Dragonskin Map and Aquapolis (probably noob) question

[Frizze]

The moment the treasure chest is popped.... (spawned) - the duty is locked.

So to answer your question...no you cannot recruit party members.

This isnt accurate. Ive had LS members call out that they had an aqua portal and throw together quick groups to go inside. Ive joined these groups and been through Aquapolis without helping on the initial chest to spawn it. If i had to guess, id say this is how it works(and i know who i could ask if i were in game to confirm that i have it right): You open map, dig up chest, activate the trap and fight the baddies that come at you, you open the chest, and a portal spawns. At this point, you arent in any sort of fight or duty, so you would no longer be "locked". The portal stays up for 10 mins(you can lose it if you just dont go inside, but why would you?), which gives you a little time to gather some comrades. Then you go inside, clear as many floors as youre able to, and get loots. So hoarding isnt a bad instinct(do many maps!), but not 100% required.

They should allow undersized for aquapolis.

There is no party size or makeup(maybe combat classes only? - never tested this) required to go in. Any combination of 1-8 players will get transported in when the person who spawned the portal interacts with it. There is a level sync inside(level 60 with ilvl 180 if i recall), but 3 or 4 people who work together well shouldnt have any issue.