they can do to which I have no resistance, they're just not particularly threatening.
3. Fesixes. They just don't do any damage.

Used to be bulls on there, but knocking me over sucks now.

Well, assuming you aren't linking them painstakingly slowly just to keep them from teaming up... there's no way goats make the list. Should an added parameter maybe be "if you are linking these creatures to the maximum of their potential"?

If that is the case, you are correct with fesix and urns. Mitrans would be my third addition to the list, however, and not necessarily in that order from weakest to strongest.

Bulls are easiest, with minimal damage and the only affliction is to knock you down.

Mitrans are easy, with low damage and just make you stink.

Fesixes are easy, with very low damage, but I do go through a few myrtle.

Obesefessors actually probably do the most damage out of all the astral critters, and I have magic/fire resistance (well, a fire-proofed coat to help offset my weakness, anyway).

Virgins can be a challenge just because of the blackouts, so have that allheale handy, eh?

No they can't. I sit the blackout out every time. The "you can sip" message still comes up so it's not like it throws off your curing even. Same with balance. The only problem is if you suddenly need to run and can't remember what directions are there.

EDIT: And obes are HARD. *peer*

Virgins can only deafen with the blackout. Just myrtle/earwort (and kombu for dizziness from the deafness).

It can throw off your curing, depending on how you track sips and stuff, because you won't see the "You take a drink..." messages. But, yeah, I usually wait it out myself, too, and just keep blindly swinging my hammers away.

My comments are just on unlinked - all linked critters are hard for me yet.

I like obesefessors the most out of the unlinked mobs. They always stay in exactly the same place when they spawn, the same as the bulls, and they don't seem to be too much of a problem damagewise (bulls have that annoying big-damage gore ability). Those two I always find the easiest, because unless someone has been careless in linking you never have to worry about taking more than one at once. It may be an administrative oversight or bug, but I'll be damned if its not a lovely one!

I hate virgins the most, mainly because there is some odd tendency for roaming creatures to gather at the northeastern section of any area, and it means there is a swarm of them to slice and dice me whenever I try. And the blackout is irritating.

I always found the virgin bleeding nearly impossible to keep up with as an orclach at least. Even as a demigod I breeze through my mana while chewing chervil like crazy whenever I'm not deaf. Only thing I preferred less were really the obesefessors.

With those two you also get the goats/eagles who can knock you off balance and such. These are -absolutely- the worst things you can have happen to you up there. Three of them can keep you permanently off balance even while missing the correct attacks here and there.

I don't hunt surged, so I never have a problem with virgin clotting.

You think surging as an orclach adds all that much health? >.>

Much more common to find me using regeneration, and even then.. I regen'd more mana than the skill would burn when I just had a perfection enchant and moon totem bonded.

Under normal circumstances, yes, but it's still a drain, and it adds up with the clotting even if one or the other on their own wouldn't.

Quite true with every little bit helping in the way of losing mana, but meh... I still just don't see it. I could double my mana regeneration and still hunt those things much slower than scorpions for example.

you didn't put demigods as an option

Unlinked and linked would be about the same for me:
1. Fesixes - I don't even have to sip
2. Mitrans - damage is pretty weak, and they don't cause any dangerous afflictions. Fear attack is a little annoying, but I'm usually off-balance anyway.
3. Virgins - they cause bleeding and blackout, but don't hurt too badly


HATE:
1. Parasites - power draining and webbing. Enough said.
2. Eagles - linked eagles tear me apart, even as a kephera with splendour robes and monk defenses.
3. Goats - they don't hurt too badly, but the CONSTANT proning is irritating for monks since it basically neuters our offense. Especially in groups, they take forever to kill.
4. -- Bonus fourth option -- Scorpions. I hunt them every once in awhile, but the afflictions annoy me.

only talking about linked here. I'll give my opinion on whether i'm group hunting or solo hunting.
Favorites Solo or partner:
1) Virgins-track perfectly. blackout doesn't hurt me at all. Nexus health bars aren't read off the prompt so I can see my health perfectly the entire time. I can literally link them 100 times straight until I'm full on reserves. great experience
2) Scorpions-track even faster than virgins, occasionaly it's too fast, depending on where the critters spawn. I love the afflictions, it just makes it more exciting. great experience.

That's pretty much it, I've never had to resort to not hunting to these two spheres on my way to demi

groups (3 or more)
1) Mitrans-relatively weak, only does fear, track at a great pace. Perfect for groups
2) Bulls-with flood linking these guys are awesome. Simply, pure damage, one of the top exp astral critters
3) Fesix-Next best thing since bulls are often drained and mitrans low. fear, low damage, everyone can tank them. Just flood link to make up for the slower experience.

I just decided to start getting familiarized with Astral (level 77 Mugwump, Trans Resilience)... I'm only romping around Capricorn for the time being, I need to get someone to hunt with me. I can handle goats no problem, almost ridiculously easy (even with my level 3 fire weakness), but linked goats just kill me. 1400 damage from the steam attack is just too much for my mugwumpish self to handle. *shudder*

Useless post, yes. I just wanted to share my first Astral experiences.

Since when has regen not drained your mana to 0 instanlty ?

I haven't used that skill since I first got it.

Scorpions are my favorite to fight unlinked. I usually run around as a low con race, so their complete lack of damage is a huge perk. The afflictions are no big deal. Mitrans and fesixes round out that list.

When linking, I drop scorpions, just because a fast attacking scorpion can ruin a good day. Then I go mitran, fesix, and eagle.

I hate fighting virgins. They congregate far too readily. I can't tank five astral critters. I won't fight linked bulls, just because their heavier attack smashes faelings. Parasites I'll only fight when I'm over 100% reserves from my powerplex.

Bulls are my favorite thing. They are pretty much all I hunted when alone.