The graveyard is very hard

[Antison]

Embrace the challenge and find a way to overcome it.
Just coasting through all content without any serious challenge is no fun

If serious challenge means grinding till these things are called very easy or easy then I do not see the fun of it. The map also forces you to fight all three. And with the swarm being super fast you cannot just temporarily fight two of them then run. The other way to overcome them is grinding and having the necessary equipment and skills suited to kill zombies.

Load up on a bunch of lodar potions.
Take one step into the graveyard.
Kill a couple.
Flee back out.
Reload on potions
And repeat.

Hence find away. This is my way. And yes Richard, I've cleared the graveyard at 37

[draze]

Level 37 Amazing!
There's also a guide on which spot you have to stay to kill them one by one.

[Antison]

Probably not 37. But I've done at around 39

[Lam al Adie]

I'm on level 68 right now and still afraid to enter the graveyard.
This is my first character in the last 12 months that survived longer than up to level 20something.
Now that i got this far, i don't want to lose Andors li'l bro to one of these nasty ghouls. Since i'm playing in permadeath i'll only get this one chance to clean up that place...
And i still remember getting killed by a nasty jelly in level 99, though that was not permadeath.

[Antison]

I'm on level 68 right now and still afraid to enter the graveyard.
This is my first character in the last 12 months that survived longer than up to level 20something.
Now that i got this far, i don't want to lose Andors li'l bro to one of these nasty ghouls. Since i'm playing in permadeath i'll only get this one chance to clean up that place...
And i still remember getting killed by a nasty jelly in level 99, though that was not permadeath.

Well that's unfortunate because you're missing out on an outstanding weapon

[Lam al Adie]

I know, but i don't know, if i'd keep it.
I also like hunter's sword, although that's a lot of work to get.

[rijackson741]

I'm on level 68 right now and still afraid to enter the graveyard.
This is my first character in the last 12 months that survived longer than up to level 20something.
Now that i got this far, i don't want to lose Andors li'l bro to one of these nasty ghouls. Since i'm playing in permadeath i'll only get this one chance to clean up that place...
And i still remember getting killed by a nasty jelly in level 99, though that was not permadeath.

I balanced the graveyard. I did do with a mid 60's character that was a good, all around build. I made it so that I could get through 75% of the time if I was careful, but only 50% of the time if I just rushed it. So you are probably making a wise decision. In permadeath mode, 75% chance is not enough.

[charnameLol]

I was able to play cat and mouse with those zombies compared to my first character's usual sit in a corner and wait for a strike approach. The trick is to get to those zombies one on one ASAP before two or more of them get the chance to surround you. A Dual wield is very advantageous here. I had a couple of advantages (played at level 59):

1) I had dagger proficiency lvl 1, one hand sword proficiency lvl 2
2) I had dual wield specialization
3) I was using DoSP with a balanced steel sword -- full power of both of them with attack cost of 3 only. Btw, I normally use DoSP with Flagstone's pride. But not for this map.
4) I had cleave level 1 skill
5) Total AP were 10 + 2
6) Corpse eater lvl 1. Nothing significant.

Overall, stats were (nothing to brag about, or even impressive, but was able to get the job done quickly):

AC: 279
AD: 56-70
CR: 25
CM: 3
ECC: 17% (with flagstone's pride it becomes 25%)
BC: 121
DR: 4
HP: 159

All of my BC was from gears only (no base BC I had) so I had to sacrifice some 25 points worth AC to gain more BC with different gears. I normally fought with troublemaker's gloves with Vacor's boots. But I switched to Globetrotter's boots and gloves of the guardians to prevent angry zombies from eating my 10-15 HP on every hit.

Anyway. Thanks to higher damage per hit, with two strikes (with or without critical) most of the time any zombie was done with. Which means in a single round I could easily kill two zombies and also manage to hit once more on a third one. With high HP and reasonable BC, damage was low and I only bothered about potions when my health fell below 75. Otherwise, I used cooked meat (+3 on every round) to recover and to keep going after them, picking them one by one. Sometimes, getting swarmed too. Hehe!

One more suggestion. If one want to finish graveyard, and don't want to enjoy it, then get your hands on Cave Fern (found in Elm mine). It prevents putrefaction for 10 rounds. Which means with a good offense and a reasonable defense and HP, you can kill the swarm easily, without losing hits because of putrefaction, once you enter the graveyard, and can quickly head for the King's head.

BTW, the loot from the chest is a bit disappointing compared to the efforts it takes to reach His Highness just for a dual with him.

[rijackson741]

I also beat it with dual wield, same weapons. I used better food though (cooked perch IIRC), and I swigged a bunch of fancy potions before I got started. Don't recall the exact level I was at, but similar to you. And I agree, do not let them surround you!

But, full disclosure, I was the one that balanced it. So by the time I beat it I had played it through at least ten times, sometimes (deliberately) in a very stupid way

[charnameLol]

I actually forget to use all the better food and potions I have got. Every time when I visit a potion maker I buy tons of stuff from them just to spend money only to realize later I'm simply hoarding these items since I don't use them. I just want to rely on my brute power and gears to the extant possible.

Good to know you balanced it, although I don't know what you balanced in there because I'm a new player.

I like graveyard. Even though I was able to beat it, I reverted to a saved game and left the quest unfinished. I use graveyard, along with green maze, Lodar cave as training ground to become more stronger (increasing damage per level up).

One thing when I'm training in the graveyard is that after a couple of zombies, there comes a period where for a second or more or perhaps in terms of rounds, no zombies are spawned. And when they do sometimes they don't come en masse like usual. It is at that point my character starts getting irritated. It wants more and a hoard of them. But can't get enough of those zombies.

I guess that stuff is part of balancing.