I've found the slow and steady best way to raid ancient cities without elytra or potions of night vision
>bring four/five stacks of wool
>build paths around the ancient city, breaking shriekers, opening chests and retrieving goods
>if and when you do inevitably get a shrieker to three shrieks, immediately return to your starting point, naturally still in the deep dark so mobs so sneak up
>put on one episode of that really classic showa series you haven't been completing but wanted to get around to, and watch that instead
>go back to hunting once the episode is complete, knowing thirty minutes have passed in-game and the shriekers are reset on threat level
Pic related is what I'm going through. The sketches can be hard to watch in a marathon run anyway, so this is perfect for adhd schizos like me.